A Foodie in A Funk’s Recipes

Work, emails, searching for writing jobs, searching for…

…Every excuse to why I have not written on my own blog in so damn long!

Well I’m back, and back for GOOD! I was going to feature my next Giveaway on this post, however my domain is in the process of transferring, and I want to be sure that my blog has completed it’s make-over glam before posting it up!

Time to get out of this funk, and get my groove back. How does a foodie-in-a-funk, cure her blogging blues? How about, by slammin’ on some good eats, and getting crafty with it? Yes, for those of you who didn’t know, I also enjoy spending my time making crafts, gift arrangements, scrapbooking, etc. I’m not sure about you other ladies out there, but when I get antsy or down about anything, I tend to move around a lot to avoid the thing that’s been bothering me – Don’t worry, I talked it out with myself and I am a-OK! For the next few minutes (or however long it takes you to read through this), see how I strategically calmed myself down from having a mini-breakdown.

First thing is first – Cook something. I love making love in the kitchen (get your head out of the gutter). I love it from start to finish! Purchasing, Prepping, Cooking, Cleaning – Now that, my friends, is what you call “wifey material”…hahaha…I am laughing on the inside, in attest to an inside joke I shared with Z during my foodie-in-a-funk phase. Besides the necessities of creating a homemade meal, I absolutely love finding ‘steal deals’ aka ‘wheelin’ n dealin’ aka ‘bargain’ priced foods. Z and I are always blessed to find these ‘steal deals’ all over town, which makes the meal-making fest that much more fun!

Here is a similar dish described in meal #1, with exception to: A grilled corn, tomato, onion, and cilantro relish in this plate – Along with refried black beans and steamed white rice, and Mahi Mahi filet.

Meal #1: This is a simple, and “cheap” meal to cook! In total, it cost me less than $4 to make! I used a Striped Pangasius coated in nothing but a little bit of salt, pepper, and panko bread crumbs (no flour needed). The easiest way to coat a fish, in my humble opinion, is to shake together the dry contents in a bag spacious enough to where you can also throw in your fish. The fish can be pat down, but not dry. Right after doing a lil’ shake n’ bake action, the fish is evenly coated thoroughly, and ready to sizzle on an already hot oiled pan. Keep the heat to a medium, so as to not over-cook or under-cook the fish – Fish usually cooks the quickest so by this point,  I have already seasoned and baked my whole (canned) black beans, steamed my garlic & onion brown rice (try steaming with half vegetable broth & half water for more flavor), boiled my corn, and prepped all accouterments.  I saved pan frying my fish, and pan frying my sunny-side-up egg for last. You can leave the black beans, and rice on a very, very low heat to keep them warm while preparing the rest of this dish! All I used was a little bit of salt, sugar, ground black pepper, and coconut oil to cook this flavor-burst of a meal!

 

 Meal #2: Chipotle, who?? That’s right, save your cash and have the means to make TONS of these burritos for home, work, and picnics! This meal cost approximately $4 also! Queen of ‘steal deals’ right here! As you may already know, Z and I (moreso him) are trying to stay off of red meats, with exception to 2-3 meals a month. More vegetables, less meat. I layered this burrito with: brown rice, red lettuce, spinach, tomato, carmelized onion, seasoned (canned) whole black beans, avocado slices, a little chunk of Swordfish (very meaty texture, with flavors of salt water fish), and drizzle of our favorite Universal Sauce, Sriracha! It’s filling, it’s flavorful, and we know exactly what is in it – Healthy! For this fish, it’s best just to season with ground black pepper, and cook on medium heat for a short amount of time on each side, cook it too long, and it becomes tough. The flavor of this fish is also pretty bold, so no need for salt.

Meal #3: Everything is the same as above, except for me creating this dish for myself! I used alternate carbs: whole (canned) black beans and grilled, fresh okra! I LOVE OKRA. Again, all that was used to season this dish was: Sriracha, salt, pepper, sugar, and coconut oil. My favorite coconut oil I purchase from Better Body Foods! Go check their site out!

Meal #4: Simple and easy tofu meal! Ultra cheap, under $3. After getting the tofu out of it’s liquid, let it sit on a plate with several paper towels to air out and let some of that liquid dry out. I prefer to use firm tofu for stir-frying. Heat up a pan on low-medium heat with coconut oil, and cut your tofu into semi-thin rectangles – You don’t want them to be too thick, otherwise you won’t get a crisp tofu bite. Fry on front and back until each side is golden brown with some ground black pepper sprinkled on. Remove from pan, and use same left-over coconut oil to sautee your slivered onions. Sprinkle a bit more ground black pepper on your onions, remove from heat, and add atop your cooked tofu. Chop up some fresh cilantro and sprinkle atop the dish. Now, tofu can be kind of bland, but I like it just the way it is! If you need flavor, try purchasing some already made sweet and sour sauce for dipping.

Alright, you see that I cook with a lot of really basic ingredients…I am working on expanding! I’m sure Z would appreciate any new flavors that I decide to throw in the mix. Otherwise, if you have any questions regarding my recipes, please shoot me an email or comment below! And now, for the end all to be all of my Foodie Blues…creating this beautiful Texas Wildflower Arrangement for a birthday guest at my day-job! Thank you for stopping by, and see you on my next post – which will feature my next giveaway!

Cheers! If you like what you see, please share with your friends and family! Show me some love!