Meal Prep for what???

So after 6 lovely months staying home with my daughter, I decided to go back to work.
FINE FINE I will type it...
I WAS GOING STIR CRAZY
Losing my mind
I know I know ...Moms are not allowed to say that let alone type it.  But you also should know by now, I do not give a flying donut.

Plus I am fortunate!!! I am a professor.  At my university I only have to teach 12 hours over 4 days.
WHAT??
Please do not throw your computer and/or phone.
My husband also teaches at this university...ok I am going to stop now before you do something terrible.
Basically I only work 4 mornings a week. During that time my angel gets to be with her Daddy.
Now this sounds like a dream....
Untill you think about the  two people who are  balancing a tiny human and jobs.
They must eat...preferably not McDonald's every meal. (In Korea, McDonald's delivers...it is AMAZING)
SO what do you do...
Well the incredible super women out there who are wearing 6 inch stilettos while balancing their baby in one hand, a phone in the other all the while making dinner....
Well i ain't that girl!!!
I got to plan...
Or I am back to McDonald's.
Therefore~~
SomewhatGourmet is going meal prep...
Wish me luck!!
Oh and on going back to work while you are at it!!!

The perfect marinade

I love cooking.  But sometimes~~~ I am tried...I do not have time to go to the store...My brain is too exhausted to think...I have no time...

When this happens I turn to my perfect marinade! It is simply and uses things I already have in the fridge.  You can use this on tofu, chicken, pork or beef.  I personally love it on chicken  and tofu. But my husband (yup still married) loves it on pork.

I serve it with steamed or grilled veggies, a salad, rice or potatoes.  Did I mention this marinade is AMAZING.

And there are only 2 ingredients:
Whole Grain Mustard
Soy Sauce
THAT IS IT!!

I use a 2 part mustard 1 part soy sauce ratio.
If you wanna be fancy you can add garlic, orange or pinapple juice, brown sugar, or sesame oil.
This marinade works even if you have no time to let the protein sit and soak up the juice.  You can just cook it.

In the end,  you end up  tangy sauce that is completely different while still healthy and full of flavor.
It is actually one of the few sauces that I can resist adding cheese to.  It is that good!!!

The worst chocolate bread EVER

I normally post about my successes and sometimes struggles.  But last night I had an epic FAIL.

I mean my husband who eats everything said, "Ummmmm No Let's throw it out."
Like as in the trash.  The man who eat everything said PASS.

What was this inedible creation?
Chocolate Glueten Free Brownies

Wait...you hate baking.  You have spent the past few years claiming to not be a baker.  Maybe you Ms. Somewhat Gourmet messed up???

I thought of this and tried the recipe again.  And.....

It is not me.

Now as a non~baker maybe I should have known 1 cup of cacao powder is ridiculousness. But I merely a home cook trying to come up with a health afternoon snack for my hubby and I ( the baby is only on purees so she has not been forgotten).

Now I am not an evil human.  A person spent time coming up with this god awful recipe and then posted it to their  blog.  Therefore I am not posting a link.  But I am sure a goodness posting a picture of the recipe.  Maybe you will have better luck....
BUT I would stear clear of any recipe that calls for 1 cup of cacao powder.

And now I need to go to the store bexause I am out of cacao powder.

Ugh!

Who needs tomato sauce....Zucchini Sauce

I HATE tomato sauce.  I know I am weird, but if it is not covered in tons of cheese and possibly pepperoni. ..I am not eating it.

So....what do i use instead...
Alfredo sauce? 

LOVE IT

Butter and cheese?

OMG heaven

However they both have a ton of calories......soooooo

I came up with this recipe when I was making baby food and surprisingly...I kinda love it!! I do have the urge to add a pound of cheese but I want to do that on every meal.  But for a quick, healthy, and easy dinner...this is perfect. I recommend  serving this with chicken or shrimp.

This recipe makes diner for 2-3  adults.

WHAT YOU NEED
1  large massive zucchini  or 2 small to regular zucchinis
2 cloves of garlic
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp lemon juice

WHAT YOU DO
1~Cute the zucchini into pieces.   Honestly  this can be diced or sliced..it does not matter you are blending it.

2~ Put on a plate and microwave for 5 minutes.

3~ Let cool a little. Put in blender with Olive oil and the garlic cloves.  USE A TOWEL ON TOP TO HELP WITH STEAM OTHER YOU MAY BURN YOURSELF.
Blend until pureed.

4~Taste add salt, pepper and lemon juice.

You are done this is perfect to go over pasta and/or chicken.  It is also a fabulous way to sneak veggies into kids.

Oh and add a little  cheese on top if you want....or a lot ....

Enjoy!!

Ranch Chicken wings~the husband new favorite

This recipe came from a gift.  The gift of a bunch of ranch packets.  My mother in law decided to get me like 100 Ranch Packets because we can not get them in Korea.

This is sooooo thoughtful and sweet but what do you do with 100 packets???

So I decided to try making Ranch Chicken Wings and it was a HUGE success.  This is my husbands new favorite thing I make...it is super easy...healthy and goes great with a salad with ranch dressing.

WHAT YOU NEED

1 package of chicken wing, chicken legs, or drumettes.

1 package of Ranch dressing and dip mix.

WHAT TO DO
1~ THE NIGHT BEFORE is best but this can be done 5 minutes before you bake the chicken too. Put the chicken and ranch mix in a plastic bag and shake until  the chicken is evenly coated.  Let sit until ready to bake.

2~Lay out evenly on a baking sheet and cover with Aluminum  Foil.  Bake for 30 minutes of 300 degrees F.

3~Remove the Aluminum foil and broil untill the skin turns a golden brown...normally 3-6 minutes.  So watch closely or you will have burnt chicken.

4~Remove and you are ready to eat. 

I typed it was simply didn't I?? This is a great prep ahead and make for friends or a tail gate party.  

Go Noles.  It is also easy when you are exhausted from taking care of a baby all day or working or both.  Add a salad and some rolls and TA- DA  you look like Susie or Stuart homemaker!!!

Cucumber Gazpacho

Ok~ Before we start ..
YES~ I know it looks like hummus. 
But it tastes so good and refreshing who cares!!!

After making Tomato Gazpacho, I decided to experiment with more cold soups. I mean it was sooooo easy and tasty.

 Ok fine

I had lots of cucumbers!!!

Now the trick to this recipe is hot sauce.  I used tabisco sauce but pick whatever you like best.

By the way this pairs great with a cheese quesidilla or sandwich.

WHAT YOU NEED

2 Cucumbers 

3 cloves of garlic

1 slice of bread

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar 

Salt 

Pepper

1/4 tsp Hot Sauce

1/4 cup Parmescan Cheese

WHAT YOU DO

1~ Put cucumbers, garlic, Olive Oil, Vinegar, hot sauce, salt and pepper in the blend.  Blend until 

2~TASTE IT!!  If it taste good, add the 

Slice of bread and blend again.

OPTIONAL ~Run the soup through a strainer to get a smoother texture.

3~ Put in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or until cold.

4~ Pour  the soup into a bowl.  Add the fancy stuff.  Drizzle on hot sauce and Olive Oil.  Sprinkle extra Parmescan Cheese.

 

Gazpacho or how I got rid of a ton of tomatoes

AGES and ages ago I went to Barcelona with my Mom. 
Fine~only 2 years ago.  But after my little bouncing ball of joy...2 years ago seems like a decade.
While in Spain, my mom and I took a fabulous cooking class.  It was amazing.  Then I returned to Korea and totally forgot all I learned.
Well....until a few days ago...
A friend gave me tomatoes...like a lot of tomatoes....
And I had no clue what to do with them...I made pasta, sandwiches, stuffed tomatoes, salad.......NO I did not make tomato sauce because I do not like it.  My father says it is because of an incriminating photo of me eating it with my hands as a baby.  But.....THERE IS NO PROOF SUCH A PHOTO EXISTS....ANYMORE
So what to do....
Normally I would make homemade tomato soup but it is summer and HOT.

Then it hit me like a ton of tomatoes...
gazpacho
So I dusted off my memories from a lifetime ago when sleep and drinking wine occured.
And it was the perfect dinner for a summer night.  I paired with with a BTC( Bacon Tomato and Cheese) sandwich and PERFECTION.

Gazpacho~this makes 2 servicings

WHAT YOU NEED

~1/2 lb tomoatoes

~1/2 a large cucumber

~1 tsp apple cider vinegar/red wine vinegar 

~2 cloves of garlic

~salt

~pepper

~1/4 tsp cayenne paper (OPTIONAL)

~1 piece of bread

~1~2 tbsps of Olive Oil

TO TOP 

~Hot sauce

~diced cucumbers

~diced tomatoes

~Olive oil

WHAT TO DO
1~ Roast the tomatoes.  This can be done in a pan or the oven.  You want to cook the tomatoes long enough so the skin blisters but not too long that they turn black.  BLACK=BURNT
This is a step you skip if you are pressed for time or you prefer your tomatoes RAW.

2~Put the tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic in the blender or food processor and puree.  As it blends pour in 1 tbsp of Olive Oil. 

3~Next add the Vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.  Blend again.

4~ Taste.   Add more  salt and vinegar if it is bland.  Add more Olive Oil if it is too thick.

5~ Lastly add the bread and puree one last time. 

The Gazpacho is ready.  I recommend  refrigerating it for 30 minutes so it is nice and refreshing but that is not necessary.  You can all put this through a strainer to get a smoother consistency. .but I am too lazy for that.

TO LOOK FANCY~~~Before you serve, place diced cucumbers and tomatoes in the center on top of the soup and drizzle Olive Oil and Hot sauce around the edge.

And TA DA...an nice and impressive way to spend a summer evening.  Ps~it is healthy and dairy free.
Enjoy!!!