Tag Archives: summer

Crispy, baked veggie sticks

Posted in Food & Diet, Recipes by

By Emily McLaughlin

Remember all of those fresh veggies I was talking about? The ones my mom acquired over the weekend? Well, they were gone in 2 days. My favorite use of them? Crispy, healthy, baked… veggie sticks.

These veggie sticks were extremely quick and easy to make, and I highly suggest them as a healthy alternative to the summer chips and dips that emerge at BBQs, birthdays and grad parties.

Obviously, I didn’t really measure out all the ingredients here. When you are breading the veggies, you want to make sure that the breadcrumb mixture doesn’t get soggy as you go. When I made these, I just kept adding more breadcrumbs to my bowl as I needed them.

Veggie sticks

Veggies, washed (I used 1 zucchini, 1 Japanese eggplant and 1 red bell pepper)

1 cup Japanese-style panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 cloves minced garlic

Fresh basil, thyme, oregano

1 egg (use olive oil for vegan recipe)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Slice the veggies into french-fry sized sticks, then pat them dry and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, cheese, and spices. In another small bowl, whisk the egg.

3. Set up a little assembly line, taking a few veggies at a time, dipping them in the egg, then the coating them with the breading. Place coated veggie sticks on a baking sheet (lightly greased).

4. Bake your veggies in the oven for about 20 minutes–or until they reach your desired crispness. The breadcrumbs will start to become a nice golden brown color.

These veggie sticks are addictive. After I consumed, pretty much, every veggie stick I had made (that is what my family gets for leaving me at home alone with them), I headed to my uncles for some grilled food and family time. Here are some snapshots. :)

A little surfing.

My poor aunt… thrown in the pool fully clothed.

… rough.

My brother on a miniature bike…

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer!

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Italian-style, stuffed vegetables

Posted in Food & Diet, Recipes by

By Emily McLaughlin

I love eating at my moms because I get to do a lot of the cooking, without doing much of the buying. ;)

This past weekend, I made a delicious, light summer dish with all the fresh veggies my mom had acquired from a friend’s garden (and the grocery store). She had zucchini, yellow squash, Japanese eggplant, red bell peppers and juicy, red tomatoes.

Earlier in the summer, my lovely Group Fitness boss invited a few of the gym folk over for a delicious summer meal. As a side dish, she make stuffed zucchini boats–the inspiration for this dish. Of course, you can use any variety of vegetable,

Italian-style, stuffed vegetables (serves 3-4)

3 veggies of your choice, sliced in half the long way

(For this recipe I chose 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash and 1 Japanese eggplant)

1 medium tomato, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed and finely chopped

Fresh basil and thyme, chopped

1 egg

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Olive oil

1. Gut the sliced veggies, dice the insides and place in a medium-sized bowl

2. To the bowl, add the tomato, red bell pepper, garlic, spices and egg. Mix well.

3. Next, add the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to the bowl and continue mixing. At this point… you’re stuffing is done.

4. Arrange your veggie boats on a baking pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Fill the insides of the veggies with your prepared stuffing, sprinkling them with extra cheese if desired.

5. This weekend, we grilled the veggies on foil for 20-25 minutes, or until the stuffing began to crisp. You can also bake the veggies in the oven at 375 for the same amount of time, checking periodically to make sure that they are not burning. The egg will cook through fairly quickly, so focus on reaching your desired veggie softness and stuffing crispness.

Enjoy this light summer dish on warm summer evening. :) Stay healthy, stay happy.

Hit the trails, breathe the fresh air

Posted in Fitness, We Love Amherst by

By Emily McLaughlin

Summer in Amherst, MA. is incredible. Not only are there no classes, but the population decreases by several thousand, the landscape is in full bloom and the weather is… well… perfect most days. Amherst is a very active and involved community, so there is never any shortage of things to do. Between hiking, bike riding and running down nature trails–you almost don’t need a gym membership.

In my down time, I have gone on some amazing hikes and runs. My favorite thing to do is trail run. There are dozens of trails in the area that provide benefits beyond entertainment on a sunny Amherst day.  For example, trail running is easy on joints and less painful for those with shin splints. Trail running is also a great way to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the streets and breathe in some fresh air.

If you are in Amherst for the summer, AmherstMa.gov has mapped out all the trails in the area. Use this site  in particular to map out a trail run. You can check the elevation at certain points and measure the total distance of your run (similar to MapMyRun or NikePlus).

Hit the trails with some friends or head out for your own personal therapy session. Enjoy all that the Pioneer Valley has to offer. Below are some photos from my recent runs–I always bring my iPhone on my trips… mostly because I am prone to get lost, but also so I can capture the beauty of the Pioneer Valley with my camera.

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Edamame & Carrot Slaw

Posted in Food & Diet, Recipes by

By Emily McLaughlin

Last night I hosted a small potluck at my apartment. Like myself, most of my friends are getting ready to move out of their Amherst homes. A potluck was the perfect way to utilize the miscellaneous food products we had left in our cabinets and refrigerators. For the gathering, I made some cookies to use up the trail mixed I had, a pan of baked ziti to get ride of the pasta and cheese and, finally, an edamame and carrot slaw.

The edamame and carrot slaw was light, protein-packed and delicious. This slaw is the perfect pairing to your summer BBQ burger. Follow the quick, easy recipe below to make your own!

Image

Edamame & Carrot Slaw 

Ingredients

  • 12 oz. frozen edamame (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
  • 4-6 large carrots (2-3 cups of baby carrots)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup green onions, finely sliced (shallots are good too!)

Dressing

  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (olive oil is okay if you don’t have vegetable on hand)
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Prepare the edamame according to package instructions and set aside to dry.
  2. Wash and peel the carrots (peeling is not necessary if you are using baby carrots). Grate with a food processor or grater and stir into the edamame.
  3. To the edamame and carrots, add the cilantro and onions. Mix well.
  4. In a separate bowl, prepare the dressing. Press the garlic gloves and stir together with the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and pepper.
  5. Add this dressing to the edamame mixture and toss to evenly coat.  Season with pepper and serve immediately.

*This slaw will keep for a few days, but is best when consumed the day off preparation.