Mediterranean Salad With Chickpea Patties

Patties and Pita Chips from Real Simple and Dressing from Recipezaar.

Ingredients:
Patties:
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil

Pita Chips:
4 pitas
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Salad:
Mixed greens
Sliced cucumber
Sliced red onion

Directions:
In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper just until coarsely chopped and the mixture comes together when gently squeezed. Form into eight 1/2-inch-thick patties and coat with the flour, tapping off excess.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties, turning carefully, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

For dressing, pour all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Let sit in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Shake very well before using.

For pita chips, heat oven to 400 degrees. Split the pitas to make 8 rounds and brush them with oil. Sprinkle with the paprika, oregano, and salt. Slice the pitas into triangles. Arrange on 2 baking sheets and broil until crisp, about 7 minutes.

Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light.

Ingredients:
Salad
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous (about 1 [10-ounce] box)
1 cup dried cranberries (about 4 ounces)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 (15 1/2-ounce)can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

Dressing
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon thawed orange juice concentrate
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, crushed

Directions:
To prepare salad, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the couscous mixture; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool. Stir in onions, basil, and chickpeas.

To prepare dressing, combine lemon juice and the remaining ingredients in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously. Pour over couscous mixture, and toss well to combine. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 257 (13% from fat)
Fat: 3.8g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.7g)
Protein: 8.7g
Carbohydrate: 47.9g
Fiber: 4.1g

Egg Salad Sandwich

A great healthy lunch recipe from Self.com!

Ingredients:
2 large hard-boiled eggs, halved
1/2 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/4 medium onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon part-skim ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons light mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 slices whole wheat toast
1 cup fresh baby spinach

Directions:
Chop half of 1 yolk (discard 1 1/2 remaining yolks) with egg whites in a bowl. Add celery, onion, ricotta, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and paprika; mix well. Top 1 slice of bread with spinach. Spoon egg salad onto spinach and cover with remaining slice of bread.

475 calories per serving, 18.8 g fat (4.7 g saturated), 55 g carbs, 7.7 g fiber, 23.5 g protein

Aromatic Noodles With Lime Peanut Sauce

Adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe. I made this recipe on Sunday for my lunches for the week. While this was a yummy recipe, I would definitely have preferred to eat it right away, as opposed to reheating. The sauce looked GREAT when I first made it, but wasn't as liquidy when I reheated it. No pic of my own for this one, but here's the pic from FoodNetwork.com:



Ingredients:
3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 scallion, cut into pieces
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts


Directions:
Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

Steak Salad

Adapted from Self.com

Ingredients:
Leftover 1/3 flank steak from steak tacos
1/2 head romaine lettuce, choopped (about 2 cups)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup corn kernels
1/4 large cucumber, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic–Balsamic Vinaigrette, recipe below

Dressing:
1/2 head garlic, roasted
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
To make dressing: add all ingredients to food processor and 2 tbsp warm water; blend until smooth. Refrigerate up to 7 days.
Toss lettuce, celery, beans, corn, cucumber and vinaigrette in a bowl; transfer to a plate. Top salad with sliced steak and serve.