Mexican Stirfry

Today was a good day! It was a beautiful day in Charlottesville (85 degrees with the flowers in bloom), the CEO of Whole Foods spoke at Darden about Conscience Capitalism, I had the opportunity to host some really fun prospective students, and finished the day with one of my very favorite easy dishes: Mexican Stirfry. I have been making this dish for years and it takes inexpensive ingredients, takes no longer than 30 minutes, and is a great vegetarian meal because combining rice and beans makes a complete protein. Plus, you can get really creative with the toppings. I prefer sliced avocado, cilantro, and fresh lime juice while Blake loves cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Mexican Stirfry

2 chopped bell peppers

1 red onion

1 cup corn

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 tablespoons Chalula or other hot sauce

1/2 cup medium salsa

2 cups water

2.5 cups instant brown rice

Fresh lime juice from 1/2 lime

1/4 cup cilantro (optional)

Saute bell peppers and onion until soft

Add corn, chili powder, hot sauce, and cumin and saute for 1 minute

Add salsa and water and bring to a boil

Add beans and rice

Cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed

Take pan off heat and add lime and chopped cilantro

Serve with preferred toppings

Homemade Calzones

It's been a wonderful Saturday! Blake and I joined Andy at Bluegrass Grill for breakfast, stocked up on herbs  at the City Market, and shopped at Feast, the Organic Butcher, and Whole Foods. While Blake watched UVa/NC State baseball, I got my nails done, replanted our new herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, and sage) and took a wonderful walk around the neighborhood to see all of the beautiful tulips, daisies, and blooming trees.

I joined Horse and Buggy (a Community Supported Agriculture) here in Charlottesville and this week's share included oyster mushrooms, collard greens, bibb lettuce, sprouts, and maple syrup. We love mushrooms on pizza so I had an idea for make your own calzone night. Wow, what a hit! Not only did we spend time bonding in the kitchen, but we each could each add ingredients based on personal preference. This would be a great meal for a small dinner party with friends or a fun night at home with the kids.

Basic Dough
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour (the gluten in white flour helps make the crust chewy and delicious)

Mix together milk, yeast, olive oil, and whole wheat flour in a bowl. On your baking sheet, make a well with white flour and add whole wheat mixture. Knead with hands for 3-4 minutes or until you have a soft, but not sticky dough. Let dough proof for 25-30 minutes. Divide dough into two pieces and roll out into a circle. Add ingredients to one side of circle, fold over other half of dough, pinch together and poke with fork (this will let steam escape). Bake in 500 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

The great thing about pizza and calzones is the numerous toppings, cheeses, and sauces that can be used so be creative and add any ingredients that you have on hand. Here were our creations.

Roasted Veggie Pesto Calzone
Sautéed red peppers, onions, and mushrooms
Black Olives
Pesto
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Sausage and Pepper Calzone
Spicy Pork Sausage (from Babes in the Woods)
Black Olives
Sautéed red peppers, onions, and mushrooms Pesto
Cheddar Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese

Tomorrow is Easter and we are hosting some close friends for an evening feast. We are making Pork Tenderloin with a Lemon Cream Sauce (one of Chef Paulo's recipes), Salmon (courtesy of Dad and the Salmon River) with Pesto, Collard Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Whole Wheat Rolls, and Homemade Vanilla Ice cream. I hope you have plans with family and friends too!

Banana Almond Butter Smoothie

This smoothie is absolutely delicious and is a great post-workout or bedtime snack. It has the consistency and taste of a milkshake and provides essential vitamins and minerals including potassium, calcium, and folic acid. If you are looking for a protein boost, this is a great go-to snack. When you have overripe bananas in your fruit bowl, break them in half and put them in your freezer. Frozen bananas provide sweetness and texture to this smoothie.

2 teaspoons almond butter (or peanut butter)
1 frozen banana
1/2 to 1 cup skim milk (depending on desired consistency and blender power)

Put ingredients in blender until smooth. Do a taste test and if you want more sweetness, add some honey or agave nectar.

Darden Days and Other Fun!

Wow, this week was a whirlwind and I cannot believe how much fun I had!

Monday: Chicas y Margaritas at Guadalajara. Once a month, the staff/faculty ladies at Darden get together for an evening of relaxation and mexican food. Not only was my conversation with Kellie and Pam refreshing and inspiring, but fajitas made with steamed veggies, guacamole, and homemade corn tortillas is simply divine!

Tuesday: Fiesta book club at my house. This month the Charlottesville Book Club discussed "The House at Riverton" at my casa where we dined on black bean and chicken enchiladas, layered salad (courtesy of Alisa), avocado/tomato salad (thank you Elizabeth), and chocolate chip cheesecake made by my beautiful neighbor Katherine. We had a delightful evening and settled on reading the recent phenomenon "Battle Cry of the Tiger Mom"

Wednesday: In celebration of one of my great friends and mentors, Karen, being at Darden to help our First Year students with some career coaching, a group of co-workers/friends gathered at Brixx for Happy Hour. We had such a great time and a delicious pint of micro-brewed Porter for $2.50 can't be beat!

Thursday-Saturday: Darden Days! For those who are not associated with Darden, this weekend was a celebration of our newly admitted students in the Class of 2013! My boss Whitney (have I mentioned how amazing she is?) and the Student Admissions Committee did a fantastic job planning and executing a great weekend filled with fun social events, workshops, and case discussions. The whole community came together to host over 200 guests. Here are some highlights:

-Judging Iron Chef: This week's Cold Call (a weekly Darden community gathering on Thursday evenings) was Iron Chef and the secret ingredient was beets! Not only do I love beets but I had the opportunity to judge the inventive creations. I was impressed with a mixed green salad with red and yellow beets in a tabasco dressing, a red velvet cake made entirely with ingredients from Whole Foods, a creamy beet gratin, and a spicy beet chutney. My favorite dish of the evening (I went back at least three times) was a beet and goat cheese risotto that was absolutely divine!

-Sunny weather at King Family Vineyards: Every year I look forward to our event at King Family Vineyards where all of our guests, current students, faculty, staff, and families gather for an evening of great wine, local beer, bbq pork, and Bluegrass music. This year I was nervous that it may rain but the weather was great (a little breezy) but the venue truly epitomizes the Virginia countryside. Everywhere you look there is green grass, blooming tulips, majestic horses, and smiling faces!

-Loving what I do: How did I get so lucky? I have a job where my main responsibility is to build relationships, spend time with people, and make them feel welcome and happy. While the hours this weekend were long, I loved every minute of it! I had the opportunity to spend time with colleagues whom I like and respect, current students who never fail to impress me with their leadership and spunk, and future students who have incredible energy and spirit! I left Darden yesterday on an emotional high and cannot wait to return tomorrow.

Sunday: Breakfast and a Bridal Shower! Today started off wonderfully with breakfast at Bluegrass Grill (refer to previous posts for recommendations of fantastic dishes) with Sara and Matt. Sara is a First Year student who is on our Student Admissions Committee and is one of my Kappa Delta ladies! She is absolutely gorgeous and I love spending time with her. Matt is an incoming student (and Sara's boyfriend) who has energy that fills a room. I knew from the moment I met him, that we would be friends (plus, Blake and Matt clicked at the SHE Auction in February) so it makes getting together easy and fun! Luckily, the fun wasn't over and after dropping Blake off for his baseball tailgate (he woke up three times in the night anticipating his date with Evan), I joined Joy, Julia, and Kristen for Molly's bridal shower at Petit Pois. We had a wonderful time celebrating Molly and Chris's June 18 wedding and my brunch salad of spring greens, asparagus, yellow beets, and goat cheese in a mustard vinaigrette was delicious!

I am one lucky lady and am looking forward to another week filled with friends, festivities and fun!

Apple Goat Cheese Spinach Salad

I am a huge advocate of brown bagging lunch. Not only do you save money over the course of a year, but if you pack correctly, you can save tons of calories and unwanted sodium. I lug a huge black lunchbox to work everyday. It was a college graduation gift embroidered with my name (is it a fashion statement? Absolutely not!) but it's large and it fits all of my meals and snacks for the day. I bring these items (with a few small tweaks depending on the season) every day to work: homemade granola, greek yogurt, salad, homemade whole wheat rolls, nuts, and two or three pieces of whole fruit. This combination of fresh, nutritious foods keeps me happy by keeping my blood sugar steady and energy level through the roof.

I found a wonderful Martha Stewart salad contraption that has a small container for dressing (nothing beats a vinaigrette of good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt/pepper). The great thing about salads is you can add anything that you like so be creative, just make sure you add some protein (beans, nuts, cheese, lean meats, or eggs) and good fats (avocado, olive oil) to void off hunger pangs an hour after lunch. One of my favorite salads is an Apple Goat Cheese Spinach Salad.

Apple Goat Cheese Spinach Salad

2 cups spinach
2 whole carrots (I prefer the taste of whole carrots over baby carrots)
2 ribs of celery
1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup pecans (unsalted)
1 apple (pink lady or galas are my favorite)

Notes:
Bring whole apple to work and cut it up right before you dine to prevent browning (or spritz with lemon juice before adding to salad).
Bring pecans and dressing in separate containers to prevent salad from getting mushy.

Eggplant Parmesan Bake

One of my favorite dishes when eating at Italian restaurants (especially Tavola here in Charlottesville) is Eggplant Parmesan. When I was at Taste of India this weekend buying spices for my previous post (Dal Makhni), they were selling cute baby eggplants so I needed a creative way to use them. You can use any type of pasta in this dish (or omit it altogether) but I had some whole wheat penne in the cupboard and it worked great.

Eggplant Parmesan Bake

3 baby eggplants or 2 regular sized eggplants
2 cups bread crumbs (I put old bread ends in the food processor and freeze them)
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup water
3 cups tomato sauce (preferably homemade)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 ball fresh mozzarella

Toast bread crumbs by putting under the broiler for 3-4 minutes.
Cut eggplants into 1/4 inch slices.
Whisk together egg white and water on large plate.
When bread crumbs are toasted, add italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and put on a large plate.
Dredge eggplant slices in egg wash and then bread crumb mixture.
Spray roasting pan with cooking spray and cook eggplant at 400 degrees for 15 minutes on each side until eggplant is golden brown.
Meanwhile, boil water and cook pasta until al dente.
Warm tomato sauce in large skillet and add basil (if you like spicy, add one hot chili), simmer for 5 minutes.
When pasta is cooked, add to tomato sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Begin layering with 1/3 of pasta mixture, top with 1/2 eggplant slices and 1/2 fresh mozzarella ball.
Continue layering with 1/3 pasta mixture, 1/2 eggplant slices, 1/3 pasta mixture, and top with rest of mozzarella.
Cook dish for 20 minutes at 400 degrees and top with fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Dal Makhni and Whole Wheat Naan

Today has been fabulous! I spent the morning running (or sprinting) the Darden 5K with Everette, one of my greatest mentors; shopping at the first day of the Cville Farmer's Market; and taking a cooking class from Priti, one of the Darden students from Delhi. The First Year students had a capstone course this week where they put their first 5 terms of business knowledge to the test. They had 3 days to create a business and raise money for charity (they raised $35,000!). Not only did I get some awesome landscaping done on our front patio, but I also purchased an Indian Cooking Class. This afternoon Priti taught me how to make Dal Makhni (a thick, spicy Lentil Soup) and I found a recipe for Whole Wheat Naan (an Indian flatbread). Blake and I just indulged on these wonderful recipes while watching the VCU/Butler Final Four game and we are both completely fulfilled by this fantastic food and wonderful entertainment.

If you haven't made Indian dishes before, you will need to invest in some spices (cumin seeds, garam masala, and maybe another masala spice mixture depending on your dish). I was unable to find some of the spices at Whole Foods so I went to Taste of India (a specialty grocery in Charlottesville). If you live in a more rural area, you can find the spices on Amazon.

Dal Makhni

2 cups lentils (black lentils are the traditional ones in this dish but I used french lentils and they worked great)
1/2 half white onion (finely chopped)
1 tomato (pureed in food processor)
1 c water
1 1/2 t ginger garlic paste
1/4 t red chili powder (this is where the heat comes from so add more or less depending on your taste)
1 t cumin seeds
1 t dal makhni masala  (or other masala spice mixture)
1/2 T garam masala
1/2 t turmeric
2 t salt
2 T oil

Soak lentils overnight and cook in a pressure cooker or boil for 35-40 minutes until tender.
Heat oil and toast cumin seeds until they pop.
Add onion and cook about 5 minutes.
Add ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, turmeric, sabzi masala, guam masala, red chili powder, salt, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add veggie-spice mixture to cooked lentils. Add more water if necessary and simmer until it's a desirable consistency.
Serve with Naan or over rice.

Whole Wheat Naan (Indian Flatbread)

1 t yeast
2 t raw sugar
1/2 c warm water
2 T canola oil
2 T plain yogurt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 t salt

Mix together yeast, raw sugar, and warm water.
Let sit for 5-10 minutes to proof and add canola oil and yogurt.
Add flour and salt and knead for 3 minutes (adding more flour as needed until you have a soft but not sticky dough).
Let sit for 1 hour (it will not rise like traditional bread dough).
Divide into 4 pieces, flatten until 1/4 inch thick, and brush with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Heat a non-stick skillet on high and cook Naan on each side for 3-4 minutes.

*Adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe