Category Archives: Healthy

Simple but Elegant Lunch

Posted on by

2

This was really good, and I love that I can easily throw this kind of meal together cause I have such a well stocked pantry and fridge. I was able to use some of the pesto that I made over the weekend,  crimini mushrooms, minced onion and some grape tomatoes to create a tasty pasta “sauce”.  Today I picked up some quinoa pasta shells because there is way more protein  and other good-for-you stuff that regular pasta can’t offer. I would have loved to add some peas to this, but sadly I had no frozen peas! Anyway, I am really happy with how this turned out, and I think having pesto on hand in the fridge or freezer is something I will have more often. It isn’t hard to make and it tastes worlds better than any pre-made pesto with unpronounceable ingredients. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom “Burger”

Posted on by

2

M requested hamburgers, homemade buns and baked beans (with bacon, of course) for dinner…not health food by any stretch of the imagination! The other day, I saw portobello mushroom caps for sale at Publix which started the wheels turning in my brain…”what could I do with those?” I typed “portobello” in the TasteSpotting search for inspiration – it never fails me! There were several recipes for burgers using marinated caps, some topped with caramelized onions, others with pesto, brie or roasted red bell pepper. I combined a few different ideas to come up with what sounded good to me. Mine will have the roasted (on the grill) red bell pepper, pesto and some traditional burger toppings. I know the hubbs is going to look at me like I have a third eye or something, but I’m not making him eat it!;o)

Anyway, this meal was so tasty and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on the beef. Portobello mushrooms are pretty hardy and it absorbed the marinade perfectly. I would definitely make this again, although I would be the only one eating them next time too. M hates mushrooms and bell peppers, so I don’t think I could pay him enough to try them. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Marinated Portobello Mushroom “Burger” – a Mom Makes Origional

  • 2 Portobello Mushroom caps, gills removed and brushed clean
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1-2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
  • 1 TSP Italian seasoning
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste

Toppings –

  • 1/2 roasted red bell pepper
  • 2 TBSP Arugula pesto
  • small handful of salad greens
  • fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 1 split Parmesan cheese bun

Directions –

Place the mushroom caps in a zip top bag, mix all the remaining ingredients and pour over the caps. Let marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Grill the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes a side add cheese half way through cooking time if desired.

Toast your bun, spread pesto on both sides, add a slice of beefsteak tomato, some salad greens, half a roasted bell pepper then top with your mushroom cap. Enjoy!

Arugula Pesto Ingredients – adapted from Simply Recipes

  • 2 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts
  • 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced

Directions –

Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.

Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.

Food processor method (the fast way): Combine the arugula, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Cheese Burger Buns – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 6 ounces lukewarm water
  • 2 ounces butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 14 3/4 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 7/8 ounce sugar
  • 3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese or the finely grated cheese of your choice
  • 3/4 to 1 1/4 teaspoons salt*
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder, optional but good
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons instant
  • butter for brushing on top
  • *Use 3/4 teaspoon salt if you use cheese powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt if you use grated fresh cheese

Directions –
To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, somewhat tacky dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or other container large enough to allow it to at least double in bulk, cover, and let it rise for about 60 to 70 minutes, till it’s just about doubled.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into 8 pieces.

Round each piece into a smooth ball, and place on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently flatten the balls to about 3″ diameter

Cover the buns and let them rise till they’ve expanded nicely, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush each bun with melted butter.

Bake the buns till they’re a light, golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Remove buns from oven, and brush with melted butter again. Place them on a rack to cool.

Yield – 8 big buns

Try This…

Posted on by

0

Only if you like avocados, tomatoes and the flavor of lime juice. It’s a super simple snack that I came up with sometime last year when I had a craving for guacamole but I didn’t have the time or all the ingredients that go into my fave guacamole. Oh, and no chips either but this “salad” fit my cravings perfectly. Avocado does have a lot of fat, but really – how bad can fat be from a fruit?;o) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Tomato and Avocado “Salad” ingredients –

  • 1/2 avocado, diced
  • 1 – 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • juice of half a lime
  • kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions –

1. Toss all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Eat!

“Smoozy”

Posted on by

0

My Mom and Dad sent money for Christmas – always a good gift! I had a lot of fun choosing new kitchen toys that will make my life a little easier. With my portion, I bought two new loaf pans (I can’t wait to use these), a new cooling rack and a stick blender. Oh, how I love you stick blender…I have so far only used it to make smoothies, but if that was all it was good at making that would be just fine with me. It’s a lot less hassle than dragging out the blender every morning, and I have even had time to make the kids one before school too. The clean up is so easy too which is always a plus. Anyway, here’s my tasty, super simple, healthy, basic smoothie. Enjoy!

Morning Smoothie

  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/8 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
  • 5 slices frozen banana ( the secret to a thick smoothie )
  • 4 frozen strawberries
  • 10 frozen blueberries
  • 5 frozen peach slices
  • squeeze of honey

Directions –

Place all ingredients into the mixer beaker and blend using an up and down motion until ingredients are combined.

Black Bean Confetti Salad

Posted on by

2

Quick post: This salad is tasty and super healthy for you. I thought of adding seeded/de-ribbed jalapeno to this, but I chickened out. I did add red onion to this, and those can be quite “spicy” sometimes – especially raw. It adds a nice bite to the mix, but if you like more heat add more cayenne pepper. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Black Bean Confetti Salad – adapted from Smitten Kitchen

This works equally well as a small salad–even tossed with salad greens for more
bulk–or alongside salsa fresca for scooping up with a tortilla chip.

  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed
  • 4 bell peppers, a mix of colors, chopped into a small dice
  • 1/2 super-large or 1 medium white onion, chopped into a small dice
  • Juice of one lime
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • Optional: If you’re the kind of person who loves cilantro, it’s a great match for this salad.

Directions –

Mix beans, bell peppers and white onion in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller
bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2
cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust
seasonings to taste.

Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad

Posted on by

0

Last night I decided I needed to find some simple and tasty recipes that were full of vegetables. Fruits for me lately haven’t been an issue, but there are so many ways to eat a green salad, right? So I came across this little gem of a salad with no lettuce! The dressing sounded easy enough, so I went with it. You could easily double the amounts of veggies and make this salad for two people with the amount of dressing it makes. This is a light, fresh and refreshing salad and it’s full of the great “stuff” your body needs to work efficiently. Today I went to the gym – spin class of all things, which I had missed for the past three weeks…I thought for sure I was going to kill myself on that bike – I don’t know how to slow down or take it easy. It’s all or nothing! Anyway, I felt so much different than I usually do: I wasn’t exhausted, drained or out of breath like I normally am. Changing my diet has really made an impact on my energy level and I just feel lighter. It’s amazing and extremely motivating to keep it up. I will post another salad recipe without lettuce soon – it’s so good, especially if you love black beans! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad – adapted from Jessica’s Food

  • 1 cucumber ( I always use English cucumbers )
  • 1 tomato ( I seeded a Roma tomato )
  • thinly sliced red onion to taste
  • 2 TBSP crumbled feta cheese

Dressing ingredients –

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp dry oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • juice of half of a lemon

Directions –

Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing* over the chopped vegetables and feta cheese, refrigerate for several hours. I dressed the vegetables in a Tupperware so that I could occasionally give it a shake and redistribute the dressing.

* I recommend pouring just half of the dressing on at first and tossing with the vegetables. Then if it needs more you can add more. Depending on the size of your vegetables you may need all or less of the dressing.