***Would you like to win some delicious dried superfruit?  How about a $100 Lululemon gift card?  How about an eco-friendly way to transport that delicious dried superfruit?  Please keep reading to find out how…***

Image Source – readthesmiths.com

A liger (a cross between a lion and a tiger)

Image Credit – readthesmiths.com

A beefalo (a cross between a cow and a bison)

Image Credit – hemmy.net

A Cama (a cross between a camel and a llama)

Image Credit – hemmy.net

A wolphin (a cross between a whale and a dolphin)

Just the other day, while I was watching a news program on TV, a piece was aired about hybrid animals.  I honestly had no idea such creatures existed!  While they seemed a bit strange upon first glance, there was definitely an allure to them and eventually, I found them quite beautiful and interesting.  Who knew of the possibilities?  Not me.

While I was fumbling around the kitchen one weekend morning, I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to make for a lazy late morning brunch.  I knew I wanted something egg-themed along with some vegetables, but I just wasn’t sure what.  I was in the mood for a quiche, but didn’t have the energy (or patience) to make a pie crust.  I was craving a frittata, but I was also looking for a chewy carb to accompany those eggs.  And then it hit me, why couldn’t I have both?!

Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato, Mushroom and Cauliflower Frit-iche
Serves 8

For the crust:
From Bitsys Kitchen (I used the same recipe in this post)

• 2 cups of cooked brown rice (I used Lundberg’s Short Grain Brown Rice)
• 2 egg whites (or 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites)

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a bowl, mix the cooked brown rice with the egg whites.  Then press the brown rice mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

3) Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the rice starts getting crispy at the edges.

For the filling:

• 4 eggs (I used Trader Joe’s Cage Free brown eggs, large-sized)
• 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites
• 3 TBSP of skim milk
• 1/4 cup of nonfat ricotta cheese
• 40g of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, slightly drained and chopped (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 2 cups of frozen cauliflower florets, thawed and chopped (if you’re using fresh, just cook them for a few minutes first)
• 6 medium-sized white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 TBSP of store-bought pesto (or homemade) (I used Classico brand)
• 1 TSP of frozen chopped basil (I used Daregal – but fresh would be great, too)
• 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• about 10 raw almonds, chopped
• few dashes of garlic powder
• few dashes of white pepper
• few dashes of sea salt

(Ooops, forgot to add these guys to the previous ingredient picture!)

1) Keep the oven at 350 degrees after you’ve finished baking the crust.

2) In a large bowl, combine the eggs, egg whites, skim milk and ricotta cheese.  Gently mix to make sure the ricotta cheese is well-blended and that there are no big lumps.

3) Then, add the sun-dried tomatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, pesto, basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, almonds and spices.  Gently mix everything again.  Be careful not to over mix.  You just want everything to be well-coated by the eggs.

4) Spray some cooking spray onto a napkin and wipe the sides of the 11 x 7 baking dish with the brown rice crust.

5) Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish right on top of the brown rice crust.

6) Make sure the egg mixture is level and that the ingredients have been evenly distributed.  Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the eggs start to bubble slightly.

7) Allow the frit-tiche to cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Happy brunching!

Do you ever walk into someone’s house, smell that scrumptious aroma and hope and pray that that is coming from the meal you’re about to eat?  Well, this dish will produce that aroma, and yes, this dish is yours to eat!  Not only was this easy to whip up, but it was one of the most satisfying brunches I’ve had in quite some time.  There was just the right dose of everything in this recipe – eggs, garlic, vegetables, cheese and kick.  I forgot how tasty pesto and eggs can be.  And when you throw in some olive oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, that combination gets even better.  The brown rice crust gave this meal the right amount of carbs to make it filling, without making it too heavy.  While the cauliflower taste was subtle, it gave the frit-tiche some needed bulk, and helped to even out the grease from the eggs, cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.  I added some chopped almonds just to give another layer of texture, and a bit of crunch.  You might think there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but each plays a significant role, and none overshadows the other.

When I really think about this dish again, I realize that it could have also been called a ‘frit-tiche-na’.  The Italian-inspired flavors of the pesto, ricotta, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes made me feel as if I was eating a sauce-less lasagna.  Plus, the crunchiness from the cauliflower and the chewiness of the crust make me think for a second that I was eating lasagna noodles.  Nope! This dish could fool you from so many different ways; you won’t know what to think.  But, a couple of things are for sure, it will leave you craving for more, and you’ll certainly want to start making some of your own wild creations…muahahahahaha!

***If you want the chance to win some dried superfruit, along with a $100 Lululemon gift card, you’ve gotta check out Megafruit’s amazing giveaway!***

***And if you’re interested in winning your very own SnackTAXI, check out Michelle’s cool giveaway!***

I know many of you like to eat breakfast for dinner (me included), but would you ever eat dinner for breakfast?  What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever had for breakfast (and liked)?  I used to love having cold pizza!

Namasté,
Nicole

Are there any foods out there that you know are good for you, but you just haven’t had the chance to try or eat?  Well, for me, that list is pretty long.  Ever since I started reading blogs and writing one of my own, I’ve come to the realization that I’ll never be able to run out of healthy foods to eat.  I love this fact!  When I’m in the produce aisle at the grocery store, I take my time wandering around because I enjoy looking at all the new items just waiting for me to select them.   I get so excited about trying new foods, and I get even more pumped when I discover that I love the new foods and can then incorporate them into my repertoire.  Is Healthy Chow a foodie dork, or what?!

Image Credit – sodahead.com

One of my most recent loves is Swiss chard.  I’ve seen this leafy green on more blogs and websites than the cast of The Jersey Shore and I finally decided to give it a shot.  Plus, Swiss chard is packed with vitamins (vitamins A, C, E and K, magnesium, iron and potassium to name a few) and nutrients.  It’s high in antioxidants, promotes cardiovascular health and helps your body produce energy.  But to be perfectly honest, my grandmother used to cook Swiss chard quite a lot when I was a child.  Thus, this technically wasn’t a brand new food for me.  However, being that I haven’t eaten Swiss chard in decades and I didn’t remember what it tasted like, I considered it uncharted territory.  While I was anxious to try this ‘vegetable valedictorian’, I’ll have to admit that a bunch of it sat in my fridge for more than a week.  I’m not quite sure why?  I guess I just wanted to find the ‘perfect’ recipe for my veggie.  But just what is ‘perfect’?  I had no clue (can you imagine?!).  But because I didn’t want my ‘leafy green‘ to turn into a ‘leafy brown‘, I knew I had to execute, and I had to execute fast.    That said, I decided to combine the new with one of my old favorites.  I figured if I could spruce up an oldie and give it a boost in nutritional value, I couldn’t lose (or miss).

Talk about leafy and green!

Can’t Miss Swiss Chard & Bean Pasta
Serves 4

• 4 – 5 oz. of whole wheat pasta (I used a mixture of angel hair and rigatoni)
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped into bite-sized pieces*
• 1 cup of frozen cubed butternut squash
• 1 TSP of minced garlic
• few dashes of garlic powder
• 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water (you probably won’t need all of this)
• 1 TBSP of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of cooked cannellini beans (I used canned - rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 TSP of red pepper flakes (you can use more or less based on your preference)
• few dashes of parmesan cheese (grated, shredded, whichever you have on hand)
• s&p

1) Begin cooking your pasta according to the directions.  You’ll want to cook it al dente.

2) Add your butternut squash to the boiling pasta pot about two minutes before your pasta is done cooking.  Make sure to reserve about about a 1/2 cup of the pasta water.   Drain and rinse.

It kinda looks like chunks of mango floating in my pasta!

3) While your pasta is cooking, your can begin cooking your Swiss chard.  In a large skillet, add about an inch of water and heat on high.  When the water comes to a boil, add your Swiss chard.  Turn down your heat to medium and place a lid on your skillet.  Let your Swiss chard steam for about 7-10 minutes, or until the steams and leaves have softened.

Time for a steam bath…

*To chop Swiss chard, line up all the stems and cut off about 1/2 inch from the bottom.  You want to remove any of the dried out and brown edges.  While holding the base of the stem with one hand (making a fist), use your other hand to rip the leaves off of the stem by quickly running your hand over the leaves.  They should come off pretty easily.  Then, chop the leaves and stems into bite-sized pieces.

4) When your Swiss chard is finished steaming, drain out most of the water.  Add the garlic and garlic powder to the skillet and give it a good stir.

Steamed with minced garlic…

5) Add your cooked pasta and butternut squash to the skillet.  Add your olive oil and stir to blend everything together.  If the pasta is a bit dry, add some of your reserved pasta water to the skillet.  I would add about 1/4 cup first, and then add more if necessary.

6) Add your cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Gently mix everything together.  Add more seasoning to taste.

There’s a whole lotta everything in this recipe!

Makin’ it a little spicy!

7) Once everything is well-blended and warm, plate it and top with parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Loving all the flavors and colors!

So good and so good for you!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t not like pasta.  I <3 all carbs and pasta may just be on the top of that list.  But, one serving of pasta (about 2/3 of a cup dry) just doesn’t fill this hungry Healthy Chow.  I could honestly eat a pound of pasta in one sitting.  But we all know that that isn’t the healthiest thing to do.  By bulking up my pasta dishes with tons of vegetables, beans and other forms of protein, I can trick myself into getting full and being satisfied with only one serving of my favorite carb delight.  This recipe definitely achieved that goal.  My stomach was happy, as well as my taste buds.  The Swiss chard was delicious!  Swiss chard has a mildly bitter and salty taste, but it’s not one that’s offensive.  In fact, I liked it because this flavor was so unique.  The butternut squash gave this dish a subtle sweetness, while the buttery tasting cannellini beans gave this dish some needed depth.  And obviously, when you top anything (especially a carb) with parmesan cheese, food goes from tasting fine to fantastic!

Looks like a good bite to me!

I’m so glad that I finally tried Swiss chard.  What was I waiting for? It was so simple to make and made me happy knowing I was cooking and enjoying such a healthy food.  While this vegetable tasted great in my pasta, I know I would like it just as much steamed as a side.  Similar to spinach, Swiss chard doesn’t require much seasoning or spice in order for it to taste good (IMHO).  I even sampled a few pieces while it was raw, and loved it.  Now I can understand why this green has been all the rage.  It’s nutritious, delicious, easy to prepare and won’t be chard on your wallet.  Hahaha!  In fact, this vegetable is so wonderful that I not only give it a thumbs up, but it might just deserve a fist pump!

This weekend, I’m attending a food photography seminar (organized by the wonderful Kerstin from Cake, Batter and Bowl) along with some other local food bloggers.  I’m so excited!  We were told to bring any item of food that we’re having issues photographing.  I’m not quite sure what to bring?  Is there anything you have trouble photographing?

***Would you like to win a $200 Visa Giftcard?  Check out Cheat Day News and Reviews to find out how!***

Namasté,
Nicole

***Thank you so much for your concern and well wishes for me and my car.  I can’t tell you how much your kind and sweet words mean to me.  You made a dismal week a brighter one, and further proved to me that no person can ever take away the things that truly matter most to me.  I am blessed!  Thank you!!!***

Growing up in my household, tofu was a family favorite at the dinner table.  My grandmother added it to soups, stir-fried it with vegetables and often times, it was served as one of the main entrées.  I love the silky texture of tofu and how it can be easily added to practically any dish.  It soaks up any flavor you add to it and can be prepared in so many different ways.  At our house, tofu was as common as sliced bread.  For that reason, I tend to assume that my husband everybody is as fond of tofu as me.  Yeah, not so much…

Image Credit – polyvore.com

But I like a challenge and I’m not one to give something just one try.  I was a woman on a mission.  After a few less-than-stellar attempts at eliciting an enthusiastic response from Patrick on my tofu,  I decided to try something completely different.  Instead of just stir-frying or sautéing the tofu in various sauces and seasonings, I realized I needed to go down a whole other route.  If Patrick wasn’t so keen on the taste of tofu, perhaps I should try to make the tofu taste more like something else?  But just what could I magically transform this brick of protein to taste like?

Spicy Flax-coated Peanut Tofu
Makes 10 slices (serves 3)

• 1 brick of extra firm or firm tofu (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 2 TBSP of peanut satay sauce (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1/2 TSP of sesame oil
• 1/2 TSP of garlic powder
• 1/2 TSP of ground ginger
• 1 TSP of dried cilantro
• a dash of cayenne pepper (you can use as much or as little as you’d like)
• dash of white pepper
• 1 TSP of lime juice
• 1 TSP of soy sauce
• 1/3 cup of liquid egg whites
• 1/3 cup of ground flax

Getting ready for the tofu…

Ooops, I forgot to add these…

1) Drain the tofu after opening the package.  Pat dry the tofu and roll in paper towels.  Place the paper towel-wrapped tofu between two plates with something heavy on top.  I used a tea kettle filled with water.  You could use a heavy frying pan, a book, a bowl full of fruit, etc.  Let the tofu press between the two plates for about 20 minutes.

Right out of the package…

All wrapped up…

Pressing…

2) While your tofu is being pressed, combine the peanut satay sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, dried cilantro, cayenne pepper, white pepper, lime juice and soy sauce in a medium-sized bowl.   Mix until well-blended.  Set aside.

The mix…

3) Once your tofu has been pressed and most of the liquid is gone, slice crosswise into 10 slices.

Sliced…

4) In a shallow bowl, add your egg whites.  In another shallow bowl, add your ground flax.  Line up your three bowls to create a dredging station.

5) Dip each piece of tofu in the egg whites, then the peanut satay mixture and finally, the ground flax.  Make sure each piece is well-coated.

6) Let the coated tofu sit and marinate in the fridge for about an hour.

7) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly cover an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Oven ready…

Up close and personal…

8 ) Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, flipping your tofu about halfway through.  I cooked mine for 33 minutes and flipped after 18 minutes of cooking.  FYI, you don’t want to overcook your tofu.  Your tofu should still be somewhat soft to the touch when it’s done cooking.

They tend to puff out a bit while baking…

Baked to perfection!

My attempt at making a tofu dish, not taste like tofu, was a big success!  The ground flax coating gave the tofu an almost crispy fried taste and feel, without the grease and unhealthy fat.  The peanut satay sauce, along with the cayenne pepper and sesame oil, gave the tofu a unique spicy flavor.  There was a hint of spiciness, a bit of sweetness and then some savory all rolled into one.  The toasted ground flax gave this dish a nice subtle crunch and complemented the chewy texture that baked tofu tends to take on.  I really enjoyed the various textures in this recipe.  I think some are turned off by the mushiness of tofu, and baking tofu that has been previously pressed definitely removes this factor.  If you haven’t tried pressing your tofu before baking it, I highly recommend it.  It makes a huge difference!

Lotsa green with some protein!

Looks just like chicken…

Not only did I think my tofu recipe was pretty tasty, but Patrick really enjoyed it as well.  I served it with steamed spinach and broccoli and used honey mustard as a dipping sauce (in hindsight, I think a sauce made of Greek yogurt,  fresh cilantro, lime and garlic would have been fabulous!  There’s always next time…).  I didn’t tell Patrick what we were eating until after he took a bite.  He said it tasted good and wanted to know what he was eating.  When I told Patrick it was tofu, he laughed and said it tasted nothing like it.  He could hardly believe that it was baked, and not fried, and that he wasn’t consuming meat.  In fact the most memorable line of the night from Patrick was, “Wow, this is amazing!  They taste just like Wendy’s chicken tenders!”  Hahaha!  I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or as an insult, but if Patrick’s happy, then I’m happy!

Do you have any recipes or tricks for making certain foods taste like other foods?  I like being ‘fooled’ by food! Do you have a favorite tofu recipe?

Namasté,
Nicole

Do you ever just go on a tear when you’re shopping, whether it be at the mall or at the grocery store, and you start buying things you don’t need, but at that instant, you’re convinced life would be so much better if you bought it?  Well, this happens to me quite often and especially when I’m at the grocery store (cough, cough, Trader Joe’s).  I see things that look interesting and if they’re reasonably priced, I convince myself that I must buy them.  And then I come home, unload my bags and stare at my new products with delight, envisioning what I can make with them.

The hands on the clock go flying around and the pages on the calendar turn…(do you like the drama?)

Image Credit - guardian.co.uk

About a few months go by and my excitement for the new products dwindles.  For whatever reason, these products get pushed to the back of the fridge and the cupboard (to make room for more new products) and the expiration dates that seemed to be light years away, are now just around the corner.  All of the sudden, it becomes a do or die situation – meaning I either eat the food or I dump it.  Sound familiar?

The other day, I was faced with the aforementioned situation (no, not that ‘Situation’.  Just a regular situation).  I looked in my fridge and I saw that I had a package of Trader Joe’s Organic 3-Grain Tempeh that expired was about to expire and a bag of Shirataki fettuccine noodles that had about a week of life left.  I knew I wanted to have some sort of pasta dish (I guess I really had no choice) and wanted the tempeh to accompany it (again, I wasn’t left with much of a choice).  But they really don’t go together and the thought of combining them didn’t sound too appetizing.  And then it hit me!  The light bulb went off.  I started rummaging online for some tips and in a short time, dinner was served!

Meatless Meatballs and Fake Fettuccine
Inspired by Soap and Chocolate

For the meatballs (makes 12 meatballs):

• 1 8 oz. package of tempeh (I used Trader Joe’s Organic 3-Grain Tempeh)
• 1 TBSP of grated parmesan cheese
• 2 TBSP of ground flax in 3 TBSP of water (I used Trader Joe’s Golden Roasted Flax Seed, ground)
• 1 1/2 TBSP of pesto (I used Classico brand, but your own homemade version would be even better)
• 7 oz. can of mushrooms, chopped (yeah, I’m not sure why I had these in my kitchen, but they’re gone now!)
• 1/4 cup of onion, minced
• few shakes of garlic powder
• few shakes of dried oregano
• few shakes of dried basil
• few shakes of dried parsley
• s&p

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a small cup, add your flax to your water and let it sit for about five minutes.

3) Crumble your block of tempeh into a small bowl.  I steamed mine for about 6 minutes on each side in the microwave to soften before crumbling.

4) When your tempeh is the consistency of chunky rice, add your parmesan cheese and flax mixture.  Give it a little mix.  Then add your mushrooms, onions, pesto and seasonings.  Mix everything around until it all gets sticky.

5) On a foil lined rimmed baking sheet covered with cooking spray, shape the tempeh mixture into about 12 balls.

6) Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes, until beginning to brown.

For the fettuccine:

• 1 8 oz. bag of Shirataki fettuccine noodles
• 1 TSP of pesto
• few shakes of parmesan cheese

1) In a colander, wash your Shirataki noodles thoroughly (rinse for a few minutes).  If you can still smell them, keep rinsing!

2) Microwave the noodles in a bowl for about 1 minute.  Drain the water from the bowl.  Microwave for another minute or so.  If the noodles are still wet, microwave again or pat dry with some paper towels.  You want dry noodles.

3) Once dry and hot, add the pesto.  Stir until the pesto is well-blended into the noodles.

4) Serve with a few of the ‘meatballs’.  Top with parmesan cheese and eat!

WOW!  These meatballs weren’t missing the meat (TWSS…it’s been awhile!) and neither was I (tee hee).  The distinct tempeh flavor that most know and not everyone is a fan of, totally disappeared in this recipe.  With the parmesan cheese, onions, mushrooms, pesto and seasonings, these meatballs tasted just like traditional meatballs.  The only thing that was a tad different was the consistency.  I think the initial steaming of the tempeh made the ‘meat’ in the meatballs too wet and adding the canned mushrooms contributed to the wetness.  Thus, the meatballs crumbled a little too easily.  Next time, I am going to add more flax, use fresh mushrooms and not steam the tempeh.  Hopefully, the meatballs will hold their shape better.  However, the taste of this recipe more than made up for the crumbliness (a word?).  In addition, eating these meatless wonders with my ‘not-so’ noodles, made me think I was having a real Italian-inspired meal.  I would have never guessed in a million years that I was really eating soybeans in cake-like form along with more soybeans combined with some yam flour.  HA!

So, I’m still not sure why I decided to wait so long to use these grocery goodies.  It’s not that I all of the sudden have a change in heart and in taste buds.  I just seem to forget that I bought these foods.  Not good. I guess the lesson here is to be happy with what you have (or at least make use of what you have) before deciding that you need more.  This is a lesson that doesn’t have an expiration date and is something I going to try my hardest to keep fresh in my mind.

Have you ever had your ‘15 minutes’ of fame?  If so, what was it?  My sister and I were in the play, The King and I, with Yul Brynner when we were eight years old.  That was my 15 minutes.  Do you ever wish you were famous?

Namasté,
Nicole

Image Credit – frmarkdwhite.wordpress.com

“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”…OK, keep saying this to yourself, Healthy Chow.  You only have about four more months to go.  Have no idea what I’m talking about (don’t worry, people rarely do!)?  I’m referring to my promise to not complain about winter and the weather.  I decided last week that I was going to change my negative attitude about this change in season in hopes of being able to appreciate the beauty in winter.  I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was something that I had to do.  There was no way I was going to spend another winter with my head down complaining and groaning every time another snow flake fell to the ground.  That said, when we had a bout with my friends, the snow, the wind and the freezing rain, I had to find a way to keep my chin up and to keep my heart (and belly) warm.  And what better way to do that than to make one of my favorite comfort food meals?  (And to quiet an nagging inquisitive husband who keeps asking when I’m going to make his favorite chicken and rice dish again?)

Oh So Nice Easy Chicken and Rice
Serves 4 – 6

• 2 – 2 1/4 lbs. of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
• 1 pouch of dry onion soup mix (I used Lipton’s)
• 1 cup of long grain white rice (don’t use instant)
• 2 cups of water
• 3 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce
• few shakes of dried rosemary
• few shakes of garlic powder
• cracked black pepper

1) Rinse and pat dry your chicken.  Cover generously with dried rosemary, garlic powder and cracked black pepper.  Let sit in fridge to marinate for about 30 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, mix together the rice, water, onion soup mix and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour the rice mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3) Layer the chicken over the rice, making sure there is no overlapping.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

4) Chicken voila!

Don’t you use just love these easy and yummy recipes that can come together in a few short minutes?  I paired this dinner with some steamed broccoli and it became a balanced meal in an instant.  Plus, because this recipe made so much food, I had plenty of leftovers.  Score! While the chicken is moist and flavorful, the rice is hands-down my favorite part of the meal.  I love how the rice soaks up all the goodness from the soup mix and the juices from the chicken.  It’s truly heavenly!  I used chicken thighs versus breasts because I wanted the chicken to stay moist.  Because there isn’t any oil used in or on the chicken, I feel as though the thighs are a better choice.  But, I have made this recipe with bone-in chicken breasts and it’s still quite delicious.  You won’t even miss the chicken skin (well, I usually take the skin off, but Patrick tends to like it)!  While the pieces of chicken seem quite large, they do shrink up immensely once they’ve been cooked.  I tend to get much more rice than I do chicken – no complaining here!

Speaking of complaining, with my belly full of this comforting dish, I didn’t even think about what was going on outdoors.  I could still hear the rain and wind beating and howling outside my window, but the aroma from my dinner more than compensated.  This is one of my favorite recipes for so many reasons: it’s delectable, simple to make, doesn’t require many ingredients, uses kitchen staples or things you probably have on hand, it’s inexpensive and has a fast clean-up.  While I still can’t say I’m a lover of winter, I can say I have found ways to make this season more pleasurable.  And with that said, I can proudly say, “winter, winter, chicken dinner!”

“Thank you, everyone…I’ll be here all week!”

Image Credit – louisianaclassicalmusic.com

What’s the best joke you’ve ever heard?  Or, what’s the most recent joke you’ve heard?  Do you have a favorite comedian/comedienne?

Namasté,
Nicole

If you read yesterday’s post, you’ll know I met a new orange gourd, fell in love and now we are running off and having a gang of gorgeous gourd-y babies.  Hehehe, I don’t know, but sometimes I think Healthy Chow is losing her mind! Anyway, I recently prepped and baked a kabocha and with the cooked and well-seasoned pieces, I made some meals that were reminiscent of these posts.  If convenience is king (or queen), then I’m a huge fan of the Royal Family.  You really can’t beat whipping up a fantastic tasting and healthy meal in under 30 minutes.  Hey, no wonder that Rachael Ray is so dang popular (I promise I won’t say ‘ee-vee-oh-oh’ or ‘into the hot tub these kiddies go’ in this post)!

OK, so let’s recap what I already made with my first ever kabocha.  After baking the cubed kabocha in olive oil and a ton of spices and seasonings, I made a simple whole wheat pasta dish with baby spinach, cannellini beans and ricotta cheese.  And, with almost the same ingredients I used in the pasta dish, I converted the recipe into omelet form.  But what else can one do with a squash? Hold onto your socks and I will show you…

Wrapped Up with Kabocha

If you like pressed sammies, paninis, wraps or toasty burritos, then this little delight is for you.  On a Joseph’s Flax, Oatbran and Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla, I spread 2 tablespoons of Cedar’s Roasted Red Pepper Hummus along with a Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese wedge.  Then, I layered a handful of baby spinach and a few cubes of my cooked kabocha.  I rolled it up in a burrito-style fashion and toasted it on my panini press for a few minutes until the top started getting all roasty toasty.  Once the cheese starts oozing out and sizzling on the panini press (actually, don’t wait for that!), remove your wrap and cut in half to allow some of the heat to escape.  Once cooled, it’s time to devour! Oh me, oh my!  The warmed kabocha against the creamy hummus and swiss cheese was sensational.  I didn’t think a wrap as simple as this could taste so extraordinary.  Plus, how can you not love those colors together?

Everything in the Pot Kabocha Stir-Fry

With my last remaining pieces of kabocha (sniff, sniff), I decided to not only polish off my orange fibrous gourd, but I also decided to use up the remnants of anything else I could find in my fridge, freezer and cupboards.  That said, I began my hunt for anything that would taste good (fingers crossed) with my kabocha in a stir-fry.  I found about 4 oz. of Trader Joe’s firm tofu, about a cup and a half of Trader Joe’s frozen broccoli (thawed), some sliced white mushrooms, some raisins and a macoun apple.  In a large frying pan, I heated up 2 teaspoons of Smart Balance Light.  Once melted, I added my macoun apple, which I chopped into bite-sized pieces.  I then added some more spices and seasonings (it couldn’t hurt, right?): ground ginger, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, white pepper, curry powder and dried cilantro.  Once the apple pieces began softening and drowning browning in the pool of spices and seasonings, I added the mushrooms.  Once those cooked up a bit, I added the rest of my ingredients.  After everything has been stirred together and warmed, it’s done.  If you could have only smelled the cooked apple with cinnamon, nutmeg and curry – to.die.for.  And was this ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ stir-fry a success?  Uh, hell to the yeah! It was everything I could ask for in my final kabocha dish.  What a way to go out!  Gangstah!

Roasty Toasty Kabocha Seeds

And finally, do you remember the mess of kabocha seeds and pulp I had from my prepping experience?  Well, those teeny babies did not go to waste.  Healthy Chow has issues with wasting food (sound familiar, Allie? ) and thus, decided to make use of every bit of her kabocha.  You should see what I did with the green peel…I made a really groovy hat.  Just kidding, folks! But let’s get back to biz’nis, shall we? After rinsing the seeds and getting rid of all the stringy pulp, I used the same tray (and aluminum foil) that my kabocha pieces were cooked on and spread out my seeds in a single layer.  I sprayed the seeds with some cooking spray (you could use olive oil) and sprinkled them with salt.  Then, since the oven was still hot, I turned down the temperature to 325 degrees and cooked my kabocha seeds for 10 minutes.  And if you forget to take your seeds out of the oven (like me), have no fear because they start popping like popcorn kernels and will scare the bejeezus out of you.  Once they are cooled, you are free to eat.  They are great as is or feel free to use them as a topping for your oatmeal, soup or yogurt.  Just store them in an air-tight container and they should keep for quite some time, if they make it that long!

I know that from one kabocha I was able to make quite a few meals.  However, I was actually wishing there was more once my last bite of this delicious squash was gone.  The tender texture and sweet taste of my new found love was more than mildly addicting (OK, that sounded weird).  I’m just so happy that I took the time needed to properly prepare and cook my gourd.  After reading some of the instructions online, I was worried that this krazy little thing called kabocha was not going to be worth the trouble.  Boy, was I wrong! I guess if you just take the time to learn about something and are patient during the learning process, good things will come your way.  But the first step is to try.  Besides, I think when you make something on your own, it has the tendency to taste better – even if you aren’t a Food Network star.

What’s the biggest disaster you’ve ever had in your kitchen?  How did you react?  What did you do to recover?

Namasté,
Nicole

Remember that scary moment a few weeks ago when there was that pumpkin shortage?  Well, thankfully, that rough patch is over and Libby is back!  Life can now resume, as well as fall baking.

However, when the shortage was still going on in full force, I became desperate and decided I was going to look for another gourd to gussy up my gastrointestinal goings-on (how’d you like that one, Sarah?).  I had read so much about the kabocha squash in the blogoshere like here, here, here and here, that I knew I just had to try it.  I love me some gourd and orange fiber, so I knew this was going to be right up my alley.  Plus, if I didn’t end up eating it, it was a super cute fall decoration for my home.  Resourceful (or ‘ree-zource-full’ as I heard someone saying the other day), eh?

But just finding this darn thang was a project in itself!  I looked at various grocery stores, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Russo’s and I could not find this squash.  I saw some things that resembled the kabocha, but none were actually called ‘kabocha’.  Then, I was enlightened by the ever so lovely and intelligent, Katharina, who mentioned to me that kabocha is also referred to as ‘buttercup’ squash and that if I was having trouble finding kabocha, the buttercup is a very close cousin and tastes pretty much the same.  DUH!  I think I’ve seen the buttercup at just about every store I visited and never once did I think they were the same.  Jeezums.

After purchasing my squash-y and bringing it home, I realized that I had to cut it before I could have the chance to savor its sweetness.  But just how do you cut into this tough skin?  I mean, I have some good knives (OK, they probably could be better), but I’m not sure if they could handle cutting through this harder-than-diamonds outer shell.  Armed with the help of my friend (aka Google), I believe I found the easiest way to tackle a kabocha.  You can read about it here.  Or watch it live (not really) here:

Kutting and Kleaning a Kabocha:

1) Wash the green guy thoroughly.  I used my trusty Veggie Wash and sprayed it generously all over the kabocha.  Then, I massaged the kabocha and gave it a good rub down for about 30 seconds.  Once cleaned, I gave it a good rinse and dried it off.

2) Using the tip of a sharp knife or a large and sharp fork, begin making several cuts/stabs/pricks all over the kabocha.  This will help to allow steam out of the kabocha while cooking and will help to avoid an explosion in your microwave.

3) Once covered in small punctures, place the kabocha in the microwave and microwave on high in increments of two minutes.  I cooked mine for a total time of six minutes.  It’s ready when the skin can be easily pierced with the tip of a knife.

4) Be careful when you take the kabocha out of the microwave.  It’s going to be very hot!  I put on my oven mitts after trying to be a hero and grabbing the kabocha bare-handed and failing miserably.  Or, you could be patient and wait for the kabocha to cool down before handling it.

5) Once cooled, cut the kabocha.  You can cut it in half or be like me, and cut it into thirds (I’m not quite sure why I did this).

6) With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and the fibrous stringy pulp.  You can toss the seeds if you want, but they are divine in their own right and can be a scrumptious snack.  Start cutting the now softened green skin off from the lovely orange flesh (imagine what you’d do with a butterNUT squash).  Or, you could leave the skin on, as some like to eat the skin as it is highly nutritious.

7) You can then slice your kabocha into whatever shape you would like.  I chose to cube mine since I wanted small, bite-sized pieces.  You could also cut it into crescent moon shapes (think cantaloupe smiles).

8 ) You are now free to do whatever you want with your kabocha.  Imagine that?  To see what I did with my kabocha, keep reading…

Spiced and Roasted Kabocha

1) After my kabocha was kut, kleaned and kubed (did you see what I did just there?), I coated all the pieces in about a tablespoon of olive oil.

2) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a big bowl, I mixed together a million few spices and seasonings.  I used a generous amount (lotsa shakes) of the following: cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, dried cilantro, ground ginger, onion powder, paprika and ground black pepper.  And a pinch of brown sugar and sea salt.

3) Mix the olive oil coated kabocha pieces in your spice/season mixture.  Make sure the pieces are evenly coated with the mixture.  Then, on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil (spray the foil with cooking spray), spread out your kabocha in a single layer.

4) Bake your kabocha for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time, or until your kabocha starts browning at the edges.  Enjoy the orange goodness!

The baked kabocha comes out sweet and soft, quite similar to a butternut squash, but has a more earthy, nutty taste.  It also seems to hold its shape better than a butternut during the baking process and has a less fibrous (stringy) texture.  I absolutely loved it!  While I had a hard time stopping myself from munching on the cooked pieces straight off the baking sheet, I managed to save some for some future meals and dishes.  BTW, cooked kabocha tastes great cold right out of the fridge.  It’s almost like a dessert…a healthy and low calorie dessert!  In addition to it being a cold and sweet treat, I used my cooked kabocha in a series of fast and convenient dishes.  Wanna know how?  Keep reading…

Kreamy Kabocha Pasta

After cooking and draining about 2 cups of whole wheat pasta (and reserving a cup of the pasta water), I added a big handful of baby spinach to the pot with my cooked pasta.  Once the spinach cooked down, I mixed in about a 1/3 of a cup of nonfat ricotta cheese.  Because the pasta seemed a bit dry, I added a few splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up.  Then, I added a 1/2 of a cup of cannellini beans, salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder and dried parsley.  I mixed that together until well-blended and then added some of my cooked kabocha.  Since the kabocha is already cooked, it just needs to be warmed.  Once everything has been warmed together, serve immediately and top with parmesan cheese.  Hmmm, hmmm, good!

‘Omelet’ the Kabocha Take Over

If you liked the pasta dish but don’t want to be weighed down with all those extra carbs, why not try making the same dish in omelet form?  I made my omelet by pouring a 1/2 of a cup of egg whites onto a small heated frying pan.  Once the egg whites started bubbling, I added a few dashes of salt, cracked black pepper and adobo powder.  Then, I dropped down a handful of baby spinach and a few of tablespoons of nonfat ricotta cheese.  As soon as the spinach started wilting down, I added a few cubes of my cooked kabocha.  Once everything was heated through, I folded over my egg whites.  After another few minutes of cooking, the omelet is done.  Transfer to a plate and top with some salsa.  Ta dah! Kabocha with some added protein, minus the extra carbs.  This is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I loved it!

Hooray! I finally did it!  I am so glad that I finally tried the kabocha squash and was successful at prepping it and cooking it.  I have a tendency to shy away from the things people rave about and the things that seem to be the latest trend (remember this post?).  However, kabocha was just too good to resist (sorta like Justin Timberlake IMHO).  I love the versatility of this squash and the fact that with or without the seasonings and spices, it still is wonderful (just like Justin).  Perhaps opening up a can of Libby’s is a bit more konvenient than kleaning, kutting and kooking up your own gourd, but then again who wants konvenience when you can have kabocha?!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post when I show you part II of My Little Buttercup, the Kabocha…

Have you tried kabocha squash yet?  If so, what is your favorite way to prepare it?

Namasté,
Nicole

I’m a sucker for a sale.  And this is especially the case if that sale is happening at the grocery store.  It’s like the stores know I am coming and know what to advertise or promote in order for me to buy (it’s not like it’s that difficult).  I walk in and immediately, I’m tempted by their ‘buy one, get one free’ or their ‘10 for $10′. I try to hide my eyes, but I just can’t deny it.  I want in on that sale!

A couple of weeks ago, because it was a day that ended in the letter ‘Y’, I was at the grocery store.  As I was breezing through the produce aisle (I was actually in a rush that afternoon and had only a few minutes to grab a few items), I saw one of my favorite snack foods, baby carrots.  And of course, those crunchy little orange delights had to be on sale and naturally, I had a 85% full bag just sitting in my fridge.  Immediately, I was caught in a big conundrum.  Should I buy the carrots?  If I buy one bag, I obviously have to get another since it’s free.  But then again, I know I won’t be able to eat that many baby carrots before they start getting all slimy slimerson (you know what I mean) and smelling less than good.  But then again, it’s such a good buy, how could I pass it up?  Then all of the sudden, a light bulb went off (it doesn’t happen too often, kiddies, but when it does, look out!).  I realized I could buy the carrots and keep them both in the freezer until I needed them.  I could get my great bargain and I could escape the slime factor.  Problem solved.

Image Credits – WiseGeek.com

Not so fast.  When I finally finished the 85% full bag of baby carrots that was sitting in my fridge, I dove into the freezer to find my frozen babies and then quickly tossed them into the fridge to defrost.  I’m not quite sure what I thought the carrots would be like once they thawed.  I guess I assumed (you know what that means) that they would be like the snappy mini veggies I normally bought and dipped into hummus.  To my disbelief, the usual crisp and hard baby carrots had now been reduced to a limp and lifeless mess (I’m not even going to say it…).  What was I going to do? Not only did I have one bag of orange mush, but I had two.  Not good.

Then, another light bulb went off.  Can you believe it? If I wasn’t going to eat the thawed baby carrots in their mushy state, then why not enjoy them in a ‘mushy-er’ state?  Why not mash them up so much that they no longer resemble carrots and no longer remind me of the silly goof-up I made?  That said, I salvaged my purchase and turned it into what I consider a stroke of luck.

Carrot Ginger Potato Soup
Adapted from AndreasRecipes.com
Serves 6

• 1 1/2 TBSP Smart Balance Light (feel free to use butter or your choice of buttery substitute)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup peeled grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used a heaping tablespoon of minced jarred garlic)
• 4 cups chicken stock (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Stock – you could use vegetable stock)
• 1/2 chicken bouillon cube (I only had one carton of TJ’s chicken stock on hand, I probably needed 2 more cups)
• 1 cup cooking wine (I used Goya Dry White Cooking Wine)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (mine were mushy, but feel free to use non-mushy)
• 3 small white potatoes, cubed
• 1 TSP cornstarch
• 2 TBSP of honey
• dashes of curry powder
• dashes of cinnamon
• dashes of nutmeg
• dashes of dried parsley
• juice of half a lemon juice
• s&p
• chopped chives for garnish (optional)
• Greek yogurt for garnish (optional, but highly recommended)

1) In a large pot, melt the Smart Balance Light on medium heat.  Once warmed, add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook until the onion starts getting translucent and your kitchen smells unbelievable (about 5 minutes).

2) Then add the chicken stock, wine, carrots and potatoes to the pot.  Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Stir.  Add the bouillon cube.  Stir again.

3) Reduce the heat back down to medium and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender and can be easily broken up with a spoon.

4) If you are lucky enough to have an immersion blender (I am not), this is the time to purée the mixture in your pot.  If you are using a regular blender, be sure to let the mixture cool down a bit first before dumping the mixture in batches into the blender (you don’t want to overfill your blender).  Blending hot items can be dangerous; take precaution! I blended my cooled down mixture in three different batches.

5) Once all of the mixture has been puréed, add it back to the pot.  Turn the heat back on to medium/medium-high and let the mixture get hot.  In a small cup, mix the corn starch in a tablespoon of warm water until well dissolved.  Add the corn starch mixture to the pot.  Stir the mixture.

6) Add the curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper to the pot and season to taste.  Give it a good stir.  Then add your honey and lemon juice and give your soup a thorough stirring as it heats up.

7) Once hot, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish (if you wish) with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of dried parsley or chives.   Voilà!  Soup’s on!

Not only did my kitchen smell heavenly with the scent of warmed onion, ginger and garlic, but my belly was pretty much on cloud nine, too.  Not only is this quite the hefty soup (it’s actually more like babyfood consistency), but the curry, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon warmed me from the inside out.  And while a cup of a regular broth-like soup would not normally fill up Healthy Chow, this one kept me from raiding the kitchen cupboards for at least three hours.  The Greek yogurt may have also helped to fill the usual insatiable hole that is my stomach.  I also like being able to swirl the yogurt into my soup.  The color of the stark white Greekness against the vibrant orange of the carrot was like having art in my bowl.  And the sprinkling of the green parsley just made me want to take pictures (hey wait, I always take pictures of my food ).

I was so pleased with this recipe.  It was easy to make, I pretty much had all the ingredients on hand and I managed to save my carrots on clearance from going into the trash.  Ahhh, what’s there to complain about?  When life hands you lemons, you need to make lemonade.  And when your weakness for produce bargains hands you mushy carrots, make carrot soup!

Are you a sucker like me for bargains?  What’s your favorite thing to stockpile?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Awesome Giveaway Alert! – Shannon at Tri to Cook is celebrating her blogiversary by giving away a Cuisinart ice cream maker!  If you’re interested, go to Shannon’s blog for further details…***

***It’s week two of Project Feed Me!  Please go to Natalie’s blog to see what to buy for this week.  And if you haven’t signed-up yet, you can still do so by going here.  And if you want to see how photogenic canned chili can be, please go here.***

I have so many apples in my house and have eaten so many apples that I think I’m going bananas (hehehe – sorry, I couldn’t resist that one).  Remember my adventure at the apple farm?  Well, I’m a complete slacker! Just check out Lauren’s amazing apple creations here, here, here and here, as well as Shannon’s sweet and savory apple pie.  Those fab ladies are making great use of their fresh crop and me?  Not so much.

Well, to be honest with you, I had all these recipes containing apples lined up and ready to go but for some reason, I just can’t seem to execute! I want to make something hot, cinnamon-y, nutmeg-y and buttery, but I keep coming up short (I am only 5′1!).  Maybe it’s just that I want to save my apples for the ‘ultimate’ recipe.  But just what is the ultimate recipe?  After all, I have about 6-8 recipes bookmarked and I keep finding more every time I surf online, which is pretty much 50% of my day.  Perhaps I’m just afraid my apple cooking/baking won’t live up to my expectations? Or maybe I’m just lazy (Hey! Nobody’s perfect!)?  Whichever the case may be, I decided to finally bite the bullet (or apple) this past Saturday and whip out an apple dish that I just conjured up in my head.  And if I don’t say so myself, it came out pretty dang good!

Apple, Sausage & Broccoli Frittata

Serves 6-8

• 5 eggs (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Cage Free eggs, large sized)
• 2 egg whites (I used 1/3 of a cup of carton egg whites)
• 1/4 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup of nonfat cottage cheese
• 2 roasted garlic chicken sausage, chopped into bite-sized pieces ( I used Trader Joe’s brand, feel free to use any flavor)
• 1 small-medium apple, skin on (any kind, I used McIntosh), chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of lowfat milk
• few dashes of adobo powder
• few dashes of dried rosemary
• few dashes of dried parsley
• few dashes of garlic powder
• s&p

The members of the cast

Easily the star of the show…

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crack eggs into a mixing bowl, add egg whites, milk, adobo powder, parsley, salt and pepper.  Then add the cheddar cheese and the cottage cheese.  Mix with fork to get everything well-blended but be careful to not over mix.  Set aside.

All in the mix…

Eggy…

2) Coat a medium-sized frying pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Heat on medium-high.  Add the onions and apples to the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions and apples begin to soften.

Apples + onions sitting in a tree…

3) Add the broccoli and sausage to the frying pan.  Then add the rosemary and garlic powder.  Cook for another 5 minutes until the sausage has browned and everything has been well-blended.

Everyone get in!

4) Pour the apple and sausage mixture into a greased (I used cooking spray) 11 x 7 baking dish.

All warm and toasty…

5) Then pour the egg mixture over the apple and sausage mixture.

Getting a nice soak…

6) Place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the edges turn crispy and brown and the eggs are firm to the touch.

7) Serve immediately and enjoy!

This was the ‘ultimate’ brunch dish this weekend.  It was fast and easy (NOT like me ) and tasted wonderful.  I chose the roasted garlic flavored chicken sausage over the apple flavored chicken sausage because I didn’t want the apple flavoring in the frittata to be overpowering.  It was perfect! There was just enough sweetness from the McIntosh apple to take on the savory from the sausage, cheddar and seasoned eggs.  The soft pillows of melted cottage cheese gave the dish a richer taste and texture, without having to add too many extra calories or fat.  I also really enjoyed the dried rosemary against the eggs and chicken sausage; it certainly kicked up the taste of the frittata.

While most recipes I have seen online for frittatas use only whole eggs, I decided to reduce the amount and substitute with a couple of egg whites.  While the number of whole eggs were cut down, the taste definitely was not.  In fact, the egg whites gave the frittata a ‘lighter’ and ‘airier’ texture.  Plus, there wasn’t a whole lot of grease and you didn’t feel as if there was a brick sitting at the bottom of your stomach once you were done eating.  Also, the apple pieces seemed to freshen up the dish and eliminate the heavy taste that one often gets with eggs.

The sole drawback to this dish was that I only used one apple.  I really wish I could have added another, but one was plenty.  While my first instinct was to make a sweet recipe with my apple crop, I decided to mix it up a bit by seeing if I could incorporate the fruit into a savory dish.  It was the perfect combination! Patrick seemed to agree as he had about 2.5 pieces that early afternoon.  He said my frittata tasted so good, it didn’t even need ketchup! Now that’s saying a lot! I guess that’s why he’s the apple of my eye…

This picture was taken inside my homemade lightbox…

And this picture was taken by the window…
Which one do you like better?

What is your favorite dish to make for brunch?

Namasté,
Nicole

OK, three down and three more to go!  If you read last Friday’s post, you’ll know that I created six different meals made from the ginormous vat of grilled chicken I brought home from my sister Michelle’s house.  I featured the first three meals I whipped up in last Friday’s post and in this post, I am going to show you the remaining three.  Are you ready? Is your tummy ready to grumble?!

So, let’s recap.  I did an easy-peasy grilled chicken with salad greens.  I ‘Greek-ified’ my would-be ordinary pita pocket by adding my version of cool and creamy tzatziki sauce.  And finally, I made my idea of comfort food by combining the grilled chicken with jazzed up tomato sauce, melted mozzarella and whole wheat ravioli.  What could I possibly do with the rest?  Let’s have a look…

1) Grilled Chicken Quesadilla – Very much like Healthy Chow, my husband, Patrick, likes to eat.  And when he’s hungry, his window for going from mildly hungry to starving (remember this post?) is quite the small one, very much like Healthy Chow’s.  So when Patrick needed lunch in a hurry one afternoon, I decided I would make him a healthy version of a quesadilla.  To make the quesadilla, I took a whole wheat pita and sliced it horizontally, resulting in two pita discs.  On top of one of the pita discs, I layered:

• grilled chicken, which I cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 cup of red kidney beans
• 2 TBSP of reduced fat cheddar cheese

I then took the other pita disc and layered that over the pita with the chicken, bean and cheese mixture.  Carefully, I placed that in my George Foreman grill and grilled it until the cheese started oozing and the top of the quesadilla started getting toasty.

As one of the sides for the quesadilla, I whipped up a quick guacamole by mixing the following:

• 1/2 of a small avocado
• few dashes of dried cilantro
• few dashes of adobo powder
• few dashes of garlic powder
• few dashes of onion powder
• few dashes of cayenne pepper

For the other sides, I used Trader Joe’s European Style Plain Nonfat Yogurt (a healthier substitute for sour cream) and organic salsa.  The result was much better than what you’d find at a place that rhymes with ‘Paco Hell’.

¿Qué Pasa? Quesadilla

Look at those awesome grill marks…

Amazing avocado

All together now…

Any one in the mood for a margarita?

2) Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Goat cheese, Dried Figs and Spinach – This sandwich was my favorite.  I loved the combination of the sweet dried figs and creamy goat cheese.  It was definitely what you would call a sandwich! For this meal, I took the grilled chicken breasts and sliced them lengthwise. Then, I began making the marinade for my portobello mushrooms.  I used:

• 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBSP of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic
• few dashes of garlic powder
• s&p

Once my marinade was made, I dropped my two already washed portobello mushroom caps into the mixture.  I let them marinate in the fridge for about 15 minutes.  While the shrooms were marinating, I started chopping up 1 1/2 dried figs (I used Trader Joe’s Turkish Smyrna dried figs).  Then, I sliced a whole wheat ciabatta loaf in half lengthwise and cut each half into fourths (thus, making four small sandwiches).  I then spread about 1.6 oz. of goat cheese (I used Trader Joe’s brand, about a 1/3 of the 5 oz. tube) onto the sliced ciabatta.  Next I layered the chicken pieces, the baby spinach and the dried figs.  While these were resting, I began grilling my portobellos on my George Foreman grill.  It took about 3-5 minutes for my mushrooms to be grilled.  Once grilled, I sliced them into tiny slivers and placed a few pieces on each sandwich half.  Finally, I sandwiched the two pieces of ciabatta together and placed the sandwich onto the Foreman and grilled for a few minutes until the bread started getting toasty (it’s a pretty thick sandwich, so it may take a few extra minutes).

This sandwich made my mouth sing! I loved the warm creamy goat cheese against the crunchy ciabatta with the sweetness of the dried figs, the mellow tasting portobellos and the garlicky chicken.  There was so much flavor in this sandwich and everything blended so exceptionally!

My favorite sandwich

Mushroom madness…

Grilling…

Grilled.

Sliced.

Almost done…

I wish I had one to eat right now…

3) Grilled Chicken with Couscous, Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Cucumber, Tomato, Capers and Feta – For my final dish, I decided to go with one of my favorite grains, couscous.  I love how fast couscous cooks up and how it tastes great with just about anything.  That said, here is what I used to make my couscous salad:

• grilled chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups of cooked and chilled couscous (about 1 cup uncooked)
• leftover sliced grilled marinated portobello mushrooms (how do you like that one, Robin?),
• 1/3 cup of peeled chopped cucumber
• 1/3 cup of chopped tomato (with the guts removed)
• 1/2 of a small chopped onion
• 2 TSP of capers
• few dashes of dried dill
• few dashes of dried parsley
• 2 TBSP of roasted red pepper salad dressing (I used Kraft’s, but any vinegarette salad dressing will do)
• feta cheese (I used Trader Joe’s brand, fat free)
• s&p

Combine all your ingredients in a large bowl, except the salad dressing.  Blend well.  Once everything is blended well, add your salad dressing and mix again until everything is coated.  Cover your couscous salad and let it sit in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.  Once it’s chilled, it’s ready to eat!

Picture time again…

Getting in the mix…

Time for a stir…

The dressing

Suddenly salad…

Phew!  That was six meals made from cooking just once.  Can you believe it?  I really did enjoy putting my energy into the creativity of coming up with a new recipe versus putting my energy into cooking the chicken.  Having the step of already having cooked chicken was quite convenient.  That said, it’s always best to think and plan ahead.  Cooking more of a certain ingredient or prepping in advance really helps to make cooking more fun and less time consuming.  When you know you already have the majority of the work done for you, it’s easier to make a home cooked meal versus running to get take-out.  It also helps to take the stress out of figuring out what to make for dinner and/or lunch, which leaves you with more time to lounge and hang out in your backyard.  Or in my case, more time for me to hang out at Fenway Park.

What’s your favorite way to make meals in advance?  How do you save time in the kitchen?

Namasté,
Nicole