Lovin' From the Oven

Twice Baked Potatoes

by 3 Comments

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I posted this picture on Instagram months ago and a lot of you guys nearly passed out because I used turkey bacon instead of “real” bacon.

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I’ll just tell you now… I LOVE turkey bacon and have no hard feelings whatsoever against it. Sure, real bacon is more flavorful, but turkey bacon has its own charm.

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It’s not as greasy and has a better crunch. Although, I don’t discriminate against any bacon. I’d rather have turkey bacon than no bacon. Besides, these potatoes are filled with rich enough ingredients that you won’t notice the difference if you choose a little bit of a healthier route to top them off with.

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These would be the perfect football snack. Football season has started, hasn’t it?

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Oh, what do I know. I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.

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Recipe adapted from one on AllRecipes.

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Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 4 large baking potatoes
  • 8 slices bacon
  • 3/4 cup light sour cream
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup nonfat milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
  • 2 green onions, sliced, divided

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Poke each potato with a fork, then wrap individually in plastic wrap. Microwave each one for three minutes, one at a time.
  3. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon on the stove until crispy. Crumble and set aside.
  4. Allow the potatoes to cool so they're not too hot to touch. Slice each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle into a large mixing bowl, reserving the skins.
  5. Add the sour cream, butter, salt, pepper, 1/4 cup of cheese, half of the green onions, and milk. Mix until creamy.
  6. Evenly spoon the mixture back into the potato skins and top with remaining cheese, green onions, and bacon.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes.
https://lovintheoven.com/twice-baked-potatoes/

Wildwood Foods Baked Tofu

by 84 Comments

DSC_3079 Do you consider tofu a healthy ingredient? It definitely can be. The folks over at Wildwood have packed their tofu with a whopping 14 grams of soy protein. This is especially important for those that don’t eat meat. My older sister is a vegan and tofu provides a lot of her daily protein to substitute for protein that would normally come from eating meat. There are a lot of options when it comes to nutrition, you just have to do a little bit of research. DSC_3034 DSC_3035   Wildwood is rooted in the healthy trend of not following trends with all-natural and organic foods. You don’t have to worry about where your food is coming from because you’ll be living the Natural Life with Wildwood. DSC_3054   Besides tofu, Wildwood also makes meatless crumbles and veggie burgers to diversify your diet. The Meatless Crumbles are Gluten Free, made with natural protein, Non-GMO Verified, and certified vegan. The Veggie Burger Original is Gluten Free, Non-GMO Verified, Certified Organic and made with sprouted soybeans. DSC_3076   As for this tofu, not only is it high in protein, but it’s certified organic, Non-GMO Verified and made with sprouted soybeans. DSC_3082 Tofu’s a common dish used in Asian dishes, and it’s something I’ve been familiar with since I was a child. My mom makes great pan fried lemongrass tofu, but I decided to try something different and bake it in the oven. You know me, I just can’t stay away from making things in the oven, no matter what it is. Breakfast… lunch… dinner… dessert… Everything is better in the oven since it’s my comfort zone. While baking it in the oven doesn’t give it the crisp that pan frying would do, it’s a bit healthier since you don’t need any oil to cook it. It still gets a nice toasted color on all sides, though. DSC_3071   This dish can be served hot alongside a bed of rice, or chilled and served cold later as an appetizer. I prefer my food piping hot, but that’s just me. I’m amazed at how low-cost tofu is. This was my first time buying tofu, so I never noticed the price before. With how filling this tofu is, it’s the perfect ingredient to include in your dishes for those on a budget. DSC_3068   What would be your ideal meal to make when using Wildwood products?

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Wildwood Foods Baked Tofu

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Wildwood Foods High Protein Super Firm SprouTofu
  • 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • dash of tabasco
  • 2 teaspoons red chili flakes

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking pan and set aside.
  2. Whisk all of the ingredients together for the sauce and set aside (everything but the tofu).
  3. Cut the tofu into 1/2 pieces and pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess liquid.
  4. Pour the sauce over the tofu and let sit for a couple of minutes.
  5. Lay evenly onto prepared baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for another 15 minutes.
  6. Garnish with green onions, if desired. Enjoy!
https://lovintheoven.com/wildwood-foods-baked-tofu/

 

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Wildwood Foods Baked Tofu

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Wildwood Foods High Protein Super Firm SprouTofu
  • 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • dash of tabasco
  • 2 teaspoons red chili flakes

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking pan and set aside.
  2. Whisk all of the ingredients together for the sauce and set aside (everything but the tofu).
  3. Cut the tofu into 1/2 pieces and pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess liquid.
  4. Pour the sauce over the tofu and let sit for a couple of minutes.
  5. Lay evenly onto prepared baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for another 15 minutes.
  6. Garnish with green onions, if desired. Enjoy!
https://lovintheoven.com/wildwood-foods-baked-tofu/

Parmesan and Spinach Orzo

by 4 Comments


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Have I told you guys that my DF and I have booked a venue for our wedding? I’m SO excited because this means I’m no longer venue hunting, emailing a million people for price lists, and comparing what exactly each place gives us. My DF and I are pretty easy going and aren’t very picky, so to find a place that is mostly all inclusive is perfect for us.

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Next step: Wedding dress hunting. I actually went by myself last weekend and hated it. The salesperson was great and I couldn’t have asked for anyone nicer, but for every dress that I tried on, I couldn’t take it off fast enough. I tried a variety of styles, too. Ball gown, sheath, sweetheart, v neck, straight across, mermaid… it was all just too much for me.

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Maybe it was because I went alone, maybe it’s because I should have tried on dresses that were actually in my size, maybe I should’ve tried them on in heels. Who knows.

Either way, I’m thinking I want more of a “white dress” than a “wedding dress.” Plus, why would you ever spend a thousand dollars on a dress that you wear once? That’s a whole lotta dinero.orzo-5

I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.

Meanwhile, this orzo dish is a perfect side for dinner. It pairs well with meats and vegetables. It’s also good cold (maybe that’s just me), but I do have a thing for day old, cold food… orzo-6

Next time, I’d toss is some more spinach since it shrivels so much when cooked and practically disappears. Recipe from Life as a Strawberry.

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Parmesan and Spinach Orzo

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • 8 oz orzo, uncooked (half a box)
  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp. flour
  • 1 cup milk (I used skim!)
  • 1 cups spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, plus extra for garnish

Directions

  1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent. Add flour to form a roux and cook for an additional minute.
  3. Add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the pot and whisk to work out any lumps from the roux. When lumps are worked out, add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.
  4. Add chopped spinach to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach has cooked down. Remove sauce from heat.
  5. Stir parmesan cheese into sauce. When cheese has melted, add cooked orzo to sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
https://lovintheoven.com/parmesan-and-spinach-orzo/

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