One Year Blogoversary and Links!

I can't believe I've been blogging for a whole year now! What started as a random experiment to get me through the long winter has turned into a passion/hobby/second career. In the past year, I've learned about photography, tried dozens of new dishes and ingredients, connected with many wonderful people on the web and tackled multiple holiday meals. It has been quite the cooking/writing/eating adventure!

Best of all, this is not only my blogoversary but my 201st post as well!  You may notice some changes on the site going forward, I have a lot of plans to update and upgrade my website this year. In this endeavor, I will be helped by the lovely Melissa from Fine Lime Designs, who has patiently answered all my crazy questions so far. Check our her site and her food blog!


I wanted to take a minute to reflect back on my first year of blogging and share with you some of my all time favorite recipes and posts. At the end of 2011, I shared my most popular posts, but as any food blogger will tell you, popularity has more to do with the quality of the photo then the quality or taste of the dish. Here are some of my favorite recipes from my first year of blogging that I absolutely love so much. I am going to remake and re-imagine a few of these in the upcoming weeks so keep an eye out!

This is the post that started it all: Quinoa Cakes. 

Some of my favorites from my first year of blogging:

• Quinoa Caprese Salad
• Brussels Sprout Hash
• Honey Lime Roast Chicken
• Barley Risotto with Kale and Cannelini Beans
• Bracciole
• Craig's Scallop Stuffed Trout

And here are some healthy links!

1. Wasabi can prevent food poisoning and maybe even stomach cancer! - CNN
2. Exercise can prevent Alzherimer's! - NYT
3. Is sitting the new smoking? - HuffPo
4. Can drinking coffee reduce your risk of diabetes? - WebMD

Chicken Empanadas with Ancho Chili Sauce

For my one year anniversary and 200th post, I wanted to make something yummy and special, but I didn't want to have to run to the store to get all new ingredients. Craig has been begging me for months to make empanadas, he recently discovered them at our local Peruvian restaurant and fell in love, so I figured tonight was the night. Empanadas are small stuffed pastries or breads that can be baked and fried. They feature prominently in most Latin American cuisines and are a popular and delicious street food. You can stuff them with almost anything, but it is usually a combination of meat, potatoes and vegetables.

I decided to make a Mexican inspired healthy empanada, using some of the fantastic dried chillies I picked up in Texas this weekend. My awesome Grandpa Joe took me down to the Supermercado near his house and I stocked up on lots of exotic dried chilies and spices. It is so hard to find authentic Mexican ingredients up in Boston, so I was in heaven. Everything in the store looked and smelled sooo fantastic. So, to go with my empanadas, I decided to make a spicy ancho chili sauce.

These empanadas are certainly not traditional. I made a bunch of substitutions to make them healthier. I used whole wheat flour, cut way down on the traditional butter and lard, and filled them with lean chicken breast and fiber-filled pinto beans. Instead of deep frying them, I just baked them until they got nice and crispy.

Full recipe and photos after the jump!
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Lemon Kale Fettuccine

Tonight was one of those throw together a quick dinner night, since I just got back from a whirlwind long weekend visiting my Grandparents in Dallas. I spent a lot of time cooking, eating and catching up with all my relatives and was also able to enjoy a big Patriots win on Saturday! Craig went grocery shopping yesterday and brought home some gorgeous homemade spinach fettuccine. So I was inspired to create this simple, 15 minute dish! Kale, lemon, toasted pine nuts and a bit of garlic combine to make a healthy, filling and super easy pasta. You could top this with chicken to make it a one pot meal or serve it on the side. I added some grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Recipe and photos after the jump
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