Alina's Spinach Tortillas

I've been reading some books over the last few weeks that have begun convincing me that we eat way too many carbs. I'm not necessarily advocating a carb free diet, but the simple fact is that carbs in any form turn to sugar in the bloodstream, and we have way too much sugar in our diets to begin with. As such, Adam and I have been making a conscious decision to eat less carbs overall.

One of my favorite foods is flour tortillas. Not kidding. I used to eat them with just butter and call it a meal when I was growing up. That being said, in the name of healthy eating I'm willing to try alternatives.

If you look at the nutritional content of a typical bag of flour there are about 22 grams of carbs in a quarter cup. I wanted to try my hand at making my own tortillas, and I wanted the tortillas to be healthier overall-- full of nutrients and devoid of the bad stuff. Here's what I came up with. Is it competely carb free? No. Is it much better than the typical tortilla? Absolutely.

Alina's Refried Bean and Corn Enchiladas

I decided to make another recipe from the Mitsitam Cafe cookbook, which is a cookbook devoted entirely to American Indian foods. This week I made Refried Bean and Corn Enchiladas, and they were a delicious success!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but I followed it fairly closely. This recipe brings some classic flavors together: tomatoes, corn, refried beans, peppers, onion, cilantro, garlic, and cheese. It doesn't have a standout ingredient, but everything works well together and in the end all of these commonplace ingredients merge into a fairly distinct flavor.

Alina's Buffalo Chili

My friend Blaire lent me this awesome cookbook (found here on Amazon) called the Mitsitam Cafe Cookbook. It's full of "recipes from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian." Super cool.

Marissa has been taking a class for the last few weeks that goes until 9 pm, and so she's been too busy to make and swap food. As such, I decided to make something spicy this week since Adam and I love spicy food but Marissa and Brad don't. I picked up some ground buffalo meat from the Madison downtown farmer's market. Buffalo meat is prized for its low-fat content and has a really great flavor. The result was this amazing chili.

Adam loved this chili. He initially ate three bowls of it and would have kept going if I wouldn't have reigned him in. All weekend he just wanted to eat the leftovers.
1 pm: "Isn't it time to eat dinner yet?"
2 pm: "Is it time for dinner now?! I want that chili!"
3:30 pm: "Okay, it's dinner time, right?"
5:30: "Yes!! Finally dinner time!!"

Alina's Red Velvet Pancakes

We had a pancake party at work on Friday (Star Wars Day! May the Fourth) and I was asked to make enough batter for 80 novelty pancakes.

You heard that right. 80 pancakes.

My best friend Cassidy and I enjoyed red velvet pancakes while in Las Vegas last month, so I decided to try my hand at making my own red velvet pancakes.

These pancakes were described by my co-workers as:

• "Amazing!"
• "A hit!"
• "Absurdly decadent."
• "Like nothing I've ever tasted before."

When I was testing recipes and I swallowed my first bite of these pancakes all I could do was gasp out, "Oh. My. Gosh. This is incredible." If I haven't convinced you to splurge yet, I never will. The white chocolate chips are what make these pancakes such a home run because they remain partially melty for about 5 minutes after they come off the griddle, infusing the pancakes with ooey-gooey exceptionally rich flavor.

Alina's Avocado Deviled Eggs

I love deviled eggs. As in an if-there-is-only-one-deviled-egg-left-and-you-eat-it-I-will-silently-die-a-little-inside kind of love. Of course, deviled eggs are always filled to the brim with mayo (which also happens to be my favorite condiment). This equals a less than healthy addiction.

You know what I also love? Avocados. I started brainstorming... What would happen if POOF! The most unhealthy ingredient in deviled eggs (mayo) was replaced by nature's delicious source of good-for-you fat (avocado)? I was willing to bet it would be pretty amazing (and I was right).

I did a quick google search and discovered I wasn't the first person to think of this substitution. The only problem is that every recipe I found still used mayo. I wanted to go completely sans mayo, so I did it my own way. Protein + healthy avocado fat = a delicious AND healthy deviled egg! Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!

Alina's Super Green Soup

My super green soup is a mish-mash of good for you veggies, and since it's completely natural and exceptionally healthy this soup is an all-around winner. It reminded me a little of split pea soup, maybe because of the texture but also because of the taste. Adam said he would "definitely eat it again" and it was super easy to make. This dish was a healthy success!

Alina's Sweet Peach BBQ Salmon Wraps

Today was an unseasonably warm day, which wet my appetite for summer food. I started thinking about how delicious a BBQ sandwich would be, and that's when this recipe started formulating in my head. These salmon wraps pull most of their sweetness from the tomato paste and peaches, and the brussels sprout cranberry coleslaw is what really seals the deal. My dad is an amazing gardener, and he gave me some collard greens last week that I needed to use up. My mom doesn't eat wheat products, so she sometimes uses collard greens to make wraps, and I decided to do the same.

This wrap is packed with healthy nutrients. Wild salmon is considered to be one of the healthiest kinds of fish, providing over three times your recommended omega-3s. Collard greens pack a punch with tons of fiber and healthy portions of vitamins C, A, and K. Brussels sprouts are exceptionally high in protein for a vegetable, and also have above average levels of fiber and vitamin C. Brussels sprouts are also said to protect against cancer. Peaches are high in fiber and vitamin C. To top things off, one of the natural sweeteners in this recipe, cranberries, is high in anti-oxidants and is considered to be "one of the top foods with proven health benefits." Have I convinced you yet that this dish is chock full of nutrients? That's because it is.

Why beat around the bush? This is by far one of the tastiest original dishes I've come up with. It hints of familiar summer memories while standing proud as its own, unique dish.