Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

I try and make at least two vegetarian meals a week to lower our meat consumption and this weekend I made these great sweet potato and black bean burritos. They were filling, low calorie, tasty and got the husband approval...which is always a plus! 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato - chopped

1 jalapeño - chopped

1 bell pepper - chopped

1/2 onion - chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 can black beans

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 cilantro - chopped

Splash of lime juice

Reduced fat cheddar cheese

Whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Mix all the raw veggies together with spices and olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place in oven for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Once done roasting - mix veggies with black beans, cilantro and lime juice.

Warm your wheat tortillas or wraps in microwave according to directions on package. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil spray.

Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over, fold in sides, place in pan and continue to roll the others. Place into your baking dish, seam side down so that they stay together.

Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Baking this way will make the tortilla wrap crisp. For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for same amount of time.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I enjoy baking because I have a big sweet tooth and I love how my house smells afterwards. My favorite desserts are cookies but I like to switch it up once in awhile....so when I came across these lemon poppy seed muffins - I had to give it a try! They turned out great and are perfect for a dessert or breakfast! 

Ingredients:

For the Muffins:
2/3 cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

For the Icing:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. To Make the Muffins: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream or Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended.

3. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir to blend. Don't overmix. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Cool the muffins completely on the rack before icing them.

5. To Make the Icing: Put the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl and add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Stir with a spoon to moisten the sugar, then add enough additional lemon juice, a dribble at a time, to get an icing that is thin enough to drizzle from the tip of the spoon. Drizzle glaze over the muffins. Serve.

"Fried" Chicken and Waffles

I'll never forget the first time my husband took me to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles....it was scrumptious. I had the fried chicken and two waffles and ate every piece...it was amazing. I wanted to recreate my own healthy version at home...so I searched for the perfect recipe. I tried this recipe from one of my favorite blogs and it turned out really great. For the waffles I bought the Trader Joes wheat free toaster waffles with pure maple syrup...delicious.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 1/2 cups bran flakes
• 3 tsp kosher salt, less if you are using regular salt
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with foil and set a rack above. Spray rack with oil. 

Crush cereal in a food processor or chopper. In a bowl mix crushed cereal with salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Place in a shallow dish or ziplock bag. 

Combine mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Using a cooking brush, brush onto chicken then coat chicken with crushed cereal mixture. Place chicken on wire rack and spray with oil. Bake 35-40 minutes.

Easy Spinach Salad

I try to eat as healthy as I can and sometimes it's a little hard to always stay on track...especially on the weekends. So today instead of going out to eat for lunch...I made a salad. I know salads can be boring, which is why I try and load my salads with lots of yummy extras! This salad tastes great, healthy and will keep you full! 

Ingredients:

Half bag of spinach

3 scrambled egg whites

3 slices of turkey

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1 Persian cucumber

1 tomato

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

5 grapes

1 pickle

Slice of low fat mozzarella cheese

Orange muscat champagne vinaigrette dressing (trader joes) 

Directions:

 

Take first 6 ingredients and mix them in a big bowl. Mix with salad dressing. Place the last 4 ingredients on top of salad. 

Spaghetti Squash and Cheese Bake

Who doesn't love mac and cheese? I know I do...but I hate all the calories and fat that goes into it. So... I tried this new recipe that substitutes the macaroni for spaghetti squash and uses a reduced fat cheese. It was amazing!!! I will probably never make regular mac and cheese again.

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup flour 

2 cups skim milk

1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)

8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar

salt and pepper, to taste

4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach

1/8 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes.

Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper.

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake until bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.

Light Chicken Francese

I cook most weekday nights and after a long day of work and the gym - the last thing I want to do is cook a meal that takes a long time to prepare. I came across this recipe and not only did it look very appetizing, it was easy to prepare, healthy and another great tasting chicken dish to add to the list!

Ingredients:

• 4 large (32 oz) chicken breast halves, thinly sliced in 3 (12 cutlets total)
• 1/4 cup unbleached flour*
• 1/2 cup egg whites, beaten
• 1 large lemon, juice of (about 3 tbsp) or more, to taste
• 1/2 lemon sliced thin
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 15 oz low sodium chicken broth
• cooking spray
• salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp butter
  

Directions:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a bowl, and the beaten egg whites in another bowl.

Heat a very large non stick pan over medium heat. When hot spray with cooking spray to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.

Lightly flour chicken, then dip in eggs and add to the hot pan a few at a time. Saute chicken 2-3 minutes on each side. When cooked, transfer onto a plate. Spray the pan again and repeat until all chicken has been cooked.

Once all chicken is cooked, place the chicken broth in the bowl with 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk. Add to the pan along with the juice of the lemon, white wine, lemon slices, parsley and butter and simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes so it reduces slightly and thickens. Turn off heat. Return chicken to the pan to combine with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Kumara (Sweet Potato) Tandoori Salad

I'm really excited to share this recipe! Not only does it fall into the gluten free, vegan and clean diets...it tastes amazing! I've already made this a couple of times and I can't wait to make it again.

I love the complex combination of the sweet, sour and spicy flavors in this salad. Sweet potatoes and curry work so well together, and the acidity from the vinaigrette just balances all the flavors out.

Ingredients:

• 20 oz (2 medium) sweet potato, peeled and diced 1-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced in fine strips
• 1/4 small red onion, sliced fine
• 4 cups baby spinach

For the salad dressing:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp curry powder  

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Mix the sweet potato with 2 tbsp of oil, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, cumin and curry powder. Make sure the sweet potato is well coated, then them onto a large non-stick baking tray.

Bake 15-17 minutes, toss then bake for additional 15-17 minutes, or until cooked through.

While the sweet potato is cooking, mix the salad dressing together in a large bowl and add the onions.
Remove the roasted sweet potatoes from the oven and while still hot, toss them into the large bowl with the salad dressing and let them cool before tossing with the bell pepper and spinach.
Divide equally between 4 plates.