Saturday, June 19, 2010

poblano, mango and black bean quesadillas

the poblano, mango and black bean quesadilla is a recipe from "cooking light" that i found last year. from the first bite, i became obsessed with this recipe. all of the flavors come together so perfectly to make it such a sweet and savory dish.perfect for a light lunch, these quesadillas are quick and easy to make.

to make these quesadillas, you first want to cook/ sautee the filling of black beans, poblano and chopped onions. before you add the mixture to the tortillas, you add in some chopped mango to give it a sweet taste. you then spray a broiler sheet with cooking spray, and create your quesadillas on top of that. once you broil the quesadillas, they are all ready to serve.

[ingredients]
  • 1  teaspoon  olive oil
  • 1 1/2  cups  presliced onion
  • 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 1  poblano chile, seeded and chopped
  • 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1  cup  jarred sliced peeled mango (such as Del Monte SunFresh)
  • 1/3  cup  cubed peeled avocado
  • 4  (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
[steps]

Preheat broiler.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, oregano, salt, pepper, and poblano, and sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add beans; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in mango and avocado.
Place flour tortillas on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Arrange about 3/4 cup bean mixture on half of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese over bean mixture, and fold tortilla in half. Lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until cheddar cheese melts.

[summary]

this recipe makes 4 servings, with each serving containing 334 calories and 13.2 g of protein. this is a perfect option for a light summer lunch, and a great recipe to feed any picky kids in your life.


the recipe can be found here.

happy eating,
kels

ani's raw food essentials

i was looking at cookbooks yesterday at the bookstore, and i found this one. ani phylo is a raw food chef, which means that she only works with raw foods and vegetables. i've always been interested in cooking rawist, as your meals provide your with even more nutrients than you will normally have when you cook your food.
the recipes found in this cookbook all look really delicious. she has recipes for a whole variety of food types- breakfast, lunch, dinner, smoothies, desserts. in addition, she breaks her book down and even lists essential tools and ingredients to raw eating. this is perfect for someone who has always wanted to try raw eating, but has never attempted it before.
all in all, i really think this is a wonderful book. the recipes require no cooking, which means it's an ideal book for a busy vegetarian. while i did not purchase it yesterday, i am definitely going to pick it up next time i go to the bookstore.

if you're interested in looking at this book, you can find it at barnes and noble.

a note to my readers

dear readers,

my main plan for this blog is to blog about unique and wonderful vegetarian recipes. however, for the next month and a half, i will be unable to do any cooking. i am currently staying with my mom at her beach condo, and the kitchen in there is TINY. so, until summer ends and i move back to my apartment at UF, i will be unable to cook.

but, i will still post some of my favorite recipes that i have cooked in the past, as well as great vegetarian dishes that can be found at restaurants. i will also post reviews of cookbooks.

once august 11th comes and i move back to my apartment, i will be able to post regularly about new recipes that i cook.


thank you for your patience!
kels

tips for success

being vegetarian is a really hard thing to do, especially if you've been eating meat your entire life. for me, i grew up being vegetarian, but health-reasons made me stop when i was 10. however, i still had a little trouble switching to a vegetarian diet.

  1. the main thing you need to do is toss the bad foods out of your kitchen. i know it seems like the food is going to waste, but the food will go to waste either way. so why would you tempt yourself like that? even with the best willpower, you can still fall. also- when i say bad food, i am not just referring to meats. i mean anything that is not natural or wholesome. these foods are mostly just snack foods, but they're the most dangerous to your diet. potato chips, cake, cookies... they're high in calories and in fat, and they're not very filling. and given the choice between having a bag of chips (200 cal) or an apple (80 cal), most people choose the chips. so trust me, if you throw them away, your switch will be much more successful.
  2. pick up a couple vegetarian cookbooks. just because you're vegetarian doesn't mean your only options are tofu or salads. there's a huge variety of choices that we have available, and a cookbook will help open your eyes to this. i have found many great cookbooks that focus solely on vegetarian food, and i will post reviews of them on my blog.
  3. realize what your intents are. are you just going vegetarian to be vegetarian or are you doing it for health or personal belief reasons? if you have a strong devotion to your choice to become a vegetarian, the switch is much easier to make. 
with any major lifestyle change you make, the first month is always going to be the hardest. just push through and stay dedicated.

Friday, June 18, 2010

the skinny vegetarian [an introduction]

[who i am]
my name is kelsie. i am a 20 year old student at the university of florida.
about three months, i decided to become a vegetarian. after consulting my dietician, i conceded into being a "flexitarian". this means that while i stick mainly to a vegetarian diet, i will eat meat once or twice a week, since a lack of sufficient protein in my diet will hurt me severely. since i am not being a vegetarian for animal-cruelty reasons, but only health reasons, it was only logical that i heed my dietician's advice and eat meat a couple times a week.

[what this blog is]

like many people my age, i live on the internet. i love to spend hours looking at my favorite blogs that talk about my interests. however, i was disappointed to see how very few vegetarian blogs are out there. knowing that i am probably not the only one of there looking for a vegetarian blog, i was inspired to create my own.
so what is my vision for this blog?

i want to provide other vegetarians, or others who are thinking about pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle, a place where they can come to find great recipes and great foods.

many health food blogs aren't really blogging about health foods; they talk about ice cream that's "low calorie". while it is a wonderful product for those who love their ice cream, but want to shed a few pounds, i was wanting something that focused more on the organic and wholesome side of food.

i was also disappointed to find that there are relatively few websites that provide delicious vegetarian dishes besides salads. and even fewer that show you want wonderful, low-calorie dishes you can find at restaurants.

and so, i hope to bring all three of these components to my blog. each update i post will feature a new vegetarian recipe, a great vegetarian meal that can be found at restaurants, and reviews on some healthy products that can be found at a grocery store.


happy eating,
kels