refrigerator facial

As I mentioned in an earlier post, a representative from Avocados from Mexico (hi, Ginny!) sent me some avocados to use in a breakfast recipe, which I did when I made a Pineapple Avocado Smoothie! I’ve also used the delicious avocados to top salmon burgers, to top my eggs, and in salad.

But one way I never thought to use avocado? A face mask!

Since a current beauty trend is using natural ingredients and getting rid of all the unnatural yucky chemicals, I figured that avocado had to have more benefits than one can get by simply eating it.

My skin is chronically dry (thanks, thyroid) so I decided to go for the avocado moisturizing mask. While mine didn’t look as pretty as this…

(in fact it looked more like this…)

… my mask did make my skin feel great! The ingredients were totally normal and something you’ll easily find in your refrigerator and pantry: avocado, plain yogurt, and honey!

My skin has continued to feel softer and more moisturized a few days after the facial and I can see this becoming a bi-weekly beauty ritual. Plus, it smells great

Try it, your skin will thank you!

my new comfort food

Indian food now, clearly, reminds me of my beloved. One of the first dishes Rahul made for me — which clearly solidified him as Grade A Boyfriend Material — was chicken tikka masala, the national favorite food of Britain and, of course, a staple from his homeland.

I know of the spice packets to choose from at the local Indian grocer where I now go on occasion, but I also know the basics of how to make the dish myself without the pre-measured, perfect spices.

CTM has become my new favorite comfort food and the way I make it isn’t terribly unhealthy! You can easily find the required ingredients and if you don’t want to invest in the jars of the spices, you can find them in the bulk bins at your grocery store. I recommend eating this with a piece of naan and some basmati rice.

Majorly comforting and guilt free. Namaste!

Chicken Tikka Masala (makes 5-6 servings)
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced in chunks
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup water
1-15 oz. can cushed tomato
1/2 small white onion, sliced thinly
1 T vegetable oil
1 T garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
salt & pepper
Slice the chicken into large chunks, removing any excess skin. Place in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper, yogurt, and water, stirring until the chicken is fully coated. Set aside and let marinate for 30 minutes – 1 hour. When the chicken is ready, slice the onions thinly. In a deep wok or Dutch oven (it’s what I use!), heat the vegetable oil and stir in the onions, cooking until slightly tender. Pour in the canned tomato and the spices, stirring well. When everything is mixed, add in the chicken including all yogurt in the bowl. Stir and cover, reducing heat to medium-low. Let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to help the dairy in the sauce not break. After simmering for 30 minutes, serve hot over basmati rice. If it is too spicy, top with more plain yogurt and some cilantro if you have it on hand!

recipe shout-out!

Lately I haven’t been feeling super creative in the kitchen, but I have been trying a lot of recipes from the interwebs… mainly from bloggers or popular magazines.

So, I’ve decided to start a “recipe shout-out” chain of posts where I’ll occasionally share a successful, delicious dish that I’ve found elsewhere so that you too can share in the love.

Today’s shout-out goes to Cooking Light’s Fresh Salmon Cilantro Burgers which I made for my friend Mary the other night. I had been craving salmon and, while still expensive, it was cheaper to buy my own fresh salmon and make my own burgers than to buy the pre-made ones from the seafood counter at my grocer. One suggestion: add 1 egg white to the salmon mixture — it wasn’t forming patties for me with just the bread crumbs.

I definitely recommend these burgers, they were delicious! I did make the cilanto mayonnaise (and topped it with fresh avocado slices!) but when I enjoyed the leftovers, I did it with hoisin sauce and hot sauce. Truly wonderful! They’re great without a bun, too!

not just for guacamole

Recently, a representative from Avocados from Mexico asked me if I’d like her to send me some avocados so I could try out a breakfast recipe or two.

Come again?

Yes, please. Please send me one of my most favorite fruits that I, sadly, almost never buy. Rahul is allergic to them so I got out of the habit of eating them.

I browsed the breakfast recipes and decided to try the Avocado Pineapple Smoothie since I’ve always wanted to try an avocado smoothie and never have. Most of the time, I think of avocado as solely a condiment, but you can do a lot more with it than guacamole if you think outside the box.

I decided to throw in a couple almost-too-ripe strawberries in with the mix, so the color looks a little icky, but trust me: the smoothie was great. It was incredibly creamy and nice to discover a dairy-free smoothie alternative that makes it as creamy as yogurt. A little healthy fat never hurt anyone!

Be sure to browse the website and learn more about avocados. I enjoyed educating myself on the vitamins and other health benefits of avocados and looking for some recipe inspiration. I’m also going to try an avocado face mask tonight! I’ll report back.

idiot sauce

I promise you “idiot sauce” is not some cool new word all the kids are using, like “awesomesauce”. Idiot sauce is exactly what it sounds like, as you’ll soon find out.

In my recent quest to make leftover-worthy dishes to pack for lunch, I have been eyeing a basic recipe for vegan (read: dairy-free) stuffed shells that has been floating around food blogs for quite some time. I love pasta but making a big dish of stuffed shells is probably not the smartest idea if I’m the only one eating them. So I glanced over the basics, restocked my nutritional yeast in the bulk bins, and hastily grabbed a package of tofu, still unsure of tofu in my pasta.

Enter: the idiot.

Stupid me was too busy texting Rahul and didn’t even pay attention. I bought the soft kind rather than the extra firm type that the recipe actually calls for. Soft tofu, for those of you who don’t know, is just one hair short of being pure liquid (silken tofu). I realized this after I boiled the manicotti for the baked pasta. I realized this after blending everything together and winding up with a liquid rather than a ricotta-like texture. This is not stuff-worthy. This is a liquid.

I trudged on.

I was a little skeptical, but I dipped my finger into my basil-laden sauce and was floored. This stuff was good. No, great. I could not stop tasting it. In order to not waste the pasta I had already made, I ended up layering the sauce, noodles, sauce, and marinara and baking that baby in the oven for 20 minutes. It was delicious, but the real star was the sauce. This was the best accidental grocery store purchase in history.

I used about 2/3 of it in the baked pasta (which provided me 3 meals!) and saved the rest in a jar in my fridge. I’ve since dipped into it as a spread on a veggie sandwich and I’m planning on tossing it with some fettuccini pretty soon. This is like a basil heavy alfreddo sauce in taste and texture — but you’d never know it was vegan! 

For the tofu-wary readers out there, I challenge you to make this! Tofu is not as scary as you think and nutritional yeast is more and more common in grocery stores these days. I didn’t do this on purpose, but you definitely should.

Vegan Basil Cream Sauce (aka, Idiot Sauce)
1 package (16 oz) soft tofu, drained
10-15 fresh basil leaves
1 T nutritional yeast
1 T olive oil
pinch salt & pepper
Open and drain tofu. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients, blending until creamy and uniform (about 1 minute). Keep in the refrigerator until ready for use, or toss it immediately with hot pasta! Use alone or mix with marinara for a creamy pink sauce!

a philosophical question

While on the phone with my boyfriend recently, I mentioned that I was going to make blueberry muffins (Rahul’s favorite!) but was stopped in my tracks when he posed the question, “What is the difference between a cupcake and a muffin?”

My answer was fairly succinct: icing.

But then another friend suggested it was health, which I laughed off because most muffins are more unhealthy than a cupcake. Then I started debating the differences in the batters (stiff muffin batter vs more liquid cake batter). And then I gave up. So, glorious readers, here is a recipe for (healthy!) blueberry muffins to keep you busy as you contemplate this deeply important and urgent philosophical question:

What is the difference between a muffin and a cupcake?

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (makes 9 muffins)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used nonfat)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients until well mixed. Add in the yogurt, egg, and vanilla and stir until just combined (the key to muffins is not over-mixing!). Using a spatula, gently fold in the fresh blueberries. Line a muffin pan with muffin cups and spray them gently with cooking spray. Divide the muffin batter evenly between the muffin cups — they will be full! With the oven heated to 375* bake for 14 minutes and let cool slightly before enjoying!

some like it hot

Recently, on a trip to Whole Foods, I tried an amazing smoothie. I had it after a morning run and it was refreshing, a little spicy, and (supposedly) good for my health. This delicious beverage had mango, pineapple, coconut water, and cayenne pepper and I was intrigued by the benefits of the ingredients.

The health benefits of coconut water after exercise may be a bit exaggerated, according to many sources, but it is undeniable that it does contain some beneficial nutrients, such as potassium, which is great for muscle recovery. Ever get cramps in your legs or feet? I’ve fallen victim to them since my days of swimming and I know to eat bananas and potatoes for potassium. But now I can add coconut water to that list!

But there’s one major problem: coconut water tastes like feet. I bought some a while back and popped open the can, excited to try it. It was disgusting. I poured the rest in a jar and stuck it in my fridge, unsure when I’d ever use it again. But after trying the smoothie at Whole Foods, I knew that I could mask the foot taste and still get the health benefits.

Another cool ingredient in the smoothie I had was the cayenne pepper. I love spice and cayenne pepper has some pretty good health benefits as well. It aids in digestion, helps boost your metabolism, and has a good amount of vitamin A. Cayenne pepper is also beneficial to your heart health, cholesterol, and blood triglyceride levels. Many sources, including one of my favorites, recommend sprinkling a little cayenne pepper on your food every day to get the benefits. The recommended 2 tsp is a LOT of spice and I don’t get nearly that much, but I figure something is better than nothing!

So, using the ingredients in my freezer and fridge, I concocted my own version of the Whole Foods smoothie and it was the perfect beverage to enjoy after a lovely 3 mile run this morning… cold, a little spicy, and packed with good-for-me stuff!

My Tropical Spice Smoothie (serves 1)
1 cup young coconut water
1/2 medium mango, frozen
1 banana, frozen
1/8 tsp cayenne (add more for more spice)
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Make sure the fruits are thoroughly frozen (at least frozen overnight) because this will make your smoothie incredibly creamy even though there’s no yogurt! Blend on high until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately!

we run so they can read

I am sure many people are familiar with the concept of running races to raise money. I think Relay for Life is one of the biggest fund-raising efforts that uses running/walking as their platform. You may also be familiar with Team in Training that trains people to run half and full marathons to raise money for leukemia and lymphoma research.

But did you know that you can run a race to help end illiteracy in India? That’s right. And guess who is running it? This girl.

(Can you spot the lone white girl?)

I’ll be running the Livestrong Austin (Half) Marathon in February of 2012, a feat that sounds laughable to me at the moment as I’m grossly out of running shape. The elliptical in the air-conditioned gym and I have become fast friends this 105*+ summer. But I’m strapping on the running shoes and questioning my decision every day as I train with Austin Fit to run for Team Asha.

While no one charity is better than another, I happen to be running for this cause because it is very dear to my heart. For starters, I am in graduate school for a degree in literature… something not easily attainable for children who don’t have access to quality education. Literacy is something I’ve taken for granted my whole life, having grown up in suburbia with a great school system.

And as for why Asha and not another children’s charity… well there’s a man I’m in love with and he is from India. It seems pretty logical to me. I want to help other people from the country that provided Rahul with the educational foundation to come to America, continue his education, get a job in Austin, and meet and fall in love with me.

I don’t yet have my fundraising page up, but when I do, I will certainly post it for y’all. I know that the economic climate is not favorable right now, but if you can find it in your heart to donate even $5, that would help tremendously. Think about it: for the price of 2 coffees at Starbucks, you can help me raise money so millions of children can read. 

Thank you all for your continued support — I look forward to training and running for the kids of India and for all of you!