Spicy Orange Stir-Fried Shrimp

Okay, I think THIS is my new favorite recipe.  I have been searching the ends of the internet for a spicy orange shrimp (or chicken) recipe that didn't pack a ton of calories and bad fats.  I HAVE FOUND IT, PEOPLE.

Feast, and enjoy.  I served with brown rice and roasted green beans.  The serving size (3/4 c.) of shrimp doesn't seem like much, but it is plenty!

Spicy Orange Stir-Fried Shrimp

(adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp (this is 2 lbs before peeling)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice plus zest of 1/2 the orange
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1.5 - 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside. 
2. Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and chile paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
3.  Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

I didn't make a lot of changes to the original recipe, except to add orange zest and increase the amount of orange juice.  Honestly, I just used the juice of one orange and didn't measure it. 

Lightened Posole

I love posole.  Real posole.  It's a wonderfully light but flavorful Mexican soup that you can pile high with veggies...  or chips and cheese.  Or both.  Whatever you prefer.

You've never heard of posole?  I'm not surprised!  I hadn't either until my husband's mom made it a few years ago... and I've been hooked ever since.  HOOKED I TELL YOU.

If you've ever wondered why I married my husband, that was a big part. 

JUST KIDDING, HONEY.  :)

Anyway, posole is:  a traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico, which once had ritual significance. Pozole was mentioned in Fray Bernardino de Sahagún's "General History of the Things of New Spain" circa 1500 CE. It is made from nixtamalized cacahuazintle corn (aka hominy), with meat, usually pork, chicken, turkey, pork rinds, chili peppers, and other seasonings and garnish.

Thank you, Wikipedia!  A real bowl of posole looks like this: 

link

I have this bag of posole ingredients that I bought at a craft fair...  last year.  It's still hanging out in the pantry.  I haven't made it yet because:
     a)  You have to soak the hominy 24 hours in advance
     b)  Um, preservatives, anyone?
     c)  It calls for salt lick. 

I have the salt lick in the freezer.  I need to make this posole.  It tasted really good at the craft fair, and surely it's still good.  The preservatives aren't going to KILL me...  But, for some reason, I haven't jumped the gun on it.  Maybe this fall, when it's cool.

But...  I found a recipe on Cooking Light for Mexican Hominy-Chicken Soup...  aka posole!  I decided to take the plunge and try it. 

Overall, it was a really good dish.  I did have to make some adjustments, but what's new?  Even Uz said it was really good, and ate it up.  That's a big deal, because my man obviously is used to real posole.  And at 235 cals for 1.5 cups of soup, I can't complain.

A few notes:  Next time, I think I may cook this using chicken on the bone.  For this recipe, I cooked a whole, 4-lb chicken in a crockpot.  I shredded the chicken and used 2 cups of that, as the recipe calls for.  However, I found it was missing some depth.  Most posole I've had used pork, so I might try a combination of pork and chicken next time.  Also, I think using homemade broth (cooked from chicken on the bone) would also give it more depth.  I've found that in soups, stews, or sauces, chicken on the bone really takes it to the next level.

Don't forget the toppings!  Traditional toppings for posole include:  thinly sliced/shredded green cabbage, thinly sliced or chopped radishes, diced onion, dried Mexican oregano, chips, sliced jalapenos, avocado, lime wedges, cilantro, cheese.  Also, we've usually had it with a VERY SUPER-HOT salsa made with dried chiles, garlic, and water.  That stuff is ATOMIC.  We just used Cholula this weekend, but the hot sauce it kind of a must, too.

The lime was really important:  for me, it took the soup from "good" to "oh yeah!".  So, be generous with the lime.

Enough chat.  On to the recipe already.

my bowl:  excuse the spoon!  I was ready to dig in.

Lighter Posole

Adapted from Cooking Light

Stats:  235 per bowl, not counting toppings
Serves:  4 (~1.5 c)

1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 3/4 cups chopped onion  
3 garlic cloves, minced
 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
dried oregano, to taste
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
1 (15.5-ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained 


Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes.

Stir in garlic and jalapeño; sauté 1 minute.

Add chicken, black pepper, oregano, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in hominy; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes.

Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with your choice of toppings.  Suggested toppings:  cilantro, shredded cabbage, lime, sliced radishes, hot sauce, chips.

Hot Artichoke Dip

I made this hot artichoke dip for a family and friends get-together over the weekend.  It was pretty popular, but I think next time I would definitely chop most of the artichokes up quite small, and only leave a few chunkier ones.  I would also double the creamy filling; it seemed that the ratio of artichokes to filling was a little off.

This is really weird.  I am totally analyzing the ratio of artichokes to filling.  Okay, it was just a little bit too "artichoke-y" for me.  It was eaten and people went back for seconds (and thirds!), but it's really rare that I think a recipe can't be improved.  It drives Uz nuts, but, whatever.  He can get over it...  it just means he has to taste-test my experiments more often, and what guy can really complain about that??

SkinnyTaste calls for light mayo, but I hate mayo of any kind, so I just doubled the amount of Greek yogurt.  That also lowered the stats for this recipe, so I can't complain.  If you want to use light mayo, go ahead... just don't tell me.  I might gag.  It's a reflex.

So, make this dip.  Double it (I did!).  And, either reduce the amount of artichokes or double the amount of filling.  Trust me on this.  Or, if you're a really artichoke-y kind of person, then don't.

Oh!  And you want a really crispy top?  At the end of baking, set it underneath the broiler for a couple minutes.  YUM.

Is it strange that I'm trying to figure out a way to make this a main dish?  I just LOVE hot, cheesy dips.  Mmmmm...

please don't mind my gigantic, unmanicured fingers...  you caught me red-handed in the dip!

Skinny Hot Artichoke Dip

Adapted from SkinnyTaste

Stats: 74 cals (if you use 1/4 c. light mayo); 55 cals (if you use all Greek yogurt)
Serves: 10 (about 1/4 c.)

13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
2 tbsp chopped shallots
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise (or 1/4 c. Greek yogurt)
1/3 cup grated parmesan or similar cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
salt and fresh pepper to taste
2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs
olive oil spray


Preheat oven to 400°.

In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the shallots.

Combine artichokes, yogurt, mayonnaise (if using), parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and top with breadcrumbs. Lightly spray the crumbs with olive oil then bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. For a melty-crispy top, stick under the broiler for a couple minutes until golden brown. Serve right away.

Can be made one day in advance without the breadcrumbs and stored in the refrigerator before baking. Add breadcrumbs before baking. Makes about 2 1/2 cups. 

Pork, Apricot, Onion Kabobs

I was a little worried about this, seeing that pork is pretty easy to mess up if you haven't worked with it a lot.  And, uh, I haven't.  Not like this, I mean.  It can be pretty hit and miss...  so I was really excited that these weren't dry at all!  Just make sure that you do not overcook the pork.  It'll continue to cook a little bit even after you take them off, so when there's just a tiny bit of pink left, take them off the grill and let them sit a few minutes.  They should finish cooking and be perfect!

The grilled apricots were sweet and tart at the same time!  I love grilled fruit, and I think I might have to start adding apricots to my kabobs more often.

One note...  This did not fit on four skewers.  There was still apricots and some meat leftover, so we stuffed the meat on the skewers and ended up grilling the remaining apricots in the grill pan with some broccoli.  It turned out fine, but you might want to keep that in mind if you have a limited number of skewers, like me.

Pork, Apricot, Onion Kabobs

adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves:  4
Stats: ~253 cals per kabob

1-lb pork tenderloin, cut into 12 or 16 chunks
~1 lb apricots, pitted and halved (or quartered)
1 small onion
1/4 c. apricot jam or preserves

Thread the meat, apricots, and onion on kabob skewers.  Light the grill to medium, lightly oil grates with canola or vegetable oil so the kabobs won't stick.

Martha's recipe for the basting sauce is as follows:  In a small saucepan, heat jam, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon water over medium-low until jam is liquefied; season with salt and pepper.  We were low on time, so we just brushed the preserves on the kabobs directly.

Grill kebabs, turning occasionally and brushing with basting sauce, until pork is cooked through and apricots begin to char, 12 to 14 minutes.

 

I served ours with baked rice and peas (scroll down), and grilled broccoli.  I look forward to eating it for lunch as leftovers!  NOM.

Skinny Lo Mein

Mmmmm!  This dish is wonderfully delicious and FAST.  If you have your veggies cut up, you can be in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes.  No, really...  I'm telling the truth.  This recipe makes 4 good-sized bowls.  The sauce is perfectly savory without being overly salty.  The vegetables are perfect...  don't worry about what the recipe calls for, just use whatever you've got in the fridge!  It's a great way to get rid of stuff before it gets too old...  take it from me, that's exactly what I did!  I wanted to include broccoli, like the original recipe, but I didn't have any quickly available...  so I just used what I had in the kitchen and it was fantastic.

Another thing that I really love about this meal is that it is totally budget friendly.  Uz and I are trying really hard to stop some unnecessary spending in our lives...  with my surgery, birthdays, and the holidays coming up, we'd like to be able to put back some money for those events and still pay down a good amount on our student loans.  This recipe just needs some chicken and whatever vegetables you want to get rid of, and the sauce is really cheap to make as well.  Add that to the fact that it's super-fast, and I have a feeling that we'll have some sort of spin off of this meal quite often in the next few months.

So do yourself a favor and whip this up...  impress someone with your culinary skill and present them with Skinny Lo Mein!

Skinny Lo Mein

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

8 oz dry spaghetti (I like Smart Taste Ronzoni)
2 TBS oyster sauce
4 TBS reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic
~ 1 TBS Sriracha sauce, if you like it hot
3 tsp canola oil
16 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
salt & pepper
1.5 c sliced carrots
2 large celery stalks, thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain then set aside. Combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic, and Sriracha in a small bowl then set aside. Season chicken strips with salt & pepper then set aside.

Heat an electric wok to 375 degrees, or a very large skillet over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil then add chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center. Remove to a plate and set aside. Heat another teaspoon of oil in the wok then add carrots and celery. Cook until slightly tender. Add remaining teaspoon of oil then add mushrooms, bell pepper, and green onion. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.

Add cooked chicken and noodles back into the wok. Pour in sauce, then mix together well, and serve.

Baked Eggs in Chunky Tomato Sauce

I stole this recipe straight from Martha Stewart.  MS recipes tend to be good, so I felt confident that it would turn out alright.  We've had a few "eh" recipes lately... I was ready for something that we really loved.

This recipe would be great for a week of breakfasts.  I would pre-make the tomato sauce and refrigerate it.  In the morning, I would pre-heat the oven and scoop up 1/4 of the sauce and quickly heat it up in an individual sized baking dish.  Make the well in the sauce and crack the two eggs, adding 1 oz of crumbly cheese.  Bake for 5-10 minutes.  Top with cilantro (if you like it!) and dig in.

Uz and I really enjoyed this dish.  It was very hearty and filling!  You don't miss the protein from meat at all, with this clocking in at 22 g protein per serving.  Very nice!

Baked Eggs in Chunky Tomato Sauce

From Martha Stewart
Serves: 4
Stats: ~ 302 cals per serving

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), stemmed, seeded, and diced small
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 1/2 ounces baby spinach (2 1/2 cups) (or arugula or similar green)
Red-pepper flakes (optional)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs
4 ounces queso fresco or goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add bell peppers and onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook 3 minutes. Stir in greens and pinch of red-pepper flakes, if using. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Transfer sauce to four 14-ounce gratin dishes or a 2-quart shallow baking dish. With the back of a large spoon, make 4 wells in sauce and crack 2 eggs into each. Bake until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 10-15 minutes, rotating dishes halfway through. To serve, top with cheese and cilantro.

Note:  Martha says to cook 25 minutes, but this baked my eggs almost through.  I was pretty sad about that... I really looked forward to the runny egg!  Also, I cooked the cheese WITH the dish, and loved how it got super melty and delicious. 

I can definitely see this dish becoming a regular on the menu in the fall and winter time, when I need a cheap and filling dinner option, or an easy go-to breakfast recipe for days when I oversleep.  Enjoy!

recipe: Spaghetti and Meatball Soup

Well, we've had some good eats around our place recently.  Sadly, this recipe didn't "WOW" us as much as the others.  It needs a little bit of work, so expect some updates the next time I try to make it.

Pros:  It was fast, cheap, simple, low-cal, and filling.
Cons:  Not extremely flavorful, had to add quite a bit of salt, meatballs were "alright".

What would I do to fix it?

-> For this recipe, I found I had to add a lot of fresh and dried herbs, even salt, to flavor the broth...  way more than the recipe originally called for.  It made me wonder if I did something wrong, because the original SkinnyTaste recipe has tons of comments about how great this dish is.  So maybe it was me, I don't know!  I normally don't add salt to anything, and even cut it in half for most recipes (except baking, of course).  However, I found myself adding quite a bit of sea salt more than once, so that was surprising.

-> Instead of making 36 tiny meatballs, I made 18 or 20 large ones.  Once they were in my bowl, I chopped them up into pieces with my spoon, but making larger meatballs cut down on my time.  In hindsight, I might just drop same-sized chunks of meat into the broth instead of taking lots of time to shape them perfectly.  A little more rustic, but I wouldn't complain.

-> The meatballs taste was okay.  I think I'd recommend using either: lean ground beef, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage.  I might also play around with a different cheese (something strong, maybe asiago?) and more dried herbs and/or salt in the meatballs.

-> I had personal issues with the noodles.  I broke them up into pieces as directed, but it made it really difficult to get even amounts of everything in the bowls.  The first two bowls ended up being mostly broth, as the noodles sunk and were too tiny to scoop well.  The last few bowls ended up being all noodles, no broth!  So I think next time I'd use a different type of noodle:  maybe some kind of fusilli,  penne, or even bowtie for a little bit of fun.

-> Lastly, I'm considering finely chopping some celery (keep the leafy ends! they add TONS of flavor) and carrots with the onions, and instead of just pouring the broth in the pot and adding the onions, sauteeing those veggies with some olive oil and garlic and red crushed pepper flakes.  In many of my other pasta dishes, I begin this way because it really adds another dimension of flavor.  I feel like this dish as is was missing that depth of flavor.

Every night when we have dinner, if it's a new recipe (or we're out to eat), we "rate" our food.  Usually, the recipes rate from a 7.5-10 on a 1 to 10 scale.  Please don't laugh; this is very scientific.  If a recipe or meal doesn't make at least a 7, then it just wasn't that good.  Last night Uz rated it at a 7 (and had kind of a questionable look on his face).  His comments were that the meatballs weren't as tasty as he'd expect, and he wished they were beef.  We also put some Cholula in the broth and that really helped give it some more flavor.

I guess I've talked your heads off, so on to the recipe.  I'm including my changes but I'll link to the original if you'd like to view that.  Maybe you can tell me where I messed up!

Spaghetti and Meatball Soup

Adapted from SkinnyTaste
Serves: 6
Original Stats:  213 cals
Modified Stats: 300-375 cals (depending what kind of meat you use!)

5 cups low sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 cups water
1-2 chopped cloves garlic (maybe more, if you love garlic)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped (modified version)
1 celery stalk with leaves, finely chopped (modified version)
1 tbsp olive oil (modified version)
3-4 tbsp tomato sauce (I used Hunt's Basil, Garlic, Oregano tomato sauce)
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
kosher salt and fresh pepper
6 oz dry pasta (original calls for cut up spaghetti, but I would try bowtie or penne or something similar)
  

For the meatballs:

16 oz ground meat (original calls for 99% lean ground turkey, I would use lean ground beef, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage)
1 small egg
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I might use asiago or a mix of the two, even mozzarella!)
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 onion, chopped
1 chopped clove garlic (more if you love garlic!)
dried herbs, such as thyme, oregano, basil, parsley

STEP ONE:

*Modified Version:*
In a soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil.  When hot, add onion, carrot, celery, red crushed pepper and saute until soft.  Add garlic and saute one minute more.  Add chicken broth, water, 2 tbsp chopped parsely, tomato sauce, fresh black pepper to a boil; simmer 5 minutes.


Original Version:
In a soup pot over medium heat, bring chicken broth, water, 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, 1/4 of the chopped onion, tomato sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh black pepper to a boil; simmer about 5 minutes.

STEP TWO:

Meanwhile, make the meatballs by combining ground meat, cheese, egg, garlic, onion, parsley, basil, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and any dried herbs.  Mix WELL.  Form into meatballs; you can make 36 small or 18 large meatballs or similar-sized chunks of meat.

forgot to take a picture of the egg!  whoops!

Gently drop meatballs into the broth (you can use a ladle if needed), cook about 3 minutes; add pasta and cook according to package directions. 

Add fresh basil, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

I ate mine with 1/2 tbsp parmesan cheese, some fresh basil, and 1 oz ciabatta.  It was lovely, and I'm sure it'll be a staple this fall and winter... once I get it perfected, that is!

UPDATE:  It's so much better as leftovers!  Something about it just sitting and marinating I guess...  YUM.

the recipe that will change your life: Green Chile Pork Enchiladas

Oh my word... these 'ladas were so much better than I expected.  The meat makes a huge difference, and coupled with the creamy queso fresco, sharp chedder, and tangy green chile sauce...  WOW.  Just, wow.  Uz, our resident Mexican in the house, claims these are his new favorite enchiladas.

Not bad for a white girl.

Anyway, on to the recipe and pictures.

Green Chile Pork Enchiladas

Adapted from Accidental Mommies
Serves: 12
Stats: 190 cals

2 c. pork carnitas meat (1/2 of the original recipe)
4 oz can chopped green chiles
3/4 c. crumbled queso fresco (or feta or goat cheese... any soft cheese should do)
at least 1/2 c. cilantro
12 6-in corn tortillas
2 - 2.5 c. green chile enchilada sauce (I love using Frontera when I'm in a hurry)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (or any Mexican cheese mix)
optional:  1 c. cooked white navy beans (not included in stats)

Preheat the oven to 425 deg F.

Heat up the pork.  In a large mixing bowl, combine queso fresco, chopped green chiles, cilantro, pork, and 1/2 c. enchilada sauce.  If you're using beans, add them here to the mix.  Make sure it's mixed well and evenly.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place tortillas on it and lightly spray with a little more cooking spray.  Stick in the oven for 2-4 minutes.  This will make the tortillas pliant so they don't break when you try to roll them.  You could also do this on a skillet with a little bit of cooking spray, but the oven method is faster and lets you do more at a time.

Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup mixture down the center of a tortilla.  Wrap, and place seam-side down in a large 8x12 baking pan.  Continue to do so with 12 tortillas, placing them close together in the dish.

Heat oven to 450 deg. F.

Separate 1/2 c. enchilada sauce.  Use the rest of the enchilada sauce to cover the enchiladas in the baking dish.  Top with 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese.

Wrap foil on the top of the baking dish, and bake for 10 minutes.  Take the foil off and bake for another 5, or until cheese is melted.

While the enchiladas are baking, heat up the remaining 1/2 c. enchilada sauce.  Remove from the oven and top with the warmed enchilada sauce.

Again, this was such a good meal.  I had two enchiladas, and my husband also had two with a side of latin yellow rice.  He's requested that we have these again soon...  and I can't argue with that!

They don't look as pretty here because it's hard to get them out of the dish without breaking them...  but what they don't have in beauty, they sure make up in taste!

Bon appétit!  Actually, that's French.  I guess ¡Buen provecho! or ¡Buen apetito! is a little more appropriate.

recipe: Slow-Cook Pork Carnitas

Oh, slow-cook pork carnitas, how I love thee.

I really do.  I could have this every week.  The meat is so versatile, and it makes enough for two or three meals (at least, for the two of us).

This recipe is for tacos.  I'm going to be using the rest of the meat for enchiladas this week, so watch for that!  I've been working on a recipe for a lime tortilla verde pork soup with this meat so you might see that soon as well.  I've used this meat in quesadillas (heavenly!) and tortas.  It's so easy to prepare.  If I was going to tell you to try ONE recipe, it would be this.

Thank you, Skinnytaste.  Thank you.

Anyway, on the recipe and pictures.

Slow-Cook Pork Carnitas

from SkinnyTaste
Serves: 8 (1/2 c. servings)
Stats: 176 cals

2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
6 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
cumin
dry adobo seasoning
garlic powder
3/4 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (to taste, these add heat)
2 bay leaves

Season pork with salt and pepper. In a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers. Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.

Pour chicken broth in the crockpot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumalated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin. Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

If there is too much liquid left, leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes and let cook; some of the liquid will evaporate.  Also, if there is too much fat (it's hard to get it all cut off!) and you don't want it, just carefully pour the meat into a colander and then right back into the crockpot or a bowl.  It gets rid of all the excess fat, but the meat is still juicy.  You just have to be quick about it!

To make the tacos, we heated up 6" white corn tortillas on a dry skillet until they were golden and slightly crispy.  Put 1/4 c. meat on each taco, and top with whatever you want.  I used fresh cilantro, onions, chopped garden cherry tomatoes, chopped garden hot peppers, avocado, and Cholula.  I had 1 c. watermelon as a side, and my husband had a serving of the Mac and Cheese Broccoli casserole from the other night with his two tacos.

man food. sort of.

Over the weekend, we had some man food.  Sort of. 

By man food, I mean we had pizza and wings.  By "sort of", I mean we had veggie Italian pizza and wings.  My husband informed me that "man food" pizza would have been a meatbusters pizza.  I'm sure that's quite true, so I guess our pizza isn't quite man food...  but it's close enough, right?  Right?!?

Anyway, I used the Pillsbury thin crust.  Preheated at 500 deg F while I chopped up some onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, and mozzarella.  I sprayed the pizza crust with some olive oil spray and baked for a few minutes until lightly golden.  Spread tomatoes first, then all the other veggies.  Top with cheese (we used a mixture of sliced provologne, fresh mozzarella chunks, and shaved parmesan).  Bake until melty and golden.

I had bought the wings on sale at Sunflower Market, so all we had to do for those was stick them in the oven at 500 deg F for a few minutes, flip once, and eat when they're hot!  EASY AS PIE.  Only there was no pie.  Sad times.

We approximated the wings at 85 calories each, and 1/8 of the pizza (the slice pictured) as 204 calories.  Blame it on the excess of cheese.  Later, I had another slice as a snack.  The best way to reheat pizza for a snack is to stick it on a pie pan and bake at a hot temperature until it's warmed up...  no more gooey or hard-as-rock crust!

What are your favorite pizza toppings?
 

recipe: Burgers and Grilled Ratatouille Pasta

Sometimes I'll ask my husband what he'd like me to put on the meal plan for the coming week.  99.99% of the time, he says either "enchiladas" or "steak".  So, when I asked him recently, I was expecting one of those two options.  I had prepared myself.  I was ready.

And you know what he said?  "Burgers".

BURGERS?!?!

Well, okay then.  So we had burgers!

For the burgers, I picked up some gourmet Fiesta burger patties from Sunflower Market.  While Uz grilled up the meat, I sauteed some onions, jalapenos, and purple bell peppers in olive oil for a burger topping.  We served them with whole wheat buns, and I think there was some mashed avocado in there, too.  My burger was HUGE, and I only ended up eating half of it.

For a side, we had Grilled Ratatouille Pasta from Everyday Food magazine.  It was WONDERFUL.  It made a big amount, so it could definitely serve as a main dish.

Grilled Ratatouille Pasta

From EveryDay Food magazine
Serves: 4 for a main dish, 8-10 for side dish

4 large tomatoes, cut into thick slices
1 small eggplant, cut lengthwise into thick slices
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into thick slices
1 small red onion, halved
2 bell peppers, halved
1/4 - 1/2 c. olive oil for grilling
12 oz cavatelli pasta
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
shaved parmesan cheese

Grill all vegetables until slightly charred, brushing with olive oil as needed.  Set on a cutting board and let cool slightly.

Cook pasta as directed on the package.  Reserve 1/2 c. pasta water.

Roughly chop vegetables and add to pasta.  Add olive oil and vinegar, with salt and pepper.  Use pasta water to make a slight sauce (I only added 1/3 c.)  Top with parmesan.

recipes: Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

I was looking for an easy summer recipe that didn't heat up the kitchen, and I found it!  Uz loved this sandwich, so I'm sure we'll have it again once or twice before the summer is over.  It's best with homegrown tomatoes (obvs!) and fresh pesto.  I used some Greek bread from the local farmer's market...  It had a distinctive Greek flavor, lots of olive oil and flecked with kalamata olives.  I also picked up some pink tomatoes from the farmer's market, as my big tomatoes aren't quite ripe yet...  Soon enough!

Easy Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

Serves: 4

Thin sliced bread
24 oz chicken breast, divided into 4 pieces
4 TBS pesto (1 TBS per sandwich)
1 large tomato
mozzarella ball, sliced thick

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and throw on the grill.

When the chicken is done, quickly grill the bread to toast, and then assemble the sandwich.  That's it!

For the pesto:

2 cups basil leaves
1 cup baby spinach (if you don't have spinach, substitute with 1 cup of arugula, more basil, parsley, etc.)
salt
minced garlic (or garlic clove, crushed into a paste)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc.)
1/4 cup shaved parmesan

If not using minced garlic:  on a cutting board, sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt over garlic and roughly chop. Using a flat side of the knife blade, crush mixture into a thick paste.

Add garlic to a food processor with nuts, basil, spinach, and 1 tablespoon oil.

Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped. With machine running, add remaining oil in a slow, steady stream.

Add Parmesan and pulse to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

recipe: Greek Chicken Pitas and Greek Salad

My husband, Uz, gets Mens' Health magazine every month.  Lately he's been marking recipes, and a week or two ago we decided to try one of them.  It was WONDERFUL.  He got up early in the morning to marinate the chicken, and then we grilled it and prepared the pitas that evening.

While he was outside grillin' up the chicken, I threw together a Greek salad.  We absolutely loved this meal and plan on having it again very soon.  There was a lot of sauce, so I mixed some in with my salad...  YUM.

Greek Chicken Pitas

Serves: 6-8 

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

4 whole-wheat pitas (we actually used 80-cal mini whole wheat pitas)

Marinade:
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 tsp ground cumin
 1/2 tsp dried oregano 
juice of 1 lemon 
salt and freshly ground pepper 

Sauce: 
1 cup Greek yogurt 
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 English cucumber, minced 
1 tbsp olive oil 
1/2 tbsp red-wine vinegar 
 

1.

Combine the chicken with half the yogurt and two-thirds of the minced garlic, along with the cumin, oregano, and lemon juice. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper, toss, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 8.

2.

Heat a grill or grill pan on high while you mix the remaining yogurt and garlic with the cucumber, olive oil, and vinegar. Add salt to taste and set the sauce aside.

3.

Cook the chicken

4.

Grill the thighs until they're lightly charred on both sides and cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Let them rest off the heat for 5 minutes; meanwhile, lightly toast the pitas on the grill. Slice the chicken into strips and stuff them into the pitas; add the yogurt sauce and your choice of toppings.

 

 

 

Greek Salad

Serves: 4

  

1 1/4 cups cucumber, peeled

1 1/4 cups diced tomato

1/4 cup diced bell pepper

2 tbsp red onion, diced

1/4 cup black olives

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp fresh parsley

1/8 tsp dried oregano

salt and black pepper to taste

4 cups shredded lettuce (I used romaine hearts)

1/2 cup feta cheese, grated

lemon wedges for serving

 

Divide the lettuce between four plates or bowls. Mix together cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, red onion, olives, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh parsley, and oregano.  Toss with fresh grated feta cheese.  Divide into four (about 1 cup, more or less) and top lettuce with the mixture.  Serve with fresh lemon wedges.

 

recipe: Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken and Homemade Wheat Bread

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!

Loved this last night...  don't forget the sesame oil!

Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken

Stats: ~313 cals
Serves: 4

1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 TBS sesame oil
2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
1 TBS Sriracha Chili Sauce
1/2 cup cilantro
1 TBS minced garlic

Put all marinade ingredients into a food processor and blend until it's liquified.

Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Grill!

I also made some homemade wheat bread last night.  I don't have any pictures of it.  By the time we came up for air after devouring it, the bread did not look picture-worthy.  Oh well!  It was nutty, sweet, and dense... I don't think we can ever go back to plain ol' sandwich bread!  I'm sure I'll be making this again soon, so I'll post a recipe and pictures when I can.

I woke up late this morning, but I made it to work on time.  My hair is still damp, so I feel a little bit like a wet rat.  Oh well!

Hope you all have a beautiful Friday!

http://www.recipeswithtwist.com

recipe: Queso Fundido and Southwestern Salad

Good morning!

It rained all day yesterday, and only reached a high of 72 degrees.  Queso fundido was the perfect meal for a rainy day.  My husband loved it, and is already talking about putting it on chips to make nachos.  Sounds good to me!

Queso Fundido

Stats: ~123 cals
Serves: 12

12 oz chicken sausage (I used Jalapeno Cheddar)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup pepperjack cheese, grated

Remove the casings from the chicken sausage and cook in a medium-large pan, crumbling as it cooks.  Once it's halfway cooked, add the onion and bell pepper.  Stir frequently until sausage and veggies are fully cooked.  Sprinkle the cheese on top and let melt.

Serve on a corn tortilla.

Southwestern Salad (Corn and Black Bean Salad)

Stats:  ~72 cals
Serves: 12 (1/2 cup serving)

1 (15.5 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
9 oz frozen corn, thawed (or if you have time, grill a corn on the cob and scrape the corn off!)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/3 c. chopped cilantro
1 tomato, chopped
2 TBS olive oil
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
1/4 c. red onion, chopped

Combine all ingredients and let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.



Last night, I made a meal of a salad with 1/2 cup Southwestern salad, and one taco with Queso Fundido and a little more of the salad.  After I finished my taco, I put a little more meat on top of my salad and ate most of that.  So cheesy!

It's raining again today, but everyone is in good spirits around town because the OKC Thunder won a conference last night.  I'm pretty sports illiterate, but my husband (and everyone else on my Facebook and at work!) is pumped because of the win.  Maybe that means free cupcakes??

recipe: Fresh Pomodoro with Grilled Chicken

Although pomodoro is a hot dish, the only time I really love to make it is during the summer.  It's just not the same without fresh tomatoes and fresh basil!  The sauce is so flavorful you'll find yourself eating it with a spoon...  or at least, I did!

Fresh Pomodoro with Grilled Chicken

Stats: ~241 cals (not including grilled chicken)
Serves: 6 medium portions

9 oz. pasta (linguini, angel hair, spaghetti)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (roma/plum, cherry, heirloom, whatever you've got!)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
14.5 oz can low-sodium chicken broth
crushed red pepper to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (use however much you like... I think it could have used more, but I LOVE basil!)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not included in stats)  
Optional:  veggies (I used about 3 cups broccoli florets)

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. 
Boil broccoli in a separate pot for a few minutes, just until bright green.

Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. 

Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes. 

 
Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil, broccoli and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated cheese. 

 I added about 1.75 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast that I marinated all day.  I cooked them on the George Foreman and then sliced them up to add to the pasta.  If you're looking for a vegetarian meal, try adding cannellini beans and mushrooms.  

It was a wonderfully light and refreshing pasta dish...  Reminds me of why I just love summertime!  And check out that gorgeous basil... I have a bush of it in the garden, and then a couple container pots of Genovese and Greek basil on the back porch.  Soon I'll have enough to make homemade pesto... yum!

recipe: Skinny Asian Fried Rice with Bangin' Grilled Shrimp

We had SkinnyTaste's Asian Edamame Fried Rice and Bangin' Grilled Shrimp Skewers, served with grilled broccoli from the garden and some grilled pineapple rings.

I did the prep and inside cooking while my husband manned the grill.

We loved the shrimp!  The sauce was excellent.  Instead of using lite mayo, I subbed it for Greek yogurt.  I'm not a fan of mayo, plus it lowered the calories a little bit.  Anyway, I just wish I would have made more shrimp.  Can't wait to have that again!

The rice was good, but it didn't knock my socks off.  I think next time I would cook the rice in chicken broth for some added flavor.  I also think I didn't use enough garlic.  Either way, it wasn't as savory as I was expecting.  I added some extra low-sodium soy sauce and that helped, as well as a spoonful of Sriracha sauce.  It was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be.  I'll have to play around with this recipe a little more!  My husband really liked it, so maybe I'm just being too picky.

Without further ado...

Skinny Asian Fried Rice

adapted from SkinnyTaste
Stats: ~183 cals per 3/4 c.
Serves: 8

3 cups leftover cooked brown rice
2 egg whites, scrambled
1 whole egg, scrambled
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
5 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated
1/2 cup shredded carrots
cooking spray
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, tamari for gluten free (or more to taste)
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Whisk eggs and egg whites, season with salt and pepper. 

In a hot wok, spray a little oil and cook the eggs. When cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

oh, this is exciting.

Let the wok get really hot. Add oil and cook onions, scallion whites, carrots and garlic for about 30-60 seconds, careful not to burn.

oh, baby!  look at that steam!

Add brown rice and stir well a few minutes to heat through.

Add cooked egg along with soy sauce, scallion greens and peas, mixing well for about 3-4 minutes.  

 

And our meal: