January 2011 – Page 4 – Fervent Foodie

10-Minute Taco Salad for One

January 7, 2011 3 Comments

When I was a kid, there were a few dinners that I got off the charts excited about. Spaghetti, Meatloaf, Stuffed Cabbages, Steaaaaaak, anything involving potatoes, Paella, Hamburgers, Pizza, Macaroni and Cheese… ok maybe there were more than a few…. But one of the ULTIMATES was Taco Salad Night. Just thinking about it makes my tummy rumble!

Last night, in anticipation of my very own Taco Salad Night, I pulled 4 ounces of 93% fat free turkey breast from the freezer to defrost. I swear, freezing individually portioned meats (and meals) never ceases to bring me joy!

Four ounces of love:

All I could think about ALL DAY at work was TACO SALAD! I’m talking a serious unable-to-computate-numbers craving. I could barely make it til 5. Thankfully, my tasty taco salad for one cooks up in ten minutes flat—sooooo, I didn’t have too long to wait once I finally arrived at home.

Feast yo’ eyes!

First up, I seasoned the defrosted turkey breast up with a little salt and pepper and cooked in a sauté pan until no longer pink. Then I sprinkled on 1 tbsp of McCormick’s taco seasoning blend and a 1/4 cup a water, reduced the heat, and let the turkey simmer away until the liquid thickened.

Meanwhile, I put 1/2 a bag of romaine lettuce on a plate and topped with some chopped tomato, onion, banana peppers, 2 tbsp fat free sour cream, and the secret ingredient: 10 smashed up baked nacho cheese Doritos.

10 minutes to tasty!

When the hot meat hits the smashed Doritos and mixes in with the sour cream you get this deliciously cheesy slightly spicy oh-so-creamy sauce.

LOVE this taco salad!

Stats on the taco salad: 368 calories, 34g carbs, 11g fat, 26g protein, 8g fiber

Recipes

White Chicken Chili

January 5, 2011 3 Comments

Last night was my first night back from Charlotte, AKA my first night home alone. I knew I needed something healthy after the Charlotte Restaurant Binge but I was really craving comfort food. Soooooo, I decided to go with a healthified version of the white chicken chili the BF made a few months back.

I started off by heating 1 tsp of olive oil in a large pot. Once hot, I added 1 large chopped up onion (the larger the better.. I’m talking softball size).

I tossed four cloves of minced garlic on top (to keep the garlic from burning), and once the onions were soft and translucent I added:

2 4 ounce cans chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
32 ounces reduced sodium free-range chicken broth
2 cubed up grilled chicken breast
1 diced jalapeno
3 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

Chopped up chickies!

I let everything simmer for 15 minutes or so:

Thennnnn I stirred in 3/4 of a cup reduced fat Mexican blend cheese. (I probably could have got away with 1/2 a cup of cheese—ohhhhh well)

How easy is this by the way????

Once the cheese was melted, I divided the soup up into 6 even portions:

I popped a couple of the portions into the freezer and some into the fridge for lunch this week. And of course one was for dinner tonight! I poured that lucky portion into a bowl and topped with some sliced jalapeno:

Dinner is served!

D-E-L-EEEEEEEEEESH 😀

Stats on 1 Serving White Chicken Chili: 277 Calories, 37g carbs, 5g fat, 29g protein, 11g fiber

Restaurants, Travel

Charlotte Foodie Scrap Book

January 4, 2011 7 Comments

A whole week in Charlotte and what to do… what to do?

How bout trying as many restaurants as humanly possible? Don’t mind if I do!

Ain’t that the truth?

Ramblings, Travel

Things I’ve learned over a week in Charlotte

January 3, 2011 4 Comments

The people in Charlotte are nice. Like SUPER nice. Like almost weirdly nice. I love them.
Carwashes in Charlotte are a whole heck of a lot cheaper than in Ohio… 30% cheaper, to be exact. Though, they will look at you funny when you ask to stay in the car as you go through the carwash. Apparently, that’s not how they do it here in Charlotte.
Everyone is really nicely dressed. Not in a I’m-better-than-thou sort of way, but in a I’m-putting-my-best-foot-forward-today (and every day for that matter) sort of way. I’m a fan.
Chicken paws are not the same thing as chicken breasts!
Speaking of chicken, why is the chicken breast at the butcher counter at Harris Teeter only $1.99 a pound??? That’s cheaper than the stuff they have on the shelves. Mystery.
Either u-turns are legal here or we’ve broken the law 7 times in the past week. I’m hoping for the former.
North Carolina is part of the South. People actually have accents here.
A Charlotte native can spot an Ohio accent a mile away… I didn’t think there was such a thing as an Ohio accent. I was wrong.
Public transportation is awesome.
People are young here. Like a city chock full of Doogie Howsers.
I’m pretty sure it’s possible to eat at a different delicious Charlotte restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for a whole year without having any repeats. I may have to try that sometime. Charlotte knows a thang or two about food. (Stay tuned for more on that topic!)

Ramblings

A Foodie Gift

January 1, 2011 5 Comments

In my opinion, nothing is better than the gift of food! For Christmas this year, I decided to make up some cookie jars using one of my favorite cookie recipes – the Nestle Tollhouse Recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies (oh-so-conveniently located on the back of the butterscotch chips bag).

These gifts are so easy, and with a little elbow grease and creative flair they really turn out beautifully!