The new Oh So..

Hi Friends,

Oh So Delicioso has had a facelift! In case you are being directed here by an old link or non-redirecting URL.. please come visit us at

www.ohsodelicioso.com

The same great recipes, just a little polished. Pin It

Quinoa Fried Rice

 A new healthy take on the traditional Chinese dish, vegetable fried rice.  Wahoo!  And its seriously just as good.

I am a sucker for fried foods.  Everything fried just tastes really good, but I have been investing more time on creating healthier meal options for my family and it definately doesn't include "fried" foods.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts from this week "How Vegetarians Get Protein", one of the sources is quinoa.  There are sooooo many things you can do with quinoa, but it can always be used as a supplement for any type of rice dish.  There are also several ways to cook quinoa and most often I cook mine on the stove, but for this particular dinner I wanted the quinoa to be a little more sticky so I used my rice cooker.

Quinoa Fried Rice

Ingredients

1 stalk celery

4 large carrots

1 cup snap peas (chopped)

1 cup green beans

1/2 c cashews

2 eggs

2 Tbs coconut oil

2 cups vegetable broth

2-3 Tbs. soy sauce

Directions:

Chop all vegetables. Heat skillet with 2 Tbs coconut oil. When its heated, place all vegetables into skillet. Stir every minute or so for about 12-15 minutes or until the vegetables soften (you don't want the veggies overcooked). Pour in your cashews and cook until they are partly browned. Pour in eggs and mix all together.

Quinoa:

Pour 1 cup uncooked quinoa into rice cooker. Add 2 cups vegetable broth. Cook on white rice function. Takes about 20 min. or so. Once the quinoa is finished add all of it to the vegetable mixture. Add 2-3 Tbs. soy sauce and mix thoroughly.

Serve with vegetable egg rolls, vegetable pot stickers and a simple citrus salad. Or with chicken.

You can also add peas or other vegetables you have that you think would be fitting for this type of dish! This is what I had in my fridge and it worked out great! Enjoy!

Pin It

New Things 'a Coming

Hey guys! Guess what?!

We are getting super-dee-duper awesomer all up in he-yuh.

How is this possible, because we are already pretty rad, yeah?

Makeover baby.

New (darling and interactive) website.

Multiple amazing giveaways (we're talking worth lots of moola here).

Fun photography sesh with our favorite photographer.

Did we mention some serious giveaways?

Next week, when you come to our address, you'll automatically be directed to the new site.

We've had many, many early mornings (er, late nights) and many, many group text conversations (40 missed texts?! Whaa?) brainstorming up this baby.

We hope you heart it as much as we do...

Can we just say thank you?

Thank you to our web designers, Julia and Geoff, for managing all of our crazy requests.

Thank you to our OhSo girls. 

We have bonded over our obsession with all things food and love each of  you dearly for it.

Thank you to our friends, families, husbands, and to our littles. You have each been so understanding of the time we have poured into this baby (maybe some of our littles not so understanding, but they let us make up for it with cuddles) and appreciate your much-needed support. Mwuah!

And lastly, thank you to you. We couldn't do this without you. 

Pin It

Villa Villa Salsa Salsa

I have a belief that every pregnant woman should get to eat what she wants. I mean, food is a crazy thing when your pregnant, right?? First, I have these maddening cravings. Then I can't eat or smell ANY food for weeks (in other words, we eat out where I want). THEN when I can eat, my stomach is being squished to the size of a pea, so I hardly get to eat at all. Which is so unsatisfying. Here is the only time I can eat, guilt free, but my body only allows me to down one taco before I'm so full its coming back up. sad.

Anyway, the story is. I was pregnant with Jack. (see below a blue eyed boy) just graduated from College. My husband was on his last semester of is undergrad. and he forced me to try this hole in the wall mexican place. his buddies had recommended it- Pre-Yelp Days.

This resturant is where my obsession to tacos began. It is where I had my first street taco- ever. 24 and never had a taco.

2 tiny corn tortillas.
carne asada.
onion+cilantro.
change my world

I wanted to die. Where had these been all my life? And their SALSA. not to spicy (for my pregnant heart burn raging stomach)
everything was dirt cheap- as were we. So we went there often. it can safely be said I was more than addicted to Villa Villas tacos and salsa. bless them.

On our last taco run, Nate asked the ladies how they make their salsa. Its so easy, I couldn't believe it. Really? that's it!

whole canned tomatoes. *** buy the best quality canned tomatoes. since the salsa will be 90% of this ingredient make sure its top notch. quite often I buy the organic canned, and I swear it DOES make a difference***
cilantro
onion
garlic.
lime juice.
salt/pepper
(I like to add a few fresh tomatoes too)
Jalapeno (optional)
(measurements below)

SO- to start. In your little food processor (or food chopper, maybe your blender?) add cilantro, 1/2 an onion, garlic, and jalapeno.
pulse till minced.
next pulse can of whole tomatoes.
add lime juice, salt, diced fresh tomatoes,

NOW. This is important. 
at this point the salsa will taste a little like Tomatoes. Canned tomatoes. it needs to sit and marry.
I really like that phrase. "let the flavors marry" don't I sound all smartypants?

If you can, store in an air tight container for a few hours to overnight in the fridge.
 (air tight unless you want a very fragrant fridge the next time you open it...)

If you onlyhaveanhourbefore your guest arrive!! then leave the salsa at room temperature and stir it often. very often.

Seriously. we all LOOOOVE this stuff. my daughter was trying to help me take pictures....not to much help.

Then these nerds came along...

even the baby. its like they are desperate. never been fed before.

Salsa

yeilds: about 5-6 cups

Ingredients

1 large can of whole tomatoes (best quality)

1/2 of a small onion

2 roma tomatoes

bunch of cilantro

2 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeno

juice of one lime

1+ tsp salt

fresh groung pepper to taste

Directions

In a food processor {or some kind of chopper} place onion, cilantro, garlic, and seeded jalapeno.

Chop until very small but not mushed.

place in a container that can be sealed "tupperware"

Now, in food processor place can of whole tomatoes.

pluse till slightly chuncky.

add to onions and cilantro

Dice roma tomatoes.

Add to onions and whole tomatoes.

Add salt, lime and pepper.

Stir, and taste test with salt.

!! at this point the salsa will taste a little more like canned tomatoes than a salsa. The Flavors need to sit and marry together. Allow salsa to sit, in fridge for a few hours, even over night in an air tight container. IF you are serving salsa in half an hour- 1 hour then leave the salsa at room temperature, stirring every 5-10 minutes till serving time.

ok. So other dips, sauces and salsas?? 

Sweet Salsa

 Seasoned Cilantro Black Beans

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Black Bean Cilantro Dip

Bob's Guacamole

Homemade Chipotle Salsa

Pin It

talkin taco's

Oh Cherie I LOVE tacos. we  I eat a lot of tacos.
Lets talk about Tacos. Typically, our tacos have meat.correct? That's always a constant. You can have flour or corn tortillas. cheese or no cheese. no salsa, or extra sour cream, but chicken, pork or carne asada- that is what we love! its our special somthin'somthin' on that taco.
well, the guacamole is pretty important too.

Lets talk about how we flava that meat.
I have TWO things to discuss. cause there are two different kinds of meat. Whole pieces of meat (ie steak, chicken breast) and Ground meat.
See below.

I am a meat eater. always have been. Just don't love the breads and the pastas, but give me a steak or some fried chicken and potatoes-and oh, of course, a veggie (my mom raised us right, we love our greens)-  and call my night complete.

Being a carnivore. meat eater. lover of animals dead or alive did I just say that? I have always found the art of cooking the perfect piece of meat interesting. I always paid close attention to chefs, and tv shows. And really I have learned 2 important bits of information.

1. you can season your steak anyway you want. you just need to make sure and add salt, and an acidic liquid to tenderize. (OR you can cook it for a really long time on a low heat)
acidic things...maybe-- citrus juice. any kind of vinegars. I especially love red wine vinegar on my steak.

However Last week I had one of the best steaks of my life. My Columbian friend made it for me.
She used 3 ingredients. ONLY 3
(you can use this for chicken or fish, but do not marinate for very long)

1. fresh (from her tree) lemon juice  natural tenderizer
2. Salt. (lots of salt) seasons and enhances the flavor.
3. Garlic. lots of Fresh garlic.
marinate for 2-3 hours in a gallon bag. flipping occasionally.

Grill. Flipping once. maybe twice.

out of the 6 adults no one wanted BBQ sauce or extra salt. it was amazing. ah- mazing people. Tonight I made it for tacos, and it turned out beautiful.

this is the golden marinade.
try it for your Carne Asada.

Taco MEAT numero DOS:: the ground up meat.

Are you one who buys that packet of taco seasoning?
huh? huh.
I'm very sorry. but you are wasting time, money and adding nasty things to your body.

... lets prove it.

ok, I'm not going to list why all those ingredients are bad. But- you don't need all those oils and salts and who's-a-whats-its to make your taco/burrito/nachos flavorful. 

ok, I will point out Partially Hydrogenated Soybean oil. bad. proof HERE. 

This, my friend, is all you need, not even all this. 

so save that dollar and change and buy an avocado to make those tacos sing. 

The basic you will need...

 {for 1lb ground beef or ground turkey:}

1/2 a small onion diced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

seriously! and by the time you add cheese, corn, tomatoes, salsa etc etc etc. its great. 

for extra awesomeness, 

I like to add:

1 tsp garlic salt  or 1 tsp minced garlic

juice of one lime

couple Tablespoons of salsa or 1 tomato diced

There. in like 2 seconds you have left out all the partially hydrogenated and anti-caking agents. 

so easy.so healthy.so happy. 

NOW. lets talk more about tacos. enchiladas. nachos. and taquitos! 

Navajo Tacos

Caribbean Salmon Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Shrimp Tacos

Crock-Pot Tomatillo Chicken

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Chimichurri Steak Tacos

Green  Enchiladas

Pin It

Brazilian Limeade

Do you like lemonade?  Then you'll love limeade!  It is refreshing and tart and delicious!  This recipe is a twist on a classic limeade - Brazilian Limeade!  It has a creamy, sweet component that will keep you pouring glass after glass.  I recently made this at a party and I received an inbox full of recipe requests the next day!

First you want to make a simple syrup - equal parts sugar and water.  I did two cups sugar and two cups water.  Heat on your stove top just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Next you want to juice your limes.  I don't have a fancy juicer or citrus juicer, so I use my good ol' fashion lemon press.  If you roll your limes across the counter with a little muscle they will produce more juice.  You'll need 8 to 12 limes depending on the size.  You just want to squeeze about a cup and a half of juice.

Next, combine your lime juice, simple syrup and about 5 cups of water in a pitcher.  Now for the secret ingredient!  Sweet and condensed milk.  Pour about half of a 14 oz can into your limeade and stir well. Serve with lots of ice and a lime slice.

Brazilian Limeade

Brazilian Limeade

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (8-12 limes depending on size)

5 cups cold water

1/2 15-oz can sweet and condensed milk

lime slices for garnish

Directions

Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat on your stove top just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Juice your limes.

Combine lime juice, simple syrup, and water in a pitcher. Stir in sweet and condensed milk.

Serve with lots of ice and a lime slice.

Pin It

Homemade Granola Bars

I'm a huge fan of granola bars. They are a quick easy snack for me. While hanging out with my sister-in-law, she saw me grab out of my diaper bag a store bought granola bar. Her faced lighted up as she told me of her new HOMEMADE recipe of granola bars. She couldn't stop raving about them! I had one bite and I was sold. The ingredients are half what you would find in a store bought granola bar, easy to make (my kind of food), and DELICIOUS! I did do a few tweaking of my own of the recipe. She puts in almond slices but I have a weird texture issue with nuts, so I ground up peanuts in my vitamix. I know... kind of strange! I like nuts but I don't like chewing them. Smooth is much better.Well enough about my of my weird self. I'm never going back to store bought granola bars. I even loved eating them before cooked.

Spouts has brown rice crispies. My husband couldn't tell in the granola bars but said just having the brown rice crispies plain for cereal in the morning wasn't the super yummy. So to make your bars more healthy you can add that.

I don't cook much with coconut oil but when I do my food always taste extra good. The sweetness of it adds an extra flavor to whatever your baking. Even though these granola bars have coconut in them its not overwhelming. It has just the right amount!

Granola Bars

Ingredients

4 cups Oats

1 1/2 cup Rice Crispy (Sprouts has Brown Rice Crispies)

2 T. Flax Seed

2 T. Wheat Bran

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 t. Salt

1 cup Coconut Oil

3/4 cup Honey

1 cup Shredded Sweetened Coconut

1 1./2 cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chunks

1 1/2 cup Peanuts

Directions

1. Blend in mixer Flax seed and Peanuts until smooth. (Optional)

2. Add all ingredients in large bowl and mix

3. Flatten into a 2 9x13 pans or use 1 cookie sheet (use parchment paper to get the bars out easier)

4. Cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees

5. Let cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Pin It