Sick of Snow!!

I think that everyone would be in total agreement that we are done with our share of snow for this winter. Even the kids are panicking about losing spring break! However, for some reason it does stir some cooking creativity within me and I am sick of cooking the same old suff week after week. Some healthy and some not. One of the things I have been trying to work on is making “regular” dishes more healthy. Because of my crazy eating habits I find myself cooking a meal for my family and a separate meal for myself on a daily basis and quite honestly this is not something I have time to do. It has definitely helped making my creativity juices flow and here is a dish I came up with that is healthy, delicious and very satisfying to the belly. I had made my family Chicken Parmigiano and here is my healthier and delicious version.

Herbed Chicken Burger Parm

1 4oz  boneless chicken breast

1 tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp plain greek yogurt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp fresh oregano

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp fresh basil

1 tsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs

1 tbsp fresh mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a cuisinart combine all ingredients. If you can purchase ground chicken breast you just need to combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Form into a burger.  Place into a hot non-stick pan and brown on both sides. Once the burger is brown place in the oven to finish cooking. Once the burger is fully cooked place some of the tomato sauce and cheese on top to melt.

Place burger on a bed of tomato sauce and enjoy!!

Mediterranean Pizza!!!

Wow..has it been almost 2 months since my last post?? Time flies and unfortunately the holidays took over my life for awhile but I am hoping to be back and cooking healthy and big for the next few months! With all the snow we are having in this area what else is there to do anyway??? I must admit that during the holiday season I was not cooking the most healthy dishes which made it very tough to fill in my blog!! But I am back and trying to go strong and lean of course. Here is a dish that I prepared that again was very easy, very delicious, very healthy and most of all very filling!!

Mediterranean Pizza

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant sliced vertically in 1 inch slices

1/2 cup prepared hummus

1 small bunch of fresh spinach

1 box of frozen artichoke hearts

1 shallot

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese

2 tblsp olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400

After you have sliced the eggplant legnthwish place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. You want the eggplant still slightly firm.

While the eggplant is baking saute the shallot, garlic, spinach and artichoke hearts until soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Once you pull the eggplant out of the oven let cool slightly and put a generous spread of hummus on each slice

Top each slice after you spread the hummus with the spinach and artichoke mixture and top with feta cheese

Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes

Sprinkle with lemon juice for extra fresh flavor after it comes out of the oven

Please enjoy!!

Till tomorrow, love health and big food!!!

Food Excitement!!!!

Every once in awhile I come up with a recipe to try that I don’t anticipate being that delicious and it ends up coming out spectacular!!!!!! I have been making a ton of soups as I have discussed previously but although the soups have been yummy I’ve been finding that they start to taste similiar so I wanted to really bump it up and do something new. Last night I came up with a new soup called Creamy Herb Chicken Bean & Asparagus Soup!! It came out absolutely delicious and I hope you try it!!

Creamy Herb Chicken, Bean & Asparagus  Soup

Ingredients

2 Cans Cannellini Beans rinsed and drained

1/2 lb ground white meat chicken

1/2 bunch fresh asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces

2 Tbl fresh chives

2 Tbl Fresh parsley

2 Tbl Fresh thyme

2 shallots chopped

1 clove of garlic minced

2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock

t tbl extra virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a stock pot use 1 tbl of olive oil and saute chopped shallots and garlic until soft. Add 3/4 cup of the white beans and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and let simmer about 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the remaining chicken stock, asparagus and beans and let simmer.

In a saute pan brown ground chicken. When brown add to soup. Let soup cook another 5-10 minutes and then add all fresh herbs, salt and pepper. I also add a bit of hot chili flakes at this point since I like a “kick” to my soups.

This soup will make about 3 large servings so if you want to make more double the ingredients.

I know you will love this soup!! Please try!!

Love, health and big food!!!!

Spice and Crunch!!!

Sorry its been so long!!! Unfortunately with Thanksgiving there was not too much healthy cooking going on in my house!! But thats ok..special occasions should be just that. SPECIAL!! However now its back to reality at least for a couple of weeks until the Christmas cooking begins!!! In addition to a BIG healthy plate of food comes texture. It is very important for food to not only look and taste good but texture is really important when putting that first delectable bite of food in your mouth. There have been so many foods that I have tried that actually did have a great flavor but I couldn’t get past the texture which becomes a big deterrent for me and other people as well. You need the right combination of flavor, spice and crunch and that is why this dish is one of my favorites!!!

Spicy Broccoli Rabe w ith Cannellini beans and Crunchy Toasted Walnuts

Ingredients

1 Large Bunch of Broccoli Rabe

1 Can Cannelini Beans rinsed and drained

1 Cup chopped toasted walnuts

1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (I like the ones packed in olive oil)

2 Cloves of garlic minced

1 Cup low sodium chicken or veggie stock

2 tsp red chili flakes

2 tbls parmesean cheese

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a good amount of sea salt. Chop the broccoli rabe and place in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes. This takes the bitterness out of the broccoli rabe. Drain into a ice water bath and then dry with paper towels.

In a saute pan heat the olive oil and add the garlic and saute slowly. You don’t want to burn the garlic. Once you start smelling the garlic cooking add the broccoli rabe and coat with the olive oil and garlic. Add the chopped sundried tomatoes, chicken or veggie stock and beans. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. As you are ready to serve add the chopped walnuts and parmesean cheese!

Enjoy!

Love, health and big food!!!

Voluptuous Veggie Lasagna

O ver the past 2 weeks I have been searching feverishly at as many food blogs as I can to obviously get new ideas and recipes. I was told that having a “niche” category to revolve a blog around is beneficial however I think it also makes it difficult to talk about the same thing everyday. And again I am still working on adding the pictures. I am one of those crazy people that go to the gym at 5am everyday but honestly it feels good to have it over with and it truly gets my day going!! I got a recipe from one of my friends from the gym and adapted it somewhat and it is quite delicious!!!

Voluptuous Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients

1 Medium to Large Zuccini

1 Medium to Large Eggplant (I like to peel mine as well)

1 Large Yellow Squash

1 Large Purple Onion

2 cups of homemade or store bought marinara sauce

1 large bag of frozen green peas thawed

1/4 cup olive oil + about 2 tablespoons 

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup pecorino romano

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375

Slice the zucchini, eggplant, squash and onion into 1/2-3/4 inch slices.

Place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper

Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes..just until slightly softened. You dont want them to soft because these are the “noodles” of the lasagna and you dont want them to fall apart

Remove from oven and let cool. In a food processor place the thawed green peas, 1/4 cup of the pecorino, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and puree to a pesto consistency. You may need to add a little more olive oil or even a little water to loosen. Add salt and pepper and set aside.

In your lasagna pan start with a layer of eggplant and top with a thin coating of the pea puree. Continue to layer all vegetables and top each layer with the thin coating of pea puree. Once you get to the end (or top of your pan) put the last layer of pea puree, top with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and the rest of the pecorino romano

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cheese is brown and veggies are bubbling!!

This is quite delicious and you will not miss the noodles and tons of ricotta!! (Well..maybe you will miss it but this is a fabulous and filling dish)!!

Enjoy

Love, health and big food!!!!

Its ok to be BAD

I apologize for not posting the past few days! Been very busy with the “actual” job that makes me money as well as the kids!! Very busy weekend..not a whole lot of healthy food but that happens sometimes and that is ok…no matter what people try to tell you. However when I do have a weekend filled with too much wine, too much cheese and other delicious fats I try to be “extra good” on Monday so I try and cram as much nutrients and fiber into each meal. HOWEVER …on the weekends I do eat too much I seem to be the most hungry that whole Monday probably from the lack of nutrients and fiber. So today for lunch I have made a HUGE salad and I am guaranteed to be full until dinner. I call it the Succulent Savory Salad. Here is how it goes!!

Succulent Savory Salad

2 cups spring mix

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach

10 green olives

1 large roasted pepper diced

3 artichoke hearts diced

2 tablespoons red onion

1/2 cup cooked kidney beans(rinse and drain from can)

1/2 cup shelled cooked edamame beans

1/4 chopped broccoli

2 tsp slivered almonds

1 tsp grated parmesean cheese

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put all together in a large bowl minus the lemon and olive oil

stir together the lemon and olive oil and drizzle over the salad.  Combine gently!

This is actually more than enough for 2 people however when I am STARVING I usually eat the whole thing myself!!

Enjoy!

Love, health and great food

Lots to Learn!!!!!!

Wow!! I have no problem writing a recipe and obviously cooking the food but learning to blog is a whole different ballgame!!!!!!! I spent a good part of last night learning what to do on Flickr and hopefully by next week I will be able to have this blog look more custom and with some pictures!!! I’m sure you all must be getting very bored but hopefully a few recipes caught your eye and willing to give them a try. If any new bloggers are reading this and have any short-cuts or ideas please feel free to let me know!! I will take any help I can get. I have been going to some other peoples beautiful blogs and websites and I am really looking forward to getting beyond words!!!!!!!! However, until then I will have to just feed you daily! Lets order a Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini Boats today!!!

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini  Boats

Ingredients

2 Large Zucchini

1 cup Great Northern Beans rinsed and draine

2 tbls reduced fat feta cheese

1 tsp fresh garlic

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 tsp dry thyme

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375

Slice both zucchinis vertically and carve out the entire “meat” of the zucchini.

In a food processor combine beans, zucchini meat, thyme, garlic, lemon and olive and blend until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly salt the hollow zucchini boats and stuff with the filling

Top each zucchini boat with the feta cheese

Bake for approximately 20-30 minutes until browned and heated through

Enjoy!!!!  Speak with you tomorrow!!

Love, health and great Food!!

Getting Creative

For the past few years I have been trying to limit the amount of red meat that I eat myself as well as my family and for the most part I have done a pretty good job with substitutions however once in awhile I treat them and for the past week they have been craving my inside out bacon cheeseburgers. YUMMY! ABSOLUTELY!!! However..for myself I obviously wanted to create something slightly healthier and yet just as FILLING! So here is my creation which by the way actually was quite delicious.

Chicken Patty Cordon Bleu Melt

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken breast

4 slices canadian bacon

4 slices low fat cheddar

1 small bunch chopped chives

1 tbl olive oil

1 tbl dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

4  low carb or whole wheat wraps

Combine the ground chicken, chives, olive oil, salt and pepper into 4 large patties.  Spray a non-stick grill pan and grill on both sides until brown.

Take off grill pan and place canadian bacon and cheese on top of each burger.

Carefully wrap each burger with low carb or whole wheat wrap and place back on grill pan for approximately 1 minute on each side to heat wrap and melt cheese!!

You will absolutely love and devour everybite of this recipe!!! Enjoy!!!

Love, heath and great food!!!

Sharon

Loving the Soup!

Hello Food lovers

Well I’m into my fourth post and as many people have told me that are in the “blogging world” it does get a little difficult thinking of topics to discuss each day and especially interesting ones. I feel like I am starting to get the hang of it but I’m told that going onto other blogs and websites can only add to more ideas. On one hand the focus of my blog is a very niche topic but on the other hand I can talk about food all day every day and I know many people feel the same way…as I ponder on this for future blogs I want to go to one of my favorite foods which is soup. My kids are yelling at me because now that the cold weather is starting I have been making soup at least once a week which for my husband and myself is fabulous but the kids would like a little more “chewable” items on their plate. This is one of the challenges I gave to myself. And again this is where my beans and grains come into great play for the soup season. I rich, hearty, thick delectable soup is great for many food palates and very filling as well. I would like to share my Spicy Black Bean and Bulgar Soup with you for today!! Please try it and let me know what you think!!!

Spicy Black Bean & Bulgar Soup

3 cans black beans rinsed and drained

1 Small red onion chopped finely

1 Red Pepper chopped

1/2 cup bulgar wheat

1 small jalapeno pepper

2 beef boullion cubes

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbl hot sauce (Franks or Siraccha is great)

6 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 diced avocado

Directions

In a stockpot heat olive oil and add onion an peppers. Stir until softened and then add 1 can of the beans. Heat through and add 1 cup of the water. Once this comes to a boil use the emersion blender or simply a potato masher and mix. This will be a thickening agent for the rest of the soup. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the yogurt and avocado and simmer for about 1 hour. Soup should have a nice thick consistency and texture with the beans and cooked bulgar. If the soup is too thick add a little more water at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for. Place into a bowl with a dollop of greek yogurt and some avocado!  Enjoy!

Talk to you tomorrow

Love, health and great food!

Sharon

Remember the “Deal A Meal”!!!

Hello Food Lovers!

Last night I was thinking about what made me start this food revelation of mine. Besides sheer hunger of course! As many people do I tried many different diets over the years. Low carb, no carb, etc and then about 15 years ago I discovered none other than the hilarious Richard Simmons and his “Deal A Meal” plan. The way this diet worked was by using actual food cards in a wallet. There were protein cards, vegetable cards, fat cards, carbohydrate cards and even free cards (mostly condiments and lettuce and celery!). On each card there was a list of those items and what each card was worth. an example of one protein card would be 1 oz of chicken. So if you wanted a meal of a 3 oz piece of chicken you would use 3 protein cards. Unfortunately that would be all but one card I would get for the day!! Each day you received an exact amount of each particular card and you had to use them all by the end of the day. I began doing this and it actually worked. But how did my theory of lots of food and little calories help me here?? I ended up eating tons  of beans and grains! Usually by the end of the day I had enough cards to have a HUGE plate of something like rice and beans. In fact, usually too much for me to finish. So the best part was that a little cheese and cracker before bed was my little treat to myself. The main point here was that I was actually full and still losing weight. Thank you Richard Simmons and by the way, I think you should bring back the “Deal A Meal”!! Beautiful concept!!! Here is my recipe of the  day:

Crunchy Vegetable and Bean Bowl

1 Can white beans rinsed and drained

1 Can black beans rinsed and drained

2 -3 Pepperoncini peppers diced

1/2 red pepper diced

1 celery stalk dices

1 small red onion diced

2 tablespoons Kalamata olives chopped

1/2 cup cooked barley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Very easy! Combine all ingredients and stir. To achieve best taste let sit about 20-30 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!

Till next time…love, health and lots of food!

Sharon