I am trying to increase our healthy protein and veggie consumption while lowering our carb intake so I decided to make a batch of these portion sized frittatas! They are quick and perfect for busy weekday mornings. Make them the night before and then just grab one in the morning and heat it up in the microwave! These are a little on the heavy spinach side (I love spinach) so you might want to add only half the bag of spinach if you are less enthused about the leafy green as I am.

You will need:

1 bag frozen spinach (16. oz)

1 cup kale, rinsed, drained, and roughly chopped (optional)

5 eggs

4-6oz. of feta cheese

1 red pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

salt, pepper, garlic powder

Start with the greens. I added the spinach (frozen) to the pan and let it thaw and cook through, then I added the fresh kale and let it cook down a bit. Season.  Then, add the red pepper and onion and saute for a few minutes until the pepper and onions are tender.

Add the greens and veggies to a large bowl. Add the eggs, mix well. Then add the feta. Season with a little salt, garlic and pepper.

Prepare a muffin pan with some Pam and scoop in the mixture!

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until the egg has ‘set’. Enjoy!

Again, mine are very spinach heavy so feel free to add only half the bag!

In other news, this was introduced to my kitchen…

I don’t think we will go ‘full Paleo’ as I wouldn’t wish a life of no cheese or fresh baked bread on my worst enemy but I am intrigued!

Warning! These are crazy addictive! They are a nice little snack/dessert for anyone avoiding sugar.

1.5 cups of whole almonds (I used roasted, salted almonds)

1 egg white

1/3 sugar substitute (I used Splenda)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

a shake of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degree. In a bowl, mix egg white, sugar substitute, cinnamon, and cayenne in bowl. Stir in almonds until they are coated with the mixture. Place them on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring them half way through. They taste best hot out of the oven! Enjoy!

I would also think that pecans and walnuts would taste delicious!

We had some friends over for dinner last night and I went with this recipe for roast chicken thighs for dinner. I followed the recipe fairly closely except I added a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the mix. Can I just say roasted fennel is amazing!

This is really simple! Basically, you place all of the ingredients (fennel, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and white wine) in a large bowl, mix in the chicken to coat it with anything and then arrange it in a large roasting pan. Roast at 425 for about 30-40 minutes.

I also made some green beans. Fresh green beans take a little time to prep but they are totally worth it! Place them in boiling water. While the beans cook, melt butter in a saucepan and then add chopped red pepper and shallots. Drain the beans and place them in a dish. Scoop red pepper/shallots mixture over the top and then sprinkle slivered almonds on top. Season with salt and pepper.

Wine? We went with a not-too-sweet Moscato!

The table…

Happy cookin’!

Made a New Year’s resolution to be more healthy? Looking for a quick, vegan, yummy recipe? Wondering what the heck quinoa is??

You have come to the right place. First, quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wa) is an extremely healthy grain, technically a seed, that is a good source of protein and all nine amino acids. It is also very quick cooking! Here is a very easy recipe that would make a great lunch!

Quinoa Salad with Garlic Tahini Dressing

1 cup quinoa (I used Bob’s Red Mill organic)

2 Persian cucumbers, chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

Garlic Tahini Dressing:

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, chopped

salt and pepper

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. In a bowl, place the chopped tomato and cuke, season with a little salt and pepper. Add quinoa. In a small bowl with a lid, add ingredients for the dressing, shake well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over quinoa mixture. Mix well. Place in the fridge! Feel free to use whatever veggies you have! Roasted eggplant or red pepper? Enjoy!

Around this time I usually do a year-in-review type post that looks back on some of the memorable events of the previous year but this year I decided to do something a little different. I am so excited about 2013. So, instead of looking back I am going to list some of the things (blog related and otherwise) that I am greatly anticipating in the new year!

1. Grub With Us (and me! A Girl in her Kitchen!)

A little before the holidays I was approached by this new, exciting social dining network and asked if they could host a meal for AGIHK fans in the Chicago area as part of their Veg Month. Basically, this foodie-oriented website brings people together over great food at local restaurants. You can read about it here. Stay tuned for site and date details if you want to join our table! Sometime later this month…

2. Hosting a reading of (one of) my husband’s new musicals! This winter my husband is having a preliminary reading of his new musical at the house to get feedback before it is read out in LA. I am very excited and I was even more excited when I was asked to cater the event (because I work for cheap). I’m not sure what I am going to whip up quite yet, but I have some ideas…

3. Traveling to Japan in March! I am looking forward to another trip to the other side of the world this Spring. In addition to seeing the cherry blossom festival, Tokyo, and my husband’s pieces premiered at the Suzuki World Congress, I am looking forward to checking out the food culture and cuisine of Japan!

4. A bunch of other non-kitchen related things like: hitting the halfway mark in my doctoral course work this Summer (almost halfway to being Dr. Girl in Her Kitchen), research projects, presentations, manuscripts, applying for grants, getting another Master’s degree, starting my dissertation, and celebrating my 8th wedding anniversary in August (what???).

5. And, finally….Blogging! I plan to blog a lot more this year! My blog has had over 12,ooo views since I switched over to WordPress and I hope to hit 20K soon! I don’t know if that is a lot in the blog world but it seems like it to me! Stay tuned for more recipes!

Here is my first recipe for the new year, Beef and Barley Stew!  Hearty, easy to make, and delicious! Also, Gluten-free!

Beef and Barley Stew

1 box low-sodium beef stock
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2 large carrots, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped spinach
3/4 cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
herbs- dried thyme of herbs de Provence

Place beef in large pot and brown. Add onions and cook for a couple minutes till translucent, then add garlic. Add carrots, spinach, and season with a little salt and pepper.  Add box of stock, herbs, bay leaf, and barley and bring to a boil. When it is boiling, place lid on pot and turn down to low.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes until barley is soft. Season to taste before serving.