Saucy Pepper Steak

Recipe courtesy of Kraftfoods.com!

Ingredients:
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small onion, cut into strips
1 lb. well-trimmed boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. lite soy sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups hot cooked brown rice

Directions:
HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onions; cook and stir 6 to 8 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Transfer to large bowl; keep warm.
ADD meat, garlic and black pepper to same skillet; cook and stir 3 min. Add soy sauce; cook 1 min. or until meat is cooked through. Add barbecue sauce; cook until heated through.
SPOON meat mixture into bowl with vegetables; toss gently. Serve over rice.

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

Southern-Style Chicken Stew

New pic! Added June 09

Recipe Summary:
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 35 Minutes
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 cup water
1 (24-oz) jar marinara sauce
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 (10-oz) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 (10-oz) package frozen lima beans, thawed

Directions:
1. Grease the bottom of a Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions, bell pepper, and celery and saute until they start to stick, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the water and heat to boiling, stirring. Cover and simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the pasta sauce to the pan, rinse out the jar with the remaining 1/2 cup water, and add to the pan. Add the chicken and stir to mix. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, cover, and simmer over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and add the corn and lima beans to the pan. Stir the stew and let simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat to allow the flavors to blend.

4. Pull the chicken into shreds with a fork or your fingers. Stir the meat into the stew and heat through.

Each serving:
608 calories
36g protein
44g carbohydrate
33g total fat
0mg cholesterol
816mg sodium

Falafel Pitas with Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing

Here's a recipe from Cooking Light. I've been wanting to try my hand at making falafel since we got back from Israel last summer. They were actually really easy to make, though these were more like falafel patties versus balls. Next time I might try a more traditional recipe, tho the Cucumber Yogurt was delish!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread, torn into pieces
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, split
1 cup arugula

Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/2 cup diced seedless cucumber
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice


Directions:
Combine all ingredients for the Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until well blended (mixture will be wet).

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chickpea mixture per patty into pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Line each pita half with 1/4 cup arugula, add 1 patty to each pita half, and spoon 2 tablespoons Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing into each pita half.

Chicken Parmesan

Another Ellie Krieger recipe. Made this with some whole wheat spaghetti. It was delish!!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg whites
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
Olive oil cooking spray
1/2 jar good-quality marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoons shredded Parmesan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, toss the bread crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess.

Place breaded breasts in a glass baking dish and spray on each side with cooking spray, about 5 seconds total per side. Bake breasts until cooked though and crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

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.

Steak Tacos

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lime juice
1 pound flank steak
Cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder

Directions:
Marinate the stead in the lime juice for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
To broil, place marinated flank steak on a broiling pan 2 to 3 inches from the heat source. Leave the oven door open and broil 6 to 7 minutes on each side for medium rare, 9 minutes on each side for medium.
Place on a cutting board; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Serve with taco shells, shredded lettuce, shredded mexican cheese, black beans, corn kernels, and guacamole.

Cuban Sloppy Joes & Baked Plantains

Adapted from Rachael Ray's recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cloves garlic, cracked from skin
1/4 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, eyeball it in your palm
1/4 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount
1 pound ground sirloin
1/2 tablespoon paprika, eyeball it in your palm
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco) eyeball it
1/2 cup tomato sauce
A palm full grill seasoning blend (recommended: McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Hamburger buns

Slices of Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:
Make the mojo sauce: put the garlic and onion in a food processor with cumin, lemon zest and juice. Turn processor on and stream in extra-virgin olive oil. Turn off processor and reserve.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown. Add the mojo and crumble the meat as it cooks, about 3 minutes. Add paprika, Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce, tomato sauce and grill seasoning. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat 10 minutes.

Split buns and pile the bottoms with hefty spoonfuls of Sloppy Jose mix. Cover meat with sliced pepper jack cheese. Serve with Baked Sweet Plantains, recipe below.

Baked Sweet Plantains

Adapted from this recipe from recipezaar.com.

Ingredients:

2 ripe plantains (when the skin is yellow with spots of black they're perfect)

Cooking spray

Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut the ends off of the plantains and peel. Cut each plantain on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange in single layer and coat tops with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until plantains are golden brown and very tender.

Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay's recipe and this recipe from allrecipes.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 green zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
2 yellow zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
1 bunch asparagus (about 13 spears), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium red onions, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into thin strips)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Israeli couscous
8 cups Vegetable stock, heated

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 the marinade over the vegetables and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

2. Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan. Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the couscous and toast until lightly golden brown. Cover the couscous with the hot stock and bring to a boil, cook until al dente and drain well.

4. Place in a large serving bowl, add the grilled vegetables and herbs and toss with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Recipe from Cooking Light and Recipezaar.

I forgot to take a picture! :( I'll just have to make these again...

Ingredients:
For batter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt (or 1/2 cup buttermilk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 lemon, zest and juice, Meyer lemon preferred
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

For frosting
1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour standard muffin tin. In a medium bowl, whisk the four with the baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt (or buttermilk) vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the four mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of the yogurt mixture.

3. Divide evenly amongst the muffin cups (perfectly portioned when using a standard level ice cream scoop). Bake until the toothpick inserted in teh center of a cake comes clean, 15 - 20 minutes (closer to 15 with convection bake). Cool for 10 minutes in tin, then cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Set the rack over wax or parchment paper. To prepare frosting, place cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon rind, vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed just until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar (do not overbeat). Stir in juice. Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

Chocolate Caramel Matzah

This is the original recipe, so far when I've made it, I've halved it, using 3 pieces of matzoh, 1/2 the sugar/butter, and all of a 10oz bag of chocolate chips (making the chocolate extra thick!).

Ingredients:

5 to 7 pieces of matzo
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
12 - 16oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Salt for topping
Toppings, as desired (try chopped pistachios, craisins or slivered almonds)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and/or parchment paper.
Place the matzo in one layer on one or two baking sheets, breaking it when necessary to fill the pans completely. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. Once the mixture reaches a boil, continue to cook for an additional three minutes, still stirring, until thickened and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and carefully pour over the matzoh, spreading an even layer.
Put the pan in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. If it looks like it is starting to burn, turn heat down to 325.

After 10-15 minutes, the toffee should have bubbled up and turned a rich golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the pan. Let sit for 5 minutes, then spread the now-melted chocolate evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle a little salt over the top, and then add toppings (if desired) while the chocolate is still melted.

Let cool completely, then refrigerate until hardened. Break into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch round cake pan, and dust with cocoa powder.In the top of a double boiler over lightly simmering water, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan.Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slices can also be reheated for 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave before serving.

French Onion Orzo

Based off this recipe from Serious Eats.
I totally forgot to take a picture! Bad food blogger, bad! So here's a pic from the original recipe/site. They used a different kind of pasta and added a Parmesan Crisp at top, that I couldn't make cause I didnt have shredded parm - oops!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound onions (about 2 large), very finely sliced
1 tsp flour
4 cups beef stock
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
12 oz box of orzo
1/4 cup Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Cook onions in oil in a large, deep saucepan, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and a deep brown color, 25-30 minutes. As the onions cook down, they may start to stick to the bottom of the pan; whenever this happens, deglaze with a small quantity of cold water, scraping with wooden spoon to dissolve brown bits.

2. Remove about 1/4 of onions from pan, reserving for garnish. Season with salt and pepper and cover to keep warm.

3. Sprinkle flour over the onions in the pot, stirring to incorporate. Add beef stock and dried thyme and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, adjust seasoning, and add pasta. Cover pan and simmer, depending on type of pasta, for 6-9 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir once or twice during cooking to prevent sticking.

4. Remove pasta from heat and stir in Parmesan. Adjust seasoning if necessary. To serve, top with reserved onions.

Chicken Fricassee Cuban Style

Adapted from this recipe from recipezaar.com.

Marinade:
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
6 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup olive oil
2 red potatoes (or amount to equal 1 cup, peeled and cubed)
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
In a large non-metallic bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove chicken from marinade & blot on paper towels to dry. Reserve marinade.
Sprinkle chicken with cumin & dust lightly with flour.
In a large frying pan, heat oil until it starts to smoke. Quickly add the floured chicken, browning on both sides, just a minute or 2 on each side. (Do this in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding in pan). Remove chicken and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté the potato cubes until lightly browned on all sides.
Remove potatoes then sauté onion and pepper until limp.
Return chicken and potatoes to pan. Add reserved marinade, tomato sauce, wine, and raisins.
Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is done, 20-30 minutes. Don't overcook.
Serve the chicken pieces over white rice with plenty of sauce.