veggie enchiladas

What do you do with leftover vegetables? Our fave things to do it make enchiladas! They fill you up, taste delicious, and make tons of leftovers for weekday lunches.

4c leftover vegetables

1 can red enchilada sauce

1 can green enchilada sauce

8 whole grain tortilla

2c grated cheese

 

Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottom of a baking dish with both red and green enchilada sauce. Dip tortilla in sauce, fill with 1/2c vegetables, roll and place in dish with seam down. Repeat until all ingredients are used up. Pour over remaining red and green enchilada sauce. Top with cheese. Bake in th oven for 25 minutes until heated through and cheese starts to brown. Enjoy!

 

perogie night

I cannot believe I have not shown you these photos! One night we got together with a bunch of friends to make perogies from scratch! We all brought different fillings and made tons of perogies! Instead of boiling them we baked them in the oven! Unfortunately, I already forget the recipe. Next time I will have to write it down.

P.S. Happy 4th of July! I'm at work all day so I do not have any plans for the holiday.

 

roasted mushroom tacos

Rumor has it there are some readers who have noticed I have been MIA. I started a new job a few weeks ago and needed some time to transition into my new position. In order to get everything done I had to take a break. I hope to fit in time to blog 3 times a week to start!

2T evoo

2 portobello mushrooms, sliced

10 baby Bella mushrooms, quartered

1 red pepper, cubed

1/3 yellow onion, chopped

corn tortillas, sharp cheddar & salsa

 

Preheat oven to 350. Combine evoo, mushrooms, red pepper, and onion in a large roasting dish. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Top tortilla with cheddar, roasted veggies & salsa. Enjoy!

It's the perfect vegetarian taco for a meatless Monday... or any day of the week!

 

tomato sandwiches

It's tomato season in Louisiana! In the most recent issue of Southern Living magazine that arrived this week there was a recipe for tomato sandwiches we knew we needed to make. Of course I made them healthier by switching to whole grain bread, turkey bacon, and no mayo... and they were absolutely delicious!

4 strips peppered turkey bacon

4 slices whole grain bread

6 basil leaves

4 thick slices of tomato

handful of arugula

1/2 an avocado, sliced

pepper

 

Cut tomato into slices and sprinkle with a small amout of sea salt to bring out the juices. In a frying pan, cook turkey bacon until crispy. Toast bread.

Layer bread, bacon, basil, tomato, pepper, arugula, avocado, and bread.

Makes 2 sandwiches!

 

broccoli slaw salad

We had an unused bag of broccoli slaw and a need for a vegetable to go with dinner. I made this salad to supplement sandwiches and for lunches for the week!

1 package broccoli slaw

1/4 yellow onion, chopped

1 mini cucumber, sliced thin

1/4c goat cheddar, grated

1/4c asiago, grated

6 strips turkey bacon, chopped

2T german mustard

1T mayo

salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Let rest for 20 minutes prior to serving.

gluten-free vegan shortbread cookies

Who doesn't love cookies? I am always looking for healthy cookie recipes so when this recipe came out on Tone It Up last week I knew I had to try it. They turned out so well I thought I would share the recipe with you!

1 1/2c almond flour

2T coconut oil, at room temperature

1t Mexican vanilla

1/4t salt

1T maple syrup

1/4t coconut sugar

 

Mix together dry ingredient in a bowl. Make a well and add wet ingredients. With a fork, mix together ingredients until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Remove dough from fridge and roll out between sheets of parchment until dough is 1/8" thick. Use cookie cutter to cut shapes (I used sea shells) and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.

For icing, mix a small amount of coconut extract with plain Greek yogurt. Spoon into a small bag. Cut corner and add icing to make lines of sea shell!

 

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sautéed gnocchi

I found out I have been making gnocchi all wrong. I have been boiling to when I really should have been sautéing it to crispy perfection!

3 yellow squash, sliced thin

8oz crimini mushrooms, quartered

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

1T Italian seasoning

Pepper

2T evoo

1 package pumpkin gnocchi

1T evoo

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 slices, spicy cappicola ham, diced

nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper

1/4c asiago cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400. In a large casserole dish, combine squash, mushrooms, onion, 2T evoo, Italian seasoning, & pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.

In a sautée pan, heat evoo. Crisp ham then add garlic, gnocchi and spices. Cook until crispy and heated through (approx 8-10 minutes).

Top roasted vegetables with gnocchi and cheese. Serve immediately.

 

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arugula smoothie

I have a new obsession for morning smoothies: arugula and chia seeds. The arugula adds a peppery taste to the mix and the chia seeds fill me up. It's perfect!

1c arugula

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1T chia seeds

2c frozen mango & pineapple

Blend in nutribullet and enjoy!

 

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quinoa Greek salad

This salad was delish! You should make it very soon, you will not be disappointed. We had ours with baked opah for a healthy dinner with leftovers for lunches.

3 small cucumbers, sliced length wise then sliced thin

2c cherry tomatoes, quartered

1c mini black olives, halved

3/4c light feta crumbles

2 green onions, sliced thin

3/4c quinoa, toasted and cooked

1t Italian herbs

juice from one lemon

 

Mix together cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta, and green onion. Set aside. Cook quinoa according to directions in link. Let cook for 10 minutes. Combine quinoa with vegetables, seasoning, and lemon juice. Stir to mix. Serves 6 as a side dish.

 

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avocado toast

I feel like everyone out there in the blog world has already written about avocado toast. Since I know many of you (family) only read my blog I thought I would share this simple recipe with you.

2 pieces of bread or thin buns

2 slices muenster cheese

1/2 avocado, slices

red pepper flakes

Toast bread under broiler or in toaster. Top with cheese, sliced avocado, and red pepper flakes. Serves one.

P.S. Happy birthday mom!

 

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Italian at home

Sometimes, cooking should not be work. I mean, it's fun to make crazy recipes but it is also fun it have a delicious dinner that took minimal effort to prepare. I have had a thing for Italian food lately, maybe it's that I want to try every tomato sauce at Trader Joe's. This one fit my Italian vision while removing the pasta and adding a vegetable. I imagine this would have been amazing with Whole Foods black bean meatballs but they never seem to be in stock anymore. One of these day I will see them in the freezer section and buy every single bag!

1 package angus beef meatballs

1 jar of tomato sauce

2 handfuls of green beans

grated manchego cheese

 

Simmer meatballs in tomato sauce until heated through. We usually buy pre-cooked meatballs for simplicity sake. In a separate pot, steam green beans for 3 minutes then rinse under cold water.

Top green beans with meatballs, sauce, and grated cheese.

I have a feeling I could be obsessed with making this all summer long. Next time: different sauce and black bean meatballs... same simple recipe!

 

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almost vegan pumpkin mac n cheese

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Our was good as it involved naps, new shoes, and walking. We also made this great dish last night. The recipe was vegan but I made some non-vegan substitutions based on what we had at home and it turned out great!

1 package, brown rice penne, cooked to el dente

1T margarine

1c milk

1T arrowroot powder

1/2t garlic powder

1/3c nutritional yeast

1T German mustard

1 15oz can pumpkin purée

1/4c whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4c grated parmesan

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare pasta according to instructions, drain & set aside.

Whisk together milk, arrowroot powder and garlic in a bowl.

Melt margarine in a sauce pan. Whisk in milk mixture and let simmer for 2-3 minutes until it begins to thicken. Stir in nutritional yeast and mustard. Cook for 5 minutes. Mix in pumpkin purée and heat until warm.

Mix together breadcrumbs and parmesan. Set aside.

Combine sauce and pasta. Pour in a greased casserole dish. Top with breadcrumb mixtures. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until top starts to brown.

Serve topped with green beans for an added vegetable!

 

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monochromatic greens

I found this recipe on A Pinch of Yum and had to share it with you! For our polish Easter dinner with friends we were asked to bring a salad. This salad was a huge hit so I imagine it will be making its way back to our table again soon. Maybe with some shrimp next time!

8c spring mix

1.5c pea shoots

1c low fat crumbled feta

2 avocados, cubed

3/4c almonds, chopped

1/2 a jalapeño, seeds removed

3/4c Greek yogurt

1T lime juice

1/4c evoo

1/2t salt

1T honey

4 cloves of garlic

2 scallions

1/2c packed cilantro

 

In a large salad bowl, combine spring mix, pea shoots, feta, avocado, and almonds. Set aside.

In your Nutribullet, combine jalapeño, yogurt, lime juice, evoo, salt, honey, garlic, and scallions. Blend until smooth. Add cilantro and only blend until you have small green flecks in the dressing.

Toss dressing with salad and serve immediately. This made a great side for sausage and perogies but I imagine it would be a very versatile salad.

 

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strawberry chia jam

This may drive you nuts... it is April 22 and I am already done making 12 Christmas gifts. Seriously. If you are getting one of these for Christmas, you can pretend to be surprised in 8 months!

1lb strawberries, hulled

3T chia seeds

2T maple syrup

1t Mexican vanilla

In your handy nutribullet, pulse strawberries only until chunky. It only takes a few seconds! Bring strawberries, chia seeds, and maple syrup to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook on low until jam thickens to your desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into a sterilized pint size canning jar. Seal canning jar in a bath of simmering water. Makes one jar.

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Thai inspired chicken noodle soup

I promised you I would share this recipe. We really liked this recipe but we would half it in the future as it did not keep very well. After few days the rice noodles did not hold up... but the day we made it we love it!

2T evoo

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

pepper & herbs de Provence

2 chicken breasts, cut into bit size pieces

2 cartons chicken stock

2t fish sauce

24oz slices mushrooms

1c frozen peas

1 package Trader Joe's rice noodles

fresh cilantro, chopped

 

In a large pot, heat evoo then sautée onion and garlic. Add herbs and chicken. Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through. Add chicken stock and fish sauce, bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 -10 minutes. Add peas and mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes. Add rice noodles and cook for time specified on package. Remove from heat and serve topped with cilantro.

 

 

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avocado chicken salad

Have I shared this recipe with you? It is the best way to use up leftover chicken. It is healthy, nutritious, and will fill you up!

2 chicken cooked chicken breasts, diced

2 avocado, mashed

1 small yellow onion, diced

1T lime juice

fresh cilantro, chopped

pepper, paprika & garlic powder to taste

 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Serve on toasted spelt bread. Seriously, it's that simple!

 

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InstaFriday

Happy Friday! How was your week? Mine went by so quick. It's officially spring break (too bad I am not in class anymore and still have to work but I don't have any teaching responsibilities for the next 11 days)! I've got to be quick as I am currently making oatmeal for breakfast then I am off to start my day! Here's some highlights from my week:

1. My lunch was famous... kind of. We are working on updating a program at work so my healthy lunch became the test subject for photos!

2. We made cauliflower fried 'rice' on the weekend. It was sooooo good!

3. We also made Thai inspired chicken noodle soup. Hopefully I will be able to remember what we put in it so I can share the recipe next week.

4. I had 3 great runs this week. The beautiful weather sure helped along with my tunes and a comfy pair of shoes.

Have a great weekend! The weather is supposed to be great here so we may go to the Baton Rouge Blues Festival and the farmer's market.

 

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monochromatic green salad

This salad was delish. Brussel sprouts were involved... which means B was out of town... not like I would actually tell you while he was away.

2T evoo

15 brussel sprouts, thinly sliced

12 spears asparagus, chopped

1 zucchini, quartered & sliced

1 cup peas, frozen

1 can artichokes, drained & halved

1/2 can green olives, quartered

pepper & red pepper flakes

grated manchego

 

Sautée brussel sprouts, asparagus, and zucchini until soft. Add peas and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and stir in artichokes, olives, and pepper. Serve topped with manchego.

 

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lent spring rolls

We are always looking for new recipe ideas. I thought spring rolls would be a great way to eat our veggies and some shrimp at the same time!

1/2lb small shrimp

1T evoo

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

1 carrot, grated

1c purple rice, cooked & refrigerated

1 tomato, diced

12 rice spring roll papers

 

Cook shrimp in evoo and garlic. Set aside. Cut veggies.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. One at a time, place rice paper in bowl to soften for 10 seconds. Place on a clean dry surface, fill with 1/12th of shrimp, veggies, and rice. Roll and set aside. Repeat for all 12 rolls. Enjoy with plum sauce, hoisin sauce, or sweet thai chili sauce!

 

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asparagus taqitos

Just another Mexican inspired dish that was created in my kitchen! We had these for Sunday bunch but they could be served any time of day.

6 corn tortillas

6 asparagus spears

1T evoo

dash of pepper

4 eggs

red pepper flakes

1c grated cheese

6 drops Mexican hot sauce

Preheat oven to 425. Toss asparagus in evoo and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. In a bowl, beat together eggs and red pepper flakes. Scramble eggs. Warm tortillas in microwave. Fill each tortilla with 1/6 of scrambled eggs, 1/6c grated cheese, 1 asparagus spear, & 1 drop of hot sauce. Roll tightly and place in a baking dish. Bake for 14 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly crispy. Serve warm.

 

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