Light Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs

Yes, you're right my dear friends. It's the end of June. The temperatures are squelchingly hot. My windows literally sweat with condensation during the day because of the temperature differences between my cool, comfortable house inside in comparison with the sauna/steam room that is the Okinawa summer. Egads, it's freaking hot. So why on Earth would you want to make soup in the middle of summer? 

Pearl CousCous Vegetable Salad

 This has been one of my favorite side dishes lately. First off, look at at all of those colors! Helloooo vitamins! Thanks for joining the party- you are super delicious.

Miso Shrimp with Sautéed Vegetables (Clean and potentially Paleo)

Y'all, it has been a whirlwind of a past few weeks! Not really anything different has happened, other than I feel like I have been going non-stop from the moment I wake up at 5 am to the second I pass out from exhaustion at 10:30 pm with barely even a chance to check my email. It's pretty much a miracle my teeth get brushed and the dog gets fed and I haven't yet left my keys in the freezer. In the meantime, fast but fresh dinners like this one have been absolutely imperative during this recent craziness. 

Leek Latkes

Passover (or as my friend Natalie says in Hebrew, 'Pesach') was this week, which means I heard the collective groan of my Jewish friends around the world as they refrained from eating leavened bread for 8 days. Many non-Jews in America don't really know much about Passover, (including myself!) other than it starts with a Seder in which matzo balls are involved. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke tout that the Seder that marked the start of Passover was also the Last Supper, which is pretty darn cool if it's true.

Easter Ranger Cookies

Lately my definition of insanity has been having piles upon piles of recipes, lists of lists of things I want to make, and suddenly walking into the kitchen and thinking, "I don't know what to cook next!"

Uhhh, say what now? Clearly, I have problems.

Back to Basics : Chicken Fried Rice

Happy Chinese New Year! Are you a snake? I don't mean that as an insult, I mean that as your birth year- 2013 is the year of the snake. I wasn't trying to imply that you're manipulative or sly... I assume that since you're here sharing in my kitchen adventures you're nothing less than marvelous!

Back to Basics : 30 Minute Chicken Noodle Soup

If you believe that delicious, healthy, and homemade soup requires tons of skill and hours upon hours of simmering time on the stove- listen up! You. Are. Wrong.

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

Hi, guys. I'm back! Did you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas? I hope so! I gotta say, it honestly wasn't my original intent to take this much time off from blogging--nearly 2 months!!-- but life just wedged its fat butt right in my way and prevented me from enjoying any of my hobbies for most of November and all of December. Sad, isn't it?

Chicken Lettuce Cups

It's been so long since I've actually been to a P.F. Changs I can't really remember what their famous appetizer tastes like. But if my faint memory serves me right, this is pretty darn close. Even if my mind is playing tricks on me and I am completely off my rocker, which- let's be honest here- is completely possible probable, they're still so good that I don't even care how close they are to the real thing and might even write to the president of P.F. Changs and ask him/her to change their recipe. 'Cause these are rockin'.

Healthy Green Smoothie

I have about 4 other posts I need to write, but I made this smoothie for breakfast this morning and immediately got to snapping pictures so I could post it today. I was a little leery of the green smoothie craze circulating around the blogosphere lately, but I've been feeling a little under the weather lately, so I wanted to get some nutrients into my system, and fast. A smoothie seemed like the fastest and most efficient way to do that, but I was concerned that the smoothies/shakes I had as a kid had so much sugar and dairy that it would completely negate the benefits of the included fruits.

"The Elvis" Sandwich

Here's the deal. I take my love of bacon seriously. If you don't like bananas or whole wheat bread, I can forgive you. If you don't like peanut butter, I will still like you, but I will look at you like you're crazy. Unless you have an allergy, then you're exempt and therefore have my eternal pity.

No Fuss 30 Minute Banana Muffins

Sometimes you just need a recipe that's classic. Not messed with. Tried and true. Kind of like your favorite jeans, you know? The ones you know make your butt look awesome even after eating a burger and fries the night before. Or that perfect lipstick that somehow magically goes with every outfit in your closet. Oh and especially that black sweater from The Gap you got about 8 years ago....

No Guilt Caesar Dressing & Wraps

Hi, y'all, I am back! Not by choice, of course. Vacations are never as long as you'd like them to be, right? We got back from Sydney and I went straight back into a duty day followed by 2 night shifts. I also caught a cold the last day or so of the trip, so my taste buds have been hibernating waiting for this annoying virus to go away. So, in combination with my diet of tea and orange juice for the cold and complete confusion my body is going through because of the switch back to night shift, I honestly haven't made anything beyond a turkey sandwich in the week we've been back.

Zucchini Cakes

The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight! In just a week, Travis and I are going on vacation to Sydney, Australia for 9 days! We are so excited and this vacation is very much needed- not to mention it will be a wonderful break from the heat and humidity here in Okinawa since it's the end of their winter there. 

In preparation our absence, we are trying to use up the produce in our fridge so it does not spoil. I've had several zucchini hanging out waiting to be used- it's very probable I saw some awesome zucchini recipes prior to going to the grocery store and plumb forgot what they were after buying the veggies! 

Pasta Primavera with a Light Mozzarella Garlic Sauce

"Hmm... what to have for lunch. No, don't want that, or that. Made that last week. That would be too heavy for lunch. What's in the fridge? Ugh, no not that. I do have those.... and those.... and that! And I need to use this before it goes bad... what about.... yes! Yes, that'd be perfect for today!"

Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

If you've read some of my blog posts, you know that if a dish has chicken and spinach in it, more than likely I will make, devour, love and rave about it. These baked chicken flautas are no exception. And they're baked, not fried! Bonus!

Fancy Macaroni and Cheese

Today I will share with you a secret.                    
Shhhhhhhh.

Are you ready?                                                
Are you?


.....I hate measuring ingredients.

Back to Basics : Vanilla Syrup

I think the beauty of cooking is in the basics. If you can master these, I believe you can make anything. Not only can you make basically any recipe you want, but you know exactly what is in your food. NO preservatives, NO words you can't pronounce, No insane salt content or hidden sugars.

Bolognese Pizza

Our fridge is full of leftovers right now. Half an onion here, a tupperware of yummy bolognese sauce there, and a ball of pizza dough. My cooking habits change slightly when I am on the night shift, as usually two of my three meals each work day consist of breakfast foods. Poor lunch and dinner get left on the wayside, abandoned to the back of the fridge.

Taco Rice

Sometimes there are really weird food combinations in Okinawa. Corn on pizza, mayonnaise and fried egg on literally everything, even habu snakes in bottles of sake.... the list goes on and is just as varied. One dish I had never heard of but have thoroughly enjoyed since arriving here almost 2 years ago is Taco Rice.