Sunday, April 18

Cold Chinese Noodles

Serves 4

1/2 pound thin spaghetti
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2-4 tablespoons hot oil (depending on your heat preference)
4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. While spaghetti is cooking, mix remaining ingredients together. Place drained pasta in a bowl and toss with sauce. Allow noodles to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

This is terrific as a side dish for grilled Asian flavored meats, poultry and tofu.

Friday, April 16

Salmon Croquettes - Light Style


25 minute meal

We make this a lot. It is delicious and low calorie

1 can (14.75oz) or 2 cans (7.5oz) traditional pack Alaska salmon drained and chunked
¼ cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 Tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
¼ c dry bread crumbs
¼ c chopped green onions
1 egg
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Cajun, Creole or blackened seasoning mix
2 tsp margarine or butter
1 tsp Dijon style mustard
lemon wedges

In a medium bowl, combine salmon, ¼ c mayonnaise, bread crumbs, green onion, egg white, lemon juice and seasoning. Mix well: shape into four ½” thick patties. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown.
Meanwhile combine 2 Tbsp mayonnaise & mustard. Serve with patties and lemon wedges

Cannellini Beans and Pasta


Shells with White Beans and Chicken

This dish can be made vegetarian - just leave out the chicken and start with onion and celery. We used herbs from our herb garden to make it an even tastier special dish!




1 lb chicken cut in cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp salt (if vegetarian you will only need ½ tsp salt)
½ small onion (finely chopped)
2 ribs of celery chopped
½ cup sliced mushrooms (I added mushrooms for potassium)
3 cloves of garlic chopped
(1) 28 oz. Crushed tomatoes
(2) 15 oz cans of cannelloni beans
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb medium sized shells
Grated cheese as needed

Cook chicken cubes in oil about 5 minutes (season with ¼ tsp salt)
Then:
Cook onion and celery in chicken drippings (leftover if using chicken) for about 5 minutes. *If vegetarian start onion and celery in oil. Add garlic and mushroom and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, beans, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and ½ tsp salt. Bring to a boil then simmer for 12 minutes. Cook pasta. Then add beans to mixture along with 1 cup of left-over water from the pasta.

Serve over pasta and add grated cheese to taste
Serves 8
483 calories with chicken (less if vegetarian)

Wednesday, April 14

Black Bean Burgers w/Mango Coleslaw

I normally don't cook vegetarian meals just because I enjoy my meats but this looked WAY too good to pass up! I made a few changes...mainly because I thought the salsa was a little boring and I wanted to add some cabbage. The original recipe also called for some avocado to be added but since I make meals a couple of days in advance, I didn't add that in. I'm thinking a small dollop of sour cream on top of this would be killer!

Side Note: These have a bit of a kick to them but not too much. If you like it SPICY, I would add the entire jalapeno

Side Note Part Deux: I didn't include a picture because honestly, it looks like mashed beans in a patty form. Not that appetizing.

Black Bean Burgers w/Mango Coleslaw
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup panko
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 medium jalapeƱo pepper, finely chopped
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups chopped peeled mango (about 2 medium)
3 tbsp chopped shallots
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 bag of cabbage coleslaw
1 garlic clove, minced
6 whole-wheat hamburger buns or sandwich thins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°

Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese and the next 6 ingredients (through egg whites). Shape bean mixture into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Arrange patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, carefully turning once. And seriously, be careful! They fall apart pretty easily!

Combine remaining mango, and the next 4 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a medium bowl. Place a patty on bottom half of each hamburger bun; top each with 1/3 cup salsa, and top half of bun.

Friday, April 9

Yummy Chicken

I don't know a better name for this dish. Chicken wrapped with thinly sliced ham, cheese, and tomatoes. Baked into moist-goodness. Choose to make as many as you want.

Preheat oven 375

You will need:
- Chicken breast cutlets pounded thin****Buy the already pounded thin chicken breasts (I think Perdue makes some). Otherwise pound thin as many boneless/skinless chicken breasts as you want to make.
- thinly sliced ham
- thinly sliced cheddar or provolone cheese
- finely chopped tomato
- fresh chopped rosemary
- small dish of melted butter or margarine
- Italian bread crumbs

Once pounded thin, place a piece of ham (if breast is big, can overlap two pieces), a piece (or two) of cheese, sprinkle on some finely chopped tomato, sprinkle with rosemary. Roll up and secure with toothpick if need to. Dip in melted butter and roll in bread crumbs. Bake 40-45 min, depending on thickness.

Tuesday, April 6

Basil Garlic Buttermilk Dressing

I've become a big fan of making my own salad dressings.  This is an incredibly versatile dressing that I found on Epicurious. The first time I made it, I had all ingrediants and it tasted awesome.  Tonight, my basil was not as fresh as I would have liked and I substituted a tbsp of shallots and several generous shakes of dried dill and it was still amazing.  The flavors will reach their peak around day 3 - but that is also as long as it will last in the fridge so make sure to use it up by then!

1 garlic clove
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

Sunday, April 4

Chipotle Shrimp

Serve with Southwest Black Bean Quinoa Salad and 1/2 an avocado for a complete meal.


Serves 2

1/3 cup mayonaise
2 tsp minced chipotle in adobo sauce
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb shrimp (21-24 per lb size) - peeled and deveined if needed
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 475.

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a small bowl.  If you'd like, split the marinade in 1/2 and save the rest for chicken later in the week.  Pour the panko into a different bowl.  Coat the shrimp in the marinade, then dip in panko shaking off excess.  Put shrimp on baking sheet covered with foil.  Bake shrimp 10 minutes and then turn over and bake for another 6-8 minutes.  Remove from oven once the panko crumbs are golden brown.  Serve immediately.


  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise




  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce




  • 3/4 teaspoon salt





  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise




  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce




  • 3/4 teaspoon salt



  • Southwest Black Bean Quinoa Salad

    Quinoa Salad lasts about 3 days in the fridge and tastes great over a bed of lettuce - makes for a great left-overs lunch. Serve alongside the Chipotle Shrimp with 1/2 an avocado for a complete meal.

    Serves 2

    1 can black beans - rinsed
    1/2 cup quinoa
    1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
    1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
    1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
    1/2 chipotle in adobo, minced
    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
    3 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
    1/2 small red onion, finely diced
    1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
    1/4 cup chopped cilantro

    In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer the quinoa over low heat until the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Allow to sit for an additional 5 minutes, then put in a small mixing bowl and set aside.

    In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and chipotle. Add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking until blended. Add the black beans, quinoa, scallions, red onion, bell pepper and cilantro. Season with salt, toss to combine and serve.

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