Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

June 19, 2013

Fish tacos are the perfect summertime meal. They are light, flavorful, full of color and ideal to eat while having fun in the sun, and will still have you looking slim and trim at the beach.

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

Yield: 4

No Ratings

Ingredients

FOR THE FISH

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound flaky white fish, such as tilapia, mahi-mahi, or halibut

FOR THE CHIPOTLE CREAM

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoon organic mayo
2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce

FOR THE TACOS

Eight 6 inch corn tortillas
1 ½ cups shredded purple cabbage
½ cup cooked corn kernels
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

Instructions

To make the fish, in a small bowl whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper and pour over the fish and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the plain Greek yogurt, mayo, and the chipotle peppers.
Preheat a non-stick skillet on medium high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and place the marinated fish on the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes per side. Once the fish is cooked, cover and set aside.
Heat the tortillas on the burner of a gas stove to the desired level of doneness. Otherwise, microwave the tortillas for about 30 seconds.
Flake the fish with a fork. Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with the fish, cabbage, corn and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 338Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 273mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 27g

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

June 15, 2013

Since this was my first time cooking with buckwheat, I decided to do a little research on it. And to my surprise, it’s not wheat at all, but more like a seed or achene. And to top it off its * gluten free!

Okay, enough about the buckwheat, on to the pancakes! My favorite thing about these pancakes is the blueberries! I typically eat fresh blueberries with oatmeal almost every morning, so this is a great alternative to my usual oatmeal. (I hate missing out on my daily serving of blueberries.) Give these extraordinary pancakes a try, I think you’ll like them.

*This is not a gluten free recipe.

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Yield: 4

No Ratings

Ingredients

¾ cup buckwheat flour
¾ cup wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
¾ cup reduced fat milk
1 tablespoon honey
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
Cooking spray
½ cup pure maple syrup

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat together the buttermilk, reduced fat milk, honey, eggs, and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, folding just to combine. Over mixing can make your pancakes rubbery. The batter should be somewhat lumpy. Fold in 1 cup of the blueberries.
Coat a large nonstick griddle or skillet with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat. Use a ¼ cup measure to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancakes when they are golden brown on the bottom and bubbles are forming on the top, about 1 ½ minutes. Cook the other side until golden brown, about another 1 ½ minutes. Keep the pancakes warm in a 200 F oven while you finishing cooking the remaining pancakes.
Serve with remaining blueberries and pure maple syrup.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 676Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 820mgCarbohydrates: 116gFiber: 8gSugar: 60gProtein: 22g

Breaded Parmesan Pork Chops

June 13, 2013

I love quick and easy meals after a long day at work and after my work out. This is one of those meals. Simple ingredients…..simple prep…..simply delicious. Yeah it’s kind of corny but hey it’s true!

Breaded Parmesan Pork Chops

Yield: 4

No Ratings

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops, ½ inch thick
¼ cup reduced fat milk
¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Pour the milk into a shallow dish. Pour the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder in another shallow dish. Dunk the pork chops in the milk, then coat in the bread crumb mixture. Coat a baking sheet in cooking spray or line with foil for easy clean up. Transfer breaded chops to the sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes on each side, or until they reach the desired level of doneness.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 294Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 170mgCarbohydrates: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 37g

Mushroom Risotto

June 9, 2013

This is only my second time making risotto. I hear there’s a trick to getting it nice and creamy….. stirring! Stirring loosens the starch molecules from the outside of the rice grains into the surrounding liquid, creating a smooth creamy-textured liquid.

Some tips on cooking risotto: Properly cooked risotto should be rich and creamy, but still have some resistance or bite, (think of al dente). The traditional texture should be fairly fluid or “flowing in waves”, so says Wikipedia. It’s best served on flat dishes and should be easy to spread out but should not have excess liquid. Risotto should be eaten immediately, (that’s not a problem, I was eating this out of the pan while I was cooking it) as it continues to cook in its own heat and can become too dry.

For my second try at Risotto, I was pretty happy with the results. It was creamy, had a nice bite, but probably could have had a little more spread to it. However, this risotto was so tasty I could have cared less about the spread LOL. Enjoy! I know I did.

Mushroom Risotto

Yield: 4

No Ratings

Ingredients

1 cup Arborio rice
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup reduced fat milk
¼ cup half and half
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and keep warm
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until onion is tender. Stir in the parsley, salt, pepper, and mushrooms. Reduce heat to low and cook until mushrooms have soften, stirring occasionally.
Add the milk and cream to the skillet, mix everything together, then stir in the rice. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the heated chicken broth one cup at a time, stirring after each addition until it is absorbed by the rice. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked but has a nice bite. You may need more chicken broth or less.
Once the rice is finished cooking, stir in the butter and cheese, let the cheese melt for a minute then remove from the heat.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 908mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 19g

Whole-Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce

June 8, 2013

I love the weekends! I love the weekends because I get to spend a little more time experimenting with new foods and recipes. There’s nothing like making some whole wheat pancakes with my husband, putting a pot of coffee on and blogging the morning away. This morning I have for you Whole Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce. Come back next week for Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes.

Serves 3 3-5inch pancakes per serving

¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup whole grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup low fat buttermilk
¾ cup reduced fat milk
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
Strawberry Sauce (recipe will follow)
Powdered sugar (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, reduced fat milk, honey and vanilla.

Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and preheat over medium-low heat. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mix just to combine. The batter should be somewhat lumpy. Use a ¼ cup or a ice cream scoop to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancakes when they are golden brown on the bottom and bubbles are forming on top, about 1 ½ minutes. Cook the other side until golden brown, about another 1 ½ minutes. Keep the pancakes warm in a 200 F oven as you finish cooking the remaining ones.

Ladle about 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce onto each plate. Place the pancakes on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled or 4 cups frozen strawberries, thawed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Place the strawberries in a food processor and process them into a chunky puree. Transfer the puree to a small saucepan over low heat and heat just until warm. Stir in the lemon juice and maple syrup.

Nutritional Info:
Cals: 495
Total fat: 6g
Sat. fat: 2g
Choles: 132mg
Sodium: 1385
Carbs: 95g
Fiber: 11g
Sugars: 36g
Protein: 17g

Lemon-Rosemary Salmon Filets

June 7, 2013

Salmon is one of my favorite fish. You don’t have to do much to flavor it up. It has a pleasant taste all on its own. A little rosemary and lemon is all you need. See below for a simple and delicious salmon recipe.

Lemon-Rosemary Salmon Filets

Yield: 4

No Ratings

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine lemon juice, rosemary and olive oil in a medium baking dish.
Season the salmon filets with salt and pepper. Add them to the baking dish and turn to coat. Allow to marinate for 10-15 minutes.
Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 291Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 198mgProtein: 37g

Aussie Chicken

June 2, 2013

UPDATE (February 2016): I originally posted this recipe in June 2013 and had some revisions to add to the original recipe. And of course I had to add some new food porn.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you can never have too many chicken recipes. And this one has cheese, mushrooms and bacon!!! At under 500 calories, I think this is one you can add to your chicken recipe repertoire. For my low-carb lovers add a side salad and you've got dinner! An easy one at that.

...

Brown Rice Pilaf

June 1, 2013

Okay, I'm feeling a little guilty today. Here I am about to tell you how brown rice has more vitamins than white rice, and that it's a healthier choice than white rice, but I just ate BBQ with a loaded baked potato on the side. I did ask for only lean cuts of brisket and all the fixin's on the side of that baked potato so I tried my best. But as they say, one bad meal won't make you fat, just like one good meal won't make you lean. Most of my recipes are pretty healthy (see my About page for my definition of healthy), but I make no promises when it comes to desserts.

Today's healthy recipe is Brown Rice Pilaf. Enjoy.

Brown Rice Pilaf

Yield: 3

No Ratings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 cup long grain brown rice
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 garlic clove, chopped
Leaves off 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
3 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Add the rice and stir well. Cook until rice is browned.
Stir in the chicken broth, garlic and thyme. Cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 40 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and stir in the parsley and scallions. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 505mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 8g

Baked Yellow Squash

May 30, 2013

Baked Yellow Squash

Yield: 4

No Ratings

Ingredients

2 whole eggs (you could try using just egg whites, but I found the crumbs didn’t stick very well)
½ cup 2% milk
1 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¾ teaspoon onion powder
¾ teaspoon paprika
¾ dried parsley
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
4 medium-sized yellow squash, quartered and cut into wedges
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450 F.
Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cookie cooling rack inside of the cookie sheet. Spray the cookie rack with a little non-stick spray so the squash doesn’t stick. This way the squash cooks nice and crisp on all sides.
In a pie plate, whisk the eggs and milk.
In another pie plate, add the bread crumbs, cheese, onion powder, paprika, parsley, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Mix well.
Dunk the squash wedges into the egg mixture and then into the bread crumb mixture. Repeat until all the squash wedges have been covered in panko crumbs and place them on the cookie rack and bake for 15 minutes or until browned.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 306mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 15g

Well it’s summer time…..ok, it’s technically spring but here in Houston it’s typically summer all year-long it just gets more humid during the months of spring and summer. During this time I like to change up my meal choices, particularly at dinner time.
Today’s recipe is a good substitute for French fries. You have yellow squash wedges, breaded in whole wheat panko bread crumbs and baked. For a little extra flavor, try dipping these in some marinara sauce.

PRODUCT ALERT

I found these bread crumbs at my local HEB! Whole wheat, non GMO and they are panko bread crumbs, what more can you ask for?

French Macarons with White Chocolate Lavender Ganache

May 27, 2013

This was my first time baking macarons. I was a little nervous about baking these since I've heard these cookies tend to be finicky. But with the help of my favorite website www.howtocookthat.net I was able to face the challenge!

French Macarons with White Chocolate Lavender Ganache

No Ratings

Ingredients

WHITE CHOCOLATE LAVENDER GANACHE

8 ounces white chocolate, such as Lindt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lavender buds
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon dark rum

MACARONS

4 large egg whites
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon caster sugar or powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 4 teaspoons powdered sugar
1 cup plus 3 teaspoons almond meal
1/8 teaspoon salt
gel or powdered food coloring

Instructions

Finely chop the white chocolate into 1/4 inch pieces and place it in a medium heatproof bowl with the butter. Bring the cream, corn syrup and lavender buds to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour the hot cream through a sieve over the bowl of chocolate. Tap the bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate into the cream, then let it sit for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir in a circular motion starting from the middle working your way out to the sides. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, and stir in the rum. Set ganache in the refrigerator while you make the macarons.
Preheat your oven to 300 F. Place the egg whites and caster sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat for about 10 minutes or until very stiff. Add gel or powdered food coloring and mix for about 20 seconds more. Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar twice before combining to the egg white mixture. Toss the any almond lumps that won't pass through the sieve. Fold together the egg white and almond mixture, folding about 50 times. The mixture should be smooth and not runny. For more tips about this process please see this video. Pour the mixture in a piping bag and pipe onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, or a silicon baking mat. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the cookies come off the baking sheet cleanly. Once the macaroons have cooled, take your ganache from the refrigerator and stir it to loosen it up a bit. Pour the ganache in a piping bag and fill your macarons. Enjoy!

Apricot-Mustard Pork Chops

May 12, 2013

Here is a great, quick and simple recipe you can make if you're just too exhausted to cook (but don't want to eat out), or are short on time.

But not only is this dish quick and easy, it's also quite tasty. And made with few ingredients. Quick. Easy. Tasty. And made with few ingredients make this dish a winner. Try it!

Apricot-Mustard Pork Chops

Yield: 4

No Ratings

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup apricot jam
4 teaspoons yellow mustard

Instructions

Spray a 10 inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over a medium high heat. Rub the pork chops with kosher salt and pepper and place in the skillet. Cook for 3 minutes on each side.
In a small bowl, mix the apricot sauce and mustard. Spoon on top of the pork.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 410Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 873mgCarbohydrates: 13gSugar: 13gProtein: 40g

Pasta Primavera

April 7, 2013

Today's recipe is under 500 calories, full of fresh veggies and is full of flavor! Try it and let me know how you like it.

Pasta Primavera

Yield: 6

No Ratings

Ingredients

16 ounces spaghetti
2 1/2 cups diagonally sliced asparagus
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups zucchini, diced
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven; add pasta. Cook pasta for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes. Add peas and cook for 1 minute. Drain well.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high eat. Add zucchini, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth and wine, bring to a boil. Stir in pasta mixture, basil and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, and prosciutto. Spoon pasta mixture into 6 plates and top each with some Asiago cheese.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 433Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 482mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 22g

Ingredients

FOR THE FISH

FOR THE CHIPOTLE CREAM

FOR THE TACOS

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WHITE CHOCOLATE LAVENDER GANACHE

MACARONS

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