Cannellini-bean & Artichoke Salad

This recipes came up DELISH! I am sure this is the type of recipe that will taste even better in a day or two, so here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients:

• 2 -14 oz. can of cannellini beans
• 6 green onions finely sliced
• 10 oz. jar charbroiled artichokes in oil
• 4 tbsp fresh basil
• 10 oz. baby vine tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of white vinegar
• Salt & Black-pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts

Preparation:

Chop the basil, cut artichokes into quarters, cut vine tomatoes in half and put on a bowl with the beans and the green onions. On a small bowl put about 6 table spoons from the artichoke, mix with the vinegar salt & pepper to make a light dressing and toss the salad ingredients together.

Chill for a bit in the fridge and sprinkle with pine nuts before serving!

Hope you like it ;)

CM

Life is good!

So it's been a bit hectic around here but I have to say, the last two weeks have been really great. As some of you know,  right before the Chicago trip the whole car drama was settled, bringing complete closure to a relationship that meant so much to me (and probably only me). 

The interesting thing about this, is that right after that, a cascade of awesome events just started happening. Awesome event #1 - My Immigration attorney called me to tell me that the interview that I had been waiting for (for over a year) was happening which triggered my trip to Chicago. Going to Chicago it's just and awesome event all by itself but the fact that it was related to my permanent residence just made it so much better.

Awesome event #2 - Time with my BFF Shannon, I stayed at her place most of the time and we got to RUN, which I miss tremendously. We went for a Niketown run and we did a 5K race. Can't wait to do this more often =)

Awesome event #3 - When in Chicago I got a call from a staffing agency in GA asking me if I could come in for an interview on Monday as they had a company looking for a very specific skill that I happen to have! The best part is that when I came back to GA and went to the agency the rate was great and the company was awesome.

So in the last two weeks, I got the car drama resolved and now I own my car. My 10 year green card got approved and should be in the mail shortly, went to Chicago for a mini vacay and got a new job! Now the job is a temp job but they are already talking about the possibility of hiring me and that's awesome! It's a British company and they have incredible benefits, I mean 16 paid holidays... yes you heard that right, not vacation days but paid holidays! They just had 4 days off for Easter, INSANE! and that's just a tiny itsy bitsy part of it.

I am extremely excited and can't even express in words how grateful I am for these events. I believe that there is a reason for all things that happen in your life, good and bad, and I am absolutely positive that I am exactly where I am meant to be.

God does amazing things and he has worked amazingly in my life in the last 4 months.

Thank you lord for all these blessings!

I hope you have an awesome day.

Until next post.

CM

It's good to be in love

One of my new favorite songs...

More impressive vegetarian recipes

Today I made a recipe for a friend and I honestly didn't know what to expect as not only it is a vegetarian/vegan recipe but it has an ingredient that I have not played with much, bulgur wheat. The recipe is Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls, and the result? A delicious tasty meal that I will for sure repeat and recommend. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushroom
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 3/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoran
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large head cabbage
• 6 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions:

In a large saucepan combine all first 10 ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes; remove from heat and let it stand.

Meanwhile, cook cabbage on boiling water until leaves start falling off the head. Set aside 8 nice large leaves (put aside the rest for other use). 

Cut out the thick vein from each leaf making a V-shape, then overlap cut ends before filling. 

When cooled down stir 4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese as well as lemon juice into filling mix. Place about 1/3 of a cup on each cabbage leaf and fold in sides; starting at an unfolded edge roll to completely enclose filling.

On a container, combine tomato sauce and hot pepper sauce; pour 1/3 cup into a 2 qt. baking dish. Place cabbage rolls in dish; spoon remaining sauce over top and  and cover with aluminum foil.

Put in the oven at 400 C for 15 minutes or until heated throughout . Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and serve.

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that is is very filling, 2 of these babies are only 142 calories! INSANE! you can eat the whole tray for less that 600 calories (fat kid talking).

I was really impressed not only about the taste but the texture of this dish, I dare you to try it and let me know what you think =)

Until next post!

CM

Being home has it's perks

I am back from Chicago and even thought I have tons of things in my To Do list it feels good to be back into my routine. Besides the ridiculous amount of clothes that I have to fold I do have one of my favorite house chores on my list, which is to cook for the week.

Yesterday in an effort to get back into my vegetarian routine (because I did cheat in Chicago) I cooked the most amazing and healthy version of the Cuban rice and beans recipe. It was quick and easy and most importantly DELICIOUS!

Try it out because you will fall in love with this tasty side dish, once you do it once you will be hooked!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans rinsed and drained (low sodium)
• 1 cup cooked long-grained brown rice (no salt)
• 3/4 cup chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Preparation:

I personally like my vegetables chopped extremely small and I think this dish calls for that, but it's up to you to decide how you like it best. Coat a non-stick skillet cooking spray and place on medium heat until hot. Add onion and green peppers and  sauté   until onion is clear and peppers are crisp-tender. 

Add cumin, coriander and red pepper until evenly mixed and  sauté   for another 3 min. Now add beans, rice and remaining ingredients steering until is all heated. This recipe usually is a bit dry, which I personally like but if you would like the rice a bit more moist its up to you.

This recipe serves about 6 people and half a cup has only about 110 calories, is that awesome or what? I love tasty filling recipes like this. Notice there is no salt added, using spices is a great substitute and they all have excellent health benefits!

Now get your tushy in the kitchen and try this out, I promise it will be fast and delicious!

Enjoy...

CM

Niketown Run

Yesterday was my return to the lakefront and it was an awesome run. I felt great and most importantly I was running with my best running partner EVER. I missed her so much, specially our runs, we had not run together in a long time. These are some of the things I neglected while in a relationship, we stopped running together which led to me kind off not running at all and her getting way faster. 

Yesterday it reminded me of the good old runs, when we could just talk and talk for miles at a time and spend hours together just running. I can't wait to get back here and do it regularly, with her =)

Since it was a Niketown run and we checked gear at the store I don't have actual pictures of the run but what I do have is pictures of the matching hoodies Shannon got us after our run - Shamrock Shuffle hoodies that were ON SALE! Winner!

Tomorrow morning we have a race and we will take pics, so some cool shots are soon to come. I haven't done a race in a long time and I can't wait to be back this summer and sign up for as many races as possible. It's going to be an amazing summer here, filled with friends and running and all those things and people that make my days wonderful.

I can't wait to be back.

Chicago Je'Taime

Up in the air!

So this was very unexpected, but one of my new friends who is an airline pilot also own 2 small planes. While he was in the area he asked me for the cross streets of my place so he could fly above us and flap his wings to say hi... Of course I told Sophia and we ran out to check him out!

Well her reaction was unexpected, she wanted to get on the plane... So I told my friend because I thought it was funny, well, he said come over and I will take her for a ride!  I don't know why but I agreed and Sophia was thrilled =) Here are some pics of Sophia's 1st flight and I even caught the landing on video.

The picture above was before take off, she looks like such a pro. "L" actually told her she would be able to fly as she had a handle in front of her where she could actually do turns. Am I crazy for letting her in there? OMG!

"L" & Sophia after landing... She was super excited, I was so scared until they landed. Thank God everything went well. Can you believe she wants to do it again.

Can you tell I was freaking out? Next visit it's mommy's turn and I don't know how I feel about that =s

Well, that's it for now!

CM

Pesto Sauce and its benefits

Ingredients:

3 cups of fresh Basil leaves
1/2 oz of pine nuts
1 1/2 cup of fresh pasley
2 garlic cloves
pinch os salt
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp EVOO

Preparation:

Put basil, pine nuts, parsley, garlic and salt in a mortar and pound until you have a thick paste. For those of you lazy like me you can use a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and with a wooden spoon gradually work in the Parmesan cheese, followed by the EVOO to make a thick creamy sauce. 

Pesto is a great sauce to not only add to pasta but to plenty of other dishes. The benefits you may ask? Well herbs and spices are like anti-cancer in a teaspoon! Here are some to name a few!

Basil - This very tasty herb is packed with 2 flavonoids: orientin and vicenin which protectcell structures as well as chromosomes from radiationand oxygen-based damage. Basil has also shown to provide protection against wanted bacteria growth, its also a very good source of vitamin C, iron, calcium and potassium.

Parsley - This is the world's most popular herb and contains 2 special nutrients: volatile oils (limonene, eugenol, myristicini) and flavonoids (apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol and luteolin). Booth have been shown to block tumor formation, protect cells from oxidative damage and increase antioxidant capacity in the blood. Parsley also contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, iron and folic acid. 

Garlic - A herb rich in powerful sulfur-containing compounds. Garlic is an excellent source of magnesium and selenium and a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitaminC. It has been shown that consumption of garic reduces the risk of cancer for the oral cavity and pharnyx as well as esophageal cancer. It also reduces risk for colorectal cancer, renal  cancer cell and laryngeal cancer.

You might ask why all these facts? I attended a cancer prevention cooking class and I got some very good healthy recipes that will help keep your body on a cancer fighting mood!

Have a healthy day =)

CM

Feta Tabbouleh - Vegetarian

As I mentioned in a previous post I have been doing a 21 day vegetarian challenge. I have kept up with it and surprisingly it has been extremely easy. I am amazed of how much I do NOT need or eat meat at all, it is not hard to make vegetarian choices even when eating out and if it gets tough you always have fish or sushi.

What I've been doing is prepping my veggies the moment I buy them, I put them into ziplock containers and they last forever and my fridge looks extremely organize (tip for my OCD friends out there). The first recipe I will post is one of my favorites, I have added yummy spices and even though I put salt "to taste" you can absolutely go without.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dry bulgur wheat
1/2 cup of scallions
2 cups seeded diced plom tomatoes
2 cups chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups seeded diced cucumber
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup chopped fresh mint
4 tpsp fresh lemon juice
4 tpsp olive oil
Salt to taste (optional)

Directions:

Cook Bulgur according to package directions, drain and set aside to cool off. In a large bowl combine bulgur, tomatoes, parsley, scallions, cucumber, feta, mint; toss well and add lemon juice and olive oil. I did not add salt to mine and the herbs and lemon juice add plenty of flavor making this dish a very healthy one. Put in the fridge and chill until ready to serve!

Voila!

CM

Trail vs. Treadmill

Yesterday I went again for a run on Peachtree City's running trail with the intention of running 3 miles and again ended up running 6 because I couldn't find the 5K trail. Anyone that knows me knows that I HATE running on the treadmill and will by all costs avoid it, even during the winter. I also rather to run on the cold and hate running during summer, it just makes me slower than I already am, lol!

One of the things that I love about running outdoors is how relaxing it is to just tune in with nature, hear the sound of the birds, the wind, and in Chicago just stare to my beloved lake front while listening to the sound of the waves. Water just relaxed me, Peachtree City's trail is also around lakes and in the woods so its absolutely stunning and totally relaxing.

I finished my run at a pace of 11:45 which I am not to happy about but I have to blame it on the poor mapping of the trail I was constantly trying to figure out which way to go so i wouldn't get lost like the last time. At the end of my run I finally found where the 5K starts so I guess next run will finally be a 3.2 mile run, hopefully this one will be better marked.

At the end of my run  I did a 30 min guided meditation through one of my phone apps and here is a pic of my view, but the best part was my playlist. I've been in a Journey funk and I created a Pandora Music Journey radio and my run was filled with Journey, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Whitesnake, etc. and oh let me tell you, how I love the 80s/early 90s!

I know... I look like crap... lol! But what can you expect after 6 miles ;)

Until next post,

XOXO
CM

American Reality

I saw this on my friend Jen's wall and how empowering this video is!

I LOVE BEING A LATINA!

American Reality

I saw this on my friend Jen's wall and how empowering this video is!

I LOVE BEING A LATINA!

Milwaukee Mood

Today's words

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Genesis 50:20
"As for YOU, you meant evil against me, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as the are today."

Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God, ALL THINGS work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

If what has happened has not moved us closer to Jesus and made us more engaged in his Kingdom's work, we have waisted our wiring and hindered God's purpose. Everything in our lives happen for a reason, good and bad things have a purpose. Our thoughts toward the events in our lives are the reflection of our faith and our trust in God.

21 day vegetarian challenge

One of my new friends who is a Holistic Health Coach just got certified from the Cancer Project and is going to start doing a 21 day plant based diet. It is supposed to be a "vegan" diet but since we are taking baby steps we are modifying it to be vegetarian.

Honestly I don't think I can give up cheese, meat I don't mind so much, but cheese? come on! So yesterday we made our 1st recipe and was I surprised! This is one of the best vegetable recipes I have ever tried, its hearty and filling and its roughly 300 calories per serving (2 enchiladas) I highly recommend you try it, I promise you will be pleasantly surprised.

Zucchini Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce (we did half)
• 2 Cans (15 oz. each) no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Dried Basil
• 1 tsp. Ground Cumin
• 1/4 ts. salt
• 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 3 lbs Zucchini, shredded (about 8 cups)
• 24 corn tortillas
• 4 cups shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 2 cans of diced black olives
• 1/2 cups of fresh cilantro

Preparation:

In a large sauce pan saute peppers and onion in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and cook for another minute, stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chili powder sugar, basil, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for about 30 min until the sauce is slightly thickened.

In the mean time, start building your enchiladas. You can grab about a 1/3 of a cup of zucchini and place it in the center of the tortilla and top it with about 2 Tbsp of cheese and one of olives. I personally like to mix the olives, zucchini and cheese and then roll my enchilladas. Before rolling the tortillas make sure you warm them up on a pan, if not they will break. 

Place rolled tortillas side to side seam down in baking dish coated with a bit of the sauce. Pour Sauce over and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 min. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with sour cream if desired.

Enjoy!

CM