Asparagus, Zucchini & Gorgonzola Pan Pizza

Eggs make a great meal and are an ideal protein food we always have in the refrigerator.  So tonight for dinner, we shared this pan pizza, inspired by a recipe from Donna Hay. 

Asparagus, Zucchini & Gorgonzola Pan Pizza
(Serves 2)

Pizza Dough
1 tsp. Rapid Rise Yeast
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/4 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Caraway Seeds
Dash Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Olive Oil
1/4 cup Warm Water
Mix and knead in mixing bowl until dough leaves sides of bowl.  Spray with Pam.  Cover bowl with damp cloth.  Let rise about 45 minutes.

Heat 1 tsp. oil in 7 inch saucepan.  Press dough into pan.  Add:
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese, part skim
2 Tbsp. Gorgonzola Cheese
1 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
Mixed, then spread across top of dough.
Top with
1/2 small Zucchini, shredded
8-10 Fresh Asparagus, peeled and thinly sliced

Cover pan with lid and cook over medium heat 5-8 minutes.
Break 2 Eggs over vegetables and cheese.
Place pan under preheated oven broiler and broil 4 minutes until eggs are set.  I placed the pan on the bottom shelf of a small oven.

Here's another favorite egg dish:

Spanish Style Fideos with Egg, inspired by Clean Eating Magazine.

Have a great weekend!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler and Chickpea Spinach Curry

I was so happy with tonight's dessert, I'll start with the recipe inspired by Food Network Magazine for a Lattice Pie.  The two of us would not eat a whole pie, nor did I want all the fat and calories in a double crust pie, so I simply made a lattice top and skipped the bottom crust. Here's my adaptation:

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobber
(Serves 3)

Filling
2 stalks Rhubarb
2 cups quartered Strawberries
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Flour
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
Trim and cut rhubarb in 1/2 in pieces.  Mix all ingredients and fill oven proof bowl sprayed with Pam.

Crust
1/3 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Dash Salt
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 Tbsp. Cold Milk
Pulse in mini food processor.  Roll out on floured cloth.  Cut in 1/2 inch strips.  Weave on top of bowl.  Tuck ends into filling.  Brush with cold milk.  Sprinkle with Turbinado Sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes.  If necessary, turn temperature up slightly at the end to brown.

The main dish was also very tasty and quite easy.  Spinach and Chickpea Curry is a recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine.  We had smaller servings, each with 1/2 Chicken Breast on the side.  Here's my adaptation:

Spinach and Chickpea Curry
(Serves 3)

1 Garlic Clove
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1/4 cup Onion, diced
Fresh Turmeric, grated
1 1/2 tsp. Curry
1/2 tsp. Garam Masala*
1 cup Chickpeas, cooked (I use the frozen cooked Hanover brand, without salt)
1/2 can Tomatoes without salt
2 cups fresh Power Greens

Sautee garlic and onion in olive oil.  Add spices.  Add tomatoes and chickpeas.  Heat, then add greens, stirring to wilt. *I love that I can buy spices at Mountain People's Co-op in just the amount I need. 

I baked the chicken breast yesterday, sliced it thinly with an electric knife and heated slightly.  This was an awesome, satisfying meal!

Cornbread Waffle with Chicken and Black Bean Salsa

I was inspired by New York's Taco in "On the Road" from Food Network Magazine that featured best tacos from each of the 50 states. (May 2014)  My recipe:

Cornbread Waffle
(Makes 4)

1/3 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Whole Grain Cornmeal
2/3 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Sugar
Mix dry ingredients

1 Egg
1/2 cup Skim Milk
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Beat together.  Fold into dry ingredients, mixing just until flour no longer shows.
Bake on preheated waffle iron sprayed with Pam.

To 1 chicken breast, I added my homemade Taco Seasoning, which is lower in sodium than any of the packaged mixes. I then baked the chicken at 350 in the toaster oven for 20 minutes.  Slice in bite size pieces.

Served with Black Bean & Corn Salsa (Hanover Brand Frozen Cooked Black Beans without salt, frozen Corn, diced Sweet Pepper, snipped Fresh Basil & Grape Tomatoes, diced), Cheddar Cheese, reduced fat, and Shredded Lettuce.

Yum!

Picnic in the Park

This solemn patriotic weekend at the beginning of summer deserves a special red, white and blue picnic in the park.  We packed a cold meal, making a few preparations yesterday and a few more this morning.  Here's my menu:

Salmon with Pineapple Mandarin Salsa
Sesame Quinoa Salad
Strawberry Cream Pie Parfaits
Grapes

The Salmon recipe is a signature Salad we make at my Healthy Café.  The original recipe was inspired by Southern Living magazine.  I baked the Salmon last night, sprinkling with a little sesame oil and lemon juice.  I made a simple salsa with Tropical Fruit I had open, adding a little soy sauce to the juice.  I topped that with cut grape tomatoes with snips of fresh basil.

   
The Honey Balsamic Dressing is another signature recipe we serve at work.

Honey Balsamic Dressing
(Serves 4)
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Water
1 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Parsley
1/8 tsp. Dry Mustard

 I cooked the multicolored quinoa this morning adding 1 Tbsp. sesame oil to the water.  After cooking, I added diced red pepper and celery.  Chilled and served in a radicchio leaf.

The Strawberry Cream Pie Parfait recipe is featured in this month's issue of Clean Eating Magazine.  I baked the crumb pieces last night and assembled the parfaits this morning.  I love that the recipe features ricotta cheese as it's very hard for me to use a whole container of it (it was also an ingredient in the Squash Casserole I made Friday).

Crumb Crust
(Serves 3)
1/2 Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 Tbsp. Almond Flour
Dash Salt
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp. Honey
1 Tbsp. Cold Water
Mix in mini food processor.  Pat into bottom of 7 inch pizza pan.  Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and break into pieces to store in Ziploc bags until ready to assemble.

Cream Filling
(Serves 2)
1/2 cup Part Skim Ricotta
2 tsp. Honey
Mix.

To assemble layer in parfait dishes:
2 Tbsp. Crumbs
2 Tbsp. Cream Filling
2 Tbsp. Sliced Strawberries
Repeat.

Paper plates are not in my cupboards, so I packed the red, white & blue table settings to accent our fun meal:

Coffee and Chili-Rubbed Roast and Vegetables

Tonight's meal was easy-peasy, made in the crockpot in just a few hours.  The seasoning recipe is from this month's Food Network Magazine.

Coffee and Chili-Rub
(for 3)

2 Tbsp. fresh ground coffee beans
2 1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
3/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Cumin

Press roast into seasoning mixture covering the top, bottom and sides. 
Peel center strip from red potatoes.  Peel and slice carrots in half.

Add vegetables, along with celery and spring onions to the crockpot sprayed with Pam.  Top with the seasoned roast.  Cook on high 1 hour, then turn to low.  (At this point, I rotated the roast to the bottom of the pot and the vegetables to the top).  Cook another 2 hours.

There was a nice juice in the pot to serve with dinner.

Squash Casserole

 

We kicked off Memorial Day weekend with this tasty casserole, based on a recipe from the new Food Network Magazine.

Squash Casserole
(Serves 4)

2 small Yellow Squash
Peel and shred.

Sauce
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Green Onion, diced
4 Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
2 Sweet Peppers, diced
1 Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage
6 Green Organic Leaves, minced
1 cup No Added Salt Tomatoes, canned
1 tsp. Olive Oil
In skillet, sauté garlic, onion and pepper. Add turkey sausage, crumble and brown.  Add mushrooms, tomatoes and snipped greens.  Heat until much of the liquid evaporates and thickens. 

Cheese
3/4 cup Part-Skim Ricotta
1/4 cup Hard Cheeses, shredded
1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash
Mix together in a bowl.

Corn Tortillas
Quarter 2 1/2 tortillas.

Spray casserole dish with Pam. 
Layer 1:  Line the baking dish bottom with tortillas.
Layer 2:  1/2 the Shredded Squash
Layer 3:  1/2 the Sauce
Layer 4:  1/2 the Cheese
Repeat layers.

Cover with foil.  Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes.  Broil for 2 minutes.
Garnish with pepper rings and grape tomatoes, halved.





My first peony and red, white and blue décor completed the perfect meal!

Rosemary Chicken Version 1 and 2

Here's 2 meals,  inspired by a recipe in the June issue of Clean Eating Magazine.  Wednesday's fare:

Rosemary Chicken & Green Beans
(Serves 2)

1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 Spring Onion, diced
1 clove Garlic, diced
1 mini Sweet Pepper, diced
1 Tomato, diced
3 Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
Saute.

1 cup No Added Salt Tomatoes, diced
1 Rosemary Sprig
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 servings Fresh Green Beans, cooked
Add to pan.  Mix with other veggies.  Move to side of pan.

2 Chicken Breasts, skinless, pounded flat
3 Tbsp. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash
Dip chicken in flour/seasoning mix.  Place in pan.  Cover and brown on each side, turning once, 4 minutes per side.  (May need to spray the pan with Pam.) 

1/4 cup Kalamata Mushrooms, cut in half
1/4 cup Mozzarella Pearls
Add to pan. 

Plate meals.  I slice the chicken breasts with my electric knife, then shingle on plate. 

2nd Verse:  Grilled Rosemary Chicken and Vegetables

We don't eat large portions of meat so I had a chicken breast and vegetables leftover from last night's meal.  So tonight, we grilled these on 7 Grain Bread from New Day Bakery. 

Together with grilled squash and tropical fruit mix, we had another awesome meal!  I love when I can use my leftovers and empty the refrigerator before grocery shopping!

 

Ratatouille Egg Bake

Sick child, hubby tied up late at work. . . sounds like a good night to fix myself an egg for dinner!  I was inspired by Kitchen Daily's recipe from the Leung Family for a "Ratatouille Brunch Bake". 

For my veggies, I repeated the recipe I made last night for Ratatouille, omitting the Italian Sausage:

1/3 small Zucchini, sliced
1/3 small Yellow Squash, sliced
1 Sweet Orange Pepper, sliced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 cup Yellow Onion, sliced
1 tsp. Fresh Oregano
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Sautee in olive oil.

1/2 cup Diced Tomatoes, canned without salt, drained
1/4 cup Cooked Northern Beans (I use the Hanover Brand, cooked without salt, frozen)
1/4 tsp. Fennel
1 1/2 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil
Add to pan.  Heat and mix with other ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In the bottom of an individual iron skillet, melt 1 Tbsp.  Earth Balance buttery spread.  Add 1 Oat Bran Dinner Roll, cubed.  Toss and coat.  (Use spread and bread of your choice.)

Cover bread with Ratatouille.  Add cheese if desired (I added 6 Fresh Mozzarella Pearls),  Crack the egg over the cheese.  Bake for 12 minutes.

Ratatouille, Turkey Italian Sausage & Oat Bran Dinner Rolls

Tonight's dinner features more of the fresh veggies I included in last night's meal and a small serving of Italian Sausage.  I'm not much for using processed foods, but our servings are small.  I cooked one Turkey Italian Sausage and split between the two of us, so we got the sweet flavor without a large amount of sodium.  The recipe was inspired by one in Clean Eating Magazine, June issue, where they used roasted pork.  Here's my adaptation:

 Ratatouille with Turkey Italian Sausage
(Serves 2)

1/3 small Zucchini, sliced
1/3 small Yellow Squash, sliced
1 Sweet Orange Pepper, sliced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 cup Yellow Onion, sliced
1 tsp. Fresh Oregano
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Sautee in olive oil.

1 cup Diced Tomatoes, canned without salt
1/2 cup Cooked Northern Beans (I use the Hanover Brand, cooked without salt, frozen)
1/4 tsp. Fennel
1 1/2 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil
Add to pan.  Heat and mix with other ingredients.

1-2 oz. Turkey Sweet Italian Sausage, skin removed, sliced
Move vegetables to one side of pan.  Brown and cook, turning as needed.

These Oat Bran Dinner Rolls were made with a Rye Starter I mixed Friday night.  The original recipe did not include the Starter Recipe, so I searched the internet for one:

Rye Sourdough Starter
1/2 cup Rye Flour
7 Tbsp. warm Water
1/8 tsp. Dry Yeast

Mix in a large crock.  Let set for 10 minutes.  Cover and set in a warm place for 24 hours.  The recipe is from Bitter Baker.  I portioned the dough into 1/4 cup (#16 scoop) portions.  If I make this recipe again, I'll use a smaller springform pan and brush the dough with egg white prior to baking.  I was able to purchase most of the ingredients in amounts for 1 recipe at Mountain People's Co-op  (the recipe calls for numerous spices, bran and flour). Oat Bran was not sold in bulk and I had to buy a package.  So I'll have to find another recipe using that!  The finished product was a little doughy in the middle, so we sliced in half and toasted prior to eating.  Still yummy!

Have a great week!

Focaccia Pizza with Summer Veggies

I won this rectangular baking stone, pizza cutter and bottle of Sangria in a raffle raising money for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation.  Saturday night was a perfect night to try them out!

The pizza crust is adapted from a recipe from Fleischmann's Yeast.

Focaccia Pizza
6 Servings

Crust
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 1/4 tsp. Rapid Rise Yeast
1 tsp. dried Oregano
1 1/4 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Dash Salt
Stir in mixer bowl.

1 cup warm water
Temp. at 125 degrees.
Add to mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

1 Egg
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Add and beat on medium speed 1 minute.

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Whole Grain Cornmeal
Slowly add to mixing bowl and knead on low speed until dough leaves side of bowl.

Cover. Let rest 10 minutes.

Spray rectangular baking sheet with Pam.  Sprinkle with Whole Grain Cornmeal.
Drop dough on to pan. Turn to coat both sides with cornmeal. Roll to sides of pan.
Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Pesto
Process in mini food processor:
1 Garlic Clove
Several sprigs Fresh Basil
2 Tbsp. Pine Nuts
1 1/2 cups Organic Greens

Spread over crust.
Top with
2 Fresh Tomatoes, sliced thin
5 oz. Fresh Mozzarella
Sprinkle of Mrs. Dash

Bake at 400 degrees 12 minutes.
Turn oven to Broil and brown in about 3 minutes.

 Summer Veggies
This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light, June issue.

1/2 Small Yellow Squash
1/2 Small Zucchini
5 Cremini Mushrooms
1 Sweet Yellow Pepper
1/4 cup Yellow Onions
1 Green Onion
Wash and clean.  Slice thinly.  (I used a mandolin)

1 Ear Corn, shucked and cut off the cob
Couple springs thyme, stems removed
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Olive Oil

Mix all ingredients together and place in a baking dish.
Bake at 400 degrees 40 minutes.

Have a wonderful evening!

Seasoned Tilapia, Brown Rice and Chickpeas, with Chocolate Balsamic Fruit Kabobs

After Friday afternoon grocery shopping, I often make a dinner with tilapia, as it's quick and easy to assemble.  This meal took only 30 minutes to prepare, with a little help from my artistic husband.

Brown Rice with Chickpeas
(Serves 2)

1 Green Onion, diced
Sautee in 1 tsp. olive oil in pan.
3/4 cup Water
5 Dried Apricots, chopped
1 cup Garbanzo Beans
(I use the cooked frozen Hanover brand without salt & simply measure from freezer)
Bring to a low boil in pan.
3/4 cup Instant Brown Rice
Add to pan.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. 
2 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
5 sprigs Fresh Basil, broken in pieces
Stir into finished product.

Seasoned Tilapia
(Serves 2)

2-4 oz. Tilapia Fillets
(thaw in microwave for 4 minutes)
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1/8 tsp. Chili Powder
Season fillets.  Add fish to nonstick pan sprayed with Pam and 1 tsp. heated olive oil.  Cook 3 minutes on each side.

These delicious fruit kabobs were featured in Food & Nutrition Magazine, May/June 2014. This is a beautiful magazine, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, of which I am an Active Member.  A subscription to this bimonthly magazine is only $10.

Chocolate Balsamic Fruit Kabobs
Developed by Beth Michaels
(Serves 2)

6 Strawberries, stems removed, quartered
1 Kiwi, peeled and cut in chunks
3/4 Mango, peeled & sliced, then cut in chunks
1 Pear, peeled, sliced and cut in chunks

1 Tbsp. White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Unsweetened Cocoa
1/2 tsp. Honey
Mix marinade ingredients, then toss fruit in marinade.

Assemble fruit on oven proof skewers. (Bob did this while I was stove top cooking) Place on toaster oven tray. 
Unsweetened Coconut, shredded
Sprinkle kabobs with coconut.
Broil in toaster oven for 10 minutes.

It is our Friday evening tradition to go out after dinner to Books A Million, read the area papers, drink coffee and get some magazines to take home.  I love our Friday night tradition, including eating in!

Happy Friday!

Mexican Pita with Homemade Taco Seasoning

I have 3 long days of professional conferences this week, so I did some preprep this morning for tonight's meal.  My husband was up early with me, so it was ok for me to get out the dough hook and knead some bread.  The recipe is for "Arab Bread" from an old Fleischmann's Yeast Book. I made enough dough for 3:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. rapid rise yeast
Mix in mixing bowl.

1 cup very warm water (125 degrees)
I use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water.  Slowly add to dry ingredients in mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Turn mixer to low.

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Slowly add to ingredients in mixing bowl.  Knead on low speed until dough leaves the sides of the bowl.  Let rest for 1 hour.

I sprayed the dough with Pam, placed it in a Rubbermaid container nearly twice the size, covered and placed in the refrigerator for the day.  When I got home, I removed the dough from the container, divided it in 3 pieces, covered and let rest on a floured surface for 30 minutes.

Roll each dough piece into a ball and bake on a stone in a very hot oven (425 degrees F) for 10 minutes.

My "pita pizza" is topped with seasoned ground meat, black beans (I use the Hanover Brand cooked frozen beans without salt), diced fresh tomatoes, yellow pepper and cilantro.  I made my own seasoning as the commercial packets are high in sodium.

Taco Seasoning 

2 cups Chili Powder
2/3 cup Ground Cumin
2/3 cup Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. 2 tsp. Ground White Pepper
1 Tbsp. 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
Mix and store in closed container.

Fresh Mozzarella Pesto Melt with Strawberry Rhubarb Fool

This was a fun Saturday night meal, easy to do and we made it together!  
My recipes serve 2.

The Fresh Mozzarella Pesto Melt is adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine:

2 cups Spring Mix
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
2 tsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Pine Nuts
1 clove Garlic

Pulse in mini food processor.

For each sandwich, spread pesto on top Grainy Bread.  I used New Day Bakery 7 Grain.
Add sliced mozzarella and
diced Kalamata Olives.
Broil in toaster oven for 10 minutes. 

The Strawberry Rhubarb Fool is adapted from the same magazine:

1 stalk Rhubarb, sliced thin
1/2 cup Fresh Strawberries, sliced thin
4 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup water 

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Stir into
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt. 
I blended this and froze while we made our sandwiches.
Just before eating, add a dollop of whipped cream and sliced strawberries.

The article said "any fool can make it since it's only a matter of folding a quickly cooked compote into whipped cream".  I used plain yogurt.

Happy Mother's Day!

Individual Pizza Crusts with Yogurt

I was inspired by a recipe from Skinny Fork for a 3 ingredient pizza crust made with Greek Yogurt, I don't use self rising flour, so here's the recipe I devised:

(Makes 2 7-inch pizza crusts)
Mix 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, dash of salt and 1 1/4 tsp. rapid rise yeast.  Heat 1/2 cup yogurt to 120 degrees (measure temperature with a thermometer).  Add yogurt to flour mixture in mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add 1 tsp. olive oil.  Turn mixer to low and slowly knead in 1/4 cup additional whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour.  Turn dough in bowl and spray with Pam.  Cover bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rest 45 minutes.

Punch dough down.  Divide in half.  On a floured surface, roll dough into a circle, slide into pan sprayed with Pam, and pinch evenly around the sides.  Cover and let rise for another 1/2 hour.  Add toppings and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

My Pesto topping is awesome too!

(Serves 2)
1/4 cup walnuts
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cups spring mix or other greens
1 tsp. olive oil
Chop finely in mini food processor.
This is great on a baked potato too!

For another look at this pizza, visit my Pinterest board, The Meal Planner. 

Spring Quiche with Asparagus and Beef

Bob and I are senior citizens and eat small portions of meat.  I like to eat beef once or twice a week and love Laura's Lean Beef and recipes.  This is one of those recipes. I made the pastry in a 7 inch pizza pan, using whole wheat pastry flour and Earth Balance Buttery Spread as the shortening.  I cut the recipe down to 2 eggs and had to discard some of the egg/milk mixture.  (Should have used a deep dish pizza pan).  I baked the shell and quiche in the toaster oven and the filling was baked in less than 15 minutes.  Here's my version:

Pastry:
1/2 cup whole wheat  pastry flour
3 Tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
Dash salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. cold water
Cut shortening into dry ingredients.  Sprinkle in water, mixing until flour is moistened.  Gather dough into ball;  flatten and roll.  Place in pizza pan and pinch the edges.  Prick bottom with fork.  Bake at 425 for 8 minutes.

Filling:
4 oz. lean ground beef
1 clove garlic
1 orange sweet pepper, diced
Heat small amount of olive oil in a small skillet.  Sautee garlic and pepper.  Add lean ground beef.  Brown and crumble.  Place in bottom of pre-baked pie shell.

4 oz. cooked asparagus, cut in 1/2 inch pieces.  Reserve 3 spears for garnish.
Add cut asparagus to pan.
2 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
Whisk together.
Pour into pan.  Sprinkle with dill.  Arrange 3 spear garnish.

1 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
Sprinkle on top of quiche.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until eggs are set.

Served with fresh corn on the cob (we shared 1 ear, cut off the cob) tropical fruit cup, sliced grape tomatoes and skim milk. 

Our Cinco de Mayo Dinner

This festive meal features Salsa Cod and Asparagus Black Bean Salad with Yogurt Walnut Dressing.  This was a yummy combination of nutrient dense foods.

The Seafood dish was inspired by Cooking Light. 
Sautee spring garlic (from Deberry's Farm) and cilantro in a small amount of olive oil. 
Top 2 servings white fish (I used wild cod) with sautéed garlic and bake in a toaster oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. 

For salsa:  Sautee peeled diced pear.  Add to diced tomato, diced yellow pepper and lime wedges.  Spread over seafood in baking dish and bake 10 minutes longer.  Add more cilantro and fresh lime juice.

The salad was inspired by Angie's Recipes.
For salad, mix spring mix, shredded carrots (from Evan's Knob Farm), blanched fresh asparagus, sliced cremini mushrooms, cooked black beans (I thawed Hanover brand cooked black beans without sauce, found in the frozen food section of the grocery store) and a small amount of Swiss cheese. 

For 2 servings of dressing, chop 2 Tbsp. walnuts in mini food processor.  Add 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 2 tsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar, 1/3 tsp. grated lemon rind and 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves.

Our plates include sliced fresh mango and 7 Grain Bread, fresh baked from New Day Bakery.  I always have a glass of skim milk to drink. 

While the seafood cooked, I made the salad dressing and Bob made the salad.  The mango was peeled and sliced at an earlier meal.  None of the ingredients are repeated. (I pull the fresh vegetable storage bin from the refrigerator and sort to make sure we're eating what we have in stock).  

Farmer's Market: Fresh Fruit Smoothie

On the first Farmer's Market of the season, Registered Dietitians Allie and Cindy conduct the first culinary demo preparing Fresh Fruit Smoothies for a crowd of all ages.

May is the month for strawberries and our recipe was simple:  1 part milk, 1 part yogurt and 1 part fruit in juice.

There is no refrigeration at the market, so today we used shelf stable soymilk.  I froze the containers of yogurt 3 hours prior to the opening so that the yogurt would be cold.  The temperature dropped during our demo to 46 degrees.  My teeth were chattering.  We didn't have to worry about protecting hazardous food temperatures.

WVU Healthcare, along with Main Street and Morgantown Farmer's Market, sponsored the building of the Pavilion and Culinary Kitchen. We used the commercial smoothie maker from the Healthy Cafe I manage at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center of WVU Healthcare.  

Main Street Morgantown, with funds from a Healthy Communities Grant,  printed recipe cards using 10 of my photos and recipes.  Here's the recipe for Fresh Fruit Smoothie: 
Mix equal parts of fresh fruit, milk, yogurt and juice.  Blend and serve.  Tips:  Freezing the fruit or yogurt slightly prior to blending makes an icy blend.  Use the juice in the container of fruit.  Because this is made with equal parts of all ingredients, use the container to measure.  (Scrape the yogurt into the blender, fill the yogurt container with milk, add it to the blender, fill the yogurt container with fruit and juice).  Use any type of milk, any type of yogurt and any kind of fruit you prefer.

Here is one of our signature Smoothies from the Healthy Cafe:
Chocolate Banana Smoothie
Use 100% Cacao, Unsweetened Chocolate in this recipe.  
1 cup Skim Milk
1 cup Lit n' Fit Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 Banana
1 square unsweetened 100% cacao chocolate
2 tsp. Honey
Chop chocolate in a small food processor.
Add remaining ingredients and blend.

We had a huge crowd of people of all ages, young children, young adults, middle age men and women and senior citizens.  May, 2014

I'll conduct a culinary demo the first Saturday of every month throughout the season.

I added one of the recipe cards to the page I made about the event.  (I'm also a Scrapbooker).   The cards are very professional.

Have a great week, doing things you love! 
  

Brownie Hearts with Strawberries

Thursday is leftover night at our house when we have a smorgasbord of different foods I've made throughout the week.  I made 6 of these Brownie Hearts Tuesday and we finished those tonight.  The recipe is from California Strawberries (Source: Tutti Colci) and here is my modified version:

1/4 cup melted Earth Balance Buttery Spread
2 Tbsp. 2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
6 Tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour

Beat egg and sugar at medium speed for several minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix cocoa and flour.  Add melted Earth Balance and vanilla to mixing bowl.  Stir in dry ingredients.

Divide batter into heart shaped individual pans or molds sprayed with Pam.  (I have a  pan for 6 heart cupcakes.)  Press dough to fill base of pans.  Bake at 325 degrees for 14 minutes.

Wash and dice fresh strawberries.  Plate and top with a brownie heart.  Sprinkle brownie with confectioners sugar and add a dollop of whipped cream.

I cut the original amount of added sugar to 1 tsp. per portion.  I only used 100% unsweetened cacao (not Dutch processed).  Earthy Balance Spread is non-GMO with 0g trans fat and an excellent source of ALA Omega-3. I usually use 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour, but this recipe was just fine with all whole wheat.

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day (and pay day!) and the refrigerator is now officially clean!

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