First Quinoa Recipe

Have you made quinoa?  I had read about it but just tried it for the first time recently.  I think it is fabulous!  It is very similar to couscous, but cooks longer, more like rice, and is more filling than both, at least for me.  So Sunday, Bond grilled up a bunch of chicken to use this week in lunches and dinners. 

He also grilled some yummy green peppers for me and jalepenos for him. 

Then I made a big batch of Quinoa to go with the chicken and for lunches.  I wanted to make extra so I filled a pot with 4 cups of water and measured 2 cups of quinoa.  The directions say to rinse the quinoa because it can have a bitter taste.  I did this the first time I made it.  I don’t have a strainer with holes small enough and the wet quinoa sticks to everything!  I did some reading on quinoa recipes online and it seems most people only rinse it if they buy it from the bulk bin.  Since mine is prepackaged next time I will try without rinsing.  Stay tuned for an update on that…

This time I rinsed, made a huge mess of my kitchen getting the quinoa into the pot of water, and then brought it to a boil.  After it boils cover it and turn it to low or simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes (like rice!)

While I waited I cut a tomato from the farmers market to top the quinoa and grilled veggies.  

After the quinoa was cooked I added 1 ½ tablespoons each of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil (any oil would do though).  Then I mixed it throughout the batch of quinoa. This adds a bit of flavor and makes the quinoa more moist. 

I used a half cup measuring cup to scoop the quinoa onto plates and into tuperware for leftovers.  One half cup with the added lemon, oil, and vinegar is 150 calories.  It does not look like a huge amount of food, but it really filled me up.  The pieces of chicken were really big when they were cooked so Bond cut them all in half for a more reasonable serving size, about 4 oz. or 110 calories each half.  He added them to the leftovers and our plates, along with the grilled veggies.  I topped it off with diced and slices of tomato. 

Overall a filling, low calorie, and healthy meal.  What do you do with quinoa?

Summer Salad

Another great find in my newest book, The Healthy Cook, is a spinach mandarin orange salad with a honey mustard dressing.  It is the perfect summer salad with fruit and a light dressing. 

Ingredients:

8 cups spinach

1 red onion

½ cup mandarin oranges

2 tablespoons almond slices, toasted

Put the clean spinach into a large salad bowl.  Peel the onion and slice thinly.  Separate the slices and add to the spinach.  I did not leave mine in full circles, instead I cut them up a bit more like a diced onion.  Drain the mandarin oranges and add to the salad.  When you purchase the mandarin oranges try to find ones in 100% juice instead of syrup.  Toast the almonds.  Top the salad with the almonds.

Tip to toast the almonds: place the almonds in a dry skillet or pan on medium heat.  Heat for 3 to 5 minutes moving or tossing as needed until lightly browned. 

Dressing:

1 tbl orange juice

1 tbl lemon juice

1 tbl honey

2 tbl Dijon mustard

This is my first homemade dressing and it was so easy.  Just mix all the ingredients together.  Taste and adjust as necessary.  I added a bit more honey and orange juice to mine so that it was a little sweeter.

This recipe makes 4 servings at 98 calories a serving.  I served myself one and put the other four into containers for lunches.  I added an ounce of fat free feta cheese to my salad for some extra flavor.  I am not a fan of fat free cheese normally, but in a salad I think it works.  This add 35 calories. 

What is your favorite summer salad?

New Waffle Recipe

I spent some time recently wandering around Half Price Books, my favorite used books store.  I made a great find with this new cook book...

It has some really great and healthy recipes.  It also has really great tips and instructions for how to prepare various ingredients.  I woke up early on Saturday and decided to make waffles and try this new recipe:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs canola oil

3 tbs unsweetened applesauce

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

4 egg whites

Changes:

I didn't have any buttermilk so I substituted plain nonfat yogurt.  Also I used whole wheat flour and sunflower oil.

First, turn on the waffle iron so it is ready when the batter is made.  The combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl combine the oil, applesauce, yogurt, and egg whites.  

Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and stir until blended.  

Then pour desired amount onto waffle iron.  Using about 1/2 to 3/4 cup it makes about 5 full waffles on my iron.  This comes out to 225 calories per waffle.  

Since I woke up before Bond and let him sleep in, I wanted to surprise him with breakfast in bed.  Unfortunately he woke up just as I was getting the newspaper for him.  So instead he enjoyed his waffle in his favorite leather chair.

Do you have a great healthy breakfast recipe?

Couscous with Beans and Veggies

I usually have a go to ingredient that I use over and over.  It changes every once in a while when I find something new.  Right now my ingredient of choice is Tri Color Couscous. It’s infused with spinach and tomato, plus it is really pretty with the three colors. 

So when I needed to throw something together  for dinner that was quick and easy I went for my main ingredient and built around it.  Here is what I came up with…

Ingredients

1 - 2 cups Couscous

Baby Spinach

Diced Garlic to taste

1 ½  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil/divided

Splash of lemon juice

1 can Black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tomato

Make couscous according to directions.  I made a lot of couscous because it’s great to have for lunches during the week.  2 cups of couscous makes about 4 cups fixed.  I put the extra in separate containers for lunch with chicken, fish, or veggies for work lunches.

Drain and rinse the black beans.  Put them in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat.  Careful not to let them burn to the bottom of the pan. 

Put ¾ tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet with the garlic and brown slightly.  Then add as much spinach as you want. Cook the spinach until it is slightly wilting.  Add additional olive oil as necessary.  Then add a splash of lemon juice.

Mix it all together.  Serve.  

I served mine topped with a sliced tomato.

Bond added some salsa to his.  This would also be great with a bit of grated cheese.

What are your favorite go to ingredients?

Dill Salmon

Bond and I eat a lot of fish.  Mostly I use frozen tilapia and salmon.  They still taste great after thawing, and a bonus is they thaw so fast I don't have to plan ahead for dinner.  A while back I came across the following recipe....

Dill Salmon:

1 pound salmon fillets

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried dill weed

1 tsp onion powder

2 tbl butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Rinse salmon, and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle salt, pepper, onion powder, and dill over the fish. Place pieces of butter evenly over the fish.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

(This makes 4 servings at 262 calories, 18.1 g fat, and 82 mg Cholesterol)

I have made this recipe in two variations.  First, when I use Salmon, my favorite, I leave out the butter entirely.  Instead I spay the fish with Pam before putting on the spices and just bake.  This lowers it to 4 servings at 237 Calories, 14 g fat, and 71 mg cholesterol.


My second variation is what I made tonight.  I substituted the Salmon for Tilapia.   

Also, I only use 1 tbl of butter. 

It only took about 15 minutes to bake at 400°.  This made 4 servings at 123 calories, 3.9 g fat, and 63 mg cholesterol.  

I served tonight with whole wheat rotini pasta, serving size 1 cup at 210 calories, 105 g fat, and no cholesterol, and a vegetable.  Tonight was fresh green beans, steamed and topped with lemon juice, cumin, and onion powder. 

I added a few teaspoons of parmesan cheese to mine...

Do you eat fish often and if so what is your favorite?

Post Work Out Smoothie

My new favorite post work out snack has become a homemade smoothie.  It is especially great to beat the summer heat.  I usually mix two cups of frozen fruit, or one cup of frozen fruit and a whole fresh banana, with two cups of yogurt.  This makes enough for two smoothies.  Which is great because I have one for me and one for Bond when he gets home.  You can also freeze the extra for the next day, or a morning snack!

For this smoothie I used one cup of the vanilla light and fit yogurt and one cup of the plain yogurt.  I really like the vanilla flavor yogurt because it makes for a sweeter smoothie.  This smoothie comes out to about 180 calories per smoothie.

Sometimes I add a dash of clove and a scoop of protein powder too.

These ingredients come to approximately 250 calories per smoothie.

What is your favorite summertime post workout snack?

Tilapia with Stop Light Peppers

This is another great recipe that the cookbook my sister gave me in May with the 300 calorie dinners.

I made some changes to the recipe in the book.  The recipe is for halibut with red and yellow peppers.  I used tilapia and red, yellow, and green peppers.  I also added diced garlic.

Ingredients:
1 pound tilapia filets
1 1/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 large green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 tablespoon diced garlic

Makes 4 servings @ 175 calories per serving.

First I did all the chopping, dicing, and slicing....

Then combine 1 cup of the broth, the onion, garlic, and lemon peel in a large nonstick skillet.  Bring to a boil.

 Add fish and top with the sliced bell pepper strips.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer about 8 minutes or until fish begins to flake when tested with fork.

While it simmered I mixed the remaining 1/4 broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a separate bowl until it was blended.  When the fish is done transfer the fish and peppers to a plate using a slotted spoon.  Stir the cornstarch mixture into the remaining liquid in the skillet.  cook and stir over medium high heat until boiling and thickening.  Then add the green onions.

It is recommended to serve with couscous to keep it at 300 calories.  I served with tri-color couscous, its this great tomato, spinach couscous!

1/2 cup of couscous @ 160 calories brings the total to 335 calories total.
I also diced a tomato to go with this light summer time dinner.

How would you serve this tilapia?

Weekend Waffles

Happy Saturday!  Bond and I had tough work weeks.  I fully admit Bond's was tougher than mine due to him having several 4 a.m. mornings and an overnight business trip.  By Friday night exhausted didn't really seem to be a strong enough word to describe us.  We had planned on going out to dinner.  Instead we picked up Chili's to go and called it a night early.  So it didn't surprise me that at 6 a.m. this morning I woke up and could not go back to sleep.  I got up quietly so Bond could sleep a bit longer while I got up to let the dogs out.  Then I decided to make a yummy waffle breakfast.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
1/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
1/4 cup water

First heat the waffle iron to desired level.  I like level 4 or 5 because they are a little brown but not quite crispy.  Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Spray the top and bottom of the heated waffle iron with pam cooking spray.  Pour a half cup of the mixture onto the center of the waffle iron and close.

This makes one pretty perfect waffle...

Continue to spray the waffle iron with Pam in between each waffle and use the remaining mixture.  It makes 2 to 3 waffles @ 170 calories per waffle.

I like to add lite syrup @ 100 calories per 1/4 cup, and some powdered sugar to mine.  And of course I have to have my coffee!

How do you like your weekend waffles?

Chocolate Bananas

This is the dessert I made to go with Paper Salmon for a small group dinner we hosted.  They were really simple and a big hit!

Ingredients for 8 servings @ 290 calories per serving

4 bananas halved

1 jar of Hot Fudge topping

1 cup of granola

8 craft sticks

Peel the bananas and slice in half.  Insert a craft stick into each banana half and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Place into the freezer for 2 hours or until hard.

Place granola into ziplock back and roll with rolling pin to crush granola.  Then place granola on a shallow plate.  Heat the chocolate jar until liquid and place on a second shallow plate.

Roll the banana in the chocolate topping using a spatula to completely cover, then roll in the granola and place back on pan.

Freeze for another 2 hours or until hard.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

They make a great summer time treat, cold and fruity!
What is your favorite summer time treat?