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...

A Vegan Foodgasm: Double IPA Braised Bean and Salsa Verde Bowl

This is one badass vegan and gluten free recipe that is sure to satisfy even the most carnivorous of friends kicked up with some California craft beer action!

So proud, this is my very first attempt at a Vegan recipe and it is pretty badass at that! It also happens to be gluten free! Not just some normal meal with no animals harmed in any way... but it is filling and totally kick ass complete vegan meal busting at the seams from the flavor EXPLOSION! Did I also mention it is made with some BEER!

It is well known, there are two things I don't fuck around with, FOOD and BEER!

So yeah I went ALLLL the way over the top for this puppy! I have been talking to my friend The Beer Wench and she wanted to know if any good vegetarian recipes existed for beer, there is of course the obvious beer mac and cheese, maybe beer cheese soup. But I took this shit to a whole nother level and went straight to vegan.... did I mention I like a challenge?!

Citrus IPA Poundcake #beermonth

What is an IPA you may say? (That is what my mom said to me anyways) IPA stands for India Pale Ale. IPA's belong under the larger umbrella style of Pale Ales, meaning that they use pale colored malts. The IPA is known to be a hoppy beer so you really taste the hops more than the malt. Digging deeper than that, the type of hops you use can bring out certain characteristic flavors and aromas. Many hops can bring out citrusy flavors naturally, so that is where the idea for this recipe came in...

IPA's are a hot style right now, with Double IPA's (also known as an Imperial IPA) and Triple IPA's trending I thought I would need to experiment with this style. To bring out the citrusy notes in the IPA I have wanted to make this pound cake for a WHILE now, to experiment and make something memorable with it.

It's good to have friends that brew craft beer! My friend Matt from Outer Lands Brewing Company asked me to try their Good Mojo IPA. It was the day after a beer festival, I didn't wanna look at beer or even drink it, but I took a taste. It's nicely balanced, not bitter at all with great citrus notes. Exactly what I needed for this recipe! For a non IPA drinker or someone that does not like a bitter IPA this craft  is for YOU.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Torte and a Giveaway

This is my gratuitous Valentine's Day post. For so many years I loathed this holiday. It is the single gal's day to remember she is single. I remember in college all my friend and I didn't have a boyfriend, so we all banned together and had our own little party (under the bandstand of the college). That was one of my favorite Valentine's Days yet! So all you single ladies don't feel bad, feel empowered because V-Day is just silly even when you have a man or woman.

But still I felt compelled to make a cutesy little cake with strawberry hearts baked into it. I guess I have those two sides: the Martha Stewart and the chick that drinks craft beer and swears. Or as my husband said best: "You are like Martha Stewart, but you say fuck a lot." Yeah that sums me up. That is also why I need to start making videos for you guys! It would be loads of fun for you to meet me, like really get to know me.

But if you love or loathe this holiday- here is an incentive to at least like it. I made you a crazy delish chocolate covered strawberry torte literally with strawberry and chocolate in it and on it. But I have another surprise for you a GIVEAWAY! A really gorgeous handcrafted apron from Guate Love It.

Super Fudge-tastic Lowfat White Chocolate Candy Cane Brownies

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Fudge-iness - It's a real thing and it's all about the texture! That texture that says "Woah this is bad for me but I would die in hell for this!," yeah it's that serious. Then you take that amazing fudge-iness to a brownie and top it with white chocolate and candy cane pieces and you got a fantastic and gorgeous holiday treat that will WOW your friends! But it is also seriously easy to make AND lower in fat. Come on...does it REALLY get any better than that?!

How did I do it? Well I added pumpkin in place of eggs and MOST of the fat. I usually go full pumpkin and skip any fat. But I have learned a lesson kids- some fat is ALWAYS better than none at all. Like fat free cheese is nasty- low fat is good. (Did you ever see fat free ricotta? It's a gross gelatinous mass). Do the brownies taste like pumpkin? A little bit BUT overall the chocolate takes over your palette, especially with the addition of the white chocolate and peppermint.

So for your holiday parties try out this super easy, super impressive and lowfat treat. Everyone will be like "Where does she find the time?" "Wow you are so talented and shit...". Only you will know the secret and I won't tell!

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!

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!
 

Quick and Easy Creamy Chicken Marsala

Why is this a Foodgasm?

This meal is soooo simple I didn't even want to post it out of embarrassment!  I'm also not a big fan of using pre-made ingredients, BUT we are all busy people and sometimes we have to compromise from time to time, by not making everything completely from scratch. This dish is QUICK, EASY and LIGHT! Seriously, does it get any better?

My grandfather made the BEST chicken marsala when I was a kid. Seriously amazing!! BUT it took a while to make and it was not so healthy. Fried cutlets, smothered in a marsala wine sauce and covered in mozzarella and provolone cheese. Yup, serious foodgasm, but that bad boy was a one night stand. With this version this is the foodgasm you can marry- reliable, and kind to your waistline. So I took what I loved most about my grandfathers dish and made my own quick version of it for a weeknight. It is creamy and has lots of mushrooms and that great sweet marsala flavor!

I dredged my chicken in flour and spices, but if you want something quicker- there is no need to do it. It will be delicious regardless!

Grilled Sausage and Peppers Skewers

Why is this a Foodgasm?

My Italian side is coming atcha again with this spin on a classic.  Sausage and Peppers is usually something you wouldn't want to prepare in the summer....but if you make them into kabobs and grill them its the perfect summer food! That's right- summer's not over yet- we still technically have two weeks left! 

Recently poking around Instagram I saw someone made kabobs with sausage meat- immediately I knew sausage and peppers would be perfect in this format! How awesome are grilled veggies- sweet and crisp, with just a little brown around the edges. Then to really make it transform to this Italian favorite, I served these skewers with marinara. My Totally Roasted Marinara worked perfect for this!!  Plus this was incredibly easy to prepare- bonus!!

#ThirstyThursday Drinkgasm Double Cherry Red Stag and Coke Zero

Why is this a Drinkgasm?

When my foodie pal Lauren from Hall Nesting asked if I wanted to do a #ThirstyThursday post, I was more than happy to oblige. My love of bourbon was only expressed in the bourbon iced tea, but I wanted to explore more. make sure you read all the way to the bottom of this post for Lauren's feature #ThirstyThursday cocktail.

Red Stag is one of my favorites. It's a cherry infused bourbon with natural cherry flavor. Usually fruit flavored liquors are very sweet, too sweet and artificially flavored. They also tend to cover up the true taste of the liquor to mask a terribly cheap tasting base liquor. BUT with Red Stag there is none of this! It's a smooth bourbon with a kiss of natural cherry taste. Just enough that it actually enhances the flavor of the bourbon and sets it off. You can definitely drink it on the rocks, but you know me. I have to make something with it...

So there are jack and cokes and cherry cokes...how about Red Stag in Coke Zero and then why not add some maraschino cherries for good measure to get an even more intense cherry flavor?! Duh, this was a no brainer.

This is very easy to make and low in calories. A great drink if you are in a liquor mood, but don't wanna pay the calorie price for some fancy umbrella drink or martini (ie: my one night stand Rainbow Cookie Martini).

Totally Roasted Marinara

Why is this a Foodgasm?

Sometimes you have to go back to the basics and back to your roots. I was really feeling my Italian roots and I know my favorite chef Fabio Viviani would approve of this one! This recipe is a different way to get that slow cooked marinara flavor with less stove babysitting. What's an easier way to make a magically foodgasmic marinara than to throw a bunch of ingredients in the oven for about 40 minutes and throwing it all into a food processor? Then it's done! Simple! Not to mention slow roasting anything brings out the sugars and then the yum!

I saw a similar idea on some other blogs and I decided to try it myself and I am soooo glad I did! This was time consuming in the roasting but the prep is minimal. I roasted all the classic ingredients for a marinara, but used cherry tomatoes for a little extra sweet punch. To add to the ease of this recipe I lined my baking pans with non stick aluminum foil for easy clean up! My husband appreciated this since he usually does the dishes!

This is also incredibly healthy and local! I used cherry tomatoes from my own co-op garden with my neighbors and from the farmer's market. Using very little EVOO this recipe is very low in fat, but VERY high in 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!