Confetti Chicken Rice Salad August 25, 2008

The following rice salad was created out of the necessity to make dinner using the very limited ingredients in my refrigerator and pantry. I usually do my grocery shopping on Sunday nights but just didn’t get to it this Sunday. Necessity is the mother of all inventions, right? Rice salads can be a light yet hearty and satisfying entree. This is a very flexible dish and can easily be turned into a vegetarian option by using sauteed tofu or chick peas instead of chicken and by deleting feta cheese or by using an alternative. It was a bright and colorful dish and makes for great lunch leftovers the next day.

Ingredients: 

2 grilled chicken breasts ( marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and dried basil)

1 zucchini, thinly sliced (dressed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper)

2 cups cooled brown rice

1 cup chopped carrots (I used my very cool, Pampered Chef hand chopper)

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 green onions chopped

1/2 English cucumber chopped  

5 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade 

1 jar of quality marinated artichoke hearts, drained with liquid reserved

White wine vinegar, to taste

Lemon juice, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook brown rice and let cool to room temperature, set aside.

2. Grill marinated chicken breasts. I used my George Foreman Grill at 350 degrees for 12 minutes

3. Put seasoned zucchini on a baking sheet and cook underneath the broiler in your oven until nice and grilled. Remove from the oven and let cool.

3. Meanwhile chop and drop into a large mixing bowl your carrots, onions, tomatoes, green onions and basil.  When zucchini cools, chop and add to the bowl. Add the drained artichoke hearts to the bowl.

4. A trick that I learned a long time ago is to use the liquid from the marinated artichoke hearts as the base for salad vinaigrette. The liquid already has the oil, vinegar and spices. I usually add a little white wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice to the mix (it depends on the brand you use). Whisk together and set aside.

5. When the chicken cools enough to handle, cut into 1 inch chunks and add to the mixing bowl.

6. Add the room temperature brown rice to the mixing bowl.

7. Drizzle the vinaigrette to the salad. Start with a little and add to taste (don’t over dress).

8. Serve and top with a sprinkle of feta cheese…Why? Because Feta makes it Betta!  

 Simple, Easy, Breezy and Flexible!

Whole Wheat Veggie Patch Pizza August 21, 2008

Ordering pizza for delivery can be really expensive; not to mention detrimental to your waist line. Try the following recipe that is both quick and easy and full of vegetable goodness. My inspiration came from a  Real Simple recipe that I saw for Zucchini-Mushroom Pizza. I made quite a few changes to the recipe so I am going to write my own version and then I will attach the original Real Simple recipe below in case you want to check that one out too!

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini, halved and cut length wise into thin slices

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 pound whole wheat pizza dough (I bought mine from Fresh & Easy but I know that Trader Joes has good pre-made dough as well). Make sure it is thawed if it came frozen.

1/2 – 3/4 cup tomato basil marinara (I had some leftover from dinner the other night which is why I used it. You could use whatever sauce you have handy or even go sauceless).

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 onion thinly sliced (I used a sweet Maui onion)

10 oz. sliced cremini or white mushrooms 

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1/2 – 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella

  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. In a bowl, toss the sliced zucchini in 2 tbsp. of Olive oil, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into the shape of a rectangle and about 1/4″ thick then transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet. (Note: My dough was definitely more free formed than an exact rectangle. Working with pizza dough is not my forte

4. Top the dough with a light layer of marinara sauce and sliced zucchini. Sprinkle with the dried basil.

5. Bake until the crust is golden brown; 8-10 minutes according to my pizza dough instructions. Make sure you check the directions on the dough you are using and adjust the time if necessary.

6.  While the pizza is cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until they are nice and caramelized, adding kosher salt to taste. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are tender. Set aside.

7.   Take the pizza out of the oven and spread the onions and mushrooms on top. Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over the top of your pizza and place back in the oven for approx. 5 more minutes or until the cheese is nice and melted.

8. Cut and serve with a nice garden salad.

This was a pretty tasty and filling meal. If you are vegetarian, just delete the cheese or use a substitute. If you are a meat-a-tarian   you could always add a little sliced smoked turkey sausage at the same time as the zucchini. It’s up to you.

Real Simple Recipe for Zucchini-Mushroom Pizza

http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=524374

Simple Mahi Mahi W/ Salsa Fresca August 12, 2008

Just because you are cooking simple doesn’t mean it needs to be boring or flavorless. Try this simple trick to add a little simple kick to your meal. This idea can also be used for grilled chicken too!  

1. Marinate 2 pieces of Mahi Mahi in lime juice, garlic, cilantro and olive oil for 1 hour (if you really want to make it simple, you can always use a store bought marinade)

2. Steam broccoli

3. Make a fresh garden salad with your favorite ingredients. I used romaine lettuce with chopped tomato, cucumber and red bell pepper.

4. Grill the fish. I used my George Foreman grill – 300 degrees for 6-7 minutes.

5. Top the grilled mahi mahi with a heaping spoonful of salsa fresca or pico de gallo (Trader Joe’s has a GREAT salsa fresca). Next add a few slices of ripe avocado.  

6. Combine 1/4 cup salsa fresca and 3 tbsp. ’Light’ Caesar salad dressing to make a sassy dressing for your salad

This meal is light, low fat, satisfying and oh so tasty. Plus it took less than 20 minutes to prepare! Try it!

It’s a Simple Plan August 12, 2008

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Your meal plan needs to work for you and your life. It is all well and good to create a lofty meal plan full of new amazing recipes for the week. But if you can’t live up to the plan because it isn’t realistic; you will probably end up disappointed and might even waste food and money. So be realistic.

After the weekend I kind of realized that I was feeling a little burnt out on cooking. See! It happens to eveyone! You are not alone! But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still create a meal plan. Just make a simple one. I am attaching my plan for this week just to give you an idea of how easy it can be. I picked meals that were quick and low prep. I also planned so that I could make extra at times and use it in lunches for the week. You will notice that I don’t plan breakfasts specifically. That is because it is usually 1 of 4 breakfast items depending on our moods (waffle w/ peanut butter, grain toast w/ peanut butter, oatmeal or smoothie)  

Monday

Lunch: Out (I knew we would be eating out for lunch that day)

Dinner: Turkey Mish Mash

Recipe: turkey-mish-mash-of-the-gods

Tuesday

Lunch: Grilled Mahi Mahi, Steamed Broccoli & Salad (Steam extra broccoli to go in wraps for lunch tomorrow)

Dinner: Leftover Turkey Mish-Mash & Salad

Wednesday

Lunch: Broccoli Turkey Wrap

Recipe: broccoli-turkey-wrap

Dinner: Grilled Chicken with Whole Wheat Spaghetti & Fresh Tomato, Basil & Garlic sauce (Grill extra chicken for lunch tomorrow)

Thursday

Lunch: Chicken Salad

Dinner: Baked Salmon with Grilled Red Peppers & Couscous (make extra salmon for lunch tomorrow)

Friday

Lunch: Simple Nicoise Salad with Salmon

Dinner: Turkey Burgers, Asparagus & Brown Rice

Sneaky, Sneaky Brownies August 12, 2008

Last week I made those sneaky spinach brownies from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld.  I followed the recipe to a tee with one exception – I gently mixed in a handful of whole chocolate chips to the batter before I poured it in the pan. 

My final verdict is that they were “okay”. I think they would be great for moms trying to sneak nutrition into sweets for their young children with less discerning palates. But for me… I would rather save my calories for the real deal. I don’t really have that big of a sweet tooth so if for some reason I feel like a brownie… I want one that tastes AMAZING! The spinach brownies weren’t bad; they just had an after taste that wasn’t to my personal liking. At first my boyfriend didn’t love  them either but after they were packed in his lunch all week they kind of grew on him. He even said that I should make them again.  SO… maybe I am the only brownie snob in our house. I am attaching the recipe; you never know… these sneaky spinach brownies might just be the perfect brownies for you. :)

http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipesdesserts/food_20071008_brownie

Turkey Mini Meatloaves w/ Spaghetti Squash & Marinara August 5, 2008

The recipe for the Turkey Mini Meatloaves is very similar in concept to the Turkey Veggie Burgers from a past entry. I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.Com courtesy of EatingWell.Com. There are shredded and chopped vegetables mixed in with the lean ground turkey to increase the nutritional benefit. These little loaves turned out super cute and super tasty. I did not use the optional barbecue sauce but I did add a pinch of fresh thyme because I had some in my refrigerator. 

I served my lowfat and nutritious mini meatloaves with shredded spaghetti squash and a side of tomato basil marinara (store bought). It was a yummy and healthful meal.  

How I cook my spaghetti squash…

Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Put the squash, cut sides down in a dutch oven or a large pot. Fill the pot with water until the squash is covered about 1-2 inches. Sprinkle some salt in the water. Bring the pot to a boil. Cover then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes until the squash is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork or knife. Remove the squash and let cool. Once it has cooled enough for you to handle it;take a fork and scrap the inside. You will see that it resembles a spaghetti noodle like texture and is a great and lowfat replacement for pasta.  

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eating-well/turkey-mini-meatloaves-recipe/index.html