Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Spaetzle

I know a lot of the gals on here aren't meat/pork eaters, but I wanted to post this dinner idea and figured everyone could tailor it to their liking. Rob and Bo love the pork tenderloin, but I make tofu for myself. I'm sure you could do this with chicken, butter beans or any other protein. Let me know if you try it, and what you choose to prepare it with!

Ingredients for your protein:
Pork tenderloin (I just ask the butcher for enough for a big guy)
1/2 block extra firm tofu, drained
Fresh thyme, 1 Tbs
Fresh basil, 1.5 tsp
Garlic powder, 1.5 tsp
Dried oregano, 1.5 tsp
Cumin, 1.5 tsp
Minced garlic, 1 tsp
Olive oil

Ingredients for your spaetzle:
Spaetzle
Heavy cream, 3/4 C
Butter, 2 Tbs
Fresh sage, 2 Tbs
Minced garlic, 2 cloves
Salt & pepper, to taste

*Side serving suggestions: Peas, beets, salad

Directions for your protein:
Mix together all herbs and garlic to make your rub. Lightly brush your protein with olive oil so it does not stick to the grill grates. Pat both sides of your protein with the rub and get grilling. Adhere to the 7-6-5 rule…7 minutes on high heat (keep the grill closed), flip over, 6 minutes on high heat (again, keep that grill closed! It's not going anywhere, so you don't need to check on it). Turn off the heat and keep the grill closed for another 5 minutes.

Directions for your spaetzle:
I got this recipe from the back of the Maggi brand spaetzle box and it is delicious. It tastes like an adult mac'n'cheese. Bring the water to a boil, add spaetzle, boil for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking. Drain. Add butter to the pan, melt. Mix in the garlic and sage. Cook for 2 minutes on a low-med heat. Add heavy cream and cooked spaetzle. Mix well, and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Eat right away, or put a top on the pan to keep it warm.

Coconut Curry Tofu and Stuffed Peppers

Forgive me for posting another coconut milk/curry recipe, but I'm suddenly obsessed. I made this one up and it's delicious. Thankyouverymuch.

1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs Sriracha sauce or chili paste
14 oz culinary coconut milk

1 tsp curry powder (or more if you really like it)
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into 8 squares, or boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
Handful of fresh baby spinach
1 Broccoli crown, stem removed cut into bite-size pieces
Ginger and cilantro for serving

Heat first four ingredients in a dutch oven or medium saucepan until lightly bubbling. Add tofu/chicken and coat. Add spinach and let it sit on top. Put top on dutch oven and let simmer on very low for 20 minutes, stirring and flipping tofu/chicken half-way through, and stirring in spinach. Add broccoli and simmer with top on for another 10-15 minutes.

Top with fresh ginger and cilantro when serving.

Serve with: Stuffed yellow peppers
2 large yellow peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
15 oz chickpeas
3/4 C farro
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4 C cilantro, diced
1.5 Tbs fresh ginger, diced
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Add farro to water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Drain. Put farro back in pan. Drain and rinse chickpeas, add to pan. Add oil oil, cilantro, ginger and salt. Mix together ingredients well.

Fill peppers with your farro mix. Place top-up in baking dish. Fill about 1" of your baking dish with water to help the peppers retain moisture during baking. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn heat off and let sit for 10 minutes. Chickpeas and farro at the top of the pepper will be nice and crispy.

*Double check that your farro doesn't need to soak in water for 6 hours. I found a great brand at Whole Foods, Montebello, that doesn't require soaking.

Lentil and Barley Vegetable Soup

Made this the other night and it was fantastic. Very filling, and it has lots of protein, so veg-friends rejoice!

Lentil Vegetable and Barley Soup

• 1/2 large onion or one small onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium summer squash (or zucchini), halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
• 1 C carrots, thinly sliced (I forgot to get carrots, so I subbed with corn)
• 1/2 C red lentils
• 1/2 C yellow split peas
• 1/2 C barley
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 C vegetable broth (or chicken or beef), plus ~2 C extra water
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t sugar
• 1/4 t black pepper
• fresh or dried basil to top (optional)

Dice and layer all the veggies, and top with the grains, liquids and the spices (except the basil).  The order I used was: onions and bell peppers, squash and corn, lentils, peas, and barley, diced tomatoes and broth, salt, pepper, sugar, and finally the extra water.

Set the crock pot on low for eight hours or on high for four hours.  The lentils, peas, and barley will absorb a lot of water, so you may need to add even more water. 

Top with a sprinkle of basil and some pepper and enjoy!

Simple red sauce

Made this tonight and wanted to share. It was super simple to whip up and very delicious.

1 jar Jovial whole peeled tomatoes (found at Whole Foods), diced and sauce
2 Tbs capers
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 green onions, diced
2 Tbs olive oil
Crushed red pepper, to your liking
Oregano, 2 tsp
Salt and pepper

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil till garlic is softened. Add red pepper and capers. Add tomatoes and their sauce. Add oregano, salt and pepper. Cook on med heat, covered loosely and stirring occassionally, for 15 mins.

Serve over farro, and alongside roasted Brussels sprouts (see below) and chicken/Quorn naked "chicken" cutlets

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html

http://www.jovialfoods.com/organic-tomatoes.html

Vegan vegetable "lasagna"

Gals - below is the recipe of the veggie stack I brought to Christmas Eve last night. It's super easy - you just need patience for all of the washing and slicing :)

Ingredients
3 green zucchini, very thinly sliced
3 yellow squash, very thinly sliced
1 large white onions, very thinly sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeledes, very thinly sliced
5 Roma tomatoes, very thinly sliced
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1/2" pieces
4-5 garlic cloves, thoroughly smashed
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat large baking dish with olive oil. Layer each vegetable, except the asparagus, in the order listed above. Once you've added one later of each, place the smashed garlic across everything - don't be shy about it. Use more than 4-5 cloves if needed. Then repeat with another layer of veggies. Top with asparagus.

Whisk together a dressing with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour a healthy amount on the stack. Let it sit for 5 mins to soak in.

Bake, covered, for 25 mins. Remove cover and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Tomatoes should be wrinkled and the whole thing should be smooth and easy to cut.

I imagine a dusting of Parmesan would be amazing on this.

Serving suggestions: roasted chicken (tofu or fake chicken), couscous, quinoa, lemon/dull orzo

Whole Foods Salads

We went to Whole Foods for dinner tonight.  It is one of our favorite places for several reasons:
1. We all get to pick exactly what we want.
2. The food is good.
3. It is already noisy in there, so no one seems to notice our noisy kids.

For my dinner tonight, I chose a bunch of different salads.  They were all so good and seemed pretty simple.  I snapped a few pictures of the ingredients as a reminder - I'm always looking for good simple salad recipes, and these seem easy enough.  Thought I would post them here so we can all refer back to them when the mood strikes!

Steamed Mussels With Celery Leaves

Chris and I went to Publican for a quick dinner on Saturday night (thanks to Wes and Lexi for babysitting!).  We ordered one of our favorite dishes, the mussels, and while we were eating them a fellow diner let us know the recipe was recently posted in the Wall Street Journal.  A quick Google search and here it is!

The broth is so good - I might make it as a soup someday!

Steamed Mussels With Celery Leaves

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sliced celery

1 tablespoon sliced garlic

1 tablespoon sliced shallot

1 fresh bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

2 pounds mussels

4 ounces Gueuze (available at most large wine and beer outlets) or 1/2 cup white wine

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped celery leaf, taken from celery bunch's center

What To Do

1. Melt half the butter in a wide pot set over high heat. Add celery, garlic, shallot, bay leaf, thyme and chili flakes. Sweat until sizzling and richly perfumed, 1-2 minutes.

2. Stir in mussels, coating in butter. Add beer, cover pot and wait until mussels open, 3-5 minutes. Once open, keep the pot covered for 30-45 seconds longer so the mussels' flesh sets. Remove pot from heat.

3. Stir in remaining butter until melted. Season with salt and lemon juice. Stir in celery leaves and serve immediately.

Pizza in a Cast Iron Skillet

My friend JJ recently posted his recipe for what he calls the "best" pizza.  The dough rises in the same cast iron skillet the pizza is eventually cooked in.  I can't wait to try it!

Here is exactly what he shared:

Here’s how I did it. Start with the dough. Store bought is fine, but making your own is so easy and much tastier. We use Pioneer Woman’s simple recipe, available here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/.../2010/02/my-favorite-pizza/
 
Once you’ve got the dough, grab a 12 inch cast iron skillet (smaller would work but then you’d probably want less dough). Drop some olive oil in the skillet, roll the dough around in the oil, cover with plastic wrap and let that sucker rise for about an hour.
 
In the meantime, make your sauce. Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan, get it hot over medium heat but don’t burn it! Drop in 1-2 cloves of minced garlic for like 15-20 seconds. Add a can of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Cook that up for about 10 minutes, then add herbs of your choice. I went with straight basil but oregano would be a good choice as well. The tomatoes will cook down and you can mash them up, but I opted for an immersion blender to get it really smooth. Cook it until it reduces a bit and you look at it and say, “now that looks like pizza sauce.” Bam.
 
At some point, preheat the oven to 500.
 
When it’s time to start the fun, punch the dough down and arrange it in the pan so it covers the bottom and up the sides to your desired crust level. Put the sauce on there and whatever other goodness you crave (last night was ham, fresh mozzarella, and minced garlic). Fire up your stove-top burner at medium high and put the skillet on that for 4 minutes. This gives the crust a head start. Then, throw it in the bottom rack of the oven for ten minutes. After ten minutes, drop the temp to 400 and cook for another 5-15 minutes until done. Slide it onto a cutting board, resist the urge to attack it zealously, and let it rest for like 5 minutes.

Indian-Spiced Chicken with Chickpeas and Spinach

I found this recipe in this week's issue of The Week.  It was really easy, delicious and all of the ingredients are usually in our kitchen.  I served it with some rice.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 bone-in chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), skin removed
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 2 cups (or more) low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 ounces baby spinach (about 8 lightly packed cups)
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems

Preparation

• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 325°. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt. Working in batches, cook chicken, reducing heat as needed to prevent over-browning, until golden brown on all sides, 8-10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
• Add butter and onions to drippings in pot; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
• Stir in garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chickpeas and 2 cups broth. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Add more broth if needed to cover chicken about three-fourths of the way up. Bring to a simmer. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise chicken until fork-tender, 45-55 minutes.
• Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Add spinach to pot, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand until spinach is wilted, 5-7 minutes.
• Stir yogurt into cooking liquid. Season with salt. Return chicken to pot. Warm over low heat (do not boil or yogurt may curdle).
• Transfer chicken to a large deep platter. Pour spinach and chickpea sauce over. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/01/indian-spiced-chicken-with-chickpeas-and-spinach#ixzz2Mb03Ydwg

Google's Braised Chicken and Kale

I found this recipe in this month's Bon Appetit.  It is from Google's home office cafeteria - apparently that company makes a big effort to ensure healthy eating!  I made it last night using a whole cut-up chicken - it was super easy and very tasty.  I will definitely make it again soon!

Google's Braised Chicken and Kale

Ingredients

• 4 chicken legs, drumsticks and thighs separated
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 large bunch kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch strips
• Lemon wedges

Preparation

• Sprinkle chicken with paprika; season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chicken skin side down and cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 8-10 minutes; transfer to a plate.
• Add onion and garlic to pot and cook, stirring often, until softened, 8-10 minutes. Return chicken to pot; add broth, wine, and herbs. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 30-40 minutes.
• Add kale to pot. Cover; cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs. Serve chicken and kale with lemon wedges.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/03/googles-braised-chicken-and-kale#ixzz2M3LuhaA4

White Bean Slow-Cooked Stew

I made this a few of times over the winter and early spring. It's best when there is a chill in the air, but it's so darn good that I'd eat it in the middle of summer too!

3 Tbs olive oil
30oz butter beans
30oz cannellini beans
2 Tbs dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbs thyme
Salt and pepper, garlic powder, to taste
4C vegetable broth
1/2 C basil
2 celery sticks, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into small pieces
2 small carrot sticks, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into small pieces
3/4 medium sized white onion
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1C kale, stems removed and discarded, the rest chopped (spinach works too)
Parmesan cheese

Using the stove-top-safe portion of your slow-cooker (or a sauté pan), head oil. Add onion, shallots, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add celery, carrots, dijon, cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add beans and basil, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

Transfer slow-cooker to it's base, and add vegetable broth. Cook on dual setting for 8 hours. Stir in kale and let set until kale is softened (about 10 minutes).

Serve in bowls, and garnish with parmesan cheese.

*I like to serve this with vegetarian Italian sausage (I like the Smart Sausage brand - you can find it in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle). Just slice it into 1/2" pieces, cook on the stovetop with a little olive oil, and sprinkle it on top of the white bean stew.

Asparagus Soup w/Fried Egg & Spinach & Gruyere Puff Pastries

If you go to the farmer's markets in the early weeks of June, you'll notice LOTS of asparagus. It's in-season right now, which makes this meal extra delicious! Added bonus: it's really pretty when you serve it!

Asparagus Soup w/Fried Egg - serves 6; I halved this for Rob and I, but Rob enjoyed the extra serving :)

2 Tbs olive oil

1 large leek halved lengthwise, white and green portions thinly sliced

Sale and pepper, to taste

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp paprika, plus more for sprinkling

1 1/2 lb asparagus, ends trimmed, spears cut into 1" pieces

2 Tbs vegetable stock

3 cups water

1 cup baby spinach leaves

6 poached eggs, 1 per serving

Fresh tarragon leaves, flat-leaf parsley leaves and chopped chives for garnish (or whatever fresh herbs you have)

On the stove, warm the olive oil. Add leek, salt and pepper. Cook and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. Add garlic and 1 tsp paprika, cook for 2 minutes. Add asparagus, vegetable stock and water, cook until the asparagus is tender - about 15 minutes. 

Place spinach on top of mixture, cook 1 minute. Pour mixture into blender, or keep in pot and use immulsion blender. Blend until smooth.

Fried eggs and season with salt and pepper, lightly sprinkle with paprika. Pour soup into bowls, top each with 1 fried egg. Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

Spinach & Gruyere Puff Pastry - serves 4 (or 2 if you're hungry...)

1 puff pastry sheet, thawed if frozen, cut in half

1 cup fresh spinach

4 slices gruyere - enough for each puff

1 egg, beaten

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Sesame seeds and poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Put the spinach in a bowl, stir in half the beaten egg and the nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface into a rectangle. Lightly flour the top of the pastry and cut the rectangle into 4 pieces, each about 4in wide and 8in tall. Cut 1in thick wide strips diagonally on both sides of the pastry, leaving the center intact. Try to cut an equal number of strips on both sides.

Lay pastries out on the baking sheet. Divide the spinach equally between the squares, and top it with your gruyere. Then braid by crossing the strips over the filling, alternating from side-to-side. 

Brush the tops of the pastries with remaining beaten egg (add a tbsp of water if needed), then sprinkle some seeds over each pastry. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Lemon Baked Cod

I know there are several sisters who are not fish eaters, but I wanted to post this recipe for those of us who are.  I found this on-line tonight, and I couldn't believe how incredibly easy and delicious it was!  Plus, I always have everything on the ingredient list in the kitchen, so it will become a good standby for us.

I used the frozen wild Alaskan cod fillets from Trader Joe's.  They are excellent and easy to keep on-hand.

1 lb cod fish fillet

¼ cup butter or ¼ cup margarine , melted

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¹⁄₈; teaspoon white pepper

paprika

If fish fillets are large, cut into serving pieces.

Mix butter and lemon juice.  In another bowl, mix flour, salt and white pepper. Dip fish into butter mixture; coat fish with flour mixture.  Place fish in ungreased square baking dish.  Pour remaining butter mixture over fish; sprinkle with paprika.

Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until fish flakes easily with fork, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon slices if desired.

Fried Quinoa

I was craving fried rice last night, but didn't want the guilt that would go along with eating it, so I made fried quinoa instead. Using this protein/calcium/iron/amino-acid enriched grain helped take some of the worry out of the meal, and made it that much more enjoyable :)

We served this with tofu (me) and chicken (Rob), which turned out really amazing! It had a nice kick to it, and the flavor paired perfectly with the fried quinoa. Preparation notes for both are included below.

Fried Quinoa

Ingredients

1C prepared Quinoa (cooked in 2C water)

2C broccoli

1C snap peas

1/2C corn kernels

3 celery sticks

2 sm/med sized carrot sticks

8oz water chestnuts

1 clove garlic

2Tbsp red miso paste

4Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1-2Tbsp veggie oil

Sesame seeds - however much as you like

Preparation

Cook the quinoa in a med saucepan. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare your vegetables (wash and dice). I like to put all veggies aside in one bowl - it just makes it that much easier to manage and throw into the pan once ready.

In a large saute pan heat your oil and miso paste. The goal is to liquefy the miso paste as much as you can. It will stick a bit to the pan, but once you add the veggie mix it will be absorbed.

Once ready, drop you veggie mix into the pan, sprinkle with sesame seeds, dress with soy sauce and stir thoroughly. Add a touch of water (maybe 2-4Tbsp) and cover the pan with a lid. Let the mixture saute for ~20mins, stirring every so often.

Once ready, give the mixture another good stir and serve it while it's hot!

Tofu/Chicken

Ingredients

6oz extra firm tofu - cut into ~1"x1/2" bites

1 boneless/skinless chicken breast

4Tbsp Sriracha sauce (hot chili sauce)

4Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Sesame seeds - however much you like

Preparation

Prepare tofu and chicken in their baking dishes. In a small cup or bowl, mix the Sriracha and soy sauces well. Thoroughly coat the tofu and chicken with this sauce, then sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Bake in a 350 degree oven for ~25 mins.

Serve with fried quinoa.

Green Goddess Bowl

For lunch right now, I am happily enjoying my leftovers from dinner last night. The Green Goddess Bowl is another Pinterest find that I'm eager to share with y'all! It's a flavorful, all-in-one meal, that I'm sure you'll all love.

Some of the ingredients are slightly different from what I typically have in my house (miso paste), while others are old standbys (frozen green peas and quinoa)

The below makes A LOT of food. Enough for 4 adults.

TIP: You may want to add more greens than what is listed below if you like more veggies.

INGREDIENTS

2 C Quinoa (this should be the whole box if you get the same brand I use - Ancient Harvest)

4 C Veggie Broth

1 1/2 C Extra Firm Tofu

1 C Broccoli

1 C Kale, chopped

1 C Green Peas (frozen is more than OK!)

1 Whole Citrus Fruit (I used Grapefruit)

1 Whole Avocado

Lemon juice (fresh if you can, but OK to use bottled)

4 Cloves Garlic

2 Tbsp Red Miso Paste (I found this in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods)

2 Tbsp Cooking Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

METHOD

Step One. Prepare grains.

Cook quinoa. I used 4 cups of veggie broth in place of water.

Step Two. Saute greens & tofu.

Add greens and tofu to the ingredients below - sauté on med-high until tender:
2 Tbsp Red Miso Paste
1/4 C Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Cooking Oil

2 Tbsp chopped garlic

Step Three. Fold:
Add to large bowl and fold together:
Quinoa
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Your greens sauté

Step Four. Garnish:
1 avocado, sliced

1 large grapefruit, peeled and diced
Optional Garnishes:

Fresh green herb, chopped (parsley, basil, chives or cilantro)
1/2 cup red onion, diced

Step Five. Dress:
You can really dress this however you like. I opted for simplicity and just used more lemon juice. This has a Japanese flavor to it from the miso paste, so I would suggest you keep that in mind when making your dressing.

BBQ Chicken & Hasselback Potatoes

While killing time on Pinterest recently, I stumbled upon a beautiful potato! Hasselback Potatoes are artfully prepared, and when done, make such a simple food look so fancy. Of course, they are delicious too :)

I made these the other night, and served them alongside BBQ chicken/Naked Chik Cutlet. I also whipped up a delicious dipping sauce for the potatoes, using low-fat sour cream and shredded Mexican-mix cheese.

HASSELBACK POTATOES

Ingredients
2 Medium Size Potatoes
2 - 3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.

Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and insert sliced garlic in between the slits. Scatter some slightly melted butter on top of each potato. Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake the potatoes for about 40-60 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

DIPPING SAUCE

Ingredients

4 Tbsp low-fat sour cream

2 Tbsp Mexican-mix shredded cheese (whatever you have on hand will work)

Method

Mix sour cream and cheese in a small ramekin. Place in microwave for 30-45 seconds. Mix thoroughly.

BBQ CHICKEN

Ingredients

1 Boneless chicken breast

1 Quorn Naked Chik Cutlet

1 1/2 C Stubbs Original BBQ sauce

2 Tbsp Honey

Method

Place protein in tupperware or ziplock baggie. Cover each with BBQ sauce and drizzle honey on top. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in oven for 25 minutes, turning over mid-way through the cooking time.

Paula Deen's Southern Fried Chicken (or Tofu)

This was such a scrum-diddly-umptious dinner! We made fried chicken (and tofu!), per Paula Deen's recipe (with a few minor tweaks), and served it along-side mashed potatoes with gravy, and peas. Oh yeah, we invited Kim to dinner too :)

For obvious health reasons, this is not a meal we'll have often, but when we do have it we'll definitely enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• About 1 cup hot red pepper sauce (we used Louisiana)
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• House seasoning, recipe follows
• 1 chicken breast
• 4 slices of tofu, 3/4" thick
• Oil, for frying (I used veggie oil...bad, I know, but it works the best!)

Directions

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs with the water. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange. In another bowl, combine the flour and pepper. Season the tofu/chicken with the house seasoning, let marinate in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Dip the seasoned tofu/chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour mixture.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot (I used a small saute pan, and covered it with an oil screen and it worked just fine). Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil (we did a very slight amount of oil - enough to get the tofu/chicken fried, but not so much that we felt guilty!)

Fry the tofu/chicken in the oil until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer then white meat. It should take dark meat about 13 to 14 minutes, white meat around 8 to 10 minutes.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt (this is WAY too much salt - we used less than 1/2 C salt, and removed much of the seasoning before dipping the tofu/chicken into the egg mix. Had we prepared per these directions, it wouldn't have been edible)
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• *Leftover seasoning can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 6 months

Basil, Lemon & Spinach Pasta

Rob and I made this a few weeks ago - yum! Although we were eating pasta, it felt fresh and light with the olive oil and lemon-based dressing. The use of spinach as the bed for the pasta took care of our vegetable need for the meal, and we served this with tofu for me, and steak for Rob as our proteins. Of course, we had some delicious, crusty garlic bread on the side too :)

There were plenty of leftovers, which made for a great lunch at work the next day for both of us.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound pasta (we used a fettuccine pasta)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
• Crushed red pepper for seasoning
• Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

Add the basil, capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the spaghetti mixture and toss to combine. Place 1/2 cup spinach in each bowl. Top with 1/4 of the pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.