“International Eats”

Happy Monday All!  Today is an AWESOME day because it’s The Scandalous Bachelor Finale, it’s sunny outside and I had some AMAZING eats.  I cooked up TWO new “international” recipes this weekend ~ Chinese & Mexican Food ~ Both turned out to be PHENOMENAL…but more on that in a bit.

I happened to come across these Candied Pecan’s at Trader Joe’s this weekend.   I have totally been wanting to try them ever since.

What better way to sample these nuts than to whip up a batch of Caramel Pecan Banana Oats!  5 points for this entire bowl of goodness.

1/3 c Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1/2 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed

2/3 c water

BIG Dashes of Cinnamon

All cooked for 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave.

3/4 of a small banana mixed in and 1/4 for topping

1/2 Tbsp Whipped Butter melted

1 tsp brown sugar

4 CANDIED Pecans broken into pieces

I just LOVE the combination of the salty whipped butter with the melted brown sugar caramel and these little candied pecan treats.  The pecans are perfectly salty, sweet and not over sugared ~ YUM.  I made sure I got a little treat with each bite.

I really should’ve had some protein with  my oats because I was STARVING an hour later.  I managed to hold out for 3 hours until I had my mid morning snack of TJ’s Organic Vanilla Yogurt with a nectarine (3 pts).  I am really digging this yogurt ~ honestly the flavor is like that of FROYO!

My lunch today was inspired by the latest issue of Cooking Light Magazine.  II LOVE digging into this magazine as soon as it arrives.  The first thing I check out is the recipes (of course!) then, I move on to the articles.

I have to say there are some great articles in this months issue!

1.  The 25 Most Common Cooking Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) (p. 108) – Cooking Light offers tips on how to avoid the 25 most common cooking mistakes, so you can breeze through every culinary adventure without fear. Common mistakes include overcrowding the sauté pan, turning food too often, slicing meat with the grain rather than against it, not tasting as you go, and more.

Yup, I’ll be the first to admit, I make a few of them 😀

2.  The Healthy Cook’s 3-Step Pantry Planner (p. 48-49) – There is a pull-out guide that offers tips on keeping a well maintained pantry, stocked with healthy must-haves.  Tips include knowing what you have, upgrading your ingredients, and building a collection of essential spices.  Now, I just need someone to come makeover my pantry for me 😉

3.  Guilt-Free Pizza in 20 Minutes (p. 102) – Making pizza nutritious is all about proportion and smart topping trade-offs.  Cooking Light offers recipes and tips on making a healthy, nutritious pie, ready in about 20 minutes.  PIZZA 101 Homemade vs store bought ~ LOVE it!

4.  And for all those GIVING UP MEAT FOR LENT ~

Start with… a Can of Chickpeas (p. 95) – This versatile legume finds a home in many cuisines, from Spanish tapas to Moroccan tagines, and many dishes in between.  Cooking Light offers four great chickpea combinations to satisfy any craving.  I LOVE Chickpeas!

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Ok ~ I’ll stop there ~ let’s just say it’s a good issue 😀 I may have actually drooled on my magazine when I came across Ellie Krieger’s Spicy Chicken Fried Rice with Peanuts.  I couldn’t find the recipe on myrecipes.com, but, you can find it HERE.  I followed the recipe for the most part with the exception of subbing TJ’s Broccoli Slaw for the water chestnuts plus Sriracha.

I LOVE any recipe that lets me use my All-Clad Wok, however, any large stainless steel pan works, like the on you can find in my OPEN SKY SHOP!.  I am a FIRM believer in using high quality stainless steel (think surgical) steel pans because you do not end up with anything you don’t want in your food (like Teflon pieces or Cast Iron Metal). 

HIGH QUALITY is definitely a must if you buy any stainless steel pan because it cannot be easily scratched which means things do not stick.  If they do, you can simply boil a little water and use a spatula to remove it.  I LOVE ALL CLAD for this reason!

I had a NICE 1 1/4 cup serving for 7 POINTS topped with more Sriracha ~ I LOVED the spicy addition.  This recipe is really delish even if it’s not really like Chinese Food Fried Rice.  Everything just works together.

I made up a Spicy Peanut Slaw to go with it using Trader Joe’s Broccoli Slaw with 1 Tbsp TJ’s Low-Fat Spicy Peanut Sauce.

I was starving all day, but, my lunch finally did the job along with a few Pop Chips in the afternoon at holding me over until I could get home to the dinner I put in the Crock Pot this morning.

SLOW COOKER TURKEY BURRITO BAKE!!!

This has layers and layers of flavors….Ground Turkey, Enchilada Sauce, Salsa, Fire Roasted Red Tomato, Veggies, Tortillas, Rice, Beans, CHEESE!  It’s as good as it sounds!

I served mine over romaine lettuce and made a turkey enchilada burrito salad topped with avocado, tomatoes and green onions. 

This might just be my FAVORITE new recipe….I will be posting it tomorrow for you all!

For now, I am off to finish watching THE SCANDALOUS BACHELOR FINALE!!!  Are you all excited about who he picked or not???

GET READY FOR A BIG OPEN SKY GIVEAWAY COMING UP ON WEDNESDAY ~ I will be offering you all another discount with a personalized gift for each person who buys and 3 LUCKY people will win a prize too!

Night all!