Edamame Guacamole

I served this with pita chips and it was deelish! This was a great way to enjoy heaping chips full of guacamole with more than half the fat! Check out the nutrition stats below!!! Love it!! Just be careful how much lime juice you use. I used a whole lime and it came out a little too limey. If you want traditional guacamole add cilantro. I don’t enjoy cilantro so I didn’t add it.

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Edamame Guacamole
Serves 6

1/2 cup shelled edamame
1/2 cup broccoli stalks, peeled
1 avocado
1 scallion, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tomato, diced
salt to taste

cilantro – optional

Bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add edamame and broccoli to boiling water for 4 minutes till softened. Drain and puree in a food processor. With a fork or a whisk mash the puree with the avocado. Add in the avocado, scallion, red onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime, tomato and the optional cilantro. Salt to taste and enjoy πŸ™‚

Per serving: 66 calories, 4 g fat, .5 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 10 sodium, 2.5 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 3 g fiber

Simple Spaghetti Squash

I love Spaghetti Squash! I actually love most squash but spaghetti squash holds a special place in my heart. You can use it in place of actual spaghetti pasta and make a sauce but I love it super simple with a little vegan margarine and salt. Now that we are officially in winter squash season I will be sure to make it often! I have already made this twice in the last two weeks πŸ™‚

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Simple Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash
Vegan Margarine about 1/4 cup (depending on the size of your squash and taste)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut slits into the squash so it can breathe during cooking. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50 min – 1:10. You can check after 45 minutes by cutting in half. Once the squash is fully cooked scoop out the seeds and then take a fork and rake against the squash to “release” the spaghetti. Place in a bowl with the margarine and salt to taste. Enjoy πŸ™‚ Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to a week but also freezes beautifully!

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Slice in half after 45 minutes to check if done or to continue cooking

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Pumpkin Oatmeal

I love Oatmeal!! But sometimes I want more per serving and don’t want to up the carb & calorie stats. I know many people have the same feeling with cereal servings. What we would consider a normal serving is twice what the stats are giving us 😦 So this time around I added canned pure pumpkin. It added a deelish pumpkin taste and fiber, giving me more oatmeal for a tiny bit more calories. A 1/2 cup serving has just 40 calories, .5 gram of fat, 9 carbs, and 5 grams of fiber (and I only used 8 tablespoons for the whole recipe!) I loved this recipe and it was husband approved πŸ™‚ Success!

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Pumpkin Oatmeal
4 servings

1 1/2 cups oatmeal
2 1/2 cups water
8 tbsp canned pure pumpkin
4 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground dry ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
12 drops of stevia
3/4 tsp Celtic sea salt

Boil water and oatmeal together for about 8-10 minutes. Turn down the heat and add the pumpkin, maple syrup, spices, stevia and salt. Stir over heat until well combined and it has reached the desired consistency. Enjoy!

Per Serving: 240 calories, 3 fat, 44g carbs, 7g fiber, 15g sugars, 7g protein

Pizza Night!!!

Who doesn’t appreciate a good pizza night? So good, quick, but healthy? Healthy is not a word that normally goes with pizza but we managed to come up with a scrumptious version that is good for you too! mmmmmm! Whole-wheat Eggplant and Pesto Pizza, just hearing the name and I am thinking how good it sounds! This was a real winner! It also helps out that I chose not to make the dough this time around. Whole foods sells whole-wheat pizza dough ready to go. That helps make this super simple, quick and very enjoyable πŸ™‚ Let me know what you think.

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Whole-wheat Eggplant and Pesto Pizza
Serves 4

1 unbaked whole-wheat pizza dough
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4″ slices
2 cloves of Garlic
1 tomato, sliced
12-16 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin slices (or vegan mozzarella, like daiya)
1/3 cup pine nuts
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch basil
Celtic sea salt
1/3 cup Grated Parmigiano (or use vegan parm.)
Unbleached, all-purpose flour (for rolling out the dough, you only need a little bit)

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Coat a baking pan with olive oil or non-stick foil. Brush the sheet pan with olive oil. Place slices on baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Salt and pepper them. Place in the heated oven for 10 minutes or until golden.
  2. Flour a clean surface and roll out the dough until the same size as your baking sheet. Place it on the baking sheet and let it rise for 15 minutes.
  3. Toast the pine nuts. This can easily be done in a pan in the oven for 4 minutes. Make sure to watch this so they do not burn.
  4. Sprinkle the pizza with garlic powder or fresh garlic slices and cover with mozzarella slices and eggplant. Put in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Check to make sure the dough is cooked through. The cheese should be bubbling πŸ™‚
  5. After you place the pizza in the oven make a pesto by processing the basil, garlic cloves, toasted pine nuts and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Add in the grated Parmigiano until well combined.
  6. When the pizza is done, drizzle with pesto and let cool.
  7. Serve and enjoy! I know you will!!

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Chicken Stir-Fry with Edamame and Brown Rice

As the weather gets cooler I start breaking out the crock pot more and more. It is so nice to come home to a house with the great smells of home cooking yet all the work is already done! It was the perfect way to make this dinner super quick in the end. I put the dry brown rice, water and salt in the slow cooker in the morning and when I came home the rice was perfect and all I had to prepare was the stirfry. I also made sure to make extra rice for the rest of the week. If you prepare the chicken first and then prep the rest of the ingredients the chicken will be ready to cook and the entire meal will take you under 30 minutes to prep and cook. So fabulous after a long day! ENJOY πŸ™‚

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Chicken Stir-Fry with Edamame and Brown Rice
Recipe inspiredΒ  from Bon AppΓ©tit
Serves 6

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1.5-2 pounds chicken tenders, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon honey

4 teaspoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups short-grain brown rice, cooked and cooled
12 ounce bag shelled cooked edamame beans

2/3 cup chopped green onions

Combine chicken, 2 tablespoons tamari and honey in medium bowl; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

Toast walnuts in a skillet for 3 minutes, shaking the pan consistently. Add 2 tablespoons tamari and stir until tamari coats walnuts, about 45 seconds. Cool.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add cooked rice and edamame; reduce heat to medium and stir-fry until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide rice mixture among plates. Sprinkle with green onions and walnuts.

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Fontina, Asparagus and Zucchini Frittata

We have been loving the fritattas lately if you haven’t noticed πŸ™‚ They are quick, one skillet and really nutritious and of course super yummy! They can easily work with almost all the left over vegetables you have in your fridge. So feel free to change up my recipe. Of course you do not need cheese either I just think it enhances the frittata so much.Β  I love zucchini in them and I think next time I am going to coarsely grate them for a different taste.

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Fontina, Asparagus and Zucchini Frittata

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 bunch of asparagus
1 zucchini chopped, sliced thin or grated
12 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup of fontina cheese chopped or coarsely grated
3 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. SautΓ©e onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add asparagus and zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and pour eggs on top of vegetable mixture and let settle. Add fontina cheese by sprinkling around the settling eggs. Top parmesan, basil and salt and pepper. After 5-7 minutes on the stove top put the skillet into the oven for another 10-15 minutes to set. Once it is golden on top you can take out and Enjoy πŸ™‚

Ginger-Poached Noodles

This was deelish! I love soba noodles because I love pasta and I feel so much better eating buckwheat pasta than regular ole’ semolina. It was strange boiling the pasta in such a small amount of liquid but it became this thick soupy sauce that tasted delightful. Scooping out all the ginger pieces was quite a task so maybe consider tieing them up in a cheesecloth that you can quickly remove. We do not normally cook too much tofu in my house, but this wasΒ  a great tofu dish. It was able to soak up so much of the flavor from the ginger and the broth. Enjoy πŸ™‚

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Ginger-Poached Noodles
adapted from 101cookbooks

4 cups vegetable broth
2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1-2 cups (half a bunch) of broccolini, broccoli, or baby broccoli – trimmed
8 ounces dried spinach noodles, soba, or noodles of your choice
1 – 2 tablespoons shoyu or soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded
scant 1/4 cup fresh mint, shredded
a squeeze of lime juice
crushed red pepper flakes (opt)
toasted sesame oil (opt)

Place the broth, ginger and tofu in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and gently simmer for ten minutes or so. Remove (just) the tofu from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside. Now add the broccoli to the simmering broth. Cook for just a minute, until bright, and remove from pan with slotted spoon. Add pasta to ginger broth and cook until done, stirring regularly. Remove pasta with fork, set aside, and remove all the ginger slices. Return the tofu, broccoli and noodles to the pot. Stir in the soy sauce, basil, mint, and a squeeze of lime juice. Finish with a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes. Taste and season to taste with salt, soy sauce, and perhaps a drop or two of toasted sesame oil.

Serves 3-4

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Spiced Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

This dish smelled so good as I was cooking it. There were so many spices that made everything so fragrant. Michael thought this was super good! I had let the lentils cool, and he thought this was a nice contrast to all the spice that was in the chicken. Highly recommended dish πŸ™‚

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Spiced Moroccan Chicken and Lentils
4 servings

Lentils:

1 lb dried lentils cooked or 2 15oz. cans of cooked lentils
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt

Chicken:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast, sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Place cooked lentils in a large bowl. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and salt in bowl. Pour over lentils and toss.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion; saute about 5 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 2 minutes more.Β  Add salt, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. Saute until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

Serve with chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken with Toasted Corn Salsa (veggie version too)

This night was extra special fun as my girlfriend came over to help cook. As you know I love to cook and want to spread the love around. Some of my girlfriends want to learn to cook but didn’t know where to begin, so that is where I come in. This was good times and a cooking class all while preparing a meal for my husband and her guy πŸ™‚ Fun!! Both men really enjoyed this dish! The cute part is she cooked with me but then brought the meal over his house. (hence the Tupperware)

My husband being so used to all the fabulous raw corn salads I prepare, suggested that this would also have been amazing with just using raw corn and I am sure he is right. Raw fresh corn is sooooo good! But still the salsa was deelish. And really with corn and mango together, of course it is!

My girlfriend does not eat chicken so this was still a great recipe for her. We took Praeger’s Veggie Burgers and followed all the same steps as we would have with the chicken to prepare for her. We made sure to prepare and cook hers first so that there was no chickenness on her veggie food πŸ™‚

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Cormeal-Crusted Veggie Burgers and Corn Salsa

Cormeal-Crusted Veggie Burgers and Corn Salsa (minus the mango)

Huge Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Breasts to go

Huge Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Breasts to go

Love that Corn Salsa!

Love that Corn Salsa!

Cooking up the chicken

Cooking up the chicken

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken with Toasted Corn Salsa
Recipe adapted from Gourmet

yield: Serves 4-6

For salsa:

  • 7 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 3 lime)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt
  • 6 cups fresh corn (cut from about 10-12 ears)
  • 2 1/2-3 cups diced peeled mango
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions

For chicken:

  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 3/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Make salsa:
In a bowl whisk together 6 tablespoons oil, lime juice, garlic paste, and salt and pepper to taste. In a non-stick skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sautΓ© corn, stirring, until deep golden, about 5 minutes. Add corn and remaining salsa ingredients to bowl and toss to combine well.

Make chicken:
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. On a plate stir together cornmeal, paprika, and cayenne and press chicken into mixture, coating both sides. In skillet heat olive oil over moderately high heat and sautΓ© chicken until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side.

Serve chicken with salsa. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Peach, Avocado & Corn Salad

Have I mentioned lately that I have been in love with summer fruits and veggies, well I am! The peaches that we picked in the Hampton’s are long gone but we still got to enjoy a few local peaches with this salad. I have been freaking out about the fresh east coast corn as well. It is so sweet, crisp and fresh. (It also just makes the most perfect quick and deelish snack too! just shuck and eat!) And of course the addition of avocado in any dish is welcome in our house πŸ™‚

The Grilled Chicken is a basic go-to quick cooking dish, but of course we still have to give it some flavor. Michael thought it paired nicely with the salad. As for me, I was beyond happy with a huge bowl of that yummy salad! mmmm

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Grilled Chicken

  • 1 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 4 small skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Whisk 1 tablespoon olive oil, lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in 11×7-inch glass dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Marinate 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Prepare bbq, oven or griddler to medium-high heat.Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Cut into thin slices.

Peach, Avocado & Corn Salad

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon honey-dijon mustard (or dijon mixed with agave)
  • 2 peaches, pitted, diced
  • 1-2 avocados, diced
  • 2 cob of corn worth of fresh shucked corn
  • 4-5 cups mixed baby greens

Whisk 4 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, scallions, shallot, vinegar, thyme, and mustard in large bowl. Mix peaches, avocado, corn and greens into dressing and toss.

this is the salad before I added the greens. check out those colors!!!

This is the salad before I added the greens and the avocado. Check out those colors!!!

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