pita sandwiches

my go-to on-the-go meal is a stuffed pita sandwich: it's warm, easy, flavorful and crunchy. i can substitute any of the ingredients with whatever i have in my fridge--i'm still using up leftovers from my party.

here's how i'm currently making my pita sandwiches:

ingredients:

- whole wheat pita bread

- zesty garlic hummus

- thinly sliced cucumbers

- roasted red tomatoes in oil

method:

1. warm up pita in toaster oven

2. cut in half to create 2 pita pockets

4. stuff with hummus, cucumbers and roasted tomatoes

5. enjoy!

portobello mushroom overload

so, im still trying to finish off all the leftover ingredients from my party last week. i have a lot of garlicky hummus, roasted red tomatoes in oil and celery sticks. one of the dishes i made required 24oz of portobello mushrooms. since i'm not good at mental math, i umm, bought 2 POUNDS of mushrooms! hahaha. yeah..so you can imagine how many i have leftover.

today i was inspired to grill up some portobellos on my grill pan and top with the hummus and roasted tomatoes. mmmm! delish lunch!

ingredients:

- portobello mushroom(s)

- hummus

- roasted red tomatoes in oil

- olive oil, salt, black pepper

method:

1. preheat grill pan; heat up a little bit of olive oil

2. gently rub mushrooms with wet paper towel to clean. remove stem.

4. gently scoop out the black insides of the mushrooms

5. lightly salt/pepper the mushrooms and grill for about 5-7 minutes on each side

6. top off the inside of the mushrooms with some hummus and the tomatoes per your liking.

7. enjoy!

any reccs on how to use up my portobello mushrooms?

what to do with random ingredients?

Last week I threw a dinner party, and now have a fridge full of leftovers. My friend Mary posted about this awesome website Supercook: a recipe search engine that lets you search by ingredients you have at home. Awesome idea. So, I found a yummy and easy recipe for lunch: roasted beets with parsley.

I didn't follow it to a T, but basically used however many roasted beets I already had, sliced thick chunks, sauteed in some butter, and tossed in with chopped parsley. did i mention how much i love beets? :)

summer orzo

as you can tell, i like making dishes that only need a little bit of assembling--nothing too complicated. sure, i love going out and trying artistic, complex dishes, but at home, i like, clean, crisp, colorful meals.

now that it finally feels like summer, i'm reviving a lunch favorite: my summer orzo. it is good served warm or cold, so it works well for on-the-go lunches. you can also easily substitute with other veggis that you have on hand (fennel, onion, etc).

ingredients:

(serves 3)

1/2 pound of cooked orzo (al dente)

1.5 plum tomatoes (diced)

a handful of cilantro (roughly chopped)

1/2 can chickpeas

1/2 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

juice of 1/2 lemon

olive oil

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

method

1. lightly toss tomatoes, cilantro, chickpeas, feta, lemon juice and olive with the cooked orzo

2. add salt and pepper to taste

what you have been cooking for lunch lately?

spike it to me!

'just got back from a quick trip to dc, where i made it a point to check out spike's good stuff eatery. being a top chef fan, i was happy to get a chance to try out chef spike's comfy-cozy food. baji and i ordered a bunch of good stuff:

1. spike's 5 napkin (burger)

2. spike's village fries (fresh thyme, rosemary, & cracked pepper)

3. coletti's smokehouse (burger)

4. toasted marshmallow home-spun milkshake

the 5 napkin was amazing...i could've had two! you can't go wrong with a perfectly cooked, juicy patty, dairy fresh cheese, fresh fried egg, a ketchup-mayo-mustard (?) spread, all inside a golden brioche bun! a few sips of the marshmallow shake made for a perfect dessert.

make sure you check out good stuff eatery the next time you're in dc :)

(here we are cheesing...it doesn't hurt that spike's a hottie!)

beets

i. love. beets.

i love the earthiness, the sweetness, the smoothness of them. not only are they sumptuous in flavor and texture, but they're packed with all the good stuff!

i've been incorporating a lot of roasted beets in my lunches and dinners lately. they're super simple to roast. all you have to do is pop them in the oven, and in about an hour or so you're good to go! i like to roast a bunch over the weekend so i'm set for the following week. to roast:

1. wrap whole, un-peeled beets in foil

2. place foiled beets on baking sheet

3. roast in oven for 1.25 hours at 425 degrees

4. after cooling for a few minutes, use foil to rub off skin

one way i've been using roasted beets is in sandwiches for lunch. a beet sandwich is a hearty and healthy way to make beets accessible to people on-the-go! here's my take on the beet sandwich:

beets, cheese and greens sandwich: assemble a sandwich with your favorite bread (toasted), roasted beets, cheesy spread and whatever greens you have on hand. cream cheese, goat cheese or any other creamy cheese will work. (try to stay away from cheese that is heavily seasoned, or else it will take away from the subtle sweetness of the beets.) i've been using a garlic and herb cheese spread i found at reading terminal market and fresh baby arugula.

what's a favorite fruit or veggi that you have been cooking up a storm with?