Genre | vmac+cheese

Recipe: Simple bean salad

Posted on January 9, 2012 by vmacandcheese

This year, as part of a plan to save more money, I’m pushing myself to bring lunch to work at least 4 days per week. For me, it saves a TON of cash (I work in an area where eating lunch out will cost you anywhere from $10-$20 per day, unfortunately), but the other benefit is that there’s a huge opportunity to eat healthfully more often too.

The only difficulty is coming up with dishes that can last a few days, because the reality is, I can’t cook every night and guarantee leftovers for myself. It can also be tough because dishes that hold especially well — namely, pastas and casseroles — tend to be refined carb heavy, which is something I’m trying to get away from. Soups are great, but I can only deal with so many weeks of soup before I’m ready for something else.

This week, I decided to make a simple bean salad, dressed with lemon and olive oil, which will hold at least until Wednesday. My plan is to bring a side serving of it each day, and then have it accompany a small sandwich or whatever leftovers I end up scrounging together from the previous night’s dinner (this would be great with some roasted chicken, or even atop a green salad). It’s colorful, flavorful, and filled with items that I specifically selected so that they wouldn’t be mushy by day 2 (I’m looking at you, cucumber).

You could easily take this idea and substitute whatever beans and herbs you have on hand. And if you’re eating it straight away, feel free to add in items like cucumber, tomato, even a little bit of feta cheese.

Get the (very easy!) recipe, after the jump. (more…)

Filed under: Feel Good Food, Food, Recipes, Salads | 20 Comments »

Little Luxuries

Posted on December 8, 2011 by vmacandcheese

I’m a girl who, when I can swing it, has no qualms about indulging in little luxuries for herself. A good facial, a heavenly massage — these things are all so worth the expense, in my opinion.

For the last few years, I’ve had massages from a fantastic woman here in SF named Nell Waters, who runs a practice named Whole Body Tonic. It’s located in the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood, and shares a space with an acupuncture practice, called Acupuncture Kitchen. So when Nell emailed me to let me know that the two practices had opened up a pop-up shop selling bath salts, soaps, various linens, and a homemade hot cocoa mix that was out of this world, I popped down to learn more.

The pop-up shop consists of a reclaimed antique cupboard filled with lots of fun goodies to peruse while you wait for your massage or acupuncture. Adorable. If you’re in SF, I highly recommend you check out Whole Body Tonic or Acupuncture Kitchen. While I haven’t experimented with acupuncture (have any of you? What was it like??), Nell gives the best massages in the city, I’m sure of it. She was kind enough to contact Apotherie Chocolates, the inventor of the famed hot cocoa recipe, so I could share it with all of you. How delicious does this sound?

{Image Credits: Note to Self; Parsec Traveller Flickr; Pinterest}

Filed under: Food, Indulgences, Recipes, SF/Bay Area | 14 Comments »

Recipe: Bucatini with meatballs and homemade tomato sauce

Posted on November 15, 2011 by vmacandcheese

A couple weeks ago, Lara from Simply Irresistible posted two pasta recipes that looked SO good. Well, I mean, all of her recipes look really good, but I must’ve been craving pasta, because the minute I saw these, I wanted to make them right then and there. Which is weird, because at home, Joe and I typically stay away from pasta, mostly for dietary reasons. But the weather has been cooler, and the thought of a big, warm bowl of noodles just sounded really delicious!

Two Saturdays ago, we spent the day out and about, running errands and buying a coat for Joe, and it was drizzling all day. Inspired by Lara, I suggested pasta for dinner to make up for the miserable weather. I was blown away when Joe said, “Spaghetti and meatballs?” Done and done. And to make things extra special, I told him I’d even make the sauce from scratch.

This dish turned out really well! If you’re following exactly what I did, I’d recommend you save this one for a weekend, when you have a bit more time. However, you could easily make it a weeknight meal by using your favorite jarred marinara sauce.

Get the recipe after the jump! (more…)

Filed under: Food, Indulgences, Italian, Pasta/Grains, Recipes | Tagged: Food, Italian food, pasta, Recipes, spaghetti | 14 Comments »

Carnitas Tacos with Escabeche

Posted on October 4, 2011 by vmacandcheese

If you’ve met Joe and I, it’s no huge secret that Mexican is pretty much our favorite genre of food. It was omnipresent for me growing up in Texas, and since Joe grew up in the Midwest… well, let’s just say that once he discovered good Mexican food in California, he’s never been able to get enough of it.

When eating at home, we’ll usually stick to simple things like tacos and basic enchiladas, so last week when I saw Sara share a recipe for carnitas, I thought it might be the perfect thing to try on a lazy Saturday. Since we were staying home and doing absolutely nothing, there’d be no problem in letting the meat cook away in the oven for hours.

This would be a GREAT recipe for entertaining — the meat can be braising while you hang out with your guests or do other things around the house. I topped our tacos with peppers and veggies pickled in escabeche, a must for a rich, fatty taco filling like carnitas. Ever been to a taco truck? Escabeche is that delicious, spicy, vinegary concoction of jalapenos, peppers, carrots, onions and sometimes cauliflower. So good. A little avocado and a few sprigs of cilantro, and we were ready to go.

Well, once the margaritas got made.

Recipe notes

For the carnitas, I basically followed Sara’s recipe with a few changes. I used 1.5 beers (specifically, Victoria lagers leftover from our party) instead of one. I did not drain off the fat before putting everything in the oven, instead, choosing to let the meat cook in it and then draining it off at the end. Carnitas, after all, is basically pork confit. I also quadrupled the garlic and used Mexican oregano instead of regular. When the meat was done (I let it go for about 3 hours), I shredded it with two forks, and after draining the fat off of the cooking liquid, had so little left that I put all the meat back in and mixed it up with the softened garlic and juices. Do I really need to say more? It was ridiculously good.

For the escabeche, I followed this basic recipe, but of course had to make a few changes to that too. I used the same amount of apple cider vinegar recommended, and sauteed the veggies as instructed. However, since I was using a large aluminum pan (which can be reactive with that much acid), I made the sure the veggies were good and soft before adding the vinegar. I then quickly warmed the mixture up (but did not simmer it) before transferring to a glass bowl and allowing to sit for several hours. Also, I quartered the jalapenos instead of leaving them whole. And I did NOT attempt to can anything.

Really, this was so good and something I’d make again and again. Tons of leftovers too. Give it a try!

[PS — Don’t forget to enter the I Am print giveaway! There’s also lots of other places you can go to try your luck and win. Go here to see where!}

Filed under: Food, Meat, Mexican, Recipes, The pig | Tagged: carnitas, Food, Recipes, tacos | 18 Comments »

‘Green’ Chicken with Summer Corn Salad

Posted on August 23, 2011 by vmacandcheese

I don’t know what it is, but so far this summer, I really feel like I have not been taking advantage of the amazing produce available this time of year. Seriously, that baked ratatouille I made recently has kind of been the highlight. I’m lucky enough to work somewhere that has a farmers market right outside my office door each week, so I really, REALLY have no excuse not to be enjoying as many fruits and veggies as possible!

Last Friday night, Joe and I decided to stay in and make something summery at home to remedy the situation. I opted to roast some bone-in chicken breasts, smothered in garlic, lemon zest and LOTS of basil. While they were in the oven, I tossed together a simple salad of fresh corn, tomatoes, chopped kale, avocado and even more basil, dressed with a zippy lemon and dijon vinaigrette. Despite the fact that it was 55 and misting outside, it was totally summer on a plate.

Green Chicken (aka Roasted Chicken with Lemon, Basil and Garlic)

Serves 2, easily

This chicken is so named because before you stick it in the oven, the herbs should cover it so fully that it looks, well, green. Once this starts cooking, your kitchen will smell amazing. Fair warning.

2 cups loosely packed basil (about two loose handfuls), cleaned and finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
2 bone-in split chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels.

Preheat your oven to 425°.

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the meat and stir to combine. The mixture should be pretty thick with herbs. If it’s not, chop some more basil and throw it in.

In a baking dish, place the chicken skin side up. Gently loosen the chicken skin from the breast, then using a small spoon, stuff/spread some of the herb mixture underneath the skin. Using your fingers, move the herbs around under the skin until it’s coating most of the meat. Repeat with the other chicken breast, then pour and spread the rest of the herb mixture all over the top of the chicken. Go wash your hands. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes (this could take a bit longer if the chicken breasts are large). Half way through the cooking process, use a large spoon to baste the chicken with some of the juices accumulating in the pan. Roast the meat until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast reads 160°. Remove from the oven, baste with the juices again, and let rest for five to ten minutes. Serve.

Summer Corn Salad

Serves 2-3 easily (probably more if you’re doing a light serving of this salad!)

For the dressing:

1 small shallot, skin removed and minced
Juice of 2 small lemons
1 tbsp dijon
1/2 cup olive oil
– kosher salt and freshly pepper to season

For the vegetables:

2 cobs of corn, husked, de-silked and kernels cut from the cob with a knife
1/2 pint sun gold (orange) cherry tomatoes, halved
2 small heirloom tomatoes, diced
small handful of kale, chopped (any variety of kale will work — lacinto or curly)
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
6-7 basil leaves (whatever’s left of the bunch), cut into a chiffonade or chopped

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and gently whisk together until emulsified. In a medium bowl, combine all the vegetables, then pour in as much of the dressing as you’d like. Toss everything together and allow to sit while the chicken finishes cooking. Serve together.