Creative in the Kitchen

My mom always asks me where I come up with my recipes. It's been about five years since I started having a love for cooking and organic/healthy eating, and often she wants to know what I'm making or how I'm using certain seasonings, etc. Working at the People's Organic Food Co-Op in Ocean Beach from ages twenty-one to twenty-four really impacted the way I see food, especially vegetables, whole grains, and all that other good-for-ya stuff. Even with a few years of time in the kitchen, however, to this day (and slightly to my shame? Ha!) I have never written down a single recipe nor have I followed one. That being said, my response to my mom's recipe question is always the same shoulder-shrugging, "I don't know, I just sorta throw it all in there and see what works." 

Now, that definitely means there has been a lot of trial and error, and I have gained some knowledge of flavor pairings and other how-to's, but the whole point is this: whenever people are starting out cooking and exploring with food, I always encourage to be brave! Don't be afraid to throw out the measuring cups and recipe books and toss everything in your refrigerator on the stove. Well, maybe not everything, but you know what I mean! On the other hand, for many people I know having recipes can be handy (and let's face it, some things you just need a recipe for), as well as a good starting point for your own cooking adventures. 

I'll be attempting to keep track of my madness in the kitchen and present some recipes here for your viewing (and hopefully eating!) pleasure. Most of these recipes will work well for two people but you can always add more to the batch. For starters, here's a little meal I made, with my starting point being all of the leftover veggies in the fridge. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 - 1/2 red & green bell pepper
• 1/2 zucchini
• 1/2 crookneck or other summer squash
• 1/4 head of purple cabbage
• 1/4 yellow (or any!) onion
• A dozen stalks of asparagus
• 3 garlic cloves
• Small handful of green onions
• Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, s&p, cayenne, lime

To the right are the ingredients I started with. My process was to first separate what I thought would cook well together. I had some asparagus & green onions in the fridge that I added, as well as a few cloves of garlic, which made the first dish. 

Pineapple, lime, salt and honey
thrown into the mix.

Next came the squash, bell pepper, and cabbage. There was some leftover pineapple chunks on the verge of going bad in the fridge, so I decided to experiment here a little. (The "madness" I was referring to earlier! Hehe)

I crushed up the pineapple chunks with the juice of half a lime and a few turns of salt before mixing it in with the cabbage/squash/pepper mix. I sauteed this with a few teaspoons olive oil on medium-high heat until it started to brown, then I decided to add some honey and cayenne pepper to the mix, really enhancing the sweet, savory flavors of the dish.

Speaking of honey! Did you know it's an amazing source of antioxidants? Important for healthy living, antioxidants help destroy biologically destructive agents in our bodies which are linked to diseases such as cancer. Pomegranates and blueberries are other great sources of these free-radical fighting agents!

Simple salad.

Feeling a need for something fresh in the meal, I made a simple salad out of chopped romaine, leftover quinoa, half an avocado and a handful of halved cherry tomatoes.

On medium heat I sauteed the onion, garlic, asparagus and green onion with a few teaspoons of olive oil until they started to brown, then I added a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, turned the heat on low, covered and let steam until they taste-tested how I like 'em! You'll have to do the same, since the time varies depending on how crispy you like your greens. I over did it a little here, but usually I like my cooked veggies as crisp as possible, as they maintain more of their nutrients the rawer they are.

If you hang out in the HIVE for long enough, one thing you will come to find is that I love eggs. Like, kind-of-obsessed-make-them-with-every-meal love eggs. So, needless to say, I of course added a fried egg to the plate! The asparagus was delicious and I definitely recommend the pineapple/honey combo over any sauteed veggies. If you're not a fan of a little kick in your meal, nix the addition of cayenne. My taste for spicy foods has sort of vanished during this pregnancy, so I just added a few pinches here and it was perfect.

Yum, yum! The final plate.

Hope you enjoyed the first HOME IN THE HIVE recipe.
Thanks for reading and make it a great day!