Japanese Falafel #FFFMysteryBox

You ever wondered what you would make if you were on chopped? Well we played a game of chopped and this was born. Japanese Falafel, all the things you love about falafel but with all Japanese flavors!

You ever watch that show Chopped on Food Network?? We we decided to do the same thing as a group of food bloggers. The premise is you get three ingredients (that could be completely unrelated) and you need to use them all in a dish. So we changed it a little bit. The three ingredients needs to be non perishable, since we needed to mail them.

Check out the bottom of this post for more FFF Mystery Box Recipes!

I was super thrilled to play along... Then I got my box! 

The Notorious BLT- Guest Post by Nomageddon!

Sup Y’all?!  So it’s Matthew Cetta from Nomageddon.com guest posting for Sophia.  I volunteered to take over while she brings you a new and improved NY Foodgasm.

Now doing a post for Sophia requires getting in to her head a bit.  Sophia is an in your face person with over the top posts.  They usually involve beer and are pretty damn funny.  So my challenge was to create something funny and over the top so here it is:

[PLAY the video to get in the mood]

That’s right.  The Motherfucking Notorious BLT

What makes the BLT so notorious?  I’mma lay it out for you, yo. 

Easy Veggie Skillet Lasagna

You love lasagna, but you lack the time it take to make it. No problem, this lasagna comes together in minutes only messing up one skillet! Even better it's loaded with vegetables!

Lasagna, how I love these, but how I hate to build one! Yeah I am lazy sometimes and I have a FT job, so you think I will be making lasagna very often? Bitch please...

Yeah I am a realist when it comes to food and preperation.

So I have seen lots of these skillet lasagnas. But they like cut up the lasagna noodles and it all gets mixes together and it looks like a mess. So I set out to make my own that actually resembles lasagna but in a skillet.

I LOADED this up with veggies so you don't have to feel quite as guilty for ingesting so much cheese. Onions, Peppers, mushrooms and zucchini!

I kinda upped the cheese factor too with just a baby bit of burrata- the QUEEN of all fresh mozzarella! It makes my heart sing with joy and I kinda hum a happy song when I bite into a piece.

If you are not familiar, it's basically a little fresh mozzarella purse filled with cream and more fresh mozzarella scraps. It sounds weird, but it's amazeballs. I assure you!

This is EASY and sooo damn delish I know you will do yourself a happy little cheese dance!

Easy Skillet Veggie Lasagna

by Sophia @ NY Foodgasm

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Keywords: entree healthy vegetarian Italian

Ingredients (6 servings)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 6 no bake lasagna noodles
• 1 jar tomato sauce (I used Trader Joe's 3-cheese)
• 8 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 oz. burrata

Instructions

1- preheat oven to 350º

2- In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.

3- Add the slices of zucchini and cook on both sides, about 2 mins a side.

4- Remove cooked zucchini slices, add in the rest of the veggies and cook until onions are slightly browned.

5- Remove vegetables and turn off heat.

6- Place down 3 no bake lasagna noodles, add sauce and vegetables.

7- Lay down the sliced zucchini and 3 more lasagna noodles and more sauce.

8- Add the cheese to the top ricotta, mozzarella and burrata.

9- Bake for 15 mins and then 5 minutes at 415º

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Roasted Vegetable Polenta Lasagna

A creative vegetarian twist on lasagna with freshly roasted eggplant and a simple homemade marinara.

If you follow me on Facebook you will know I asked what you guys wanted for a recipe this week and this dish won! Roasted Vegetable Polenta Lasagna, yeah it is as awesome as it sounds. You got your basic food groups: grains, veggies and cheeeeeeese! What would lasagna be without cheese? Why can't I quit you cheese?

THIS is why I run! Cheese and beer!

Stout Marinated Steak with Russian Imperial Kick Ass Sauce

Steak just got kicked up 10 notches when it got stout marinated and slathered in this sweet and spicy Russian imperial kick ass sauce!

This week I am excited to team up with my friend Melissa, AKA Melba from Drunk & Unemployed (DnU). She’s a local beer and spirits blogger and I like to cook with said beer and spirits so it was written in the stars or rather, in this case, it was fermenting in the brite tanks. There are only a handful of chicks on the island that write about beer. She is ridiculously knowledgeable about beer and never gives herself enough credit for it. She has taught me a whole lot, has embraced me as part of the community and has always supported me. For this I am so appreciative and give her all my support right back. So please stop by her blog, say hey and read about some beer and spirits!

Indian Spiced Kabobs

In the mood for Indian? These wonderfully spiced yogurt marinated kabobs are not only easy to prepare, but incredibly healthy and low in fat!

You may not know this, but I also LOVE Indian food. I used to eat Italian like alllll the time, 'til I met my husband and I really got adventurous with ethnic foods. He was unafraid, even since an infant of trying new things. Me- funny enough-- I was a pizza, pasta and hamburger girl. Yes I have changed quite A LOT over the years!

I discovered Indian and especially Chicken Tikka Masala- OMG- YUMMMM! Well if you do not know of the tikka I will explain- it's chicken marinated in a yogurt marinate and cooked and simmered into a sauce made with beautiful spices such as garam masala, heavy cream and tomato paste. It is heaven or hell depending how you look at it.

Heaven in your mouth, hell on the hips...

Gyro Sliders with Creamy Dill Yogurt Sauce

Gyro meets slider in this epic yet small bite. No lamb needed, just regular beef spiced to perfection to match that gyro flavor, topped with a tangy dill yogurt sauce!

This may be my BEST creation yet! I have made them 3 times now, that is how much I LOVE them! I am pretty sure I have told you I don't make something more than once unless I REALLY love it- even my own recipes. I am like that way with beer too! (That is how I have amassed an impressive 315 beers on untapped)

It all started one night... I was talking to my husband over dinner about what kind of restaurant I would open (if I ever did) and I decided it would be American pub food with a twist. So in discussing what kind of burgers I would create for the menu I decided there should be a Greek burger- it would be like a gyro. It would taste like a gyro in burger form with some sort of yogurt sauce... so the words were spoken and so this was born!

I researched common spices in a gyro and developed this fantastic spice blend. Just the right amount of spiciness with 1 tbsp of cayenne for that kick to your taste buds. Then with the smoked paprika give it a little smokiness and also give the delicious dribbling fat juices an orange hue. The drippings are also delicious when the slider's bottom bun picks up some of the luscious fat juices- even the bun become a joy to eat!

Moroccan Chicken Gyros

This Spicy Moroccan twist on the classic gyro will ignite your taste buds and make the summer taste that much better!

I am constantly inspired by the amount of creativity and talent of my food blogging peers out there. One of my faves has to be Half Baked Harvest. Besides her ridiculously amazing photos, there is this off the wall creativity in her flavor combos as well as amazing execution and knowledge of so many different techniques! She also happens to be like REALLY young, like 20! What?! I know sooo crazy!

Well when I saw this recipe for Spring Veggie + Lemon Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Minted Goat Cheese Yogurt I swooned!! I mean imagine all those Moroccan spices cooled down with a minted goat cheese yogurt. It was as amazing as I imagined, like soooo soooo freaking good I needed to share it with all of you!! The marinade for this makes chicken MAGIC!

One Pot Wonder: Drunken Pasta with Baby Spinach, Dried Cranberries & Goat Cheese

This is a one pot recipe that is quick, easy and will make you look like a 5 star chef!

Reading other food blogs is a constant source of inspiration. I get to see trends, what people are loving and as I see these trends I immediately get a spark of what I can do with it. Reading Joanne Eats Well with Others, I saw a one pot pasta recipe and thought, wow- this actually works?! I had an immediate flash of inspiration when I saw it- I remembered something else I had heard of and wanted to try- drunken pasta! Pasta cooked in red wine, lending color and flavor to the pasta- how could this be bad?

Chicken Beeriyaki with Asian Slaw #beermonth

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Kirin. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All ideas presented are my own.

Here is the first group celebration of #beermonth my friends! My blogger pals have all joined together to bring you their take on beer recipes. I am super excited to introduce you all to Lauren of Hall Nesting, Heather from girlichef and Jessica from Jessiker Bakes! I love all these ladies and I want you to show them love to by checking out there blogs (I love them all and read them all every week!) and by checking out their recipes at the bottom of this post!  

This is my very first sponsored post, I often shy away from these things unless I genuinely think you guys wanna read about it. With this one, I knew I should be involved with this one. It is #beermonth after all! So when the opportunity arose for me to sample and cook with Kiran Ichiban, I was totally on board.

If you haven't heard of Kiran Ichiban it is THE Sushi Restaurant go to beer to represent Japan. To learn more about the beer, visit their website! I hadn't tried it before, so my expectations were low. But it was pretty decent, crisp and clean. Absolutely perfect to accompany any Asian dish. I think it represents Japanese cuisine pretty well; it is a simple yet elegant beer and very balanced. Not overly malty or hoppy you can pair this with most anything. But you know I don't just pair beer with food, I make food with beer!

Asian beer, Asian inspired dish! All you foodies- don't hate on me, I have a confession. I don't like sushi- nope- I tried it all and it ain't my thing. So that was out and I was glad, it's a whole lotta work. So I made something completely different with my beer. Chicken Beeriaki, it's like chicken teriaki, but like WAY better.

Everything is better with beer, but I also made this super easy too! All you have to do is brown some chicken and prepare the sauce in the food processor, then added the fresh Asian veggies. No cooking of veggies required, so it kinda makes an Asian slaw. I paired it with some sushi rice for that authentic feel. So I got what I like about sushi- protein, the sauce and that awesome sticky rice without the seaweed taste. I made a roll out of the ingredients, but I tasted it and I don't care for the seaweed AT ALL! If you do like sushi and seaweed wrappers this can easily be made into a roll. You can see I included a piece of the roll on the pictures so you could see it.

 Why is this a Foodgasm?

Chicken teriyaki is a staple- but kicked up with beer?! Even better. I find the beer flavor intensified and enhanced this and accompanied it even more than I imagined! This sauce is one of my new favorite things and I think it will be yours too! Even for the skeptical- try it! It will surprise you! Plus it is easy to make and low in fat and calories!

What you need

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
Olive Oil as needed for browning

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon pickled ginger
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup Kiran Ichiban beer

2 cups chopped Asian salad (the kind you buy in a bag)

 

How to make it

1- Dredge chicken in mixture of flour, salt and pepper.
2- Brown chicken on both sides in a skillet on medium heat.
3- In a food processor, combine: 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon pickled ginger, 1/2 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/2 cup Kiran Ichiban beer.
4- Mix together the Asian chopped salad with some of the sauce.
5- Serve atop Sushi rice.

Nutritional Information

Each serving includes chicken sauce and vegetables. Additional calories for white rice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Beermonth recipes

 

Bangers and Mash- Featuring Long Ireland Celtic Ale

So this past weekend I was Jamming out to a Celtic Rock Concert- the first official party of St. Patty's Day. I am not Irish in any way, but I love beer. (You guys know this, I know). Anyways the name of the band was Bangers and Mash and the featured Beers were from Long Ireland Brewing Company. That concert basically designed mu St. Partrick's Day post for all of you!

The band was awesome (I love me some Celtic rock) and so was the beer. I've had Long Ireland's Breakfast Stout before but they make a great Celtic ale and that trumps the stout for me. I LOVE it. Nothing fancy, just a great Irish Red Ale, but done really well. Way better than Killian's Irish Red. So I researched some classic Bangers and Mash Recipe and I think this is a great twist on it.

Super easy and super delicious. I threw in plenty of onions so you could justify it by saying you had one serving of vegetables.  After the onions caramelized I threw in some Celtic Ale and that is when the magic happens. Add just a little vinegar and let it reduce and you got yourself a kick-ass St. Patty's Day meal. Bonus points for pairing it with a pint of Long Ireland Celtic Ale!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and add some great sausages atop that with a beer and onion gravy- well you just hit the jackpot at the end of the rainbow. I reduced the fat in the mashed potatoes with a little light butter and some nonfat Greek yogurt and lowfat milk. You will not be able to tell the difference. Remember reduced fat is always better than fat free. As for the bangers, I can't help you there, not making my own sausage. But I used Trader Joe's Bangers you should be able to find them in store right now! So this is not the lowest of fat dinners, so eat with caution and try and control yourself even though this is seriously delicious! 

Who wouldn't wanna be Irish for this dish?! Erin go Foodgasm!

Spinach and Feta Strata

I cannot get enough of the spinach and feta combo. I made Spinach and Feta Orzo, I made a Spinach and Feta Salad and now I got for you a Spinach and feta Strata. It is part quiche, part potato and part fritata. In fact, I had a really had time naming this, LOL. But a food bloggers friend of mine came up with something sorta like this and called it a strata, so thanks Joanne from Joanne Eats Well with Others. You saved me on this one!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Spinach and Feta, it is magical and delicious and totally Greek. I like to give a nod to my hetitage when I can and they knew what they were doing with this flavor combo. Salty, creamy and you got a little bitter from the spinach, it just works. Then of course I add in some caramelized onions, garlic and you got yourself a full blown Greek-gasm. I love that this has a layer of potatoes too. It's a great filling meal, especially nice with a side salad for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner.

Eggplant Parmesan "Meat"balls

So my gratuitous v-day post was last week, but I made this recipe around the same time and all I could say is "Damn these are good" every single time I ate one. I never posted my recipe for veggie infused meatballs, but this is a staple to me. The perfect transformation of a food I love so very much to something soooo much healthier. The secret is that I add lots of hidden veggies to my meatballs. Seriously, no one will know since they a chopped up in the food processor. So I though why the hell not add the meat at all.... and use eggplant!! Since you are going to cover it in marinara anyways later on, why not add a little fresh mozzarella cheese over top. So this magical concoction was born!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This has EVERYTHING you love about Eggplant Parmesan, even the breading, in a crispy little ball dripping in marinara and melted mozzarella cheese. They are NOT fried, they're baked! So you are losing LOTS of calories and fat and keeping ALL the flavor. These are sooooo good, I am making them twice and I almost NEVER make the same thing twice! Even better: they are not nearly as time consuming as Eggplant Parmesan.

So I don't have kids yet. But you know, I think that kids would eat these guys up! If you have vegetarian friends coming over- you can make this and both eat meatless, healthier and be completely satisfied. Actually this is one dish that makes me think, maybe I can be vegetarian someday. It is that good. Another great thing is you can make this as an appetizer or serve these over pasta as an entree.

#HolidayDetox Part Three: Dinners that satisfy

Part 3 of the #HolidayDetox series explores dinner

Dinner has got to be my favorite meal of all! When I was on WW, I saved liked half my daily point for dinner. I like a big satisfying meal. One that will satisfy my belly, my heart and my cravings. Dinner for me is a comfort and many times is my time for comfort food. But I gotta find a way to trim the calories of these meals that are usually loaded with fat. If dinner is your jam too you are gonna want to read this!

Not only do I have 1 dinner recipe on this post, well I have 2 awesomely easy kick-ass dinners that you can make in your crock pot! SCORE! Sooooo easy! And of course my girl Jennifer from Peanut Butter and Peppers is back with her killer dinner recipes! Check them out after my recipes.

Aside from just the food, here at tips to make your dinner more enjoyable and will also help you eat less! It took me a looooong time to learn this on my own during my weight loss journey, but I have shared them all with you and I assure you if you try some of these tips you will not only enjoy your meal more, but actually eat less.

Chicken pot pie stew with gnocchi

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Ultimate comfort right here. Chicken pot pie! I have kept all that you live about pot pie and made it lowfat and easy! So usually chicken pot pie is literally a pie with a crust. I simplified this a bit, while there is so crust, to satisfy that carb craving I added gnocchi, they act like a dumpling in the stew but they're even better. This pot pie has a great creamy texture and it is full of veggies and chicken and a trio of wonderful herbs. Thyme, Rosemary and Sage come together to beautifully season  this and give it that classic French touch. I would say this will keep you fuller longer than a small piece of chicken pot pie.

What you need

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 32 oz. box of fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon Sage
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 small sweet potatoes, cubed
8 celery stalks, sliced
2 cups baby carrots, sliced
1 large onion, diced
1.4 oz. Chicken Breast, cubed
13 oz. Frozen Gnocchi

How to make it

1- In a large frying pan add 3 tablespoons butter let it melt on medium heat.
2- Add 1/4 cup flour and combine with melted butter.
3- Gradually stir in the 32 oz. box of fat free low sodium chicken broth.
4- Keep stirring on medium heat until it thickens.
5- Add in 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon Sage, 1/2 teaspoon Thyme, Salt and Pepper to taste.
6- Put 2 small sweet potatoes, cubed; 8 celery stalks, sliced; 2 cups baby carrots, sliced; 1 large onion, diced; 1.4 oz. Chicken Breast, cubed; 13 oz. Frozen Gnocchi in the crockpot and add sauce to it and mix together.
7- Cook on low for 5 hours.

Nutritional Information 

 

 

 

Chicken Cacciatore

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Does anyone do comfort food quite like the Italians? I recently ordered Chicken Cacciatore from a take out place near my in-laws house for dinner. On paper it sounded simple enough, chicken slow simmered in a white wine and marinara sauce. I want expecting much, but I wanted a lighter option compared to the cheesy, fatty, carb heavy meals usually availible on Italian take out menus. To my surprise it was soooo delicious! I did not at all feel like I missed out by ordering this lighter dish. Sooo I needed I make my own version and make it even healthier and also make it easy to prepare! So crock pot meet cacciatore, your new best friend!

What you need

1.5 pounds chicken breast, filleted 

1 yellow pepper, cut into strips 

1 red pepper, cut into strips 

1 orange pepper, cut into strips

1 red onion, sliced thin

5 baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

1 jar marinara if your choice 

1/2 cup white wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

How to make it

1- Put a base of veggies down place chicken over the top, rest of the veggies, then top with the sauce, white wine and olive oil

2- Cook on high for 4 hours

3- Serve over pasta

Nutritional Information

 

Jennifer's Gorgeous Dinner Recipes

Lemon Infused Shrimp Scampi

 

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

 

Totally Roasted Eggplant Rollatini

Why is this a Foodgasm?

You may remember, not too long ago, that I made Totally Roasted Eggplant Parmesan. Well I had one more large eggplant from the garden, a straggler. So what do you think I did? I took this classic to the very next level by roasting the eggplant and making Eggplant Rollatini! That would mean that I roasted some gorgeous eggplant spooned in a cheesy magical mixture rolled it up and covered them is some lovely roasted tomatoes.

This is a beautiful and rustic looking Italian dish. It looks more rustic and beautiful than the fried version. So you not only get a prettier plate, but you are saying bye-bye to all the calories and fat involved in frying!

Win-win guys- total win win. That is what I am all about!

Sausage Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Parmesan

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Don't look at me like that... I know what you are thinking. I WILL NOT eat spaghetti squash, I want real pasta. I was you. No I really was. Like ewww that ain't spaghetti get it outta my face. Well you don't know unless you try... so I did. And it is an amazing pasta substitute, great flavor, not the exact texture, but it goes well with just about anything that regular pasta does. So come on, get adventurous! Trust me, I will not steer your tastebuds wrong, I just won't. Plus there is lots of vitamins and fiber. This is a win-win!

So I decided to make my spaghetti squash Italian stuffed with some pork, some of my killer totally roasted marinara and top it with some Parmesan and fresh mozzarella. The kicker is you can eat a giant bowl of this decadent comforting Italian treat for a very little calories. No guilt topped with sauce and cheese! YES!

I also have some tips on how to prepare your spaghetti squash without fear of stabbing yourself with the knife- so read on!

12 weeks of winter squash

This post is part of my participation of #12wkswintersquash, with some other VERY talented bloggers and I am HONORED to be a part of this! Thanks to Heather of Girl Chef and Joanne from Joanne Eats Well with Others for including me! Please see links of their recipes below.