Grilled Potato "Skins"

For the Labor Day holiday, we had our friends over for a BBQ and decided we wanted to do something a little different than our normal BBQ fare of hamburgers, corn on the cob and potato salad. So, we marinated a tri-tip (recipe to come!) and made these Grilled Potato "Skins" which were so fun, and very yummy! I mean, everything tastes better with bacon, right?!

Grilled Potato "Skins"

4 Russet Potatoes, baked and skinned
8 slices of bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt
pepper
olive oil
sour cream (opt.)

Cut the baked potatoes in half and cut the ends off so that your potato will sit flat on either side. Scoop out a half inch center section on the larger of the flat sides. Wrap 1 slice of bacon around each half of potato and secure with toothpicks (soaked in water for 10 min. first). Lightly brush olive oil on top and bottom of potato and season with salt and pepper. Place potatoes, flat side down, on the grill. When bacon is cooked, add cheddar cheese into open hole in the top of the potato and cover with a foil tent. Continue cooking until the cheese is melted.

To serve, place a small dollop of sour cream on plate and place the potato half on top. Enjoy!

Chickpea & Tuna Salad

I've made a goal for myself to pack a lunch at least 4 days during the work week, so this morning I had to throw something together because we had no left overs and I really didn't to eat a frozen meal today. So, here's what I came up with:

Chickpea & Tuna Salad

5 oz. can of tuna in water, drained
1 can of garbanzo beans
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 tbsp. tzatziki sauce
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash (or Salt and Pepper to taste)

Mix all ingredients together. This makes about 2 servings. I plan on eating it in a wrap with spinach leaves.

Cheesy Eggs

Well, I was going to give you a post on Baked Dijon and Lime Chicken this morning, but well, I had a problem last night that didn't allow me to actually make the Baked Dijon and Lime Chicken...see, I forgot to put the chicken in the fridge when I took it out of the freezer yesterday and well, my cat attacked the bag and drug it out into the living room...needless to say, we ate out last night.

So, instead, I present you with an easy, but filling start to breakfast!

Cheesy Eggs

4 egg whites, beaten
1 wedge laughing cow light cheese (any flavor will do, but I used Garlic and Herb)
Cooking Spray

Spray pan with cooking spray, add beaten egg whites, crumble cheese wedge into little pieces and add to eggs. Stir eggs with plastic spatula, breaking up cheese pieces as much as possible. As the eggs cook, the cheese will melt into the eggs and make them nice and cheesy!

I serve alongside some toast and fruit, and it makes for a very low-fat, low-calorie, filling breakfast!

Creamy Lemon Pie

My roommate received a large bag of HUGE lemons right before she went on a mini vacation for the rest of the week, so her parting words to me were: "Feel free to make something with all of those lemons!".

So, i did! I felt like making a dessert, but needed it to be a little lighter in calories and fat, it has not been a great couple of weeks on the scale front...so, I whipped up a couple of these creamy lemon pies, one to eat and enjoy now, one for the freezer and to enjoy later!

Creamy Lemon Pie

11 oz. Fat-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. lemon zest
6 low-fat cinnamon graham crackers
2 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. Crush graham crackers into fine crumbs, place into a small bowl. Melt butter and pour over graham cracker crumbs and mix with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs into a 9 inch pie pan and refrigerate while preparing filling.

In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk and eggs; mix until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest; stir until incorporated and pour into prepared crust. Bake pie for 15 minutes. Cool completely and for best flavor, serve chilled.

Stuffed Zucchini

When I went through my co-workers garden last week, she had a rather large zucchini that I grabbed up. I decided that the best thing to do with that much zucchini was to try out a stuffed zucchini recipe. Here's my first try at this recipe, I've decided that the only thing I might do differently next time is to add some chopped tomatoes. This turned out rather well, and in fact, my roommate said it's her second favorite meal!

Stuffed Zucchini

6-7 fresh zucchini (I used 1 really large one)
1/2 lb. Italian Sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
Parmesan cheese

Crumble Italian sausage and cook over medium heat. Remove from pan and set aside. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides leaving about 1/4-in shell. Finely chop zucchini pulp; set aside. Saute onion in oil in large heavy skillet. Add mushrooms, garlic and reserved chopped zucchini; cook over medium heat until most of moisture evaporates. Add sausage, cream cheese, egg, Parmesan, parsley, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix well; cook for about 5-10 minutes. Cool filling slightly and fill zucchini shells. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Place on baking sheet; bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°F until bubbly and golden brown on top. The time in the oven will depend on the size of your zucchini.

You could easily make this a vegetarian dish by omitting the Italian Sausage.

Summer Vegetable Pizza

I managed to make it to the Farmer's Market for the first time this year yesterday afternoon. My roommates are out of town this weekend and so I decided that while I had the chance to experiment on my own, I'd pick up some fresh veggies to play with. One of the items I picked up was some eggplant. Now, I've cooked with eggplant before, but I've been pretty limited in preparation of them so far...in that I've only made them as eggplant parmesan. So, here's my first attempt at an alternative dish for eggplant!

Summer Vegetable Pizza

1 whole wheat pizza dough
1 small zucchini
1 small eggplant
3 small tomatoes
1/2 lemon
1 green onion
handful of basil
4 oz. goat cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Slice all of your veggies into thin rounds. Roll out pizza dough and put onto pan or pizza stone. Mix room temperature goat cheese with juice from the lemon, salt and pepper. Spread onto pizza dough. Sprinkle with slivers of basil. Spread rounds of vegetables in concentric circles. drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with green onions, salt and pepper. Bake in pre-heated oven at 450 for 10-15 minutes.

This is another of those pizza's where you could substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand and it will be great! The goat cheese, lemon and basil almost make it a little sweet, so the summer vegetables worked great with that combination!

Summer Squash Pasta Salad

A friend of mine recommended this recipe to me, so, after pilaging someone else's garden today (since mine isn't producing much, or at least not much is ripe yet...) I decided I needed to try this one out. However, me being who I am, I couldn't help but mess with the basic recipe. I think it turned out well, it's a recipe that could be used as a side dish, a vegetarian dinner, or a meat dinner depending on your mood, it can also be served warm or cold...see how versatile it is?! I added cooked chicken and some cheese to make mine a complete meal in one bowl.

Summer Squash Pasta Salad

13-16 oz. Whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 small zucchini, cubed
1 yellow squash, cubed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp. garlic, separated
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
handful of fresh basil , chopped
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
3 stems of cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper
1/2 lb. cooked chicken, chopped (opt.)
3 tbsp. feta cheese (opt. - could also use parmessan)

While pasta is cooking, saute garlic in 2 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar and salt and pepper until garlic is golden. Add cubed zucchini and squash and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped herbs and continuing cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add halved tomatoes and cook until skins start to peel away.

Toss cooked pasta with with 1 tbsp. olive oil, sauteed vegetables and cooked chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Macadamia Nut Pork Chops

Last night was one of those nights where I didn't know what I was going to make before I got home from work. I did know that I was going to throw together some mango salsa since I had two very ripe mango's ready to be used and some jalapeno's ready to be picked in the garden. But, I had asked my roommate to pick up either some fish or pork to go with it. So, when I got home, I had to throw something together!

Macadamia Nut Pork Chops

5 Pork cutlets
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup flower
3 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup macadamia nuts (crushed)
Salt
Pepper

Mix bread crumbs and nuts together in one plate, mix mustard and olive oil in small bowl, set up egg, flower, mustard & oil mixture, and bread crumb & nut mixture into "dipping" stations. Season pork cutlets with salt and pepper, dip into egg wash, then flower, smear a dollop of mustard mixture on each side and coat with nut mixture.

Grill over low-med. heat for approx. 5 minutes per side. Serve along side brown rice and mango salsa if you'd like!

Margarita Salmon

I picked up a great deal on salmon this week at the grocery store so I had pulled out a couple of fillets to grill up tonight for dinner. When I got into my office this morning, my co-worker had brought in a huge bag of Mexican limes so I started thinking about what I could do with all of those limes...margarita marinated salmon sounded perfect! I served the salmon along side some seasoned grilled baby red potatoes and sauteed snow peas. It was a perfect meal!

Margarita Salmon

1 tsp. lime zest
3-4 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. tequila
2 tsp. sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. orange juice concentrate
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 salmon fillets

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large zip-lock bag; add fish to bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Wrap in foil packets and grill over low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side.

Baby Red Potato Salad

Of course we had to grill hamburgers and hot dogs for the 4th of July! I wanted to make a lower-guilt side dish to go along with it, but was craving potato salad...so I searched for something that would work, thinking that maybe a more vinegar based salad would be best, especially since I had a few "pickier" eaters who don't like mayonnaise that much! I found this recipe on a blog I frequent and went with it. I liked it, it has a nice crunch to it with the fresh pepper and onion, and it has just a little bit of mayo so it still had that "potato salad" feel, but much lighter and fresher.

Baby Red Potato Salad

4 cups baby red potatoes, cut into quarters (or small pieces)
1/2 cup green pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine red onion, green pepper, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add scallions and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.
salt and pepper to taste.

Bitchin' BBQ Shrimp

I guess I would have to say that this is my signature dish. This is one of the dishes that people request from me the most and it sometimes becomes an event the first time I make them for the summer. They got their name from the very first time I served them. One of my friends took their first bite and exclaimed: "These are Bitchin' Shrimp!" And yes, yes they are!

Bitchin' BBQ Shrimp

1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp. Tapatio (Tapatio is my favorite, but you could use any hot sauce)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste
3-4 lbs. med. shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Mix all ingredients together, pour over cleaned shrimp. Marinate in refrigerator 1-4 hours. Skewer and BBQ over med. heat 4 minutes per side, or until done.

Mango Salsa

I was planning a movie night with a small group of my friends and since I've been hearing a lot of grumbling about when I was going to make my famous Bitchin' BBQ Shrimp again I decided I might as well do it for movie night. For some reason I really wanted to make Mango Salsa to go with it. I don't usually serve this salsa with my shrimp, but mango's have been on sale a lot lately and I happened to have two of them that were ready to be eaten, and I figured it would probably go well with the shrimp especially if we made them into tacos. I will of course follow this post up with a post for the shrimp...they deserve their own post after all, they are that good!

Mango Salsa

2 ripe mangos chopped (small chunks are best)
1 lg. cerano chili (seeded & chopped)*
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
juice of 3 limes
juice of 3 oranges, or 3 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
1/4 bunch of cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Mix and serve.

*1 chili will make it just have a slight spicy bite to it, still pretty mild, you can adjust the heat of your salsa by adding another 1/2 or 1 whole chili.

PB Nana Poppers

I've had a few requests for some particular recipes on the blog, including a few more "low-calorie" desserts. As I've mentioned in my previous post, I'm going through the Hungry Girl cookbook I received this month, so you may be seeing a few of my experiments posted up here, including this one. This book has an entire chapter devoted to Cool Whip Free, and for some reason my book kept falling open to one recipe in particular. It was nothing fancy, but every time I flipped through the book, it caught my eye. It's easy, tastes great and obviously low in calories (only 108 per serving!)!

PB Nana Poppers
Hungry Girl 200 under 200

1 banana (sliced into 20 slices)
2 tbsp. Cool Whip Free
1 tbsp. reduced-fat peanut butter

In a small bowl, combine Cool Whip and peanut butter. Spread mixture on 10 of the banana slices and top with additional 10 slices. Place in freezer for at least 1 hour. (mine took more like 1.5 hours) or until frozen.

Serves 2 (5 poppers per serving)

I really did love this recipe, I've thought of other ways to change it up, and the one that's floating through my mind right now is to roll the poppers (along the sides) in some of those mini chocolate chips. This would obviously change the calorie count, but probably only by about 50-70 calories per serving. Let me know if you try these and any adaptations you make!

Redhot Chick'n Salad

I love buffalo chicken wings. They are one of my favorite "bar" foods and I can hardly resist ordering them when I do go out to a place that has good wings, but they're not really that good for you. I know, you're shocked! Deep fried chicken, buttery hot sauce, tastes great, but not good for the diet! For my birthday I got the Hungry Girl 200 under 200 cookbook and one of the first recipes I tagged as a "must try" was the redhot chick'n salad. Because I like spicy food, I of course added more of the hot sauce, almost double in fact, and I think when I make it next time, I'll probably add even more. I like it hot!

Redhot Chick'n Salad
from Hungry Girl

6 ounces cooked skinless lean chicken breast, cubed
3 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
3 tbsp. chopped celery
3 tbsp. chopped carrots
2 tsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-stype grated topping
1 1/2 tsp. Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce (I used 2 1/2 tsp...and would probably go up to 3 next time)
1/2 tsp. dry ranch dressing mix

In medium bowl, combine mayo, Frank's, and ranch mix and stir well. Add chicken, celery and carrot to the mayo mixture and stir. Sprinkle parmessan topping and stir again.

This makes two servings and I scooped it into whole wheat tortillas for a wrap which worked great for lunch!

Baked Zucchini Fries

A couple of posts ago (the Chili Rubbed Pork Chops post) I mentioned that I had made some zucchini fries to go along with the chops and so I figured I'd post that recipe as well for those who were interested. And since it seems like I've been on a small zucchini kick with the soup in my previous post!

Baked Zucchini Fries

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup panko style bread crumbs
2 medium zucchini, cut into chunks and then into strips
2 large egg whites, whipped until frothy

Preheat oven to 425 oven. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together the Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place breadcrumbs in another bowl. Dredge the zucchini in the flour mixture, then dip in egg whites, and finish by dredging in the breadcrumbs. Place coated zucchini on coated baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini is done. Spray top of zucchini with cooking spray and roast in oven for approx. 12 minutes, or until done and crispy on the outside.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

I was on my own for dinner last night, and we had a large pack of zucchini that needed to be used, so, I decided to try my hand at a new soup. I have to say that although I liked it, the flavors could be stronger. I think I'd add more garlic and maybe I didn't use enough zucchini...other than that, it was simple, it was easy and it tasted fresh. I'd make it again!

Cream of Zucchini Soup

1/2 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic
3 small zucchini skin on cut in large chunks
32 oz fat free chicken stock
2 tbsp lite sour cream
salt
pepper

Combine chicken broth, onion, garlic and zucchini in a medium pot and cook on medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the sour cream. Using an immersion blender, purée until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.

Optional: Top with 2 tsp parmesan cheese

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

It's grilling season around here, well, let's be honest, in California it's almost always grilling season! We don't have many months where we can't get out to the yard to fire up the grill, but around our house we still tend to follow the basic grilling season timeline. Anyway, almost every recipe I make during the summer months, I think through if I can grill it. Here, there was no thinking, grilling was a must with the chili rub I put on these pork chops! I served these up with some baked zucchini fries which were a great compliment!

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

20 oz. lean pork loin, or chops
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a small bowl, combine spices. Lay pork chops out on a plate and rub with spice mixture on both sides. Place pork chops in fridge for 1-24 hours. Coat grill with cooking spray and heat to medium. Grill pork chops until done (internal temperature reads 160 degrees)

Pasta Salad with Baby Spinach

This recipe was conceived over IM. It was my night to cook dinner and I had thawed out a whole chicken and had it seasoned up and in the crockpot before I left for work. The only problem was that I was feeling very "uncreative" with a side dish or vegetable. So, I IM'd my sister and asked her what I should make with my chicken for that night. What followed was a back and forth conversation that eventually turned into this recipe.

Pasta Salad with Baby Spinach & Mixed Greens
5 oz. Baby spinach
8 oz. Whole wheat pasta (i.e. penne, bowtie, etc.)
12-15 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp. sliced black olives
2-3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1.5 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese

Cook pasta in salted water, drain and rinse under cold water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, spinach, mixed greens, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss well. Top with shaved parmigiano reggiano.

Sloppy Toms

Yep, just like Sloppy Joes, only, I use ground turkey and forget about that store bought, canned sauce...you probably have everything you need for this in your cupboard! I love sloppy joes, I mean, who doesn't, especially as kids. But, I love that this is an old favorite, just revved up a bit with healthier and fresher ingredients.

Sloppy Toms

1.25 lbs. ground turkey
1-2 tsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1 red pepper, finely chopped
3 tsp. chili powder (separated)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. crushed, fresh garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 sm. can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. mustard
2-3 tbsp. brown sugar

In large non-stick skillet over med. high heat, saute onions, carrots and red pepper until softened. Add ground turkey and continue to cook until browned. Add 1 tsp. of the chili powder and the paprika, garlic, salt and pepper to meat and veggie mixture and cook through.

In small bowl combine tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, remaining 2 tsp. chili powder, mustard and brown sugar. Add sauce to turkey and veggie mixture and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes until sauce is warmed through and starts to thicken.

Serve on buns, or sandwich thins and enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta

Here's another one of my pasta creation dishes. I like being able to just throw things together and have them come out as a tasty meal! I had taken out some Italian Sausage to make a casserole and realized that it was more of a brunch-type casserole so I had to adjust my dinner for tonight. But, I think it turned out quite well, and everyone in the house, and my boyfriend, cleaned their bowls so I take that as a sign of a good recipe!

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta

1/2 lb. Italian Sausage
2 cups pepper strips (I used the frozen kind)
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic, crushed
1/2 red wine
1-1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
28 oz. diced tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil
8 oz. whole wheat pasta (I used the corkscrew pasta, or fuseli)

Cook Italian Sausage over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break apart, for 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Heat olive oil in same pan, cook onion and pepper strips for 5 minutes, add in garlic and red wine, cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the cooked Italian Sausage, diced tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Lower heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. While the sausage sauce is simmering, cook whole wheat pasta, drain and put back into pot. Add chopped basil to sausage sauce and then pour sauce over the pasta and combine.

Bodacious Broccoli Salad

This is one of my favorite salads and it's a great potluck-pleaser. I actually got this recipe from my former roommate Julie so I hope she doesn't mind me sharing! This isn't actually a very "healthy" salad, however, I think there are definitely ways to lighten it up. Like using turkey bacon instead of regular, making sure to use low-fat cheese and mayo, etc.

Anyway, we made a batch of this up for our Memorial Day BBQ this past weekend and thankfully we still have some left over so I can have a scoop for lunch today! The recipe says it serves 12, but I think you will actually get more like 15 servings out of it. Hopefully you can find a time this summer to try it out!

Bodacious Broccoli Salad
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 heads of broccoli (approx. 3-4 cups), chopped into sm. florets
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups golden raisins

Dressing: (mix together)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice

Combine bacon, broccoli, onion, cheese and raisins. Pour combined dressing over salad. Mix everything together and chill.

Lemon Marinated Chuck Roast, aka: The Birthday Roast

The last four or five years that I was either still living at home, or going home from college during the summer, I celebrated my birthday with my family. My mom started a tradition years earlier where you could pick out your "birthday meal" and she would make whatever you had picked. So, every year for my birthday I choose my mom's Lemon Marinated Chuck Roast. Since my birthday is coming up, I thought I'd share this recipe. This roast does takes a little bit of prep time and at least 24 hours to marinate, but trust me, do not skimp on the time, it is undeniably worth it.

Lemon Marinated Chuck Roast
4 lb. Chuck Roast, cut 1 1/2" thick
1 tsp. lemon peel, grated
4 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup oil
3-4 tbsp. Worchestshire sauce
1 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tbsp. sliced green onion

Mix together. Slash edges of roast (fat edges) and place in shallow baking dish or marinade dish with cover. Pour marinade over roast. Cover and let stand 3 hours at room temperature or overnight (I recommend overnight!) in fridge. Turn several times. Remove from marinade and grill over medium heat. 17-20 minutes on each side for rare - medium rare. Heat marinade, pour over roast to serve. Carve across the grain.

Veggie Tortilla Pizza

I guess this would really fall more under a food "idea" than a recipe, but I thought I'd share it anyway! This is a quick lunch idea, I actually ate it with the beet salad I posted yesterday, although it doesn't really need a side dish as it has enough veggies on it already. If you need a quick pizza fix with little guilt, try this out.

Veggie Tortilla Pizza

1 whole wheat tortilla
3 tsp. pizza sauce (or you could just use tomato paste if that's what you have.)
sprinkle of onion powder
sprinkle of Italian seasoning
1 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
zucchini, sliced thin
green pepper, chopped
red onion, sliced thin
grape tomatoes, quartered

Preheat oven to 400. Place tortilla on a foil lined cooking sheet, or a pre-heated pizza stone if you have one, for 3-4 minutes, just enough to get it a little crispier. Remove from oven and spread pizza sauce on tortilla, sprinkle half the cheese and the onion powder and Italian seasoning. Top with all the veggies. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and place back in oven for about 5-7 minutes, until veggies are cooked and cheese is melted.

You can use any veggies you want, this is just what we had in the refrigerator. You could also throw on some turkey pepperoni, or canadian bacon if you wanted to do a meat version. This is one of those great recipes to help you clean out your fridge!

Beet & Orange Salad

This is one of those recipes I've been wanting to try some version of for years. I used pre-cooked beets, but I eventually do want to roast my own. I just haven't been courageous enough to try it yet.

Roasted Beet & Orange Salad

1/2 lb. roasted beets
1 medium orange
2 tbsp. red onion
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cut roasted beets into 1/2" cubes and place in bowl. Cut off peel of orange and cut out sections over the bowl with the beets, add red onion, set aside. In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over beet mixture and toss. This makes about 2-3 servings.

Potato Nachos

Here's another recipe I found in the Weight Watchers cookbook. I had the day off on Friday so I had a little more time to relax and experiment with some new recipes in the kitchen. I decided to make this one as a snack right before lunch. I highly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it as a lower calorie Mexican fix.

Potato Nachos

1 large baking potato, scrubbed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Fat-free sour cream (optional)

Cut the potato crosswise into 3/8 " slices; arrange in a single layer in a microwavable dish. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap, then prick a few holes in the plastic to vent. Microwave on High until tender, about 6 minutes.

Sprinkle the tomato evenly over the potato slices and top with the beans, pepper Jack, and scallion. Microwave, uncovered, on Medium until the cheese melts, 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Serve with sour cream, if using. This makes 2 servings.

The only thing I changed about this recipe is that I used black bean instead of pinto, because that's what I had in the cupboard.

Easy Crockpot Roast

I actually took this recipe from my sister (hope you don't mind Kailey!). When I was home visiting last October, she made the family lunch one afternoon and she had made this roast in the crockpot that was one of the best roasts I've ever tasted. I've made it once since I came home and another friend has made it, and I have all the ingredients to make it again this week, so you can see that it's become a definite favorite in our house!

Easy Crockpot Roast

1 large roast
1 envelope Italian Dressing Mix
1 envelope Ranch Dressing Mix
1 envelope Brown Gravy Mix
1 cup water

Mix the 3 powder mixes together and spread over both sides of roast, put into crockpot and cover with 1 cup of water. Cook in crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.

That's it, it's really that easy! You won't be disappointed in this dish, I promise you! I plan on serving mine this week with grilled polenta circles and roasted asparagus.

Lebanese Chicken and Pita Salad

I borrowed a couple of Weight Watchers cookbooks from a friend a few weeks ago and have tagged a bunch of the recipes to try out. This was one of those recipes, although, true to my cooking style, I made a few tweaks and additions. I brought this in to the ladies I work with for lunch and I believe they all enjoyed it and it made a nice, fresh tasting lunch!

Lebanese Chicken and Pita Salad

1 lb. thin-sliced chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6 mini whole wheat pita breads, toasted
24 grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and chopped
2 green onions
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 - 8.45 oz. can garbanzo beans (my addition)

Season the chicken with 1/4 tsp. of the salt and 1/8 tsp. of the pepper. Spray a large pan with non-stick spray. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 5 minutes; transfer to a serving bowl. Set aside.

Tear the pitas into 1" pieces and add to the bowl along with the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, oil, cumin, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Toss to mix well.

Here's what I changed about the recipe: I omitted the mint (I'm just not a fan), and added some chopped parsley in its place and upped the amount of cilantro. To save time, I also used pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joe's which worked out pretty well. I had a small can of garbanzo beans in the cabinet, so I decided to add that in at the end just to bulk up the salad a little more. I also added about another 1/2 tsp. ground cumin and a splash more of lemon juice.

Houskeeping

If you've been visiting the site the last week or so you may have noticed some changes going on. I've been trying to work on a layout that I don't hate and have been changing my mind very often! So, I apologize for the annoyance of a constantly rotating background and layout, but I think I've settled on one for now - I'm still not convinced it will be the absolute final layout design, but I promise, for the next month or so, this is it!

Asparagus & Canadian Bacon Frittata

We had bought a large bunch of asparagus last week, but never ended up using it, so in trying to find a way to use up the asparagus, I decided to treat myself to a "nice" weekend breakfast on Sunday and made up this frittata. This happens to be my first attempt at a frittata and therefore, there are a few things I'd do differently, but for a frittata beginner I think I did alright.

Asparagus & Canadian Bacon Frittata

3 large eggs
3 egg whites
8-12 slices of canadian bacon, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup asparagus, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small red potatoes, sliced thin
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Table Blend Seasoning

Combine the first 6 ingredients, whisk together and set aside. Saute onion, garlic and asparagus for 3 minutes in a 9" pan, or until tender, remove from pan and set aside. Arrange potato slices in a circle pattern around bottom of pan to form a crust. Let potato cook in pan for about 15 minutes per side until potatoes are cooked through and crisp. Layer asparagus and onion mixture over potato crust. Pour egg mixture on top and cover with lid and cook for 3 minutes, until almost set, sprinkle with Mrs. Dash seasoning. Remove lid and cover handle (or use oven safe pan) and broil in oven for 3 minutes, or until egg has set. Cut into 4 large pieces, or 8 small pieces.

The only thing I'd really change about this recipe is I'd use at least one more egg white, maybe two as the egg mixture was a little flat and barely covered the potato crust. I think adding 1-2 more egg whites would make it a little fluffier and cover more and wouldn't add that many more calories to the dish. I'd also try adding in another vegetable like red or green pepper. I think this recipe could be one of those one's that is easy to mix and match depending on what you have in the refrigerator.

Enchilada Casser-Ole!

A friend of mine had a baby this last week and I wanted to make them something for dinner during the first few nights they had the baby home so they didn't have to worry about making or buying dinner while getting used to their new addition. I found an enchilada casserole recipe in a Healthy Cooking magazine so thought I'd give it a try. I have to say that it turned out really good and I will definitely be making it for myself soon!

Enchilada Casser-Ole!

1 lb. ground beef (I of course used ground turkey)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and rained
1/4 cup reduced fat Italian salad dressing
2 tbsp. reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
6 flour tortillas (8 in) (I used whole wheat)
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, cook beef (or turkey) and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, taco seasoning, and cumin. Place three tortillas in a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat layers.

Cover and bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro.

Chicken Salad

I make a pretty good chicken salad. I'm not going to lie, it's often requested, especially on wine tasting trips or Hollywood Bowl nights. It's one of the easiest things I've ever learned how to make and lasts for a while in the fridge so you can make it a day or two ahead of whenever you want to serve it.

Chicken Salad

1 whole store bought roasted chicken (or you can cook your own chicken breasts)
1 1/5 cups red grapes, halved
3/4 - 1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp. Mrs. Dash Table Blend, use to taste
1/2 - 3/4 cup slivered almonds (optional)

Remove skin from chicken, chop chicken into small bite sized pieces and place in large bowl. Add halved grapes, celery, mayonnaise and Mrs. Dash and mix together. Right before serving stir in slivered almonds. Serve on crusty bread, crackers, a bed of lettuce or inside a cantaloupe ring!

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

It's Sunday morning and I'm already thinking about lunch tomorrow! I picked up a bag of dried lentils at the store yesterday. I've been wanting to try out a crock pot soup with lentils in it since I saw a recipe for one on a friends blog a month or more ago. I also know that I'm pretty much the only one in my house that will eat lentils, so I decided to throw together the soup today to have for quick lunches this week.

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into lg. chunks
2 celery stalks, chopped into lg. chunks
1 medium onion, chopped into lg. chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups lentils, picked over
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
8 cups chicken stock (use vegetable broth or water if making vegetarian)
4 oz. Canadian bacon, cut into small chunks(omit if making vegetarian)
1 can diced tomatoes

Place ingredients in a 4-5 quart crock pot in the following order: carrots, celery, onion, lentils, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper and broth. Cook on low for 6 hours. Uncover and add Canadian bacon and diced tomatoes. Continue cooking for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Turkey & Spinach Meatballs

I bought a spaghetti squash at the store this week, it's one of the first squashes that I ever actually enjoyed eating, but now, really love. I wanted to use it up for one of my dinners this week, but did still want to include some sort of protein so I found this recipe for Turkey and Spinach meatballs. I actually made the meatballs up the night before so all I had to do was heat them up in some sauce and cook the spaghetti squash and my quick dinner was ready to go!

Turkey & Spinach Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey
2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs (if I'd had whole wheat, I'd have used that instead of regular)
1/4 cup parmessan cheese
1 splash of milk
non-stick spray

In a large bowl, combine the onion, egg, bread crumbs and parmessan and milk to form a sort of paste. Add the turkey, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and spinach. Gently combine all ingredients together. Roll into 1-2 inch balls, place on a pan sprayed with non-stick spray, spray top of meatballs with non-stick spray as well. Cook 20-25 minutes in a 375 oven. Flip half way through so both sides get slightly brown.

Add to spaghetti sauce and heat through. Serve over your favorite pasta or spaghetti squash.

Salisbury-ish steak

So, I tried out another new recipe last night, I have a few tweaks I'd make to the recipe if I did it again, but I think it still tasted good and was very filling. I'm calling it Salisbury-ish Steak, but really since I'm not sure that I've ever eaten Salisbury Steak I'm not sure how close to the original it tastes!

Salisbury-ish Steak
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal (ground up) (I think I might only use 1/4 cup next time)
1/2 cup oatmeal
2 eggs (this is where I'd make a tweak...I'd use at least 3 eggs, or 4 egg whites)
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried parsley
3-4 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce (separated)
2 10-oz. cans low fat Cream of Mushroom
6-12 oz. whole wheat egg noodles

Ground up the cereal in a blender or food processor.

Prepare the noodles according to package. (I only used 6 oz. but had more patties left over than noodles so if you want left over noodles make more now, although you may want to wait and make them fresh.)

While boiling the water, combine the beef, ground cereal, quick oats, egg or egg whites, 1 ½ - 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried parsley.

Form the mixture into patties, each a little more than 3 oz.

Brown the patties in a large frying pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray over medium high heat about 3-4 minutes a side.

Whisk the soup, 1 1/2 cans of water (the soup can) and the remaining 1 ½ -2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Pour soup mixture over patties. Lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Once the noodles are done, remove the patties from the skillet and set aside. Drain the noodles and add to the skillet. Stir to coat the noodles in the soup mixture.

Sweet & Tangy Salmon

So, this week the grocery store had salmon on sale, so I picked up a medium sized fillet to use sometime during the week. I was perusing my new favorite recipe site and found this recipe for salmon that is low in calories. I have to admit that I liked it ok, I think that I prefer my salmon with more natural flavors of just garlic and lemon, but this was a nice way to change up my usual go to fish recipe. I think I might try this with soy sauce instead of the Worcestershire sauce next time...

Sweet & Tangy Salmon

2 - 4oz. salmon fillets
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 -1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste, I like spicy foods, so I used about 1/2 tsp.)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Whisk honey, Worcestershire sauce and pepper flakes in a small bowl. Season salmon with salt and pepper, place in skillet and cook about 3 minutes per side. Before you flip the salmon over, drizzle half of the honey mixture on the salmon. Drizzle remaining honey mixture on second side.

Banana Graham Parfait

So, even though I'm watching what I eat and counting those calories, I found myself with a bit of a sweet tooth tonight and just had to give in to the craving and made myself some dessert! But...I made sure it was a lower calorie option and it was very satisfying and filling. This is not really a recipe, more so a guideline. You could easily substitute different fruit and pudding flavors, but I enjoyed this combination a lot.

Banana Graham Parfait

1 banana
2 low-fat Cinnamon Graham Cracker sheets
1 sugar-free vanilla pudding

Break up part of a graham cracker sheet in bottom of a bowl. Spread a spoonful of pudding over crackers, slice up half of the banana. Repeat layers, topping with the last bits of graham cracker.

That's it! It's super simple and tasty. Enjoy!

Taco Seasoning

I was in the mood for Taco Night this week, but as I said in my last blog, I'm trying to eat healthier, more filling options, so I wanted to take a stab at making my own taco seasoning as the pre-packaged ones usually contain a lot more sodium than is necessary. This would be an easy recipe to double/triple/etc. and have some on hand to use it as you need it. I used it on some cooked ground turkey, I added about 1/8 cup of water just to keep it all moist as I was finishing cooking and chopping everything else for the tacos and it worked out great.

Taco Seasoning

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Instead of the cayenne pepper you could use 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, I didn't have any at the time, so I used cayenne pepper and really liked it. As another option, you could also add in 1/2 to 1 tsp. of dried cilantro.

This could be used on ground turkey, chicken, pork or even beef, it's very versatile, just like the packets of taco seasoning you can buy in the store, but a LOT less sodium. I also noticed that it allowed the fresh flavor of the turkey to shine through as well.

Spicy Black Beans w/Zucchini

I've been trying to find new and healthier recipes lately, as I'm trying my best to make sure what I eat has the fewest amount of calories but make a great filler. I saw this recipe on another blog I've been following [GreenLiteBites] and since this week I had taco night, I decided to try this one out since beans are a great healthy option. I'll be following up with another blog with my new Taco Seasoning that I made the same night, so stay tuned!

This could be used as a side dish, or as an extra filing for your tacos. The next day I heated some up and topped a salad with them and some extra salsa which tasted great!

Spicy Black Beans w/Zucchini

1 cup canned black beans
1/8 cup vidalia onions, chopped
1/2 cup zucchini, diced
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. salsa

Spray a medium sauce pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. Add onion, cook until soft.

Add zucchini and sprinkle with spices. Stir in beans and salsa. Lower heat and stir occasionally until ready to serve.

Tri-Color Tuna Salad

I was in the mood for a tunafish sandwich tonight, but wanted to shake it up a little bit and try something new at the same time. Again, I looked through the veggie crisper to see what we had and decided to go with a tri-color tuna salad. I think it tasted pretty good and was definitely not your average tuna salad. The mixture of the chopped vegetables makes the mixture spread a little further than usual and I loved the crunch of the carrots and spicy bits of the red onion were a nice touch.

Tri-Color Tuna Salad

1 can tuna in water, drained
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped or shredded
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 small dill pickle, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1-2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2-1 tsp. Mrs. Dash original blend

Mix it all together, adjust seasoning to taste. Spread 1/4 - 1/2 of the mixture on a slice of bread, top with lettuce and slices of tomato and top with another slice of bread.

Friday Night Pasta

This is what I might also call a fridge cleaner pasta. I had a tough workout at the gym tonight, and I wanted to top off my week with a nice homemade dinner that was extra filling but easy. So, I looked through the fridge and freezer to see what we had. I started chopping and cooking away and this is what I came up with.
	Friday Night Pasta 2 tsp olive oil 2 clove(s) garlic clove(s), finely chopped
	1/2 cup(s) onion(s)
	1 cup(s) mushroom(s), sliced
	1 cup(s) zucchini, quartered and sliced
	1 cup(s) canned diced tomatoes
	6 oz cooked shrimp
	4 cup(s) cooked whole wheat pasta
	1 oz romano cheese, shredded finely
	1 tbsp Italian seasoning Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and onions, saute until clear and tender. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add can of diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning and let simmer for 5 minutes. If the sauce seems to thick add a small amount of water. Add in shrimp and continue simmering until shrimp is cooked through and sauce is at a consistency that you want. Serve over cooked pasta, and sprinkle some of the shredded romano cheese over the vegetables and shrimp mixture. I think there are enough vegetables in the sauce to count as your "vegetable" for this meal, but I enjoy salads, so I served this pasta with a side garden salad and it was a very satisfying meal! This would also be an easy vegetarian option, just leave out the shrimp.

Asian Chili Chicken

So, I had to make dinner on the fly tonight. My roommate had taken out some chicken, but wasn't able to make dinner for us, so...I flew into improv mode. I think that when it comes to chicken, the two easiest ways to fix it is either BBQ or an Asian version. For tonight, I chose Asian and sort of made it up as I went along.

Asian Chili Chicken

5-6 green onions
2-3 Tbsp. oil
6 chicken thighs
1 tsp. garlic chili paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
salt
water

Chop green onions but keep green sections separate. Heat oil in pan, add green onions and chili paste. Saute in pan for about 1 min. Add chicken thighs and brown on both sides until golden. Add soy sauce, sugar, salt and enough water to submerge the chicken. Boil until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced and thickened.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce and sprinkled green onion tops.

Chicken Paprikash

So, I'm pretty sure this isn't a "true" chicken paprikash recipe, but it was pretty simple to do and tasted just fine. I have a co-worker who has a recipe for this dish that I'm sure is much truer to the original Hungarian version that I'd like to try one of these days, but in the mean-time, I cheated and made this version.

Chicken Paprikash

3 lb. chicken cut into 8 pieces (I used a few chicken breasts cutlets)
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. paprika
¾ c. water
1 c. crushed tomatoes
2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. sour cream
1 tbsp. flour
1 green pepper, cut into pieces


1. Heat oil in a pan (I used my new favorite cast-iron pan) over medium heat, add mushrooms and onion and cook until transparent
2. Place chicken pieces in pan, cook, turning often until lightly browned all over
3. Sprinkle salt and paprika on chicken, add ½ c. water and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender
5. In a small bowl, combine 1 c. sour cream, flour and ¼ c. water and stir well
6. Add peppers in, pour mixture over chicken and stir, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes
7. Place chicken in a deep serving dish, pour remaining sauce over.

I boiled up some elbow pasta to pour the chicken mixture over but you could also use egg noodles, rice or spaetzle. Make sure that when you're cutting up the chicken and peppers to cut them small enough. The original recipe called for the green peppers to be cut into rings. I suggest you cut both the chicken and peppers into bite sized pieces.

Meatloaf Muffins

This is one of our favorite weeknight recipes to make. I've adapted it from a Rachel Ray recipe. She uses ground sirloin, we always use ground turkey. She also uses a food processor for all of the chopping, we use a knife, we're funny that way. Make sure when picking out your salsa you get the level of hotness you can handle, because it really does affect the spiciness of the meatloaf! We usually serve this with smashed Yukon gold potatoes.

Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 pounds ground turkey
• 1 small-medium onion finely diced
  
• 2 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper finely diced
  
• 1 large egg plus a splash of milk, beaten
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (Rachel recommendeds: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick, I think this is what we use too)
• 1 cup smoky barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato salsa
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Put ground beef into a big bowl. Add diced onion, celery, and green pepper to the meat bowl. Add egg, beaten with milk, bread crumbs and grill seasoning to the bowl. Next, mix together the smoky barbecue sauce, the salsa and the Worcestershire sauce. Pour half the sauce mixture into the bowl with the meatloaf mix. Mix the meatloaf together with your hands. Wash up. Brush a 12-muffin tin (1/2-cup each) with vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Use an ice cream scoop to help you fill meat into a each tin. Top each meat loaf with a spoonful of extra sauce. Bake about 20 minutes. Cut open 1 muffin to test that the middle is cooked through.

Turkey Burger

I've pretty much replaced ground beef with ground turkey in all of my recipes. It's much leaner and I've been trying to reduce my consumption of red meat...I save it for a really good steak! So, after a rough workout tonight, I felt like eating a really good burger and I had about a pound of ground turkey left over from my Sloppy Tom's that I had made the night before. I rounded out my meal with steamed brussel sprouts and my favorite roasted potatoes.

Turkey Burger
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Jamaican jerk seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, form into patties and cook over med/low heat on the stove. I have found that turkey burgers are harder to grill as the meat is softer and doesn't hold together as well as ground beef, so I tend to cook them up in a cast iron/saute pan with a small amount of olive oil.

Spread mayonnaise mixed with sweet pickle relish on a whole wheat bun, top with a lettuce leaf and place cooked turkey patty on top.

Balsamic Onion & Turkey Quesadilla

I saw this recipe online and wanted to give it a try, although I didn't have any whole wheat tortillas so I used the small corn tortillas we had in the fridge which ended up being the perfect size for a light lunch. I cut up a few veggies and lettuce for a side salad and drizzled with some of the leftover cilantro-lime vinaigrette from earlier in the week.

Balsamic Onion & Turkey Quesadilla

1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 10-inch whole-wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
8 slices deli turkey, preferably smoked (8 ounces)

1. Combine onion and vinegar in a bowl; let marinate for 5 minutes. Drain.
2. Place 2 tortillas in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (they will overlap); warm for about 45 seconds, then flip. Pull the tortillas up the edges of the pan so they are no longer overlapping. Working on one half of each tortilla, sprinkle one-fourth of the cheese, cover with 2 slices of turkey and top with one-fourth of the onion. Fold the tortillas in half, press gently with a spatula to flatten and cook until the cheese starts to melt, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the second side is golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Make two more quesadillas with the remaining ingredients. Serve warm.

Breakfast Smoothies

A few days this week I was on quite a smoothie kick. My favorite combination though was the Raspberry/Banana/Mango. The first morning I used our blender, and it worked just fine, however, it causes more cleanup, so the next couple of days that I made smoothies, I used the hand blender which was fantastic. Put everything you want into a cup, and stick the hand blender in to mix it. So easy.


Raspberry Banana Mango Smoothie
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
frozen raspberries and mango
1/2 fresh banana
2 T. Flaxseed with dried blueberries
1/4 - 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

place yogurt in bottom of a large glass, put in frozen fruit and fresh banana. Sprinkle flaxseed over fruit and pour almond milk on top. Add the milk a little at a time, just want enough to thin it little. Mix with hand blender until smooth.

The vanilla almond milk has enough sweetness in it that you shouldn't need to add any sweetener to it, but if the combination seems to tart for your taste, try adding a T. of honey.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Last night I made Taco Salad and instead of loading on the sour cream and guacamole I whipped up a fresh vinaigrette to drizzle on top and I have to say if you like a little zip on your salad, this cilantro and lime dressing will hit the spot.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

· 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

· 1 teaspoon grated lime rind

· 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

· 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

· 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

· 1 garlic clove, peeled

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix well. I used our handy emulsion blender for this which makes for easier clean up!