I'm hoping you don't still have turkey in your tupperware, but...

I've been trying to write down my recipes ( I swear). BUT, my laptop has decided to make itself my personal nemesis, and only decides to charge when it's in the mood (I swear!).

Today, it's in the mood. And E asked to nap at 11:30 (I feel like I'm having to swear a LOT today) and Hubs is out of town for another few hours, and I have mimosas, soooo let's talk turkey!

Are we sick of it? I'm totally over it. We didn't even have it on Thanksgiving (prime rib this year!) but we did take pity on my poor baby sister who spent her Thanksgiving sick at home alone (her story, anyway) and had her over on Sunday and made a smallish turkey breast with all the  leftovers fixings.

Even still, we've been stuck with leftovers all week. I'm going to attempt a brie, asparagus and turkey breast (with sun dried tomatoes for me) pasta with the last of it tonight. I'm hoping it turns out at well as the Chef's Salad I made the other night. Cause that? Was. Delicious.

Chef's Salad is soooo easy. And I never, ever make it. I never think of it—partially because it always seems so fattening. Though I love wedge salad, and that's totally not better. It's actually rather a dumb salad, really. At least a Chef has a wide range of delicious, albeit fattening, toppings.

ANYWAY,  I used low-fat blue cheese dressing, only a sprinkle of gorgonzola, and organic bacon bits rather than fresh bacon. Egg is protein. Avocado is healthy fat? So I figure it's totally acceptable once in awhile. Maybe this can be a post-Thanksgiving tradition? And hello, we all have leftover chicken ALL YEAR LONG. Oh, god. We're going to get so fat.

Turkey Chef Salad (serves 2 dinner portions)
One bag mixed greens/romaine
Light blue cheese dressing
Chopped or cubed cooked and cooled turkey (or chicken)
1 half avocado, cubed
Bagged bacon bits/pieces
2 hard boiled eggs, shelled and sliced
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Gorgonzola or blue cheese
Pepper to taste

Arrange salad greens on a plate. Drizzle with dressing. Line up all the other ingredients all pretty-like. Sprinkle with pepper, if desired.

And, done. Seriously. So easy. Go eat it and get Thanksgiving out of your fridge and minds for awhile.

Kale's just a leafy green, people. The insanity confuses me.

Have you joined the Kale craze yet? It's freaking everywhere. That's not to say I'm not on board...I am, mostly. The hubby likes it, it's super healthy, it's not romaine...but it's a little bitter and thick and a little rabbity. 

But basically, I'm willing to play with it. I tend to just buy the pre-cut/washed bags, cause I'm lazy (what?) but if you do, make sure and pick out the pieces with the giant stems still attached. Cause they're what we refer to as nasty. 

Anyway, here's an easy one to try if you're curious and/or already on the Kale Train. Homemade Shake and Bake chicken with a roasted tomato and garlic kale salad. Try it. Let me know if you're on board.

And if you have kale recipes YOU like, let me know. Normally we do a golden raisin, pinenut, cheese with garlic lemon dressing concoction. So I'm open for new ideas!

Walnut Panko Chicken with Tomato and Kale Salad

12 oz chicken breasts (3 4oz pieces or equivalent) 

1 cup milk

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard 

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts 

1/4 cup panko, toasted

2 tbsp Parmesan 

1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1/4 tsp fresh ground white pepper

1/4 tsp salt

A couple cups fresh kale, trimmed and cut in pieces (just buy a bag) 

Olive oil

A cup quartered cherry tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 

Balsamic vinegar 

Preheat oven to 425. 

Mix milk, vinegar and mustard in Tupperware or large bag. Add chicken, and let sit in fridge for 5 minutes-2 hours.

Mix remaining chicken ingredients (walnuts through salt) in shallow bowl. 

Place kale in a salad bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Use your hand to toss well, till everything is well coated. Set aside. (This tenderizes it a bit. Not a necessary step, but a good one) 

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Make a separate foil "bowl" about 6" square. Fold up the sides so the contents don't leak. In it, place the tomatoes and garlic. Sprinkle well with olive oil and a good dash of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Place bowl on one side of cookie sheet. 

Remove chicken from milk bath, let excess drip off, then roll in panko mixture till well coated on all sides. Place on other side of cookie sheet, then bake everything for 20 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).

Let sit 5 minutes. Add tomatoes to kale and toss. Serve with a bit of Parmesan on top. 

Just throw it in there and cross your fingers.

So you bought a whole head/bag of shredded cabbage for the cup needed for Posole and don't know what to do with the rest, huh?

I figured I better improvise or it would be yet another half used bag of vegetable, rotting in my crisper. So I threw it in a cucumber salad and hoped for the best. And it worked—it got raves from the hubby and I thought it was fantastic. We had it with steak, but it would be good with some sort of Asiany chicken or fish, too. Something fairly simple-this has a lot of flavor.

Cucumber Peanut Salad
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground chile paste like Sambal Oelek (or to taste)
Medium squirt fish sauce (or 1/4 tsp salt)
1 large cucumber
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped (I used the food processor)
Decent handful chopped cilantro, including the stems
3 green onions, just the light green/white parts, sliced
About a cup of shredded cabbage
1 green onion (the green part), thinly sliced (to top)

Combine vinegar and sugar (and salt, if you're using it) in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until all is dissolved. Turn off heat, add chile and fish sauce, and set aside to cool.

Peel cucumber and halve longways. Use a spoon to drag down the middle, removing the seeds. Slice into fairly thin slices and place in small bowl. Pour dressing over cucumber, and toss gently to coat. Put cabbage into a medium/big bowl, and top with cucumbers and sauce from the small bowl. Add peanuts, cilantro and green onion, and toss just before serving. Top with remaining green onion.

Is it still gourmet if it's easy?

When hubby asked what I was making and I told him Prosciutto Spinach Salad, his response was "ooh, gourmet."

Which got me thinking...exactly what makes a meal gourmet? Is there, like, a gourmet qualifier?

Here is how the MacMillan Dictionary defines gourmet:
Gourmet food: of a very high quality.
Gourmet cook: someone who can make very good food. 

Well. Glad we got that straightened out. Thank you, MacMillan dictionary, for that riveting and completely non-subjective definition. Sooooo. I guess the moral here is that this salad is awesome (yet super easy) and you should make it, because people will think you're gourmet and shit.

Prosciutto Spinach Salad
1 3oz pkg prosciutto
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Spray oil
Fresh pepper
Asparagus, trimmed and cut in half or thirds
Baby spinach, one package
About 1/4 cup basil, thinly sliced
Juice from half a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tap brown sugar
Parmesan cheese

On a lined cooking sheet, lay out prosciutto slices and sprinkle with tomato halves.

Coat lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle all well with fresh pepper. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Let cool and break prosciutto into pieces.

Bring some water to a boil and drop in asparagus. Let cook about 5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cool water.

In a medium bowl, combine the dressing ingredients: basil, lemon, oil and sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved. (or stick it all in a jar with a lid and shake it til dissolved, like I did.)

On large salad plates, spread out baby spinach and top with asparagus. Arrange prosciutto and tomato, and drizzle with dressing. Finish with a dusting (or more!) of parmesan. Voila.

I don't know why I didn't just make them meatballs.

Does anyone actually eat Bulgar Wheat? My phone keeps trying to change it to "vulgar" wheat, which I take as a sign that I do not, in fact, want to try it. Well, I'd try it, of course, but I'm not going to buy it. Anyway, this recipe called for it. But it also called for me to make my own plum sauce from scratch.

Heh. Cooking Light. Heh.

I had whole wheat couscous (which, really, is the same thing), and I had hoisin sauce and sweet chili sauce, so substitutions were readily made. Not the same as plum sauce, obviously, but they worked great-or you could always buy plum sauce. Or make it. That's all you.

Pork Patties with Slaw
2/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup whole wheat couscous
1 package ground pork, 80% lean
Good squirt Sriracha
4 stalks green onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp sherry
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Cooking spray

Hoisin Sauce and/or sweet chili sauce, to serve

4 stalks green onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cups shredded coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Sriracha (to taste)
pinch ground pepper (white)
handful peanuts, chopped

In saucepan or bowl, combine water and couscous, cover and let stand 5 minutes. When all liquid is absorbed, fluff with a fork. In large bowl, combine couscous, pork, sriracha, green onion, cilantro, sherry, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Divide into 10 to 12 small patties. Poke a hole in each one. (I don't know why, but the original recipe said to, and I did, and they were good, so why chance it?)

Heat pan over medium high, spray with cooking spray. Cook 5-6 patties for 5 minutes, then turn and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove and repeat with remaining patties.

Combine remaining green onion, cilantro and cabbage in a large bowl. Whisk together vinegar, oil, sriracha and pepper, and pour over cabbage mix. Toss well and top with peanuts.

Serve slaw and patties together, and top with hoisin and/or sweet chili sauce.



 

Happy Baby Daddy Day!

Everyone have a nice weekend? I hope you got to spend some QT with your daddies, baby daddies, or by blissfully ignoring the holiday altogether. My dad's in Costa Rica right now (I know, his life is hard), so I didn't get to call him, but I'm taking Lil' E to visit on Thursday, so I'm thinking I'll be forgiven.

We don't really do much for holidays around here—flowers and a card are pretty much the hubby's MO, which is fine with me. But this new mama was still pretty annoyed when he totally blew off Mother's Day altogether last month. So instead of ignoring Father's Day, I decided to buck up and make him feel guilty celebrate my man.

Whatever, I made him a dinner I knew he'd like and got him a card. It's not like I bought him a gift or anything, come on.

Indian Spiced Pork Salad
1 pork tenderloin (about a lb-or you can use boneless chops)
1 8oz container greek yogurt
About 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper (I used white)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 piece ginger (about 3/4 inch long) peeled and minced
Good shake red chile flakes (1/2 tsp?)
3 celery stalks, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
About a cup of grapes, halved (I used green)
1/2 cup mango chutney
About 1/3 cup light mayo
Juice from half a lemon
Romaine, to serve
Naan bread (I like garlic Naan-check Trader Joes or Fresh & Easy)

In large ziplock, combine yogurt, S&P, garlic, ginger and chile flakes. Seal, and mush together until well combined. Add pork, reseal, and mush around some more until it's well coated. Stick in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When marinated, heat grill (indoor or outdoor) to medium high. Remove pork from bag and throw away the rest. Cook tenderloin about 6 minutes, roll over, and cook another 6 minutes on each additional side (4 sides total), or until done. Let sit about 10 minutes, then slice. Let cool some more, then pull apart into bite sized pieces and place in large bowl. Add in remaining ingredients (through lemon), and toss gently. Stick back in the fridge for a half hour or more to chill.

Serve over romaine leaves with warm bread. I also served with pilau, which rarely works out well for me, so I guess I should give yesterday's recipe, too:

Pilau
Olive Oil
Half an onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
2 bay leaves
5 cardamon pods
About 1/4 of a cinnamon stick
2 tsp curry powder
1 heaping tsp cumin
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed well and drained
2 cups chicken broth

Heat a swirl of olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger, and saute a few minutes until onion has softened. Stir in bay leaves, cardamon, cinnamon, curry and cumin. Saute another minutes, then stir in rice. Saute one minute more, then add broth. When it comes to aboil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes, and leave covered until ready to eat. Remove pods, cinnamon, and leaves before serving.

Greek Couscous

We were sent home from a Memorial service last weekend with an excessive amount of pita bread, hummus, and other ridiculously delicious dipping sauces from a local restaurant. So what else could we do but attempt to eat it all??

I'm a huge fan of Greek salad, and I'm loving the quickness of couscous these days. Add it all together, and we made quite the healthy feast out of it.

Greek Chicken Couscous
Two boneless skinless chicken breasts
S&P
Oregano
Thyme
1 cup couscous (I've been using the whole grain kind)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
zest from one lemon
juice from half a lemon
about 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp vinegar (I used cider)
3 minced garlic cloves
S&P
1 cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise and chopped
1 package yellow or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
small handful kalamatas (10?) chopped
Crumbled feta (reduced fat works)

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. Spray a pan with cooking spray and cook over medium high heat until done, 5-10 minutes a side depending on size. Let cool and chop into bite sized pieces.

Bring chicken broth to a boil, then stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. After about 5 minutes, remove lid, stir, and transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Mix dressing in a small bowl-olive oil, lemon zest and juice, basil, thyme, vinegar, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

Combine cooled chicken and couscous, and stir in dressing. When combined, add in cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper and olives and top with cheese—1/4 cup or so.

Sam the Cooking Guy

There are a ton of things I loved about living in San Diego...my friends, the weather, the smell...it also gave me my love for Thai food, fish tacos, and cooking in general, seeing that SD was where I first had my own kitchen (and boys to impress, natch.)

There are obviously a million special memories to savor from any big city you live in for any extended period of time. One of my most favoritest things, however, was Sam the Cooking Guy. (Favoritest is totally a word today.)

This is Sam. Back then, he was just a local dude who liked to cook, and someone brilliant decided he was rad enough to put on local television. I. Love. Sam. Hubby and I both absolutely adored his show, and it was one of those quirky things we had in common back in our dating days. His food is generally pretty simple, but it's always packed with flavor, and he honestly looked like he was just having a good time cooking. In his own kitchen-dog running through the shot and all. Sometimes he even burned shit. It was awesome.

Last year I discovered that Discovery Health had picked up his show for a bit, and I was beyond stoked. It wasn't quite as fun as the original, being "real tv," but that happens. Now it looks like you can still catch him on certain local channels, but not here, so I have no idea what it's like these days. Check it out and let me know??

Anyway, I forget about Sam...and then for some reason he'll pop into my head. Last week that happened, and I immediately started craving his Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad. Hubby swears I had never made it for him before, but that can't be true...but the fact is, I need to make it more often. It's fabulous.

While I was at it, I also tried his Pasta with Artichokes. All I can say is yum.

Add a roasted head of garlic and a loaf of french bread to all of that, and it was quite the garlicy feast. Sam, you never let me down. And am just now realizing I should have asked for one of his cookbooks for Christmas.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad
(adjusted to serve 2)
1 package cherry tomatoes (I used yellow ones this time)
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
A few cups of mixed greens or romaine
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (I actually used white kampot pepper)

Cut tomatoes in half or fourths, depending on how big they are. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, a tsp or two of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic. Cook at 400 for about 25 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and starting to brown.

Arrange greens in bowl, top with tomatoes, and sprinkle on goat cheese. Top with a bit more olive oil and balsamic (less than a tbsp or so, depending on your taste) and finish with more pepper.

Oh, and if you need more of a reason to jump on the Samwagon, there's always this:

Vietnamese Pork Salad

Ok, I promised easy this week, but I actually made this last week, so no calling me a liar. The recipe was described as pork bun, but this is actually more like the other Thai/Vietnamese salads I make and less...bun-ish. I know only those of you who are familiar with Bun can make any sort of sense of that, but oh, well.

It really is pretty easy, though. Cutting the veggies is the hardest part of this-once that's done and prepped it all comes together really quickly. Oh, and the longer you marinate the pork, the better. Overnight, ideally, but an hour will work in a pinch.

Vietnamese Pork Salad
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
A little less than 1/3 cup lime juice
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz rice sticks
Romaine lettuce
Half an english cucumber, peeled and match-stick cut
About 20 baby carrots, match-stick cut
About a cup of bean sprouts
handful fresh mint, chopped
about 20 basil leaves, chopped
about a tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup dry roasted chopped peanuts
Pork:
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 4oz boneless pork chops

To marinate the pork, combine soy sauce, hoisin, honey, chili paste, garlic and chops in a large zip lock bag or covered bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bring water to a boil in small sauce pan. Add sugar, and stir till dissolved. Turn off heat and stir in lime, fish sauce, chile paste and garlic.

While that cools, cover rice sticks with boiling water and let sit 10-30 minutes or until they are soft to the bite. Drain and let cool.

Remove pork from marinade and then grill over high heat about 3 minutes a side or until cooked through. Slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

On plate, spread desired amount of romaine lettuce. Arrange noodles, veggies and herbs on top, then top with pork slices. Serve 1/4 cup or so of fish sauce mixture alongside each plate to use as dressing.


375 cals/4 servings
500 cals/3 servings

Are you still full?

So, did everyone have a fantastic turkey day? Hopefully, you're like me, and got to spend it with friends and family, gorging yourself on a completely inappropriate amount of food and sugar over the course of four days. And are now dying for something different, like Vietnamese food and chocolate popsicles. Or...you're not pregnant, and are just fine reheating comfort food for another week. Either way, cheers.

We hosted again this year, but my father-in-law was incredible and did the bulk of the cooking at his house before hauling it over. Which meant all I was responsible for was cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and I threw in a quinoa salad for something different. (Plus I based it off a recipe from a kosher recipe collection, so I figured it was a shout-out to the hubby's mom and step-dad, who we don't get to see until Hanukkah this year.)

I did a little twist on the mashed potatoes, which was using roughly peeled yukon gold potatoes (6 lbs), and once cooked til soft in salted water, I drained them, added 1 cup 1% milk, salt, pepper, and a container of chive flavored cream cheese. And they were fantastic—I didn't miss the butter at all.

But I really loved the quinoa dish. Ill definitely be making it again, and I won't be waiting for a special occasion—it has a great mix of sweet and citrus and grain with some great textures all thrown in together. It was also good the next day over some mixed greens and leftover turkey breast.

Oh, and by the way...remember the episode of Friends where Joey borrows Phoebe's maternity pants to wear for Thanksgiving? Brilliance. These waistband-less dreams are a fat kid's best friend. And I promise I won't bust them out again next year. But I'm definitely going to be wishing I did.

Cranberry Pistachio Quinoa Salad
1 3/4 c uncooked quinoa
olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 cups water
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from one lemon
1/4 tsp fresh pepper
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint

Rinse and drain quinoa. In large sauce pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium high heat, and add shalllots. Cook about 3 minutes, then stir in water, wine and salt. Bring to a boil.

Add quinoa, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool.

In small bowl, combine 1 tbsp olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. When quinoa is cool, add olive oil mixture and toss well. Gently stir in cranberries, pistachios, parsley and mint. Chill until ready to eat. Good room temperature or cold.

It's only right to labor for Labor Day.

Wasn't I just talking about dishes? It's only 10:45 in the morning, and I have already done dishes three times. Which can only mean that we're about to do some eating today. (Well, and that we didn't finish them from dinner last night-but that was only the first round.)

Luckily, Ramona was there to help.

That's where she has to be when dishes are being done. It's really convenient and helpful, as you can imagine.

But while she wasn't underfoot, I chopped and stirred and cooked and boiled. And with quite the results, I'm hoping.

Hubby asked for muffins, which means I need to stop baking...it's giving him ideas.

But add in some scrambled eggs (with red onion, tomato and jack cheese), and you've got quite a Sunday morning breakfast.

I also have a BBQ this afternoon, so I offered to bring potato salad-I'm supposed to avoid mayo-based salads that aren't 100% refrigerated (blah, blah salmonella), so I made my mayo-free version (just added a bit of dried thyme this time, which was a good call).

Plus, I love the rainbow of veggies in this one. A lot of chopping, yes, but so pretty and so good.

And with that, I'm getting out of the kitchen and into the pool.

Happy long weekend! Eat well!

Sandwich of the day: Chicken Salad

When I was a kid, I loved when we had baked chicken for dinner; it always meant I was getting a chicken salad sandwich for lunch the next day.

I looooove me some chicken salad. I have definitely been known to eat it straight out of the bowl, sans bread, especially when I was anti-sandwich for so long. (Even besides/before the whole gluten thing, I went a long time without eating them. They're weird. I can't explain this one. I was fine with them as a kid...I must have had some sort of traumatic sandwich experience that I've blocked out.)

But it is also damn good on some wheat bread. Things have changed, and it is completely out of my control. I want sandwiches. And I want them all the time. So tonight we're going back to school, so to speak, and doing it mom-style (with just a little twist).

Chicken Salad Sandwiches
(Makes several sandwiches, plus enough for leftovers)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 medium celery stalks, trimmed and diced
1 green apple, cored and diced
About 1/4 a red onion, diced
About 3-4 tbsp light mayo
Dash of garam masala or curry powder
Splash of lemon juice
Wheat bread
Whole leaf Romaine lettuce

Cook chicken at 375 for 30 minutes. Chop into bite sized pieces and let cool. Mix in celery, apple, onion and mayo. Stir in lemon and curry, if using. If it seems dry, add a bit of mayo (I don't like a lot of mayo, so you may need more).

Make a sandwich. I just used a tiny spread of mayo and a big piece of romaine, but Hubby also toasted his bread and added tomato slices.

Shredded lettuce does not a salad make.

I love Taco Salad, but restaurants almost always mess it up for me. I hate the giant fried shell thing they always insist on using as a "bowl" (Just use a bowl!!), or the meat is too greasy, the beans are too lardy, it's caked with guac and sour cream, or they forget that the base to taco salad should be lettuce. A handful of shredded, limp lettuce like you normally get is not gonna cut it, I'm sorry.

And so, as with so many other dishes I'd rather just do my damn self, I'm generally better off making it at home. I found this recipe on Cooking Light while I was trolling around for shrimp tacos (I got a little sidetracked), and used it for my base, as usual switching things up a lot..mostly out of necessity, since I wanted to use up some ground turkey, only had icky brown cilantro (yet 3 bunches of parsley...?), and was almost completely out of cumin.

This isn't exact... you're making a salad, so top with as much or as little as you want of these toppings. For two of us, we used about a 1/4 of a small onion, two small tomatoes, half an avocado, a handful each of chips (small for me, big for him), a spoonful each of yogurt, and about 1/3 cup cheese. And we had quite a bit of meat/bean mix left over. I'm planning on trying the leftover dressing on spinach tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping well...that stuff is awesome. I'm sure it would be good with the cilantro, as the original recipe calls for, but I didn't miss it at all.



Turkey & Black Bean Taco Salad
Splash of olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder
About 1/2 tsp cumin
About 1 tsp Tapatio hot sauce (optional)
About 10oz ground turkey (half a package)
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained
Bagged romaine lettuce
juice from 1/4 lime
thin red onion slices
tomato slices
avocado slices
reduced fat tortilla chips
0% greek yogurt or sour cream
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese


Dressing:
About 1/4 cup tomato slices or chunks
1 large garlic clove, quartered
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
juice from 1/2 lime
zest from one lime
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


In small food processor or blender, mix all dressing ingredients on high until smooth.

Over medium heat, saute garlic, oil, cumin and chili powder. Add meat, stir until crumbly and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add beans, hot sauce, and lime juice, then saute another minute or two or until beans are hot.

Arrange as much lettuce as you like on a plate, then top with a scoop of bean mix and drizzle with dressing. Top with any or all of the onion, tomato, avocado, chips, cheese and/or yogurt (and more Tapatio, natch).

Counting calories.

Hubby has decided he's on a diet, which I am hoping is the boost I need to get my ass in gear and take my own diet seriously. Cause I've been half-ass dieting, apparently…I've been cutting my cals and hitting the gym at least 3-4 times a week, and so far the only thing I've lost is a pair of Reebok EasyTones (oops.).

I keep hearing it's harder to lose weight the second time around, but it seems like it came off SO much easier 3 years ago. I'm sure my body has aged a bit, but come on…it's frustrating, to say the least.

I'm glad for the excuse to obsessively count calories again, honestly…I know it works. But don't be surprised when I start cursing about him losing faster than me…as a male, he somehow gets to still eat 2000 a day in order to lose 1.5 lbs/week. Me? I have the same goal, and my calorie goal is 1350. So when he informed me his tall boy of beer wouldn't hurt since he has a good 1200 LEFT for the day after lunch…well, it was a struggle to not pour it right on his head...Iiiii want a tall boy. (pouts)

At least he likes salad and other green stuff, cause that makes low-cal cooking a ton easier. Tonight I just did a greek salad and he grilled some boneless pork chops…easy, summery (well, at least springy) and delicious. And low-cal…I'll prove it. The recipe amounts given are total, but the calorie count is per person. Makes enough for 3 big restaurant-size salad servings (yay for free lunch tomorrow!), but I was nice enough to do the math for you. You're welcome.

For the dried spices, oregano would be good in here (in addition or instead of something), but I'm all out. Use what you like.


Greek Salad with Creamy Dressing (190 cals)
8oz nonfat greek yogurt (45 cals)
Spices (dried): A good pinch each of pepper, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, dill, and tarragon (like 2 cals)
Juice of half a lemon (6 cals)
1 tbsp or 2 of roughly chopped fresh mint (another 2 cals)
12oz Grape/Cherry tomatoes, quartered (35 cals)
3/4 of an english cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered (12 cals)
2 stalks of green onion, sliced (3 cals)
8 kalamata olives, sliced (30 cals)
5 cups chopped lettuce (20 cals)
3oz fat-free feta (35 cals)

Dressing: combine the spices and put about 1/2tsp in medium bowl (save the rest to use as a rub for the pork), and stir in yogurt and lemon juice.

Combine mint, tomato, cucumber, green onion and olives.

Arrange lettuce on each plate. Top with dressing, veggie mix, and then sprinkle with feta.

Grilled pork (160 for 3 oz)
Sprinkle both sides with remaining spice mix before you grill it for about 4 minutes a side or so. Yes, that's as detailed as I'm getting tonight, I'm sorry.

Our enormous meal was only 350 calories. If you need some reference for that, Panera's Greek Salad (without meat) is 440 cals. Islands'(with chicken and a piece of bread) is pushing 1000.

How is it 98 degrees still?

Might as well make the most of it and BBQ with friends, yeah?

I love this recipe for so many reasons: it reminds me of my mom, it's super summery, and it's easy. There's chopping, yes, but a rough to small chop is fine...the onion is really the only thing that needs a finer chop.

I actually boiled the eggs in with the pasta to save from cleaning two pots. You have to rinse the pasta anyway...so why not.


Mom's 'Macaroni' Salad
One package small macaroni noodles (the ones shaped like jujubees)
Two tomatoes, chopped
One can of olives, sliced or chopped
Two hard boiled eggs, cooled and chopped
Three stalks celery, chopped
Half a small red onion, finely chopped
About 3/4 cup light mayo
Salt and pepper

Boil a few quarts of water in a stock pot (enough for all the pasta), add pasta and cook according to directions-10-12 min or so. Drain well, put in large bowl and chill in the fridge.

In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, eggs, celery and onion.

When pasta is cool, mix in mayo, and then stir in tomato mix. Salt and pepper to taste, chill til ready to eat.

Eat with anything worthy of other BBQ food, summer food, or otherwise. And friends, obviously.

-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

As long as my cooler's on, I'm making summer food.

This got a "this is good" not once, but twice during the meal. Agreed. I intended on making it with steak, but decided/was persuaded to leave it in its marinade and BBQ some chicken instead. Summery, no?



The original recipe calls for pine nuts and haricot verts...but my bank account said nuh-uh. One day I'll try it and compare. Til then, this will do just fine.



Green Bean, Tomato and Basil Salad
(adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

Package green beans (about 12 oz)
Package grape tomatoes, halved
One shallot, finely chopped
Juice from half a lemon
Lemon zest (1 lemon)
1 tbsp honey
About 2+ tbsp 0% Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper
Large handful chopped or ribboned basil
About a tbsp slivered almonds, toasted or plain

Cook beans until almost cooked, rinse with cold water and drain.

In a large bowl, mix juice, yogurt, honey, salt (1/4 tsp or to taste) and a bit of pepper. Add tomatoes and beans. Toss. Sprinkle with basil, zest, and nuts. Toss gently to serve.



-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.

I can have potato salad and potstickers for dinner if I want to.

So, my grandma was from Oklahoma. (Well, one of them was; the other was from Kansas, which, really, is kind of the same thing) And like many grandmas, she passed down a couple of recipes that my mom's side of the family has kept firmly in rotation. I'm not entirely sure if it's because of tradition, love, or some sort of otherwise commitment...either way, Grandma's potato salad rocks...not to say I don't douse it up a bit; it's just that I'm introducing it to this generation (and not to be insensitive, but most of my family recipes-from both sides-are good as nostalgia, but need just a bit of updating).

Or something like that. I loved the original, I just realize now that mayo is not exactly my friend, so I cut that WAY back and added a couple small things to substitute (see optional items).



Grandma's Potato Salad (kinda)
About 6 largish red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small red onion, chopped finely
3 hard-boiled eggs*, chopped (I remove the yolk from 2 of them)
About 4 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped small
3 tbsp mayo (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of garlic powder, optional
a couple dashes Tabasco, optional
Squeeze of lemon juice, optional

Put potatoes in large pan, cover with water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cook about 10-15 minutes or until just cooked (It's not scientific, taste it!). Drain, rinse in cool water.

While that cools, do the rest of the chopping/cooking if you haven't yet.

Combine everything. Be gentle to not mess up the potatoes, but don't worry too much if you do. Perfection is overrated.

Chill. Enjoy with BBQ'd food, steak, chicken, or anything else that screams summer. Even pot stickers. Especially if you're home alone. Cause I won't judge if you eat a whole (small) package if you do. (In which case, you win. Pot-stickers should be consumed far more often).



*Boil about 10 minutes. Let sit, them cool and peel eggs. Or however you do eggs. Mine come out right about half the time. This time I cooked on medium about 20 minutes and it never boiled, but they were cooked perfectly. I consider eggs one of my Achilles heels, so if you have any tips, send 'em my way.

Fig Stuffed Pork and Spring Salad

What not to do with stuffed meat? Stick them in an indoor, 2 sided grill. My brainiac self didn't really think ahead...soft goat cheese kinda squishes right on out when it's under pressure. Duh. So. I'd go ahead and either pan-fry in some cooking spray or grill them on the BBQ.
Top both salad and chops with chopped chives. Great with mashed potatoes. Gorgeous.


Fig and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pork
3 boneless lean pork chops, each split widthwise
1 tbsp fig jelly
2oz goat cheese
Salt and pepper

Cut a slit horizontally across the cut side of the pork to make a deep pocket. Stuff each equally with some fig and goat cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Cook about 4-6 min a side or til done (I like a bit pink, hubby likes pork a little more cooked).

Spring Salad with Fig Basalmic
1 tbsp fig spread or jelly
Small splash canola oil
Large pour basalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Spring mix lettuce
About 4 large strawberries, sliced thin
2 oz goat cheese
Handful candied pecans, chopped fine

Whisk together fig spread, basalmic, oil, salt and pepper.

Divide cheese into about 8 pieces, roll each into a ball, then roll in crushed pecans.

Toss greens (as much as you want for two people) with dressing. Serve into bowls, top with strawberries and cheese balls.

Spiced chicken and wild rice

I served with a bowl of fig spread/jelly (a couple tbsp mixed with a splash of balsamic vinegar), which was great on top of the chicken and mixed with the rice. The other thing in the pic is a piece of sausage...we were getting rid of stuff in the fridge. Totally doesn't go with this meal, but tasty all the same.


Grilled Spiced Chicken
2 chicken breasts (aim for 6oz each)
3 parts cumin
1 part cinnamon
2 parts ground coriander
2 parts salt
Spray butter
(I counted about a small pinch as a part)

Turn on grill.
Mix together spices. Spray each breast with butter, sprinkle with spices, and rub in a bit. Flip and rub the other side.
Cook about 6 min a side on low.

Wild Rice:
About 1/3 of an onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Olive oil
1 cup wild rice (any kind, I like the wild/brown mixes)
A bit more than 2 cups water
Bouillon cube
or chicken broth instead

Sauté onion and garlic in a splash of olive oil. Cook a couple minutes, add rice. Stir, cook a minute or so, then add water and bouillon (or an equal amount broth). Bring to boil, cover and reduce to low. Cook 30-35 minutes until water is absorbed. Let stand a couple minutes.
Serves four.

Apricot Pork Chops with Blue Cheese Asparagus Salad

On days like this, when I'm trying desperately to remember what I made and how, my savior is delicious.com. Do you guys use it? It's so awesome. I could use it to bookmark anything, but being called, you know, delicious...I only save recipes. It saves the day constantly. Love it.

And that's my endorsement of the week. On to important things, like this gorgeous little number...

Apricot Chipotle Pork Chops
One pork loin
1 cup apple cider
About 2 tbsp salt
black peppercorns (about 8)
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
2 tbsp rum
About 2 chipotle chiles, minced (the kind in adobo sauce)

In large ziploc or bowl, combine pork, cider, salt and peppercorns. Refrigerate an hour or more.

In bowl, combine preserves, rum and chile.

Grill pork about 10 minutes a side or until cooked to 145 degrees (use a meat thermometer). Baste with preserves before you turn it the first time, and then again about 5 minutes into the second side. When it's done, cover with foil and let sit about 10 minutes. Baste again before serving, and slice. Serve with preserves.


Blue Cheese Asparagus Salad
Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

one bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into (2-inch) pieces
salt
One shallot, minced
About 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
About 2 tbsp olive oil
grated lemon rind (one lemon worth)
fresh pepper
2 oz (1/2 cup) gorgonzola cheese (or blue)
One package mixed salad greens

In medium soup pan, bring water and a couple pinches of salt to a boil. Add asparagus, cook about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water.

Whisk together a pinch of salt, shallots, vinegar, oil, lemon and a couple dashes fresh pepper in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.

Combine asparagus and greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.