Jalapeno Tomato Soup

I decided not to buy groceries this weekend and to make due with what I have until I head home for the holidays. I don't know about you, but I always have a can or box of tomato soup in my cupboard. I also had a can of sliced Jalapeno's and some stale tortilla chips. I heated the creamy tomato soup and while it was warming added about a teaspoon and a half of jalapenos. In the bowl I was serving it-I crumbled up some stale tortilla chips. Pour the soup in and devour. This was delicious and a simple way to spice up something plain!

Disappointing-Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps

I recently had Riceworks' Sweet Chili gourmet brown rice crisps and loved them. They had my favorite combination of sweet and salty. Also, I felt like I was eating something healthy since there are all these labels on it saying "gluten free", "whole grain brown rice", and "1/3 less fat tha most salty snacks." So, you can understand why I was excited to try the Salsa Fresco version of these crisps. They did absolutely nothing for me. I did not taste the salsa fresco; infact, mine were somewhat bland. Then I turned the bag around to look at the nutrition facts and was astonished to find that there was still saturated fat, lots of calories, and regular fat. Oh well, there is always tomorrow to have something new and delicious.

ps I tried to load a picture forever...but my internet is not working very well.

Gourmet Ramen

Everyone has ramen noodles as a staple in their college diet (except for me). To be honest, I could never stand to take more than a couple bites. I don't know if it was the level of saltiness or the msg packets that completely turned me off. Now that I am a year and a half out of college ramen has now become a staple in my diet. For this recipe you can use any type of ramen-because you will not be using the little mystery packets-but just the noodles. I have personally grown to love the KOYO brand since they use organic noodles. So-first you will boil water and cook the noodles (again-DO NOT ADD THE FLAVOR POUCH). I happen to always have a lot of condiments in my refrigerator, especially Asian ones. I just took a couple of my favorites and added them to the cooked noodles. First I added half a teaspoon of wasabi mayo. Stir it into the noodles until it is completely mixed in. Then I added a little pepper jelly for some spice and sweetness (again stir until mixed adequately). Then I tossed in soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, siracha and pepper (did not measure). I was craving protein, so I cooked a tofurky sausage and added that; but, for you meat eaters chicken, shrimp, beef would work as well! Also, if the idea of wasabi mayo does not sit well with you-try it with half a teaspoon of peanut butter instead (just as delicious). It took all of ten minutes to make. Additional items you could add would be peppers, onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, baby corn, snap peas, broccoli, etc. Enjoy!

Once a Day

Once a Day Gourmet came to a sudden halt when I started a new job, became exhausted, and was barely eating one meal a day. I am going to try and post something-even if it is just a quick sentence or a picture from now on once a day.

These last couple months my refrigerator has either been completely empty or completely full (still haven't mastered that moderation technique). Since Thanksgiving, my refrigerator has been jammed packed (in fact some food even went moldy-which I always feel so horrible about). Despite my refrigerator still being full with Thanksgiving goodies (butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc.) I was in the mood for an avocado and cheese sandwich. However, I still wanted to use up some of my leftover Thanksgiving ingredients. I will call this sandwich creation "Week after Turkey Day"-it consists of two slices of whole wheat bread, jalapeno hummus spread on both sides, a slice of cheddar jalapeno cheese, a slice of brie, half of an avocado sliced, and cranberry sauce. Yes, I said CRANBERRY SAUCE (the jellied kind). For those of you who haven't read any other posts-you should know that I love a sweet, salty, and spicy combination. This sandwich is masters that combination. The avocado brings a nice texture and body to the sandwich, the cheese tastes amazing and glues the sandwich together, the jalapeno hummus brings the heat, and the cranberry sauce sweetens the whole experience. If you still have cranberry sauce in your refrigerator-try out this sandwich!



I know this sandwich does not look that great in this picture (I overstuffed it and the lighting is poor), but I am telling you it was one of the most delicious sandwiches I have had in a long time.