Lentil Salad with Capers and Balsamic-Dijon Dressing

I could eat this for lunch every day! Will and I split this and each had a good size bowl. Very filling and healthy!

1 c dry brown lentils (I used green... not sure if there's a difference besides color)
5 roma tomatoes
2-3 oz baby spinach
1/4 c chives (or shallot or green onion)
2 tbsp capers

Dressing:
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced


Cook lentils according to package directions, leaving firm, not mushy. While lentils are cooking, make the dressing: in a small bowl combine all ingredients and whisk. Roughly chop the spinach and chives, and dice tomatoes. Place in a large bowl.

When lentils are done cooking, drain, and immediately add to large bowl with spinach and tomatoes. The heat from the lentils will slightly wilt the spinach. Add the dressing and capers and stir to combine.



Original recipe found here.

Sweet Corn Cakes with Roasted Vegetable Salsa

This amazing dish is courtesy of SkinnyMs. I halved the recipe below, because Will is out of town and I didn't think I needed to eat 18 corn cakes. It was SO HARD to not eat the entire recipe - these are amazing, y'all. I mean really, really, really tasty. You can have 3 tasty pancakes with 3/4 c veg salsa for only about 350 cal. Yes.

The recipe calls for goat cheese - I didn't have any, so I used a bit of light sour cream. I guess I like to put a little sour cream on all veg cakes, fritters, etc.

The recipe below will make about 18 (3-4 inch) corn cakes.

Roasted Vegetable Salsa:
1 zucchini, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 ttbsp olive oil
1 c halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 c fresh corn kernels
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime

Corn Cakes:
1 1/2 c corn flour (I used this, but you can also grind corn meal into a flour using your blender)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 c low-fat milk
1 tbsp honey
2 eggs
2 c corn kernels
1 tsp olive oil

For serving:
1/2 c crumbled goat cheese (I used a couple tbsp light sour cream instead)




Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Toss the zucchini and onion with the seasonings and olive oil and lay on the sheet pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Combine the tomatoes, corn kernels, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice in a large bowl. When the vegetables are done roasting, toss them with the tomato mixture.

To make the corn cakes, combine the corn flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter, milk, and honey and stir. Beat the eggs until light yellow and add to the mix. Stir and fold in the corn.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Drop the batter onto the pan to form 3-or-4 inch pancakes and cook until bubbly. Flip and cook until browned on both sides.

To serve, top the corn cakes with the salsa and the goat cheese (or sour cream!).

Original recipe found here.

Made them again the next week for Will. :)

Summer Veggie & Shrimp Stir-Fry

I can't think of a much better way to use all these amazing summer veggies! My mom is kind of notorious for making meals out of stir-frying a ton of different veggies together... except she usually likes her stir-fry with pasta! So this reminds me of her, I just wish I had the veggies from her garden to use! No pasta for us though - trying to reduce those unnecessary carbs. ;) This yummy recipe idea comes to you from The Pioneer Woman.

2 tbsp light butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic, minced
12 whole jumbo shrimp, peeled/deveined (I just buy these frozen and thaw)
2 whole zucchini, sliced
2 ears corn, kernels sliced off (can also use frozen or canned)
1/2 c grape/cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
salt/pepper, to taste
chopped fresh herbs, if desired

After I thawed my frozen shrimp, I sprinkled salt, pepper, & garlic powder on them before cooking.

Heat 1 tbsp light butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic. When oil/butter is hot, add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Remove to a plate. Do not clean skillet.
Add the rest of the butter and oil and heat over medium heat. Add zucchini slices in a single layer and cook for one minute, tossing once. Scoot the zucchini to the edges of the pan, then add corn kernels to the middle of the pan. Cook for one minute. Add grape tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and toss around, then add shrimp. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Serve on a big platter.

Original recipe found here.

Kale Pesto Stuffed Portobellos with Tomatoes

I'm really into making my own pesto these days. I can use a very small amount of oil and save a lot of calories... and I can use things like asparagus and spinach to make the pesto too!

portobello mushroom caps, stems removed/washed
1-2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

For pesto:

a bunch of kale (half of one of those big bags)
fresh basil
1/3 c shredded Parmesan

1/4 c pine nuts

2 tsp minced garlic

salt/pepper

olive oil

To make pesto: In a food processor, add all ingredients except olive oil. Pulse and stir if necessary until smooth. Add in the olive oil slowly through the top of food processor while it's spinning. Use as much as you like. I try to keep mine to a minimum.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake mushrooms, cap down, for about 5 minutes. Then, stuff them with the kale pesto, lay the tomato slices on top, then sprinkle some mozzarella cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is browned.

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

Will smoked some chicken, and we added it to the pasta. It was awesome! We were both so full after this. I don't cook like this often, but it was Valentine's Day and we were going with a pasta & wine theme. ;)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic1 
(15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I also used some cherry tomatoes)
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
pinch red pepper flakes
pepper to taste
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 oz light cream cheese
¼ c grated Parmesan
½ lb penne pasta
½ (9 oz.) bag fresh spinach

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander.

While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes). Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce. 

Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.

Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Original recipe found here.

Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes & Cream

BIG NEWS: I no longer use my mandolin slicer to make zoodles (zucchini noodles). I bought this spiralizer from Amazon that a friend recommended. Amazing!!! So fun to use and so easy! I've searched for all sorts of new spiralized vegetable recipes. (I'm trying a sweet potato mac & cheese soon-stay tuned!). Anyway, totally worth the money. It makes the zoodles much more curly and solid, if that that makes sense.

Ok, so to the actual RECIPE. The sauce is divine (I don't use that word often), and I even substituted fat-free half-n-half for the heavy cream!!! The roasted tomatoes are juicy and delicious, the sauce is creamy and full of flavor, and the zoodles are fresh & yummy.

5-6 zucchini, made into zucchini noodles by using either a Spiralizer or a julienne slicer.
1 pint of yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pint of red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs
small handful, chopped fresh basil
3/4 c heavy cream (I used fat-free half-n-half)
3/4 c of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Arrange the cherry tomatoes cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray all over with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium low heat, when the butter is melted and starts to foam add the shallot, cook until softened. Scrape in the tomatoes and any juices that collected on the baking sheet. Add the thyme sprigs and pour in the cream (or half-n-half), I added half of the cheese by sprinkling it around the tomatoes and into the cream. Heat gently on low until it simmers. Turn off the heat and stir in basil.

In a larger saute pan, drizzle with olive oil and place your zucchini noodles on top, gently cooking and carefully tossing until just slightly wilted and still al dente, just a few minutes. Place zucchini noodles onto a serving platter and spoon the sauce right over the top, adding more parmesan cheese.

Original recipe found here.

Lemon Orzo Shrimp

Wow! All of the ingredients for this dish can easily be kept on hand. It's easy to throw together and  very tasty!

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt/pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
8 oz orzo pasta
2 c chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 c frozen peas
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and oregano, and cook, stirring often, until onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in orzo until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, peas, lemon juice and shrimp. 

Move to a 9x11" baking dish, top with Parmesan and bake until shrimp are cooked through, about 12-14 minutes.

Original recipe found here.

Burrito Bowl with Homemade Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Now this was easy and delish! You could easily add meat (shredded chicken, ground beef) if you wanted to. It's yummy and filling just like this though. This recipe came from The Garden Grazer blog, and I love the tip for mixing the rice with some salsa. Never thought of that!

1 c uncooked brown rice (or quinoa)
1/2 c salsa
1 can black beans, rinsed/drained
1 can corn, drained
1 onion, diced

Toppings:
tomatoes, diced
shredded lettuce
green onions
avocado

Creamy Chipotle Sauce:
1/2 c plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 chipotle pepper
1 tsp chipotle sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
(I added 2 tsp honey for a little bit of sweet)

Cook rice according to package directions. Mix in some salsa and a little cilantro & lime juice when cooked.

Make your chipotle sauce. Put all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.

Saute diced onion over medium heat for a few minutes. Add in your black beans & corn. Stir and heat through. Then, you can assemble your burrito bowl! Start with your rice, black bean/corn mixture, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, green onions, etc. Drizzle some delicious chipotle sauce over the top, and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Cheesy Tomato & Basil Bake

I've said it before and I'll say it again... I LOVE tomatoes from the oven! This was so good. I could seriously eat these with every meal, all the time!! Tomato lovers... enjoy.

1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 c panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp light melted butter

1/3 c part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp chopped basil

Preheat the broiler. Combine the tomatoes, garlic and olive oil in an 8-inch baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Broil, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella over tomatoes. Then, combine the Panko and the butter, and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Broil until cheese is melted and Panko becomes golden and crispy. Sprinkle the basil over the top. Serve.

Original recipe found here.

We had the tastiest dinner last night along with this bake: Garlic Mushroom Quinoa, Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" (SO good!), and some tiny zucchini pizza bites. I don't have a recipe posted for those. I just broil the zucchini slices on each side, add marinara, cheese, and turkey pepperoni... then broil some more!