Veggie Chop Quinoa Salad

Posted on January 30, 2014 by eatlessvelveeta

After a couple months of heavy holiday indulging, it feels much better to be back on the clean eating routine. Another cooking-obsessed friend of mine got a couple of new cookbooks and this dish caught my eye. Obviously there could be variations galore, but this combo works pretty well. I can’t wait to make it again next week with some different fresh herbs and other veggies.

RECIPE: Veggie Chop Quinoa Salad

1 cup cooked quinoa, room temp or chilled
1 cup chopped carrots
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 cup sliced, steamed green beans, room temp or chilled
1/2 cooked, sliced mushrooms (lightly sauteed in olive oil)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
juice of 1 lemon
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS: Add all chopped veggies and walnuts to a large bowl and toss to combine. Add quinoa and toss again. Then whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, tarragon, salt and pepper. Pour over the veggie/quinoa mixture and toss well. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve room temperature or chilled. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Parsley, Parmesan & Chile Oil

Posted on October 4, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

Many, many weeks ago, I noticed a lovely spaghetti squash growing from our neighbor’s garden through the crack of our fence. I’ve been eyeballing it ever since, watching it mature, wondering about its fate. Luckily Matt asked our very friendly neighbor if he wanted to back, and he graciously said it was all ours. Sweet! Now, what to do…

Since I love the concept of spaghetti squash more than I like spaghetti squash itself, I was scouring the internet for anything that inspired me. Then it hit me…what about a marriage of the imposter ‘spaghetti’ with actual spaghetti – well, brown rice spaghetti to make it gluten free and give it a healthy boost. The best part? This recipe has half the starch of a delicious pasta dinner, yet all of the satisfaction.

RECIPE: Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Parsley, Parmesan & Chile Oil

2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash, warm (cooking methods below)
2 cups cooked brown rice spaghetti, warm (break in half before cooking)
3 TBSP garlic and chile infused olive oil (see below)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (reserved 3 TBSP for garnish)
3 TBSP freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (reserve 1 tsp for garnish)
1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)
red chile flakes (for garnish)
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into a small saucepan. Add 2 cloves of smashed garlic and 1/2 tsp red chile flakes. Slowly heat oil until garlic starts to brown. Remove from heat and strain to remove the chiles and garlic (you’ll have more than the recipe requires – store it in the fridge).

Add 3 tablespoons of infused oil and lemon zest to a large bowl. Add brown rice pasta and toss. Add spaghetti squash and toss again. Throw in Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm or room temperature; top with a little more cheese, parsley, a few red chile flakes and cracked black pepper. Drizzle with a little more infused olive oil, if desired. Enjoy!

COOKING SPAGHETTI SQUASH: There are a couple ways to cook a spaghetti squash. Usually I roast it in the oven (instructions can be found at the bottom of THIS PAGE >). But for this recipe, I prefer no color at all, and want the squash to remain a little al dente. The fastest means to an end is the microwave. (I almost never use the microwave, but for this, I make an exception.) *Carefully* stab a few holes in the squash with a chef’s knife so the steam can escape. Put the squash in a glass dish and microwave uncovered for 8-10 minutes. Let it rest for 15 minutes or so. Slice the squash in half the long way, scoop out the seeds and then using a folk, scrape out the strands of warm, delicious squash. If you’ve never worked with it before, you find a video tutorial on YouTube.

Really Neat Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Posted on October 3, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

I’m really excited to write this blog post because it features a product I’ve wanted to try ever since I read about it in August. I local family right here in Lancaster County is rolling out a new meat alternative called ‘neat.’ Described as the market’s first shelf-stable, soy-and-gluten-free meat alternative, the goal was to appeal to more than vegetarians; they were looking to create something that would satisfy any meat-etarian, too. More importantly, they were wary of meat stand-ins already out there, which typically contain chemical additives and genetically engineered soy. Neat is a perfectly balanced combination of pecans, garbanzo and white beans for protein, plus organic cornmeal. When you add a little egg (or vegan egg replacement) and a splash of water, you have the fixins’ for an awesome ground beef alternative – perfect for anyone trying to lower their cholesterol through diet. Did I mention it’s delicious, priced comparably to a pound of ground beef, and if you don’t live in Lancaster County, can be purchased on Amazon?

This morning I came home with my very first package of neat. I decided to make stuffed peppers because I had some veggies that I wanted to use and always have organic canned tomatoes on hand. But since neat introduced its product to the marketplace leading with their Mexican mix, that was all I could find – so my stuffed peppers which are usually filled with ground beef and Italian style, turned vegetarian and Mexican on the fly.

RECIPE: Really Neat Mexican Stuffed Peppers

1 pkg of neat, prepared per package directions – 2 eggs + 2 TBSP water
1 cup of cooked brown rice
3 bell peppers (I like red, but you can use whatever you like), cut in half, seeds removed and blanched for 5 minutes to soften
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large zucchini, sides removed and diced (core is discarded)
1 carrot, diced
2 cans of diced tomatoes, whizzed in blender for just a moment to break up large chunks (no need to drain)
3 cloves of garlic
dried oregano
1 cup shredded monterey jack, pepper jack or mexican blend cheese
scallions chopped for garnish
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: After blanching and draining the pepper halves, arrange on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Broil on high just until the edges of the pepper start to blacken. Remove from oven and set aside. Re-set the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and brown neat like you would ground beef. Set aside. Add a little more olive oil and add the onion, zucchini, carrots, dried oregano, salt and pepper to the pan. Saute just until veggies start to brown (approx 5 minutes); pour in tomatoes; let simmer for 5 minutes; adjust salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 2 cups of sauce for topping.

Add neat and brown rice to the mixture and combine. Spoon mixture evenly among pepper halves. Top with reserved tomato mixture and cheese; bake covered with foil for 45 minutes. Remove foil for the last ten minutes to get a little color on the cheese. Garnish with fresh scallions. Enjoy!

Warm Quinoa and Radicchio Salad with Balsamic Glaze and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Posted on September 30, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

A friend of mine posted a pasta dish she made with radicchio recently and the flavor combination was interesting. Since I don’t eat a whole lot of pasta, I wanted to use those flavors in another way. Of course quinoa is my go-to carb because it’s super clean and has more protein than any other starch. So yes, here is another quinoa recipe that even my picky strongman boyfriend ate with very little grumbling.

RECIPE: Warm Quinoa and Radicchio Salad with Balsamic Glaze and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 1/3 cups chicken (or veg) stock (reserve 1/3 for assembly)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 small head of radicchio, sliced into thin strips
3 TBSP roughly chopped flat leaf parsley, reserve 1 tsp for garnish
balsamic glaze
1/2 shaved parmigiano-reggiano
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 TBSP olive oil

DIRECTIONS: Bring 2 cups of stock to a boil and add quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until liquid evaporates; about 20 minutes (do NOT overcook). Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds; then add tomato paste and stir for another 30 seconds. Pour in reserved 1/3 cup of stock and stir garlic/tomato paste until it reduces by half and it’s all incorporated. Add quinoa back into the skillet and stir until garlic mixture is evenly distributed. Drizzle a TBSP of balsamic into quinoa along with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat; toss in radicchio and parsley. Pour onto a serving platter. Drizzle with more balsamic glaze and top with the shaved parm and reserved parsley. Enjoy!

High Protein Chicken Pot Pies with Parsnips in Greek Yogurt Goat Milk Cream Sauce

Posted on September 29, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

My friend, Lois, asked me if I could figure out a healthier version of chicken pot pie. I have to say it’s a bit of a challenge to replace all of the goodness in that ooey, gooey comfort food full of chicken and veggies floating in a rich, creamy sauce of butter and heavy cream underneath a crispy pastry shell. But it is possible.

After a couple of trials, it’s clear the answer lies in compromise. This recipe cuts a ton of fat from the filling and adds a bunch of protein to the mix. Although you can top it with an olive oil pie crust top or simply sprinkle it with fresh breadcrumbs made from high-fiber, whole grain or gluten free bread, I recommend a little splurge by keeping the puff pastry top – it is a comfort food, after all. Also, if you bake it in a deeper dish as opposed to a wider one, you can cut the pastry you need in half – which cuts the fat and calories in half, too. Here goes…

RECIPE: High Protein Chicken Pot Pies with Parsnips in Greek Yogurt Goat Milk Cream Sauce

1 roasted chicken, skin removed and rough chopped (rotisserie chicken will work if you don’t want to roast your own)
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups goat milk (or almond or cow’s milk if you don’t like the taste of goat milk)
1/2 block greek cream cheese, cut in pieces
2 cups nonfat greek yogurt
6 TBSP oat flour (or gluten free)
olive oil
1 cup peas, frozen is fine
3 TBSP freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
cracked black pepper
1/4 cup brandy
1 sheet puff pastry (or gluten free pie crust/bread crumbs)
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS: First, remove the skin and bones from the roasted chicken, give the meat a rough chop and set aside. (Use just the breasts from two chickens if you want to make it extra healthy). Put the chicken carcass in a small sauce pot and add just over two cups of chicken stock. Simmer for 30 minutes to infuse some extra chicken flavor into the broth. Trust me – it makes a difference. Strain and set aside. Remove puff pastry from freezer and thaw until you can unfold it. Sprinkle a board with oat flour and roll pastry just a bit to remove the seams and thin out a little bit.

Next, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of a dutch oven or a large, deep saute pan. Saute onion, celery, carrots, parsnips, thyme and seasoning over medium/medium-high heat until the veggies become translucent and barely start to brown (about 5 minutes). Deglaze the pan with the brandy and stir for another minute. Sprinkle the oat flour on the veggies and stir for a minute or two. Slowly add the warm chicken stock to the veggies, whisking as it thickens to avoid lumps. Then add the goat milk, 1/2 block of cream cheese, peas, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes. Turn off heat. Whisk in greek yogurt; add chicken and parsley. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Divide mixture among 4 large or 6 smaller oven-safe bowls, mugs or ramekins (something that is deeper, rather than a long cassarole-shaped dish that would require more pastry to cover). Whatever dish you use, flip it upside down on the pastry and cut out a shape slightly larger than your dish. Cover the filled dishes with the slightly oversized pastry and push it against the edges. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and using a knife, cut a couple of slits in the top to let the steam escape. Bake the pot pies in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry puffs up and turns a nice golden brown.

Enjoy!

Salmon Kale Cakes with Sweet & Spicy Mustard Jam

Posted on August 30, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

Sometimes dinner comes from the pantry because I can’t spend every day shopping or waiting for something to defrost. This recipe happened one day when the fridge was pretty bare. With the exception of the kale, everything else tends to be a staple for most. The jam is something my mom recently made for shrimp, so I thought it would be tasty on the salmon cakes, and it was. Serve the whole shebang on top of a large arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette. This recipe makes 2 large or 3 average sized cakes.

RECIPE: Salmon Kale Cakes

1 cup finely chopped kale
1 5oz pkg skinless/boneless wild salmon
2 slices of bread, crumbled in food processor (use whole grain or gluten free)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup mayo
salt & pepper
olive oil
chopped green onions (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly with clean hands. Form into patties. (They’ll be kind of loose, but pat them together as tightly as possible and handle with care while putting them into the pan.) Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the pan. Gently set salmon cakes in pan, leaving enough room to flip when it’s time.) Cook over medium heat until the first side is brown. Carefully flip over and cook until the second side browns and the cake is heated all the way through.

RECIPE: Spicy Mustard Jam

1/2 cup peach, apricot or pineapple jam or orange marmalade
2 tsp thai sweet chile (optional)
3 tsp spicy chinese or coleman’s english mustard
pinch of salt
2 TBSP water

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Add as much or as little of the water as you need, depending on the consistency of the jam you choose. Top the salmon cakes with a generous spoonful of jam and sprinkle liberally with chopped green onions. Enjoy!

Cream of Baby Bella Mushroom Soup

Posted on August 29, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

I LOVE mushroom soup. When I was little, mushroom soup was always the clear winner over chicken noodle – much like tomato juice was always the clear winner over orange. (I think I was a weird kid.) As an adult, I make mushroom soup a thousand different ways. Sometimes thin, sometimes thick, sometimes chunky in a broth, sometimes pureed with ‘cream of’ in front of its name. Hungarian style loaded with paprika, or traditional style that tastes a little like Thanksgiving. But I wrote this recipe because I was looking for a super fast and healthy way to make my favorite soup. No butter, no flour, no sauteing – no guilt. This recipe makes two large or three average size bowls, so double it as you wish. Here goes:

RECIPE: Cream of Baby Bella Mushroom Soup

1 box chicken stock (vegetable stock, if you’re a vegetarian)
24oz mushrooms (crimini) sliced – reserve a cup, finely chopped
1 large shallot (or 1/4 onion)
1/2 tsp dry thyme
4 TBSP brandy
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 block cream cheese

Add stock to a large soup pot and bring to a rolling simmer over medium heat. Slice mushrooms in a food processor (or rough chop); it doesn’t much matter since you’ll be pureeing this soup anyway. Add those to the stock. Slice the shallot; throw that in the pot. Add the thyme, brandy, salt and pepper into the pot and let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Puree using an stick blender or regular blender. Put back on stove over low heat; add chunks of cream cheese and remaining chopped mushrooms. Simmer on low for 10 more minutes stir until cream cheese melts completely into the soup. Re-season with salt and pepper, if needed. Great drizzled with olive oil and cracked black pepper, or even topped with homemade croutons (recipe can be found here: SPICY GARLIC CROUTONS). Enjoy!

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Goat Cheese Dipping Sauce

Posted on August 27, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

I saw this idea in Bon Appetite last time I traveled to Santa Fe. Roasting a whole cauliflower? Brilliant. Immediately I thought of it as the new “bloomin’ onion” because lord knows that dish will kill us in a heartbeat. This, conceptually, is the same. It has the same wow factor on the table and is great for sharing. Plus it has a dipping sauce to make it complete. The only problem with the Bon Appetite version for me, is the amount of fat in the cheese accompaniment because it uses four cheeses plus heavy whipping cream. So I wrote a new recipe to give it some health value. This is important because when you eat this once, you’ll want to make it all week long. In fact, I’ve considered just throwing another cauliflower in the pot while the brine is still hot because the other one was gone in five minutes flat. It also makes a great side dish when quartered and drizzled with the sauce.

RECIPE: Whole Roasted Cauliflower

2 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sea or kosher salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon honey
2 bay leaves
1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring wine, oil, kosher salt, juice, butter, red pepper flakes, sugar, bay leaf, and 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add cauliflower, reduce heat, and simmer, turning occasionally, until a knife easily inserts into center, 15-20 minutes.

Using 2 slotted spoons, transfer cauliflower to a rimmed baking dish, draining well. Roast, rotating halfway through, until brown all over, 30-40 minutes.

RECIPE: Goat Cheese Dipping Sauce

8 ounces lowfat cottage cheese
4 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Add cheese to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt to your liking and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. NOTE: you can do this in a blender, but it may require a splash or two of water to get it going.) NOTE: If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, you can swap it out with Feta or Greek cream cheese.

Transfer cauliflower to a plate. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken with Stir Fried Garlic Ginger Green Beans

Posted on August 27, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

Every Sunday, I marathon cook. And mostly that means making a pile of lunch that reheats well and is large enough to feed my giant man for five days. He and all of his strongman buddies eat, eat, eat and then they eat some more. Especially right before a show, they’re packing in the protein and intentionally OD’ing on (pretty healthy) calories as often as they can. This recipe is simple, well-balanced and even takes a little help from some store-bought Japanese teriyaki. I’ve included a homemade teriyaki recipe at the bottom of the page, but since I’m writing this recipe mostly for the strongmen, I’m taking some shortcuts that will make things easier. All-in-all, this recipe is more prep and assembly than a complicated cooking endeavor, but delicious nonetheless. It’s also a perfect meal for families during a busy weeknight (but 1/2 of the recipe would be plenty for a family of 4 average-sized human beings).

RECIPE: Teriyaki Chicken

15 chicken thighs (boneless/skinless)
1/2 – 1 cup teriyaki sauce (Sushi Chef brand, in the black bottle)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay out chicken thighs on a sheet pan leaving a little space between them so they don’t just steam. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove pan from oven and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before slicing into strips. Toss with 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce. Taste and add more, if desired.

RECIPE: Stir Fried Garlic Ginger Green Beans

2 lbs fresh french green beans (the thin ones that usually come washed and trimmed in a plastic bag in the produce section)
3 TBSP fresh ginger root, minced
4 TBSP olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch green beans for 3-4 minutes. Drain into colander while you heat up olive oil over medium-high heat. (You should shock the green beans in ice water, but I don’t bother since I’m stir frying right away). Saute ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds.

Add green beans and toss quickly to coat, and to keep the garlic and ginger from burning. After about two minutes, the green beans will start to blister slightly. Hit the pan with soy sauce until it caramelizes. Taste the green beans and add a little more soy, if desired.

Serve chicken and green beans with a side of steamed jasmine rice and top with sesame seeds for garnish. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

2/3 cup mirin
1 cup soy sauce
4 tsp rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

DIRECTIONS:
Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and honey/agave. Add garlic and ginger; simmer 5 more minutes.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Peach Syrup

Posted on August 17, 2013 by eatlessvelveeta

I came up with this recipe one day because I was really tired of the same bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. So instead of pouring the oats into a measuring cup while I was waiting for the water to boil, I threw them into the blender with a couple other things and made a batter. Traditional pancakes have no nutritional value whatsoever – a slurry of cooked white flour slathered in butter and pancake syrup. But this recipe has no flour whatsoever; instead it uses oats for fiber, nuts for protein, hearth-healthy flax seeds topped with homemade peach syrup and a dollup of nonfat greek yogurt for even more protein. Super healthy and really satisfying if you’re craving pancakes but feel guilty veering away from your oatmeal regimen.

RECIPE: Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes with Homemade Peach Syrup

1 cup regular oats
½ cup raw almonds
½ cup buttermilk
½ unsweetened almond milk
1 egg
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
1 TBSP flax seeds
¾ cup blueberries (optional)

Put everything in a blender and blend until fairly smooth, like the consistency of pancake batter. Let sit for 15-20 minutes and add another splash or two of almond milk to adjust the consistency. (Because you’re working with raw oats, they will absorb the liquid the first time around and the batter will get thick after sitting for 15 minutes; that’s why you have to adjust the consistency again.) Cook in greased skillet as you would a regular pancake. If you wish, sprinkle with blueberries before flipping. Makes 3 hearty 6-inch pancakes.

TO MAKE THE SYRUP:
The peach syrup pays homage to my Aunt Ginny and her mother, Alice Hendrick. When she was a little girl, her mother gathered all the peach peelings and seeds which were left over from another peach project (such as pies or canning sliced peaches) and put them into a saucepan with a 2-to-1 ratio of sugar to water – just enough to barely cover the peach trimmings. After simmering for about 2 hours, watching and testing throughout, the syrup is finished when most beautiful color appears, and the taste and consistency follow.

NOTES: Like most homemade syrups, it will be thinner than actual maple. But if you want, you can continue to cook until it gets closer to a candy stage. Instead of white sugar, I recommend using organic raw sugar or maple sugar. I also added a small pinch of salt and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice as I do to any jam or chutney I make.

The peach syrup pairs perfectly with these pancakes, but pure maple syrup and a dab of butter do just fine if that’s what you have. Either way, enjoy!