Healthy Snacking!

Saturday was quite the adventurous day. I am not joking, just keep reading and you'll find out why.

First of all, I woke up and had delicious queso fundido. Its just melted cheese from the mcirowave, but this was with authentic Oaxaca cheese. Yes, I did bring some from Mexico, and yes I have been eating it lately since I do not want it to go bad.

So anyways, after breakfast, I just bummed around for a bit (it was gross weather outside). Then, after giving it much thought, I decided to make one of the biggest purchases of my life. I bought a NEX-3 Sony compact camera.

Quite an investment let me tell you, but so far I am loving it and I think it was good use of my money. That was adventure number one of the day: spending a chunk of my life savings on a gadget.

Then, I came home, went about my day normally and hoped that the rain stopped before the NKOTBSB concert at Fenway Park. It kind of did, at least for a while.

Now here comes the start of the not so cool adventures. As I am leaving to the concert, I decide to run back to switch my sweater for a trench coat-- quite a stupid decision let me tell you because if I was about to switch my sweater for something that would help if it rained, a hoodless trench coat was not it-- and I forget my keys inside of the apartment.

Forgetting my keys when my roommate is not here had been my GREATEST fear for quite a while. I know the consequences are not so bad (I have tons of friends with places I could crash), but I am OCD, and it really does make me angry to forget my keys. Anyways, I ended up making it back into my apartment in time to go out and enjoy the rest of my Saturday night.

So despite everything that happened this weekend, I managed to maintain some normality: cooking and writing pieces for my internship. I made two simple sides that also happen to be very healthy. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Fries (adapted from Hungry Girl)

• 1 butternut squash
• Cooking spray
• S & P

1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Cut off the ends of the squash and slice in half widthwise. Peel butternut squash. Cut bottom half lengthwise and spoon out the seeds.
3. Cut butternut squash into 1/2 inch wide spears and pat with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Lay spears over paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 5 minutes and pat again.
4. Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil and distribute spears evenly. Sprinkle with S & P.
5. Bake fries for 40 minutes, carefully flipping them over halfway through.

Braised Celery (adapted from How To Cook Everything)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 .5 lbs. celery, trimmed and sliced into 2-inch pieces
• S & P
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook celery for about 2 minutes. Season with S & P. 
3. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Place skillet in the oven and cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated and celery is very tender, about 15 minutes. If liquid evaporates before celery is tender, add more stock.
4. Serve with chopped parsley as garnish.

Turnip Greens Leftover?

Remember the turnips from two recipes ago? Well I still had the turnip greens lying around in my fridge, so I decided turn them into a yummy side dish.

First of all, be warned, these are spicy and a bit bitter. Granted most turnip greens are, but if you do not like strong flavors, then stay away from this recipes (but still browse around the other ones and find one you like!)

These days my life has been a constant juggle of school-work, journalism, and running. Some simple cooking in the mix of course. But this week something very exciting happened--so exciting it made me jump up and down (for those of you who know me well, you know what I mean).

Two of my stories got published on the front page of the weekly newspaper I am interning for this summer! Hard weekend work paid off the moment I saw my name printed on a front page!

Anyways, here is the recipe, which can also be made with mustard or dandelion greens.

Shallot Turnip Greens (adapted from How To Cook Everything)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• S & P
• 1 pound turnip greens, washed, stems removed, and leaves roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon minced shallot

1. In a large pot with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add shallot slices, red pepper flakes and S & P. Cook for about one minute. 
2. Add turnip greens and chicken stock and cover. Cook until greens are wilted and beginning to tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover pan and continue to cook, stirring, until almost all the liquid is evaporated and greens are tender, about 5 more minutes.
3. Season to taste, adding more S & P if needed. Add minced shallot and cook for one more minute. Serve hot or at room temperature.