One Pot Thai Green Curry Noodles with Shrimp

The less dishes my boyfriend has to clean up, the better! Thus, I absolutely love one pot meals. This was my first time cooking with thai green curry, so I was a little apprehensive about how this recipe would develop. As it turns out, the thai green curry I chose to use was slightly misleading. I'm almost sure it was the brand I chose, but the flavor impact wasn't completely there. If you do end up choosing a pre-made green curry paste, you should probably add way more than 2 tablespoons. Tasting is key! If I do end up re-making this meal, I'll be sure to update you all on the green curry I choose! Either way, this was still a comforting meal!

What I used:

• Dried rice noodles
• Olive oil
• 1/2 pound of shrimp
• Chopped scallions (green onions), to taste
• Chopped garlic, to taste
• Minced ginger, to taste
• 2+ tablespoons, to taste
• 1 1/4 cup of shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup of veggie stock
• 1 can of light coconut milk
• 6 packed cups of kale
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of lime juice

1. Prep the rice noodles according to the package instructions. 
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped scallions, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 1 minute. Stir in curry paste. 
3. Add carrots, veggie stock, and coconut milk. Stir and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. 
4. Add kale and sprinkle salt and pepper. The kale will need to cook down for 5-10 minutes, or until tender.
5. Add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes or so. Remove from heat and top with more carrot and lime juice. 

Vintage Virginia Food & Wine Festival

There's a first time for everything, right? Well let me start off by stating that on a normal day, I probably would immediately turn down attending any sort of festival pertaining to alcohol, just because I would prefer to avoid tipsy/drunk/random/icky masses of people... ALSO I don't particularly like wine (is this sounding pessimistic?) However, however, however, there was food involved in the mix! I think it's always a good idea to include food when alcohol is involved. Luckily, there was a lineup of food trucks ready for me to enjoy! 

When you first walk in, you receive a complimentary wine glass for your tastings. There are multiple wine tasting booths set up, from various wineries along the East Coast. I could only go around to taste 3 wineries because it was blazing hot! I was able to grab some munchies from my favorite food truck, the Tapas Truck! I grabbed my favorite corn fritters, garlic fries, and shrimp pil-pil all of which are super yummy finger foods to eat. I highly recommend tasting them at the upcoming Truckeroo festival on June 12 or in Tyson's! 

We ended up purchasing a bottle from one of our favorite tastings from Trump Winery. We decided to get sparkling chardonnay, which is quite tasty and light, especially considering I'm not very fond of wine. Overall, I'm glad I attended, but I probably wouldn't go again only because I'd rather try other culinary-type festivals.

Caprese Polenta Stack

It's summer time! I don't know about you, but when it becomes really hot out, I struggle to find refreshing snacks or meals that won't make me feel weighed down. I have been wanting to try polenta for a while now, and polenta rolls are a great alternative to heavy pasta meals. I decided to utilize the polenta in the form of a stack to create a refreshing meal alternative.

By the way, caprese is usually a salad consisting of mozzarella, tomato, and basil. It can be seasoned with olive oil, balsamic, and black pepper.

What I used:

• Polenta tube/roll
• 1 package of mozzarella 
• Fresh basil leaves
• 2 tomatoes 
• Olive oil
• Black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste

1. Begin by slicing the polenta into any size you prefer. Lay the slices out on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. The oven should be set to broil on high. The polenta will be ready once it becomes lightly golden brown and slightly crispy.
2. Prep the remainder of the ingredients by slicing the tomatoes and mozzarella. 
3. Construct the caprese stacks in the order of polenta, tomato, mozzarella, and then basil leaf. 
4. Lightly drizzle either balsamic vinegar, olive oil, or both. And then black pepper and salt to taste!

Vive la France! - Snack Time

I have decided to start various "themes" for my blog posts. Ergo, snack time! I feel like these posts are meant to be a fun way to break up the seriousness of a recipe post, restaurant review, or a product review.

Now that it's spring time, (or any season, really) I like to break out the good ole cheese, bread, and wine for after work when I'm slightly hungry before dinner, but when I also need that well deserved break. Fresh Market or Whole Foods are a great choice to just run in and grab quick snack items. Fresh bread and cheese isn't always the easiest to store for freshness, so I'd rather buy 'em when I feel the craving.

My cheese of choice is Brie! It's creamy, yet light enough to not fill you up after a few small bites. PS. try to avoid the triple cream Brie before dinner. I just cut the baguette into small slices and place the cheese on top. If I want added richness, I will add a piece of dried fruit or honey. Lastly, a sip of wine isn't always a bad idea after work either... :)

What are some of your go-to snacks after a busy day at work?

THE RETURN OF TASHA'S TASTES

WOW. It has been quite the long break! I finally finished up my semester yesterday and I have been excited literally all day, just to post this welcome back post. I feel so happy and relieved that I can start my fun (at least for me) blog back up. It was quite unfortunate that I had to take a long break, but it was for a good reason. Regardless, I am back in business and I have many new ideas up my sleeve!

Until my next post on Saturday, here is an interesting link to busy your time - I'll be entertaining myself all evening sipping wine and learning some new things with Food & Wine's #ChefSteps. It shows cooking tips, demos, and videos.

I am still in the brainstorming phase for how I want to approach my blog, but I do plan on presenting a new range of posts, besides the usual recipes, product reviews, food links, and restaurant reviews. I am glad to be back and in the meantime, let me know if there is anything specific you'd eventually like to see on my blog!

Break

Hi everyone! I probably should have posted earlier, but I just wanted to let you all know that I most likely won't be posting anything until after March. I am terribly busy with school, as well as having a part-time job! This blog is mainly for my leisure so I hope you can all understand.

I can't wait to start up again after March! Thanks for understanding :)

Homemade Power Granola

I have been wanting to do this post for a while now, and I finally got around to it thanks to my boyfriend who asked me advice on how to change his breakfast routine. It has been a well known fact that store bought granola is not as good for you, as you would assume... It is packed with a ton of unnecessary sugar and calories. I have adapted a typical granola recipe so feel free to change it up as you'd like!

What I used:

• 2 cups of regular oats
• 1/3 cup of chia seeds
• 1 tsp of cinnamon 
• 1/3 cup of orange juice
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp of canola oil
• 1 cap full or tsp or vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup of dried blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Combine the oats, chia seeds, and cinnamon in a bowl. 
3. In a saucepan over low to medium heat, combine orange juice, honey, and brown sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves. Take off heat and add vanilla extract and oil.
4. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and stir until everything is coated.
5. Spread mixture as a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, and continue to bake for another 14 minutes or until golden brown. 
6. Pour into bowl and mix in dried blueberries. Cool and store in an airtight container or jar. 

31 Delicious Things to Cook in March - A Buzzfeed Post

It's that time again! Another month! Hopefully March brings in the Spring weather because I am so sick of the East Coast snow. I just want to be able to enjoy farmer's markets again! Anywho, here are 31 delicous things to cook in March. Arugula, avocados, brussel sprouts, and kale are a few of my favorite ingredients. What are yours from this month's list?

Vegetarian Bangers and Mash

Bangers and mash are the ultimate comfort food, especially on a snowy weekend! This version of bangers and mash is meat free and equally filling. This meal features Field Roast's vegan grain sausages. I chose the italian sausages which are made from eggplant, fennel, red wine, garlic, and sweet peppers, etc. I am obsessed with these sausages and they go well in pasta's, sandwiches, etc.

Typically bangers and mash are accompanied with beans but I opted to go for something more fresh and light, and added peas instead. The ingredients for this mean are almost too basic and you don't vast cooking skills for this recipe.

What I used:

• Field Roast italian vegan sausage 
• 6 russet potatoes (or you can use any other kind)
• 1/2 bag of frozen small peas
• 1 packet of mushroom gravy
• Butter, to taste
• Milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil

1. Prep the potatoes by peeling and chopping the potatoes into chunks. Add to pot of cold water and boil/simmer until tender. 
2. Add peas to cold water and bring to a simmer for 10-12 minutes.
3. For the mash, add milk and butter depending on how smooth you prefer your mash. I used 1/4 of the stick of butter and about 3-4 splashes of milk. Continue to mash your potatoes, using any method you prefer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add 5 tsps of water to skillet with sausages. Simmer for 1 minutes. Remove water, add 1 tsp of olive oil and pan fry for 30 seconds per turn. 
5. For the gravy, add 2 parts of milk to 1 part water. Add the entire mushroom gravy packet. Do not overheat!

Shrimp and Orzo Salad

Here's a quick and light dinner (or lunch) to whip up! As usual, you can always play around or switch up certain ingredients.

What I used:

• Orzo 
• Mixed greens 
• Shrimp
• Red peppers, diced
• Corn
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Vinegar

1. Start by cooking the orzo according to the box directions.
2. Saute the shrimp in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Combine mixed greens, corn, red peppers, shrimp, and orzo together. Add more olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and a touch of vinegar. 

Asian Style Salmon with Soba Noodle 'Salad'

I know it has been A WHILE... But I finally had the time to come up with a recipe adaptation in time for Valentine's Day! We decided to stay in and avoid the couple frenzy at night.... Plus it was really cold out :) Per usual, this is a simple recipe featuring some rose wine - Can't have Valentine's Day without some pink wine to celebrate!

What I used:

• Soba noodles
• Regular cabbage or red cabbage
• Red onion
• Shredded carrot
• Microgreens
• Salmon filets
• Soy, to taste
• Honey, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Lemon juice, to taste
• Olive oil
• Japanese sesame oil
• 2-3 minced garlic cloves

1. Start by marinating the salmon a few hours prior to cooking! Combine soy, honey, black pepper, garlic, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 cap full (not a real measurement!) sesame oil and pour over salmon. Cover and keep in fridge.
2. To prep for the 'salad' - Boil soba noodles and follow directions on the package. Thinly chop cabbage and red onions. 
3. Once the noodles are ready, combine cabbage, onion, microgreens, carrot with soy sauce, olive oil, black pepper, and lemon juice.

MOM's Haul

So I haven't posted about a grocery haul in a while... And even though I don't consider this a "haul", I still wanted to post about new items/products to try! I don't think I'll be doing major grocery hauls, but I will be posting more about food or drink items I'm interested in trying.

I've posted about MOM's Organic Market before, but I'm probably going to be posting about a lot of items from there. I haven't been in a while because every time I go in, I spend A LOT of money but I recently went in and came out with new things to try!

I've posted about Teeccino Herbal coffee before so just look through my posts to find it, if you're interested! I'm absolutely loving Sol Cuisine's mushroom rice burger, which I prefer over a typical black bean burger. Justin's honey peanut butter is wonderful, as I expected it to be. I'm interested to try some of the other products in that range. Unfortunately, the Popchips and and Larry's cold brew coffee were disappointing and nothing special. Have you tried any of these brands/products?

28 Delicious Things to Cook in February - A Buzzfeed Post

UGH! SO.... I have taken a major break from my blog. I feel so bad! The first week in February has already passed, so I need to push myself to gain more motivation! I know I haven't posted a new meal in over two weeks so in the meantime, I might just do a series of restaurant reviews that I have been putting off.

However, to celebrate the start of February, here is a Buzzfeed article listing a bunch of yummy things to try and make this month! You can find the article here. Let me know if you try anything interesting!

Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce

What better way to brighten up a cold winter day or night than with something that is reminiscent of a summer meal? I decided to make a light and fresh fish taco with a flavorful tomatillo sauce (which I personally think is the best part of the meal)!

What I used:

• 6-8 small tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 3 garlic cloves
• Handful of cilantro leaves with stems
• 3 tablespoons Veganaise (or regular mayo)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of sliced red cabbage
• 1 lime
• Olive oil
• 4 cod filets
• Hardshell tacos (or soft tortillas) 
• 1 avocado

1. Preheat broiler to high. Slice the tomatillos in half and arrange on baking sheet with sliced garlic. Broil for 3 minutes on each side or until blackened.
2. Meanwhile, slice the red cabbage thinly. Mix with a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze the lime. Combine. 
3. Toss the tomatillos and garlic in a blender along with the veganaise, cilantro, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. 
4. To cook the fish, heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Sear cod filets on both sides, 2 minutes each. 
5. To construct the tacos, crumble the cod and lay into the bottom of the taco, add the cabbage, add slice or two of avocado, then drizzle the tomatillo sauce. 

600 Dumplings in 2 Hours: Seattle's Revel by the Numbers

I was browsing around on Food & Wine and stumbled upon this awesome "Chef's Feed". I thought it was especially interesting because traveling to Seattle has recently been one of my random desires. It features one of Seattle's restaurant's named Revel - a korean restaurant that utilizes french technique. How perfect is that?! But what really got me interested was the heading of their video,

600 Dumplings in 2 Hours!

I think it is super impressive and if you watch the video, it is very apparent that thoughtful efforts are put in to achieve such a yummy establishment! You can find the article 600 Dumplings in 2 Hours: Seattle's Revel by the Numbers by clicking on the link! This just makes me more excited to visit Seattle. Hooray!

Pesto Bread!

To accompany my last meal post, I did a very simple pesto "garlic bread".

What I used:

• French baguette
• Pesto (fresh or store bought)
• 1 garlic clove
• Olive oil

1. Cut up the baguette in as many round pieces as you'd like. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on it and pop it in the oven at 350 F degrees for 1-2 minutes until toasty.
2. Take out the bread from the oven. Slice the tip off a garlic clove and rub it on the bread slices. Spread the pesto on the slices. Place back in the warmed (make sure the oven is off) until ready to serve!

Creamy Tomato and Tortellini Soup

So continuing on with my soup fetish... I have adapted a creamy tomato soup recipe! I also made a side of pesto bread which I will have in a separate post. As with all of my dishes, its easy to make and doesn't require too many ingredients.

What I used:

• Olive oil
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Dash of red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 container of vegetable broth
• Dried basil leaves, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1-2 packages of frozen spinach tortellini

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender - about 3-5 minutes. Add bay leaves and red pepper flakes.
2. Add diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaves from the pot. Using an immersion hand blender, blend the mixture until smooth. Stir in greek yogurt until combined. Add the spinach tortellini. Cook until tortellini is tender. Note: if tortellini is frozen, you might want to cook them separately first and then add to the soup and cooked for 7-8 minutes.
   
   
   

7 Bean Soup Recipe

I recently shared a post about different soup recipes and it inspired me to start making a few! I will probably be posting one or two more soup recipes since it's so fitting for the cold winter! This bean soup is very versatile regarding the types of beans you can use. You can choose any type of bean that you want but be sure to take note of the different cooking times!

This is an especially healthy soup due to beans being nutritionally rich with iron, protein, fiber, low in fat, and other vitamins. It is also very hearty and easy to make. All you have to do is throw everything in a pot with a lot of water and let it simmer, so don't feel the need to stand by the stove the entire time!

What I used:

• Dark red kidney beans
• Pink beans
• White large lima beans
• Small white pigeon beans
• Chick peas
• Dried green peas
• Lentils
• Barley
• Course bulgar wheat
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Continuously add water

*Use handful amounts for all the beans and grains

1. I would first like to note that it is always recommended to soak the dried beans overnight but if you forget to, it's fine! Start off by combining the red kidney beans, chick peas, lima beans, and pink beans in a pot with 8 cups of water. Add the chopped onions and the seasonings. These will cook through for an hour and a half. 
2. Add the barley, lentils, peas. Check the tenderness of the first batch of beans to see if they're cooked. You will most likely have to add more cups of water depending on how much has cooked through/evaporated. Your total cooking time will be around 2.5 hours. 

29 Cozy Soups! A Buzzfeed Post

The weather on the East Coast has been horrendously cold recently, and so I'm interested in replicating a few soup recipes found in this buzzfeed article, 29 Soups So Good They’ll Make You Want To Stay In And Cook. I love going out during the day but with this dramatic weather change, I'll opt for something more cozy. What soup recipes would you be interested in trying?

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Fancy mac n' cheese?! Yes, it is possible. Comfort food elevated to a higher standard and it is definitely do-able for a date night at home or a dinner party.

What I used:

• 1 or 2 lobster tails
• 1 box of cavatappi pasta
• 4 cups milk (I used soy milk)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
• 4 cups gruyere cheese (grated)
• 1 stick of unsalted butter (divided 6 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dried thyme to taste
• Panko or bread crumbs

1. Add cavatappi pasta to a pot of boiling water. Don't forget to add salt!
2. Prep lobster. If frozen, make sure it is thawed by running it under cold water. If it is not already pre-cut, use kitchen sheers to cut the shell down the middle of the lobster tail and then horizontal. Put on baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and put in oven to broil for 5 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, add milk and heat through. Do not boil.
4. Meanwhile, in a smaller saucepan, add 6 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add 
5. flour and cook through for 2 minutes.
6. Add the rue to the heated milk and whisk until the mixture is thickened. Take off heat and add the grated cheeses, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme.
7. Once the pasta is cooked, mix in the sauce and lobster. 
8. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add panko crumbs. Top a large ramekin or mini ramekins with the bread crumbs. 
9. Bake off in oven, at 375 degrees F until the break crumbs are golden or the sauce bubbles.

Happy Food Year! A Buzzfeed Post

Hello January! Not only is this the best month of the year, but it is my BIRTHDAY MONTH! So I might be slightly more excited about my upcoming posts this month. Furthermore, happy 2015! To kick start this new year, I decided to post an awesome buzzfeed article link, 31 Declicious Things to Cook In January. I am definitely excited to try many new things this year. I am very hopeful that it's going to be a great year! Let's keep some positive (and yummy?) vibes going in 2015!