Monday Night Dinner: Sauteed Whole Wheat Rotini with Veggies

This dish was something inspired by my father, who had made a sauteed pasta with chicken and vegetables and spent a good 15 minutes describing the recipe to me as though it had been an adventure of culinary discovery.  I was intrigued, and it sounded delicious.  The version I made was much simpler, intended to go next to grilled halibut, so I opted to select flavors that didn't over-shine the fish.  I think, though, that it is a good jumping-off point for a versatile dish and you could add different herbs, meats, and vegetables to take it in a variety of directions.

Sauteed Whole Wheat Rotini with Veggies

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 12 oz 100% whole wheat rotini
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 cups stock (chicken or mushroom)
• 2 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pan.
Add onion and garlic and saute.
Add uncooked pasta and saute until slightly browned.
Gradually add in chicken or mushroom stock and white wine, stirring every couple minutes.
Salt and pepper as you go to taste.
Squeeze in the lemon juice.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan saute zucchini in a touch of olive oil until slightly browned. set aside.
When pasta has nearly completely absorbed liquid, add zucchini and cherry tomatoes to pasta and toss to combine.

Sprinkle each serving with a little Parmesan if desired.

Serves 6

Running 'Round the Lake and Other Adventures

I went for a run around Lake Union today and snapped this photo at my halfway point.  The sun on my face felt as amazing as this photo looks.  It's days like these that almost make me forget how much I hate the winters here.  Truth be told, though, I felt like hell the whole way around the lake, trying not to puke because I was running so hard.  Being nauseated while running is not awesome, but it was totally worth it.

When I got home I decided to take a go at crock pot marinara - cooking from scratch for the lazy girl.  My kinda cooking.  My aunt gave me a mini slow cooker recently and I'm making it my mission to use the heck out of it.  I've tackled cheese fondue, but something about marinara seems more practical for daily life.  So my plan for this marinara is to layer chopped raw ingredients into the crock pot and keep it on low all night.  Here's what's in it before I tweak it tomorrow morning:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 chopped onion
5 cloves chopped garlic
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1-1/2 tsp sea salt
8-10 chopped roma tomatoes
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey

I needed a little something to get me out of my slump, and refocusing on the two things that helped me drop 30 lbs in the first place, running and nutrition, seemed like a good bet.  I'll check back and let you know how it came out.

Update on May 18: I woke up in the morning to the extremely powerful smell of onions.  I mean whoa.  It looked good when I gave it a stir, and I decided to take the immersion blender to it for a few seconds to lightly puree the ingredients.  The taste was meh, so I added another tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a quarter tsp of ground black pepper.  It's still bubbling in the crockpot today while I'm at work.  Hopefully when the liquid cooks down a bit it will have a nicer richer flavor.

Monday Night Dinner: Thai Chicken Soup

I've got to be honest:  all I want tonight is cheese fondue.  However, I'm less than three months away from my wedding for which I've chosen an extremely form-fitting dress.  So instead, we're going with Thai Chicken Soup.  Ugh.

Thai Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow potatoes
• 2 cups chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 3/4 cups light coconut milk
• lime juice, yields of 2 lime
• 1/4 cup asian fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

In a soup pot, heat olive oil
Add chopped onion, chopped carrots, and chopped potatoes.
Saute until slightly browned.
Add chicken and cook halfway (I use whatever leftover chicken I have in my fridge, in which case you don't have to cook it before adding the liquids).
Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 min.

Serve immediately.

Monday Night Dinner: Lamb Kofte on a Pita

Now that you have a package of pitas from last week's recipe, you're going to have to use them up, right?  How about spiced lamb meatballs to go with that?  Mmmm.

Lamb Kofte

Ingredients

• 2 lb ground lamb
• 1/2 cup onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

For toppings:  marinara sauce and crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Heat olive oil on low in a med skillet. Dice garlic and onion and heat in skillet until thoroughly cooked. Stir often to make sure they don't brown. Once cooked, return to cutting board and further dice the cooked mixture. This cooking step cuts waaaay down on the intensity of your future garlic and onion breath and saves your stomach a few flip flops down the line.

Mince the mint leaves and put into a mixing bowl along with all the rest of the ingredients and combine well.  I like to just get in there with my bare hands for this, but you may want to put on a pair of latex cloves if you're squeamish about getting raw meat on your hands.

Form golf-ball sized balls, placing each on a lined baking sheet that has edges. Bake at 300F for 20-30 minutes.

This should make about 30 meatballs.

Warm your pita in the oven or on a pan on the stove top until warm and soft, but not browned.  Place three meatballs on the pita, top with a couple tablespoons of marinara and a sprinkle of feta cheese.

The Bread Recipe

I made another loaf of bread last night so Andrew could have sandwiches for lunch and toast for breakfast.  I'm still tweaking the recipe, but this is the best one so far:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1-1/4 tsp yeast

I use a bread machine so I literally just pile all of the ingredients in the machine and press a button.  I don't know any special kneading techniques and can offer no advice, other than to get a bread machine.  It's a big piece of equipment, but might be worth the storage space if you think fresh baked bread is important in your life.

Even if you only like white bread, making your own is a trade up from buying sliced bread.  Yes, you're still using refined flour, but what you're avoiding is more important: additives and preservatives to prolong shelf life.  Ew.

Monday Night Dinner: Cheater Zucchini Pizza

This dinner is on deck for tonight.  I'm craving pizza, but after a weekend of eating delicious rich food and drinking wine like it's water, I need something lighter for a change.  It's also my night to myself so I want to keep food prep time to a minimum so I can maximize furniture reupholstering time.

[ I have two sleigh-back dining chairs that have been sanded down to the wood and are ready for a repaint, but while I'm waiting for the weather to dry up so I can paint outside, I'm going to go ahead and recover the seat and back panels so they'll at least be usable and presentable in a shabby chic sort of way. ]

Cheater pizza is one of those meals that seems almost too easy.  That's what I love about it.  I don't have kids, but I imagine when I do I'm going to use this recipe a lot.

Ingredients

• 1 whole wheat pocketless pita (I use Kontos)
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup Zucchini
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

In a small pan on your stovetop, heat olive oil and saute zucchini chunks until browned.  Place your pita on a baking sheet.  Spread the marinara sauce on your pita, sprinkle evenly with cheese, and top with zucchini.  Broil until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle with just a touch of sea salt if you like.  Voila!
 
Serves 1

Monday Night Dinner: Whole Wheat Spaghetti alla Carbonara for Two

I have a special place in my heart for spaghetti alla carbonara because my godfather, who lived for four years in Rome during the 1970s, would make it fairly often when our family would go to his house for dinner.  It's also fairly simple to make; it's just eggs and bacon and cheese - oh my!

Ingredients

• 4 oz (dry) whole wheat linguine
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 slices bacon
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

Boil water and cook linguine according to instructions on package.
While waiting for your water to boil, cook your bacon and set aside on a paper towel.
Meanwhile, turn your oven on warm (lowest setting) and place your metal mixing bowl inside. Alternatively, you can fill the bowl with warm water if your bowl is not oven safe. Just be sure to dump the water out before you throw the ingredients in.  When bowl is sufficiently warm, beat an egg in the (empty) warmed bowl. Add cheese and pepper.
Drain your pasta and add to the bowl, tossing to coat thoroughly with egg and cheese mixture. The egg will cook with the heat of the pasta.
Crumble bacon, and toss with pasta.
Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Monday Night Dinner - Katie's Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

My friend Katie has a great blog, The Well-Fed Newlyweds, that I love reading; part of the reason I love it is I get to catch up a little with what's going on in her world (we haven't seen each other since we were both 21 and studying in Paris), but a bigger part is she chooses stellar recipes to feature.  I made her Thai honey peanut chicken recently and let me tell you, this one hit it out of the park.  I made just a few tweaks, not that it needed any; I'm just that way.

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

Ingredients:
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
lime juice - yield of 1 lime
3 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp (heaping) natural peanut butter
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp Sriracha
2 tsp fish sauce
1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks


Directions:
Whisk all ingredients except chicken together in a bowl.
Add chicken pieces to sauce and coat evenly.
Cook in a large skillet on med-high heat until chicken is just cooked through.

Another 170 calories gets you 3/4 cup rice to go with it.

Monday Night Dinner: Lemon and Dill Cheese Tortellini with Asparagus

This dinner makes me feel like the sun is shining and birds are chirping, even when it's gray and depressing here in the ol' Emerald City.  I timed this one, and from the time you put your water boil it's 20 minutes to the table.  I like eating it cold the next day as well.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 2-1/2 cups three-cheese tortellini
• 1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan

Directions

 You can either boil 2 separate pots of water for this one, or do what I did and use the same one for both the asparagus and the tortellini.  It all depends if you have a wire mesh strainer like this one:

Have a medium bowl of ice water ready.  Fill a medium pot fairly full of water, add a little salt, and bring to a boil.  Rest your mesh strainer on the top of the pot and toss in your asparagus.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, then lift your strainer out and place it in the bowl of ice water, making sure all the asparagus pieces are submerged in the ice water, to stop the asparagus from cooking any further from its own endothermic heat.

Toss your tortellini in the boiling pot and cook according to the package instructions (probably about 7 min).
While pasta is cooking and asparagus is icing, grate the zest of 1 lemon (about a tablespoon) into your pasta serving bowl.  Add olive oil, dill, and salt to the zest and stir in the bottom of the bowl.
Drain the pasta and asparagus and toss with your lemony-dill olive oil.  Sprinkle with the parm and serve.

Serves 4

Monday Night Dinner: Marinara Baked Eggs

This is a fantastic flavorful meal that bakes up quickly

Ingredients

• 4 cups marinara sauce
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup mozzarella shredded cheese
• 4 slices French bread

Directions

Preheat your oven to 300.
Pour marinara into a pie pan and place in the oven for 5-10 min.
After 5 minutes, crack your eggs and gently nestle them in among the marinara.
Sprinkle your cheese evenly over top and bake for 15-20 min.
Meanwhile, toast you bread slices.
Spoon 1 egg and 1 cup marinara over each bread slice

Serve with a green salad.

Serves 4.

Monday Night Dinner: Sausage Soup with Irish Soda Bread and a Salad

I made this meal for a weeknight dinner with my godfather.  I had exactly 30 minutes to whip something up from the time I got home to when he was due to arrive, so it's in the true spirit of Monday Night Dinner.  This was a beautiful healthy homemade meal that was a great marriage of from-scratch cooking and quick turn-around time.  Most impressive to guests will be the homemade bread.  Start that first and while it's baking move on to the soup.  This dinner serves 8.

Sausage Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb Italian turkey sausage
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cups homemade turkey stock
• 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp agave nectar
• 6 oz raw spinach

Directions

Cook sausage until browned, remove from pot and set aside
Add oil and chopped onion to pot and cook until translucent and caramelized.
Add salt, pepper, and turkey stock.
Add beans and bring to a boil.
Add agave nectar and cider vinegar and remove from heat.
Add spinach to hot soup and let wilt just before serving.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-3/4 cups 1% milk
• 1-1/2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375
Put vinegar in a container that holds at least 2 cups.
Warm milk just a little to take the chill off,and pour it into the container with the vinegar, and set aside.  It will curdle a little and that is fine.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Add liquid and mix until combined - it's easiest to do this in a food processor.
Form loosely into two balls (dough will be very sticky) and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 30 minutes.

I like to serve these with an herby mixed greens salad tossed with thinly sliced apples and a light vinaigrette.

Light Dijon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Whisk everything together and toss with salad greens.  Serve immediately.

So your entire dinner comes in at 573 calories.  Go ahead and have that glass of wine.

Ginger Snap Granola

image source

This one goes out to my cookie lovers.  Much in the same way that the addition of orange juice suddenly makes drinking champagne at 10am ok, this granola is like eating cookies for breakfast with little to no guilt.



I made this last night and brought a little bowl of it into the living room to share with Andrew while we watched an old episode of Lost.  He took a taste, and then literally dumped the entire contents of the bowl into his mouth.  I guess he liked it?  I'd had enough during my taste-testing anyway.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup organic unsulphured molasses
• 1 Tbsp ginger paste
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp organic coconut oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250F
Combine agave nectar, molasses, ginger paste, and spices in a small mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together oats, coconut, pecans, and salt.
Melt coconut oil in a pan on low heat, just until it's melted and then remove from heat.
Pour agave/molasses/ginger/spices mixture on oat mixture and stir until fully coated.
Pour coconut oil over mixture and stir again.
Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides and bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 - 15 minutes.
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

side note: don't do a google image search for "ginger snaps" expecting to get closeup pictures of cookies.  You won't, and what you do get is not pretty.  I think I might be scarred for life by what I saw.  You definitely want to have the word "cookie" in your search criteria.  

A Dreamy Tropical Vacation

I've found it.  The perfect tropical vacation for the busy and broke.  It doesn't cost much.  You can get there and back in ten minutes.  It's also only 266 calories per serving.

Behold!  A new variation on the best ever granola!  I seriously can't stop making granola these days, guys.  I have several different flavors up my sleeve.  All of them are free of processed sugars and industrial seed oils, which apparently are the fast track to an early uncomfortable death (see the article HERE).

So I got up Sunday morning with a crazy idea that I wanted to make another flavor of granola: Banana Almond.  I toyed with the idea of adding vanilla or amaretto flavor, but I decided that the sweetness and flavor of the banana shouldn't be tampered with by adding other flavors, especially since there is coconut inherently in all of my granola flavors and sometimes knowing when to edit is the most valuable cooking skill a person can have.  My instinct was right; it was delicious, and the natural banana flavor really came through, perfectly complemented by the flavor of the toasted almond slivers.

I sprinkled it on pineapple greek yogurt and was transported to a land where the sunsets are always gorgeous and the palm trees sway gently in a balmy breeze.

I prefer Chobani greek yogurt for this one, but if you really want to control the sugar situation, you can always get a plain yogurt and add your own fruit.  If I had a fresh pineapple, I'd totally be all over that.

Here's the granola recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 small ripe banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup agave nectar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions

Mash banana, mix all ingredients together, and bake at 275-300 for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

This is an extremely low-effort way to look like a health-guru rockstar at home.  Did I also mention it's effing delicious?  Well it is.

Monday Night Dinner: Chickpeas in a Fragrant Tomato Gravy

I have never been so excited to blog about a recipe in my life.  This dinner was absolutely wonderful.  PLUS, it's low cal and extremely filling.  I adapted it from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe in Food & Wine magazine last month.  It was fantastically easy, which was exactly what I needed for starting dinner at 7pm.  I got it on the table before 7:30.

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp pureed ginger
• 1 tsp pureed garlic
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp corriander seeds
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 six-oz can tomato paste
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• sprinkle of cilantro leaves (optional)

Directions

Cook onions in butter, add the purees, cook some more, add the spices, cook a little more, add everything else. Simmer.

Spoon 1 cup into a bowl, sprinkle with a few cilantro leaves, and serve with 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt and tandoori naan.

Serves 8.

 

 The calorie breakdown includes the greek yogurt and 1 piece of naan.  I know, right??  It's amazing!  You could add something like chicken if you absolutely needed meat, but I don't see it as necessary; it's fantastic as is.  I want to eat this every day all the time.  You will too.

Healthy Breakfast - Best Ever Granola

image source

This post comes to you today as the inspiration of two girlfriends of mine who make eating well a priority.  Koriann of Rain City Kitchen makes all of her friends holiday baskets of treats each Christmas and this past year she included her home made granola that has all of us salivating at its mere mention.  When I ran out last month, I asked if she'd share her recipe, which she generously handed over.  It's fantastically delicious as is, but lately I've been hooked on the recipes and articles posted by my friend Kathy of Nutrition Nerds, so I thought I'd see if I could make  a version that subbed in honey, agave nectar, and maple extract in place of the sugar and syrup, and organic coconut oil in place of canola oil.  It was a total success.  I want to eat this nonstop, which may detract from its healthiness if it's the demise of my will power and portion control.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp organic coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp maple extract

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together and wet ingredients together, then combine, and bake on a parchment lined baking pan (with sides!) at 275 for 40 minutes, stirring at each of the three 10 min marks. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

As Koriann recommends, it tastes great with yogurt or milk (I prefer plain greek yogurt sweetened with a teaspoon of agave nectar), and as Kathy (who has her own granola recipe) warns, this will indeed make your entire house smell amazing.

Monday Night Dinner: Vegetarian Chili

Recently some friends and I have decided to do meal exchanges, where we all make a dish that freezes well, save a couple servings for each participant, and do a trade.  One of my friends participating is a vegetarian, so it's a meatless meal exchange, which is fine by me.  I've been wanting to amp up my vegetarian go-to recipes for a while now, and this is a great opportunity.  

I'm sharing my first experiment, a total success, as part of an installment of Monday Night Dinner.  In all honesty, this isn't a dinner you can whip up in a half hour, so it should really be called Sunday Night Dinner this week, but it will reheat well, so theoretically if you've made this on the weekend, it would be a great quick MND after all.  Just warning you - I love salty food, so if you want to cut the salt, use low sodium vegetable broth instead of salty vegetable base.  Do NOT cut out the bacon salt - it is important to the flavor.  I also used low sodium versions of the canned goods.

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp butter

2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder, more to taste if you like

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp bacon salt (it's vegan)

1 med yam, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup barley, rinsed

3 cups water

1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base

1 cup dry red wine

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 can diced tomatoes in juice

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp agave nectar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp freshly ground pepper, more or less to taste

Directions:

Put vegetable base in 3 cups water in a small pot on the stove on med heat and let it warm and dissolve while you do other things.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tbsp butter in iron skillet and cook onions and mushrooms until caramelized.

Add cumin, chili powder, and bacon salt and cook for 1 min.

Add flour and cook for another couple minutes, stirring constantly.

Add 1 cup of your vegetable broth, red wine, and cocoa powder to the skillet.

Bring mixture to a gentle boil and then transfer to a crock pot.

Add barley to the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth and cook on med heat for about 30 min.

Meanwhile, in your iron skillet (don't worry about washing it out between) melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter and cook yam and garlic until slightly soft, but not yet cooked through.

Add your can of diced tomatoes to the skillet, bring to a boil, and then transfer to crock pot.

Once barley has cooked for 30 min, add  that and any broth still in the pot, along with beans, cayenne and ground black pepper, agave nectar, and cider vinegar directly into crock pot and cook on low for several hours, stirring occasionally.

You can use a big pot on the stove instead of a crock pot, but I like to go for a long run while it cooks and you can leave a crock pot unattended, whereas you can't leave the house with an active stovetop burner.

One cup of this hearty chili is really all you need.  Topped with a little sprinkle of sharp cheddar cheese and served with a green salad, this is a perfect cozy and healthy meal.

Monday Night Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner

I am a savory breakfast sort of person.  I would skip pancakes every day for eggs and potatoes.  My favorite thing to eat in the morning is a low-cal breakfast sandwich made with sandwich thins, egg whites, meat, and cheese.  It's also a great hearty breakfast-for-dinner sort of meal.  Add potatoes on the side and you've got something worth sitting down for.

Ingredients

• 1 medium russett potato
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 "rolls" 100% whole wheat Sandwich Thins (I like the ones by Eating Right)
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 6 slices deli meat, your choice
• 2 slices smoked Gouda cheese

Directions

Cut potato to your taste.  I like 1/2" cubes.  Toss in olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper and cook in a pan on your stovetop until golden brown.  Cover and set aside.

Boil your water, reduce heat to simmer, add your vinegar, and poach your egg whites, two at a time.  Sprinkle each of your poached egg whites with a little Montreal steak seasoning

Pop your sandwich thins in the toaster.

Separate your deli meat into 2 servings of 3 slices each, top with a slice of smoked Gouda, and heat either on your stovetop or zap in the microwave for 10 seconds each.

Compile your sandwiches and serve potatoes alongside.

Serves 2

You won't regret this meal.  It's so delicious and pretty guilt-free.

Monday Night Dinner: Beef with Broccoli

This is coming to you a day late because of the President's Day holiday, and today is sort of feeling like a Monday.

I love broccoli.  LOVE.  If you're not a beef person, this also works with chicken or tofu.  The flavor comes from the marinade, which is not exactly vegetarian because of the fish sauce, but if you're the sort of veggie that allows yourself fish, but this marinade on your menu.

Ingredients

Asian Beef Marinade:

• 1/4 cup dark sweet soy sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp concentrated garlic paste (or two minced garlic cloves)
• 1 Tbsp sugar or agave nectar

Other Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 lb beef flank steak

Directions

Whisk all marinade ingredients together and set aside.
Cut beef into bite sized pieces, toss in marinade, and let sit while you attend to other things. Make sure the meat has been fully coated with marinade.

Heat half the oil in a wok or large saute pan while you chop broccoli to your preference. Add 2 cups broccoli to heated oil and cook for 2 min or until cooked but still firm. Set aside in serving platter and repeat with the second half of the oil and remaining 2 cups of broccoli.

After the broccoli has been set aside, add beef to the pan, using a slotted spoon. Cook until browned, but not tough. Maybe 3-5 min.



In a small soup pot bring marinade to a boil, turn off heat and set aside.

Pour beef and sauce over broccoli and serve.

Serves 4

Monday Night Dinner: Carrot Leek Soup and Greek Yogurt Biscuits

Happy Valentine's Day!  No $150 prix fixe menu here tonight; just soup and a biscuit.  This soup is simple and delicious.  I initially made it for a certain someone on hangover day and was just what the doctor ordered.  Hard to go wrong with this one.  Greek yogurt biscuits are pretty great dipped in the soup, but I also like to slather them with Smucker's Simply Fruit apricot preserves and eat them on their own.  I'll be honest:  I don't love that they're made with refined flour, but the whole wheat flour would do two gross things: make them heavy and make them bitter.  I don't eat biscuits every day (even though I'd like to), so I figure that how infrequent they come across my plate, in addition to the fabulous healthy Greek yogurt in them, is enough of a concession to make them the delicious way with refined flour.  At least in my mind it is.

Carrot Leek Soup:

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 cup leeks (just white and light green parts) sliced crosswise
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup flour
• 8 cups stock
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon beef or vegetable base
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp agave nectar

Directions

In a large soup pot, melt butter, add olive oil, leeks, carrots, and garlic.  Cook until soft.
Add pepper and flour, cook for 3 more minutes.
Add stock and beef/veggie base, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add salt to taste, agave nectar, and cider vinegar.  cook for 5 more minutes.

Serves 4

PS- 2 cups is a big bowl.  You'll see what I mean.

Greek Yogurt Biscuits:

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I like Chobani)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450-F
Mix dry ingredients in a food processor.
Add chopped bits of butter and pulse in processor
Transfer to a mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt and stir with a spoon until just combined
Press into a 3/4-inch thick layer and cut with a 3-inch diameter biscuit cutter.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12-15 min or until lightly golden.
Serve immediately.

Makes about 7-ish biscuits

Keep extras refrigerated in an airtight container.  I reheated these the next day and they were still great.  They're a little denser than other biscuit recipes I've used, but I kind of like the heartiness of them.

So a big-ass bowl of soup and a biscuit is 534 calories total.  You won't be hungry after this meal.

Not valentiney enough for you?  Fine.  Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter for your biscuits.  Boom.  Love is in the air.

Monday Night Dinner: Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos with Goat Cheese

image via

Tacos are a favorite meal at our house.  You don't have to do much to end up with a delicious taco.  Here's a tasty vegetarian option even my meat-lovin' man will eat without complaint.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups butternut squash
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 12 white corn tortillas
• 6 oz Soft Goat Cheese

Directions

Mince garlic, cut squash into 1/2-inch cubes, and toss together in oil and spices.
Preheat pan on med-high heat on your stove-top.
When your pan is hot, add squash to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly browned and pieces are cooked through.
Add the black beans to the pan and stir together until warm.

While the filling is cooking, warm your tortillas on a dry griddle on med-high heat so they are ready to go.  If you're too tired, just throw them on a plate and put them in the microwave for a minute or so.

Serves 4

Spoon about 1/4 cup taco filling into each of three tortillas and top with about a half ounce of goat cheese each.

Just look at all that fiber you're getting!  It really is a delicious meal that can be whipped up in a matter of minutes.