Spicy Lentils

I LOVE SPICY FOODS!!!  Love, love, love!!!

I love the taste, but I also love that it helps control your portions when it's really spicy.

This recipe can be altered to suit your tastes, so don't worry about that!

This is a perfect side dish for grilled chicken!!!  

Can also serve over rice as a main course.

I like mine spicy and soupy, so I add the full tablespoon of garam masala and the full 2 cups water.  Garam masala is a spice blend used in northern Indian cuisine.   Adjust as your palate prefers!

This recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 white onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1/2-1 tbsp garam masala* (this brings the spice, so adjust to your taste or omit)

Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

1/2 cup dry lentils

1 1/2-2 cups water

1/4 cup half and half

Salt to taste

Heat coconut oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add onion and red pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add chopped garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add spices and mint, heat for one more minute.

Add lentils and 1 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  If your lentils are not tender and the water is almost gone, add more liquid and continue to cook.  Once lentils reach desired tenderness, add the half and half and stir.  Season with salt to taste.

Nutrition Information Per Serving 

Calories: 217

Carbs: 20g

Fat: 11g

Protein: 11g

Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Seriously, you need to make this.  It goes with EVERYTHING!!!  

Eat it with chips, or use it as a topping for some blackened fish, chicken, or mushrooms!

And it's also pretty!

This recipe makes a lot of salsa, but I like having it around!  You can always cut it in half!

Ingredients

1 pineapple, peeled and sliced into rings (with cores still intact)

2 red bell peppers, diced
1 small red onion, diced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup cilantro, chopped

Juice from 2 fresh limes

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

Spread out pineapple slices.  Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  Mist with olive oil (I LOVE my Misto- and love that I found it at Marshalls!) so it doesn't stick.  Cook on a grill or griddle pan (my preference), turning every few minutes.  You want it to start to caramelize, not burn.

Remove from heat once it is softened and browning, allow to cool.  Remove flesh from core, and dice flesh, discarding the cores.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Season with salt if needed.

Greek Potato Crisps

Growing up, my dad would make what he called Greek French Fries.  He would cut up potatoes, fry them in oil, and season with salt, oregano and lemon juice.  

They were delicious!!!

I decided to make his recipe healthier, which was easily done with some simple switches!
Using olive oil spray allows you to get an even coat of oil using a minimal amount.

This is a great alternative to having plain baked potato with dinner.

You can use a mandolin to slice, or you can slice them by hand.  After a mandolin accident a few years ago, I choose to cut slowly with a knife!

This recipe is for a single serving.  It's so simple to make!

(Serving has 210 cals, 3g fat, 25g carbohydrates, and 5g protein)

Ingredients

1 medium russet potato (about a half pound), thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch)

olive oil spray

salt

pepper

oregano

2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place potato slices in a bowl.  Toss with lemon juice, salt and spices, making sure each slice is evenly coated.

Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.  Place potato slices in a single layer on the tray and spray tops with olive oil spray.  If you like your potatoes salty, sprinkle on a little more salt before baking.

Bake for 1o minutes, then flip slices.  Depending on the thickness of your cut, they will take 10-15 more minutes.  Potatoes are done when they are turning golden brown in spots.  If you want them really crispy, cook until they have completely browned, but be careful not to burn them!

For more intense lemon flavor, you can squeeze a fresh lemon over the finished product.  

I chose not to so they would retain their crispiness!

These were perfect as a side dish!  I enjoyed them with a lobster and steamed asparagus.

Quinoa

I've had a love/hate relationship with quinoa.  I would make it, it would be just okay, and then the bag would just sit there forever because I didn't really want to eat it.  Until I found some delicious recipes!

For those of you unfamiliar with quinoa, it's a seed and although it looks and cooks like a grain, it's actually a member of the same family as spinach, swiss chard, and beets!  It has a higher protein count than other "grains."  Quinoa is a good source of calcium, fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.  It's also gluten-free!

Important quinoa cooking information- before you cook with quinoa, make sure to rinse it thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer.  This will remove any residual saponins (part of the natural seed coating that can cause a bitter taste).  In my early quinoa days, I don't think I rinsed the seeds, and that might be part of the reason why I never really developed a love for quinoa.

I have yet to develop my own quinoa recipes, but here are 2 that are sure to win you over!

Skinny Taste Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This salad is my new summer obsession!!!

It's light and refreshing.  I used regular tomatoes instead of cherry since that's what I had in the house.  Also, NEVER use pre crumbled Feta, or any cheese for that matter.  It looses so much of it's flavor.  It's not hard to buy a block of feta and chop it up yourself, and it will taste a million times better!  A generous cup of this salad only has 145 calories!

Skinny Taste Quinoa and Spinach Patties

These made for a very different breakfast!  I will say that these were heavier than I expected them to be, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It means that one fills you up, no need to eat another!  I served mine over baby spinach with a poached egg on top.  

I also sprinkled parmesan cheese on top for a little salty flavor.  

Each patty has 188 calories.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy quinoa?

Beets...2 Dishes in One!

So, a while back I took on beets, and ended up loving them!

I knew I was limited in my beet knowledge, because all I ever did was boil them and put them on salads.

The other day, while at a local farm stand, I saw bunches of golden beets, and knew they had to be mine!  I bought one bunch, greens and all, and headed home.  I always knew you could eat beet greens, but this was something I never experimented with.

Behold...Roasted Beets AND Sauteed Beet Greens.  You can get 2 side dishes out of one vegetable, and it won't cost much!  I paid $1.50 for one bunch of golden beets.  That gave me one large serving of roasted beets and about 3 servings of the greens.  If you can't find golden beets, red beets would taste good as well.

Roasted Beets- 2 Points+ for whole recipe
1 bunch beets, greens removed (set aside)
2 tsp Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash beets well and chop into large chunks.  Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place in a baking dish and bake until soft (depends on the size of your beets).  Every 10 minutes or so, toss beets around so all sides get nice and caramelized.

Sauteed Beet Greens- Makes 3 servings, 1 Point+ each
1 bunch beet greens
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Wash greens thoroughly (they are full of sand, much like spinach) and dry well.  Chop into inch long pieces.

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add onions.  Once they turn translucent, add garlic and continue to sauté.  Just as the garlic starts to brown, add the greens and continue to cook, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Greens should be tender in about 5 minutes, you want them wilted but not mushy.

Baby Spinach, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I love beets, but they scare me.  I've never cooked them myself due to a fear of staining my skin and the entire kitchen.  I don't want to have to explain red blotches all over my face.  "Well, you see, I was peeling a beet, and it ATTACKED ME!"  I'm very dramatic.


I finally conquered my fear of cooking beets.  It was way simpler than I thought.  I boiled them until they were fork tender, took them out, let them cool for a bit, then peeled them.  Viola.  Not nearly as traumatic as my imagination.  I put together this great salad, and it was only 4 Points+ (depending on your dressing).

Ingredients:
One large beet, cooked, peeled and cubed
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry
3 tbsp light red wine vinaigrette (I love the one by Olde Cape Cod- it's delicious)
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled


Instructions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Admire how awesome it looks.  Eat it, and save a perfect bite of spinach, beet, cheese and dressing for last.  Let it linger, and make content food noises while your husband looks at you like you're insane!

Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

This is the perfect summer salad!  It's simple, fresh, and delicious.  The recipe below makes 4 large servings, each with a Points+ Value of 2.


Ingredients
2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
1/8 cup olive oil
Red wine vinegar, start with 2 splashes
Salt
Pepper


Instructions
Mix all ingredients together.  Add salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.  That's it!


I like to let this sit in the refrigerator so that everything blends together.  The juice that is left at the bottom of the bowl is the best part!  Use some fresh, crusty bread to sop it all up!

Tomatillo Salsa

For a while now, I've been tempted by the tomatillos at the grocery store, but I've never known what to do with them!  This weekend, I just bought a bunch along with some jalapeno peppers, looked for a salsa, tweaked it a bit, and it's fantastic!

Here's what you'll need:

6 tomatillos, husks removed

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (seeds and all!)

1/2 white onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place tomatillos in a non-reactive pan (I used stainless steel) and cover with water.  Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes or until tomatillos are soft.  

Drain and place tomatillos in a blender.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until it's a consistency that you like.  We like it smooth, so we ran it on the smoothie mode.

Voila!  It's really great, good kick but not over-powering.  I can see it going great with grilled chicken, tonight we are enjoying it with tortilla chips.  

Black Bean and Corn Side Dish

With all of the barbecues that take place during the summer, you rarely find a side dish that is low fat.  Salads are usually mayonnaise based, or things are full of brown sugar and sauce.  It can be a nightmare!


The other night I decided last minute that I wanted to throw a side together for barbecued chicken, but it had to be something I had in the house since I was short on time.  Enter the best-bbq-side-ever!


Take a can of black beans (rinsed and drained), a cup of frozen corn kernels (thawed) and salsa to taste.  I used a medium salsa because we like spice.  Mix, add salt to taste.  


THAT'S IT!  It makes 4 servings at 3 Points+ each.  Again, we ate it before I could take a picture, but I know we will be making it again soon, so I will be sure to update!

Pasta Salad

I really like pasta salad, but I haven't been eating much pasta lately.  I had a craving, and I was able to pick up some fresh whole wheat linguine at the farmers market this past weekend.  Here's what I put together for 13 Points+!  This is a huge serving, I ate it as a meal.  If you're using it as a side, it would serve 2 people.


Two ingredients of note: turkey pepperoni and the dressing.  The pepperoni is so good, and it's so few points!  The dressing is AMAZING!!!  You can have a cup for 1 Point+, and it's great for dipping veggies in!


Ingredients:
3 ounces fresh whole wheat pasta (7 Points+, will vary if using dried/fresh)
1 ounce extra sharp provolone cheese, diced (3 Points+)
18 pieces turkey pepperoni, chopped (2 Points+)
2 bell peppers (any color), diced (0 Points+)
1/2 cup Kraft Free Zesty Italian Dressing (1 Point+)


Cook pasta in salted, boiling water.  Combine other ingredients in bowl and toss.  Drain cooked pasta, rinse with cool water, drain very well.  Add pasta to bowl and toss to coat.

Faux Risotto

I love risotto, but it's not the most diet friendly dish out there.

I have been experimenting, and this is delicious!!!  It's not as loose as risotto, but it's pretty darn delicious!  The veggies are interchangeable, I tend to use whatever is in the house, but the version below is my favorite so far!  Even my hubby liked it, but he wouldn't eat the veggies, so I might make him a batch with broccoli.

The recipe below makes one very large serving.  If you are going to serve it with a salad or a soup, it could be 2 smaller servings as well.  The entire recipe has a Points+ value of about 7 depending on how much broth you use.

I served this as a side with tilapia, but it would go great with any protein!


Vegetable Faux-sotto


Ingredients:
1/4 cup barley
2 cups chicken broth
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 portobello mushroom caps, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 white onion, chopped into (you guessed it!) bite sized pieces
1 tbsp Brummel & Brown spread (or similar product)
1/8 cup parmesan cheese

1. Place barley in a pot with 1 cup chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat, covered.

2.  Saute veggies in a pan sprayed with cooking spray until softened.

3.  As the barley cooks, stir every few minutes, and add broth as needed.  Taste after most of the liquid is absorbed.  If it's still hard, you need more liquid, add it now.  I end up using 2 cups, you may need more/less.

4.  When the barley is 90% soft, add the veggies and cover.

5.  When the barley is completely cooked, add the spread and cheese, stir thoroughly and cook for 2 more minutes with the cover off.  Serve nice and hot!

With mushrooms, asparagus and onions!

Just with asparagus

A Great Simple Side Dish

I love couscous, but I could keep eating it serving after serving after serving.

So, as a compromise, I came up with the following side dish- Spinach Couscous.  You still get all of the couscous goodness, but some of the serving is now a veggie which fills you up more.

Boil 2 cups of water.  Add a chicken boullion cube or chicken base, or just use chicken broth.

Drop in a package of frozen chopped spinach.

Once the water is boiling and the spinach is no longer frozen, add a cup of couscous.  Turn off heat and cover.

After 5 minutes, stir and fluff.  Viola!

Now, I like my couscous more on the wet side.  If you prefer a drier dish, simply decrease the water.