Greece

Ok so in the past month and a half that BfDeLuxe has been gone, I've received ONE picture....ONE!!! (actually i didn't receive it at all, I stole it from his facebook profile-hehe). Anyways, the countdown is 3 weeks until he is home :) Brace yourself...you've never seen anything like this, unless you have travelled to europe. You just can't get beaches like this in America. Here you go:

THAT is what Bf looks at every single day from his house. UNbelievable!!! I'm not jealous or anything (yeah right!) but I'm sure we can figure out a way to raise my spirits. Any ideas? Do me a favor- Click on the picture to enlarge it...i'm thinking BfDeLuxe can buy me that yaught in the background. I'm kidding I'm kidding.

Down Home Cookin'

I haven't posted in a LONG time!!! I've missed you all. So along with my new job I have also revamped my Circadian Rhythm. I am now officially a "night shift" nurse! Yes, that's right. I work through the night, come home, and I'm supposed to sleep...unfortunately it doesn't work that well for me because during the day i CANT sleep!! I like to be productive. We shall see where this takes me...

Anyways, as shocking as it may seem, I am also the owner of a shiny, new, gym membership!!!! No, i'm not joking! Needless to say, tonight I went to Pilates and when I came home, the house was filled with some VERY comforting smells. While I was rolling around and clapping like a seal in pilates class, MommaDeLuxe was busy in the kitchen making a healthy version of some of my favorite southern foods. Are you ready??

Baked "Fried" Chicken, Oven-roasted Cauliflower, and whole wheat creamy mac n' cheese!!

Omg this was so delicious...the chicken was marinated in buttermilk for over 2 hours & served with chipotle mayo after being "fried". The cauliflower was baked with red pepper flakes and balsamic. Lastly, the mac n' cheese was so creamy and included both cheddar cheese and parmesano!!!

Do you honestly think I forgot about dessert?? NEVER!!!! My Mom's amaaazing homemade brown sugar & cinnamon apple tart. Not too sweet, not too tart, and just marvelous with a small scoop of Breyer's BUTTER PECAN ice cream. YES, that was my portion. I ate about 1/4 of the whole dessert...and I may or may not have snuck in the rest of my neice's chocolate soft serve with rainbow colored sprinkles. Oh come on!! It was in the freezer for the past 3 days and I'm SURE she has forgotten about it by now. Oops!

Black Bean Burgers

LISTEN UP, VEGANS!!! (we all know I'm certainly not a vegan). That aside, these black bean burgers ARE vegan...and trust me - one bite of these and you will not remember what a beef burger is! Even my Dad...my very GREEK, meat-loving Dad truly enjoys these.

I have to give credit where credit is due. I found this recipe on a fellow bloggers website. Check her out at http://www.thesingledish.com/

Ok, look at these and drool:

What You'll Need (for 8 patties):

2 small cans of black beans, drained and well rinsed

1 bell pepper of your choice

1 red onion

3 cloves of garlic

6+ TBSP flour (whatever kind you have)

4 TBSP good olive oil

2 TBSP cumin

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Optional toppings: Sliced tomatoes, arugula, fresh avocado, pepper jack cheese, etc.

How To Make:

1. Drain and rinse black beans well.

2. Use a food processor (or knife) to finely chop onions & peppers

3. Add onions and peppers in a large bowl along with the minced garlic, olive oil, flour, cumin, salt, and pepper. Take half of the black beans and mix in with these ingredients until they are smooshed and form a "paste" texture.

4. Then, add in the remainder of the whole beans and gently mix until everything is formed. If your mix is too wet, add more flour until you can easily make patties with your hands.

5. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate these until you want to cook. They can stay in the fridge for days!

6. When ready, you can either heat up a skillet with lots of olive oil OR broil them in the oven. REMEMBER: there are no raw ingredients so you're basically just cooking these for about 10 minutes, or until warmed all the way through.

Mmmm, seriously canNOT wait for you to try these!!!! Here is how I ate mine:

On top of a whole wheat wrap, with mini farm fresh tomatoes, slice avocado, romaine from my neighbors garden, and chipotle mayo. Just might be my new favorite meat-free meal!!

Have a great weekend, y'all !!! Make sure to message me after you make these and tell me how you liked it & if you made any yummy adjustments!

xoxo-C.

Moroccan Chicken & Coconut Rice

I may have gone missing, but I certainly was not starving. A few weekends ago, I travelled a few feet to the local farmer's market and picked up this lovely packet of seasoning:

It's a pre-blended mix of Cumin, Paprika, Sugar, Cinnamon, and Salt. The women who sold it to me recommended I season up some chicken or meat with this. She spoke, I listened. I placed about 12 chicken tenderloins in a plastic dish with olive oil & enough Moroccan rub to heavily coat each piece.

Mix with your hands until all chicken tenderloins are evenly coated...then place in a large ziplock bag with all the juices & refrigerate. You can either do this overnight or even for just a few hours will do the trick if you're making this the same day.

While this was marinating in the fridge, I got started on my coconut rice (thanks to Jessica at www.howsweeteats.com). First, put 1 cup water, 1/2 cup LITE coconut milk (from Trader Joes), and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract in a saucepan + 1 cup arborio rice. Bring to a boil, then cover until the rice absorbs all the liquid. Depending on your stove top, this could take 20+ minutes.
In the meantime, chop 1/2 a red bell pepper and set aside with 1/3 cup shredded coconut. I used sweetened because that's what I had but any type would have worked. Once the rice absorbs all the liquid, remove from heat & mix in the coconut, red bell pepper, and a good helping of freshly ground pepper.
While the rice cooled, I heated up an indoor griddle for the chicken. It took about 5 minutes per side for the thin tenderloins to cook through.

I also used some farmers fresh zucchini squash, brought them to a gentle boil, and cooked for a few minutes until soft...then topped with fresh olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice for a lovely, healthy side dish. In case you haven't noticed, I must have at least one green vegetable with each meal.

All together now!!

Ahhhhhh....so good!!! Even my Dad...my very GREEK Dad loved this dish. He went back for a second plate which is how I know the food is good. The chicken had an amazingly savory bite while the rice was a sweet, smooth surprise.

You didn't think I forgot about dessert, did you?!? That would be considered a SIN in my book. While at the farmers market, I picked up some beauuuutiful peaches. Grilled bourbon peaches & Greek yogurt sounded perfect for a summer night.

First, I sliced the peaches...

Then, I brushed them with a little olive oil, plenty of bourbon, a pinch of brown sugar, and a hefty dose of cinnamon...

I then grilled them for about 5 minutes on each side (or just until the peaches are warm and have grill marks). Serve on top of Greek yogurt (I used Chobani) with a drizzle of honey... Yes, those are colorful kids bowls...what can I say!!

I really hope you all make some Moroccan chicken soon. You don't need this seasoning packet. Just combine the ingredients in a bowl and go for it!! It feels SO good to finally be back and posting. I have another VERY busy and stressful week ahead at the hospital but I promise you I will post something along the way...even something simple. Have a wonderful week, y'all.

xoxo, Christina.