Easy Quinoa Spanakopita Roll Ups

Spanokopita aka Greek Spinach Pie is delicious, but can be quite labor intensive, so I made it easier and put an extra healthy spin on it by adding quinoa! This Mediterranean delight is light on calories and high in flavor!

I am half Greek guys, in case you didn't know. I throw a while lots Mediterranean mayhem and recipes your way. Ever heard of the Mediterranean diet? Well these people live healthy and eat healthy naturally. So I thought I would send some Greek action your way.  It's a good thing too because after the holidays- it's time for some holiday detox bitches... I know you been bad. I sure know I was. Yeah I was a bad bad girl! I must have gone through like 4 pounds of butter from all the baking over the holidays!

Easy Bacon and Caramelized Onion Puff Pastry Pizza #lazygirlnye

This is the easiest and most delicious appetizer you can make! All you need is a sheet of puff pastry, onions, olive oil and bacon. You may want to make two since everyone will want seconds (and maybe thirds)!

Being that Christmas (aka: the baking and cooking Olympic Winter Games) just passed, you may want a break from all labor intensive cooking and baking. Like really, the day after Christmas I was legit sore from cooking and baking for days. SORE from cooking!! Like this is now a thing...

The Lazy Girls Guide to New Years Entertaining: a round up of easy-ass appetizers!

Fancy, we ain't got time for that. We're working ladies so it's okay to be lazy when throwing together a party or cooking appetizers for new years eve. So I compiled a list of super easy appetizers for you to make right quick!

Okay guys it is the eve of New Years Eve. You got no ideas of what to make and minimal time to prep! Never fear Sophia is here! I have teamed up with a bunch of my food blogger friends to bring you this awesome list of delicious, quick and EASY appetizers!

I got your backs homies!

See the list below of over 15 different  quick and easy appetizers from from and my food blogger friends!

No Bake Skinny Pumpkin Cheesecake Shots

These pumpkin cheese cake shots are reduced fat, no bake and super easy to make! The small size makes this an indulgent yet sensible dessert!

Another pumpkin recipe ya'll (is it weird to say ya'll when I am from NY, LOL?)

A while back I saw these great no bake pumpkin cheesecake cups. Hello awesome fall dessert idea! So you just know I had to try something like them and do 'em my way.


So I cut the fat and the portion and made them as simple to make as possible. We all like a cute fancy looking dessert, but we don't gots the time... am I right?

A NY Foodgasm Quickie: Roasted Garlic Eggplant

Take regular roasted eggplant to the next level with the magic of garlic. This eggplant can stand alone as a side, main part of the dish or can be used on a panini.

So here is something you should know about me, I leap without looking most of the time. Like I would be making shit up as I went along in the kitchen, while that is sometimes fun I realize I really don't know enough about technique to be free-ballin' in the kitchen. So I used to just figure out temperatures on gut instinct. Well now-a-days people actually make my recipes so I have figured out to google proper technique.

When doing such research for roasting vegetables in the best way possible, I stumbled across a Mario Batali recipe for eggplant roasted with garlic. Of course I had a spark and NEEDED to try it STAT! Mario's recipe has a lot more oil, so I dialed it down a bit for you guys! I wanted all that magical garlic FLAVA without a bajillion grams of fat. At least in this case it is good fat from EVOO.

What you need

1 large eggplant, sliced vertically
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper

How to make it

1- Preheat oven to 450º
2- Mix together olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
3- Brush on both sides of eggplant.
4- Place on foil lined baking pan.
5- Roast for 10 minutes on each side.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Smoothie- 5 ingredients or less

This super easy to make smoothie has only 4 ingredients and is very low in fat, but has LOTS of flavor. It's the perfect start to a healthy day!

This week's tip was to start the day healthy and this is the perfect hassle free recipe for it! I made this soooooo super easy ANYONE can do it, even that person you know that can burn water somehow.
I have seen a lot of oatmeal smoothies lately and I thought it was such a fabulous idea! With lots of fiber and protein it is sure to stick to 'dem ribs! So I then it I figured why the hell not use a instant oatmeal packet that already has flavor and is sweetened. This smoothie goes down quick since its soooo delish, but you will feel full for a good while! It's also low fat!

The stats on this are QUITE impressive if I say so myself with only 5 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein!!!

So besides the foodgasm of it you have that whole healthy start to your day that is ridiculously easy!

Below you can see the mise en place (a fancy french word for every ingredient in it's place)

RECIPE: Dump all this in a blender and you are good to go, let it sit for a couple minutes for a thicker smoothie! EASY!

On a totally different note, I would like to pat myself on the back for a minute- I took all these photos in manual mode! Yes I know- my photos are pretty decent, but I always shoot in auto and I have plunged myself into the world of manual mode so I can really be legit when I call myself a food photographer!

I have fallen in love with it and I wanna have as much control as I can pre production. I am pretty psyched since post production was a breeze with these guys!

Nutritional Stats

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?

Honey Brown Beer Bread with Bacon, The Birth of a Brewery and More!

A #beermonth recipe, the birth of a brewery and exciting news of upcoming features on NY Foodgasm.

A Super (Quick, Easy, Delicious and Healthy) Breakfast

Why is this a Foodgasm? 

Who likes their oatmeal creamy?! Yeah I do and I know you got your hand raised too! Creamy usually means a shit ton of calories and fat, but you know that's now how I roll. This oatmeal creamy because of the magic of nonfat Greek yogurt. Yup- Greece has got you covered again! 

This is a SUPER easy breakfast that is PACKED with staying power. It will stick to yo little riblets and keep you satisfied for hours. Thank you protein! Thank you nonfat Greek Yogurt and for complete instant oatmeal with even more added protein! 

The addition of a small amount of dried cranberries and pistachios brings a variety of texture and some sweetness. Making this really seem like a treat rather than that regular drab breakfast. Plus it adds color, making it a feast for the eyes as well Regular oatmeal color by itself just aint appealing.

What you need

1 packet Trader Joe's Oatmeal Complete, made to package directions (you can use whatever brand you like, but Trader Joe's is the best I tried, not all microwave oatmeal is equal)
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons pistachios
2 tablespoons dried cranberries

How to make it

1- Make oatmeal to package directions with water, I use less, I like it thick.
2- After it's cooked stir in Greek yogurt and then cover in the pistachios and cranberries.

DONE! In less than 5! You can have a healthy breakfast in a short amount of time and no prep! Do it up!

Nutritional Info

Calories: 240 Total Fat: 4.9g  Carbs: 37g Protein: 13g Fiber: 5g

PS- I was in NOT asked by Trader Joe's to do this or compensated by them.  I just LOVE them soooo much! All their yogurt is hormone free for the same price as the leading brand. All their products have no preservatives and are high quality and extremely affordable!

Autumn Shepherds Pie

Why is this a Foodgasm?

One of the greatest parts of Autumn is all the awesomely comforting food. Shepherd's Pie is a comfort classic of meat and potatoes that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. However, the calories and fat packs on the sweater-weather pounds. Yeah, I don't like that part either, but that is why I am here to not only take this up a few notches with flavor, but also greatly reducing the fat! Is it magic? No it's a foodgasm!

So what did I do to achieve this? Let's take it layer by layer...
The meat layer- I took my trick from my magic portobello beef tacos and added lots of finely chopped mushrooms to the mix as well as some garlic, onion and bell pepper. To add bulk to our meat layer, lots of veggies for vitamins and fiber and for FLAVOR! I also used 93% lean ground beef, which can be rather dry, but with all the veggies it makes it much better!!
The potato layer- I used sweet potatoes since they have more nutritional value with lots of vitamins, **but this is the genius** I used some pumpkin puree mixed into it. Not only adding fiber and bulk but also giving it - FLAVOR. I also used light butter and reduced fat milk. You will not miss any of that fat, I assure you!
The cheesey crust- Reduced fat cheese is the answer, fat free is a no-go, not melty enough and lacks flavor!
 

Morning Wood: Cheesy Grits, Southern Comfort done Light and Right!

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Just look at that picture, every time I look at it I wanna eat more of this! Grits baby! Southern comfort food in the morning...sooo good well if I were a dude I may have to hide my crotchal region! I go to this great breakfast place by my house where I had this for the first time and I thought this is gotta be so easy to make and I can lighten this bad boy up so I can indulge with all the flavor and half the fat! So my friends, my fellow foodies- I did it for me and for YOU!

Pan Fried Polenta Cakes with Butternut Squash and Turnip Puree and Ricotta

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Well this was my first time with polenta, yes I was a polenta virgin, I will admit it. Why oh why did I not try you sooner polenta? You are so delicious and versatile! So for those of you that do not know what polenta is basically coarsely ground cornmeal. It is used in a lot of Italian cooking. I actually saved myself some time and bought a pre-cooked pack of polenta at Trader Joe's. Cheating? I like to think of it as a more efficient use of time. This meal here took like less than 20 minutes to put together. I work full time, as I am sure most of you do, so I like to maximize my time at home. Back to the polenta....this was AMAZING and EASY. This is crunchy, buttery, salty, savory and creamy all on one plate! I cannot even express to you the sexy taste of this- just image a thick buttery potato chip texture on the outside and a baked potato inside....yeah you entered a whole new world. That is pan-fried polenta BABY! Oh and there are health benefits, each serving has more than your daily recommended intake of Vitamin A!

Yields 5 servings

Grilled Thai Pineapple Pork with a Balsamic Glaze

Why is this a Foodgasm?  Ohhhh sooo many reasons.  First since this pork is marinated in fresh pineapple, Thai green curry paste and lime juice the flavors marry the meat.  It is sweet, a little spicy, savory and ohhhh so juicy!  Top it off with a Balsamic glaze and you got some over the top sweet, sour and spicy action making your taste buds dance like it's 1999.

This is a 3 point foodgasm! (Recipe yields 2 servings)

Balsamic Reduction....so much flavor, so little calories!

On the Agenda today, gotta make me a Balsamic Reduction.  Saw a great chef recipe online and I am psyched to have a go at it!  This is the recipe. I am thinking a nice balsamic reduction with pineapple preserves as a glaze over grilled chicken.  Post to follow!

Amazing Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Cake: Guilt-Free and Easy!

Why is this a foodgasm? So you think I'm crazy, I'm lying to you...but I'm not. This is the so simple, quick and guilt free, all while bringing your taste buds to sexy town- well you may wanna kiss me!

This is a 6 point foodgasm! (Recipe yields 12 servings)