Spinach frittata with bacon and cheese
Posted: August 31, 2011 Filed under: Bacon, Breakfast, Brunch, Low Carb, Quick 3 Comments »We had a clean out the fridge dinner the other day. After a few days of guests here, parties, etc we had a ton of food that HAD to be used up now. So, I inventoried what I had and came up with a weekly menu. We had a lot of eggs and bacon leftover so a frittata it was. I threw in what we had on hand to our liking and it was great. Choose your favorite egg add-ins and bake. It’s that easy! Adapted from several recipes on-line but came up with what worked for us! Easy, healthy, and a great way to use up extras in your fridge. I paired with a side salad and this was a perfect meal for us!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
8 eggs-I used half eggs and half egg beaters
½ cup whole milk-Used 2%
½ lb fresh spinach, rinsed, dried and torn into roughly 1-inch pieces
8 slices bacon
1 red pepper diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Fresh ground pepper and salt, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Chop spinach, pepper and bacon. Toss in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs and milk. Add in cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into a prepared baking dish and bake at 450 for 20-30 or until all the eggs are set and cooked thru.
***You can also start cooking this in an oven safe skillet on the stove until the sides are set and finish in the oven, but I just put it in the oven the whole time in an oven safe baking dish. ***
Garlic Tilapia with blueberries and tender greens (clean eating)
Posted: August 29, 2011 Filed under: Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick Leave a comment »Another tasty and oh so easy Clean Eating Magazine hit! This was not only crazy easy to make but tasted great and used my favorite fruit, blueberries! This recipe shows that once again you can eat healthy even on a busy night!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 3-oz boneless, skinless tilapia filets, rinsed and patted
dry
1 pint blueberries
7 oz mixed spring greens-I just used spinach as that was all I had on hand
1/2 tsp
sea salt
Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium for 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until garlic is translucent.
Using a slotted spatula, transfer garlic to a plate. Set aside.
Add tilapia to skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes, uncovered, then gently flip tilapia over and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove filets from skillet and set aside.
Add blueberries, greens, salt and reserved garlic to skillet. Cook for 3 minutes or until greens begin to wilt.
Serve 1 tilapia filet with about 3/4 cup greens mixture.
Serving Size: Makes 4 servings
Lobsta rolls (clean eating)
Posted: August 26, 2011 Filed under: Brunch, Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Light and healthy, Quick, Sandwich 1 Comment »I was very intrigued by this recipe in clean eating magazine. I had always seen recipes for this laden with mayo, fats, and oils and wondered how they could clean it up, make it still taste great and be healthy. Well they did it all. Not only tasty, and healthy and light, but it was easy to make!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp low fat evoo mayo-I like the Kraft kind
2 tbsp non-fat greek yogurt
1 scallion thinly sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped dill
12 oz chilled cooked lobster meat chopped
fresh ground salt and pepper
ww buns to serve (H had his on white bun)
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and gently fold. Chill until needed.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and toast the buns lightly.
Scoop lobster mixture into toasted buns and I also added some spinach as well. Serve immediately.
Raspberry and brie flatbreads (clean eating)
Posted: August 24, 2011 Filed under: Appetizer, Cheese, Clean eating, Pizza, Quick 2 Comments »I love brie cheese mixed with a fruit, especially in baked brie. So as I came across this recipe in the clean eating magazine recently, I knew I would love it. Sure enough it was great. I did add some chicken to my H’s flatbread as he does require some meat, but add a side salad and this is a perfect meal! I used low carb ww wraps for mine and ww pita for H’s. Easy and delish! My adapted recipe below:
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
Evoo cooking spray
2 onions chopped-I used green onions
1 1/2 tsp rosemary leaves chopped
fresh ground pepper and salt
14 ounces store bough ww pizza dough-We used wraps and pita
3 1/2 ounces brie
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
2 tbsp basil leaves chopped
Directions:
Make pizza dough and partially cook to your directions. (It should make 4 portions)
While pizza dough is partially cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and add onions and cook until soft. Add rosemary and pepper.
Once pizza dough is partially cooked, take out of oven and top with onion mixture, brie, raspberries and basil. Bake until cheese is golden brown, for ours is was at 400 degrees for 7-10 mins.
Serve immediately!
Salmon stuffed with goat cheese and arugula
Posted: August 22, 2011 Filed under: Brunch, Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick 1 Comment »I love goat cheese. I love salmon. And I have recent found a love for arugula. So as I was searching around for a new salmon recipe, I came upon this recipe and adapted it to salmon and what I had on hand. It was not only super easy to make, but oh so good!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 thick salmon filets
2-4 ounces goat cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it)
1 cup arugula
fresh ground pepper and salt
evoo for baking dish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven is heating, slit the salmon on the side until you have cut it almost in half and it opens like a book. Lay it flat. Top the flat salmon with a thick layer of goat cheese and then arugula. Tightly roll up the salmon filet and close with toothpicks. Set in a shallow baking dish with a bit of evoo on the bottom. Finish with 2nd salmon. Top both with a bit of evoo and salt and pepper.
Bake for 10-15 mins or until done, depending on the thickness of your salmon. Serve immediately!
Brownies topped with salted caramel peanut topping
Posted: August 19, 2011 Filed under: Bars-dessert and cookie, Brownies, Caramel, Chocolate, Dessert Leave a comment »OMG OMG OMG make these today. I mean really, get up and make these brownies now. They are crazy, insane good. Found on Smells like home blog, as soon as I saw them I put them on my next to bake list. These are heavenly!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
For the Brownies:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp boiling or very hot tap water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
For the Praline Topping
1 cup pecans (or honey roasted or salted peanuts)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup firmly packed golden (light) brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9″x13″ baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving several inches hanging over the short ends of the pan. Grease the foil with butter or cooking spray.
In a large metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate and stir until the chocolate and butter have completely melted. Alternatively, you can melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl on medium-high for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate and butter have melted together. Stir in both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla all at once and stir until the batter is smooth and shiny. In a small bowl, combine the espresso powder and the boiling water; stir into the brownie mixture. Stir in the flour and salt – do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it evenly. Bake 20-30 minutes, until the brownies have just begun to shrink away from the sides of the pan. Do not overbake; the brownies should be slightly wet inside. Cool completely, about 1 hour at room temperature or 15 minutes in the freezer. Leave the oven at 350 degrees F.
To make the praline topping:
Arrange pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast for 7 to 9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Break the nuts into large pieces. If you’re using peanuts, you can skip this step.
In a 2 1/2 quart saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup and stir over medium-low heat until the mixture is smooth and the butter has melted. Bring to a slow boil; boil without stirring, about 6 minutes. (If the mixture starts to boil over, you’ve set the heat too high. Turn down the heat a notch.) Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and pecans or peanuts. Pour the topping over the cooled brownies, spreading it with a knife or spatula to cover evenly.
Let the topping cool at least 15 minutes at room temperature. Lift the brownies, still in the foil, out of the pan. Cut them into small 2-inch squares – these babies are rich. (I used a round cookie cutter to cut mine)
Shrimp burgers
Posted: August 17, 2011 Filed under: Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Light and healthy, Sandwich 1 Comment »Ahhh my love of burgers goes on. When I saw this recipe on Josie’s blog, I knew I had to make it to add to my list of burgers. I knew it would be a hit and it was. I made sure to chill extra long to keep the burger from falling apart and it cooked up perfectly!!!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 quarts water
1 recipe shrimp boil (recipe follows)
1 pound shrimp, shells on
2 Tbs chopped fresh scallions
1/3 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob
2 Tbs chopped parsley
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbs mayonnaise
1 Tbs Greek yogurt
1 cup breadcrumbs, preferably fresh
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
hot sauce, to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbs canola oil
Extras to serve them up:
4 hamburger buns, split
tomato
lettuce
tartar sauce (recipe follows)
fresh lemon wedges
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring the water and shrimp boil to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat and add the shrimp. Let stand until they are just pink, about 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Peel and devein the shrimp, and chop. You should have 1 1/2 – 2 cups of chopped shrimp.
In a large bowl, mix the shrimp with scallions, corn, parsley, ginger, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir in the mayonnaise, yogurt, and bread crumbs, and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Add the egg and gently fold with a spatula until evenly distributed.
From the shrimp mixture into 4 patties, each about 3-4 inches in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to several hours.
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. When it shimmers, add the burgers and cook until both sides are golden-brown, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined dinner plate.
Toast the buns in the empty skillet until golden brown, and serve the burgers with a squeeze of lemon, lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce.
Shrimp Boil
1 Tbs peppercorns
1 Tbs celery seeds
6 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 Tbs ground cayenne pepper.
Combine the peppercorns, celery seeds, bay leaves, and salt in the bowl of a food processor or chopper, and pulse several times to grind the peppercorns and combine the spices. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the cayenne.
Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup drained relish (chowchow, artichoke, okra, pickle, etc)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
hot sauce, to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well. Taste and add additional hot sauce, salt, or pepper to taste. Cover and chill until ready to serve
Tuna burgers
Posted: August 3, 2011 Filed under: Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Grilled, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick Leave a comment »I love burgers. Turkey burgers, steak burgers, chicken burgers, salmon burgers, etc. So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. I did change a few things about the recipe tho. Instead of canned tuna, I used tuna steaks and chopped them in my food processor. I did use fewer eggs than suggested and instead of eggs, I used egg beaters. I posted my recipe below, but click the link above and you can find the original recipe!
You can grill or skillet cook these patties. I find a skillet with a bit of evoo works the best!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 (4-6-ounce) tuna steaks
1/2 cup breadcrumbs-I used ww panko
2 large eggs, lightly beaten-I used only 1 egg’s worth of egg beaters
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped pimento, optional-I omitted this
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Toppings:
We used:
White extra sharp cheddar
Spinach
Sliced tomatoes
Directions:
Throw all ingredients into a food processor and coarsely chop.
Once chopped, mix by hand throughly to incorporate and well mix all ingredients.
Make patties. Chill patties at leat 30 mins to firm up.
Heat grill or pan and brush with a bit of evoo.(I found a skillet heated with a bit of oil works the best on these patties) Add patties, salt and pepper to taste, and grill or cook on both sides about 5 mins each side.
Top with cheese and let melt about one minute.
Serve immediately with lettuce (we used spinach) and tomatoes.
