I know that we all have our days when we get little cravings for something that we just have to have.  Every once in a while I get a craving for something I can’t (or shouldn’t) have and I have to come up with a sort of “work-around”.  Today I had a craving for fried fish, french fries, and coleslaw but, because of my dietary restrictions, I can’t eat dairy and I shouldn’t eat friend foods.  So, I hooked up a little non-dairy coleslaw and olive oil seared Tilapia.  Craving satisfied!

(cut carrots and cabbage)

(sliced red potatoes brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper)

Sometimes it’s difficult not to be able to eat many of the things that I enjoy anymore, or things that the people around me are eating.  Eating is such a huge part of our culture.  We celebrate with food, we have social gatherings with food, we have family nights with food, we connect on so many levels through food…not being able to share in some occasions, having to make my own specially prepared food much of the time and not being able to just sit down at the table and eat when and what everyone else is eating can be frustrating and sometimes even make a person feel isolated.  So, it feels really good to find new ways to prepare things that I love even with all of my dietary restrictions.  It also feels REALLY good to be able to share it with others who may be looking for an alternative.  I am constantly looking for other ways to prepare my food and I figure the blessing in it is that I am becoming much more aware of what I put in my body and therefore eating much healthier.  I like to share what I’m learning along the way.  Sometimes it takes a little trial and error, but once I get there it’s deliciously worth it!

Coleslaw

♥ Cabbage, carrots, relish, vinegar, salt, pepper, Vegenaise Dairy Free Mayonnaise (which tastes just like real mayonnaise, I’ve snuck in into food without anyone knowing   )

♥ This is a very simple recipe.  Simply shred (or thinly slice) your cabbage and carrots into a bowl.  Add relish, salt, pepper, vinegar, and mayonnaise to taste.  For the size bowl I have here, I used about a table spoon of relish and two table spoons of mayonnaise.  Stir well and serve.

Baked Red Potato Fries

♥ Red potatoes, olive oil, salt (or sea salt), pepper, seasoned salt (optional)

♥ This is another really simple dish.  Slice the potatoes to your desired thickness.  brush the potatoes with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put them on a baking pan and bake at 425 degrees until tender and slightly browned.

Olive Oil Seared Tilapia

♥ Tilapia, salt, pepper, lemon pepper (or squeeze juice from lemon), flower (optional)

♥ To make the Tilapia, warm about a teaspoon and a half of olive oil in a pan.  Season the Tilapia with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper(or lemon) to taste (If you’re using flower, combine the flower and seasonings in a small container or ziploc bag and lightly coat the fish with the mixture.)  Sear the Tilapia on each side and cook until done.

I am definitely a summer person, and when summer starts to wind down I usually get depressed.  No more flip flops or evenings spent lounging outside.  But for the first time ever in my life, I am kinda looking forward to Fall.  Not only has it been a million degrees and ridiculously humid every single day, but a five minute storm knocked out my power yesterday afternoon and it is STILL not back on.  It’s too hot for the power company to be playing these kinds of games lol…but seriously, PEPCO has got to do better.

So after I packed up all of my stuff and left, I decided to treat myself and my parents (whose house I am crashing) to a refreshing dinner.  I found this recipe for Lime Chicken Soft Tacos over at Creature Comforts (thanks Ez!), and it was delicious!  I’m so glad I tried it out.  I have some special dietary needs and this recipe was just perfect.  What’s great is that you can tailor it to meet your own likes and dislikes.  I chopped up each of the toppings and put them in bowls so that everyone could add what they wanted.  I don’t eat dairy or very acidic foods so I left the cheese and salsa off of mine, but my mom added everything and loved the flavor!  I also added a little cilantro to the recipe.

In addition to the taco, I also made some yellow rice with tomatoes and green peppers and some delicious corn from the farmer’s market.  What a great end to a trying day

Anyone else getting tired of this crazy summer heat or still without power in the DC area??  My neighbors and I all looked like runaways today (lol) packing our cars with our clothes and groceries we didn’t want to go bad.

]]> http://www.apartment102.net/2010/07/26/making-myself-feel-better-with-food/feed/ 2 http://www.apartment102.net/2010/06/22/the-sweet-taste-of-summer/ http://www.apartment102.net/2010/06/22/the-sweet-taste-of-summer/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:32:16 +0000 Tekesia http://www.apartment102.net/?p=2696

My heart-shaped peach from the Farmer’s Market

One of my favorite things about summer is all of the delicious food available at the farmer’s market.  I absolutely love all of the fresh fruit and vegetables.  Being that yesterday was the first official day of summer (though it’s felt like summer for weeks here lol) I visited my local Farmer’s Market, Norman’s Farm Market.

Going to Norman’s kind of reminds me of going grocery shopping with my mom as a kid.  Every once in a while she would let me snack on something while I was riding in the shopping cart.  At the farmer’s market they always have fruit and things sitting out for you to sample while you shop (I know, I’m greedy) .  Not only are the snacks great, but the staff at Norman’s is always so friendly.  People just seem a little more happy at the farmer’s market, and that’s something I can definitely appreciate.  During this trip I met Ann Nicholson and Chris Hale, and they were both SO nice and fun and were right there to answer any questions that I had about the food.  I also have to give them props because they were out there all day and it was HOT outside.  I also really like the fact that when I shop at my farmer’s market I know that the food has come from local farms and are free of harmful ingredients.  Probably the only problem I have when I go to the farmer’s market is making sure I don’t buy too much!  I usually pick up only what I can eat during the week so that it’s fresh.  Some things, like berries, I actually buy a lot of and then freeze some of them because I like to have berries with my breakfast everyday.

Shout out to Chris workin’ hard

Since I was all excited about my fresh fruit, I decided to try out one of the recommended quick and easy grilled peach with blueberries, brown sugar and lemon recipes and it was delicious! 

The next time I make it I may add to add a little ice cream on the side and maybe some granola

I have a serious sweet tooth and finding desserts that aren’t too high in sugar and that are dairy-free can be challenging.  It can also be a challenge to find tasty drinks that aren’t loaded with sugar.  I know that we’re supposed to drink a lot of water throughout the day, but let’s be honest we all need a little variety, right?!  After getting sick (which I wrote about here, here & here) and having a restricted diet it has been that much more important for me to find delicious desserts to satisfy my cravings and tasty nourishing drinks.  I have also found that more and more people are on missions similar to mine, which makes finding “diet-friendly” foods that much more rewarding.  I really love being able to share what I’ve found and help others too!

My favorite new must have dessert is Purely Decadents Mocha Almond Fudge Ice Cream made with coconut milk.  You don’t miss the milk at all.  It is delicious!  I can’t even tell you how many different types of dairy free ice cream I have tried and disliked because it didn’t have that rich ice cream flavor.  So, finding this one really got me excited lol

I stumbled upon O.N.E when I was being nosey in the grocery store lol.  I had just finished buying my groceries when I spotted a bottle of O.N.E in the basket of the woman behind me.  She explained all the health benefits to me as well as how delicious it tasted.  So, I left my groceries (we have a very friendly little neighborhood store   ) and went to the back of the store and picked up one.  Now I’m hooked.  They come in flavors such as passion fruit, guava, mango, and pineapple.  They are full of electrolytes, potassium, and have no added sugar.

The last time that we saw Jessica’s Virginia Garden was back in may, when it was full of cute little seedlings, but nothing edible just yet.  Well take a look at it now!  It is well on it’s way to full slow food goodness.

There’s nothing better than fresh, locally grown food, and how much more satisfying it is when you’ve grown the food yourself.  I don’t know about you guys, but all the unhealthy things done to our food these days just doesn’t work for me and has made me really conscious of what I’m putting into my body.  Shout out to all the local farmers, organic food chefs, and foodies out there lol

What about you guys…anyone have a blossoming garden or fun food (or farmers market) story to share?  There are some really great fruits and veggies in season right now  :)

Tonight I’m making dinner for the fam  There’s nothing I like better on a hot and humid day, like today, than a light refreshing meal.  I love a big salad and seafood in the summer, so tonight we’re having a Mediterranean Style Chopped Salad and Lemon Salmon mmm mmm

Mediterranean Style Chopped Salad

Lemon Salmon

The Lemon Salmon is a very simple recipe that I make all the time because it is so fast and easy and very healthy. The Chopped Salad is actually a recipe that I found on the Examiner.

Have a great weekend!!!

Mediterranean Style Chopped Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Salad

• 4-5 leaves of romaine lettuce, chiffonade (roll the leaves up like a cigar and slice thinly
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 English cucumber, diced (you can use a regular cucumber, but just peel it first)
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
• Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered (add as many as you please)
• Feta cheese, crumbled (I used motzerella instead)
• Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped slightly
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped fine
• added 2/3 pint of mushrooms because we love mushrooms

Lemon Vinaigrette

• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions:

1. Toss together the salad ingredients. Set aside.
2. Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the lemons, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil (depends on how tangy you want it). Whisk thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Serve immediately.

NOTE: If you are taking this salad to a picnic, just be sure not to dress it with the vinaigrette until you are ready to serve it. To help keep salad mix crisp in the refrigerator, place a paper towel on top. The paper towel helps absorb any moisture that might get on the lettuce leaves.

Lemon Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb piece of fresh salmon
• One lemon, sliced and then cut into halves
• 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt, Fresh Ground Pepper, Garlic Powder
• Lemon and Pepper Seafood Seasoning (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Wash the salmon and place it in a shallow, oven safe dish.
3. Brush the Olive Oil onto the Salmon. lemons, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive Season the salmon to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder. oil (depends on how tangy you want it). 
4. Cover the salmon with the lemon slices and place the salmon with the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until it is cooked well enough for your taste 

Enjoy!!!

When we think of someone having a stroke, a child is the furthest thing from our minds.  Pediatric strokes affect every 1 in 2300 to 4000 infants and children, however doctors know very little about what causes them.  Check out my sister and nephew on CBS news Atlanta, helping to bring awareness to this issue.  To help support this cause for these brave little ones, please go here.  Thanks !!!!