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    Food & DIY

    Phyllo Dough Flat Bread

    November 10, 2014

     

    Today I’m sharing with you one of my go-to recipes: phyllo dough flat bread. I started making flat bread when I first moved out on my own and I needed to prepare meals that were fast and easy, and that could serve as leftovers for work. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s really easy to make. You can even prepare it in advance and just pop it in the oven right before mealtime. It can also serve as an appetizer at your next party. Although you can pick any of your favorite toppings to put on your flat bread, I am suggesting some of my favorite combinations in this post. One of my favorite appetizers is bacon-wrapped dates, so it only seemed natural to use those two ingredients as a topping in one of these flatbread recipes. I also love Greek salads, so I decided to combine some of the ingredients in my second flat bread. But as I said, the possibilities are endless. This recipe is also great with a side salad if you’re worried about getting in your daily serving of veggies. I know that I’m definitely trying to pay more attention to that these days. Haha!

     

     

     

    PHYLLO DOUGH FLAT BREAD RECIPE
    (Each flat bread makes 4-6 servings)
    INGREDIENTS FOR CRUST:
    (Makes 1 crust)
    10-12 Phyllo dough sheets
    1/2 cup of Olive Oil
    1/2 cup of Pasta Sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara)
    GOAT CHEESE, DATE AND BACON FLAT BREAD
    TOPPINGS:
    8 oz herbed goat cheese
    3-5 chopped dates
    1 cup of chopped bacon
    Sliced onions (to taste)
    FETA CHEESE AND OLIVE FLAT BREAD
    TOPPINGS:
    1 and 1/2 cups of crumbled Feta cheese
    1/2 cup of chopped basil
    1 cup of chopped tomatoes
    1 cup of chopped Kalamata olives
    Sliced onions (to taste)
    Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, lay down a baking sheet or piece of aluminum on a tray, and lightly grease it with olive oil to ensure that the phyllo dough sheets don’t stick. To make your crust, start off by laying down a phyllo dough sheet over the aluminum or baking sheet. Use a brush or a paper napkin to rub olive oil over the sheet before you lay down the next, and repeat this until you’ve laid down all 10-12 sheets. Once you have your crust, spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over it, and then evenly spread your toppings over the crust. Finally, bake the flat breads for 45-50 minutes and serve.

     

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    I hope that you all had a great weekend. I spent most of mine in my loungewear, baking and studying. I don’t think that I have to say that my weekend wasn’t too exciting! I’m just trying to get through this month, take the GRE, and then have time to enjoy the holidays.
    Also, I’m sorry if I have been slow responding to comments. Your opinions and questions are very valuable to me! As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’m trying to take a step back from blogging for a while, in order to make time for studying and self-care. However, I don’t want to completely ignore this blog since I really enjoy working on it and interacting with all of you. Nevertheless, I should be able to be more active here by the end of the month, once I’ve taken the GRE.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
    Food & DIY

    Chocolate and Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

    October 8, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    I’ve been having extreme sugar cravings lately, and have been eating tons and tons of chocolate. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, that is mostly what I have been eating, and I realize that all the candy bars that I have been devouring are not necessarily rich in nutrients. That is why I’ve been looking for dessert ideas that are both healthy and delicious. This past weekend I made chia seed pudding for the first time, by adapting a recipe that I found on the back of the Trader Joe’s Chia Seeds packet. I was really surprised at how delicious it tasted, as well as how easy it was to make. Another great thing about this dessert is that it is a great way for you to get your daily dose of fiber and Omega 3s. And, did I mention that it’s also vegan? Keep on reading if you want to learn how to make this delicious recipe.
    Adapted from Trader Joe’s Chia Seed’s Recipe
    INGREDIENTS:
    1/2 a cup of chia seeds
    2 cups of vanilla coconut milk
    1/3 of a cup of agave syrup
    1/4 of a cup of cocoa powder
    Shredded coconut (Optional)
    Combine 1/2 cup of chia seeds, 1/3 of a cup of agave syrup, and 1/4 of a cup of cocoa powder in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups of vanilla coconut milk and stir. Make sure to mix all the ingredients well enough, so that there aren’t any chunks of cocoa powder left in the mixture.  Put the mixture in the fridge for 2-3 hours, and stir occasionally. Before you go ahead and serve the pudding, wait until the chia seeds expand and the mixture thickens. Once the pudding is good to go, you can add shredded coconut or chocolate flakes, and then enjoy! It’s that easy!
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    If you’re wondering why I’ve been craving so much dessert, it’s probably because these past few weeks have been very busy for me. This week, in particular, has been pretty intense for me in terms of work, since we have a big event coming up on Saturday. I can’t wait until it’s over and I finally have time to breathe. The good thing is that I’m taking some time off from work next week, so I’ll have time to rest. I was kind of bummed at first, because the main reason that I’m taking time off is because I need to get my car fixed. But since I always talk about  how much I hate driving, I’m hoping that being without a car for a couple of days will enable me to rediscover my love for public transportation. I’m really committed to getting out of the house during that time, and discovering new and cool places. If any of you have any suggestions of cool places in L.A. that you can get to taking either the metro or bus, please let me know! I’d love to hear all of your suggestions.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace

     

    Food & DIY

    Kale, Red Quinoa and Fruit Salad

    August 13, 2014
    Lately I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to eat more salads, since I’m trying to be more health-conscious and actually eat my vegetables. Over the weekend, I had the grand idea of making a salad of several ingredients that I was craving. The result was a delicious kale, quinoa and fruit salad. Being that these days I seem to have a huge sweet tooth, I loved that this salad kind of tasted like dessert. It was even a big hit with my family, and they don’t usually enjoy eating salads. I mean, who doesn’t want to get on board with eating healthy dessert salad? I know that I do!
    KALE, QUINOA AND FRUIT SALAD
    INGREDIENTS
    (MAKES 6-7 SERVINGS)
    SALAD:
    5-6 cups of chopped kale
    1 cup of uncooked red quinoa (about 3 cups prepared)
    1 cup of chopped walnuts
    2 cups of grapes cut in half
    2 cups of chopped strawberries
    1/2 cup of crumbled Feta cheese (optional)
    3 cups of shredded chicken (optional)
    RED WINE AND BASIL VINAIGRETTE
    1/3 cup of olive oil
    1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
    1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil
    1 garlic clove
    1 tsp of sugar
    1 tsp of salt
    —–
    Directions.
    Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in cold water. Then, in a small pot mix 1 cup of quinoa with two cups of water. Once the water starts to boil, bring down the temperature to low, cover the pot and let the quinoa simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally. You can also add a pinch of salt and pepper to the red quinoa for taste. Once the quinoa is cooked, rinse it again in cold water in order to cool it down.
    In a large salad bowl, mix the quinoa, chopped kale, grapes, walnuts and strawberries. You can also add Feta cheese and shredded chicken if you want to make your salad more filling.
    To make the vinaigrette, blend the olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh basil, garlic, sugar and salt. Pour the vinaigrette and toss the salad, and then you’re ready to serve.
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    I have to say that putting this post together this weekend was so much fun. I know that I keep saying this, but I really do want to invest more time working on recipes and D.I.Y. tutorials. It puts me in such a good mood when I have the opportunity to be creative. Since I obviously don’t take my own outfit photos for this blog, it was also so much fun to have the opportunity to be behind the camera and come up with unique ways to stage everything.
    I hope that you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did. I’d love to hear how how you like it once you try it out. Have an amazing rest of the week!
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace