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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Playing With Your Food

Anyone else plan their meals for the next day as they fall asleep in bed? I know I do. I definitely live to eat. I confess, I'm a food junkie. It's just so delicious and kind of essential to survive. So it's a win-win situation.

Most days I can't cook with a recipe. I collect recipes all the time, but barely ever use them. It frustrates me to be boxed in with specific ingredients. I guess I have a little rebel inside of me. I'm always changing ingredients, even when I bake (it can get sketchy). My favorite thing is to look in my fridge and make the strangest combinations. It's so fun to experiment and you'll never be bored!

Cooking for a single person (and on a budget) can be tricky, but I've started to adapt to buying a few ingredients and then mixing and matching like crazy. Creativity is key. I thought I'd share a couple combinations. I had roasted peppers, goat cheese, tomatoes, and onions that were begging to be used.

My first combination featured quinoa, one of my favorite grains since I've been eating (mostly) gluten-free. Buy it at Trader Joe's and you won't be disappointed. It's like rice, but with a lovely, unique texture. To the quinoa I added the roasted pepper, goat cheese, onions, and a fried egg on top. I browned the onions with basil and oregano, which added great flavor (and a wonderful aroma to our apt). Yum. Quinoa is perfect to throw all your odds and ends into and come out with something wonderfully edible.




Second combination was lunch today. I made a salad of sorts with lettuce, lentils, tomatoes, roasted peppers, and goat cheese. I thought it was delicious as is, but for a stronger flavor add a bit of yellow curry or soyaki sauce. Mmmm. I love how colorful it looks on the plate!




Next up is playing with my beloved sweet potatoes! I'm already excited to eat tomorrow!

2 comments:

  1. Taylor, this is definitely the artist in you coming out! I am so impressed with the multitude of your skills and abilities...I think you would be great starting your own company offering everything from eclectic fashion to home designing to gourmet culinary lessons! Am I prejudiced because I am your Mom? I don't think so!

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  2. My dearest Taylor: I most certainly agree with you that a baked sweet potato or yam is delicious and incredibly satisfying. I eat them often although I do not recall getting excited knowing that they are in the oven. But when I put my fork into the savory, soft, sweet interior, I must admit my salivary glands spring into action! Love your blog site.

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