Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

April 2, 2013April 2, 20132 Comments

It is grill season!

I like to spend spring weeknights grilling healthy meals. I wanted to share this delicious recipe that makes the perfect healthy appetizer- only 80 calories! Enjoy!

Ingredients
2/3 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Garlic, 1 clove (crushed)
4 (5 inch) Portabella Mushrooms

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fresh Parsley

Directions
Combine tomato, cheese, 1/2 tsp oil, rosemary, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl.
Remove brown gills from mushroom caps.
Combine 1/2 tsp oil, juice, and soy sauce . Brush over both the sides of the mushroom caps. Place mushroom caps, stem sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 5 minutes on each side or until soft.
Spoon 1/4 cup tomato mixture into each mushroom cap. Cover and grill 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley and fresh parmesan cheese.

Baked Chickpea Burgers

March 5, 20134 Comments

I am giving up meat for lent and on top of that I have been trying to eat clean most of the time for a few weeks now. I have been avoiding white flour, cheese, and all packaged foods for the most part and it definitely makes the body feel stronger and healthier! Every night I have been trying new recipes so that my husband will not go crazy going meatless. And no, he is not giving it up for lent- I am the chef of the house so what I eat, he eats! 🙂
Anyway, this is what I made last night for dinner and it was delicious, easy, meatless, and clean.

Time: 45 mins (plus time to bake)

Makes: 7-8 medium sized patties
•2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
•2/3 cup of cooked quinoa
•1 egg (replace for Vegan)
•1/4 cup of chopped onion, plus an other 1/4 cup
•2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
•1/2 tsp cumin
•1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
•1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
•1/4 tsp parsley
•a little freshly ground salt and pepper

First, set your oven to 350.

Then mix all your ingreidents together. I don’t have a food processor mixer so I got down and dirty & used my hands. I heavily mixed and smushed everything together together until its all mixed completely. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes per side, flipping halfway through. You can put this over a salad or on a whole grain bun. I added some red onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. It was so delicious. I also served with homemade sweet potato fries and you can find the recipe here

Comfort Soup

January 16, 20137 Comments

Lately is seems that everyone around me is feeling under the weather. I have been popping my Airbourne and carrying hand sanitizer wherever I go in an attempt to stay healthy. When you are feeling sick or even just chilly like a snow day like today in New England, soup can be so comforting. As most of you know, I am obsessed with Pho soup and think it’s perfect for a day like today- it’s not your plain old chicken noodle soup! the recipe below is the stove top recipe but I love Pho in the crockpot. You can combine all ingredients in the crock pot, slow cook for about 5-7 hours and add noodles after.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4th tsp salt

6 cups chicken broth

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 baby bok choy, chopped

5 oz chinese noodles (about half a package)

sriracha sauce for serving

chopped cilantro for serving

Directions:

Heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and briefly saute for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and bok choy, sprinkle with salt, and saute for another three minutes until chicken has turned white but not completely cooked all the way through.

Add the chicken broth, jalapeno and green onions to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling salted water, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. You can add a little more salt if you like, but taste first because soy sauce already contains a lot of salt! Add the noodles to the pot and serve with chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce on the side.

Pie in a Jar

November 21, 20125 Comments

One of the things I look forward to most on Thanksgiving day is pumpkin pie! Homemade pumpkin pie just melts in your mouth and simply tastes like Thanksgiving. These cute lil’ pumpkin pies in a jar are perfect for a party, especially for those calorie counters that always say, “I just want a sliver.” Decadent and bite-size! My “go to” recipe can be found on the back of Libby’s Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix. Just add eggs and evaporated milk to the mix, then pop in the oven. Easy as pie.

Hazelnut Biscotti

November 13, 2012November 13, 20126 Comments

‘Tis the season of baking. Biscotti is one of my favorite light desserts with a cup of espresso!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts (7 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups self-rising cake flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until lightly colored and skins are blistered, 10 to 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute, then rub off any loose skins in towel while nuts are still warm (don’t worry about skins that don’t come off). Cool nuts completely, then very coarsely chop.

Pulse together sugar and 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to bowl of mixer along with flour and beat at medium speed until combined well. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until a dough forms. Reduce speed to low, then add remaining chopped hazelnuts and mix until incorporated. Turn off mixer and knead in any loose hazelnuts with your hands.

Halve dough and, with dampened hands, form each half into a roughly 10- by 2- by 1-inch log on lined baking sheet, arranging logs 3 inches apart.

Bake until golden and set but still soft to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool logs on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes.

Transfer logs to a cutting board, discarding parchment, and cut logs with a serrated knife on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Arrange slices, cut sides down, in 1 layer on unlined baking sheet. Bake slices, turning over once, until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes more. Cool biscotti completely on sheet on rack, about 30 minutes.