Onigri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Today I finally got around to making the delicious snack I had while on vacation in Tokyo! They sold these cute little rice balls in 7-11 all wrapped up in cellophane and ready to go. It took a little research but I found the official name and a recipe to make my attempt.

REVIEW: Using the right amount of rice and shaping them into triangles was tricky, but the rest of the process was easy.These are very portable, healthy snacks that are simple to make.

RECIPE: I followed the instructions on this website http://www.justhungry.com/2007/01/onigiri_omusubi_revisited_an_e.html and used canned tuna seasoned with salt, pepper, dill, and soy sauce. along with my now perfected (ha) sushi rice.

Spicy Chicken Tomato Bean Soup

A soup like this is PERFECT for a chilly night when I'm in my PJ's watching a movie! I'm nursing a bit of a cold, so I wanted to make something that would warm me up and treat my body right. This recipe is so flexible, once you have the base, you can add any veggies or spices you want to it. The chicken and beans in it made it a filling meal rather than just a first course.

REVIEW: The soup came out very flavorful, and I added just enough kick for me with cayenne pepper and a few drops of Louisiana hot sauce. I love love love cilantro so I chopped up about half the big bunch I bought at the store and threw it in there. Topping choices are endless...avocado, fat free sour cream or nonfat plain yogurt (i swear they taste the same to me), tortilla chips, shredded cheese.

RECIPE:

2 cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

1lb chicken breasts

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

14oz can diced tomatos

1 can condensed "healthy request" tomato soup

1/2 bag frozen corn

14oz can black beans

14oz can garbanzo beans
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

ground black pepper

dried parsley

chili powder

cayenne pepper

tobasco sauce

nonfat plain yogurt

avocado slices
shredded cheddar cheese

In a large soup pot over medium heat, combine chicken breasts, chicken broth, water, garlic, onion, parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and shred (use two forks to pull chicken apart), then add back to soup pot along with the diced tomatos, tomato soup, black beans, garbanzo beans, corn. Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce according to taste. Simmer on low for 30 mins. Top with a dollop of yogurt, shredded cheese, and sliced avocado before serving. Serves 8.

Spinach, Artichoke & Feta Lasagna

Ok, if I were to have a "Best of Beyond PB&J" category ('cause I'm cool like that), this would DEFINITELY be in it. This turned out soooo delicious, for how easy and healthy it is. I just ate the huge piece pictured here, and I'm seriously considering having another one before the night is over. Don't judge, you would too! :)

REVIEW: It's been a long time since I've had veggie lasagna, and I was afraid this one would turn out bland, but it didn't. It rocked. I really have nothing else to say...oh except I forgot to get "marinated" artichokes, but I really don't think it made a bit of difference.

RECIPE:

9 oz whole wheat oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5oz) can vegetable broth
3 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 (14oz) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1 (10oz) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 (28oz) "heart healthy" pasta sauce w/ mushrooms
4 oz fat-free feta
8 oz reduced-fat mozarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9x13 pan and a large skillet with cooking spray. Saute onion and garlic in skillet for 3 minutes until tender. Stir in vegetable broth and oregano; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce. Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 lasagna noodles. Make sure the noodles are completely coated with the sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 8. (per serving: 427 cals, 5g fat, 24g protein, 40g carbs)

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)