Spinach Salad with Moroccan Vinaigrette

My new favorite salad! I used a bit less olive oil and it was still great. Get ready to lick your plate! Where amount is not indicated use the amount you think you would like.

Spinach, rinsed and cut for salad

Red grapes, halved

Mushrooms, sliced

Green onions, sliced

Green/greek olives

Diced mozzarella

For a meal add grilled chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)

Dressing:

1 tbsp golden raisins

¼ tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp cumin

½ cup carrot juice

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

4 sprigs fresh cilantro

1 tbsp plain yogurt

1 tsp honey

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp salt

½ cup olive oil

Place raisins in small bowl.  Toast coriander and cumin in 8-inch skillet over med heat until fragrant, 2-3 min.

Transfer spices to bowl with raisins.  Add carrot juice to skillet and simmer over med heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 min.  Pour carrot juice over raisins and let cool to room temp.

Process carrot juice mixer, vinegar, cilantro, yogurt, honey, salt, and pepper flakes in blender until smooth.  With blender running, gradually add oil.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
Hot cooked sprouted brown rice
chopped chives (optional)

Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickend. Serve with chicken and rice. Top with chopped chives if desired.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2 lb. bag brussel sprouts, ends trimmed off and quartered
4 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper

Put all ingredients in a ziploc bag and shake to mix then transfer to a roasting pan and cook at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until tender and golden.

* chicken recipe originally from http://lakelurecottagekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/crock-pot-teriyaki-chicken.html

Waldorf Salad

 

I got this recipe from the Martha Stewart website but I changed it a bit:

 

2 heads of Bibb lettuce

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 apple, diced

1/4 c. toasted almonds

1 or 2 breast of chicken grilled

2 chopped tomatoes

 

Mix these together and top with this yummy lowfat buttermilk dressing:

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup light mayonnanaise

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoon minced chives

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

 

 

 

 

Honey Crock Pot Chicken

I doubled this and served it over sprouted brown rice with a side of roasted butternut squash.

 

3/4 pound chicken (of your choice)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes)

1/8 cup ketchup

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours or on high 1 1/2 hours. Shred chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce.

 

*This recipe and picture are from Mmm...Cafe.blogspot.com

Lighter General Tso's Chicken

The store didn't have snow peas so I used shelled edamame and a chopped red pepper. I also doubled the recipe for my larger family.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Yield Serves 4

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled
• 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 large egg whites
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).
4. Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

*This was adapted from marthastewart.com

Wheat Berry and Bean Salad

This salad is sooo good and is a great leftover salad. My kids even ate it! Very healthy and tastey!

• Back On Track Wheat Berry and Bean Salad   Serving: Salad Ingredients:
  
  • 1 cup dry wheat berries, cooked and drained
  • 2 cups/500 ml cooked navy beans
  • 1 English cucumber, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, diced with large stems removed
  • 4 green onions, diced
  • Kosher salt + pepper, to taste
  
  Dressing Ingredients:
  
  • 2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to taste (I used 2 tbsp)
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp hot mustard (I used regular)
  • 1 tbsp Tamari
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  
  Directions: In a medium bowl, soak the wheat berries overnight in cold water. The next day, drain the wheat berries and place in a medium sized pot, covered in 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. Drain and cool.
  In a large bowl, mix together the diced vegetables (cucumber, red pepper, tomato, minced garlic, parsley, green onions). Add in cooked and drained navy beans (or other bean of choice) and stir.
  In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, Tamari, fresh lemon juice). Set aside.
  When the wheat berries are ready, drain and rinse and then stir into the salad. Add the dressing just before serving and stir well. Now season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.
  Yield: 7.5-8 cups.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Vegetarian Vegetable Chili

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the garlic, onion, and carrots in the pot until tender. Mix in the green bell pepper and red bell pepper. Season with chili powder. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
2. Mix the mushrooms into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes with liquid, black beans with liquid, kidney beans with liquid, pinto beans with liquid, and corn. Season with cumin, oregano, basil, and garlic powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 98 | Total Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Vegetarian Crock Pot Chili

I really enjoyed this one

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/meatiest-vegetarian-chili-from-your-slow-cooker/detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 onions, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained and cubed
• 4 (15.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained
• 2 (15 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 6 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon liquid hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco™

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they start to become soft. Add the green peppers, red peppers, garlic and tofu; cook and stir until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, the whole process should take about 10 minutes.
2. Pour the black beans into the slow cooker and set to Low. Stir in the vegetables and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, vinegar and hot pepper sauce. Stir gently and cover. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 455 | Total Fat: 18.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg

Montery Chili Chicken

This is also from Fit2Fat2Fit

4 breasts of chicken pounded thin. Season with Mrs. Dash and grill. While the chicken is grilling:
Chop 1 onion and 1 pkg mushrooms. Saute in 1 Tbs. butter for 5 minutes. Add 2 tsp minced garlic and 1 can chopped green chilis. Cook for a few more minutes. Put grilled chicken on a foil lined pan and top chili mixture and a bit of pepper jack cheese. Put in 350 degree oven until cheese melts. Voila! It's done!

Chinese Fried "Rice"

From Fit2Fat2Fit

6 scallions chopped
1 head of cauliflower finely chopped (this is the "rice")
2 tsp minced garlic

Cook these in about 1 tbs. olive oil for 4 or 5 minutes. Add a dash of ginger and 6 Tbs. soy sauce ( can use low sodium).
Add 1 lb meat of your choice ( I used shrimp)

When meat is cooked push this mixture to the side and add 3 whole eggs and the equivolent of 3 eggs in egg whites. Cook the eggs then mix it all together.
Enjoy!

Lime and Coconut Chicken

*from Chaos in the Kitchen

 

serves 4, prep 10 minutes, marinade up to 2 hours, cook 15 min, adapted from Fine Cooking, Winter 2006

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp oil
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• pinch cayenne
• 1 small fresh hot chili, such as Thai or Serrano, minced (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Fresh limes, cut into wedges

1. Trim fat from chicken breasts. Starting on thick side of the breasts slice the chicken breasts almost in half, then open each like a book.
2. Place each open breast between two pieces of plastic wrap, wax paper or inside a large, open, Ziploc bag.
3. Using a small heavy pan, bottle or smooth meat mallet lightly pound out each breast into even thickness.
4. Mix all remaining ingredients except fresh cilantro and limes.
5. Add chicken and marinade to a large bowl or ziploc bag and chill in the refrigerator for up to two hours.
6. Your chicken doesn’t take long to cook so you can use this time to get your dishes prepped and ready.
7. Once you are ready to cook the chicken, remove each breast from the marinade.
8. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Boil continuously for at least 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
9. In a heavy skillet or grill pan, heat a splash of oil over high heat.
10. Cook the chicken in batches to prevent over crowding the pan.
11. Place the breasts in the hot pan and cook without turning for a couple minutes
12. Flip the breasts over and cook until the other side is golden, it shouldn’t take long depending on the thickness of your chicken.
13. Place cooked breasts on a plate in a warm oven or under foil while cooking the remaining chicken.
14. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve with sauce on the side.