Tuesday 18 December 2012

Lunch to look forward to!

I have been eating this same thing for lunch for the last 5 days straight and honestly I can't think of anything I would rather eat!!! Plus I have been feeling so cleansed lately with this new diet!
Basically this TO DIE FOR meal consists of spinach and tomato salad with my own home made balsamic vinegrette, (just 1/3 EVOO, 2/3 balsamic, crushed garlic, basil, sugar and salt) 2 pieces of mountain grain toast, 2 tbsp bulgarian feta, a few sundried black olives (*from superstore! cheapest priced and BEST quality) and a few slices of turkish "pastrama".( a dry cured meat)Today I ate some of my Olive Oil Green Beans on the side... YUM! I usually have a cup of yogurt and some fresh fruit afterwords. This meal makes me feel great all day!

Olive Oil Green Beans

So, its been a few weeks since I decided to start writing my blog and I havent written much yet!
I want to mention that I deal with A LOT of stomach issues and I am constantly looking for foods that make me feel good. I have endometriosis (like many women) and my doctor told me that I could control a lot of the symptoms with a proper diet! Thus I decided I must learn to eat healhier and hormone free.  I have been cooking a lot of medditeranean inspired dishes lately and I am finding that I am feeling much better!!! I am eating a LOT of veggies, beans and nuts. I am finding that I am not even craving meat the way I used to. I try to eat fish, turkey, or chicken at least a few times a week to get that protein, but I have completely cut out beef (unless its raised hormone free) and all processed meats AND IT FEELS GREAT. I have also quit eating "cheap" cheeses! Good cheese is more expensive but I find I eat a lot less of it becasue of that reason. I use bulgarian sheeps feta on everything and it is absolutely delicious AND full of vitamins! It is also easier to digest than cows cheese and I have not gotten indigestion once since I have started replacing other cheeses with this one. A recipe I would like to share with you is one that I tried to re-create after trying the turkish version at a party. I have to say my version came out BETTER (which I didnt think possible) and it truly does make me feel soooooo happy when I eat it. Its that good... and its good for you which is why I'm making OLIVE OIL GREEN BEANS my first "blogged" recipe! ENJOY!

Olive Oil Green Beans

1 lb green beans, fresh/canned/frozen cut in 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp tomato paste
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1-2 tsp. sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. salt (to taste)
½-1 cup hot water
In a pot, sauté onions and garlic with olive oil.  Add tomato paste and tomatoes, sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in green beans. If you use fresh green beans, wash them and drain. Cut them in French style or 1 inch pieces. If you use canned beans, drain them before using. If using frozen beans, just add them into the pot. Do not thaw them.
Cook the green beans for a couple of minutes and then stir in salt, sugar and hot water. Close the lid and simmer over low heat until the green beans are cooked (about 45 min for fresh beans, 30 min for drozen)  I usually sprinkle a little bulgarian feta on top for extra deliciousness!!
 
*THIS IS MEANT TO BE A COLD DISH. CHILL THEN SERVE.*


Wednesday 5 December 2012

MY FIRST BLOG

I am Andrea McKeague and I have decided to start a blog.

Food is my obsession. I am that person that reads the menu 20 times and still can't decide what I want because it ALL sounds so good! I am that person that will ask to keep the menu to read when I finally do order. I have travelled to many beautiful places, Australia, Hawaii, Mexico, Arizona, Holland, France and Florida (just to name a few) but no matter how beautiful the country, THE FOOD is what I judge my trip by. The food is what I remember. I would love to eat my way around the world!
What else can I tell you before I start to make dinner tonight? I am 26. I live in Calgary. I graduated from the SAIT Professional Cooking program in 2006 and have been expanding and improving my culinary skills and knowledge since then. I don't work in a restaurant, the only cooking I do is for myself and the ones I love. I am always trying new things which is my reason for this blog. I hope to record my failures and successes and one day create a menu for my own restaurant. Right now I am going to Superstore to shop for my first blogged ingredients!!!