Creamed Spinach and Caramelized Onions

 Ingredients

• 1 onion 
• Garlic
• Spinach 
• 2-3 wedges of laughing cow cheese
• Ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Caramelize onions in a pan 
2. Add in garlic for a minute 
3. Add in spinach 
4. Take off heat and add in laughing cow
5. sprinkle with nutmeg 

Spiralized Root Vegetable Soup

Ingredients 

• 3 quarts low sodium chicken broth
• 1-2 carrots depending on size
• 1 turnip
• 1 parsnip 
• Brussel sprouts (thinly sliced)
• Bacon 
• Red onion 
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Bay leaf 
• Rotisserie chicken (optional)

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a soup pot, drain on a paper towel 
2. Discard all or most of the bacon grease. If discarding all the bacon grease, add olive oil instead
3. Cook the onion, add in garlic for a minute 
4. Add the bacon, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, and broth 
5. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes
6. Add in the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes 
7. Remove from heat for 5 minutes
8. Serve

Thai Yellow Curry Bowl

Vegetarian or Carnivor - pick your poison.

Ingredients

• Yellow Curry Paste
• Coconut milk or coconut cream, depending on how thick you want it
• Veggies galore. Literally ALL the veggies. Just throw 'em all in your pan. In order from longest to shortest cooking times of course.
• Optional:  Caulifredo Sauce to make even thicker/creamier

Today I used

• Broccoli
• Zucchini noodles
• Carrot shavings -  vegetable peeler
• Snow peas
• Cauliflower

I also wanted to add

• Bean sprouts
• Chicken, beef, or tofu
• Yellow squash
• Fresh basil
• Cilantro

Directions

1. Add a small amount of oil to the pan followed by curry paste
2. Add any aromatics like onions first
3. Add veggies in order from longest to shortest cooking times, sautee for a bit
4. Add coconut milk/creme to reach desired consistency - can be anywhere from a soup or a sauce
5. Add optional cauliflower alfredo sauce
6. Cook down for a while until all veggies are tender and have absorbed flavor. 
7. Take off heat and let sit for at least 20 minutes to impart flavor

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

Grilled Vegetable Kabobs

Summer : Grilling

Look at these colors!

Okay so this one's pretty explanatory, but I did one thing a little different - infused olive oil

Ingredients

• veggies of choice
• olive oil
• rosemary, leaves and stems
• basil, leaves and stems
• garlic, 1 clove halved

Directions

1. Pour some oil in a small, dish.
2. Add Rosemary and basil leaves and stems. Stems whole and leaves finely chopped
3. Add a clove of garlic, halved
4. Heat the oil in the microwave to infuse flavors
5. Brush vegetable skewers
6. Skewer mushrooms with two skewers so that they do not twirl and spin, and fall off the skewer in the grill

Just Right Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients

• Adam's Reserve Just Right Burger Spice (1 tbsp)
• yellow onion (1), sliced thin
• Mushrooms (1 cup), sliced
• Wyatt's Finishing butter - any flavor (2 tbsp)

Directions

1. head skillet over medium - medium high heat
2. add and melt Wyatt's Butter
3. add muhrooms and onions and saute for 4-5 mintues. 
4. season with Adam's Reserve Just Right Burger Spice
5. Pour over burgers, grilled chicken, steaks or on baked potato

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! 

Cheesy Vegetable Tian

What is a tian you ask? Glad you did! It's basically the the most impressive easiness to deliciousness ratio ever.  A tian is a mix of vegetables that are roasted in a shallow dish (which is where it get's its name) and is usually severed with melted cheese/au gratin. The dish I mentioned is a cooking pot from France, but obviously, that's not what is important here..

So. My mom was pretty unimpressed with this as I was making it, and then was blown away by w how much she loved it. Sounds simple enough... cheese and vegetables, and well, maybe that's the beauty of it.

It's AMAZING. Eat it now.

Ingredients

• Garlic, finely minced 
• Onion, sliced into medallions with mandolin
• Zucchini, sliced into medallions with mandolin 
• Squash, sliced into medallions with mandolin
• Tomatoes on the vine, sliced into medallions with mandolin
• Parmesan Cheese
• Olive oil
• Ground Rosemary
• Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Lightly pray the inside of a 2.2 Quart / 2 Liter baking dish with the Misto filled with olive oil
3. Randomly layer the vegetables on their side until the dish is full
4. Sprinkle the finely minced garlic all over. Make sure it gets everywhere - in between the slices, around the edges, etc. 
5. One more light spray of olive oil over the veggies
6. Sprinkle the ground rosemary, and Italian seasoning very liberally
7. Cover with Parmesan cheese, use as little as you can to make it as low calorie as possible
8. Season lightly one more time with Italian seasoning
9. Cover with aluminum foil, bake for 30 minutes (a tad less if making for meal prep). 
10. Optional to bake uncovered for another 15 - 20 minutes but not recommended if making meal prep.

Quinoa Stir Fry

Keep in mind that quinoa has quite a bit of calories, so try to keep the servings on the lighter side. This is definitely a recipe that helps you get rid of all the left over vegetables you have laying around in your fridge. Super handy.
I use a rice cooker for my quinoa. Its way easier than the pan, although my mother would like to differ. For every 1 cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water.

Ingredients

• Onion, chopped
• Garlic, finely minced
• Broccoli, chopped
• Zucchini, sliced/chopped
• Any other vegetables you have in your house, throw them all in here.
• Quinoa (probably only need 1/2 cup uncooked)
• Olive oil - in moderation woman, control yourself!
• Eggs (optional)
• Nutritional Yeast (optional)
• Curry Powder (optional)

          Optional

• Chicken, if you want to make it an entree instead of a side

Directions

1. Turn stove on medium to medium low, warm up pan
2. Add 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water plus a tiny bit of olive oil to rice cooker. Set to "quick rice"
3. Spray olive oil with Misto (just enough so garlic doesnt burn and stick), toss in onions and garlic first
4. Shortly after go ahead and toss in broccoli and zucchini. 
5. Eggs which are optional are next
6. Season with whatever you like
7. Add quinoa and a tiny bit more oil if you didn't already use a bunch
8. Boom, stir fry.

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

Chicken and Vegetable Sandwich

This sandwich is awesome! I made it over and over again.

Ingredients:

• 100 Calorie Sandwich Thins
• 100 Calorie Hummus (1/2 or less)
• Rotisserie Chicken

           Veggie Fries

• Carrots, julienne with mandolin or handheld julienne
• Zucchini, julienne with mandolin or handheld julienne
• Squash, julienne with mandolin or handheld julienne
• Onion, sliced with mandolin
• garlic, finely minced

          Optional

• Spinach Dip as Spread

Directions:

1. Julienne all veggies and saute for a few minutes until softened, but still crunchy
2. Toast Sandwich Thins, use both sides if you want, or use an open faced sandwich for less calories
3. Spread on the hummus, lay on the veggie fries, top with chicken

Green Juice

I like to double this recipe. I pour 8 oz into mason jars and place enough for a few days in the fridge, the rest will freeze well. 

Ingredients:

• Cucumber (1)
• Granny Smith Apple (1)
• Handful of Kale 
• Handful of Spinach
• Lemon (1/2)
• Ginger Root (1 inch)
• Celery (4 stalks)
• Hemp Protein - optional (1 to 2 scoops)
• Chia Seeds - optional (1 tsp to 1 tbsp depending on preference)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients, whole, in Vitamix  (chop into smaller pieces if using a different blender)
2. Pour into mason jars
3. Freeze extra if necessary

Notes:
I have frozen these after pouring in mason jars with good results.
Other options include:

• freezing in mini muffin trays, then storing in Ziploc bags
• freezing the raw ingredients - mixed, and portioned out into Ziploc bags

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!