Drop that butter! Use olive oil instead!

As much as I agree that food tastes great with tons of butter,
I really do not recommend consuming a lot of butter.

Believe me.. I've seen other people cook ...
They use tons of butter in their cooking without realizing how unhealthy it is, just because they are either:
(a.) following a recipe
(b.) that's how (insert name here) always made it.

Well, hey, guess what.
Times have changed -- your waistline and arterial walls are not as thin as they used to be.

Drop that butter! Use olive oil instead!

You can most definitely substitute olive oil for butter in your cooking and baking (yes! baking too!) without compromising the recipe.
I do it all the time.
Not only does my food taste great, but I feel a lot better (inside and out).

So please do not be afraid of breaking out of the confinements of a recipe, or how so-and-so used to make it.
Instead, just follow these easy conversions for a healthier dish!

Butter/Margarine to Olive Oil Conversion Chart

1 teaspoon butter = 3/4 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter = 2 1/4tsp olive oil
2 tablespoons butter = 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup butter = 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup butter = 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup butter = 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup butter = 1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup butter = 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup butter = 3/4 cup olive oil

Not yet brave enough to do a full transition?
That's fine. Baby steps.
Use half-butter and half-olive oil in your cooking and slowly transition over =)

French Toast! YAY French Toast!

Breakfast food is soo yummy.
I just wish I could get up early in the morning to actually enjoy breakfast!

French toast is one of my favorite breakfast items!

Enjoy French toast topped with powdered sugar or maple syrup. I did neither, since I really need to go to the grocery store..

Rich French Toast:

Ingredients-
- 6 slices of thick bread (I actually used 12-grain whole-wheat bread, because I try to be healthy... kind of odd french toast in the end, but it's healthier! hehe)
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- butter

Instructions:
1. Mix together the eggs, milk, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.














*NOTE*
I had trouble dissolving the clumps of flour, since I was stirring by hand with a tiny teaspoon.
Using a larger wooden spoon may help. Or use an electric mixter


2. Melt 1-2 tsp of butter on a hot skillet or griddle.

3. Dip your bread in your egg batter, for about 20 seconds per slice. Let the excess drip back into the batter bowl.














4. Lay down your bread onto the buttery skillet.














5. Flip the toast over, when it's golden















6. Cut the toast in half, diagonally and remove from the heat, when its golden on both sides.

7. Follow steps 2-6 until all your toast is used up!

8. Enjoy all that oily goodness. Don't forget the syrup and powdered sugar!

Tomato Beef Stew

I never realized what a great combination beef and tomatoes are!
The tomatoes' sharp flavors combines well with beef's robust and meaty flavor.


This dish was inspired by the dish my ex-boss made recently at a potluck, and it also reminded me of a more soupier tomato and beef stew dish my Dad used to make at the restaurant he owned.


Based off those two inspirations, I created my own dish with my own input and ideas!

What I liked best about this dish, is that it's so healthy, and it can be refrigerated into tupperware containers, served over a bed of rice or pasta, for well-rounded sack lunch meal at the office! :)


Tomato Beef Stew


Ingredients:


- 3/4 pound of boneless beef (I just picked the cheapest cut of beef at the store =D)
- 5-6 medium tomatoes (I used roma tomatoes)
- 3 oz of tomato paste
- 2 tsp of soy sauce
- 1 tsp of brown sugar
- 1/3 of a large onion (I used had a gigantic onion, so i used about 1/5 of that =P)
- sprinkle of olive oil
- sprinkle of salt

Instructions:

1. Gather all your ingredients. Be sure to rinse all your produce and meats before starting.















2. Cut the beef into thin pieces or slices.

3. Mix the soy sauce and sugar in a bowl, and marinate the beef slices in this marinade for about 15 minutes.
















4. Dice up your tomatoes and onions.
















5. In a large skillet or wok, heat up some olive oil, then add your onions.

6. Saute the onions, then add the marinated beef















7. When the beef is almost cooked, add the tomatoes.















8. Stir the tomatoes until the juices start flowing.

9. Stir in the tomato paste, and bring the food to a bowl















10. Turn down the heat to low, and simmer for about 40 minutes.

11. Serve your tomato beef stew over a bed of rice of pasta, or place it in a tupperware for tomorrow's sack lunch!