Breakfast Casserole

While navigating around two other cooks in the kitchen and after a small fire-in-the-oven incident, I managed to produce this casserole for Christmas morning breakfast.

REVIEW: This dish wasn't spectacular, but it was easy to put together, and I like that you can prepare it the night before then stick it in the oven in the morning. It needed a little more kick to it, maybe more pepper or spices, and definitely more cheese on top and mixed in! To make this dish healthier, I would use turkey bacon, egg beaters, and reduced fat cheese. But it's Christmas, so calories don't count today. :)

RECIPE:
1 lb bacon
2 small onions, chopped
1 lb frozen shredded hash browns
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
8 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
2 tsp dried parsley
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until it's mostly crispy. Drain grease from skillet and set bacon aside. Put onions, garlic, and mushrooms in same skillet and cook until tender. In a large bowl, beat eggs with milk and parsley. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray. Layer hash browns in bottom of pan and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Tear bacon into bite size pieces and layer on top of hash browns, then add onion, garlic, and mushrooms evenly distributed across the pan. Pour eggs over casserole, and top with shredded cheese. (Optional: Cover and refrigerate overnight) Bake in oven for 1 hour, or if baking immediately, bake for 45 mins. Serves 6.

Spinach and Potato Frittata

I must admit that the pic was taken from allrecipes.com where I got the recipe because I was too busy eating to take one of my own! While I was home for Christmas, my friend and I decided to host a brunch for our high school girlfriends. We served coffee cake, hash browns, fruit salad, mimosas, and this tasty and easy veggie frittata.

REVIEW: It was a little tricky gettng everything mixed in and done at the same time without overdoing any one thing. The potatoes went in first, followed by garlic, green onions, spinach, and tomatoes in that order. The eggs took longer to firm up than I anticipated, probably because we used a deep skillet, and i had to turn up the heat took cook it through which caused it to burn a tiny bit on the bottom. Next time I would use a flat skillet with high sides for easier and faster cooking. Besides that, it was so easy! I might try using mostly egg whites with a couple of yolks next time to make it healthier. Everyone liked it!

RECIPE:
olive oil
4 small red potatoes, sliced 1/4" thin
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup sliced green onions
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat, saute sliced potatoes until they are semi-soft (not mushy). Add garlic, green onion, spinach, and tomatoes, cook for 5 mins. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together in a bowl, then pour over veggies in skillet making sure it covers all the veggies. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Reduce heat to med-low and cover until eggs are firm and cheese is melted. Serves 6. (per serving: 284 cals, 13g fat, 12g protein, 29g carbs)

Mango Salsa Chicken

This is my friend Kim's recipe. I've made it several times before and I love it...it's easy, healthy, and it always turns out delicious!

REVIEW: Mango is just an awesome fruit, and it's fun to use something that I don't eat all the time. I don't know what exactly causes the chicken to be so tender, if it's the pounding or simmering it it in the sauce. I hate dry, chewy chicken but this was perfect. Using medium salsa gave it a little kick, you can try hot salsa if you can handle more than me, which is likely. :)Simmering the salsa with the mango and veggies takes some of the hotness out of it. I would recommend for dinner parties too b/c you can leave it simmering for a while on the stove smelling delicious while you serve a salad or appetizer.

RECIPE:

1lb chicken breasts

1-2 tomatoes, diced

1 mango, diced

1 orange

red or yellow bell pepper (I used 1/2 of each for color), diced

1cup medium salsa

garlic salt

cumin

salt

pepper

olive oil

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Rub in garlic salt, pepper, and cumin. Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook chicken on medium-high heat to brown on each side. Squeeze half of orange on chicken while cooking. Remove chicken breasts, throw in diced peppers, tomatos, and mango. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and other half of orange juice. Saute for 5 minutes, then put chicken back in. Add salsa to skillet and cover chicken in the mixture. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. (per serving: 423 cals, 11g fat, 50g protein, 32 carbs)

Pesto Chicken Florentine

I was craving pasta, but it turns out that it is really hard to find a low-calorie pasta dish! I found this one that wasn't too bad, but I adjusted it to make it even more healthy, by adding more veggies and using whole-wheat pasta.

REVIEW: I usually steer clear of alfredo since it's really bad for you and sooo rich and heavy, but I only used the minimum needed to coat the pasta, so it had just enough creaminess. The added carrots, tomatoes, and broccoli definitely made the dish more interesting. It would be great without the chicken too. And I made the full batch so I have lots of lunch leftovers!

RECIPE:

olive oil

3 cloves garlic

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced

1 stalk broccoli, chopped

4 oz alfredo sauce

1 pkg dry pesto mix, prepared

8 oz whole-wheat penne pasta

grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and vegetables except for tomatoes, saute until softened to your likeness and spinach is cooked. Remove all from skillet and set aside. Cook chicken in skillet until done, then add veggies back in, cover and put on low heat. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Add pesto and alfredo to pasta until coated, then add in vegetables and mix all together. Serve with grated cheese sprinkled on top. Makes 4 servings. (original recipe stats per serving, but I think I did better: 571 cals, 19g fat, 42g protein, 57g carbs)

Seared Sesame Tuna with Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette and Sauteed Mustard Greens

I love the title of this recipe...it just sounds fancy and delicious. I also love recipes that require wine because that means I have to open a bottle and enjoy! :) Tonight's recipe was definitely a challenge, but it came out well. I got this recipe from a free Cuisine Home magazine that came in the mail, and I've had it FOREVER and never tried it. I made my 2nd attempt at sticky rice, and it came out perfectly this time. It's really not hard, even without a rice cooker, so there!

REVIEW: I liked the combo of the mustard greens, tuna, and rice...I kept scooping up all three with every bite. I didn't do the vinaigrette quite right, I reduced it too low so it was goopy at the end. I tried to add soy sauce and rice vinegar to make it more of a liquid, but I think that ruined the mix of flavors. Overall, quite tasty!

RECIPE:

vinaigrette:

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp white wine

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of 1/2 lemon (i used a splash of the bottled stuff)

tuna:

2 fresh tuna steaks
sesame seeds, enough to cover one side

greens:
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

mustard greens, stemmed and chopped

1/4 cup scallions, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Simmer vinaigrette ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, 5-8 minutes. Keep warm over low heat. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Coat one side only of each tuna steak in sesame seeds. Sear, seed side down, for 3-4 minutes, then turn them over and cook 2-3 more minutes. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Wipe the skillet with paper towels; return it to the stove over med-high heat. Saute garlic for the greens in olive oil just until soft, 1 minute. Add the greens and toss until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Before serving, add scallion to the warm vinaigrette. Arrange tuna steaks on the rice, add greens, and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Kung Pao Chicken

I bought quite a few new ingredients to make this dish, so I definitely tried something different! This was my first attempt at making official sticky (a.k.a. sushi) rice like I had during my trip in Tokyo. Usually I think of rice as filler food, but the sticky rice in Japan was so good I could eat it as a meal. I am so proud of my first attempt, it turned out great! Luckily, last year I took a sushi making class at a local grocery store and learned some good tips that I could apply. I'm not sure if it would be sticky enough for sushi because I didn't try to roll it up or anything, but it seemed pretty close to me! I bought a huge bag of it because I am planning to use it on sushi rolls and some other dishes I loved in Tokyo and want to try making here!

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website so it was healthy but I was very impressed with the flavor. The sauce made with sweet hoisen sauce was balanced nicely with soy sauce and lots of garlic, and given a kick from red pepper. I cooked the broccoli perfectly, with a little crunch and it didn't get too mushy in the sauce because I added it back in at the very end. Genius :) I also added sliced baby carrots, and cooked them with the broccoli.

RECIPE:

4 cups broccoli florets

1 tbsp ground fresh ginger

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp coarsely chopped salted peanuts

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and 2 teaspoons ginger to pan; sauté 1 minute. Add water. Cover; cook until broccoli is crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from pan; keep warm. Heat more oil in pan; add remaining 1 teaspoon ginger, crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook until chicken is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return broccoli mixture to pan; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts. Makes 4 servings. (per serving: 240 cals, 8g fat, 31g protein, 11g carbs)

Seven Layer Dip

We're celebrating the big boss's birthday tomorrow, so I made my tried and true party dip to bring in for the occasion. This baby never fails me, it's easy, quick, and people love it...especially the guys I work with who pretty much eat anything! Hmmm....guess that's not saying much for the dip, but it really is good!

REVIEW: Dangerously scrumptious, because you don't want to stop eating it once you start! I make it healthier by using fat free refried beans and light sour cream. I'm sure it would taste even better with the full-fat ingredients and freshly made guacamole!

RECIPE:
2 cans refried beans
16 oz package pre-made guacamole
8 oz sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
1 package Mexican-flavor colby jack shredded cheese
1 large tomato, diced
scallions, chopped

Spread a layer of the refried beans in a 9x13 pan, then spread the guacamole on top of the beans. Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning in a separate bowl, then add on top of guacamole. Sprinkle cheese, tomato, and scallions to finish it off.

Chicken Jambalaya

I didn’t think I’d be able to post my first meal until next week because of my schedule, but then I ran across a recipe in my Fitness magazine that looked easy and I could make in the crock pot! The prep work was very easy, since most of the ingredients came already made. The only problem I ran into was caused by my defiance of reading directions carefully. For some reason I was certain that I had to take the casing off the sausage, but this turned into a tedious (and kinda gross) job. After a couple of tries, I gave up and cut it up casing and all. I also ran into a glitch with the jambalaya rice mix. The recipe says to put only the seasoning packet in at first, then add the rice 45 minutes before serving. When I opened the box, I realized that the rice and seasoning was all mixed together in one big packet! It didn't seem to matter much.

REVIEW: I liked the zesty flavors of the dish. I am a wimp when it comes to spicy foods, but I thought this had just enough kick without overpowering the other flavors. The chicken was soooo tender! I had to drain out quite a bit of liquid before eating, so either I didn't let the rice absorb enough or maybe two cups of water is too much. I took some of it for lunch the next day and it tasted great as a leftover. Success!

RECIPE:

"Chicken Jambalaya"
8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
16 oz package frozen bell peppers and onions
8 oz smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inc slices
2 cups water
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/ jalapeno peppers, undrained
8 oz package jambalaya rice mix

Place the ingredients in the crockpot in the following order: frozen veggies, chicken, sausage, water, tomatoes, seasoning packet from rice mix. Cover and cook 5-6 hours (even longer is ok too) on low heat or 2.5-3 hours on high heat. 45 minutes prior to serving, mix in rice and cook on high heat. Makes 6 servings. (per serving: 256 cals, 4g fat, 19g protein, 37g carbs)

My 1st Blog Post! (and why Beyond PB&J was created)

Ok, so it’s not like I am a TERRIBLE cook, but my meals consist of whatever I can make the fastest with the ingredients I happen to have in the fridge at the time. Since half of my fridge is occupied by alcohol, this leaves me a limited space in which to store my usual supply of fresh vegetables, fruit, egg beaters, plain yogurt, milk, hummus, cheese, deli meat, condiments, and the staple that holds it all together: Mission low-carb whole wheat fajita-size wraps. The things I make at home and pack for lunch are extremely healthy. I save my calorie splurges for when I’m out with friends enjoying Mexican food and margaritas – yum!

The problem with concocting healthy meals in little time is that they get repetitive, almost to the point where each night I want to throw my low-fat, low-carb turkey wrap out the window and drive to the nearest Sonic for a burger and tater tots pronto!

My theory is there MUST be a way to eat healthy and keep my meals interesting too! Now that my crazy schedule has calmed down a little bit, I’ve decided to dedicate one night a week to cooking a dish that is out of my comfort zone of broiled chicken and steamed veggies (boring!). Each week, I will search for a recipe that I have never tried before and tackle it! I don’t want to limit myself with too many rules, but I will try to keep my choices diverse, challenging, and nutritious.

Friends are welcome to come over on these nights; they have the choice to help, supervise (i.e. sit on my couch and drink wine), or just enjoy. Food is always better when you have friends to share it with!

Wish me luck in my culinary attempts!!