Black Bean-Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

2 cans of Goya black beans, drained

1 large mango, peeled and chopped into small cubes

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 of a green pepper, chopped

1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 loosely packed cup of chopped cilantro

1/4 fresh lemon or lime juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a reusable plastic container.

DO NOT TASTE YET! (The salt needs time to soak in, and will NOT taste good right away! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!)

2. Close the container and refrigerate for at least an hour, but overnight is best!

I like to serve this with organic blue corn tortilla chips, or over grilled chicken or tilapia for dinner! Yum! 🙂

Lightened-Up Guacamole! Yum!

Okay so I found a similar recipe online, but changed a bunch of things, to taste. This was WAY better! And surprisingly, you don’t taste the peas, at all! Love it! I ate mine with organic blue corn tortilla chips, but it’s also great with sliced veggies!

Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained
2 medium avocados, mashed
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
6 oz. fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Dannon GREEK)
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

1 large jalapeno, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Place drained peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or use food processor/blender. Add all other prepared ingredients to the bowl and mix. Season to taste with additional lime juice, salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy! MAKES 7-8 SERVINGS.

This stuff is great as a spread for sandwiches, pitas and wraps – and it’s an excellent omelette topper.

Two tablespoons of it has just 29 calories and 1g fat, plus 1.25g fiber!
Serving Size: 1/3 cup
Calories: 78
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 320mg
Carbs: 10.5g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 3.5g

 

Chicken Gyro Wrap

I made a super-fantastic chicken gyro wrap today! yummm!

Chicken gyro: 1/2 large pita (cut edges and pull apart to make 2 large circles), 20-30 baby spinach leaves, 1tbsp thinly sliced onion, 1/2 medium tomato, carrots (I used a potato peeler to get thin strips), 1/2 large grilled chicken breast (thinly sliced), 1-2 tbsp feta cheese, 6 kalamata olives (halved), 3 tbsp skinny tzatziki

 

Skinny Tzatziki

• 6 oz fat free greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup cucumber (peeled, seeded, grated and drained)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• kosher salt and fresh pepper

Strain the yogurt to remove as much liquid as possible.  Set aside.

Scoop seeds out of the cucumber with a small spoon. Place cucumber in a mini food processor or grate with a cheese grater. Drain the liquid from the cucumber in a strainer and sprinkle with a little salt (this helps release the liquid). You may want to use the back of a spoon to help squeeze out any excess liquid.

Combine strained cucumber, garlic, yogurt, salt, pepper and lemon juice, and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Store in refrigerator. Good for about a week.

Best Chicken Spinach Salad EVER!

Now THAT’S a super salad!!! 🙂 Spinach, carrots, red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, grilled chicken, feta cheese & chopped almonds! yumm!

I like to look around the kitchen and keep adding stuff until it looks good! 🙂 Avoid croutons and other BAD things! Choose nuts instead!

Filipino Adobo Chicken

In the Philippines, adobo refers to the process of stewing chicken or pork in vinegar and a soy based sauce with lots of garlic. As this simmers, your kitchen will be filled with an intoxicating sweet and sour aroma that will leave you anxious to eat. I served this with quinoa fried rice the first time, and Spanish rice and beans, sauteed onions & peppers and fresh guacamole the second time. Yumm! It’s recommended marinating this overnight but if you’re pressed for time, at least one hour before cooking.

Filipino Adobo Chicken

• 8 chicken legs on the bone (skin removed)
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 small head of garlic, crushed ( I used 4 cloves! love the garlic!)
• 6 ground peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 jalapeño, chopped (optional, I only added this the 2nd time!)
• 1 large tomato, chopped (optional, I only added this the 2nd time!)
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (optional, I only added this the 2nd time!)

Marinate chicken in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, jalapeño and pepper, for at least an hour (overnight is ideal). Add chicken, 1/2 cup water, bay leaves and marinade into a deep nonstick skillet and cook on medium-low heat. Cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the cover and cook an additional 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces. Discard bay leaves and serve over rice.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Perfectly portioned individual lasagnas. These were wonderful!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked (Okay… I actually used 10)
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Miceli’s! Made right here in Ohio!)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz tomato sauce
• 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Tilapia Tacos

I don’t get why everyone is so weird about fish taco’s! They are delicious! Generally I think they have breaded crunchy fish in them, but these are wonderful with a light simple tilapia fillet cooked in olive oil with a little garlic herb seasoning.

1 large tortilla, ½ cup shredded lettuce, sautéed red onion and red peppers, tomato, ½ an avocado, and a small tilapia fillet with fresh lime or lemon squeezed over top!

I’ve been on a Middle-Eastern food kick lately!

Here is my recipe for tabouli, the way I like it! 🙂

Ingredients:
3 bunches finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 cups fine bulgur wheat or quinoa, cooked
1 large firm tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together, adjusting seasoning by adding more oil and lemon if desired.
Serve cold with romaine lettuce or pita.

Other great additions are: 1 can of chickpeas or 1/2 cup chopped cucumber, skin removed.

Homemade tabouli with organic quinoa,and grilled chicken on mini pitas

Crockpot Curry Chicken and Apples

I found the recipe here. The sauce was very flavorful! I used Olivio instead of the butter, whole wheat flour instead of the cornstarch, low-sodium chicken broth, and a whole lot more garlic!  It’s a good recipe!  I took the skin off the apples, because it didn’t soften, like the rest of the apple. Also, it made my microwave stink like garlic & onions for about a week! Watch out! I should have cooked them on the stove for a few minutes instead!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6-ounce can frozen apple juice concentrate
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1-3 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 Granny Smith apples, cored and thickly sliced
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preparation:

In small bowl, combine thawed apple juice concentrate, nutmeg, and curry powder.In small microwave-safe dish, combine butter, onions, and garlic. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until onion is softened. Place mixture in bottom of 3-4 quart slow cooker. 

Dip each chicken breast into the juice mixture to coat and place in crockpot over onions. Pour any remaining juice mixture over the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until chicken is almost cooked. Add apples and cook 40-50 minutes longer on low until apples are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Mix together broth and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir into the liquid in crockpot. Cover and cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and bubbly, 10-15 minutes. Serve with some hot cooked brown rice. Makes 6 servings

If you have a new hot crockpot, check the chicken after 4 hours on low. If the sauce doesn’t get thick enough, just add more cornstarch mixed with chicken broth or apple juice.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

I found a recipe in an ad for Splenda in my Fitness magazine! Of course, I tweaked it to be even healthier!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all purpose flour [I used whole wheat flour instead]
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup light margarine, softened [I used 1/2 cup applesauce instead]
• 1 cup SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener with Fiber, Granulated
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup 1% low-fat milk [I used Skim]
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
• [I also added 1tbsp of ground flax and 1 banana, mashed]

DIRECTIONS

1. Place oven rack in top ⅓ of oven.
2. Preheat oven to 400° F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Lightly spray liners with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
4. Beat margarine at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add SPLENDA^® Granulated Sweetener and honey, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Fold in blueberries.
5. Spoon batter evenly into paper lined muffin cups. Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

NOTE

Serving size: 1 muffin