Ranch Dip for Veggies

I'm not the type of person who eats ranch dressing on salad, but I love to dip a cold, crunchy cucumber or piece of celery into it before taking a bite. I found a recipe online using sour cream and mayo, so I figured I could use Greek yogurt and olive oil mayo (one of my favorite inventions, as I, embarrassingly, LOVE mayo). I mixed one part olive oil mayo with two parts Greek yogurt, added a bunch of seasonings, and blended it up quickly with a spoon. It's super quick, and super delicious. And the best part--I don't feel guilty eating it! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil mayo

1 T dried chives

1 T dried dill

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t dried parsley

few grinds of salt

few grinds of black pepper

Turkey Stroganoff

I found this recipe for "Poor Man's Stroganoff":

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/02/poor-mans-stroganoff.html

I changed it up a bit to make it slightly healthier, as well as gluten free, although it was almost gluten free without having to do much. I changed the following things:

ground turkey instead of beef

low fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream

organic (no HFCS!) ketchup instead of tomato paste (only because I was out of tomato paste)

regular bacon instead of turkey (it's what I had on hand)

rice flour instead of flour

I doubled the garlic, as usual :-)

I served it to my kids (and myself) over egg noodles, and served it over rice pasta to my husband, who is trying a gluten free diet. It was absolutely heavenly all around. And an added bonus, the house smells like bacon and garlic. Two of my favorite things. Yum.

Savory Split-Pea Soup

And you thought pureed veggies were only for babies. This soup is scrumptious and extremely healthy, and you will want a second bowl, I promise!

I was wandering through the bulk section at Whole Foods last week, and decided to fill up a bag with French split peas. I didn't know what I would do with them, but I figured I could make something yummy and full of vitamins.

I googled split pea soup recipes, but every recipe I found would have required another trip to the store. So, I took some tips from allrecipes.com, and came up with my own recipe using ingredients from my fridge. It didn't take long at all, and we will be having leftovers tomorrow night. YUMMY! (and I'm not a huge fan of soup in general).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups split peas (soak them in a big pot of water overnight first, so this is 1 1/2 cups SOAKED peas)

2 or 3 T olive oil

1 cup of organic celery, finely chopped

1 cup of organic red and green peppers, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup frozen chopped spinach

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 container (four cups) of organic beef broth

1 T Herbes de Provence

A few grinds of black pepper

A few grinds of salt

Put the veggies (celery, onion, and peppers) into a food processor and pulse a few times (or chop by hand).

Drizzle olive oil into a large pot on the stove over medium/high heat, and then add chopped veggies and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then add Herbes de Provence and stir.

***Keep toddler entertained with a few bowls, cups, spoons, and the extra peas.***

Pour beef broth into the veggie mixture and continue to stir. Add peas and spinach, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and cook for about an hour and a half, stirring every 10 minutes or so. After an hour, turn off the heat, and let soup sit for 30 minutes with the lid on the pot.

Pour soup into a food processor, and turn it on for about 10-15 seconds. That's it. Now enjoy with some crusty French bread. Mmmmm...

Meatloaf Muffins with Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

*I need to preface this by saying that my toddler deleted a few of the photos I took earlier this evening, so the ones I am left with won't do this yummy meal justice.*

I had a freezer of ground beef to work with, along with a bag of potatoes. I decided to make meatloaf for dinner since it sounded like the perfect antidote to this frigid weather. I remember hearing someone talk about making them as "muffins", so I thought I would give it a try.

I used:

2 lbs grass fed organic ground beef

2 organic eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup organic ketchup (not the high fructose corn syrup stuff)

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

1 tspn onion powder

1 tspn garlic powder

I put everything into my large food processor and did an initial blend, then decided it would be better to transfer everything to a large ziplock bag and mix it that way. You can skip the food processor and just go for the ziplock. As long as I don't have to directly touch the meat with my fingers, I'm good. :) (I used my mini-food processor for the onion. I hate chopping veggies by hand.)

Grease a muffin tin, and add an even amount of the mixture to each spot (I can't think of the name of it, but the hole where you stick the muffin mix is what I'm referring to). :)

Place the muffin tin in a 450 degree oven, and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Then switch the oven to broil, and broil them for 3-4 minutes to get a crispy top.

That's it! They are so easy to make, and so delicious; my favorite combination! Enjoy them with...

Garlicky Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

I used:

4 large baking potatoes, each cut into about 8-10 chunks (leave about half of the skin on)

2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 T garlic powder

1 tspn salt

1 tspn ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes for about 25 minutes. Add the cheese and butter first so they melt a little, then mix everything else in, blend together with a hand mixer, and enjoy!

Let's Call These "Meat Squares" :)

I am really trying to "shop" from my pantry, fridge, and freezer this week, and came up with a quick and easy (and healthy!) meal for dinner last night. My husband and toddler enjoyed it, as did I, and there are leftovers for dinner this evening. Here is what I used:

1 lb ground beef (we split a cow with a few people and have quite the stash of grass-fed beef in our freezer)

1 package of puff pastry from TJ's

1/2 small onion

a few cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup frozen spinach

few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1 T ground cumin

few grinds of salt

few grinds of black pepper

1 cup of goat cheese, crumbled

Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter while you work. Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic to the same pan and saute for about two minutes, then return the beef to the pan. Add spinach, cumin, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper, and stir while cooking on medium heat.

Lay out the two pastry sheets, and spoon beef mixture onto one of them. Top with crumbled goat cheese, and place second pastry sheet on top. Pinch edges together to make a large pocket. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Check on it occasionally to make sure it hasn't burned, and slice into it to make sure the dough is cooked through.

Cut into four squares and enjoy!

Scrumptious Chicken Salad

Unfortunately, I have had to go dairy-free due to nursing issues with my new baby. So, I am trying to make the experience as yummy as possible!

This chicken salad is pretty easy to throw together, takes advantage of leftovers, and tastes great on bread (of which I can only eat a very limited variety right now), or on it's own. In my opinion, the dill makes the chicken salad! This recipe yields about 3-4 servings.

Ingredients:

1.5-2 cups of shredded leftover rotisserie chicken

2/3 cup chopped celery

2/3 cup chopped carrots

2/3 cup quartered red grapes

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

mayonnaise to taste (I use about 2/3 cup and add more if necessary)

1 t onion salt

1/2 t garlic powder

2 t dried dill

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, blend mayo and seasonings. Add walnuts, grapes and veggies, and mix well. Add chicken last, and gently mix until evenly distributed.

Serve chilled on bread or with crackers.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

WOW. I found this recipe in the following blog, and did not change a thing:

http://shaversfamily.blogspot.com/2010/04/recipe-chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic.html

My dad happened to call and ask if he could stop by and visit with Audrey this evening, and I told him it was perfect timing because I was trying a new recipe and had plenty to share. He and Dan both really enjoyed the chicken, baguette, and sauce (as did I). I chose a fresh whole wheat baguette from Whole Foods, baked it in the 450 oven for about 7 minutes, and it complemented the dish perfectly. I can honestly say that I will have some major cravings in the near future for this delicious, moist (I hate that word, but for some reason typing it isn't that bad, ha ha), chicken, along with the crusty bread dipped in the sauce. The sauce is beyond amazing. It was heavenly.

I served it with a simple salad of mixed greens, strawberries, cucumbers, and toasted almonds (dressing=equal parts white balsamic vinegar and olive oil, mixed with a tablespoon of sugar).

**TIP**

Just like Amanda advises in her blog, prep the garlic ahead of time. Actually, read the entire recipe several times ahead of time (I did it a few hours prior while Audrey was napping), and set everything out. The recipe is not difficult to follow, but there are quite a few steps, and you don't want to get stuck having to brine the chicken (at least 30 minutes, but I did it for an hour), or spend 20 minutes ripping apart the garlic, when you are ready to get going and eat in a timely manner.

I followed the recipe exactly, and took pictures along the way. Enjoy! :)

"Homemade" Veggie Calzones

Once in a while dinnertime is upon us, and I feel like my family hasn't met their veggie goal for the day. I usually throw together a salad to go with whatever we are eating, and load it up with peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and other veggies.

Tonight I decided to do something a little more fun. I had two balls of Trader Joe's pizza dough in my fridge, and thought veggie calzones were the way to go. I rummaged through the fridge/freezer and came up with a few things to toss in (I always have tomatoes and garlic on hand, and my cheese drawer is pretty consistently stocked).

I ended up making two calzones, one with peppers and mushrooms, and one with spinach, peppers, and crushed red pepper.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup flour (to flour your work surface)

Two balls of Trader Joe's pizza dough (fresh, delicious, and only $0.99 each!)

1 cup chopped sweet peppers (I used red, yellow, and orange)

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup organic frozen chopped spinach

2 cups organic shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan

2 cans stewed tomatoes

8 fresh garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

1 t crushed red pepper

I started by putting the garlic cloves and cans of stewed tomatoes in the food processor. I blended them for about 20 seconds. This sauce was used for the inside of the calzones, as well as a dipping sauce for the table.


The directions on the pizza dough say to let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before using.

After 20 minutes, flour your work surface, and roll out the first ball of dough. Use a spoon to spread the tomato sauce on the dough, then top with 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Add the mushrooms and half the peppers, then fold the "pizza" in half, and pinch around the edges to form a calzone.

Do the same thing to the second one, but add the crushed red pepper to the sauce, top with cheese and the remaining veggies, and fold over and pinch into a calzone.

Brush the top of each calzone with olive oil, and top with the shredded parmesan. Place them both on an olive oil greased baking sheet and stick in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Check to make sure the dough is cooked all the way through. Serve with a side of tomato sauce and enjoy!

Spinach Loaded Lasagna

I decided to make a lasagna last night, but wanted to make it as healthy as possible. My family really enjoyed it. Dan said it had a little too much spinach in it, so next time I might cut out about 1/3 of it. However, my 10 month old, Audrey, wolfed it down, and I knew she was getting her veggies, so that made me feel good. Hopefully she'll continue to enjoy her spinach as she gets older and learns to talk back. :)

Ingredients:

9 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 lb ground turkey or lean ground beef (I used beef, which is a rare occurence for us)
1 16 oz container part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 16 oz bag frozen spinach
1 and a half jars of marinara sauce
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 head of garlic, chopped (I chopped it up in a mini food processor)
2/3 of a small yellow onion
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the ground beef, drain the grease, and set the beef aside in a bowl. Using the same skillet (just to make less mess), saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. Add the ground beef back in with the onion and garlic, and pour one jar of marinara sauce in with it. Simmer on low while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, and spinach. Mix until well blended. Set aside.

Grease a 9x13 inch glass dish (I use spray canola oil). Pour about 1/3 of the marinara/ground beef mixture on the bottom of the glass dish, and spread it out in a thin layer.

Place three lasagna noodles on top of the marinara mixture (not overlapping). Scoop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, and spread it into a thin layer. Top with 1/3 of the ground beef mixture, and spread thin. Top with three more noodles, the rest of the ricotta, and another layer of marinara/beef.

Add the three final noodles on top, pour the 1/2 jar of marinara sauce over the noodles and spread it to completely cover the dish, and sprinkle the mozzarella on top.

Loosely cover the dish with foil (don't set it too close to the cheese or it will stick).

Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for another 10 minutes. When you pull it out of the oven at the end of 50 minutes, let it sit and cool for about 15 minutes.


Enjoy with a salad and some garlic bread. :)

A Long Weekend of Turkey

Roasted Turkey and Turkey Chili

This year, we spent Thanksgiving with Dan's parents in Richmond. We had a wonderful traditional turkey dinner, complete with mashed potatoes, green beans, and stuffing. This was the first time in four years that we did not host Thanksgiving at our house. Therefore, I decided to roast a turkey today so we can have "leftovers." :-)

When I roast a turkey, I do two things to ensure that it comes out juicy and delicious. First, I brine the turkey. Clean the turkey, remove the insides (make sure you get them all!), and place the turkey in a big, black crab pot. Fill a large liquid measuring cup (4 cups) with about 1/2 cup of sugar and 3/4 cup of salt. Then fill it to the top with water. Mix the water, sugar and salt, and pour it over the turkey. Then continue to fill up the crab pot until the water is almost to the top. Place the lid on the pot and stick it in the fridge overnight to marinate.

Next, I plop the turkey (breast side up) into a roasting pan. I then use a knife to get under the skin just above the turkey breast. I use my fingers to slide pieces of butter and fresh garlic under the skin. I also stick a few cloves of garlic inside the bird.



Then, I pour a little olive oil over the entire bird (about 3/4 cup), and sprinkle seasonings on top . I used herbs de provence, garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Some people tie the legs back, but I usually skip this step as it is a pain and I don't really notice a difference.

Roasting the turkey (these directions are for a 22 lb bird)...


Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes. Then, lightly cover the bird with foil, lower the oven temperature to 390 degrees and continue to roast for a few more hours. You need to check the temperature of the thickest part of the bird to be sure that it is done. It should be about 165 degrees. You can also check to make sure that the juices run clear. I cooked my 22 lb turkey for 20 minutes at 500 degrees, then for another 3.5-4 hours at 390 degrees. About two hours into the last step, take it out of the oven, and baste the turkey using juices from the pan.

I will be serving the turkey this evening with cornbread stuffing (made using leftovers from a loaf of cornbread I made yesterday, sauteed with butter and peppers), mashed potatoes (skin on), green beans, cranberry sauce (what can I say, I love the canned stuff!), and rolls. This meal may not deserve to be in my "healthy" cooking blog, but it sure will taste good! And turkey is good for you. It's loaded with protein, and olive oil and garlic are good for your heart. :-)

Turkey Chili (Crockpot)

As if we didn't have enough turkey this weekend, I decided to make some turkey chili on Friday. It's extremely simple and pretty much impossible to mess up. I sometimes use canned black beans, but prefer to use dried black beans because they add a nice texture to the chili. Here's what you need:

One lb ground turkey
One bag of dried black beans (you need to boil them for five minutes, and then let them sit in the hot water for an hour before adding them to the crockpot)
One small yellow onion, diced
One head of garlic, minced
One can of corn (you can also use frozen)
One can of kidney beans
One can of stewed tomatoes
One can of diced tomatoes and green chiles



Soak the black beans one hour before you start the chili (or skip this step if you are using canned beans instead).

Brown one pound of ground turkey, and drain the grease. Return the turkey to the pan, add a bunch of spices (about a T of each of ground cumin and chili powder, a t of garlic powder, a t of crushed red pepper (omit if you don't want it too spicy), a t of salt, a t of pepper, and a splash of Tabasco sauce.) Pour 3/4 cup of water over the meat/seasoning mixture, and cook on low heat while stirring occasionally. Add the onions and garlic to the pan, and continue to simmer.

While the meat is cooking, add all of the veggies to the crockpot. Last, add the meat mixture to the crockpot, give it a good stir, and cover the pot. Cook the chili on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 8-10 hours.


I serve it with shredded cheddar, a dallop of sour cream or plain yogurt, and a side of cornbread.

Simple Monday Meal: Chicken, Rice and Broccoli

Using the chicken breasts (skin on, bone in) from my freezer (with spices, olive oil, and vinegar), frozen broccoli, and basmati rice, I made a simple, healthy meal without running to the store.



First, I mixed two parts olive oil (about 1/4 cup), with two parts water, and one part white balsamic vinegar in a large ziploc bag. Then I added a bunch of spices without measuring, but about a tspn of each (garlic salt, onion powder, fresh ground lemon pepper, tarragon, and fresh ground black pepper). I added the chicken breasts to the bag, sealed it, and shook the bag up to coat the chicken. I placed the bag in the fridge for about an hour prior to cooking (you can let it sit for a few hours or even all day if you want to).

While the chicken is marinating in the fridge, cook the rice. I usually cook rice ahead of time by as much as an hour, and let it sit on the stove. It actually tastes better to me when it's "old", and it will stay hot if you keep the lid on the pot. Since I used basmati rice, I added four cups of water and two cups of rice to the pot. I added a splash of olive oil and a dash of salt. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, place the lid on top and turn it down to medium heat. Check it after about 20 minutes, and when it looks done, fluff it with a spoon, turn the heat off and let it sit on the stove with the lid in place.

*We usually stick to brown rice, but occasionally eat basmatti rice. My sister got me hooked on this basmati rice. It is insanely good!*

Preheat the oven to BROIL, and place the chicken in a foil lined (or greased) 9x13 inch pan inside the oven. Broil the chicken for approximately 10 minutes.

Then, turn the oven down to 375 degrees on BAKE, and continue to bake the chicken for about 40 minutes. Check that it is done by cutting into a thick area of the breast. The meat should no longer be pink and the juice should run clear.

Preparing the broccoli is simple. I used frozen broccoli (which is as healthy as fresh), and I did it the lazy way...in the microwave! I usually steam veggies on the stove, which is also easy, but I decided to do it the slightly quicker way tonight. Place some frozen broccoli in a glass pyrex dish, add water (about 1/2 inch deep), place the lid on the dish slightly crooked, leaving a small crack on one of the sides to vent, and microwave for two minutes. Take it out, stir it up, and microwave for two more minutes. It will come out perfectly steamed and ready to serve.

I sliced up a fresh pineapple we had in the fridge for another side dish (I love adding fresh fruit for a side at dinner; it's sweet and healthy!) Pairing pineapple with chicken and rice makes me feel like we're in Hawaii. Well, sort of. They just complement each other well. :)

This is a simple dinner but it sure is delicious. Enjoy!

Sausage and Veggie Spaghetti Sauce

The fall weather took over this past week, which put me in the mood to use my crock pot. There is nothing better than a warm home filled with the aroma of something simmering or stewing in a slow cooker on a cool day.

I decided to come up with a new spaghetti sauce that all three of us (me, my husband, and my 9 month old) could enjoy. This meant omitting one of my favorite ingredients, crushed red pepper. I'm not sure my daughter is ready for such spicy food, although she has quite a broad palate for a baby (she loves my chili!) :-)


I picked up some ingredients at Trader Joe's (one of my favorite grocery stores), and got to work! Here is what I used:

Trader Joe's sweet pork sausage (large hot dog-sized links, and I squeezed the sausage out of the casings)
2/3 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh garlic
One organic red pepper
One organic yellow pepper
8 organic white mushrooms
One can of stewed tomatoes (already had in the pantry, not from TJ's)
1/8 cup olive oil
One can of organic tomato sauce (not from TJ's)
One can of organic diced tomatoes
One TBSP brown sugar
1/2 tspn oregano
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

First, squeeze the pork sausage out of the casings into a hot skillet. Cook the meat, drain the grease, then set the meat aside.

Chop up the red and yellow peppers and mushrooms and set aside.

Use a food processor to finely chop the garlic and basil together (if you don't have a food processor, just chop them up as finely as you can with a knife). Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil, turn it on medium heat, and add the garlic/basil mixture to the olive oil.


About one minute later, add the chopped up peppers and mushrooms.


While the veggies are cooking, be sure to use a spatula to mix and turn them so they don't burn.

Add all of the tomatoes to the food processor and mix for about 10 seconds. Pour the mixture into the same skillet. Add one TBSP of brown sugar and stir it all together. Add the sausage.

Now, everything is in one skillet simmering together. You should continue to turn and mix as it cooks. Add salt and pepper and taste as you go. You can also add some oregano to taste.

After about five more minutes, transfer it all into your slow cooker. Turn it on the low setting and cover. Simmer for 6-8 hours.

I served it over whole wheat angel hair, and added a side salad of mixed greens, cucumbers, strawberries, toasted almonds, and a white balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing. Delicious! (I would have definitely preferred more of a kick, but like I mentioned earlier, I wanted my daughter to be able to eat it. For a spicier version, add 1 TBSP of crushed red pepper to the sauce while it is simmering on the stove. I also would have added a chopped up yellow onion, but I forgot to buy one and wasn't running to the store for just one item!)