Going Green

Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food. - Hippocrates

I've been inspired lately to treat my body better and keep my husband healthy so he's around a long, long time. It's tough because we love everything bad for you, red meat and cream sauces and cheesy pasta for days. Oh, and wine. No secret there! Alas, we're not getting any younger & there's no time like the present. In the spirit of things…here's my latest made-up delicacy.

Kale! Quinoa! Where has this stuff been all my life? I always knew the darker the greens the more nutrients, and kale is no exception. It's loaded with vitamins and potent anti-cancer properties. Quinoa is a protein-packed grain that is super easy to cook and incredibly versatile. Salads are such a simple meal; I made a huge bowl to get me through lunch all week. It's time-consuming; the quinoa needs to cook and chill, and the kale and other ingredients needed to be chopped teeny tiny. I added yellow pepper, dried cranberries (the plain Ocean Spray kind) and chopped honey roasted walnuts; you can honestly add whatever you like! Toss it all up and wa-la, lunch for days.

I use Panera Bread's Fuji Apple Vinaigrette dressing (because it's amazing and I'm addicted) and added some crumbled goat cheese - blue cheese would work well too, I think. 

I also made this super-easy tomato-basil-mozzarella salad with quinoa and it turned out so yummy, my steak-and-potatoes husband can't get enough!

Eating healthier is a bit more costly and time-consuming, but the rewards are immeasurable and priceless. Any excuse to try a new recipe is a plus!

Eat Pray Love

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." -Harriet van Horne

I LOVE cooking. I love trying new things (Pinterest junkie) and love feeding people especially my hubby (it's the Italian in me). Adam is a great test subject especially since he loves everything! On our third date I invited him to my place & served him handmade crab cakes with fresh lemon aoli and, well, here we are! 

One of his favorites, that he requests often, is Chicken Parmesan. I made it tonight and thought I'd share my recipe.

It's ridiculously easy to make. I don't coat my chicken in anything before breading it, but I juice up my breadcrumbs with spices like basil, oregano, salt & pepper, and garlic. Once it's breaded, the number one most important part:

Whole, FRESH basil leaves.

We popped into an Italian market last weekend in NYC where I picked some up, but you can usually find it at your local grocery store. Don't skimp! Basil is amazingly delicious. Next comes the mozzarella and lots of it - Adam loves cheese! 

Cover it all in sauce (if you're using canned sauce, doctor that too!) and pop it in the oven. When I have about five minutes to go, I cover the mess in fresh parmigiano reggiano (you can use store bought shake parm if you want). Serve with any kind of pasta. Household fav around here! 10 minutes of prep and 20-40 minutes in the oven depending on the chicken. The smile on my hubby's face when he smells this cooking is worth it!.