Gluten-free Pad Thai Revisited!

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My recipe for Gluten-Free Pad Thai was one of the first recipes that I posted to Almonds & Avocados. Although I love the recipe, the photo that I had taken for the post was absolutely horrendous. Unfortunately, I didn’t know much about photography at the time. When I began Almonds & Avocados, I knew that I was passionate and excited about sharing delicious, healthy recipes with the world! What I didn’t realize was that if I shared yummy recipes along with dismal pictures, people might not be so eager to actually try the recipes. And why would they? If the food looks like a hot mess in the picture, then it’s probably not worth wasting valuable time, effort, and ingredients to find out whether or not it tastes better than it looks.

Though I haven’t developed into the most skilled photographer, I do think that I’ve come a long way. Just take a look…

Which would you rather have: this?

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or this?

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Ugh, that first picture just makes me cringe–so embarrassing. While the food in these pictures looks entirely different, they were actually made exactly the same way! That’s right, I followed my original recipe to a T in the second photo; the only difference is that I used artificial light in the first photo and natural light in the second along with a bit more food styling. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather eat the Pad Thai in the second photo!

Since I whole-heartedly believe in the saying that “You first eat with your eyes,”  I thought that I would try to re-photograph some of my older recipes–you know, to give them a fighting chance. Besides, there are so many recipes–like this Pad Thai–that I eat on a regular basis even now, so long after they were first posted, that it would be a shame for them to be passed over simply because I was once (and perhaps still am) an unskilled photographer!

To get the original recipe for my Gluten-Free Pad Thai, click here!

Pad Cashew Nut

20130514-070944.jpg For some reason I thought I would have all the free time in the world when I finished my spring semester classes last week. I had pictured myself lounging around on the couch, reading magazines, catching up on movies and TV shows I’ve missed, and cooking non-stop. What the heck was I thinking?! Instead, I’ve been so busy that I’ve hardly had time to make up snacks to grab on the go. My kitchen and my hubby are beginning to feel very neglected.

With a hectic schedule, I find that smoothies and quick meals that can be made in massive quantities and eaten as leftovers have suddenly become my best friends. This Pad Cashew Nut is the perfect example of the latter. In fact, the most difficult part of this dish is waiting for the rice to cook and chopping up the veggies. Aren’t fresh veggies beautiful?:
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Mexican Ensalada Pizzas & Cinco de Mayo Recipe Roundup

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Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

When I was in college, I ate Taco Bell all the time. I mean all the time. Back then, I was poor, lazy, and didn’t think much about my health. Now, well, I’m still poor and I still have a tendency to be lazy, but I’m much more concerned about my health. And let’s face it, while Taco Bell is cheap and easy, the greasy, high-fat foods they offer are not the best if you’re watching your waistline or your cholesterol level.

Since today is a special day–Cinco de Mayo–I thought I would come up with a tasty, Taco-Bell-inspired lunch that is made from healthy ingredients, easy to prepare, won’t break the bank: Mexican Ensalada Pizzas. But first, I thought I would share some of my other favorite Mexican dishes:

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3 Special Recipes! Plus, My Version of Meal-Planning

OK, I know I’ve been away for a while, BUT I have three–yes, three–recipes to share with you today! Hopefully, that will make up for my absence :)

I’m also going to share with you how I plan my meals for the week. Although I’m not always the best when it comes to planning ahead, it can make such a difference in how I’m able to spend my time during the week and the choices I make when it comes to what I eat. Basically, if I have healthy options available when my hunger strikes, I’m less likely to reach for those convenient but unhealthy options that usually appear in the form of pre-packaged foods. As they say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Besides, I would much rather have some of this Pesto Quinoa Veggie Salad than stale, overly salty, and greasy chips any day!!

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It all starts at the grocery store–my home away from home. Although I would love to buy everything that I want each and every time I get groceries, that’s just not possible. One thing that stops me is obviously money. I could easily spend hundreds thousands of dollars in one trip, but then my hubby and I wouldn’t be able to pay rent (which is slightly important). Then there’s also the issue of sorting out what I could actually do with all of that food. Although my belly sometimes seems like a bottomless pit, there’s a limit to how much I can eat (though my hubby might argue otherwise). Moreover, there’s not enough room in my already-jam-packed freezer. So since I can’t have everything I want (I know, first world problems), I try to incorporate different foods into my grocery cart and diet each week and keep those foods in constant rotation. 

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Healthy Quinoa Zucchini Fritters

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I’m having a really hard time dealing with the lack of winter squash at the grocery stores lately. Not too long ago, I was eating squash every day. Pumpkin, kabocha, spaghetti, butternut, acorn–I had at least one of each stored in my kitchen at all times.

So when I went to buy my groceries this past weekend and was informed that they didn’t have any winter squash in stock (this was after I pleaded with them to check in the back just to make sure), I nearly threw a tantrum. My lip quivered, my eyes welled up, and I couldn’t decide whether I should scream or cry (or both). The only thing that stopped me from throwing a full-blown temper tantrum was the fear of being kicked to the curb and told never to return. And since I practically live at the grocery store, I really didn’t want them to have to resort to that. Don’t think I didn’t throw a tantrum, though. I did, just not in the store. Instead, I went home to my hubby and whined like a baby about how much I miss my beautiful, delicious winter squash. Poor guy. Sometimes I think he deserves a medal for all that he puts up with.

On the bright side–and there’s always a silver lining–winter squash is now being replaced by an abundance of plump, fresh summer squash! Yay! New foods for me to obsess over :)
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