DIY Wednesday: Simple Salsa

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Ok, so Monday and Tuesday this week I was wracking my brain trying to think of a DIY post for you guys. I could not come up with one single thing. I was starting to worry that I was out of ideas and trying to scramble for something to post today. I even went as far as to ask Adam for some help.

Luckily, he pulled through like a champ. Actually his friend, Eric, came through like a champ but Adam was the middle man so we’ll give him a little credit. I asked Adam and he asked Eric if there was something that he usually bought at the store that he wanted to make at home to save money or make healthier. He came back with salsa.

Salsa! So simple yet I had completely overlooked it! I even thought I already had a recipe up on my blog but quickly found out I didn’t. So thank you ET for saving the day!

I haven’t bought salsa in a very long time because it is so easy to whip up your own. Plus my mother in law makes a mean salsa and always makes sure we have a jar or two. This is the very simple salsa I make whenever we have a Mexican feast, which is like every other weekend. What can I say? I like tacos!

This salsa isn’t fancy or have any exotic ingredients, it is something you can make quickly when you are in a pinch for salsa. It tastes awesome and because it is so simple you can always have some on hand. If you want to make it fancy you can add extra things like corn or black beans. You can control how spicy or mild it is as well as the consistency. Pretty much this salsa can be everything you want and nothing you don’t. Let’s make some salsa!

Simple Salsa

one 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes or 3-4 fresh tomatoes
2/3 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, roughly chopped and seeds removed (you can leave the seeds in for a spicier salsa. You can also omit completely)
juice and zest of one lime
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 to 2 tsp salt
small handful of cilantro (more if you really like cilantro like me)

Roughly chop tomatoes and onion and add everything but the cilantro into a blender.
Blend until you reach your desired consistency. I like it fairly chopped but blend less for a more chunky salsa.
Taste and adjust any seasonings. Add in the cilantro and pulse a few times to mix it in.
Serve with homemade tortilla chips and enjoy!

Tahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake

August 14, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I have been all about the tahini lately. I have been finding ways to put it on everything and I have not been disappointed. Most of us only know tahini as an ingredient in hummus. It helps give it that nice creamy, earthy flavor. While hummus is delicious, tahini deserves to be more than just an ingredient in a popular dip.

It is awesome in baked goods, drizzled over pancakes or roasted plantains, and it turns any homemade dressing into creamy delicious lick the bottom of the bowl good. The fact that it turns things creamy is one of my favorite things.

I like creamy, creamy is good, but sadly people only associate creamy with cheese or other dairy products. I’m going to change your mind one tahini filled recipe at a time.

This one is really easy to make and is a great way to use up the surplus of zucchini and other summer vegetables I’m sure are crowding your fridge. I also like this one because it can be made the night before and then just popped into the oven and it’s done. That’s actually what I did when I made this last weekend and it worked beautifully.

The sauce I made for this vegetable bake would also be awesome as a dip or slathered on wings or ribs or burgers or a spoon…. You get the idea. Go grab all the summer vegetables you have, whip up this sauce, and throw together this yummy dish!

Tahini BBQ Summer Vegetable Bake

Tahini BBQ Sauce-

1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp homemade ketchup (or the best you can find/afford at the store)
1 tsp molasses
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika (make sure it’s smoked)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and well combined

Vegetable Bake-

1 batch of tahini BBQ sauce
1 zucchini, sliced and diced
1 summer squash, sliced and diced
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 cup red onion, diced
1 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (or whatever bean you have on hand)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

If you want/have the time, roast the zucchini and summer squash. You don’t have to, but it adds a nice flavor to the dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 400 for 15 minutes.
Remove the zucchini and squash, turn the oven to 375 and place the roasted vegetables into a large bowl.
Add the corn, onion, garbanzo beans, and stir everything to combine. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper and stir again.
Add in all the tahini BBQ sauce and stir everything making sure the sauce is coating all of the vegetables and beans.
Transfer everything to a large casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Take off the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

DIY Wednesday: Infused Olive Oil

August 12, 2015August 12, 2015 / ktbuchs87

We’re about to get fancy people. Today you are going to learn just how easy it is to make flavored and infused olive oils. If you have never tried an infused olive oil, then you and your food are in for quite the treat.

I have had a variety of infused oils before, but I have never bought my own. They were either gifts or I was using someone else’s when cooking at their house. The reason I never bought my own? They are expensive! A good infused oil can be $15 to $20 a bottle and sometimes even more. Don’t get me wrong, they’re delicious and add a ton of flavor to a dish, but I’m not spending $20 on a bottle of fancy oil. Sorry, I’m just not that girl.

Then I learned just how simple it is to make your own fancy oil. For some reason, I thought it was this complicated and mysterious process to infuse olive oil. It really isn’t. It’s as simple as choosing the flavors you want, heating those flavors with some olive oil, cooling/straining, and then using your infused oil in all the foods.

The options are endless when it comes to infused oil. You can do fruit/citrus, garlic, onions, herbs, or even flowers. It’s all up to you. A few pointers before we get started:

Use decent olive oil. It doesn’t have to be super expensive, but better oil will result in better flavor
For herbs, try to use fresh instead of dried. Both will work, but fresh will leave a more powerful and fresher flavor. Also, blending the herbs with the oil will have a more intense flavor
For spices, buy whole and either leave them that way or ground them at home. Store-bought ground spices just don’t have the same freshness as whole and home-ground
For aromatics like garlic or onion, you can leave them in the oil instead of straining them out. This will keep infusing the oil with their flavor and make them stronger
Infused oils HAVE to be stored in the fridge. Because the oil has been heated it will spoil faster if left out on the counter. Just pull the oil out of the fridge a few minutes before you use it.

Once you start infusing your olive oil, you’ll want to try all the different kind of flavors. Infused oils are great for adding another layer of flavor to dishes, work really well in salad dressings, and are great for dipping bread into. They also make really pretty and thoughtful gifts. So let’s get to the infusing!

Infused Olive Oil

Garlic-Cilantro-Lime Oil

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro, washed and stems removed
6 cloves garlic, washed and rinsed (you don’t want dirt in your oil)
4 strips of lime peels, use a vegetable peeler to remove even strips
1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

If you want you can roast the garlic cloves at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. It isn’t necessary, but gives the oil a nice rich garlic flavor
While garlic is roasting, wash and remove the stems from your cilantro. Blend the one cup of olive oil with the cilantro and pour into a medium saucepan.
Blended oil and cilantro with garlic, lime, and red pepper flakes
Add in the roasted (or not) garlic, red pepper flakes, and lime peels. Heat over medium-low heat until the oil is lightly bubbling, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Once the oil is cool, use a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth to strain your oil into a glass container. You can add back in the garlic if you would like to have a more powerful flavor.
Seal tightly and store in the fridge. The infused oil will keep for up to a month

It might seem like a lot of steps, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really easy. You can keep it simple and just infuse your oil with one thing like garlic or basil or red pepper or you can get more creative and create blends like star anise, lemongrass, and orange or oregano, basil, and thyme. Plain old olive oil just isn’t going to cut it anymore once you start infusing it with awesome flavors.

What blend would you make for your oil?

DIY Wednesday: Ketchup

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 / ktbuchs87

A few weeks back I did a DIY mustard post, so I thought it was only fair that I did a ketchup one too.

Ketchup is probably one of the most used condiments. Kids put it on everything, fries seem naked without it, and congress keeps trying to tell us that it counts as a vegetable. While that last one might take some extra convincing, there is no doubt that we love our tomato based condiment. And one of the big reasons why?

Sugar

Almost all store bought ketchup has some form of sugar, whether it’s high fructose corn syrup or organic sugar. Sugar is sugar no matter what and store bought usually has a lot of it. But the one good thing I did notice about ketchup is that it doesn’t have a lot of other ingredients which make it an excellent candidate for making it yourself.

I’m betting that you already have all the ingredients you need to make your own ketchup and once you see how easy, and cheap, it is to make it yourself I’m pretty sure that you will be whipping it up all the time.

The other good thing about making your own ketchup is that you can make it to your taste and jazz it up with different spices. Get adventurous and make your own flavor combos for your ketchup!

DIY Ketchup

1, 6 oz can of tomato paste (pick a brand that has nothing but tomatoes in it. I used Contadina)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water (more if you want a thinner consistency)
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 tsp salt

Combine all the ingredients into a medium saucepan and whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower to a simmer.
Cook at a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often
Remove from heat and allow the ketchup to cool completely before storing in a jar or squeeze bottle in the fridge.

Variations:

Curry Ketchup: Add 1 teaspoon of curry powder

Spicy Ketchup: Add 1-2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper

Fiesta Ketchup: Add in 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, and a squeeze of lime juice

DIY Wednesday: Ketchup | Life Healthfully Lived

Behind the scenes: Olaf is less than thrilled with my ketchup photo shoot!

Tomato Cucumber Salad and Old Favorites

July 31, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Does anyone else watch TV shows that they have seen a million times? I do. All the time. While I love watching new shows and finding new things to love, a part of me loves the comfort of an old favorite. If you know anything about me, you can probably guess which show I always turn to.

Friends

I own all of the episodes on DVD (even though they are now on Netflix, I still watch the DVD version because there are scenes that are cut out on the Netflix versions) and I will routinely watch them over and over. I can pretty much quote whole episodes, recognize obscure lines, and know what each scene looks like. If Marta Kaufmann and David Crane called me up and told me they needed someone to recreate every single episode on their own, I would be perfect for the job.

Why do I continue to watch Friends over and over and over again? It’s a security blanket. When I’m feeling blue, I know one of Chandler’s jokes can cheer me up. When I’m under the weather, there is no better medicine than Phoebe’s ditzy yet surprisingly poignant logic. I see myself in some of Monica’s obsessive tendencies, Joey gives me encouragement that even if I’m not great at something if I keep at it I can achieve some kind of greatness, and who doesn’t love the on again off again relationship between Rachel and Ross?

It also connects me to the people I love. My mom, sister, and my friend Ashley are all just as big a fans as I am when it comes to Friends. I can randomly text them lines from the show and they know exactly what episode I’m watching. I often relate my life to certain scenarios and they know exactly what I mean. So to make a long story short, Friends is awesome and I’ll never stop watching.

This simple salad is almost as awesome as Friends. It’s the perfect summer side dish because it takes 2 minutes to put together, doesn’t require a stove or oven, and uses in season vegetables. You probably already have most of the ingredients, so whip up a big batch to eat all weekend long because the longer this salad marinates, the better it gets!

Tomato Cucumber Salad- based on this recipe from Rachel Ray

2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
16 oz cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered
3/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste

Wash, peel, and cut the cucumbers and place into a large bowl. Wash and cut the tomatoes and add those in along with the red onion. Mix everything so it’s well combined
Pour in the vinegar and olive oil and stir once again. Finally, add in all the seasonings. Mix everything really well.
Cover and place in the fridge and if possible allow it to marinate overnight. Once it has marinated, taste and adjust any seasonings.

Also, if you’re looking for a delicious and healthy treat to cool off during this hot weekend you should check out my post on Girl.ish this week. I made a PB & J milkshake that tastes like it should be so bad for you but it’s not! Go try it and let me know what you think!

Have a great weekend everyone!