Black Bean Chicken Baked Potatoes- Oct. SRC
Wow has a month seriously already passed since the last Secret Recipe Club reveal day?! I guess time flies when you’re having fun right? Between school, work and a trip to Italy, I somehow managed to still get my recipe made for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. I can also say that I am very happy I did because I found so many good recipes on my assigned blog this month, Angela’s Kitchen.
Coconut Shrimp w/ Curry Dipping Sauce
The GoodWill near my house recently had a half off sale. I know that seems ridiculous since everything is already priced so low, but it mean shopping time for me! It was like Christmas going through their kitchen section. There were so many cute accessories and dishes for my food photos. I came out with multiple textured mats, plates, bowls, silverware and more all for only $14! This picture shows a few of my new accessories. I love the textures in this photo even though the colors are a bit off.
Italy Pt. 1: Italian Food & Culture
Finally, I have a free moment to tell you about my first trip to Italy! I kind of had an idea of what to expect from seeing photos and hearing stories, but nothing compares to actually experiencing it yourself. After having my flight to D.C. cancelled (thanks so much United) and spending an extra night in D.C., I finally made it to Rome a day later than my mom and the rest of the group.
Arrivederci Italy!
Sorry I have not been posting this week as much, but I have been in Italy at cooking school! I will be posting all about my trip soon, since I am sadly heading home tomorrow. For now, head over to my mom’s blog to read about our trip. Who knows, maybe you will want to
Roasted Peach & Tomato Gazpacho
For those of you who don’t know, I am currently in a small town in Southern Italy called Spongano. I am taking classes at a cooking school in a CASTLE! The weather has been great and the food has been delicious. I will be posting a couple of things about my trip soon, but for now I want to share this delicious gazpacho recipe that I made before I left.
Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Casserole
I realize it was a little backwards to post the dessert half of my spaghetti squash dinner first, but let’s be honest that is always the best part! (Also don’t forget to go over and enter my coconut oil giveaway here!) Here is how I used the other half of our seven pound spaghetti squash. I was kind of winging it with this recipe, which caused a bit of challenge naming it. This recipe is a great way to enter fall; you get to use your winter squash, but still get a summery feel with the Mediterranean flavors.
Spaghetti Squash Cake w/ Cream Cheese Glaze + GIVEAWAY! (closed)
I feel like I am constantly hearing about new products and health facts. First they say artificial sweeteners are better for you, then they say they will give you diseases. They say don’t eat this, then they realize you should. It is hard to keep up sometimes. One of my main issues is whether to use real butter, margarine, olive oil, or something else. I recently learned about cooking with coconut oil, and am really excited that I did! Coconut oil has saturated fats, BUT they are actually a good kind of saturated fat. Coconut oil contains lots of antioxidants, helps the body absorb important nutrients and minerals, eliminates harmful bacteria, and fights the signs of aging. It can be substituted for fats in recipes, such as butter, olive oil, etc. If you are substituting it for butter, I would suggest using about 3/4 cup coconut oil for every 1 cup butter.
Zucchini & Eggplant Stew
I feel like I need to apologize for this post if you don’t like zucchini or eggplant, but I just can’t seem to use it all up! It is seriously like the magical vegetable combination that just keeps returning after you take it out of your fridge. If you have partial zucchinis and eggplants leftover from other dishes, this is a great way to put them to use and eliminate wasting them. Once again, please bear with me; I have felt like I have eaten zucchini and/or eggplant for every meal (even at work!) for the last month!
Breaded Zucchini & Eggplant Pasta w/ Chive-Basil Pesto
The fall has begun to roll in and the garden veggies just keep on coming. It is kind of nice hardly ever having to go to the grocery store. Instead, I get to walk into my garden and look around for what my next meal is going to be. The spaghetti squash have also begun to grow and there are tons of tomatoes waiting to turn. Of course, the zucchini has been endless as well. I also got a lot of eggplants from my mom’s farm, so I decided to make this dish using my homegrown herbs and veggies. Here is the continuance of my never ending zucchini recipes.
Plum Crunch
Being a part of the food blogging world is awesome; of course I am sure many of you already know that. Apart from meeting so many new people, great non-profits and soo much delicious food- I have found something ELSE! The Secret Recipe Club. No not like it’s a secret, because otherwise I wouldn’t be telling you about it. The secret recipe club works kind of like secret santa gifts; you get assigned a fellow blogger, then you have to re-create a recipe from their blog for a certain date. Check them out here, although I think there is a wait list to join now since so many people are wanting to participate.
