Friday, June 10, 2011

Crispy Baked Oven Fries


I have been trying to make crispy baked fries for quite some time now and finally mastered it!! If you love baked fries, you have to try this recipe! Mine always came out too soft and mushy, but this time they were delicious, crispy and the perfect homemade version of fries, in my opinion! I served these with a simple grilled cheese sandwich and of course, the simplest meal I have made in a long time, gets rave reviews!!



Recipe:
4 Russet potatoes (washed, peeled and sliced into wedges)
5 TBS canola oil or vegetable oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

  • Cut potatoes into wedges and then soak in very hot water for 30 minutes (I soaked mine for over an hour) 
  • Preheat oven to 475 degrees
  • Place 4 TBS of oil on rimmed baking sheet and then tilt side to side to spread oil around evenly. 
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly on baking pan
  • Drain the potato wedges and then lay on paper towel and pat them dry with more paper towel
  • Rinse the bowl and dry it and then add the remaining 1 TBS of oil to the bowl and toss the dried wedges into the oil until evenly coated. Place in single layer on baking pan 
  • Cover pan with foil and bake for 5 minutes, remove the foil and return to oven to bake for about 20 minutes or until bottom of fries are spotty golden brown, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. 
  • Using a spatula or tongs, flip the fries over and continue baking until fries are golden and crisp, about 10 more minutes. Rotate the pan often to ensure even baking. 
  • When fries are finished, you can season with more salt and pepper if you like, but we did not and they were still delicious! Enjoy! 




adapted from: http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2011/03/crispy-oven-baked-potato-fries.html

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

A Workout and a Recipe

Well, I have two things to share with you today. A work out and a delicious oatmeal recipe! I am not going to lie, working out right away in the morning is hard work! I have realized that if I don't work out right away in the morning, before I start my day, then I just don't do it more often than not. Working out, for me, is one of those things that takes me so much motivation to start it, but once I have started working out, I usually love it and love the feeling after I am done! The work out I did this morning is a great one that will make you sweat, I sure was! Also, I am always trying to discover new, different work outs that keep things exciting and interesting...I cannot do the same thing 2 days in a row, I get bored way too easily with that! I really enjoy circuits because they provide something new and different and it's actually fun to work my way through a circuit! Todays workout was a combination of Cardio on the treadmill and a quick circuit! Hope you enjoy it!
WORKOUT:
15 minute jog on treadmill
15 lunges (do 15 on each leg)
20 squats
30 second wall sit
30 crunches on the floor with legs up in 90 degrees
30 bicycle crunches
10 reverse crunches
Repeat this circuit 3 times (not the cardio on treadmill part) and FEEL THE BURN!

Blueberry Pie Oatmeal
1/2 Cup rolled oats
A little less than 3/4 Cup milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1/4 Cup water
1 tsp heavy whipping cream
(Microwave these ingredients for 2 minutes)
Then Add:
1 tsp vanilla
A few sprinkles of cinnamon
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1 TBS egg whites
(Microwave for 1 minute more)
I added a dollop of Plan non-fat Greek yogurt mixed with a little maple syrup on top of mine and it was pretty delicious!

I thought I would add the benefits of this breakfast for you- pretty interesting!


Blueberries * have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of all fruits and veggies. Their anthocyanidins counteract free radicals, which damage cells and tissues. One study demonstrated that blueberries improve memory and learning capacity in aging animals. They also protect against all forms of cancer, especially colon and ovarian cancer.
Oats * are complex carbohydrates, meaning they will not spike your blood sugar and are slow to digest.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

 These muffins are so good! I absolutely LOVE muffins! When we first moved into our apartment in San Diego last year, the only pan I had was a muffin pan and because I love to bake, I just made a lot of muffins! I have so many muffin recipes I want to try, but this will be my go-to blueberry muffin recipe from now on. I really love the fresh blueberries in this and I wouldn't recommend substituting frozen. I also love that this recipe is really simple. It's basically a one-bowl kind of recipe....easy clean up, gotta love it! I found it kind of weird that the recipe called for only 8 muffins as opposed to the usual 12 but I went with it and they turned out amazing. The streusel topping makes them slightly crunchy on top!


Recipe :
1 1/2 Cups flour
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1 Egg
about 1/3 Cup milk
1 Cup blueberries

Streusel Topping:
1/4 Cup sugar
2 TBS plus 2 tsp flour
2 TBS cold butter, cubed
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Grease or line muffin cups. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Place vegetable oil in a 1 cup measuring cup and then add the egg and pour milk into to fill up to the 1 Cup line. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold in blueberries. Pour the batter into 8 muffin cups, filling almost all the way to the top.
To make the streusel topping, combine all ingredients into a bowl and cut with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of muffins. Bake 20-25 minutes

Original recipe found at Allrecipes.com

Monday, June 6, 2011

Orange Teriyaki Chicken


This recipe is really delicious. I was very impressed with it and liked it a lot more than I expected! I have been on an Oriental food kick lately and I love trying new recipes like Sweet and Sour Chicken, Cashew Chicken and Pad Thai. I will be sharing lots of Oriental recipes on this blog because it's one of my favorite dishes to make! All I can say about this recipe is that it has just enough Orange flavor, a little sweet and a tad bit spicy! I served it over brown rice and I will continue to make this again and again!

Recipe:
1 TBS corn starch
1 TBS Cold Water
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest of 1 Orange
Freshly squeezed Juice of 1 Orange
2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Directions:
Chop the thawed chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Add all the rest of the ingredients to a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat until thickens slightly and boils. Add the chicken and stir a few times. Add mixture to a baking dish and bake at 400 for 1 hour. Serve over Brown rice