Brussels Sprouts Chips

Kale chips are pretty much all the rage - a small bag from the market is around $5!  I've taken to making them at home, but just saw this recipe for Brussels Sprout Chips, and think I'll be adding this to me repertoire 

Just as easy, and it is a nice way to switch up a healthy snack.

Source

Brussels sprouts weren't exactly my favorite vegetable for a long time - I'm not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination, but this is one food that I only started enjoying recently.

Turning them into a roasted crispy snack with fresh flavors like lemon and sea salt take away the pungent flavor that comes with steaming them.  Not a route I like to go!

Ingredients: 

 - brussels sprouts

 - olive oil

 - sea salt

 - lemon

Instructions: 

First separate each leaf from the brussels sprout. The smallest leaves won't separate so you can either go ahead and cook those too or save them for another meal idea. 

Lightly coat the leaves in olive oil. Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes until edges begin to get crispy. Be sure to keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly. 

Remove from oven, squeeze on some fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with sea salt.

It doesn't get much easier than that!  Enjoy!

Caprese "Sandwich"

How amazing does this look...

But seriously... how AMAZING does this look?

After college, my best friend and I backpacked through Central America and Europe together, and when we were in Italy, we feasted like kings.  Every meal was pasta, pizza, and gelato, but one of our favorite things to eat (and make with a few ingredients from the local market) was a Caprese sandwich.

We first had the Caprese sandwich on the island of Capri and we were pretty much hooked.  This recipe is a take on one of our favorite things, and with such fresh ingredients, it's hard to pass up!  The word sandwich is in quotations because here, we are taking out the bread, and adding in some asparagus - a healthier version of the fabulous lunches we had in Italy.

Ingredients:
Fresh (REALLY ripe) tomatoes
Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh Asparagus
Fresh Basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Truffle Oil
Aged Balsamic Vinegar (emphasis on aged - the older, the sweeter)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Ok - this one is super simple... my favorite kind of recipe.  Set a pan of water to simmer, and toss in a bunch of asparagus.  It will cook quickly - you want it crisp and super green, so don't let it go too long!  3-5 minutes, max.

As the asparagus is cooking, slice the tomato, and mozzarella.  After the asparagus is cooked, throw it in an ice bath (a large bowl / pot of ice and water) - this will stop the cooking, chill it quickly, and keep it really fresh and perfectly cooked.

With the asparagus cooled, slice it in pieces to match the width of the tomato slices, and start stacking.  Tomatoes, mozzarella, asparagus, basil (whole leaves), tomatoes, mozzarella, etc.  Remember, this is the meal, so do several layers (four slices of tomato high).

Finish it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, and truffle oil (the truffle oil is really sinful and delicious!)  Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and enjoy!!

Taking a Shortcut in the Kitchen

You know those days that you are dead tired after work, and cannot imagine putting the effort into actually cooking something?  Well that was me last night.

This last year, I've been trying to improve my culinary skills, but having lived on my own for years before moving in with my sweetiepie, my specialty is the semi-homemade meal for one.  AKA - taking something that comes pretty much ready to heat and serve, and making it "fancy" with a few chopped fresh ingrediants. A trick I learned from my dad, and it really helps (if you've ever tried his "fancy" hotdogs with cheese, chopped scallions, fresh tomatoes, and diced jalapeno, you know what I mean!)

Well last night, soup was on the menu - this one in particular is filling and incredibly delicious for a canned soup - I highly recommend.  Being on my little diet, the best part about this soup in particular, is that for the full can (two servings) it's just 280 calories.  Works for me baby!

A cubed avocado, some fresh cilantro, some diced jalapeno, and a dash of red chili flakes later (yes, I like it spicy) my boring can of soup was transformed.  And I was a happy girl :-)

Any advice for other fancied up shortcut meals??

Healthy Eating: Baked Brown Sugar Chicken Wings With Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Dieting sucks.  Let's just be honest with ourselves.  I love steak with a solid pad of butter on top.  If I could eat the massive burritos from Super Burrito Express II every night I'd be a happy girl (and by the way, don't judge me... Super Burrito Express II is AMAZING, despite it's unfortunate name).  The problem is that I associate healthy food with bland food, but I'm desperately trying to change the healthy = bland mantra that I chant (in my head of course) as I watch the girls in my office pretend that they are stuffed after their carrot sticks and hummus.  If this doesn't work, the next step is hypnosis... I kid... sort of.

In an effort to fit back in my pants eat healthier, I've been scouring all my favorite food blogs for healthy recipes, that are tasty (most important) and easy (a close second) - baby steps, right??

This recipe from Domestic Fits for Baked Brown Sugar Chicken Wings fits the bill... and who doesn't love chicken wings, right??  

The key here is that they are baked, not fried, and all the flavor comes from from the seasoning.  Even the sauce uses goat cheese (one of the most low in fat cheeses... yay) but you could also substitute this with greek yogurt if you aren't a fan of goat cheese.  I haven't met a cheese I don't like, so I can't wait to smother daintily dip my wings in this sauce...

Ingredients:

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp dried minced garlic

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbs olive oil

8 chicken legs or wings

1/3 cup roasted red pepper, chopped

2 oz goat cheese

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbs sour cream

Directions:

While you preheat the oven to 425, combine the first 7 ingredients in a plastic bag, or a bowl.  Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and rub to coat. Add the chicken to the bag (or bowl) and toss or shake bag until well coated.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, turn the chicken over, and continue to bake until cooked through, about 10-15 additional minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken).   In a food processor, add the roasted red pepper, goat cheese salt and sour cream, process until well combined.

And... voila!  Easy right??  I love those kinds of recipes :-)

Healthy Eating - Chinese Chicken Salad

Our trip to Cabo last month marked the end of working out and eating healthy... and let's be honest... there are just too many yummy looking things on Pinterest!  Damn you Pinterest and your ooey gooey Au Gratain potato recipes and homemade Oreo cookies!

With the holidays coming up, I knowwww I have lots of parties (and lots of food) in the not so distant future, so I need to be dedicated to watching what I eat, and working out.  I am not the type of person to cut out the foods I love the most, so this means that I need to start eating healthy foods that don't taste healthy.

Last night, I made an amazing (and easy) recipe for a healthy Chinese chicken salad.  They say, you eat with your eyes first, and this dish was as beautiful as it was yummy.

Ingredients:

Salad:
   Cabbage (half head per serving)
   Carrots (one full carrot per serving)
   Cherry Tomatoes (12 tomatoes per serving)
   Roasted Chicken Breast (one breast per serving)
   Bean Sprouts (a handful per serving)
   Chopped Peanuts (one tablespoon per serving)

Dressing:
   Soy Sauce (two tablespoons)
   Apple Cider Vinigar (three tablespoons)
   Grated Ginger (one teaspoon)
   Cilantro (one tablespoon - or if you like more... go all out)
   Olive Oil (three tablespoons)
   Garlic (one clove finely chopped)
   Red Pepper Flakes (one teaspoon)
   Sesame Seeds (one teaspoon)
   Salt + Pepper (to taste)

I'm not going to lie, the dressing was the hardest part to make (not that it was hard), so if you are feeling lazy, pick up some reduced fat Ginger Soy dressing and call it a day, but I swear to you - this dressing is fresh, and spicy, and delicious.

For the salad:
Shred the cabbage and grate the carrots, and mix together in a bowl with the bean sprouts.  Half the cherry tomatoes, chop the chicken into bite size pieces, and chop the peanuts finely.  Add those to the bean sprout, carrot, and cabbage mixture.

For the dressing:
Combine all the ingredients, mixing quickly to get the dressing to emulsify.  If you don't like spicy (chili flakes), or hate cilantro, leave those ingredients out.

Dress carefully - you likely won't need the full mixture.  Just save what you don't use, or double the recipe if you are making the salad for a larger group.

This salad was really yummy, and really filling, and per serving it has just 380 calories.  THAT's what I'm talking about!!

Healthy Eating: Spicy Shrimp Tostadas

Holy smokes - this recipe is amazing!  I went over to my old apartment last night to have dinner with my best friend - aka, drink wine and watch her make dinner.

She busted out this recipe from Pinterest, and trust me when I say, it is one of the easiest, and most amazing dishes I've had in a long time - caution... its SPICY.  Obviously you can adjust the recipe as you wish, but the Jalapeno Avocado Sauce is what makes this dish!

Ingredients

• Spicy Shrimp Tostadas
• 6 corn tortillas
• 18-20 large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (or as much as you like... I'm a cilantro lover, so we were a bit liberal here)
• 1/2 cup red or green cabbage, shredded

• Jalapeno Avocado Sauce
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tablespoon cilantro

Instructions

Spicy Shrimp Tostadas

1. In a small bowl combine shrimp, paprika, cumin, chili powder and a pinch of salt & pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat add 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil and pan fry each tortilla, adding another 1/2 tablespoon of oil with each tostada. You just want to crisp them up on each side.
3. Set tortillas aside on a plate with paper towels (to soak up excess oil) and saute shrimp in the same skillet with the lime juice until they just turn pink on each side, about 3 minutes total.
4. To assemble tostadas start with the cilantro and avocado sauce on the bottom (this serves as the clue to hold the rest on the tostada), followed by the cabbage, then shrimp on top

Jalapeno Avocado Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth (we found an immersion blender worked just as well)
2. Try not to go at the sauce with tortilla chips before the shrimp have finished cooking - it's THAT good

 This BEAUTIFUL photo courtesy of Running to the Kitchen

So that's it - yes you will have to get a few dishes dirty in the process, and no one likes to clean off an immersion blender or food processor, but it will be well  worth the hassle in the end!

I nearly had to roll myself home after four of these bad boys.

I wish we could take 100% of the credit on this recipe, but Gina from Running to the Kitchen is the real mastermind here.

Enjoy!!

Brussels Sprouts: AMAZING Recipe

Oh man, of all the vegetables I hated growing up, brussels sprouts topped the list.  I still believe that there is nothing worse than a steamed brussels sprout, however, I have discovered that with a teeny bit of fat, and a super hot oven, these little morsels can end up pretty tasty!  In an honest effort to combat their bad rap, here is a fool proof recipe that will make even the pickiest eater gobble them down, and if all else fails, throw in some bacon... it solves everything...

Maple Cayenne Roasted Brussels Sproutsadapted from Everyday Food magazine

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt and spread on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Roast 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway. They should be tender and browned.
4. While the sprouts are roasting, in a small bowl, combine maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
5. Pour the maple syrup/cayenne mixture over the sprouts, stir to coat, return to oven for one more minute.
6. Serve and enjoy!