Summer Veggie Slaw

I came across this fantastic Summer Veggie Slaw and can't wait to make it.  Doesn't it just look like a perfect summer addition on a hot, humid day?! Spend a little time checking out the Proud Italian Cook's blog as it is full of beautiful pictures and delicious recipes.  Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Pesto Gnocchi

Tonight was a very simple meal of gnocchi tossed in pesto paired with a light salad and a slice of garlic parmesan bread from the Westside Market.  In our house, we call it the Dan Humphrey dinner, since Dan Humphrey's dad on Gossip Girl  considered this his "signature" dish.  Always one of Meg's favorite's and she's already asking for it when she comes back home after Spring semester concludes.

Buon Appetito!

Meatless Monday: Butternut Squash Tacos

I can't wait to make these.  It's from Naturally Ella, a foodie blog.  How yummy does butternut squash, black beans, srirachara, honey, lime, and cilantro in a tortilla sound? Mmmm....

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

No butter, no flour, no white sugar - and yet, they are delicious!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I prefer creamy honey roasted; plain or crunchy may be used; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter - see below)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 ounces semi-sweet, dark, or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips may be substituted)

 

Directions:

To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-combined and the sugar is fully incorporated and is mixture is no longer gritty or granular, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl as necessary. (Note regarding peanut butter - although natural peanut butter or homemade peanut butter may work, I recommend using storebought peanut butter like Jif, Skippy, Peter Pan or similar so that cookies bake up thicker and spread less. Using natural or homemade peanut butter tends to result in thinner and flatter cookies that are prone to spreading while baking)

 

Add the baking soda and beat to incorporate. Add the chocolate and beat to just incorporate; don't overmix or the nice chocolate chunks will break down. Transfer dough to airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 5 days, before baking.

 

Preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mats, parchment, or spray with cooking spray; set aside. Using a 2-inch cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons of dough or about 1.60 to 1.75 ounces by weight), form dough mounds and place on prepared baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart (8 to 10 per tray). If chocolate is falling out of dough since there is an abundance, roll ball between palms to encourage it to stay in the dough. Slightly flatten the mounds before baking so they don't stay too domed and puffed while baking, just don't over-flatten.

 

Bake for 8 to10 minutes, until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the center. Watch them very closely after 7 minutes and I recommend not baking longer than ten minutes.

 

Source. 

Meatless Monday: Egg Salad Bento Box Lunch

Health lunches are challenging for me. Lately, I've been eating McDougall's soups, low in sodium, but taste outstanding.  Sometimes, if I'm thinking ahead, I'll fix a turkey sandwich with spinach leaves and pack a yogurt.  When I came across a link on Eating Well for health lunches, of course I clicked.  I love this egg salad idea and turning your lunch into a fiesta of flavors. 

How yummy looking is this? Just spoon some egg salad into a lettuce leaves, add a couple pieces of cocktail bread along with crunchy veggies. Toss your bananas and blueberries in yogurt to prevent the bananas from going bad. Add in a few little chocolate chips and almonds or pistachios for "dessert" and you have a wonderfully satisfying, healthy (and meatless!) lunch.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Penne Rosa

I stumbled across this blog and I loved her story about why she set out to recreate this dish in a healthy manner.  For this installment of Meatless Monday, I will pass on the meat.  But feel free, as she did, to add shrimp to really up the protein.  Can't wait to make this and pair it with a light salad of fresh greens and a crusty piece of bread! Mmmm...

Penne Rosa
Ingredients

• 12 ounces whole wheat penne
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 10 ounces medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Cook penne according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.
3. Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms begin to release their water.
4. Turn heat up to medium-high and add in shrimp. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes.
5. Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt and pasta sauce. Stir until sauce is mixed well and all pasta and veggies are coated. Heat until just warmed through. Divide into pasta bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Meatless Monday: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas Recipe

Yield: 10 enchiladas
Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 25 min

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1 15-oz can Trader Joe's Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 4-oz can Trader Joe's Fire Roasted Diced Green Chile
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 1 lime, juice only
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 12-oz jar of Trader Joe's Salsa Verde
• 10 corn tortillas
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, add the sweet potato, black beans, garlic, green chile, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, jalapeños, and lime juice. Mix to combine, and add a bit of salt and pepper.
3. Assemble the enchiladas: Warm the tortillas for a minute in the microwave, or one by one in a skillet. In a large baking dish, spread enough salsa verde to lightly cover the bottom. Add 1/10 of the filling to each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, and roll it up. Place the enchilada seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top the enchiladas with the remaining salsa verde and cheese.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and tortillas look slightly golden.

Source: Trader Joe's Vegeterian Recipes Cookbook.

Meatless Monday: Quinoa Risotto with Arugula and Parmesan

I came across the Mayo Clinic's health recipes site, which has a division for meatless recipes.  The one I plan to try tonight is Quinoa Risotto with Arugula and Parmesan.  I think it will pair nicely with crusty french bread and maybe a glass of pinot noir. 

Salute!

Meatless Monday: Hummus Club Sandwich

I was searching for a good recipe for hummus and came across this incredibly simple one. 

Spread one slice of whole wheat bread with hummus.  Top with Bibb lettuce, tomato slices, sprouts, and red onion slices.  Serve with grapes.  Mmmm...simple, yet yummy!

Meatless Mondays: Kid-Friendly Recipes

I came across this Pinterest site that features meatless recipes for kids. I think we'll try the Honey Apple Stacks, which just requires slicing the apples, whisking 1/4 cup of honey with juice of one lemon, pouring over the stack, then baking at 300 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Simple, fun and easy dessert for Bridget and I to tackle after work!

Meatless Monday: Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Since I'm home today, and it's FREEZING outside, I thought a nice big bowl of soup and crusty bread sounded perfect. Maybe you'll even be tempted to join me for this meatless soup. The recipe calls for using just black beans. Since I don't have black beans in my pantry at the moment, I'll be substituting a bean mix. I'll let you know how that substitution impacts this recipe.

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

3-15 oz. cans black beans
2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp nutmet
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Add all ingredients to your slow cooker. Stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Making Your Own Almond Butter

Really simple to do and extra yummy. Just chop almonds in your blender. Keep pulsing until it's a thick paste. Keep going. Keep going. A little more. Keep going. And before you know it, you have the desired consistency for almond butter. Spread it on apple slices or onto a banana and you have a healthy snack!

Meatless Monday: Week One

COUSCOUS FRITTATA
Serves 4

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked couscous
1 tablespoon water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 large egg whites
3 large eggs
cooking spray
2 cups red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup manchego or monterey jack cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350°.

Bring 1/2 cup water to boil in a small saucepan and gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Combine 1 tablespoon water, salt, black pepper, egg whites and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.

Stir in couscous and egg mixture and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes or until set.
Source: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/couscous-frittata/.

Pretty Good Week, and You?

Not a bad week for fitness here at the casa. Managed to sneak in two lunchtime runs as well as a longish run on Sunday, banking 12 miles for the week. Biked around the block with my girls and even met up with one of Bridget's friends and her mother on our ride. Enjoyed a yoga class Saturday afternoon with Megan, and learned that I have let my core go to hell. Holding a plank nearly killed me. And my down dog? Geesh, heels no where near the floor. Got lots of work to do! But five days of activity makes me one happy girl!

And we're getting back to eating cleaner here. Meg and I are trying to limit our "processed" foods and up our fruits and veggies. We've even decided to adopt the Meatless Mondays movement. Got some great ideas and I think we're leaning toward a nice frittata with fresh fruit this Monday. Mmmm - sounds good!

Enjoy the week!