Sunday, January 5, 2014

Mexican Night

I really love Sundays, and this rainy, wintry day in New York City called for some cozy food indoors. Instead of opting for takeout, Brandon and I decided on Mexican (duh). After a morning of running errands, we came back to our apartment, flicked on the football games & started to cook! This dinner was just what we needed - it's healthy, vegetarian & actually fairly light (which was needed after a heavy pasta dinner last night).

Here's what was on the menu. Read on for the full recipes:

1. Mexican cucumbers 
[baby cucumbers, lime juice & chili powder]




- cut the cucumbers into small pieces & put them into a bowl
- drizzle the juice of 1/2 a lime over the cucumbers (you can easily put more lime juice into this recipe, but Brandon isn't a huge fan, so I kept this part minimal)
- finish with two tablespoons of chili powder - mix it into the bowl with the cucumbers and lime juice & stir
- plate the cucumbers onto a plate & you're done!

2. Bean salad 
[one can of kidney beans, two cans of chick peas, green beans, celery, red onion, apple cider vinegar, oil, salt, pepper & sugar]

































- after rinsing the beans, put all three cans into a bowl
- chop up the green beans, celery & red onion as you wish - I used two stalks of celery, a handful of green beans and 1/3 of a large, red onion
- mix the beans & the veggies
- add in 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of oil & sugar and finish with salt & pepper
- refrigerate for at least and hour, then serve

3. Vegetable fajitas
[red pepper, red onion, one can of black beans, monterey jack cheese & tortillas...don't forget the glass of white wine on the side ;)]









- sauté the red onion and red pepper in a pan with olive oil for 10 minutes, until golden brown
- rinse the black beans and put them into a pot on the stove to heat up for about 10 minutes
- warm up your tortillas in the microwave
- serve the tortillas with the sautéed vegetables, cooked black beans & shredded monterey jack on top. garnish with sour cream, hot sauce & scallions and you got yourself a dope fajita.

let me know if you try any of these - i'd love to know! also, comment with your favorite mexican recipe. we're always down to try new mexican dishes!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Hey There, '14

I've always loved fresh starts, and New Year's Day is a favorite of mine. 2013 was incredible - probably one of my favorites yet. I moved to a new job that challenges and excites me every single day, Brandon and I moved to a wonderful apartment in Chelsea, and my relationships with him, my friends and family have strengthened and continued to grow. I'm so insanely lucky. It was a great year, and I'm looking forward to what 2014 will bring.

To kick it off, I wanted to set a few resolutions. here are a few of my simple goals:
  • Practice the act of gratitude 
  • Wake up early and take time for myself 
  • Eat something green every day
  • Plan a trip (on my list of places: New Orleans, Thailand)
  • Workout at least 3x a week
  • Read a book a month
There they are. Now, all I have to do is focus on them. Here's to an abundant & adventurous '14!