Zucchini Noodles
Makes 2 servings - 3 medium zucchini squash
Julienned Noodles: Using a mandolin or any other tool that juliennes things, shred your zucchini. I peeled mine first too, but you could try it either way. Same rule as above - stop when you hit seeds, turn the zucchini to another side and keep doing that until you are left with the seeded core of zucchini. Throw in a microwavable dish, cover tightly, microwave for 2 minutes. Viola, you've got noodles.
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Turkey Noodle Soup
Makes 2 Servings- 4 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz lean ground turkey
- 0.5 cup chopped onion
- 0.5 cup chopped celery
- 0.5 cup chopped carrots
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Chili powder, garlic powder, kosher salt to taste
- 6 ounces egg noodles (I used the Smart Taste brand because it's tasty and it's got extra fiber, calcium and vitamin D.)
- Spray olive oil
Spray the nonstick grill or skillet with olive oil, saute the onion, celery and carrots. Add a dash of kosher salt, ~1/2 tsp chili powder and ~1/2 tsp garlic powder. Add the ground turkey. Add a little dried parsley to the mix (~1 tsp).
While all of that is cooking up, bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add some ground pepper. When the liquid is at a rapid boil, add the vegetables and the meat. Add 1 cup of water. Bring back up to a boil.
Add the uncooked noodles. Cook until the noodles reach the desired tenderness - about 10 minutes (plus/minus based on how you like your noodles.)
Turn off the heat, try not to pick out yummy noodles and turkey while it cools and then put it into tupperwear to take to work later this week. Later in the evening, give into temptation and eat half a serving cold, straight from the fridge. It will be delicious. So you might find yourself making another batch on Wednesday. Just sayin'.
Nutritional Info Per Serving: Cal: 443; Prot: 43g; Fat: 5.0g: Carb: 68g; Sodium: 1060mg
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Black Beans-Cilantro Side Dish/Dip
Servings depends on how much you like to eat
- Can of black beans, drained, rinsed and heated in the microwave
- Can of green peppers (choose the spice based on your preference)
- Cilantro - I used a very generous squirt from a tube(!) of the stuff.
- Lime juice
- Olive oil
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6 egg whites for this one.
Handful of arugula
Mix-ins:
- Half a package of thin sliced smoked salmon
- 1/4 cup of cream
- Zest of 1 lemon
Cook as above, but put the arugula in the skillet first and wilt it with a bit of olive oil. Pour the eggs and mix-ins over the top. Put it in the oven under the broiler, and only for about 5 minutes. This makes a small one and it was taaaaasty. The center of the frittata rose up and puffed like a pastry, but quickly settled back down when it came out of the oven.
___________________________________________________________________________________< Southwestern Frittata
Whites of 6 eggs + 1/4 of a big container of egg whites
Mix-ins:
- Cooked, hot Italian turkey sausage, one link
- 3 pieces of turkey bacon, cooked and cut up small
- Red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 Yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 Green bell pepper, chopped
- Jalapeno, remove the seed and some of the rind (to taste)
- 2 pieces laughing cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle cheese, microwaved and mushed up
Saute the peppers, then mix them in with the eggs. Add quite a bit of olive oil to the pan, then put the rest of the mix-ins in the eggs and pour into a bigger skillet than used for the other frittata. Cook it on the stove for a bit longer, then put it in the over at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. At about 10 minutes in, sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.
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Pork Cutlets with Caramelized Pears
- 1/2 lb of thin boneless pork loin cutlets
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- dried rosemary
- dried thyme
- 1 can (8.25 ounces) pear in pear juice
- 2 tbsp apricot preserves
- 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp white wine (I used a Chilean Sav Blanc but you could also use chicken broth)
In a large skillet, spray some olive oil and heat over medium until hot. Add the seasoned pork cutlets and fry until browned on one side, about 3-4 minutes. Turn and continue cooking on the other side. Remove the pork from the skillet to a plate when mostly cooked through, keep warm.
To the same skillet, add the pears and saute about 2 minutes or until they lightly caramelize. Remove the pears from the skillet to the pork plate. Increase the heat to high and add the white wine to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Add the pear juice mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, return the pork and pears to the skillet, cover and cook about 5 minutes until the pork is tender.
Serve each piece with pears. Pour the pan sauce over the top, to taste. The calorie estimates are for using all of the actual pan sauce split among the four servings.
Nutritional Estimates: 230 cal, 3.5 g fat, 20g carbs, 26g protein
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Red Velvet Cake Frozen Yogurt
- 1/3 cup Red Velvet Cake Yoplait Light yogurt (2/3 of a container)
- 3 tbsp skim milk
- 2 tbsp Splenda with fiber
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Pour into the frozen ice-cream maker bowl. Turn on the ice cream maker.
Nutritional Estimates: 60 cal, 0.1 g fat, 11g carbs, 1 g fiber, 3.8 g protein
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Pilgrim’s Pie
- 2 medium sweet potato peeled and cubed, 1 pound (450 g)
- 2 tablespoon cream cheese, fat free
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- Salt and pepper
- spray on olive oil
- 1 pound Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey (should be on the list of things-i've-fallen-in-love-with)
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3/4 cups of frozen corn (we used Green Giant)
While potatoes cook, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the turkey. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes until cooked. Place into a small casserole dish.
Spray the pan. Add chopped carrot and onion. Cook veggies for 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently.
Preheat broiler to high. Heat corn kernels in the microwave, add all vegetables to the meat in the casserole dish and mix.
Drain potatoes and put them back in the pot. Mash well and add the cream cheese and the milk. Mix well. Quickly stir in the egg.
Spread the sweet potatoes over the meat mixture in the casserole dish. Broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned, about 10 minutes.
This makes 4 really generous servings.
Nutritional Estimates: 355 cal, 11.4 g fat, 35 g carbs, 27.1 g protein
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Stuffed Peppers
- 0.90 lb ground beef (I just cooked 1 lb and gave a bit to the dogs) - can also use yak or venison
- 1/3 cup cooked rice
- 4 green bell peppers
- 1/2 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
- 1 tablespoon of whatever hot sauce you find in the cabinet
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (Make the rice if you haven't yet.)
Remove and discard the tops and seeds of the bell peppers. Blanch them by dropping them into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then dump them into ice water for a few minutes.
Brown the beef. In a bowl, mix the beef, rice, 1/2 the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Spoon an equal amount into each hollowed pepper and arrange them in a baking dish. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Pour over the top of the peppers. Cover each pepper with an individual aluminum foil "cap."
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven. Take Isis for a run. Take the "caps" off and sprinkle the mozzarella on each pepper. Pop them back in the oven, uncovered, until the mozzarella melts.
Eat them. They will be good. If they aren't, it's probably your fault, cuz I know it can't be mine.
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Cuban Braised Beef
- 1/2 of a 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 12 oz flank steak, cut into about four pieces
- 1/2 large red onion
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Salt
- Pepper
*Things this needs: trying it with garlic, cumin and some peppercorn in the mix.(Note, we tried it with the extra stuff and it was awwwwwwwesome!)
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Steak with Chimichurri sauce
- 12 oz flank steak
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- cilantro (1/2 cup)
- olive oil (1/3 cup)
- red wine vinegar (1 tbsp)
- garlic (1 clove chopped)
- salt
- crushed red pepper
Remember: Flank steak should be grilled with olive oil and kosher salt, not pan fried with olive oil spray and table salt. It was dull.
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Chicken Cutlets and Green Beans
Could benefit from a side dish of mashed potatoes and/or some white pepper gravy, but it's still fabulous on its own. Gotta remember to beat the chicken breast a little to make it thinner next time...- 3/4 pound green beans, trimmed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 pound total)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs
In a large bowl, toss the beans with the tomatoes, olives, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Set aside.
Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Coat with the flour, dip in the eggs (letting any excess drip off), then coat with the bread crumbs, pressing gently to help them adhere.
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
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Spinach, Shrimp, and Avocado Salad
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 cups spinach
- 1 pound cooked, peeled, and deveined medium shrimp
- 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a large bowl, toss the spinach, shrimp, tomatoes, and avocado with the vinaigrette.
___________________________________________________________________________________ Spaghetti With Shrimp, Feta, and Dill
- 12 ounces spaghetti (3/4 box) - NOT WHOLE WHEAT! I hate whole wheat pasta.
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 3/4 cup crumbled Feta
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Add the shrimp, Feta, and dill, the remaining ¼ cup of oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and toss to combine.
