Recipes – Fervent Foodie

Back Pocket Kale Salad

January 26, 2019 1 Comment

A big thanks to Hook Line and Savor for sponsoring this post and for creating great-tasting, allergy-friendly, clean ingredient products. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In my opinion, every person should have a kale salad recipe in their back pocket. This is important. File it under Mary’s life rules to live by. Whether you’re the only vegetarian in your family or the only person in your circle who cares about hitting your daily green quota, kale is there for you my friend. In the past year, I think I’ve brought a kale salad to every family dinner I’ve been invited to. Sometimes I’m the only one who eats it, but I’m not complaining. In fact, if I were a vegetable, I think it’s safe to say I’d be a kale salad. And if you think that sounds boring as far as anthropomorphized vegetables are concerned, then you don’t even know kale salad. It’s healthy, hearty, and surprising every time. Just as I hope to be. Don’t sleep on kale salad, y’all.

I’ve documented many times here on the blog that I prefer weeknight dinners that are fast and balanced. Ain’t nobody got time to make an apple and pear mostarda on a Tuesday night… I save that sort of cookery for the weekends. Instead, I opt for fast proteins and even faster vegetables, like this delightful meal of kale salad and beer battered haddock from Hook Line and Savor. Side note: this beer battered haddock is dairy, egg, and gluten free, and is cooked from frozen in about 25 minutes. Plenty of time to make yourself a nice kale salad.

Product Review, Recipes

Hook Line & Savor: Black Bean Crusted Cod and Avocado Salad with Chimichurri Dressing

December 20, 2018 3 Comments

A big thanks to Hook Line and Savor for sponsoring this post and for creating great-tasting, allergy-friendly, clean ingredient products. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When the word “hangry” became a thing I felt so very validated. After years of me proclaiming that “bad things happen when I don’t eat” (sort of like a werewolf faced with a full moon or like the Hulk when he rips off his t-shirt right before he smashes things) the world had finally slapped a label on the condition. Hungry + angry = HANGRY. A complex concoction of physical and emotional unfulfillment. A critical mass of dissatisfaction. A state that once entered into left me incapable of making conversation, let alone decisions. In fact, once hangry, just the thought of deciding what to make for dinner often left me curled up on the couch with that soft checkered blanket I’ve had since I was thirteen, sucking my thumb, and wishing my mom was my roommate so she could make me some dang meatloaf. Hangry. When that word became a thing, I realized (at least in this one respect) I wasn’t a weirdo.

(This is an actual photo of me trying to decide what to make for dinner.)

Through years of dealing with my condition, I’ve developed several coping mechanisms, namely grilled cheese and peanut butter toast. Two quick and carb-filled comforting cure-alls. But you know the problem with grilled cheese for dinner? It always leaves you wanting another grilled cheese. Alas, I’d considered stocking the freezer chock full of microwave meals for times when life got crazy, but the problem is the ingredients lists on these sorts of pre-packaged foods are typically so out of control that I’d regret fueling my body with this sort of junk. Oh and also, I don’t own a microwave.

Recipes

Spicy Peanut Butter Curry Stew {vegan, gluten-free, whole30}

August 9, 2018 2 Comments

A big thanks to Kroger for sponsoring this post and for challenging me to think inside the pantry. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m heading into the third year of my PhD program in a little over a week, and I can’t help but feel like I’m battening down the hatches for a big storm. I’ve kicked into total preparation mode, trying to get the maximum amount of stuff done now in order to make the months ahead a little smoother. One by one, simple things like get a haircut, get teeth cleaned, and get cholesterol checked are being crossed off my to-do list. Next up: new breaks!

Even with all the preparation, the semester will undoubtedly get away from me. Hours clocked at my desk will bubble out of control like a neglected pot full of pasta on a hot stove, and I’ll find myself falling into a sad routine of expensive takeout. Don’t get me wrong, I love takeout on occasion, but even I have my limits!

This semester, I’m giving something new a try: ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING. Who’s excited?? (It’s me.) Though I’ve converted to doing most of my shopping online, I’d never thought to try ordering groceries on the web. Now that I have a couple of years of grad school under my belt, I know there will be times during the semester when I’ll find myself so stretched that I only have enough time to grocery shop OR cook. Not BOTH. That’s the truth folks, and it’s not a problem unique to grad school. Life just keeps getting crazier and crazier, doesn’t it?

Recipes, What I ate

No-fuss Breakfast Tacos

December 27, 2017 1 Comment

When we moved to Columbus, we had a hard time finding a yoga studio we loved. We tried at least a dozen studios but none were quite what we were looking for. The problem was we were truly spoiled in Charlotte, living in walking distance to Yoga One in Plaza Midwood. Yoga One had everything we were looking for: a challenging flow, great instructors, and HOT ROOMS. Eventually, I turned to online offerings, and I eventually found Pino Rizzi on Youtube. Pino’s classes are the toughest at-home yoga videos I’ve found on the interweb, and we hit the mat one or twice a week for a Pino class from the comfort of our living room. Though I’ve never met Pino, I often find his voice and phrases poking around my brain. Things like: ignite the yogi rock star within you or NO, I GOT YOGA as the response to anyone who asks you to get cocktails after work. One of my favorite Pino-isms is “drop the extra.” Extra in this context can be lots of things — unhealthy lifestyle choices, negative self-talk, or excessive stress, for example. Pino says there just comes a point when all that “extra” just isn’t working and you just DROP IT.

Food Talk, Recipes

5-Minute Fancy Cheese Plate on a Budget

December 21, 2016 No Comments

Being able to throw together a solid cheese plate in a short amount of time is one of the keys to adulting. It’s also key to making a night at home feel like a special occasion, even when you’re short on energy and the budget is tight. Sure, you could eat the cheese on crackers pulled straight from the box while standing in the kitchen mindlessly trolling Facebook, but why not take five minutes to make the whole cheese and carbs thing a little more special?

In my experience, the secret to making a great cheese plate is variety: contrasting flavors and textures make all the difference! So, let’s talk cheese. I like to think that there are four main categories of cheese: soft, hard, stinky, and the wildcard. Other folks may use stuffier categories, but this is what works for me! When picking cheese, I try to select only one from each category. For example, I might pick a brie (a classic, soft cheese that deserves a place on any cheese board), Manchego (hard), Gorgonzola (stinky), and smoked Gouda (wildcard).

Good news. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a good cheese plate–with just one nice cheese and some inexpensive accouterments, you can create an impressive spread for less than ten buckaroos.

For this simple cheese plate, I picked a rich and creamy goat milk brie ($2.79 at Trader Joe’s), gluten free rice crackers ($2.50 per box), a handle of almonds I had on hand ($FREE), and several goodnessknows snack squares (half a box = $2.50). That’s a fancy, filling cheese plate for less than $8! As an added bonus, this combination is totally gluten free.

Sure they call it a “cheese plate” but I think it’s really all the OTHER stuff that makes a cheese plate shine. Rather than spending tons of money at the grocery store, take a look in your pantry and your fridge, and pull out anything and everything that looks good for nibbling. Pickles of any variety, dried fruit, chocolate, honey, fruit preserves, mustard, nuts, cured meats, fresh bread, crostini, croutons… I realize this sounds like a big hodgepodge, but, assuming you only keep things on hand that you actually enjoy eating, I don’t think you can go wrong! One of my favorite stumbled-upon combinations, for example, is goat cheese Gouda + dill pickles + stadium mustard. THE BEST. The odds-and-ends plate is where it’s at.

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