Top Health Food Documentaries I'd Recommend

 In December, I watched a bunch of healthy food documentaries. They're all vegan documentaries, and they helped me finally kick start my vegan change. Here are some of the best ones!

Forks over Knives

 This is probably one of the ultimate movies there are that will make you go vegan! It's not a slaughter movie, but explains the health benefits of going vegan over eating meat on a more scientific level using the findings of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. I highly recommend this one for the more health-oriented or intellectual type.

The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue

 This is kind of a sequel to Fork over Knives made by Rip Esselstyn, the firefighter son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, one of the scientists in the first movie. In this one, he goes over how to start making the change by giving you examples of great food choices, simple recipes, and information on which foods has the nutrients we need. The information is super helpful, plus he's not bad to look at. lol

(2 more super helpful healthy food documentaries after the jump!)

What's Cookin'? 10/23/12

Seafood Miso Soup

 This was my first time making soup from scratch and all I can say is, it was so good! The whole process took about 45 minutes, but that was only because it was my first time trying it. I'm sure if I made it again, it would take 30 minutes. Unfortunately, I couldn't find bok choy in my grocery store, but red-leaf lettuce works perfectly. I didn't find regular miso paste, but it seems any easy miso powder will work. I also left out the mushrooms, as I'm not a fan. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. If your cooking for two people, making the recipe as directed will give you leftovers for two nights, so be prepared for that. This is the perfect soup for pescetarians during the colder seasons. It's definitely a must-try for anyone that likes seafood, though!

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Recipe - Steamy Kitchen, Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 10/16/12

Lemon-Mint Chicken

 When I came across this recipe, I thought it was intriguing. I had never thought of using mint on chicken, but it was really good! Instead of the watercress, I used spinach and made it into a real salad. The lemon-mint dressing didn't take long to make at all! The recipe calls for grilling the chicken, but seeing as I live in an apartment, I just fried it. I'm not a fan of frying chicken, as I'm bad at judging when it's cooked properly. If you're just like me, I highly recommend baking the chicken in the oven at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes. It cooks all the way through every time. This meal only took about 45 minutes tops, so it's a great dinner for people with little time.

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Recipe - Good Housekeeping, Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 10/2/12

Tomato Soup with Seasoned Fried Tofu

 In Vegas, we've only had a small sign of Fall (our highest temperature is now 95 degrees), but I immediately started to get into a hot meal kind-of mood. What meal says "Fall is coming" better than tomato soup? It was only a can of Campbell's, but I'm sharing this because of the tofu. Why add tofu to tomato soup? Well, why not? It was like having seasoned saltine crackers in my soup, except the tofu is more absorbent. The seasonings I put on the fried tofu were salt, pepper, and a little bit of ginger. Definitely a must-try!

What have you cooked, lately?

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 9/25/12

Ginger-Seasoned Shrimp with Teriyaki Veggies,

White Rice, and Brown Rice

 I made this dish on September 13th, but never got around to posting anything! When it comes to cooking shrimp, I usually don't add any seasoning. Normally this is good, but I wanted a little extra flavor for a change! So I looked through my spices and found some ginger powder that I hadn't used in ages. I added that along with salt, pepper, and a little garlic salt. And voila! Yummy ginger-seasoned shrimp! Like most of the meals I make, it didn't take very long at all. About a half an hour or so.

What are you cooking, lately? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 8/7/12

Spinach Strata

 Normally this is a breakfast food, but I decided to make it for dinner. It take about 2 hours to make, but if you like cheese, cooked spinach, and eggs, then it's worth it! Personally, I wasn't a fan of it because of the cooked spinach and it was a little bland, but you can always add more spices to add some flavor. Chances are, I won't be making this again, but try it yourself to see if it's something you'd like!

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Recipe - Good Housekeeping, Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 7/24/12

Tofu and Shrimp Stir-Fry (Again)

 Now, I know I've done of this this many times before. To be honest, I haven't made anything new this week, but I didn't want to skip this week's post! The only difference with this post and the last noodle stir-fry post is that I used actual rice noodles instead of instant ramen. It takes a little bit more time, but still so easy! For rice noodles, you just boil water, take the pot of the burner after boiling, and soak the noodles for about 10 - 15 minutes. And voila, rice noodles are done!

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 7/17/12

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

 I've been loving this cookbook, Good Housekeeping's "Vegetarian Meals", so here's another dish I made from it! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it before we demolished it, but here's a photo from Good Housekeeping. This had to be the easiest dish to make. It only took about 10 minutes to bake and the prep work was just mixing canned foods together and layering it like a casserole. For people who are sensitive to spicy food, mild salsa works just as well. It's so good, great for a vegetarian craving Mexican food!

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Recipe -  Good Housekeeping

What's Cookin'? 7/10/12

Fast Shrimp Fried Rice

 This was a variation of another recipe from my cookbook that I mentioned in the last food post. I know I've been making lots of stir-fry meals lately, but I needed to use my veggies before they would go bad! lol I have to admit, I got a lot of help from Aaron (I asked for one little thing and he took over half way through!). I could've done just fine without his help, though I appreciate it. The only changes I made were that I used shrimp instead of tofu (since Aaron's not a tofu fan) and a fresh, pre-made stir-fry veggie blend instead of frozen veggies. It took about 20 minutes to make and it was pretty healthy. This might be one of our go-to dishes!

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Original Recipe - Good Housekeeping, Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 7/2/12

Shrimp and Tofu Ramen Stir-Fry

 I got the recipe out of the Good Housekeeping cookbook, "Vegetarian Meals", and added shrimp to the dish since that was the only way I could get Aaron to eat anything with tofu. lol It was super quick to make (about 20 - 30 minutes), the recipe even tells you to use instant ramen! Absolutely great for a hungry person with a time crunch. I'm thinking this ramen stir-fry will be in my bi-weekly dinner cycle. :)


 If you run across this cookbook I suggest buying it. There's even more great food and lots of variety. It's about $13 - $15 normally, but I was lucky to find it at a yard sale for only 25 cents!

What are you cooking, lately? :)

Recipe - Good Housekeeping, Where to buy - Amazon, Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 6/25/12

Shrimp Pizza

 I got the idea from pinterest, why didn't I think of this before? I used pre-made pizza crust, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, pre-cooked, frozen medium shrimp, and shredded parmesan. Make a cheese pizza like you normally would, add the thawed shrimp on top, then add the shredded parmesan on top of the shrimp. I baked mine for 10 minutes (though try 12 minutes instead, to make sure the crust is cooked) at about 375 F / 190.5 C, but follow the directions on the pizza crust pack. This was so good and super quick!

What have you cooked lately? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 6/18/12

Baked "Fried" Pickles

 I found this on Pinterest, and it's probably one of the best snack recipes I've ever tried. The fact that's it's baked instead of fried makes it at least slightly healthier! I mainly followed the recipe, the only things I changed were leaving out the Worcestershire sauce, forgetting to use flour (I'm a forgetful zombie when I'm tired), using curry powder instead of Cajun seasoning, and using the oven instead of the broiler. When using the oven instead, I put it on 350 F / around 176 C for about 15 minutes without flipping and it came out tasting great. Use any dipping sauce you'd like, it's really good with ranch. I'll definitely have to make this again soon, and maybe the right way next time!

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Recipe - The Vanilla Tulip

What's Cookin'? 6/11/12

Mac & Cheese Muffins

No, it's not a real muffin filled with mac and cheese (though that would sound good if the muffin was corn bread). It's still really good though, and I even made the cheese sauce by myself! I would have put chopped spinach in it as well, but ran out. My version had cheddar and mozzarella cheese sauce with spiral macaroni, and Parmesan sprinkled on top. For the original recipe, go to the Emily Bites Blog!

What have you cooked lately? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 6/4/12

Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I found the recipe for this on Pinterest and knew I had to make it! Most of the shells were stuffed with ricotta, parmesan, and chopped spinach, then baked. After that, I mixed them in with the regular pasta shells and covered it all in marinara sauce. The stuffed shells were like a surprise in the dish, and so good! It took about an hour maximum to prep and cook, and only because I was slow at stuffing the shells. lol

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Stuffed Shells Recipe - RealSimple.com, Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 5/28/12

Lemon Pepper Tilapia Sandwich

 On a day where I was struggling to figure out what to cook, due to lack of ingredients, a lightbulb went on in my head. Why not make a somewhat healthy fish sandwich? So I did! It's Tilapia fried in peanut oil (use any oil, really) with salt, pepper, a little garlic salt, and a bit of lemon pepper. Then just put it on the bun of your choosing with some mixed green salad on top and chipotle ranch (or whatever condiments you prefer), and voila! Very tasty and healthier than fast food's so-called "fish sandwich". Plus, it only takes 15 - 20 minutes total.

What have you cooked, lately? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 5/21/12

Tofu Salad

 Since I had leftover tofu from Thursday night, I thought it would be a good idea to put some in my salad. And I was right! All it has in it is mixed green salad, cherry tomatoes, original-seasoned croutons, "fiesta mix" shredded cheese, fried tofu, and raspberry vinaigrette. The dressing and the tofu mix very well! Definitely a must-try for Summer meals / snacks.

What have you been cooking? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 5/14/12

Crispy Chipotle Ranch Chicken Sandwiches

 It's nothing special, but I was in the mood for a good chicken sandwich after nearly two weeks of fast food. It was definitely a healthier choice compared to all the Burger King and Roberto's burritos that we've been eating! It was quick to make too!  I covered the chicken in a mix of bread crumbs, curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried Thyme, baked it in the oven on 375 F / 190.5 C for 35 minutes, put them on a bun, and covered them in chipotle ranch. As for veggies and extras, feel free to put whatever you want on it! So tasty and baking the chicken keeps the meat juicy.


 If you want recipes for any of the food I make, don't hesitate to comment and I'll send it to you. If I get enough comments, then I'll just post them here, on the blog!

What have you been cooking? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 5/7/12

Birthday Cake

 This isn't something I haven't made before, especially since it's made from box mix. I just wanted to show off my cake decorating skills for Aaron's birthday cake! Last year, I designed a triforce cake, so this year he requested I design a chibi Link cake. It took a while, mostly because the icing was difficult to squeeze out of the tubes, but I think it was a success! What do you think?

What have you been cooking? :)

Photo by myself.

What's Cookin'? 4/23/12

Tilapia Ceviche on Flour Tortillas

 Aaron and I agreed that this was awesome. I found the recipe on the Food Network site and tweaked it a bit to my liking. The recipe doesn't even say how to cook it, but I fried the tilapia and chopped onions together with salt, pepper, and basil in a little vegetable oil for about 10 minutes, making sure it was fully cooked, then added the chopped tomatoes after. Aaron said he would never eat a fish taco / burrito, but he liked this dish a lot. This is definitely a must-try for anyone that likes fish!

What are you cooking, lately? :)

All photos by myself.

What's Cookin'? 4/18/12

Chipotle Ranch Chicken and Veggies

 Aaron normally makes this, so I thought I should have a go at it this time. Before you start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit / about 176 degrees Celsius. Wash the raw chicken breasts and marinade them in the chipotle ranch for 5 - 10 minutes. After that, put them on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 35 minutes. By then, the chicken will be fully cooked and juicy! If you want to add more chipotle ranch after baking, then go ahead. Then just quickly fry some mixed veggies in a little vegetable oil and butter for 5 minutes or so and you have a basic dinner! It's very low maintenance and yummy, just be sure to use a timer so you don't forget about the chicken. If you have a Fresh & Easy store nearby, they have a great store brand chipotle ranch that we always use.

What have you cooked lately? :)

Photo by myself.