Wild Rice Pilaf

Recently I hosted a girls' dinner at my place with a menu of chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto and asiago cheese, roasted asparagus, and this rice pilaf that stole the show. I think everyone at the table went back for seconds! See the website link for a picture, I forgot to take one!

REVIEW: This recipe got rave reviews on allrecipes.com which is usually a good sign, and it didn't disappoint. It was sweet, salty, crunchy, and starchy all in one scoop. Definitely use fresh parsley in this recipe, I made it again for Christmas dinner with dried and it was missing something for sure. I liked that this recipe was easy to make and can be made the morning of the party then reheated in the oven.

RECIPE:
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups wild rice
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup almonds, slivered
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp butter
canola oil
salt & pepper

Bring 1/2 cup vegetable broth to a boil. Add golden raisins, remove from heat, cover and set aside. Prepare wild rice according to package directions, adding a tbsp butter to the water. You made need more or less broth than the recipe calls for depending on the type of rice you get. While rice is cooking, heat a small amount of oil in a skillet on medium heat. Toast almonds in oil until they are a light brown color. When rice is done, combine it with fresh parsley, almonds, and golden raisins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 10 servings. (per serving: 230 cals, 6g fat, 38g carbs, 10g protein)

Warm-You-Up Meal in TX...Not Quite Right

Terrible photo, yummy mac & cheese with tomato-basil soup! This time of year I usually make fun of the southern folk who, as soon as November hits, don their sweaters, furry boots, and scarfs NO MATTER WHAT temperature it is outside. Well, now I did basically the same shameful thing but with food. I decided to make a cozy comfort dish sure to warm me up, but seeing it was a 75 deg day, it was totally inappropriate. But no less delicious! For the soup I had an interesting time trying to get the soup to stay in the blender and not splatter hot liquid all over the place. This is the first time I've made anything but smoothies in my new blender, so there must be a trick to it. One thing that helped was pureeing only 1/2 the mixture at a time.


REVIEW: Mac & cheese to me is kinda boring. It's noodles & cheese made for picky kids who refuse to eat normal food, so what? Haha. This gourmet version from Cooking Light totally changed my mind. I paired it with a creamy tomato basil soup (also Cooking Light) that my bf and I could not get enough of. Would've been perfect on a cold night.

RECIPE (3-cheese mac & cheese):

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

3/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded

2/3 cup low-fat mozarella cheese, shredded

2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

2 cups whole-wheat pasta (I used mini shells)

salt & pepper

olive oil

Sautee onion and garlic in skillet with olive oil med-high heat for 8-10minutes. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and bay leaf, bring to boil. Cook 2 minutes until thick, stirring constantly with whisk. Stire gorgonzola and parmesan until completely melted. Discard bay leaf. Preheat oven to 375F. Cook pasta in boiling water until almost tender, drain, then add to cheese mixture. Coat baking dish with cooking spray, spread mac & cheese in pan. Sprinkle breadcrumbs, pepper, and parmesan on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Makes 6 servings. (per serving: 321 cals, 10g fat, 41g carbs, 17g protein)

RECIPE (tomato-basil soup):

4 large tomatos, peeled and seeded

4 cups tomato juice (low sodium if you can find it)

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped fine

1 cup 1% milk

4 oz low-fat cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Bring tomatos and tomato juice to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 mins. Puree tomato mixture and basil in blender or food processor. Return puree to pan, stir in milk, salt and pepper, cream cheese. Whisk and simmer med-high heat until cheese is melted and soup is thick. Serve with crusty bread. Makes 8 servings, 1 cup soup 1 slice bread for each. (per serving: 133 cals, 4.4g fat, 19g carbs, 5g protein)

The Healthiest Meal Ever (that actually tastes great!)

Haha, I love how I'm posting this right after my "meat 'n' potatoes" meal. But nevertheless, lately I've been trying to do my body right by eating more natural and vegetarian. Not sure how long I'll last before I crave a juicy burger, but it's 3 weeks in and I'm doing ok! The most fun part has been finding creative ways to get the same amount of protein I used to consume on my low carb diet. With so many resources out there, and several stores close by that carry a variety of natural ingredients, it hasn't been as hard as I expected. While searching allrecipes.com this week, I ran across this quinoa salad that got rave reviews AND packed almost 30g protein! I read about all the benefits of quinoa but had never tried it so this was my first time cooking it. Tastes pretty much like rice but less starchy, it might be bland on its own but mixed in with yummy flavors here, it was perfect.

REVIEW: I will be making this recipe again for sure, but I may try different veggies next time to change it up. It seems to be very versatile. Start to finish took me about 30mins, 1 pan, and it was easy! In Cooking Light I read that if you're stir frying tofu, you should press it between two towels (paper or cloth) with a weight on top for about 20-30 mins to squeeze out all the extra moisture. I've only made tofu twice and I did that both times, so I can't say what would happen if you didn't, but I bet the tofu would crumble during all the stirring.

RECIPE:
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed
3/4 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup corn, fresh or canned or frozen all work
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans
1 tsp cumin
dash cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Heat canola oil in skillet on med-high heat. Sautee tofu cubes, onion, garlic, bell pepper for 8-10mins until onions are transluscent and tofu is slightly brown on edges. Add vegetable broth and quinoa, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Mix together and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20mins. Add corn, black beans, and cilantro and mix until heated through. Serve! Makes 6 large servings. (per serving: 400 cals, 6g fat, 30g carbs, 26g protein)

Nothin' Like Some Meat & Potatoes...

Sometimes you just have a craving for a meat and potatoes dinner. With Hurricane Ike looming upon us this past Saturday night, I decided to cook a meal that "sticks to your ribs"....you know, in case we got flattened by 85 mph winds and flooded by 8ft waves (none of which happened, although the weather people made sure you thought it would!).

This was my first attempt at cooking steak. I don't eat it much, so when I do I'll simply go to the numerous steakhouses on hand and satisfy my craving. Not knowing what I was picking out at the store didn't help. Luckily for me, Target had a sign posted that told me which cut was best for what. It was like "Steak for Dummies"! I ended up choosing a top sirloin 8oz steak to share.

REVIEW:

The best part of the meal was the mushroom-onion sauce that was drizzled over the top. With rich flavors of balsamic vinegar, garlic, and red wine, it complemented the meat soooo well. A side of baked sweet potato and sauteed broccoli completed the meal and (maybe) made up for the not-so-healthy side effects of beef.

RECIPE:8 oz top sirloin steak

garlic salt

pepper

Mushroom Glaze: (also from Cooking Light mag, slightly modified)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced (any kind works)

1 tsp thyme

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp red wine (basically just splashed it in the pan until it tasted good)

salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350F. Sprinkle steaks with garlic salt and pepper on both sides. I also added meat tenderizer just in case my handy Target sign steered me wrong. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil (to catch the drippings), put rack on top of foil, and set steak on rack. Bake for 15mins, check on how it's cooking, then 10-15mins more until it reaches desired doneness. I really don't like overdone steak so I think checking it in the middle helps. While steak is cooking, heat 1 tsp EVOO in skillet on med-high heat. Sautee garlic 30 sec, then add mushrooms, thyme, salt & pepper. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Stir in balsamic vinegar, red wine and simmer until liquid is almost completely reduced. Serve over steaks with side dishes. Makes 2 servings. (per serving: 326cals, 11g fat, 23g carbs, 35g protein)

Spicy Thai Shrimp

Cooking Light magazine had a special section on "Dinners for Two" this past month. (Side note: When I was single, I probably would have called this discrimination and pouted for a few days before trying one of the recipes. Funny how attitudes change... :) My boyfriend was the lucky 2nd for my dinner experiments two nights in a row!

One recipe in the magazine that jumped out at me was a simple sauteed shrimp dish with some thai flavor. Yes, another Asian-themed meal! I'm still having fun trying out all the different ingredients and flavors . The recipes are neverending!

REVIEW:

Super easy and not very much prep time. Go easy on the red curry paste as a little goes a long way. The coconut milk balanced out the hotness and made the sauce so creamy. I served over my favorite sushi rice and with a side of broccoli. Bok choy or snap peas might have been a more appropriate side dish, but whatever works! Not sure what two people can eat this much food, because after he and I were stuffed I still had a sizable lunch to bring today. Reheated it tasted delicious.

RECIPE:
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon sugar (I used one packet Splenda)
16 ounces large raw shrimp (frozen or fresh)
1/3 cup light coconut milk
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (dried works fine too)

If you are using frozen shrimp, defrost in a bowl of icewater for 10 mins, then drain off all excess water and ice. Heat canola oil in large skillet on med-high heat. Add onion and curry paste, mix and sautee together for 4-5 mins. Add shrimp and sautee 3-4 mins (cook until the tails touch the body, then you know they're done). Pour in coconut milk and fish sauce, add sugar, basil and green onion. Mix until hot, only a minute or so, you don't want the shrimp to get rubbery! Makes 2 servings plus a lunch. (per serving: 255cals, 8g fat, 36g protein, 10g carbs...with rice add 386 cals per cup)

Asian Flair Chicken Pasta Salad

I wasn't sure how this salad would come out so I wasn't planning on posting it, but it turned out great! I'm packing it along with the mini cheesecakes for the fireworks show tomorow night. Everyone around us with their fancy Whole Foods takeout will be jealous. ;)

REVIEW: Healthy, tasty, and simple. If you haven't noticed by now, that's the theme of my blog and this dish fits it perfectly. The Asian flavors created by the sesame seeds, soy sauce, and ginger really wake up the otherwise basic pasta salad ingredients. And of course it has cilantro - my favorite!

RECIPE:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
16oz whole wheat pasta
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar (don't use regular!)
3 tbsp white sugar
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp ginger, minced fresh or ground
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup carrot, shredded
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted optional
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate chicken with a coating of cooking spray, soy sauce, salt and pepper, and cook whichever way you prefer. I usually broil at 500F 8-10 minutes on each side until breast is cooked through, this seems to add a little crisp to the outside while keeping the chicken juicy on the inside. While chicken is cooling off, prep broccoli, green onion, cilantro, and carrot. Saute broccoli with cooking spray in a skillet over med-high heat for 5-7 minutes. In an airtight container mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, sugar, ginger, sesame seeds, and pepper and shake well. Toss soy sauce mixture with pasta until lightly coated. Dice chicken and add to pasta along with broccoli, carrot, green onion and cilantro. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Makes 10 servings. (per serving: 350cals, 15g fat, 16g protein, 38g carbs)

4th of July Mini Cheesecakes

In celebration of 4th of July coming up, I made these mini cheesecakes topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries (I so love summer berry season!) for a picnic under the fireworks I'm going to tomorrow.

REVIEW: Great for cheesecake freaks like me who can't control themselves when faced with an entire pie. :) These took me about an hour and a half to make start to finish. If I had more than one mini muffin tin it would've taken me less than an hour. There were a lot of recipes out there that said to use vanilla wafers as a crust, but I can be a cheesecake snob here (it's my blog, so there) and assert that nothing substitutes for graham cracker crust! The trickiest part was getting the crust onto the bottom of the liner, but I seem to remember having that problem when making a big pie too, so I guess that's the drawback to a deliciously wonderful graham cracker crust. Oh and make sure not to fill the liners too much or you can't fit the fruit on top (see pic above).

RECIPE:

2 8oz packages Neufchatel cheese, softened

2 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

fresh fruit topping

Heat oven to 325F. Line mini muffin tin with liners. Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter until it sticks together. Flatten 1/4" layer of graham cracker mixture in bottom of each muffin tin liner. Mix cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well-blended. Add eggs and blend well. Spoon in cheesecake filling on top of graham cracker layer almost to the top of the liner. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes, top with fruit and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 40 mini cheesecakes. (per serving: 95cals, 5gfat, 1g protein, 12g carbs)