Apology

I didn't post pictures up when I posted about the Meatball lasagna because I was unable to. I had to get Google Chrome in order to be able to upload the pictures I had taken of the food. I hope some of you look at it and maybe get the desire to eat meatball lasagna.

The next thing I will make will be BBQ Meatball Sliders. Another recipe I got of the Prevention magazine. The for the one after I am having trouble trying to locate golden flax-seed  Not something I have found in my neighborhood but I will try to travel outside of it.

Meatball Lasagna and changes...

When I first started this blog, about two years ago, I was hoping to keep it anonymous and focus only on diabetic cooking. I was really inspired by the movie Julie & Julia and I hoped to get people to follow me, read my stuff, and follow others who shared my interest. I called it Annie's Diabetic Goodies. At the time I was insanely paranoid about putting myself out there, now not so much. Little by little, I began adding paragraphs about moments in my life what where just hectic and insane but I like to believe that I kept that at a minimum. Though looking back I didn't really.

Then, for one whole year, I did not write anything. The beginning of 2012 was horrible, then it got weird and now I have a boyfriend.

Now in 2013, I have decided to pick this up again. Hopefully get some followers, follow interesting blogs and become part of a community. I think I will eventually post a picture of me. Have my readers, if I happen to get readers, know who I am and put a face to this. But only after I have thought about it some more and asked my close friends for their opinions. I mean everyone is online now, in one way or another.

I want this blog to be more about food and my cooking adventures. I'll post pictures of food and places I am going. I also hope to eat healthier this year and lose weight. Well, just a bit. I will still make diabetic food because my parents are both diabetic and it would be a good way to keep in shape and eat healthy. Also, to let others know that diabetic food can be good. But, there will be moments when I want to make cookies or something else. Maybe with time, I can modify it for diabetic purposes.

Much of the same way I styled the previous postings will be kept. Maybe with time I will take something out but for now the format seems to work. Until I think of a better way to do this.

I will be taking my recipe's from books, magazine's and websites and will do my best to reference each so that I don't get in trouble and all that Jazz.

I really don't know much about cooking but I have learned, the bit that I have cooked, that I can follow cooking directions really well. I hope that people take time to read this and help me learn more and maybe learn a little something from me. Any questions or suggestions please comment. :)

- Annie

Book: (this is where I tell you what I am reading at the moment. I like reading what other people are reading at the moment.) We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It inspired 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I haven't really been reading it but I hope to get through it. This is a must read for I have enjoyed both those books it inspired. I am also reading the Manga One Piece. So many chapters but it is pretty good. I am in chapter 44.

iPod: (my ipod on shuffle.) Muse ExoPolitics.

Pandora: (on shuffle or mixing is what I believe they call it on the website. This I may remove or maybe the iPod one and just keep it to one song.) Deadmau5 - So There I Was.

Quote: Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself. - Henry James.

Meatball-Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients: 

•  1 lb frozen fully cooked turkey, beef or vegetarian meatballs
• 12 oz sliced assorted mushrooms
• 2 1/2 cups pasta sauce (from 25-28 oz jar)
• 6 eggroll wrappers
• 3/4 c shredded part-skim mozzarella
• extra virgin olive oil spray.

Directions

•  Heat oven to 375 F. Brown meatballs in large skillet coated with olive oil spray over medium-high heat, 4 minutes. Transfer to plate and halve. Coat skillet with spray. Cook mushrooms, stirring, 6 minutes. Put on plate.

• We don't eat mushrooms. I have never tasted mushrooms. I want to but I am afraid to cook them myself. What if I make it wrong somehow? It tasted fine and didn't feel like there was anything missing. I also, don't have a skillet but the pan managed to cook the turkey, though the meatballs were already cooked. We also don't have a cooking spray but we did use olive oil. I also didn't turn on the oven. It seemed a waste of gas. I turned it on when I put it in.
• Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce in 2 qt baking dish. Top with 2 wrappers, overlapping slightly. Arrange half of the meatballs in one layer. Top with 1/4 cup of the cheese and one-third of the mushrooms. Repeat layers (start and end with 1/2 cup sauce.) Top with remaining 2 wrappers, 3/4 cup sauce, mushrooms, and 1/4 cup cheese. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until bubbling, 40 minutes.

• According to the Magazine Prevention, Eggroll wrappers are found in the refrigerated produce case. But in the Spanish neighborhood I live in, I did not found such a thing. I even asked the people that worked there and they looked at me as if I were insane. So I used regular lasagna sheets. I placed the half meatball in the center and covered with lasagna.

Thoughts

•  This came out really good. The Turkey meatballs that were bought came out a bit spicy and I really enjoyed that because I have been on a spicy food binge. I want to remake it but with beef meatballs. The prep time was 5 minutes and the total time for cooking was 1 hour. This served 8.





Skillet Mac & Cheese

Going back to school for a second degree. I am scared to be going back but I have a goal in sight and I refuse to back down from it. I sometimes feel as if there is too much lost potential or people, not fully using their gifts. I know I don't use all of my abilities to their full potential. That is something I'm going to work on. There is more on my mind but for now this is it.

I am not a huge fan of mac and cheese. Not sure why. I love cheese and pasta but this one particular recipe is something I always have avoided. This recipe was very good. I guess it's because of the paprika and cayenne. It  gave it a slight spicy taste. One thing I would take out if I remake this is the cauliflower. Not a huge fan of that part.

Book:Out of the Silent Plant by C.S. Lewis. In the middle of the book now. It is very small but I'm reading little by little.

iTunes: Jay-Z - Dirt off your Shoulder. I am trying to remove all the unnecessary components in my life.

Pandora: Swagga Like Us [Ft. Jay-Z, Kanye West,Lil' Wayne] - T.I. I am trying to work on my swagga. I want my clothes to be a small reflection of who I am. I want to be clean and cool headed.

Quote: Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts. - Soren Kierkegaard. Not sure what it fully means but needed one for this post.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups cauliflower florets
2. 1 1/4 cups fresh whole wheat bread crumbs, toasted
3. 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan
4. 2 tsp olive oil
5. 6 oz whole grain elbow macaroni (1 1/2 C)
6. 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
7. 3 Cups cold 1% milk
8. 1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar
9. 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere
10. 2 tsp mustard powder
11. 3/4 tsp paprika
12. 1/4 tsp cayenne

Serves: 6
Per servings:5g fiber, 8g sat fat, 540mg sodium, 360 calories

Directions:

1. Steam cauliflower until just tender, 5 minutes. Finely chop.

• I cut the cauliflower into four pieces so that it could fully cook. I also added some salt.
2. Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil.

• I felt that it could have sued more oil but I did not add more.
3. Cook macaroni per package directions, draining 3 minutes before done.

• No problem here. I added salt though it was regular pasta I didn't find any whole grain elbow.
4. Whisk flour into milk in large saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, whisking. Simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cheese, spices and 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper. Whisk until mixture is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Cauliflower and macaroni and stir together.
• They did not sell Gruyere cheese around where I live. I asked on google what to use as a substitute, and they recommended Swiss cheese. My mom helped keep stirring the cheese mixture until we added the macaroni and cauliflower. The Cauliflower was cut into smaller portions. I forgot to take a picture of this section.
5. Pour into oiled deep 10" ovenproof skillet and top with bread crumb mixture. Put skillet on baking sheet. Bake in a 375 f oven until browned and bubbling, 33 to 40 minutes.
• I oiled the pan, did not use a skillet and covered it with the bread crumb mixture. It tasted great, minus the cauliflower.

Definitely something that should be made again.

Black Bean Enchiladas

There is a lot on my mind this week. I even made a mistake at work. Unfortunately, I am human. I just had a hard time concentrating. I believe that by writing and speaking with friends and family it will become clear. Hopefully.

This was written two months ago. I have not updated because I'm a bit blue and angry. I just have to think and hopefully find the answers that I seek. Just tired of things being overly complicated when they could be simple.

The easy black bean enchiladas was very delicious. This was the second time it had been made. The first time was done rather quickly. I had made plans to go out but decided to make my parents a quick meal. We did not have ground red pepper so I just used small pieces of red pepper. I only took a bite, so I can't remember if I liked it. This time when it was prepared we took a red pepper and chopped the entire thing instead of using a teaspoon. It tasted delicious and my mom says that it tastes better this time.

Book: Out of the Silent Plant by C.S. Lewis. Just started this and I find it interesting so far.

iTunes: Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz.

Pandora: The End of Heartache - Killswitch Engage. Life is not without it's ironies. This song describes my mood entirely.

Quote: Real worth requires no interpreter: it's everyday deeds form its emblem. - Nicolas Chamfort

Ingredients:

1. 4 cloves garlic, minced
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 1 green bell pepper, chopped
4.  1 tsp chili powder
5. 1 tsp ground cumin
6. 1 tsp dried oregano
7. 2 cans (15oz each) low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
8. 1 1/2 cups fresh salsa
9. 12 corn tortillas (6" diameter), warmed according to package
10. 1 Can (14.5oz) no salt added diced tomatoes, well drained
11. 1 Cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
12. 3 Cups finely shredded lettuce
13. 6 Tbsp fat-free sour cream

Servings: 6
Per serving: 267 cal, 14g pro, 51g carb, 11g fiber, 3g fat, 1g sat fat, 618mg sodium

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13"x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.
• Somehow, I completely skipped this step and didn't even realize it was supposed to be baked. I just went straight to the second step.
2. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook garlic, onion, bell pepper, red pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano and black pepper 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Mash beans and add to skillet with 3/4 cup of salsa. Cook 5 minutes, or until heated through.

• Nothing to say here.
3. Spoon about 1/4 cup bean mixture onto each tortilla, roll loosely and place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Combine tomatoes and remaining salsa in bowl and pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 to 20minutes, or until hot.

• Here I warmed the tortillas on the oven and then spooned the bean mixture added the sauce and cheese and served it with the lettuce. Then I added the sour cream.
4. Divide lettuce among 6 plates. Top each with 2 enchiladas and 1 tablespoon sour cream.
• I combined this step with number 3.

I apologize for the shabbiness of this post but it was written two months ago and this is not fresh on my mind but at least its something.

Chocolate Cream Banana Pie

Today was a lovely rainy/snowy day. The perfect kind of day to spend at home and stay in bed cuddling. It's best to have the lights off, the shades drawn in and the TV on low. Low enough to hear the occasional taps of rain on the window and high enough to follow along in the show. If only.

This pie was made the Friday night and refrigerated for Saturday Night, to allow it plenty of time to set. I only had a problem trying to find the trans-free spread. I didn't know what it was. When I goggled it, images of butter was what came up. This definitely needs to be remade and hopefully not forget next time.

Books: Doña Barbara by Romulo Gallegos. I have no idea why I haven't read this. Laziness I guess.

iTunes: Tegan & Sara - I Bet it Stung

Pandora: OutKast - Hey Ya!

Quote: Be at peace with your own soul, then Heaven and Earth will be at peace with you. - St. Jerome

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup all-fiber cereal, very finely crushed
2. 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3. 1 1/2 Tbsp trans-free spread
4. 1/4 cup brown sugar
5. 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
6. 1 egg
7. 2 cups fat-free milk
8. 2 oz of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
9. 1 tsp Vanilla extract
10. 1 ripe but firm banana
11. 8 Tbsp whipped cream

Servings: 8
Per Serving: 144 Cal, 4g pro, 20g carb, 3g fiber, 7g fat, 3g sat fat, 67mg sodium

Directions:

1. Coat 9" pie with cooking spray. Mix cereal crumbs and cinnamon in small bowl with fork. Cut in spread until well blended. Transfer to prepared pan. Tilt pan to coat sides with crumbs. Press remaining crumbs with knuckles to flatten evenly. Freeze crust 30 minutes.

• I used the blender to crush the fiber cereal and forgot to add the trans-free spread. While it froze I went to shower.
2. Whisk sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Beat egg with fork in medium bowl. Add milk and stir to blend. Add to saucepan, whisking constantly over medium-low heat until blended. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat about 5 minutes, or until thickened.

• After a while my hand was hurting and so my mom took over. 
3. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla extract. Stir until chocolate melts. Cover pudding with plastic wrap and let cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming.

• I don't think I added enough chocolate. How many cups is one oz?
4. Slice banana thinly. Arrange slices on bottom and sides of reserved crust. Dollop cooled pudding on top of banana slices and smooth. Refrigerate at least 5 hours, or until set. Top pie with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.

• We didn't have a proper bowl but we worked with what we had.
• Saturday night, I took a piece, placed whip cream on top and took a bite. The crust just stayed on the pan because I didn't add the butter to it, but the rest was delicious. Will be made again though to taste the crust.