ricotta walnut stuffed mushrooms

I love having guests over but there seems to be a common trend that always occurs the day after they leave. My pantry/fridge is completely diminished. The payoff for having great persons over for a week!

I was going to make this for us yesterday as a snack but never got around to making it due to time constraints. By time constraints I mean the idiots in charge of Georgia's roads having construction downtown in the afternoon/night. Why not start at 11pm or midnight and work till dawn with lights instead of clogging up traffic the entire day. Whatever.

This stuffed mushroom is great as a snack, appetizer and even breakfast. Flavored with savory ricotta, nutty walnuts and a touch of sweetness of honey, it's an all-around combo. Takes about 15 - 20 minutes to make and as always, pretty tasty.

Ricotta Walnut Stuffed Mushrooms
Original, Serves 4 as an Appetizer

Ingredients:
- 8oz baby portobell mushrooms, cleaned
- 1.25 cup ricotta cheese
- 0.25 cup walnuts, crushed/chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 teaspoons of fresh oregano)
- 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Clean and take out the stem of the mushrooms using a paring knife.
3) Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle olive oil over the sheet. Place the mushrooms cap side down on the baking sheet. Season the mushrooms lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4) Mix together the ricotta cheese, walnuts, oregano, Parmesan and honey in a mixing bowl. Mix well until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning or add more honey to taste. The mixture should be savory with a slight touch of sweetness from the honey.

5) Fill each mushroom cap with the ricotta cheese walnut mixture and place back onto the baking sheet.
6) Season lightly again with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
7) Serve immediately and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the top if desired.

treats from canada

I'm still alive for anyone that was wondering! My cousin Justin came down from Canada last Saturday and this whole week was filled with awesomeness. Good laughs, great times, and amazing foods.

We mostly went to restaurants that they don't have in Canada and I made my Spicy Korean Chicken Wings last night to top things off. I'm glad that he came down and hopefully I'll be able to repay the favor in the winter time for some skiing/snowboarding action.

Anyways, I asked him to bring down some of my most favorite candies from when I used to live in Canada. Ketchup chips, Mr. Big, Crunchie and Coffee Crisp. I have seen ketchup chips in the US but they are extremely hard to find but the chocolate bars are pretty much impossible to get.

The Mr. Big bar has wafer, caramel, peanuts and rice crisps all wrapped around milk chocolate. It's quite a delicious combination.
The Crunchie bar is milk chocolate with a honey comb/sponge toffee interior. It's crunchy, not too sweet and the honey toffee flavor is delicious with the chocolate.
The Coffee Crisp is milk chocolate with coffee flavored wafer inside. Not too sweet, good coffee flavor and a favorite of my rents as well.
Finally we have the ketchup chips. Don't be turned away by this flavor because it's very tasty. It has the sweetness of ketchup but it's not as acidic. You put ketchup on fries so why not chips? If you happen to come across a bag (or in this case a tube) at any point in the US give this a try!
I'll be back to preparing recipes this week. Stay tuned!

sirloin steak with roasted veg and couscous

Now for part two of the obesity post. How can obesity hurt your pocket books? With prescriptions of course.

Let's take an overweight female as an example. Females tend to have more thyroid problems vs. males. The result? Synthroid - drug #1. If you're overweight, most likely your blood pressure, triglyceride and cholesterol levels are not at desired values. Add one or two blood pressure medications, maybe a water pill, some kind of statin and if need be, Tricor. There's 6 medications that you need on a monthly basis. Hold on, it can get worse.

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is greatly increased with obesity. Add Metformin and perhaps 1 or 2 more drugs on top of that. 9 maintenance drugs total. Need more drugs? Overweight people tend to have lower self-esteem and you may find yourself taking an anti-depressant and/or an anti-anxiety pill. 11 drugs total. What does all of that total up to? Even with a plethora of generic medications out on the market right now, you're looking at about $100 a month - minimum - for your medications.

There are no easy shortcuts to losing weight. People come up to the pharmacy all the time asking about weight loss pills and supplements. The only true way to lose weight is through exercise and proper nutrition.

On a brighter note, thank you so much Jan from What do I want to cook today? for honoring me with the Kreativ Blogger Award. By the way, she's from the UK which is on my top 3 list for the places I want to visit the most! I'll continue working hard to update and write interesting things in the blog. Please go visit her lovely blog!

Now, beef gets a bad rep from a lot of dieters for being high in fat and unhealthy but this is so untrue. Beef is an excellent source of protein and has a ton of iron and natural creatine. Serve with vegetables roasted in extra-virgin olive oil with salt/pepper and couscous and it's a delicious, nutritious and extremely simple summer dish to prepare. Feel free to use any vegetable of your choosing. The ones I used were the ones I had on hand!

Sirloin Steak w/ Roasted Vegetables and Couscous
Original, Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 4 sirloin steaks
- 1.25 cups couscous
- 200mL chicken stock
- 100mL boiling water
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 large red pepper, chopped
- 1 zuchinni, sliced
- 1 red onion, chopped
- bunch of cilantro, chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Get the chicken stock and water boiling (you can combine the two liquids)
2) Prepare all of the vegetables for roasting and season them with salt and pepper. Place the vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Mix with your hands to coat the vegetables evenly.
3) Once the oven is preheated, place the vegetables in the oven and roast for 15 - 20 minutes.
4) Place the couscous into a bowl or a pot and pour the hot stock/water mixture and about a tablespoon of olive oil inside. Cover the bowl with cling film or the pot with a lid and let that sit as directed.
5) Grill the sirloin steaks for 12 - 14 minutes uncovered, turning once during the cooking process for medium-rare (how steak should be eaten btw). The grilling time will change depending on the thickness of your steaks
6) Remove the steaks to rest. Take out the roasted vegetables and by this time the couscous should be ready. Fluff up the couscous and add in the chopped cilantro. Add the juice of 1 lemon and white wine vinegar to the couscous as well. If the couscous is still to dry for your liking, you can add a little more olive oil.
7) Serve and enjoy summer.

lasagne al forno

C-town was loads of fun. Good food, great friends and an amazing time at the hospital shadowing Dr. N. From the 30 or so patients I saw with Dr. N, there was one underlying cause to almost 95% of all their health problems. Obesity.

Let's face it. Obesity is a MAJOR problem in the US right now. Americans as well as American businesses are guilty of consuming/providing huge portions and eating beyond control. Here's the kicker that even foodies may not take into consideration. Because everyone is so focused on calories, fats and cholesterol content of foods, we often forget what the food item is made of.

Fat free, reduced fat, etc. food items are often pumped with more synthetic crap to make up for the taste sacrificed from the original version. Trans fat free? I don't think so. As long as it has some type of partially hydrogenated oil, it contains trans fat. Legally, as long as it's below 0.5g of trans fat PER SERVING, it can be advertised as trans fat free.

I've always said on this blog it's about the quality of food not the quantity you consume. I have to admit, I'm guilty of overeating at times especially on the weekends (it's hard to resist eating a pastry...or few when at the bakery or eating a little when you're at a Brazilian steak house). I do believe indulgences here and there are okay as long as it's done in moderation. Lasagne al Forno is one of my favorite comfort foods and this is to once again show that you can enjoy your favorite foods while staying healthy. Yes it's rich, yes it's heavy and yes it's hearty but enjoyed once every week or every other week, it's worth every calorie.

Lasagne al Forno
From Gordon Ramsay's Cookalong Live, Serves 4

Ingredients: (Bolognaise)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled
- 0.5 large onion, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 0.75 lbs ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry
- splash of red wine
- 1 large can diced tomatoes (400g can)
- 0.25 cup milk

1) Grate the carrot, onion and cloves of garlic. In a hot pan, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and sauté over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Make sure the onions aren't browning. Season lightly with salt, pepper, add in the dried oregano and the bay leaf.
2) Add the ground beef and brown off quickly. Break down into small pieces using a wooden spoon. Season again lightly with salt and pepper.
3) Make a little well in the middle and add the tomato purée. Cook that off for a minute to get rid of any bitterness.
4) Once the ground beef has all browned, add in the red wine to help give the bolognaise body. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir.
5) Add the canned tomatoes after the alcohol has burned off and bring back up to a boil. Simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.
6) Add the milk and leave on the side until needed. Adjust seasoning if needed and take out the bay leaf before using in the lasagne.

Ingredients: (White Sauce)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons AP flour
- 1.25 cup milk
- pinch of nutmeg
- 60g grated cheddar cheese
- 30g grated Parmesan cheese

1) Add the butter to a sauce pan and melt the butter but make sure not to brown the butter.
2) Add the flour once the butter has melted and cook out the flour for a minute or two.
3) Add the the milk in thirds whisking well with a whisk to prevent any lumps from forming.
4) Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5) Gently simmer the sauce for another minute before adding in the cheese.
6) After all of the cheese has incorporated into the cheese, leave the smooth, white sauce on the side until needed. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Ingredients: (Lasagne)
- bolognaise sauce
- white sauce
- 4 to 6 sheets of non-cook lasagne sheets

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2) To assemble: add half of the meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place a layer of lasagne sheets on top of the meat sauce breaking the sheets as needed to cover entirely.
3) Next, pour half of the white sauce over the first layer of lasagne sheets. Distribute evenly using a spatula.
4) Pour the remaining half of the bolognaise sauce over the white sauce and spread evenly.
5) Add another layer of the lasagne sheets breaking the sheets as needed.
6) Finally, add the remaining half of the white sauce and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese over the white sauce. Season the top lightly with salt and pepper.
7) Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
8) Serve immediately.
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Next time, why obesity not only hurts your physical health but may hurt your wallet as well!

dijon-mayonnaise glazed asparagus

I remain convinced that whoever can come up with a calorie-free mayonnaise will become an overnight billionaire. Of course, this is pretty much impossible as the oh so delicious condiment is made with oil and egg yolks. I do know for a fact though that mayo in the right quantity tastes absolutely delicious.

This Dijon-Mayonnaise Glazed Asparagus is a delicious way to celebrate asparagus. Two of the most amazing condiments with the smoky flavor from the grill is the perfect way to celebrate summer. So easy and takes minutes to make!

Remember to save the woody ends of the asparagus for soup or vegetable stock. Also, I'll be heading down to C-town for a few days so no updates for a little bit. Have an awesome rest of the week and see you all this weekend!

Dijon-Mayonnaise Glazed Asparagus
Adapted from Nate Appleman, Serves 4 as a Side

Ingredients:
- 0.25 cup Dijon mustard
- 0.25 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
- 0.25 cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 large lemon
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound of asparagus

1) Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a shallow dish/baking dish.
2) Whisk well together and add in the asparagus with the woody ends chopped off.
3) Roll through and coat the asparagus well with the dressing. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes
4) Preheat the grill to medium-high and when heated, grill for 6 minutes until the asparagus is blistered. Turn the asparagus around occasionally to blister all sides evenly.

chipotle flank steak w/ corn salsa

So pretty much all of the US is grilling out today. To commemorate, we had this for lunch today. Happy birthday America!

Chipotle Flank Steak w/ Corn Salsa
Adapted from Grill Summer 2009, Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 1 flank steak
- 2 green onions
- 2 cups of cooked corn
- 1 cup of your favorite salsa
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper

1) Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
2) Slice the green onions and save the dark green parts for garnish later on.
3) Add a little olive oil to a pan and add the corn and green onions. Cook over medium-low or medium heat for about 4 minutes.
4) Add in the salsa and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.
5) Turn off the heat and leave aside until needed.
6) Combine all of the spices and rub on the flank steak. Make sure to salt and pepper well on both sides also.
7) Grill the flank steak over medium-high heat for about 9 minutes turning once in the process for medium-rare. Go a couple more minutes for medium or to desired doneness. (however, steak after medium isn't worth eating). Let the steak rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
8) Stir in the reserved green onions to the corn salsa.
9) Slice the steak across the grain and serve with the corn salsa and some tortilla chips.

creme brulee

Healthy eating is all about moderating what you eat without denying yourself of your favorite foods. I've said this in all my previous posts and I will continue reiterating this statement as long as the blog exists. However, to maintain a healthy body and shed some of that extra body fat, eating healthy alone will not do. Exercise is a critical component of a healthy lifestyle.

1) Walking 30 minutes a day will do wonders for your cardiovascular health in the long run. Go out for a walk on a beautiful summer night or if you're fortunate to live in a city like New York, skip the cab and walk.

2) Weight lifting at least 3 times a week will boost metabolism and help replace fat with muscle. As your body repairs damaged muscle fibers, the body's metabolism naturally increases and stays boosted for about 32 hours. Muscle also helps inhibits fat storage and helps give you that nice toned look.

3) Change up your routine if you're plateauing in results. Your body will try to "cheat" eventually by adapting to the exercises and cardio routines you perform. Switching up your exercise will keep challenging your body and help you get to the fitness level of your desire.

4) If the passion starts to fade, motivate yourself by working out with a friend or playing a sport for cardio. Exercising should be something you look forward to not a chore. If you're getting bored of your old jog/run, try this out: Set your mp3 playlist to random and adjust your running speed based on the music's tempo. Now I know this requires some amount of musical knowledge but it's a great way to challenge yourself while having fun.

5) If you're under 14/12 as a boy/girl respectively, you shouldn't be weight lifting. This will result vertical growth being stunned.

6) When lifting weights remember: form is more important than the # of weights. Proper form will ensure your safety as well as the maximum benefit from your workout.

My favorite dessert of all time has to be Creme Brulee. Let's face it, creme brulee isn't exactly the healthiest thing for you on the planet but it is pretty darn delicious. The soft, smooth creaminess of the custard topped off with a hard, carmelized, sugar layer. It is amazing. This is my adapted version of Gordon Ramsay's creme brulee. I don't care what you think of the man, he is a genius when it comes to cooking (he's also pretty entertaining) and is without a doubt my favorite chef.

Creme Brulee
By Gordon Ramsay, Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 300 mL double cream
- 130 mL whole milk or regular milk (sorry fat free, take a hike)
- half of a vanilla pod
- 40 g vanilla sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- extra vanilla sugar for caramelizing the top

1) Combine the double cream, milk and vanilla pod in a sauce pan. Scald the mixture and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla sugar. Remove from heat and let cool.
2) Whisk the egg yolks and 40g of sugar until well combined.
3) Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and temper the egg/sugar mix by adding a little bit of the cream. Whisk. If the cream is too hot, the egg yolks will curdle and you'll get this horrible, grainy texture.
4) Once tempered, add the rest of the cream and whisk.
5) Strain the mixture into another bowl. If you have additional bubbles at the top at this point, you can do one of two things. You can either get a ladle and skim off the top of the custard or get a blow torch and lightly go over the top of the custard until the bubbles disappear.
6) Pour the strained mixture into ramekins and place the ramekins in a roasting pan. Add boiling water until it comes up half way to the ramekins.
7) Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 - 15 minutes until the custard is just set. They should still wobble a bit when the roasting pan is shaken.
8) Remove from the oven and cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours until needed.
9) Right before serving, dust the top of the custard with more vanilla sugar and carmelize the sugar with either a blow torch or broiling/salamander. Serve immediately.