Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

This is delicious! I made this to take for lunch. Will got home, tried it, and now he has to take it for lunch too. It's that good. Very healthy as well. In fact, it's so good I feel like I should take it to a family event soon or something. The original recipe was Minted Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta. I don't like mint unless it's with chocolate or something sweet, so I left it out.

4 cups chicken broth (this is to boil the orzo in... just use water if you want)
1 1/2 c dry orzo pasta
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 c crumbled fat-free feta cheese
3/4 c finely chopped red onion
½ c chopped celery
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Cook orzo in boiling chicken broth until tender, or just according to package directions in water. Whatever. Drain and rinse orzo. Combine with chickpeas, feta, red onion, celery, and basil in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and pulse until well combined. Pour over the orzo salad and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Original recipe found here.

"Skinny" Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Oh wow, now THIS is the best way to eat spaghetti squash! I had this for lunch today and it is so good. This could also be a side, but I like to use it as a meatless main dish.

1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 c milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 tbsp 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tbsp extra for topping
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
crushed red pepper flakes and fresh parsley, for optional garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil and stab spaghetti squash all over with a fork. Place in dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool 10-20 min. Using a large knife, cut spaghetti squash in half and let cool. After it cools a little, spoon out the seeds and strands in the middle.

For the sauce, melt butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour, cooking for another minute while stirring. Whisk in milk until no lumps remain. Once hot, add cream cheese and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Spoon sauce equally into each spaghetti squash half. Gently pull up the spaghetti strands to coat as much as possible with the sauce. Top with extra Parmesan and place under the broiler of your oven for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Top each half with a pinch of red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley, if desired. Serve hot.

Original recipe found here.

Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips

These are great! The recipe makes 12, so I am going to have these for breakfast the next couple days as well. Yum!

3 mashed bananas
1 c vanilla Almond milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
3 c oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp mini chocolate chips (I used reg size)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips together, and let sit while you prepare the muffin pan. Spray a muffin pan and/or liners with with non-stick spray. Stir the chocolate chips into the oatmeal batter. Divide batter into 12 muffin cups. They should be just about filled. Bake 25-30 minutes, you’ll see the edges just starting to brown and they will be firm to the touch. The muffins may stick when hot but are removed easily when cooled for a bit. Store leftovers in fridge and pop in microwave for a few seconds as a quick breakfast!

Original recipe found here.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

WOW. I mean wow. If you're on Pinterest you've probably seen this floating around. I knew I had to try it but I waited until Spring Break so I'd have time to prepare and make it.

UPDATE 8/12/13: I have made these two other times, and both of those times I made a reduced calorie version! Instead of using the regular provolone cheese, I bought thinly sliced pepper jack (could not find thinly sliced provolone). Two slices of the pepper jack is equal to 1 slice of provolone. I also omitted the butter and olive oil completely and just used olive oil spray on the pan.
Still totally delicious and saving some calories!

 

1 pkg (16 oz) thinly sliced roast beef

12 slices provolone cheese

3 large green bell peppers

1 medium onion, diced

8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic, minced

salt and pepper – to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with butter and olive oil. Add garlic, onions, and mushrooms - Add a little salt and pepper and saute about 20 minutes, until nice and caramelized.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a large pot with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Wash and cut your peppers. Once water is boiling, add peppers and cover - cook 2-3 min. Remove peppers, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Slice your roast beef into thin strips and add to the onion/mushroom mixture - let cook 5-10 minutes

Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray and set peppers inside. Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese. Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing. Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown. 

Original recipe found here. 

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls with Cilantro Cream Sauce

I am not exaggerating when I say this is now one of my favorite recipes. The chicken southwestern egg rolls are amazing and the sauce... oh my gosh, it is heavenly. This is much like the southwestern egg rolls at Chili's but better! The tortillas get brown and crispy on the outside too. I may go have another one...

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts – diced
1 medium-large onion, minced
1 c frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
2 c fresh baby spinach
2 jalapenos, seeded & minced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
2 c shredded pepper jack cheese
salt & pepper to taste
10 taco sized flour tortillas

Cilantro Cream Sauce:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sour cream
1 (7oz) can tomatillo sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp taco seasoning
6 cloves garlic
2-4 jalapenos, seeded (or leave the seeds in for extra heat)
1 bunch fresh cilantro
the juice of half a lime

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium. Add in the chicken, season with salt & pepper to taste, & saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the diced onions & cook until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the spices, jalapeno, black beans, corn, & baby spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat, and stir in the pepper jack cheese. 

Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into the center of each taco sized flour tortilla, and roll up like a burrito. Brush each side with a good coating of olive oil, and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with olive oil spray. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy.

Serve with cilantro cream sauce!!

                                                  Before brushing with olive oil to go in the oven

                                                                              After!

Original recipe found here.