Oven Roasted Jerk Chickpeas

In my new ongoing quest to find quick snacks that are also healthy, I came across roasted chickpeas.

Believe me when I tell you that these are incredibly easy to make and are so tasty - especially if, like me, you can't enjoy nuts.

You can use pretty much any kind of seasoning you want. 

I used jerk seasoning because I had a lot of it on hand.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Open a can of chickpeas and drain out the liquid. Spread the chickpeas out evenly on a baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with desired seasoning.
• Bake for about 30 mins. Then let cool and enjoy!

This snack is about 125 calories per 1/2 cup and is loaded with protein and fibre! A much healthier alternative to chips....or chocolate, if we're being realistic about my snacking habits. 

Orange Ginger Cauliflower

Inspired as always by Pinterest, I decided to try to make one of the recipes I'd seen recently: Crispy Orange Cauliflower.

I ended up putting a different spin on it as I found the batter to be gross. It could have been because I neglected to fry it in a ton of oil but ... I was trying to make something healthier and frying it didn't seem like the best way to do that.

The original recipe is here if you want to give that a go.

My version is below (and much simpler in my opinion).

• Cut up 1 head of cauliflower into florets.
• Over medium heat, toss cauliflower in 2 tbsp. of oil and cook until browned.
• Stir in 1 chopped green onion, 2 tbsp. orange juice concentrate (from the can you'd normally freeze and then mix with water), 1 tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 tbsp. grated ginger. 
• Mix well to coat each floret then cook until warm. Serve and enjoy!

Potato Pierogies

For some reason yesterday I was intensely craving pierogies.

Actually I know the exact reason. The cook where I work had made them for our patients for lunch and they looked phenomenal.

So I had to have them.

Usually if we have them we eat them as a breakfast food, fried up from our store bought frozen stash with bacon and onions.

But I wanted to make my own. So I did!

They're quite easy to make and considering I've never attempted them before and they turned out not too badly, I'd say they might be foolproof.

The only thing I'd fix for next time is that I'd either add more filling or make my circles smaller or the dough thinner as I ended up cutting off and not eating a lot of the outer edges.

Also I'd add bacon.

Always add bacon.

(recipe loosely adapted from Martha Stewart's potato pierogi recipe)

In a mixing bowl, lightly whisk 1 egg. Add in 2 tbsp sour cream and mix together.

Mix in 1 cup milk and 1 cup water. 

Add in 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until elastic.

Place dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Bring to a boil a pot of salted water. Boil 10 potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork. 

Drain water, add in 1/2 cup cream cheese & 2 tbsp butter and mash together.

*I would also highly recommend adding in crumbled bacon here, however I didn't have bacon on hand (I know, how did that happen!?) so I won't include it in this recipe.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface.

Cut out circles and place a dollop of your potato filling in the center. 

Pick up each circle of dough in your hand and press the edges together to seal. You can scallop the edges with a fork for a fancier look.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop pierogies in and allow them to cook and rise to the top. Allow them to cook for about 2 minutes more once they've floated up. Remove from the pot and drain off excess water.

Heat a frying pan and melt 2 tbsp butter.

Cut 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic and cook until translucent.

Add in pierogies and cook until crisp and browned.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream & enjoy! 

Quinoa + Fall Vegetables PLUS: Bedroom Redecorating Update

 

Sometimes I make great choices. Case in point: the new bedroom set I purchased recently.

Sometimes I make poor choices. Case in point: not sleeping at all on Wednesday until the bedroom furniture was set up.

 

My dad made the mistake of phoning me on Tuesday and got suckered into coming to Ikea with me to help me carry a bed frame and 2 side tables.

 

 

Tuesday night I started to piece together the first of the tables but then I had to go to work so I didn't get too far.

I came home on Wednesday morning and decided that I would set up the bed frame then go to sleep.

Taking off the mattress, wheeling out the old frame, sweeping the floor and clearing out enough space for the new frame took about half an hour.

 

Then I built.

It took unil about 1 pm before I had this:

 

I was exhausted but it was so worth the effort. It looks so nice and the bed is so high, it's almost like sleeping in my sister's bed (ed note: she has the most insanely comfortable bed I've ever slept in).

 

Now I need to get the matching dresser, a new tv, and to put up some photos on the wall above the bed.

 

I tried out a new recipe the other night using the food de jour: quinoa.

It was hearty and very tasty.

The recipe can be found here.

I left out the eggs.

 

 

Thanksgiving Dinner: Side Dishes

Tomorrow (I guess techinically today as it's 1 am) I cook my first ever Thanksgiving dinner.

I'm so ready. I'm approaching this like it's the most important thing I'll do this year.

I've figured out how I'm flavouring the turkey and the necessary items have been purchased.

Desert is decided.

The side dishes required a lot of thought and I wasn't sure I'd be able to narrow it down.

Traditionally, my mom makes mashed potatoes, turnips, stuffing, and peas.

All of which I load greedily onto my plate and drown in gracy.

 

I have this need to impress my parents so I wanted to make some sides that were variations on the classics.

 

These are the choices I narrowed it down to.

Only 2 of the 3 made the cut for tomorrow. The other side is going to be steamed asparagus, because there really should be some kind of green vegetable on that table.

 

 

1. Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

 

*I looked everywhere in the grocery store today and could not for the life of me find cornmeal. So I'm substituting in sourdough bread. Fingers crossed it works as well!

2. Carrot Spoon Bread

 

*This was the poor recipe that didn't make the cut. I didn't want to load everyone up on stuffing AND spoon bread, on top of all of the potatoes.

3. Turnip and Sweet Potato Gratin

 

*Turnips with a twist.

Trying to locate a turnip led to a discussion about the difference (if any) between turnips and rutabagas. Result of a google search: rutabagas are a cross between turnip and cabbage.

I bought a rutabaga. Here's hoping it doesn't taste wildly different than a turnip.

 

 

Fingers crossed I don't ruin any part of dinner tomorrow.

We've got a ton of wines to pair with things including a desert wine from Stoney Ridge that I've been dying to open.

 

Pictures to follow!

I bought a new camera so that I could take pics of my food again.

 

My Roasted Summer Salad

To pick one thing I love the most about summer would be impossible.

Summer is my all time favourite time of the year. Yes, even more than Christmas, although it is a close close second.

I become a creature of the outdoors, I get to wear sundresses and flip-flops, and I get to spend weekends at cottages and at backyard BBQ parties.

There is nothing (that I can think of) that I dislike about summer. Not even 50 degree heat waves can make me say otherwise.

I stopped off at the fruit market around the corner from my apartment the other day and was reminded of another thing I love about summer: the fruits and vegetables - especially the fruits.

Peaches are ripe, cherries spill out of their bags, and yellow zucchini is front and centre on the shelves.

I love independent fruit markets and buy my fruits and vegetables from them almost all of the time.

The prices are so much more reasonable.

The market near me (and another one just a short walk away) sell their fruits and veggies at prices so low it seems impossible to walk away without a bag full of food.

The other day I picked up 2 containers of strawberries, 2 containers of blueberries, and a package of 2 peachs and 2 plums all for a grand total of $7.00.

Blueberries usually retail for around $3.99 a container and I got 2 for $3!

C'mon!

C'mon!

I took my love of all things cheap and summer-y and made myself a delicious summer salad.

It's the easiest thing you will ever make and it tastes so good.

All you need to do is roast 1 yellow zucchini and some heirloom cherry tomatoes in the oven , season them with pepper, and add some hot banana peppers (which I have become obsessed with lately).

 

 

Hope you are finding some inexpensive places to buy fruits and vegetables and being inspired to make some delicious summer meals.

Parker House Rolls (American Thanksgiving Prep)

The fact that a holiday appears on a calendar is reason enough for me to celebrate it.

Next week is American Thanksgiving, or as I am choosing to call it, Thanksgiving Round Two.

I don't know that I'll pull out all the stops and make a turkey, stuffing, etc (especially seeing as I will likely be doing my very last shift in the ICU next Thursday night) but I would if I had the time.

For those of you who want to celebrate Thanksgving Round Two (or you just want a good bun recipe) I've got a great recipe that will come in handy.

In the November issue of Everyday Food there was a recipe for Parker House rolls. I used this recipe for the buns for my sliders and they are deeeeelicious.

If you want to make your own rolls for a meal, try these ones.

(This recipe will make 24 rolls)

1. In the bowl of a mixer combine 4 1/2 cups flour with 4tsp coarse salt, 5 tbsp unsalted butter cut into peices, 1 tsp dry active yeast, 1 1/2 tsp honey, and 1 1/2 cups whole milk. Using a dough hook, mix on low until the mixture comes together. Increase to medium-high and beat until butter is incorporates and the dough is soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Coat a large bowl with non-stick spray. Form dough into a ball and place in the bowl, covering with a damp cloth. Set aside in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

3. Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide dough into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange in pan about 1/2 inch apart. Repeat. Cover the pan with a damp cloth and let rise until rolls begin to touch, about 1 hour.

4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush each roll with melted butter and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Brush with more melted butter and sprinkle with salt before serving.



  If you want to use this recipe to make some rolls but don't plan on making a huge Thanksgiving dinner, may I suggest making sliders?

Or make 12 rolls instead of 24 and make real-sized hamburgers.

You won't be disappointed.

Tomorrow I'll show you how to make slightly healthier corn-dogs!

Warning: my corn batter was way too thick and fell off after the second bite.

We can troubleshoot together.

Ohhh also my gift basket came from the LCBO!

Pictures to follow at some point this weekend.

Casserole Night

Yesterday a sweet ol' pup made her way to that big backyard in the sky.

John's family said goodbye to their dog, Molly, after 14 years.

Pets become part of our families so to lose them is to lose a family member.

She was a beautiful dog with those sad eyes and a loving personality.

She will be missed but remembered always.

I've been crazy busy so I think I might start pre-posting in an effort to keep my ramblings from occuring only once a week.

I started my new job yesterday and it's wonderful.

I teach swimming lessons at a kid's rehab hospital and, apart from getting to work with kids, one of the perks is that the water in the pool is like a bath tub. It's beautiful.

I love that they operate on a reverse-integration policy so they register kids with different abilities first (Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down's Syndrome to name a few of the more common) and then open up any remaining spots to the general public in the area.

As a result there is a nice mix of abilities and the learning opportunities for the kids and for the instructors are immense.

My mom (who I like to think of as the Equity Ambassador to the world) would be so proud.

What else?

I told you about my night shift at the hospital, about picking up any and every shift at (other) work this past week.... I slept for 12 hours last night. John and I went out for dinner then came home to watch a movie (Jim Gaffigen stand-up on Netflix). I fell asleep on the couch at 9:30 pm.

Woke up and moved into bed at 10.

Woke up this morning at 10 am.

Not only is 10 am like a solid 4 hour sleep in for me, but I rarely sleep for more than maybe 10 hours.

My body is quite happy this morning.

 Besides falling asleep before 10 pm, I think now that I am on the closer-to-30 side of my 20s my vision is starting to go.

I am an over-reactor and a slight hypochondriac (see this post for confirmation of both) so I just assume I have some sort of macular degeneration or a brain tumour in my occipital lobe.

I like to prepare for the worst.

Anyway, I need to go get my eyes checked when I get some free time. Not today. Today is my first day with NO obligations in a long time so I'm enjoying it as is.

It could be that being tired is just making me feel wonky-eyed or it could mean always wanting reading glasses has finally sunk deep enough into my subconcious mind that I'm creating symptoms.

I do have this really annoying floater in my right eye though...

Anyway.

I want to make these cupcakes, EXACTLY the way they are made to look in this picture.

Damn you, Betty Crocker and your craftiness.

Then I want to make this.

Maybe tonight.

Note: This picture is actually of a different recipe but I couldn't find a picture of the one I want to make so this visual will have to do.

From Everyday Food:

(picture of Scalloped Potato & Leek recipe on Marthastewart.com)

• Preheat oven to 425. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Add 2 leeks (sliced, white and light green parts only), and 3 celery stalks (sliced). Cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Add in 2 pkgs frozen artichokes, 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth, and 1 bar Neufchatel cheese (just use cream cheese like I plan on doing).
• Remove skillet from heat and add in 2 tbsp lemon juice and salt and pepper.
• Brush a baking dish with 1 tbsp oil. Arrange 1 medium russet potato, very thinly sliced, along the bottom of the baking dish and top with the artichoke mixture. Top the artichoke mixture with another 1 medium russet potatoes, very thinly sliced, and brush with 2 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Bake until sauce is bubbling and potatoes are gold and tender, about 35-40 minutes.

Pirate Party

Many moons ago, my mom's side of the family met up for the annual summer fam-jam.

I posted pictures from the Baseball themed dinner but just realized that I never posted pictures from our pirate-themed night!

We put up some pretty good competition and had a lot of fun getting decked out in pirate gear while slicing, dicing, roasting, tossing, spearing and baking our dinner items.

My sister and her boyfriend manned the BBQ and created delicious terriyaki chicken shish kebabs. They disappeared pretty quickly.

We bought a bandana for everyone, eye patches, swords, pistols, hooks, and other pirate paraphernalia to get everyone into the spirit. We even made name-tags so that everyone could get into their pirate character.

One of my favourites was the "Dead Man's Chest" - a tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuits. I thought the name worked well because the cobbler looked almost skin tone and once you dug in you got to the red tomatoes.

The recipe for this great side can be found at the end of this post.

For our main we went with a pork tenderloin that we roasted with apples and sage.

I should've gotten a better picture because it doesn't look all that tasty in the one above.

We went with a roast KRAKEN (spelling error in the label, apologies) as pork tenderloin doesn't sound all that pirate-like.

Our other two sides were "Peg-Leg Kebabs" (the terriyaki chicken ones I mentioned) and "Sea Shells with Algae" (pasta shells stuffed with cottage cheese and spinach and baked with pasta sauce and melted cheddar cheese).

There was a lot of food and it was a weekend of good eating.

Tomato & Blue Cheese Cobbler

(aka 'Dead Man's Chest')

(From marthastewart.com)

Ingredients

• For the filling
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 pounds cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• For the biscuit topping
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Coarse salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (2 1/4 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon, for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Directions

1. Make the filling: Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
2. Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Stir in cheese, then add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be slightly sticky.)
4. Transfer tomato mixture to
   a 2-quart baking dish (2 inches deep). Spoon 7 clumps of biscuit dough (about 1/2 cup each) over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream, and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon cheese. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

 

Jamie's M.A.P. Salsa

In addition to the 2 loaves of pumpkin seed ciabatta bread I made this afternoon, one for us and one for Siobhan's gift basket (see below)

(P.S. Suuuuuuuper psyched at how well this ciabatta came out! Look at all them air pockets!)

I also created a recipe for the best fruity salsa you will ever have in your entire life.

I take full credit for this recipe because it's delicious!

I think it's a perfect companion to tortilla chips, toasted pita or naan wedges, atop toasted baguette rounds, or on hamburgers. Heck this salsa would even go well as a side salad all on it's own!

I also have decided to abbreviate it and call it M.A.P. Salsa rather than Mango-Avocado-Peach salsa. And I like MAP better than PAM because, like a map, the fruits represent different areas of the world.

So deep, I know.

Jamie's M.A.P. Salsa

This recipe is very simple, involving 2 steps, 10 ingredients, 1 bowl, and 5 minutes of your time.

You'll need:

• 1 Avocado (to tell if you're buying a ripe one, give it a squeeze. The firmer it feels the less ripe it is).
• 1 Peach
• 1 Mango
• 1/2 Red Pepper
• 1/4 Red Onion
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped (fresh or frozen cubes will work better than dried cilantro here)
• 1 tsp each of salt and ground black pepper

1. Cut avocado, peach, and mango into bite sized cubes. Finely dice the onion and dice the red pepper. Toss all into a bowl.

2. Zest the lime and add to the bowl. Squeeze the juice of half of one lemon and half of one lime into the mix. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and mix in the cilantro. Toss to coat. Serve or store in an airtight container until ready to serve!

If you aren't good with knife skills or hate cutting slimy slippery avocados, let me show you an easy way to cut avocado into perfect sized pieces fast.

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and twist in the sides in opposite directions until you end up with two halves.

Carefully (!) chop the knife into the avocado pit with a bit of force. The knife will stick into it and will pull it right out of the other half of the avocado.

Without removing the outer skin, make vertical and horizontal cuts in the avocado to give you the desired sized cubes.

Push on the skin to fan out the cubes. Some will fall out on their own. For the rest, gently run your knife under the skin to free the remaining cubes.

See Below...

The M.A.P. Salsa (all but the one spoonful I saved for myself) is now jarred up and in the fridge, ready to go into the gift basket tomorrow.

I'll jazz up the jar a bit in the morning.

The gift basket so far is really coming along.
I was browsing through the online LCBO magazine and found a bottle of wine called "Life is Good". I knew I had to find it - and I did! I hope she opens it tomorrow so I can try it (ha-ha-ha only I'm not really kidding). I'm a sucker for an interesting label and this wine's got one. Also, with every purchase, the wine company donates a percentage to an organization that works to make the cities greener, more liveable places.
So cool label and good cause.

Quick side note: if you like the LCBO's free Food & Drink magazine I strongly suggest you go pick one up asap. They come with a free sample of popcorn!
SPICY NACHO FLAVOURED POPCORN!
I made my sister get a copy of the magazine too just to have two popcorn samples.
One bag is gone. Verdict? Delicious.

Here's how my gift baske is shaping up thus far:


Former Tiffany & Co. bag, now housing meringues of a similar colour.
Under the Tiffany bag we've got Soy Butter jam thumprint cookies (recipe & pictures tomorrow).
The 'S' jar is the oven dried tomatoes.
And the wine is hiding in there behind the pumpkin seed ciabatta.
I heard once that pumpkin seeds are also called pepitas. Can anyone verify this for me?

Slash I'll wikipedia it in a few.

Nice quiet night, just me, my hot chocolate, baked goods all around, and many more episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

Rapini Recipe

Once again I find myself on the computer at work, not at home.

I feel like I'm never at home these days.

I miss my home.

Sad face.

Last week I worked Monday-Thursday (after school, natch) and then Friday I was wisked away to la belle province shortly after returning from clinical and frantically packing my bags.

Tremblant was, by the way, amazing.

I didn't ski/snowboard in an effort to save money and to try and get some school work done.

I set up shop in a coffee place at the base of one of the hill and pulled a table over to the only power outlet I could see. Bought myself un cafe, plugged in my laptop and my blackberry and Bob's your uncle*, I was away and running.

Whatta nerd.

*I actually have an Uncle Bob. Jealous?

Anyway, once I'm home (tomorrow) I'll try and find some blog-friendly photos from Tremblant to post for your entertainment.

In other news, I am addicted to the cold buffet at Loblaws. My valliant efforts to save money and eat healthier are being unjustly sabotaged by this layout of deliciousness. To be fair (read: to make myself feel better) not all of the food is unhealthy. Some of the items are a little more than just flavoured with oil but here are my regular selections: wheat berry salad, edemame, soba noodles (with sesame seeds and green onions), and rapini with olive oil and garlic.

What's rapini, perhaps you're asking yourself?

Well friends, let me tell you.

It is delicious and it's a cross between brocolli and asparagus. Sometimes it's called brocolli rabe (what Martha refers to it in her recipe) but I think rapini sounds more exotic.

Here's a recipe for you, from Martha, inspired by my cold buffet addiction

Sauteed Brocolli Rabe (aka Rapini)

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 2 bunches of rapini and cook for one minute.

2. Cover with a lid and continue to cook until leaves are golden and crisp, about 2 minutes.

3. Add in 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced, and cook for one more minute. Season with salt, serve and enjoy!

Sorry I've been negligent on the blog-end of things. I have 2 more essays to write and then I will have more free time.

I do not like school. Sigh. The dislike is exponentially increased by the fantastic spring-like weather, sunshine, and the fact that I am counting down the days until summer vacation.

22 days and 4 exams in case you were curious.

Rustic Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Appologies for the delay in posting the recipe!

It's been a busy week already and now that I have a night to myself I'm going to make it up to you by giving you a two-for-one.

I'm going to do two posts: one with the chili recipe (this one) and one with the recipe for the date squares that I'm making right now.

This is a tasty chili, super easy to make, and a great option protein-wise for those of you who don't eat meat.

Rustic Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Here's what you'll need to have on hand:

• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of mixed beans
• 1 can of corn niblets
• 2 medium-large zucchinis
• 1 medium red onion
• 2 large carrots
• Chili poweder
• Cumin
• Olive oil

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with about 3 tbsp of olive oil and turn the stove to medium heat.
2. Cut the onion to desired size. If you want a more rustic look cut all of your vegetables into larger than normal sizes. Toss the onions into the heated oil and sautee until the onions are well coated and look kind of translucent.
3. Cut up the zucchini and carrot and add to the pot, stiring to coat with the remaining oil.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, beans, and corn. Stir well, careful not to smoosh* the beans.
5. Add in about 3-4 tbsp of chili powder. Make sure to taste the chili before adding too much. Add in about 2 tbsp of cumin.
6. Cover the pot and let the chili simmer on a low heat for awhile until ready to serve.

*"Smoosh" the beans does not refer to smoosh in the Jersey Shore sense.

And there you have it! So easy and so good. I meant to add okra to it also but forgot to thaw the bag I have in the freezer. Maybe next time.

I have to go put the laundry in the dryer, then write a paper, then finish the date squares, then prepare myself for acting as "team lead" in clinical tomorrow - bum bum bum!!!

There'll be another post with the date squares recipe + pictures up in a few hours!

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili & Gross Nursing

It's Friday so you know what that means....

Say Yes to the Dress!

It's my girlie downtime.

Oh and get ready to be so proud of me because (drumroll, please) I actually went to the gym after clinical today. I know! Last Friday I got home and just threw in the towel on the remainder of the day. Today I just had to give myself that little kick in the pants. I did a good bit of cardio and then did my Friday moves from Shape magazine. Maybe I'll take a picture of the pages I use and post them so that anyone else who wants to follow along can. They're easy moves to do at home and they give you that burns-so-good feeling.

Expanding upon last post, my friend who is throwing the Superbowl party is making it a potluck. I have volunteered to make a vegetarian chili so I thought hmmm who better to swipe a recipe from than the Domestic Diva herself. I may tweak some of the ingredients but we shall see!

Here's your recipe as promised:
Vegetarian Black-Bean Chili

You will need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 zucchini (about 1 pound total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (19 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed

The How-To:

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, carrots, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and 1 cup water. Simmer until slightly thickened and carrots are soft, 8 to 10 minutes more.

...I'm pretty sure that might be the easiest recipe I've ever seen!

On a side note, before I settle back in on the couch to finish watching Say yes to the dress, I finally found a new area of nursing that repulses me. It used to be bowel movements but I've become so desensitized to poo that it really takes either a lot of it or some sort of GI infection to get to me. So friends, to my horror, I learned how to change, suction, and clean a trach tube. Upon my instructor's removal of the inner canula during the demonstration, she pulled out this clump of

***** NOT FOR THE WEAK OF STOMACH. TURN BACK HERE OR SKIP AHEAD TO THE NEXT ASTERISKS*****

mucous and blood. It was the most disgusting thing I have seen this so far this year. I actually gagged and thought I might throw up all over the poor man. That was yesterday and then today I watched her suction a man's trachea....shudder. You literally stick it down their throats (from a hole in their neck, mind you) until they gag and suction out mucous secretions. Barf. I hope I become desensitized to this too 'cause my patient next week definitely requires trach care.

What a trach tube looks like (p.s that guaze on his neck? Impossible to get back under the plate)

How to suction the mucous out.

******

It's safe down here. Ok I'm off to enjoy a laaaaaaazy Friday night :)