Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 ounces thinly sliced reduced-fat provolone cheese
• 4 whole-wheat buns, split and toasted

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, oregano and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are wilted and soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to low; sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir to coat. Stir in broth and soy sauce; bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, lay cheese slices on top of the vegetables, cover and let stand until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Divide the mixture into 4 portions with a spatula, leaving the melted cheese layer on top. Scoop a portion onto each toasted bun and serve immediately.

Per serving: 268 calories; 10 g fat ( 4 g sat , 4 g mono ); 15 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrates; 13 g protein; 7 g fiber; 561 mg sodium; 704 mg potassium. 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
• 1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
• 1-3 garlic cloves, to taste (I used 3 and it was super garlicky, but if you are not a big fan of garlic use 1 clove)
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• ~1/4 cup Fresh Basil, (probably optional)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta (I used 3oz of spelt and 3 oz of Kamut spaghetti)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth, add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt, process until creamy.

3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately, makes 2 servings.

This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce.  Please serve immediately.

I used some fun pasta to increase the nutrition factor:   Spelt pasta has a great nutritional profile with 12 grams of protein and 3 grams of fibre per serving. Kamut pasta has 13 grams of protein and 8 grams of fibre per serving. Niiiiice!!!

-1-
Creamy Homemade Caesar

Ingredients:

• One egg yolk at room temperature (very important it is not cold!)
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard or mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, finely crushed
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
• 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• salt, pepper and spices to taste.

How to Make It:

1. Whisk egg yolk with whisk or blender on low speed.
2. Once creamy, add vinegar and other ingredients and blend until creamy.
3. Slowly add oil, stirring constantly until incorporated.
4. If it doesn’t incorporate well, your egg might still have been too cold!

Great with: Dark lettuces, chicken dishes, or on asparagus.

-2-
Zesty Italian

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 small squirt of Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1-2 cloves finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of thyme, basil and oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It: Pull all ingredients in small jar and shake vigorously.

Great with: any salad or as a marinade.

-3-
Tangy Greek

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• small squirt dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp each of oregano and marjoram
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

How to Make It:  Put all ingredients in small jar with lid and shake until well mixed.

Great with: dark lettuces, feta cheese, olives, and cucumbers.

-4-
Sweet Asian

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• pinch of dried ginger or 1/2 tsp fresh zested ginger root (preferable)
• spices to taste

How to Make It:  Put all ingredients in small jar with lid and shake vigorously. You can also mix in blender or small food processor.

Great with: Sesame chicken (as a marinade and dipping sauce), on a spinach salad with cashews, on cauliflower fried rice.

-5-
Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 2 teaspoons honey

How to Make It:  Put all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Great with: salad with feta and cashews, grilled chicken salad, marinade on pork.

-6-
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• one clove of garlic, finely minced
• small squirt of dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon honey (optional)
• salt, pepper and basil to taste

How to Make It: Mix all ingredients in small jar or blender.

Great with: any type of salad or as a marinade on beef, chicken or pork.

-7-
French

Ingredients:

• 1 squirt of mustard
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste (organic)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of honey (optional)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder or small chunk of fresh onion

How to Make It: Put all ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth.

Great with: any type of salad (I like it on chef salads), kids like to dip things in this dressing.

 

Other great things to throw on a salad:

• nuts: especially pecans, walnuts and macadamias
• olives
• chopped veggies
• chopped apples
• sliced strawberries, blueberries or raspberries
• grilled or baked chicken
• sliced steak
• shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour (spelt worked well)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup your favorite nuts (I used flax seed)
• 1 cup quick oats (not instant oatmeal)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I did not have any and they turned out great!!)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in the largest bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in the other bowl. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Blend them well.
3. Spoon the dough for these drop cookies onto the greased cookie sheets.
4. Bake the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Allow the cookies to cool before eating them.

Ingredients

• 4-6 very large leaves of kale, washed and spun dry
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from around half a lemon)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
• freshly grated parmesan (optional)
• a handful of coarsely chopped walnuts (around 1/3 of a cup), toasted at 350 for 5 minutes (optional)

Directions

1. Strip the leaves off the kale’s stems by grasping the bottom of each stem and pulling your hand up it forcefully. That sounds all wrong, but you’ll see. It’s easy. Or else simply cut the leaves off the stems with a knife. Discard the stems.
2. Now stack and bunch the leaves together, then use a large, very sharp knife to sliver them.
3. Stir together the garlic, lemon, oil, and salt in a large bowl, then add the kale and toss. Taste it, and add more lemon, oil, or salt as needed to make the flavors bright and balanced.
4. Toss in the cheese and walnuts and serve as a side dish or salad course.

Recipe Tip: The kale has to be very fresh; you have to sliver it very fine; and you have to make sure it’s lemony and garlicky and salty enough. The walnuts and parmesan are nice but not crucial additions. You can leave them out and just eat the kale.

Please note:
– Recipe serves 10
– Serving size: About 8 chips and 1/3 cup salsa
– Calories: 119 per serving

For tortilla crisps:

• 8 whole-wheat tortillas
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

For fruit salsa:

• 3 cups diced fresh fruit, such as apples, oranges, kiwi, strawberries, grapes, mangos, peaches or other fresh fruit
• 2 tablespoons sugar-free jam, any flavor
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut each tortilla into 10 wedges. Lay pieces on two baking sheets. Make sure they aren’t overlapping. Spray the tortilla pieces with cooking spray or brush with melted butter
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the tortilla wedges. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the pieces are crisp. Place on a cooling rack and let cool.
3. Cut the fruit into cubes. Gently mix the fruit together in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together jam, honey and orange juice. Pour this over the diced fruit. Mix gently. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. If you are using black berries, you will want to stir them in at the last minute so they don’t dye the whole salsa.

Did you have too many Easter treats this past weekend?  This is a great way to recuperate!

Ingredients:

• 2 heads broccoli (1 bunch), stems removed
• 1 head cauliflower, stems removed
• 2.5 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup currants
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
• kosher salt, pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp salt and lots of pepper)
• kelp granules or Herbamare (optional), to taste
• Pure maple syrup, to drizzle on before serving

Directions:

1. In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems) until fine. Add into large bowl.

2. Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add into bowl. Do the same with the carrots.

3. Stir in the sunflower seeds, currants, raisins, and parsley. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste.

4. Drizzle with maple syrup to taste.

Note: I saved the stems for a stir-fry later on in the week.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups watermelon puree (seedless if possible)
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
• 1 peach or nectarine, diced small handful fresh cherries, pitted and chopped

Directions:

1. Cut the watermelon into chunks and then puree it in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
2. Set out about 1 dozen popsicle molds (amount needed will vary depending on size of molds). Fill each one with the chopped fresh fruit. Then pour in the watermelon puree until each mold is full to the top. Place a popsicle stick into each one. Place into your freezer and freeze for about 6 to 8 hours.
3. When ready to serve, run the popsicle molds under warm water for a few seconds and then pull each one out.

RECIPE #1: Healthier Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• 6 slices day-old whole wheat  bread
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 large apple, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar  (I’m going to try organic coconut sugar!  They have it at Zehrs in the organic section!)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8-inch square baking dish. Mix in raisins and apple. Drizzle with melted butter.
3. Combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up egg mixture.
4. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place bread pudding baking dish into a large roasting pan. Carefully pour boiling water around pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven until a knife inserted into the middle of pudding comes out mostly clean, about 45 minutes.

 

Recipe #2 -Red Potato Colcannon

Ingredients:

• 1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
• 6 cups green cabbage,  thinly sliced (about 1/2 head)
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Directions:

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam, covered, until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low. Stir in milk, salt and white pepper; cover and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage mixture to the potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or a large fork to desired consistency.

CHEERS!