Sweet and Simple Egg Salad

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Living on a budget-restricted diet can get really boring sometimes. But if you’re creative enough, it can really make the difference between a love or hate relationship with your food! One of the cheapest and easiest things to make in our house is Egg Salad. It’s fast, painless and makes great leftovers! There’s a lot of differing recipes out there, but my personal fave  contains a dollop of this and a sprinkle of that…and voila! Egg salad!

Ingredients:

10 eggs (I usually shoot for 10 but feel free to use whatever is left in the carton)

Mayonnaise

Dijon mustard

1-2 tsp Dill weed

1-2 tsp Paprika

Celery

Directions:

1. Hard boil eggs (Hubby swears by the 12 minute rule, while I typically opt for 15-16). Once boiled, run under cool water and let sit until cooled off.

2. Peel eggs and chop into pieces (once again this all depends on your preference. I like big pieces!) chop 1-2 stalks of celery.Throw into medium-sized bowl.

3. Mix a large spoonful of mayonnaise, a few squirts of mustard, paprika and dill into egg/celery mixture and stir well.

4. Refrigerate until chilled.

One of the best things about egg salad is how easy it is to improvise. My family will attest to the fact that I go crazy for deviled eggs at Easter time, so I’m always generous with my paprika as well as celery, to add some crunch to the mixture. How egg-citing!

(I really tried, but just couldn’t resist the egg-related pun.)

The Poverty Diet

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Let me preface by saying that I am well aware of how good I have it in stark contrast to millions of the world’s hungry. However, working a minimum wage, part-time job leaves little room for gourmet eating! Unfortunately, my fiance makes just enough money that we don’t qualify for food stamps, but just little enough to pay our bills, gas and whatever is left goes toward groceries.

This makes for some very interesting and cheap meal choices. Here is my countdown of our 10 favorite meals on The Poverty Diet:

10. Cereal- Often referred to as a bachelor’s steak, there’s little in this world as gratifying as a heaping bowl of Special K drenched in organic soy milk. It’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack all in one box!

9. Fried Egg Sandwiches- You’d be hard-pressed to find a meal that is less expensive to make than a fried egg on a piece of toast! You’ve got your protein, your whole grains- add a slice of cheese and an orange on the side and you’ve got yourself a meal!

8. Colcannon- I posted this recipe not too long ago and it remains one of my absolute favorite meals. Cabbage and potatoes are cheap and easy to come by in the winter months; not to mention it’s delicious and easy to make!

7. Fajitas- Sauteed peppers, onions and whatever you can find laying in your fridge. It’s difficult to cook inexpensively and healthfully, but fajitas allow you a hefty serving of veggies in a delicious and spicy form! Mexican night is about a once-a-week occurrence in our house!

6. Fast food- I am by no means suggesting that everyone living on a shoestring should get their fill of Big Macs and Frosties. But for $4, you can stop at Sheetz and get a foot-long sub! My personal favorite is the veggie sub on a whole wheat roll with a hefty serving of honey mustard. Mmm…

5. Soup- Although I admit, my soup comes from a can more often than I’d like, it’s hard to resist this easy and healthy meal option. Campbell’s Select Harvest Soups are often on sale (the Southwestern Vegetable is mouth-watering good!) and this recipe for Tortellini Vegetable Soup always has us coming back for seconds and thirds.

4. Quesadillas- In keeping with the Mexican night theme, quesadillas are go-to snack in Chuck-and-Kaity home. While definitely not the most healthy, they’re an appealing option for a quick meal on the go. Plus, you can always add some diced tomatoes, peppers and onions to help get you your recommended daily serving of veggies!

3. Pasta- There is simply nothing more simple and delicious than a good bowl of pasta. For us, this generally consists of a whole wheat pasta such as rotini or angel hair, a can of diced tomatoes and whatever veggies we can find and saute. Peppers, onions, broccoli, watercress, kale- the possibilities are endless!

2. Mac and Cheese- While some may argue that this fits into the category of pasta, I would argue that Annie’s Organic Mac & Cheese deserves a category all its own. The fact that it’s organic and I always add some broccoli or peas into the mix helps to ease my guilt about indulging in this comfort food.

1. PB & J- Is it at all surprising that in a household of budget-restricted vegetarians PB&J is a staple? This is one of the only products we splurge on because peanuts are such a huge source of protein and we want to stay away from the unhealthy hydrogenated vegetable and palm oils found in most peanut butters. Trader Joe’s Organic Peanut Butter is our personal favorite.

Colcannon

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My sincerest apologies as this site has remained utterly neglected over the last few weeks. While the end of my second semester of graduate school has left me busy as a bee, rest assured that I’ll be free as bird one week from now and giving Sustainably Kaity the attention it deserves!

Until then, here’s a recipe to hold you over adapted from Farmer John’s Cookbook. Chuck and I both have Irish in our blood so we’re pretty much genetically disposed to love cabbage and potatoes. This is one of our favorite (and easiest!) recipes to prepare and it takes only a few bucks to make!

Hot bowl of Colcannon on a cool, spring day!

Ingredients:

5 medium-sized potatoes

2 tsp salt

1 head of cabbage, chopped

1 cup chopped leeks, scallions or green onions (whatever you call them!)

1 cup half-and-half or milk

1 tsp black pepper (we love pepper, so this was a good amount for us.)

Directions:

1. Put potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Boil until potatoes are easily mashed (20 minutes is a good bet). Drain potatoes, mash, and put in a heatproof dish in a 200° oven to keep warm.

Boiling cabbage- about 20 minutes until tender

2. Put cabbage in pot, cover with water and sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp of salt. Boil cabbage until tender (20 minutes is a good bet, too). *If you have a large pot you can boil the potatoes and cabbage together which is much easier, but ours wasn’t big enough. Drain cabbage.

3. Put your green onions in a small saucepan and cover with milk (I used half-and-half this time, but I’d like to try soy milk next time to make this a vegan dish!). Cook over low eat about 20 minutes until soft.

Cooking green onions and half-and-half over low heat

4. Add cabbage, green onion mixture and black pepper to potatoes and mix well.

There you have it! Easiest recipe around, and great to serve in the spring time- St. Paddy’s, Easter and cabbage is in season! It’s a win-win!

 

Food Writing is…

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This past semester I was blessed beyond belief to be able to take a Food Writing class. I started out my graduate career wanting to concentrate in the Food Politics arena. And while I haven’t abandoned my love of all things food and politics-related, I realized that perhaps my passion for blogging wasn’t something that needed to stay on KaityBest.blogspot.com, but was something that could translate into a career.

My other pride and joy: (Bee)autiful Blessings

Each week, my teacher poses a 100-word writing prompt to get our creative, foodie juices flowing. On the last week of the semester she posed this: “Define Food Writing.” This was my response:

  • That time in English class when I recalled the memory of how a simple PB&J sandwich brought Maggie and I closer together. 
  • The second week into my Uganda stay when I wrote home griping about rice and beans for every meal and drooled at the thought of a cheeseburger. 
  • A Facebook status that praised the amazing Seafood Caesar salad I had for dinner…right before my boyfriend proposed. 
  • My blog, after I got engaged and began documenting my journey toward domestic goddess-dom. 
  • The class I took my first year of graduate school when I realized I wanted to be a writer.

Too often, we fail to notice how food plays into the most intimate moments of our lives. Food is the means by which a mother first bonds with her newborn baby. Food is the shared interest that brings two kindergarteners together at lunch time. Food is the symbol of a newly married couple’s union. Food is the comfort we seek when a loved one has passed.

Food is how we trust, how we mourn and how we love. 

And like love, food is something I could write about all day, every day.

Farm to Table Pittsburgh

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Today, Chuck and I were fortunate to spend the afternoon at Farm to Table Pittsburgh, a two-day convention highlighting everything wonderful about local, sustainable food. Luckily, because of my student status I got free admission, plus Chuck and I were itching to get out on our first weekend together in months!

Farm to Table Pittsburgh, March 23-24, David L Lawrence Convention Center

We got to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh around 1:00 pm, just in time to sit in on a great demonstration entitled “Healthy for Hedonists” by Leah Lizarondo of The Brazen Kitchen. Leah was incredibly likable and walked event attendees through her 5 Steps for Healthy, Fun Eating. For each step, she also included an accompanying recipe which provided structure to her demonstration.

Leah Lizarondo of The Brazen Kitchen demonstrates "Healthy for Hedonists" at Farm to Table Pittsburgh 2012

Step One was eating a good breakfast, at which point she showed how to make a fabulous and fruity smoothie.

Step Two was simply referred to as “Chocolate!” where she had her two adorable kiddos demonstrate how to make Chocolate Chia Pudding.

During Step Three, she sampled a terrific vegan “nacho cheese” to demonstrate that creamy texture needn’t be sacrificed with healthy eating. She also made a quick cashew cream, that she mixed with fruit and granola for a healthy, creamy dessert.

From bottom, clockwise: Strawberries with Cashew Cream, Chocolate Chia Pudding, Pesto Pasta with Sunflower Seeds and Vegan Nachos

Step Four was also focused on texture: crunch! For this, Leah presented a pesto pasta dish with sunflower seeds.

Step Five was all about achieving umami through foods like mushrooms, soy sauce and miso.

Following Leah’s presentation, we entered the hall where tons of vendors awaited to allow us samples of their grass-fed milk, sustainable wine and organic cheeses. Some of my personal favorites were:

The Oak Noggin Bed & Breakfast in Jefferson Hills, PA

The Oak Noggin Bed & Breakfast, a frontier home available for rent located just South of Pittsburgh that boasts breakfasts made from free-range chicken eggs and a porch view of an expansive sheep farm.

Walnut Hill Winery, located about an hour east of the city which allowed me to sample the sweetest Spiced Apple wine I’ve ever tasted! The woman we spoke to also filled us in on all the great events that happens every weekend during the summer. Wine and local musicians? What more would you want?!

Barre, a real food bar developed by two professional dancers.

Barre, an energy bar with all-natural ingredients created by two professional ballet dancers. We spoke to Julia, the brains behind the luscious combination of pecans, dates, chocolate  and cranberries, adorably titled, Black Swan. Their whole story was awesome!

Around 2:30, we made our way to our second demonstration of the day: Janet McKee, a Certified Holistic Health Counselor who shared The Power of Food to Heal. Her stories of people combating cancer, paralysis and and bipolar disorder just from a change in diet, were remarkable. She too, shared some terrific recipe ideas including a smoothie, non-dairy milkshake, a kale pasta dish as well as the idea for a healthy, vegan strawberry pie that sounded to die for!

Janet McKee demonstrates "The Power of Food to Heal" at Farm to Table Pittsburgh 2012

We left as vendors began cleaning up tables, putting away samples of BBQ Sauce and rain forests worth of literature on local CSAs. Our first experience at Farm to Table Pittsburgh left us pleasantly surprised. While it may have taken a good half hour to rid our teeth of kale and seed fragments, we wordlessly agreed that this would not be our last Farm to Table excursion.

Sexy Food: Part One

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In the midst of post-Spring Break research paper-writing hell, I am finding joy in small things. As much as trying to cram 25 pages worth of last-minute researching and writing can suck the life out of you, the fact is, writing a paper about the relationship between sex and food is awesome.

My alter ego

Here are some of the fun facts I’ve stumbled upon throughout my research thus far:

  1. Flavor is linked to color. In colorless taste tests, participants had trouble determining common flavors without the aid of visual cues (i.e. Purple=grape, Red=cherry).
  2. It has been found that a passion for food may translate into…other areas. Apparently, chefs make excellent lovers. Hmm…
  3. Obesity may be a sign of sexual difficulty/dysfunction. Often times, people will substitute food for sex.
  4. The way in which a person eats, may indicate their potential in the bedroom. Someone who races through a meal may not be a great second-date candidate.
  5. Certain smells increase blood flow to the penis. Researchers were surprised to find that the most effective scent was…pumpkin pie!

Excited yet?

It’s fascinating how inextricably linked food and sex are and it is unsurprising that someone who seeks pleasure and passion out of life would be able to make such a connection.

Be sure to stay tuned for more fun tidbits as my research continues to take shape and as I take things into my own hands with some aphrodisiac recipes. Things could get spicy around here!

China Star (Squirrel Hill): Pittsburgh, PA

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My fiance and I have developed a very fun weekly ritual. Once a week, after he meets me on campus to workout, we carry our sweaty, exhausted selves to a nearby Chinese restaurant: China Star. Each time we visit, we order a “usual” as well as adding something new to our repertoire.

The environment is always peaceful and subdued. The decor is homey and welcoming but not overwhelming. The feeling is comfortable and the service is always terrific. Glasses are filled as soon as they are half empty and the servers always seem to sense the perfect time to take your order. We have yet to pay a visit where our food wasn’t delivered prompt and steaming hot.

Our personal favorite is the General Tso’s tofu. The tangy, spiced sauce goes down smoothly and the tofu has an ideal crunch to it. The Triple Green Vegetables plate is piled high with broccoli, snow peas and green beans which are delicately bathed in a mild, but tasty garlic sauce. The Vegetable Spring Rolls are a perfectly proportioned appetizer; just enough to whet your whistle as the horseradish delivers a kick which is complimented by the sweet and succulent sweet-and-sour sauce.

A full dinner table at China Star

We’ve tried each week to top our previous experiences; both the Vegetable Lo Mein and the Dragon & Phoenix special were delivered in sizable amounts and were incredibly satisfying.

For a peaceful, comforting  and filling meal, China Star is a best kept secret. I highly recommend wearing some elastic-waisted pants because you’re sure to leave with a full belly!

Vegan Reubens

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This was yet another Pinterest-inspired meal. We’d been putting it off for over a week because we thought it might be a little too labor-intensive, but as it turns out it’s so easy! Following a day of domestic goddess-ness, I decided tonight was the night…and boy was I pleased with the results! They didn’t exactly taste like the Reubens that Chuck and my German sides had grown accustomed to, but they were delectable. We had four sandwiches between the two of us; definitely a meal I plan to make again!

Tempeh reuben and sweet potato fries

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
2 cups water
1 8 oz package tempeh, sliced

1/4 cup vegan mayo
2 tbsp relish
2 tbsp ketchup

Rye bread, toasted
Vegan cheese slices (we cheated and used regular provolone so ours weren’t actually vegan)
Sauerkraut

Directions:

Tempeh mixture simmering at low-medium heat

1. Combine liquid aminos, onion, garlic, bay leaf and water in saucepan over medium heat. Add tempeh slices and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 20 minutes. Let tempeh cool in broth.

2. Stir together mayo, relish and ketchup to make Thousand Island dressing.

Dressing & tempeh on left; Cheese & sauerkraut on right

3. Spread dressing on toasted bread and add 3-4 slices of tempeh. Top with cheese slices and sauerkraut.

(Inspired by Vegetarian Times)

The sweet potato fries were a great addition to this veg-friendly dish!

Rainbow Heart Cheesecake Bites

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Although my attempts to make these as a Valentine’s Day sweet treat for my sweetie didn’t exactly fall in line with my schedule, I couldn’t help but wonder if these adorable bite-size confections would be a good addition to what will be an inevitably delicious spread at my upcoming wedding reception. Since today was my day off, I decided to use the recipe shared on Hungry Happenings, a holiday-themed food blog, to guide me.

To make these adorable treats, straight out of Cupid’s kitchen you will need:

Ingredients: 

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 stick butter, melted

16 oz (2 pkgs) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Food coloring

Supplies:

Mixing bowl

Electric mixer

Food processor (optional)

Rubber spatula

Heart-shaped silicone mold(s) (I got mine off Amazon for $12.99)

Baking pan

Before you go any further, know that these are pretty time-consuming to make. The entire process took me about 3-4 hours, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time! With that in mind, you may proceed…

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Fill your baking pan with enough water to go submerge the bottom half of your mold and put in oven to heat up.

2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and butter in food processor and pulse until well mixed.

3. Fill silicone mold with a spoonful of mixture and press down to make the mini-crusts level and compact. Refrigerate until it’s time to add the cheesecake mixture.

4. In your mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping the sides when necessary. Add sugar and beat until well mixed. Add eggs until the mixture is creamy. Add sour cream and vanilla until combined.

5. Divide the cheesecake mixture between 6 small/medium bowls. (I used recycled salsa containers and Tupperware!). Add food coloring until desired shades are achieved. 

6. Pour mixture into mold(s). Insert mold into oven in baking pan. Make sure the bottom half of the hearts are submerged in water. Bake for 10-14 minutes for small hearts, add more time if you use a different sized mold.

7. After removing the mold from the oven, let cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, place in your freezer for at least an hour until the minis are solid and easy to pop out of the mold. *They have to be frozen before you try to get them out of the mold.

8. Your mini-hearts can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days and will keep in the freezer for a couple of months. Just be sure to allow them to come to room temperature before serving!

*Note: This recipe makes about two molds worth. Unfortunately, I only had one and didn’t want to wait hours for my first batch to freeze to reuse it. Since I didn’t want all my beautiful batter to go to waste, I made myself a tie-dye cheesecake! 

Be sure to check out Hungry Happenings for more fun holiday-themed goodies!