Shrimp with Broccoli
Chopped broccoli florets from 1 bunch
Raw peeled, deveined shrimp (~8 oz)
Chopped garlic (more or less depending on how much you like it - I use a LOT, ~2T total)
Low sodium soy sauce
Toss broccoli with half of chopped garlic and steam until done to your liking. Toss shrimp with other half of garlic and steam until done (can alternately saute these in ~1t of olive oil with a few drops of sesame oil). Do NOT overcook shrimp - it only takes a few minutes and they will become rubbery if overcooked! Top bed of broccoli with shrimp and sprinkle with soy sauce. Serve over brown rice if desired, makes 2 servings.
Portobello Wrap
Marinate a portobello mushroom in balsamic vinaigrette (store bought or homemade) for at least an hour. Grill on a Foreman grill or use a grill pan or broil it until cooked through. Cut into strips. Add to a high-fiber tortilla, like those from La Tortilla Factory, and add your favorite other fillings - shredded carrot, mixed greens, a small amount of goat cheese, alfalfa sprouts, tomato, avocado, bell peppers, cucumber, hummus, etc. I find it tasty warm or cold.
Go-To Chicken Dinner
Pound 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts until they're ~1/4" thick
Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat with ~1/2T olive oil
Add chicken breasts, lightly seasoning with salt and pepper as you cook them
After turning them over, add ~1/4c chicken broth to the pan and a couple splashes of white wine or the juice of half a lemon (too much of the lemon can get bitter fast!). Add some dried oregano to taste or parsley for color.
Finish cooking the chicken, and the liquid will reduce. Add more lemon as desired. Serve with fresh green beans (or asparagus) that was steamed or blanched then tossed with a small amount of oil, lemon juice and chopped garlic.
Mmmm. Broccoli.
Toss raw broccoli florets in a large plastic bag with ~1T olive oil, a few dashes of soy sauce, a heaping tablespoon of chopped garlic, a couple oz of feta cheese, and a splash of lemon or lime juice. Bake at 350F until it is cooked to your liking (I don't like it to get mushy).
Ina Garten's Lentils (from her Salmon and Lentils recipe)
This is barely edited from foodnetwork.com - I took out the salmon part because I found it made a spattery mess, though it tasted fine.
1⁄2 pound French green lentils (lentilles du Puy - they hold their shape after cooking and never turn mushy like "regular" lentils)
1⁄4 cup good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 1⁄2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
1 1⁄2 cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 1⁄2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or good canned broth (ahem)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar (n.b. no more, no less - it makes the dish!)
Place the lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan, add the onions, leeks, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the drained lentils, celery, carrots, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the vinegar and season, to taste.
Sweet Potato Biscuits and Turkey Sausage and Gravy
Ok, this isn't exactly healthy. But it's healthier than it could be. Adding sweet potato to the biscuits makes them slightly less of a guilty pleasure, and the turkey sausage cuts a lot of the fat of pork sausage. Biscuit recipe slightly modified from chow.com
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 cup baked, mashed sweet potato (about 1 medium potato)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold
Heavy cream for brushing the tops
1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate large bowl, mix together milk and mashed sweet potato until evenly combined.
2. Cut in cold butter to the dry ingredients until butter is coated. Add milk mixture and mix lightly until a lumpy dough forms.
3. Turn out mixture onto a floured surface and knead just until it comes together. (The dough will not be smooth.) Handling the dough as little as possible gives biscuits a lighter, fluffier texture.
4. Pat into a circle and use a floured rolling pin to roll dough to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or glass, cut the dough into rounds. Avoid twisting the cutter! Gather leftover dough into a circle, reroll until dough is used.
5. Place biscuits on a baking sheet, brush tops with heavy cream, and bake until the bottoms are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 cup baked, mashed sweet potato (about 1 medium potato)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold
Heavy cream for brushing the tops
1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate large bowl, mix together milk and mashed sweet potato until evenly combined.
2. Cut in cold butter to the dry ingredients until butter is coated. Add milk mixture and mix lightly until a lumpy dough forms.
3. Turn out mixture onto a floured surface and knead just until it comes together. (The dough will not be smooth.) Handling the dough as little as possible gives biscuits a lighter, fluffier texture.
4. Pat into a circle and use a floured rolling pin to roll dough to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or glass, cut the dough into rounds. Avoid twisting the cutter! Gather leftover dough into a circle, reroll until dough is used.
5. Place biscuits on a baking sheet, brush tops with heavy cream, and bake until the bottoms are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
While biscuits are baking, put the contents of a packet of turkey sausage into a saute pan and crumble. Cook until it is no longer pink. Add a couple pinches of freshly crumbled sage. Add ~1T olive oil during cooking if pan is dry. Sprinkle 1/4c flour over sausage, and cook for 30sec or so, then add 2 cups of skim milk. Bring back to a simmer and it will thicken. Add salt (or powdered chicken boullion) and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve over biscuits.
