Spaghetti and "Meat" Sauce with Spinach and Cheese Muffins

If there is one food I know my son will eat all of without a fight, it's spaghetti, and there is no easier way to get that boy to eat veggies than to puree them into a sauce to go on the spaghetti! Most tomato sauce recipes call for sugar to cut the acidity of the sauce, but I use carrots instead! It gives us a nutrient boost while sweetening the sauce! If you like a chunky sauce, you can skip the puree step, but I prefer a smooth one. You can add any veggies you want, I sometimes like to add zucchini, mushrooms and spinach or kale, if I have them on hand, but this is my base recipe. Cauliflower and broccoli even go well pureed in this sauce! We aren't eating meat anymore, so I used vegetarian soy crumbles, but you can use ground beef, turkey, or chicken if you're a meat eater! I typically like to cook 1/4 cup bulgur in the sauce after I've pureed it, before adding the crumbles, adding an additional 2 cups chicken stock. However, my commissary doesn't carry it, so, unless I've gone to the closest grocery store in town, which I typically don't just because of the inconvenience, it's not always in my sauce. It adds more fiber and has a meaty texture, we really like it. This makes 8 cups of sauce! You can cut the recipe in half, if you want, or do what I did and freeze the remainder in ziplock bags in one cup portions for easy lunches later!

The way the spinach muffins were made in the recipe I used made them just okay, they weren't anything too terribly fantastic. However, when I ate the leftovers the next day, I reheated them in the microwave and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and let it soak in for a couple of minutes while I made my salad. SO much better with the basalmic, so don't skip that step!

 

Here is how I made the sauce:

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine (I really like it with red, too, but my husband doesn't)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1, 12 oz package soy crumbles

 

In a large pot over medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, a couple of minutes. Add in the rest of the veggies and saute until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add in stock or wine and cook until exavorated. Stir in tomatoes, and seasonings, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes to an hour, stirring often (Cover it if you want to let this simmer longer. The longer you simmer, the more the flavors will blend). Transfer to a food processor and pulse a few times to break up large pieces, then let whirl around on low speed until pureed to your liking. Return the sauce back to the pan, add in the soy crumbles, and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. If you're going to add bulgur, add it with the extra water when you add the crumbles, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

This recipe makes roughly 6-8 cups

 

For the Spinach Muffins:

1, 14 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained, or 12 oz fresh spinach

4 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

balsamic vinegar

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

If using frozen spinach, squeeze dry (I let mine thaw in the fridge overnight instead of in the microwave so I don't have to wait for it to cool). If using fresh, pulse in the food processor until finely chopped.

 

Add spinach to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, except for vinegar. Use your hands, it's easier to combine! Divide the mixture between 8 muffin cups and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic and let stand for 5 minutes to let them finish setting up and absorb the vinegar (Seriously, don't skip the vinegar, it really takes these from okay to awesome!). Run a thin silicone spatula around the edges and gently lift out and sprinkle with extra Parm! Enjoy!

This recipe makes 4 servings, two muffins each!



Christmas Dinner! Creole Butter Roasted Turkey, Creamed Baby Peas and Pearl Onions, Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing, Seasoned Red Potatoes, Broccoli with Parmesan and Walnuts, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon-Horseradish Cream, and Pumpkin-Gingersnap Cheesecake!

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*

Yes, I know, Christmas was three weeks ago and I am just now posting our menu. It's a lot of food, so the time it would take to post has been a bit intimidating! :) I made quite the massive spread, because I was originally planning on having family in town, but they ended up unable to make the trip, and I like to have dishes from all types of traditional sides you see at a large holiday meal: Meat, stuffing/dressing, potatoes, green side (Broccoli stood in for green beans this year), and I always like to accomidate brussels sprouts, because I love them, and peas, which are my son's favorite! Of course, even a girl who really doesn't like sweet food has to have a dessert on a holiday! The pumpkin cheesecake was perfect, because it fit the dessert bill while still being a bit savory, so we all enjoyed it! My son ate his piece like a pizza. Silly boy!

PS, it is annoying me to no end that I can not get images up here. A food blog with no pictures is lame. I'm still trying to figre out how to fix it. If you have any ideas, please let me know!

Here is how the turkey was made:
2 turkey breasts, about 4 pounds each (You could use a whole turkey, but I wanted the leaner breasts)
3 onions
2 ribs celery
1 large green bell pepper
1/2 stick (2 oz) unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Let turkey sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (A cold turkey won't cook evenly). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, finely chop enough of the onions, celery, and bell pepper to measure 3Tbsp each, reserve the rest. In a heavy pan, saute chopped veggies in 1 Tbsp butter, stirring occasionally until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the garlic, tomato paste, cayenne pepper and the remaining butter. Let cool slightly.

Place breasts on a rack in a roasting pan (If you don't have a rack, you can layer the bottom of the pan with carrots and celery to lay the breasts on. You don't want them on the bottom of the pan or the bottom of the bird will burn). Using your fingers, gently seperate the skin from the breasts. Gently spread the butter mixture evenly on the meat, and spread any extra on the outside of the skin.

Roast, uncovered, on the lowest rack in your oven for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and roast for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours until juices run clear and meat is no longer pink.

Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before carving. I like to carve the entire breast off the bird, then slice it. This way, it is sliced against the grain, resulting in more tender meat. I also like thick chunks of meat as opposed to thin slices, which I can do much easier with the meat off the bone!

This makes about 8-10 servings!

For the peas:
10oz frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups fat free half and half (Or evaporated skim milk, but that will make the sauce beige)
20 oz frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper

In a large skillet, cook onions in butter for one minute, add flour, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a boil, simmer, and cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Add peas and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in chives and season to taste with salt and pepper, then get it in your belly!
This recipe serves 8!

How to make the wild rice stuffing:
2 large leeks, white and green parts seperated and well rinsed
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups wild and whole grain rice mix (Or combine 1 1/2 cups brown with 1/2 cup wild rice)
olive oil cooking spray
salt and pepper
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini and button)
1/2 cup dried currants
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
3/4 tsp allspice

In a large saucepan, combine leek greens, chicken broth, rice, and a little salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked, about 50 minutes. Discard leek greens and scrape the rice and wny remaining liquid into a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop the leek whites. In a large skillet sprayed with oil, cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the rice. Spray the pan again and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12 minutes. Scrape into the bowl with the riceand add the currants, parsley, lemon zest, allspice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and transfer to a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish, patting the stuffing down. top with a lid or greased foil, and bake until hot, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy!!
This recipe serves 8!

What I did to those potatoes:
12 to 14 baby red potatoes
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly grated black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Quarter potatoes and place in a lightly greased baking dish (I like to add about 1/2 tsp oil, and wipe it around with a paper towel, this evenly distributes the oil and soaks up the excess) and toss with butter and seasonings. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes until tender and browned, stirring every 14 minutes. Shovel into your face!
This recipe serves 6-8!

To get the broccoli on your table:
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

In a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook broccoli over medium-high heat until it begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is crisp-tender and garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add red pepper glakes, salt and pepper to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with lemon zest and juice and sprinkle with parmesan and walnuts. It's yummy, I promise!! :)
This recipe serves 4!

For zee brussels sprouts:
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, outer leaves discarded, stems trimmed, and sprouts halved
4 strips turkey bacon, cooked until crisp and diced
1/4 cup reduced fat cour cream
2 tsp prepared horseradish
salt and pepper to taste

Bring an inch of water to boil in a lauge saucepan fitted with a steamer basker. Add sprouts, cover, and steam until tender 6-8 minutes (I like mine still a bit firm, I went for 6).

In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream, bacon, horseradish, and salt and pepper. Toss in the brussels sprouts, spoon into a serving dish, and feed it to your friends and family!
This recipe serves 6!

To make the awesome cheesecake:
1 3/4 cups gingersnap crumbs
1 cup Splenda or Stevia
2 Tbsp apple jelly, melted
3, 8oz pkgs low fat cream cheese, room temp (Don't use fat free, they use chemicals to give it texture)
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp pumpking pie spice
1 1/2 Tbsp flour

Posiyion a rack in the canter of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, jelly, and 1/4 cup Splenda. Press mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan with your fingers. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely and increase oven to 425 degrees.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup Splenda on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Beat in the egg whites, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice, again beating until combined. Sprinkle the flour over and, you guessed it, beat until just combined.

Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and pour the filling into the shell. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 1 hour longer. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door cracked for 2 1/2 hours (You don't want it to cool too quickly). Transfer back to the rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigrate, uncovered, until completely cooled, at least 10 hours or up to 2 days (I made this two days ahead of time).

An hour before you're ready to serve, remove the side of the pan and let the cheesecake sit at room temperature. To serve, cut into wedges with a sharp knife that's been dipped in hot water and wiped after each cut (To ensure clean cuts). Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

This recipe serves 10!

Moussaka with Whole Grain Rice Pilaf

    
*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*

     So, y'all know by now that my husband and I decided to go vegetarian for the entire month of January (And probably onward, because we are really enjoying the changes in the way we have been feeling)! I will not lie, the first two weeks were rough, because we went through a week long detox period followed by a week of serious bacon and hamburger cravings, but now that all that has passed, we have been feeling phenomenal! This is the first meal that I've made where I've tried to imitate the flavor of a meat dish by substituting the beef found in a traditional moussaka with soy crumbles. My husband took one bite and got on to me for using meat, it was that convincing for him! The texture of the crumbles resembled slowly braised beef, it was tender and delicious. Honestly, I like this better with the soy crumbles than I do with meat! The man was so impressed with it that he actually asked that I make this a common dish on our dinner table! Yay!! :)
      Traditionally, moussaka is made with eggplant. My husband loathes eggplant more than he despises people eating babies, so I used zucchini instead, which has the added bonus of being one of my son's top five favorite vegetables! Yeah, I have a kid who digs veggies, I'll wait a moment while you glare at the screen with envy. ;)
      If you wanted to make this vegan, you could make the bechamel with unsweetened soy or rice milk. I wouldn't do almond or coconut, because I think their flavors are too strong, but play around and find what works for you. I have never cooked with milk alternatives, but will make sure I make an attempt at that soon, just to share what I feel works and doesn't. Don't use vanilla soy milk. I did that when making mac and cheese once. That was awful. Don't do it. You could also sub out the parmesan for nutritional yeast, and use veggie stock in the pilaf.
Here is how I made the moussaka:
1, 12 oz package soy crumbles (I used Morningstar Farms)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1, 8 oz can low sodium tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine (I used Menage A Trois California Red Wine. Pinot Noir would rock in this, as well!)
2 Tbsp coursely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (About 2 turns of the knob)
2 large zucchini or 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 1/2 cups skim milk
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (If you use the kind in the can, punch yourself in the face for me!)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup panko (whole wheat if you can find it, I couldn't, but it exists) or dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp crushed Italian herb blend (Or use 1/4 tsp basil, 1/8 tsp oregano, and 1/8 tsp parsley)

In a large pan lightly sprayed with olive oil, saute soy crumbles, onion, and garlic over medium high heat until crumbles have warmed and onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, and seasonings, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, broil zucchini or eggplant for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Remove from oven, and set to 350 degrees.
Multitasking further, while the zucchini broils, whisk together milk and corn starch in an unheated pot until starch is dissolved. Turn the burner to medium high and cook, stirring often, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
Lightly grease an 8x8 pan and layer half of the zucchini on the bottom. Top with the "meat" filling, the rest of the zucchini, and all of the bechamel. Sprinkle the panko over top, spritz with a little olive oil (to help the panko brown), and bake for 35 minutes until bubbly and delicious!
This recipe serves 4 very hungry people or 6 with a normal appetite!
This is how the pilaf came into existance:
olive oil cooking spray
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 cup brown rice
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup broken whole wheat spaghetti
(Unless you want an epic mess, break them up into a large bowl, or they will fly
EVERYWHERE! Take my word on this one!)
1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley (Why don't you see it in the picture? I forgot to add it lol!)

In a small saucepan, saute rice and onion until rice is lightly toasted. Add in bay leaf and stock, boil, then simmer until water is hald absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast spaghetti in a small pan. After rice has partially cooked, add pasta, adding a little more water if necessary, return to a boil, and simmer 15 more minutes until water is absorbed.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir in parsley.

Now that I've told you how I made the pilaf for this meal, I'll tell you how I will make it in the future! Next time, I will use 3/4 cup brown rice with 1/4 cup wild rice, just to give it a variation in texture and more color. My husband also suggested I toss a few peas in next time, just for added color and texture, as well, so I might give that a try!
This recipe makes 6, 2/3 cup servings!

Cuban Black Bean Wrap

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*
This is a recipe I used with some of the leftovers from last night's Cuban Black Beans and Rice. I had saved half of the beans for burgers I will make later in the week, but had some leftover from what was left of the portion I reserved for us to eat, and decided to make a wrap for lunch! This actually made far more filling than fit in my tortilla, so I served myself the extra in a small ramekin and just ate it with a spoon. It was delicious!! If you have rice leftover, you could add that, as well! You could make it vegan, of course, by omitting the sour cream and eggs.

What I used:
3 egg whites, beaten
salt and pepper
1/2 cup beans, drained from liquid
1/4 cup chunky salsa
a few dashes of hot sauce
1 tablespoon low fat sour cream
1 whole wheat tortilla (Mine was also low carb and low fat, only 60 cals per tortilla)
1 wedge lime
1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 cup shredded green cabbage
1 roma tomato, diced

Beat egg whites with a little salt and pepper to taste and scramble over medium-low heat until cooked but not dry. Add beans and salsa, cover, and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce and sour cream.

Meanwhile, toast tortilla over a gas burner or warm in a large skillet over medium heat. Line the middle with cabbage and tomato, squeeze a little lime juice over, and top with as much bean filling as you can. Squeeze more lime juice over and sprinkle with some hot sauce, cilantro, and more lime juice. fold up the bottom and then the sides. I needed to use a tooth pick through where the tortillas overlapped to hold it together!

Serve any extra beans in a small bowl, garnished with more cilanto and lime, if desired. If you have extra cabbage and tomato, you can make a little salad dressed with a little lime. You could garnish the beans with some of the extra cabbage and tomato, as I did, as well!

This recipe made enough for me, although there was enough extra filling that I could have made 2!

Cuban Black Beans and Brown Rice

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*

Once upon a time, I worked at a Latin restaurant, and we served Cuban black beans with rice, and served the same beans with the liquid as a soup drizzled with lime juice and sour cream. It was sooo good, I ate it every evening before my shift! With rice, this is a complete protein, and is full of protein and fiber, so really filling! You can do the same thing we did at the restaurant, scoop the beans out with a slotted spoon and serve it over rice like I did this evening, or ladel it out and serve as a soup! If you aren't vegan, I love to add a small dollop (About 1/2 a tablespoon) of low fat sour cream (Don't buy fat free, they pack that version full of chemicals and stabilizers to give it flavor and texture. I'll take a little fat), lime juice, cilantro, and diced tomato! This makes a TON of beans, roughly 8 cups! I reserved 4 cups of the beans to use later this week for black bean burgers, and divided the remaining beans into one cup servings!

Here is how I made it:
Olive oil cooking spray
1 yellow onion, diced medium
2 celery stalks, diced medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
26 oz bag black bean soup mix, seasoning packet discarded or saved for later use, soaked overnight
1 dried bay leaf
1 small bunch cilantro, stems and leaves seperated, stems tied with kitchen twine
3/4 cup brown rice
1 roma tomato
1 lime cut into wedges
sour cream

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion, celery, and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cumin and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Add black beans, 8 cups of water, bay leaf, and cilantro stems, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, tilt lid, and cook until beans are tender and liquid is slightly reduced, 1 1/2 to 2 hours (I like mine still a bit firm, so I stay with 1 1/2 hours, if you like soft beans, aim for 2). Taste for seatoning and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Remove bay leaf and cilantro stems.

Meanwhile, cook rice with 2 cups water, bring to a boil and reduce until tender, 30-45 minutes.

Serve beans over rice, or omit rice and serve as a soup! If you'd like, serve topped with tomato, cilantro leaves, sour cream, and lime wedges to squeeze over top!

Baked Tilapia, Broccoli with Cheese Sauce, Steamed Asparagus, and Rice!

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*

Husband made dinner the night before last, and even made a pretty presentation! Our son doesn't care for asparagus, so I made some steamed broccoli with cheese sauce so he would eat his freaking vegges! He loves broccoli, won't touch aspara...gus! My husband found this awesome Uncle Ben's 90 second rice blend of wild rice, red rice, and black rice, so all whole grains! I don't usually like buying them, since they're flavored and more expensive, but he wanted them! This didn't have MSG in it, which I was adament about checking for since it swells my sinuses. It was really yummy, so I'm going to go pick up the wild, red, and brown rice blend I saw the other day which was just the rice! The asparagus was frozen, we just popped it in a microwavable container, laid the top over at an angle and nuked for 5 minutes. Simple. The cheese sauce makes more than you really need, but it's delicious on other stuff, too, or folded into a warmed corn tortilla and eaten as a quesadilla. That's what I did with the extra! :)

How Man made the fish:
5 Tilapia fillets
Mrs Dash Italian Medly
flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season fish with the herb blend and sprinkle a little flour over (It gave the fish a little crunchy topping, I would have spritzed some olive oil spray over the top to brown it.). Bake for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.

For the broccoli:
2 crowns of broccoli, crowns cut off
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp worchesterchire
1/8 tsp hot sauce

In a steamer basket over boiling water, steam broccoli about 5 minutes until fork tender.

In a small saucepan, whisk together milk and starch, bring to a boil while stirring often. Once it has reached a boil, remove from heat and stir in cheese, hot sauce, and worchestershire until cheese is melted and completely mixed with the milk. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and drizzle over broccoli!

This recipe serves 4!

Pasta with Broccoli Pesto and White Beans

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit. I apologize for any inconvenience.*

We decided to go vegetarian for January, and this was our first veggie meal for the month!  It was sooo yummy! In the past, I have used vegetarian recipes as side dishes, so you could cut this in half to make side dish portions, or make the whole recipe if you like bigger sides! All three of us are on high protein diets, my husband and I for building muscle, my son to boost his brain power, so my criteria for all of this month's meals was that they must have a minimum of 20g of protein, which also means the only cook books I used for inspiration are ones that included nutrition information for all recipes (Which I really wish all cookbooks and magazines would do). I plan to input my version of all of these recipes into a recipe calculator so I can post the nutritional information for the changes I make.
 

How to make it!
 4 cups broccoli, cut into 1 inch pieces (Two large heads, floretts and stems)
6 oz short cut pasta, I used rotini
5 teaspoons veggie or chicken stock
1/8 cup freshly shredded parmesan
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp juice
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley
1 small clove garlic
1 can cannellini (Great Northern) beans, or 3/4 cup dry beans

If using dry beans, rinse, cover with water and soak overnight in the fridge. Rinse and drain, add to a pot and cover with water and cook according to the directions on the bag, drain and rinse and set aside. Or, drain and rinse canned beans.

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook broccoli until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove broccoli to a food processor, return water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid and drain pasta and return to pot.

Meanwhile, to broccoli in food processor, add stock, parmesan, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and garlic. Puree until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Return to pot with pasta, stir to coat, and add reserved water as needed to make a creamy sauce (I needed it all). Stir in beans and heat over medium until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper (Taste before salting, the cheese and pasta water will add a good bit of saltiness). Serve and sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired (And I desire!) and enjoy immensley! Serve with a salad, I dressed mine with a little lemon juice!

This recipe serves 4

Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai

*For some reason, I'm unable to upload pictures from my computer, the browse box isn't coming up. I will add the images when I can figure out what's wrong. In the meantime, all of these recipes, along with the corresponding photo, are being posted to my Beachbody coach "like" page: www.facebook.com/bondgrlfit.  I apologize for any inconvenience.*

I love Asian food, particularly Thai and Vietnamese, because their dishes tend to use my favorite ingredients, cilantro, lime, fish sauce, and Siracha! If you're vegan, you can substitute soy sauce for the fish sauce. My husband has never liked me cooking with tofu, and he really liked this! Even my son grabbed some of the seared tofu off my cutting board and ran off with it, singing it's praises! I did change up this recipe just a little bit to lower the fat and boost the protein by using less oil to cook the eggs, veggies, and tofu in, and by using four egg whites instead of two whole eggs. I meant to use wide rice noodles, but forgot to buy them, so I used whole wheat spaghetti, instead. I would have used fetucchini if I'd had it on hand, however.

Here's what I did!
14 oz firm tofu, drained and blotted dry
8oz dried wide, flat rice noodles (Or whole wheat fetucchini or spaghetti)
1/4 cup lime juice (3 normal limes or 1 1/2 of the monster limes I got last week!), plus wedges for serving
3 Tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1 Tbsp Siracha chili sauce
1 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar
vegetable oil cooking spray
4 egg whites lightly beaten
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, white and green parts seperated and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Wrap tofu in a double layer of paper towels and set in a bowl. Top with another bowl and a heavy can or two to press out liquid. Let sit 30 minutes, blot again, cut in half widthwise, then slice thinly along the short side, blot again.

If using rice noodles, soak according to package directions, or cook whole wheat pasta according to package directions.

In a small bowl, combine lime juice, fish or soy sauce, Siracha, and brown sugar. Set aside to let the flavors marry.

In a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook eggs, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan and cook until set, 1 minute, transfer to a cutting board, lightly roll up, and slice into thin strips (Or, if you fail at this like I did, just scramble the eggs!). Clean out the pan if any egg stuck, re-spray with oil, and cook tofu until golden brown on both sides and crisp, about 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to cutting board. I sliced each piece in half, as well, just to make it more fork friendly.

Add carrots, garlic, and scallion whites to skillet and cook until softenend, about 3-5 minutes. Add sauce and bring to a simmer. Add noodles and cook, tossing frequently for about a minute, then toss in eggs and tofu to combine.

Serve topped with scallion greens, cilantro, and chopped peanuts, with lime wedges on the side.

Make Your Own Wild Rice Blend!

Here's something that irks me (One of a laundry list of things I find irksome, I should say), I could not find a wild rice mix that wasn't seasoned anywhere, in any of the three stores I tried! It used to exist, I've seen it before! Every freaking box of wild rice mix was blended with white rice and herbs, seasonings, MSG (Which I'm mildly allergic to, and avoid at all costs.), food dyes, and other delicious chemicals I don't want to feed my family. Even if I didn't mind being mummified at 26, the problem still existed that I needed it for my wild rice stuffing for Christmas and wanted to season it myself, not have Uncle Ben do it for me. Where's the fun in that?

What I did find was a box of just wild rice, so I made my own mix! Wild rice really isn't that good on it's own, so you want to have it with another rice. For the one cup I need for the stuffing I'm making for Christmas, I used 3/4 cup brown rice and 1/4 cup wild! When I figured out the cost, it also came out to be cheaper than if I had bought a box of the stuff made with white rice and seasoned with MSG and a ton of salt! The finished product was awesome, by the way! I'll post that in a bit!

Tacos with Refried Beans and Salsa Rice

Sooo, I kinda really love tacos! Growing up in Texas, I crave Mexican food a lot. Most of my favorites are not the most healthy, so when I'm craving the flavors, I go for tacos! This is another great way to sneak in veggies, you can chop up and saute whatever you like, I like to add mushrooms and zucchini, because they kind of have a similar texture to the beef. It stretches out the meat, too, so you can feed more people on less meat, which we all know is the most expensive thing in the grocery cart! I didn't do that this time, because this was last minute and I didn't have them on hand, but it's really so good!

 For the tacos:
1 Box of taco shells (I don't normally buy packaged stuff, but this I do. Frying my own tortilla shells (Which, honestly, I like more), results in a load more fat, so I buy the shells.
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional, I would add more, but my house mates don't like food as hot as I do)
1 pound 97% lean beef
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne (Look! You've made taco seasoning! Now stop buying the expensive salt loaded crap! lol!)
shredded lettuce (Please, don't use iceburg, it has no nutrition. Go with green leaf or romaine for some iron and vitamins.)
chopped tomato
diced onion

Warm shells in oven according to package directions.

In a large pan, saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno until softened, 3-5 minutes. Crumble in ground beef, season with the spices, and cook until brown, draining fat if necessary (The most effective way to do this, I've found, is to line a mesh seive with paper towels, pour the beef in, fold the paper towel over the top to blot, wipe the skillet with another paper towel, and add meat back in the pan to dry off the excess). You can sauce the meat one of two ways, you can make the sauce in the pan with the meat, like I do, or you can make it in a seperate pot to drizzle over your tacos. It's up to you! Top with lettuce, tomato, and onion. If you want, top with a half tablespoon of crated cheese per taco (I add mine on top of the meat so it melts). If you're like me, top with hot sauce! :)

Taco sauce:
1 8oz jar tomato sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, if you like it with a little heat)
1 1/2 tsp oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp worcestershire

Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan, or in the pan with your cooked meat, and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

Refried beans:
3/4 cup dry pinto beans (Or you can use a can of beans. However, it's cheaper and you save sodium cooking dried beans)
1 onion, one half whole, the other chopped
2 cloves garlic, one smashed, the other minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced (Seeds out if you want it milder, leave them if you want it spicy)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt
pepper
chicken stock, at least 1/2 cup

Soak beans in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, rinse (Rinse them well, it cuts the gassiness of the beans), and add to a pot with enough water to cover by an inch, along with the whole onion half and smashed garlic clove. Boil beans, reduce heat to simmer, cover with a tilted lid, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender. Drain and rinse again.

Saute chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeno until tender, add beans, seasonings, and stock. You can either mash the beans with a potato masher for courser beans, or puree in the food processor (That's what I do, I like them smooth), adding as much stock as necessary to reach desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired. I like to top mine with cotija cheese, which is not always available, so, instead, I'll use fat free feta (This is one of few fat free dairy products I'll use, as they don't add chemicals to compensate, and you can't taste the difference), which is very similar.

Salsa rice:
I don't have a recipe for this, lol! I had about a cup of leftover rice from a stir fry my husband made the night before, so I nuked it in the microwave with a few tablespoons of salsa. Easy, yummy, score!

Thanksgiving Dinner 2012

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your holiday was fabulous! We had an excellent day! I got up and got my workout in while the guys in my house slept, watched the parade with my little man, cooked our Indian inspired lunch, watched a nail biting Texans game with my family, and then enjoyed family lazy time! I know you just want to see the awesome spread, so here it is! All of the recipes I used as inspiration served 8 to 10, so I halved them all to serve 4 or 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Tandoori Spiced Grilled Turkey

*Naan Cashew Stuffing

 *Green Beans with Caramelized Onions

*Indian Stir Fried Peas with Coconut

*Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower

*Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Salad

*Mango Cranberry Chutney

*Pumpkin Pie Cups with Bourbon Ice Cream

Looks fabulous, right? It tastes even more awesome!

 

 

How I made the turkey (I did this the day before to make my life easier):

1/2 stick of butter

2  tsp garam masala (an Indian spice blend, look for it in the spice aisle of larger grocery stores, I got mine at Target)

1 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1 turkey (Mine was about 8 pounds for the three of us with an abundance of leftovers!)

 

In a small saucepan, clarify the butter. Melt it over medium heat (Don't use salted butter, it will taste too salty), and skim off the white foram that rises to the top. Once the butter is melted and foam is skimmed (It takes about 10 minutes), the milk solids will be at the bottom of the pan. Carefully pour out the clarified butter, leaving the solids in the pan. Clean it out and return to stove. Return the butter to the cleaned out pan, and add in the garam masala, ginger, paprika, and salt. Let cool.

 

While the butter is cooling, break down the turkey as you would a chicken, remove legs and seperate thighs from drumsticks, remove wings, seperating the three pieces, and taking breasts off bone (Don't let the bones, neck, and wing tips go to waste, toss them in a stock pot, cover with water, add in some onion, celery, carrot, and pepercorns, and make a stock! Remove the bones and let cool while you srain the stock. I like to shred the additional meat off the bones and save to make a cassarole with, just to be extra economical! I like to freeze the stock in one tablespoon amounts in ice cube trays, pop the cubes out, put in bags, and repeat with remaining stock). I was unable to leave the skin attached to the breast meat, which my husband wasn't thrilled about. If you can do better at that than I did, leave it on! Slide your fingers between the skin and meat of your turkey pieces, and spread as much of the butter mixture as you can, then spread the remainder on the outside of the bird. I recommend doing this a day before, to save you time on the big day and to let the meat marinate. I had to use a 9x13 inch baking pan to store them in, covered with plastic wrap.

 

Bring the turkey out of the fridge an hour before time to cook, if you cut up and marinated it the day before. Preheat your grill to around 350 degrees (I have a charcoal grill, I filled the chimney as full as I could get it, lit it, let sit 30 minutes, then dumped them into the center of the grill. When I closed it, the thermometor read 375, close enough for me!). Make sure you scrape the grates clean and oil with a paper towel dipped or sprayed liberally with olive oil. Add the turkey parts skin side up, cover, and grill for 30 minutes (Put the wings on the outer edges of the coal heap, since they're smaller, they'll overcook while the legs and breasts cook, this way you don't have to worry about different cooking times, just put them in the cooler area and they'll be done at the same time as the rest of it, at least it worked that way for me!). Flip the pieces and grill for an additional 20 minutes, flip again and cook until done and juices run clear, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, tend with foil, and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

 

None of us really care for gravy, so I don't make it, but if you want to make a gravy while the turkey rests. Here's one that I think would work with this turkey: cook 1/4 cup of finely chopped shallot in 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat until softened. Stir in 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp garam masala and cook, stirring, an additional minute. Stir in 2 Tbsp flour and cook, still stirring, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup broth, whisking quickly to make a paste, then add another 2 1/4 cups, whisking constantly to keep it smooth. Increase heat and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes, test for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if desired, to taste.

 

For the Naan Cashew Stuffing (I also made this the day before, just put it in the oven the day of):

1 14 oz package naan bread, cut up, about 4 cups (If your store doesn't have naan, use flat bread.)

2 scallions, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

1 tsp butter

olive oil spray

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup whole cashews

1/4 cup turkey or chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp chopped mint

1/2 Tbsp lime juice

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together naan, scallions, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. In a large skillet sprayed with a little olive oil spray, add butter and cook onion over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cashews and cook, stirring, until browned, another 5 minutes or so. Add cashew mixture to bread, stir in broth, cilantro, mint, and lime juice and toss well to coat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake until browned on top, 15 minutes.

 

To make the green beans (I caramelized the onions the day before and warmed before serving):

 

1 tsp olive oil

1 large onion

salt and pepper

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

 

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened and just beginning to brown, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are deep golden brown and very soft, about 30 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook green beans until crisp-tender and bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain and toss with basil and a small spray of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, plate, and top with onions.

 

For the peas:

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

salt

vegetable oil cooking spray

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 16 oz package frozen peas, thawed

 

In a small bowl, mix together coconut, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp water.

 

In a large skillet with a lid sprayed with cooking spray, cook mustard seeds over high, covered. When the seeds' popping slows down, add the peas and cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are just tender and still bright green, about 3 minutes.

 

How I did the potatoes (I roasted the garlic and cooked and pureed the cauliflower the day before):

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp turkey or chicken broth

1/2 head cauliflower florets

2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, skin left on

1 tsp butter

evaporated skim milk

salt and pepper

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the garlic, root end down, in a small baking dish or ramekin. Drizzle oil and broth over top and wrap with foil. Pop in oven and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake 10 minutes longer, until very soft and golden. Let cool slightly, squeeze head to pop cloves out, and mash the cloves.

 

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan with a couple inches water to a boil, place a steamer basket in the pot, fill with cauliflower, and steam until tender, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove cauliflower and puree, adding cooking liquid as needed, until smooth, stir in the mashed garlic and puree again to incorporate, if desired.

 

Fill the saucepan back up with water and, before turning on the heat, add potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 or 6 minutes, depending on just how small you diced them. Drain and return potatoes to hot pot to dry some. Add in some of the pureed cauliflower and, using a potato masher (Or, a ladel, like I did before I caved and bought the masher lol!), mash potato until smooth, adding more cauliflower a little at a time. If you need more liquid after the cauliflower has been fully incorporated, add in the evaporated skim milk until you've reached your desired consistancy. Stir in butter, and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! I guarantee no one will know it is half cauliflower! I have made mashed potatoes like this for months, and my husband hasn't noticed the difference, or at least hasn't announced that he notices!

 

The brussels sprouts were made this way (I cooked the bacon and shredded the sprouts early):

1/4 pound turkey bacon

olive oil cooking spray

3/4 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded (For best texture, shred with a knife)

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

juice from 1/2 a lemon

salt and pepper

 

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crispy. Remove to paper towels and blot dry. When cool enough to handle, dice the bacon into small pieces and reserve. Add the brussels sprouts to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in rosemary and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in bacon, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. This is great both warm and at room temperature. I made this when I put the turkey on the grill and served it at room temp.

 

How the chutney came to be (I made this two days ahead):

6 oz fresh cranberries (About a cup and a half)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup Splenda

1/2 cup chopped dried mango

1/2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

 

In a large saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Refrigerate for at least a couple hours to cool and thicken and serve chilled or at room temp.

 

The pie cups were made like this (I decided to make a pie with no crust, since my husband doesn't eat pie crust and I don't like making it! lol! It also helps that I save a boatload of calories by foregoing the pastry!):

For the ice cream -
1 cup vanilla low fat ice cream
1/2 Tbsp bourbon

Set out ice cream to soften slightly and stir in bourbon. Return to freezer to set back up.

For the pie cups -
3/4c Splenda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 egg whites
1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
1 (12 oz) can evaporated skim milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and spices. In a lrge bowl, beat egg whites slightly and stir in pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Ladle mixture into 6, 8oz ramekins.

Bake for 5 minutes, lower heat to 350 degreed and bake 15-20 minutes longer, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each pie comes out clean. Let cool for 2 hours. My husband likes pumpkin pie best refrigerated and eaten cold the next day, so I bake, cool, and pop them in the fridge the day before.

Serve topped with bourbon ice cream!

 

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did!

 



Morrocan Spiced Stuffed Peppers

So, our move to California wasn't terribly cheap, and we, like every other non billionaire in America, are needing to save money. What's cheaper than a dish that is mostly rice and only needs half of a pound of meat, while fitting in proper servings of protein, vegetables, and grains? It would be a little more authentic using ground lamb, but that's expensive, so I used pork, since it was on sale. :)

The red pepper really saved this from being

unattractive! It is delicious, though!!

Here's how to travel to Morocco without a passport:

This recipe takes about an hour to prep and cook.

1/2 cup brown rice

4 bell peppers of any color you desire (I chose red for appearances!), tops removed and cored

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 pound ground pork

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1/4 cup finely chopped mint

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon black pepper (any more and it will be too peppery)

Cook rice according to package directions.

In a large saucepan, boil broth and add peppers. Cover and simmer on low 3 to 5 minutes until just starting to soften, turning if need be. Remove peppers, pouring liquid back into pot and reserving liquid. Drain upside down over paper towels.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute onion until beginning to get tender, about 2 minutes, then add pork and garlic and brown. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon, mint, spices, rice, and 3/4 cup reserved broth. Stuff peppers with mixture.

Add water or more chicken broth to pot, if necessary, to total 1 1/4 cup liquid. Stand stuffed peppers in in the broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until peppers are just tender. Garnish with additional mint, if desired and enjoy robustly!

This recipe serves 4.

Chicken Noodle Cassarole

This was originally a recipe for tuna noodle cassarole. My husband despises warm canned tuna more than just about any other food. I never really noticed it's weirdness, as I grew up happily eating super cheesy tuna cassarole, but it is a little funky, although I still enjoy a good cheesy bowl of tuna, noodles, and peas! So, to satisfy my craving and in the interest of my husband eating, I made it with chicken! I also let go of most of the cheese, in favor of my girlish figure, and went with a homemade cream of mushroom base. 

If you want tuna, make it with tuna!

Here is how to comfort your poor little grumbling tummy!

This recipe takes about 45 minutes to prep and cook.

cooking spray

3 1/4 cups curly egg noodles

1 chicken breast, cubed

salt

pepper

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and sliced, stems chopped

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 cup sherry (or chicken stock or apple juice)

2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup evaporated skim milk

2 teaspoons lemon juice (It only takes about 1/4 of a lemon.)

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

3 slices whole wheat bread, torn and ran through a food processor for coarse crumbs

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, or a mixture of any of them, crushed

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

fresh basil and/or oregano, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

In a pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package directions.

Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, and dried herbs until cooked through, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan.

Spray again with cooking spray, lower heat to medium, and add onions. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until they start to give off liquid, about two minutes. Add soy and saute, stirring, until liquid has evaporated, just a couple of minutes. Add sherry and boil, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Add broth and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Slowly pour 2 tablespoons of the hot broth into the cornstarsh, whisking continuously, and slowly pour the mixture into the pot, whisking continuously. Return to a boil if it isn't still boiling, reduce heat to medum low to low, whisk in milk, and simmer, whisking occasionally 5 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Stir in lemon juice and chicken. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Gently stir noodles amd peas into pot. Pour into prepaired cassarole

In a small bowl, toss together bread crumbs, cheese, and dried herbs. Toss with oil and sprinkle over cassarole. Bake until bubbly and top is crisp, about 30 minutes. Garnish with basil and/or oregano. Devour!

This recipe serves 6.

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Broth and Noodles

My husband was all sick and gross one day, so I ran out and got a chicken to make him some soup! That would be because I am an amazing wife, if I do say so myself!! :) Chicken noodle soup is one of only two soups my husband will eat, but he will only eat these two soups when he's sick. The other is a potato soup I make with ground beef or shredded chicken and chicken stock which is incredible as well! When I make a broth forward soup, where it is the star, I always make it myself, because then it is eight thousand times better! I also make my own noodles, so I'll just break this recipe into it's three parts!

Ya, of course I put cheese on there! What do I not put cheese on??

To start, you need to make broth;

I don't salt my stock. You can if you chose to, but I prefer to add the salt to whichever dish I'm using the broth for.

This takes at least three hours, but you can simmer as long as you wish.

1 stewing chicken plus boney parts you may have in your freezer from butchering another bird, or three pounds of scraps from butchering. (Neck, backbone, wings, any scrap with a bone.)

3 stalks of celery with leaves, cut into large chunks

2 carrots, cut

1 large onion, unpeeled and cut up

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (If you have none, use 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper.)

4 sprigs parsley

2 bay leaves

2 large garlic cloves, smashed and unpeeled

8 cups cold water

(If, whenever you're making stock, you're making another dish, throw in the scraps from the veggies you're chopping for it as well. So, go ahead and prep the veggies for your soup now, it will add more deliciousness to your broth.)

If you are using leftover pieces from butchering a bird, preheat your oven to 425 degrees and roast the bones for 20 to 30 minutes until browned.

Place chicken and bones into a large stock pot, with at least a 6 quart capacity. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for at least 2 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove the bones and vegetables. Discard the bones and give the veggies to your cat. Or throw them away, better yet, compost them. Whatever you choose!

Strain broth through a fine seive lined with two layers of cheesecloth. Skim the broth or clarify it by returning strained broth to the pot and stir in an egg beaten with 1/4 cup cold water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes and strain again. If you're chilling it for another use, you can refrigerate and scrape off the hardened fat from the top, but I find clarifying to be the easiest method for defatting broth.

This makes about 8 cups.

While the broth is doing it's thing, make the noodles:

I like to add dried herbs to my homemade pasta, and used basil for these, you can leave it out if you like or use whatever herb you like. I've also used frozen, drained spinach, which is in my pasta recipe from earlier.

These noodles take about 1 hour to prep and cook.

2 cups whole wheat flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)

2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg (Save the two whites for an omelette.)

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups flour and salt. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, water, and oil together. Pour into well in flour and mix well. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup flour onto a clean kneading surface. Turn dough out and knead until it is smooth and elastic, a good 8-10 minute arm workout! Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into four equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each out into a 12x9 inch rectangle, about 1/16 inch thick. Let stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Lightly dust dough with flour, loosly roll up into a long log, and cut 1/4 inch wide strips and shake to seperate. Cut into 2 inch lengths. To use immediately, cook for 2 minutes and drain. To dry for storage, lay out on a wire cooling rack and let dry for an hour, until completely dry. Store, refrigerated, in an wirtight container for 3 days, or freeze for longer storage.

When I make these noodles as part of a soup, before I add the stock to the veggies for my soup, I pull out enough to cook the noodles and then place a strainer over my soup pot when draining my pasta to return the stock to the pot, toss the noodles with a little extra virgin olive oil and store in an airtight container in my refrigerator, and add them to the bottom of the bowls before I add the hot soup, it warms them through very well, and that way I don't have fresh noodles sucking up all of the moisture and falling apart in my leftovers.

This makes about 5 servings if you plan to have them as a main player of your meal.

For the main event, the soup;

This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prep and cook.

1 cooked chicken, from making your stock

1 onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen green beans

2 teaspoons salt

8 cups chicken broth

pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

freshly grated parmesan cheese

Siracha sauce (optional)

Remove and discard skin and fat from chicken. Cut the meat from the chicken and shread.

In a large pot sprayed with cooking spray, saute onion, carrots and celery, seasoned with salt. Add chicken and saute so some of the meat becomes a little crispy on the edges. Add the broth, peas and green beans, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered,  for 5 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and stir in the parsley. Ladel into bowls, grate parmesan cheese over the top, and sprinkle with additional parsley. If you're wanting to open your sinuses, or just dig spicy soup, add some Siracha to taste! This soup is also really good with a teaspoon of basalmic vinegar stirred in, even with the Siracha!

This recipe makes 8 to 10 servings!

Enjoy! This is some delicious soup!!!

Roasted Shrimp Alfredo and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Here I go again with the roasted veggies!! You can't stop me!! :) I wanted a different spin on shrimp, sauteed is awesome, but I've done it alot!  So I roasted it, and it came out amazingly!!

Mmmhmm, looks good, doesn't it?

To get that amazing alfredo on your table;

This takes about 20 minutes to prep and make.

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (Leaving the tails on may be pretty, but it's annoying to eat, so leave them off, please!!)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

8 ounces whole wheat pasta, whatever cut you have around the house

1 small to medium clove garlic, minced

1 cup evaporated skim milk

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

3/4 to 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (Pre-made seasonings are usually mostly salt, so go easy with it, parmesan adds a good bit of salty flavor, as well.)

1/2 tablespoon butter

basil, cut into a chiffonade

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together shrimp, oil, salt and pepper to taste. Lay out in an even layer on a foil lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Roast until pink and firm, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta one  minute short of package directions, to al dente doneness.

In a small saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat, saute garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds and add milk. Bring to a light bubble, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken and stir in butter, cajun seasoning, and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and add parmesan. Drain the pasta well and toss with the sauce. Plate as prettily as you can and top with shrimp. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and basil. Enjoy! It's very awesome!!

This recipe serves 4.

For the Brussels sprouts:

This recipe takes about 40 minutes to prep and cook.

1 pound Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim any ends off of the sprouts and peel off any yellow outer leaves. Halve each one and toss in a large bowl with oil, salt and pepper. Spread out in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and roast for 30 to 35 minutes until browned on both sides, turning halfway through. Plate and top with cheese!! Mmmmm!!

This recipe serves 4.

Herb Crusted Flank Steak with Wild Mushroom Barley Rissoto and Balsamic Braised Red Cabbage

So, this was pretty freaking awesome, if I do say so myself!! I was very proud of this!! The crust on the steak was nice and crisp, the risotto was creamy and delicious, and the sweet tang of the cabbage offered a really nice contrast to the risotto!! Little Man is always excited about steak, but was equally as excited about the barley once he took a bite!

For the yummy yummy in your tummy steak;

This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prep and cook.

1 1.5 to 2 pound flank steak

juice from 1 lemon

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard

pepper

1/3 cup Panko

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons dried parsley

3 tablespoons dried basil

Preheat broiler.

Lay flank steak on a synthetic cutting board. Score the surface on both sides, making very shallow cuts on the diagonal, about an inch apart in an "X" pattern.

In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, mustard, and pepper. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture and place in another small bowl. To the 2 Tbsp mustard, add Panko, Parmesan, oil, parsley, and basil, mixing well. Pour the mustard over the top of the steak. Spoon the Panko mixture over the top, pressing to adhere. Lay on a foil lined baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Broil for 20 minutes. If the topping browns too quickly, lower the rack. The meat should be medium rare (160 to 170 degrees), dark pink in the middle. Be careful not to over cook, the meat will become tough, much like eating an old shoe!

This recipe serves 4-6.

For the Wild Mushroom Barley Ristotto;

This recipe takes about 55 minutes to prep and cook.

2 large shallots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms (I used Cremini, but you can use any mushroom, or combination of mushrooms you like. Oyster, button, or chanterelle would be wonderful in this, too!)

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1/2 cup barley

2 1/2 cups fat free, low sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon roasted garlic tomato paste

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt

pepper

In a medium saucepan sprayed with cooking spray over medium heat, saute shallot and garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Add parsley, thyme and barley and cook stirring, until heated, about a minute. Add 2 cups of the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until it is almost absorbed and barley is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of the stock and tomato paste. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender and creamy, about 10 minutes. If it becomes too dry, add a little more broth to moisten.

Stir in cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.

This recipe serves 4 as a side dish.

For the braised cabbage;

This recipe takes about 50 minutes to prep and cook.

4 cups sliced red cabbage

2 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Splenda

1 cup fresh pitted cherries

1/3 cup dried cherries

basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a large saucepan, combine all ingerdients. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Transfer to a baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake until the cabbage is tender, but still crisp, about 35 to 40 minutes. Garnish with torn basil leaves.

This recipe serves 4.