Guacamole Deviled Eggs - (AKA - light deviled eggs)

Another way to step up your classic game

Okay so you won't find deviled eggs in any diet book... why? Because it's literally all mayonnaise. 

For lighter deviled eggs, I use guacamole as my base (subbing out the mayo)... and it's AMAZING. You can use homemade guac or store bought 80-100 calorie packs. I've used both with great results. 

Pro tip... Chipotle's guac recipe is at the bottom ;)

Ingredients

• Hard Boiled Eggs - save yourself the trouble and just buy them hardboiled, seriously $5 at Costco for 24 boiled eggs.
• Guac: Homemade, or 100- 80 calorie guacamole packs
• Cilantro, chopped - if your a cilantro fiend like me
• Touch of Garlic powder
• Touch of Onion powder
• Touch of celery salt
• Green Chili powder - optional
• Diced tomato and Cilantro garnish - optional

Directions

1. You know the drill, cut the eggs in half and empty yolks in a bowl
2. Combine yolks and guac in pleasing quantities, it's not rocket science folks.
3. Fold in any extra tomato, peppers, or cilantro that you want to add for texture and flavor
4. Season to your hearts content!
5. EAT :)

Chipotle Guac:

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe Hass avocados
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
1/2 jalapeño, including seeds (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

HOW TO DO IT:
1. Choose the right avocado. It should feel squishy yet firm (like the palm of your hand), and be a nice dark green color on the inside.
2. Cut the avocado in half and the remove the pit (carefully!)
3. Scoop the avocados and place in a medium bowl.
4. Toss and coat with lime juice.
5. Add the salt and using a fork or potato masher, mash until a smooth consistency is achieved.
6. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
7. Taste the guacamole (over and over) and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Make it a party, and try Pesto Deviled Eggs too! :)

Subscribe :)

Yellow Curry Paste

This paste is awesome. Its very easy to make, but it does take some time. It's extremely versatile in that you can use it in stir fry, pad thai, beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, vegetables, tofu, the list goes on and on and on.  Pretty much just add coconut milk!

So this recipe will definitely make more than you need for one meal. You will need to freeze the rest into an ice cube tray so that you can just pop one or two into the dish you are cooking when ever you like!

I love curry so I put it on everything! Don't be afraid to get creative!

Ingredients 

• 1 6 inch piece of fresh ginger
• 4 shallots
• 4 heads of garlic, as in the entire thing
• 1 chile serrano/jalepeno or more if you like a bit more spice
• ¼ cup of fresh cilantro
• lemon grass, fresh or from gourmet garden
• I finely chopped fresh lemon grass and slowly added to taste at the end
• chili pepper paste to taste 
• I used Gourmet Garden
• There's also Thai Red chili paste
• 2-3 tbsp turmeric
• 2-3 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp roasted ground coriander
• 2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Thinly slice ginger, drizzle with olive oil and place flat in an aluminum foil packet
3. Remove the outer layers of skin from the garlic and Chop the tops off of garlic, but keep the skins on everything
4. Drizzle garlic and shallots with olive oil (with skins) and individually wrap them in aluminum foil. 
5. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the ginger packet, and continue to bake the shallots and garlic for another 30 mintues
6. Combine everything in a food processor or blender. I've found that the easiest way to deal with the soft garlic is to pinch from the bottom of the head of garlic and squeeze the cloves out.
7. Portion out what you need for today
8. Freeze the rest in tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray. Freeze for a couple of hours, then place cubes in a freezer safe ziplock bag

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce - "Caulifredo"

You won't even miss the real thing!

I like using regular cow milk for this recipe because it doesn't really add too many calories, but it really makes up for the fact that this alfredo sauce is entirely cheese-less. I cut the milk with equal parts water - 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of milk - and it ends up being the same amount of calories as a cup of almond milk. Don't get me wrong, when I use almond milk it turns out delicious too! But the cow milk really takes this to a different level.

This goes really well with ANYTHING.

It's a dip, a sauce, a substitute for cream in recipes, etc.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk of choice
• I use 1/2 cup regular milk + 1/2 cup water
• or Almond Milk
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1-2 cups of Cauliflower, chopped (160 g) 
• dash of salt

This recipe really does not need it, but if you really must, you can add mozzarella cheese, just be mindful!

Directions:

1. Cut up cauliflower into small pieces
2. Combine everything in a small sauce pot
3. Boil everything together until cauliflower tender
4. Blend

Garlic Parmesan Popcorn

Yep, here I go again... cheese, garlic and popcorn!

Ingredients

• popcorn kernels
• grated parmesan cheese, fresh
• garlic powder
• italian seasoning (optional, but encouraged!)
• misto - olive oil
• sea salt, kosher salt, himalayan salt - your choice

Directions

1. Air pop popcorn in microwave, or with air popper
2. light spray of olive oil with misto
3. take two pinches of grated parmesan cheese, rub and grind into small pieces between two fingers as your sprinkling. Rub hard! you want to distribute it as much as possible
4. garlic powder - not garlic salt - to taste
5. top with a sprinkle of italian seasoning if you like!
6. salt - easy cowboy! 

Enjoy!

Mini Zucchini Pizzas

Guilt Free Snackable Pizza

Pseudo Bagel Bites! Great snack for everyone, regardless or not if they want to eat healthy. I brought these to a girls night once and the girls loved it.

This is a great carb free, gluten free, and paleo excuse to snack on pizza. SOLD!

Ingredients

• Zucchini
• Homemade Marinara, or store bought
• Low Fat cheese of choice (Mozerella, Swiss, Parmesean, etc)
• olive oil in misto spray (optional)
• turkey pepperoni, cut into smaller pieces (optional)

Directions

1. Turn broiler on high
2. Slice zucchini into medallions or longer ovals, place on baking sheet lined with foil and broil for a couple minutes. Option two is to quickly saute in skillet on medium heat. (It's not entirely necessary to cook the zucchini medallions, so you can skip this step if you like)
3. Place a dollop of marinara sauce on the zucchini
4. Top with cheese
5. Broil for a few minutes or place in oven at 400 F

Notes:

If you do not have marinara sauce made, or any on hand

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• ground celery seed
• salt and pepper
• little bit of cumin and paprika if you like

Baked "Fried" Rosemary Zucchini

Crunchy, Cheesy, Savory

Those are the three magic words. 

Baked Rosemary Zucchini Fries have always been a hit at my house. My brother, my mom, my dad, my grandparents, and my friends always love when I make these. They take a little bit of time since they are battered.. but it is worth it, my friend.

They are crunchy on the outside and warm, soft zucchini on the inside. This savory recipe will definitely be a repeat, and there will (usually) be no left overs - no matter how many you manage to pump out. I have made too many before and had to control myself a couple times for the sake of my waistline, so that's almost 100% true.

Got cravings? These fries really hit the spot when you're craving something fried or battered. They're oven baked though, so you know the drill. Tastes like it should be bad, but it really isn't anywhere near bad! So that's good, right?! This is where it's at.

Oh and just a head's up.. This recipe uses a specific cracker that I found at Costco called La Panzanella Croccantini Rosemary Artisan Crackers. I use these because each sheet of cracker, yes I do mean a sheet of cracker, is 100 calories. Its thin, its crisp, and its beautifully seasoned. If you need to use something else, don't be afraid, be creative!

Ingredients

• Zucchini, julienne into fries. I sliced mine into 8ths but it is as desired.
• Eggs
    -- or egg whites
• La Panzanella Croccantini Rosemary Artisan Crackers (I get mine at Costco), crushed as fine as desired.
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese, chopped
• Garlic, super finely minced with zester
    -- or garlic powder 
• Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• Onion powder
• Ground Rosemary

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Combine Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh rosemary, and cracker crumbs together on a plate
3. Combine eggs / egg whites, ground rosemary, garlic, and onion and stir each time before dipping zucchini in
4. Dip zucchini in eggs, then coat in crackers/cheese
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes

Creamy Mashed Broccoli

Okay, I know it sounds weird.
Okay okay, I know it looks weird too.
Stop giving me that face and just try it.

This is one of those dishes that sounds weird, and looks weird, but tastes great. I'm sure mashed potatoes would look weird if you had never seen them before.. right? Okay doesn't matter, either way this recipe is great. It definitely hits the spot when you are craving mashed potatoes and its much healthier. Obviously, try to use as little of the cheeses as possible!

Ingredients

• Broccoli (1 head), steamed
• Ricotta Cheese, low fat (I used 2 spoonfuls, and will try to use less next time)
• Parmesan cheese
• Garlic, minced
• Onion, finely chopped
• Olive oil
• Milk of Choice, just a splash or two if needed (I use almond milk)
  or Chicken broth if you have some on hand
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Steam broccoli until tender. I did this in the Ziploc steamer bags for a little over 2 minutes since my microwave is very powerful
2. Saute garlic and onion in pan with light spray of olive oil
3. Add both cheeses until warm and melted
4. Combine cheese with broccoli in Vitamix and blend until desired consistency. Add milk of choice if needed
5. Season to taste! 

Spinach Dip

Satisfying, Cheesy, Savory 

This is a very useful recipe. It can be used as a dip for almost anything and it can also be used as a spread on sandwiches, wraps, etc.

Ingredients:

• Spinach, chopped
• Laughing Cow Wedges

          Cauliflower Rice Ingredients

• Cauliflower, finely grated into rice
• Garlic, very finely minced
• Onion, very finely minced

          "Chips"

• Zucchini, sliced into medallions with mandolin
• Squash, sliced into medallions with mandolin
• Artichokes
• Broccoli

Directions:

1. Turn stove top on low for a saute pan
2. Set up a double boiler: a pot of boiling water + a glass or metal bowl that sits on top 
3. Break up cauliflower into florets and blend in Vitamix or food processor until it looks like rice
4. Garlic and onion may be chopped by hand, mandolin, zester, or food processor - dealers choice
5. Combine cauliflower rice, onion, and garlic on stove top for a few minutes
6. Combine spinach, rice, and Laughing Cow cheese in the bowl and stir occasionally until it melts. Note: make sure to adjust the temperature of the boiling water to make sure the water does not over boil into your dip. 

Notes:

You may also want to see:

Chicken and Vegetable Sandwich

Pico de Gallo and Zucchini Chips

Spicy, Tangy, Fresh

Heellooooo game day munchies! Hellooo mindless snacking! 

I hate watching sports with people when I am watching what I eat, or having company over at all.. because we all know this means food. Lots of food. The fattier and least healthy the better. I hate having to say, "Oh no thanks, I'm not hungry" because we all know what happens when you tell other people you are watching what you eat. Instead of support, you get the opposite.. 

"You look great! You don't have to watch what you eat"
"Oh please one chip/mozzarella stick/fried you name it wont hurt!"
"Live a little!"

Those of us who watch what we eat know that there are times when we have the strength to have literally just one and run in the opposite direction. Other days, most days, just 1 turns into just 15... just 20... etc and it's a slippery slope from there. 

Its great to have an alternative right there in front of you so you can (more) easily ignore the chip monster rattling around in its securely locked cage. Enter: zucchini medallions. Zucchini is so clutch. I use it in almost everything because it is so versatile. Here, its my chips.


What's so great about this recipe is that you can prepare a typical "game day" or "party" food and have a regular option and a healthy option for the chips! No more feeling left out and looking at everyone with hangry eyes, and people generally pressure you less when they see you enjoying something. Problem solved. Your guests can much on chips and you can grab the zucchini. Honestly, you don't even miss the chips! This is an easy snack to bring to parties too! Bring enough zucchini to bail someone else out of a jam just in case ;) you might save someone else who is trying to watch what they eat.

Its also an amazing snack for munching while watching TV or studying. Satisfies chip cravings and munching cravings. 

Ingredients:

• Zucchini for "chips" , slice to an appropriate thickness with mandolin

          Pico De Gallo Recipe

• Tomatoes on the vine (1 or 2), roughly chopped
• Onion, roughly chopped, or diced with mandolin
• Cilantro, roughly chopped
• Limes, squeezed
• Chile Serrano, roughly chopped, add to taste!
• Garlic (optional), roughly chopped or whole

Directions:

1. Roughly chop tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and chilies to food processor
2. Slice zucchini into medallions 
3. Serve!