Monday, June 26, 2017

Easy Guacamole Recipe, excerpt from Dorm Room Essentials Cookbook





Easy Guacamole Recipe
Level of Expertise
Bachelor’s Degree
2 Ripe Avocados, mashed
1 Small Onion, diced (purple, white, or yellow onion)
1 ripe tomato, chopped (Campari, Roma, or garden variety tomatoes)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lime, squeezed and juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in diced onion, minced garlic, chopped tomato, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Season with remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour in the refrigerator to blend flavors.



Thursday, June 22, 2017

Summertime Eats To Beat The Heat, Tomato Caprese Salad with Italian Basil



Summertime Eats To Beat The Heat

Tomato Caprese Salad

Me and my daughter Lauren went to our local Farmer's Market and picked out wonderful tomatoes, as well as basil. This is an easy, healthy and flavorful dish that is perfect for those warm summer days. The balsamic vinegar gives it some acidity while you bite into the juicy tomatoes.

1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes (heirloom and beefsteak, found at Farmer's Market(s)
1 cup of fresh Italian Basil leaves (found at Farmer's Market(s)
Drizzle avocado oil
Drizzle balsamic oil

Directions: In a circular design around the side of a serving plate, alternate fresh mozzarella, slices on a large platter or on an individual plate if you are doing individual portions with sliced tomatoes, overlapping for effect. Wash and tear fresh basil leaves and place liberally over the slices. Drizzle avocado oil as well as balsamic vinegar to taste.

For these and Uni(versity) Tips check out: Dorm Room Essentials Cookbook, by, Gina Meyers

Photo courtesy of KP Phagnasay

Photo courtesy of KP Phagnasay






Sunday, June 18, 2017

Bat Chips by, Gina Meyers


Bat Chips
6 large flour tortillas
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Sea salt or salt

Directions: Preheat your broiler. On a cutting board, arrange flour tortillas, use a bat shaped cookie cutter and cut as many bats as possibly can fit per tortilla, about six bats per tortilla. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with olive oil cooking spray and arrange bats. Spray bat tortillas with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Broil and cook until they are brown on one side, then with a spatula, flip over and begin browning the second side. Cool and add additional salt if desired. Makes approximately 36 bat chips.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Corn Confetti Salad, excerpt from Dorm Room Essentials Cookbook, by, Gina Meyers





CORN CONFETTI SALAD

 4 ears of cooked corn
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup of avocado oil
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup of white or red onion, chopped finely
2 stalks of celery
1/4 cup of red or green pepper

Directions: 
Slice the corn off the cob, getting as much of each kernel as you can. If corn isn't in season, you may use canned corn. Wash all produce, except the onion. Thinly slice the celery, finely chop the onion. Put all ingredients in a bowl and toss to ensure it is evenly dressed. Place in the fridge for one hour to chill and serve as a refreshing summertime side dish.

Alternate Recipe:
4 ears of cooked corn
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup of avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 small jalapeno pepper, diced
2 cups of cherry tomatoes
2 stalks of celery
1/4 cup of white or red onion, finely chopeed
3 ounces of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Notes

Summertime is the perfect time to find creative and refreshing ways to use the extra corn on the cob that is so plentiful this time of year.  Ask a Fresno native and they will tell you the Fresno State store has the best corn on the cob around!

Dorm Room Delicacy

Level of expertise
Bachelors Degree



Wednesday, May 31, 2017

High Blood Pressure, The Silent Killer, by, Gina Meyers

Did you know that one in three women’s deaths each year is due to heart disease and stroke? According to the American Heart Association, these numbers don’t lie. This is why they call high blood pressure the “silent killer”. You can have no symptoms and suddenly get a stroke or a heart attack. Imagine my utter shock when about three months ago, I went to get my yearly physical and it was discovered I had hypertension. How could this happen to me I thought instantly. Sure, my mom and grandma both have high blood pressure, but it would skip a generation, right? Wrong! After researching, I learned that one of the risk factors of high blood pressure is a family history. Knowing the risk factors of high blood pressure are essential to your survival. Here’s what I learned. If you’ve been minding your own business, meaning not drinking excessively, exercising regularly, eating nutritiously, zeroing in on your stressors, not smoking, then you are on your way to getting back to being healthy. Know your numbers. 120/80 is considered a normal blood pressure reading. Check your body mass index number, which is your weight by your height and see if you fall into the obese category. Know your total cholesterol, the good and the bad and your blood pressure. Also, have your blood sugars checked yearly. Move: Walking at least 15 minutes per day. Exercise is good for your heart and good for your bones. It also is an excellent stress reducer. If you can do 30 minutes of aerobic activity five days a week, such as biking, walking, or swimming that can reduce your risk of high blood pressure. Always ask your doctor before changing your exercise routine. Consider changes in your diet. See a nutritionist, research a more heart healthy diet full of leafy green vegetables and hearty legumes. Cut down on red meat and full-fat dairy. Strive for a heart-healthy diet of chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. Watch your carbohydrates if you want to lose weight and keep blood sugar in check. Avoid salt if you have hypertension. Here’s a very short list. Some heart healthy foods Apples, bananas, oranges, broccoli, carrots Legumes Fish rich in Omega 3, fatty oils First thing, drink water. Cottage cheese Peanut butter Chocolate, at least 70% cocoa Raspberries Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Seeds Warm milk and honey Blueberries Almonds Kale chips Turkey bacon Big NO No’s Coconut Oil, salt, caffeine, red meat, food and drinks high in sugar. Be a stress zapper: We can’t get rid of stress in our lives, however, we can find ways to balance our lives. Exercise is an excellent stress reducer, as is journaling. When you are stressed, try to avoid eating unhealthy, this will only compound the problem. Don’t take for granted your health. Even if you feel great, take a moment out of your busy schedule and do a blood pressure reading. They are free at most CVS and Walmart stores. At select Walgreens, you can ask the pharmacist if they do free blood pressure readings. If you do have high blood pressure, remember there’s no stigma in taking blood pressure medicine and your loved one’s would rather have you around than potentially gone.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Purchase Noni Julie's Biscotti Cookies Today!

Dozen Regular, Gluten-Free, or Sugar-Free

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Bella's Delightful Portabella Vegetable Melody

Bella's Delightful Portabella Vegetable Melody
2 large Portabella mushrooms, gills and stems discarded
Mushroom Seasoning:
1/8 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly ground
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Directions: Wash and clean two portabella mushrooms. Discard stems and gills. On a cookie sheet, drizzle avocado oil and lay out the two mushrooms, belly up and sprinkle with ground coriander, ground cumin, and black pepper.  Bake in the oven for twenty-five to thirty minutes.
While mushrooms are baking, prepare the vegetable filling.
Vegetable Filling:
1 leek stalk, sliced and diced
1/8 of a cup of red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 medium sized pepper)
1 cup yellow bell pepper, diced (about 1 medium sized pepper)
4-5 celery stalks, roughly diced
1 cup fresh basil, pull loose leaves off of basil plant
2 slices of lemon wedges (squeeze juice of the lemon)
2-3 cups of Rainbow kale
1 Tablespoon of Avocado Oil
Directions: Heat vegetable melody in a medium sized skillet on medium- high heat. Combine onion, bell peppers, celery, kale and all of the ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon.  Turn heat down to low and cover until vegetables are sweating. Uncover, and turn up the heat again to high, and sauté. Continue to do this for 5-8 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Turn off stove and remove skillet from heat. Stir in red chili pepper flakes, capers and parsley. Allow to come to room temperature.
When about ready to serve, place mushrooms on an oven safe dish, and generously portion out heaps of vegetable melody mixture into each mushroom. Can microwave the mixture on a microwave safe plate or may reheat in the oven for 8-10 minutes in a 200 degree oven.