Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Walnut Crusted Salmon with Mango Mustard


Like I said before...I am not a fan of salmon, but I know how good it is for me so I have been experimenting with it.  I believe that you can learn to like anything if you just find the right way to prepare it.  Much to my fiance's dismay, I am still trying to prove that to him by slipping mushrooms and onions into his food lol.  
This is the perfect dish for entertaining the presentation is gorgeous, the taste is unreal, and, if you make the crumbs and sauce ahead of time, it only takes 20 min to have dinner ready and on the table.

Ingredients:
Crust:
- 2.5 oz raw walnuts
- 1.5 T Flax seeds
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Dash or 2 of salt free all purpose seasoning

Sauce:
- 1.5 T Apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 T Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 c mango

- 16 oz Salmon

Make Ahead:
I like to make my sauce and "breadcrumbs" ahead so the sauce can sit and the flavors can blend.  Plus it makes this dish one of the quickest and easiest dishes to prepare once those things are made.
- For the Crust: Place walnuts in a nutribullet, vitamix, or food processor and blend until they look like breadcrumbs.  Transfer to a bowl, add all other ingredients, cover and refrigerate until ready to use
- For the Sauce: Place all ingredients into a nutribullet/vitamix/food processor and blend well.  (Note: I am not sure if a food processor will give you the smoothest texture possible.  It may come out chunkier, but it will still taste AMAZING)

- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Place salmon skin side down on a dish.  Place half of sauce in a seperate bowl.  Use this bowl of sauce to brush/spread on salmon.
- Top with breadcrumbs and let sit for an hour in the refrigerator
- Spray lightly with Pam
- Cook for 20 min or until salmon flakes easily with a fork





Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Chicken Alfredo has always been one of my favorite meals.  I remember when I was a kid and it was all I ate when we went out.  Then I grew up and realized exactly how unhealthy that creamy, cheesy, buttery, carb-filled goodness was and it was bye bye Chicken Alfredo hello bland salads...until now that is!
Not only is this so much healthier, but I would venture to say it is better tasting than 95% of the "real" Pasta Alfredo I have ever had! And I know my Alfredo people ;-)

Ingredients:
Sauce:
- 6 oz raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- Juice of 1 lemon
Pasta:
- 3 Zucchini
- 4 oz free range chicken
- Mrs. Dash Garlic and herb (or whatever you wish to season your chicken with)
- Steam Fresh frozen broccoli

Directions:
- Soak cashews for at least 3 hours (the longer the better)
- After your cashews have soaked place them in a high speed blender with lemon juice and 4 T of water.  Blend.  Add water a little at a time and blend to achieve desired consistency. Cover and place in fridge until ready to use.
- Season chicken with Mrs Dash, Himalayan sea salt, and pepper to taste
- Spray grill with Pam and preheat to high.  Once grill is preheated, reduce to medium and place chicken on grill.  Grill 5 min a side or until done.
- While chicken is cooking, Prepare zucchini noodles either in your spiralizer or by using a vegetable peeler to create thin fettuccine-like strips.
- Cook Steam Fresh broccoli according to package directions.
- Plate zucchini noodles, top with 1/4-1/3 of the cashew sauce.  Mix well.  Top with broccoli and grilled chicken strips. Mix well before eating so that the cashew goodness coats every bite.
- Top with Himalayan sea salt.  I'm generally not a salter but it makes a big difference in the flavor of this dish

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Beef Stroganoff


Yesterday was my 3 year old niece's birthday party and man was it tempting to dig into that pizza and those cupcakes.  I had to keep reminding myself how much I would hate myself in the morning if I caved :-) Seeing all that cheesy goodness made me realize...I miss cheesy goodness.  I can say no to sweets, but bread and cheese are my weaknesses.  I knew, after smelling that pizza, I would have to find some way to get creative and satisfy my carb and cheese craving, and quick!
I pulled out my spiralizer and churned out some zucchini noodles, soaked my cashews, and came up with a dish that made me think..."I could do this forever!" 
I know it doesn't look very appealing, but man oh man was it DELICIOUS! I mean it was comment-after-every-bite-we-took good!!

Ingredients:
Cashew Cream:
- 6 oz raw cashews (soak in cold water for 3 hours)
- 1 cup of water

Pasta:
- 3 large Zucchini
- Lean grassfed ground beef
- Mushrooms (sliced)
- Onion (sliced into strips)
- Worcestershire sauce (4 dashes)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- Himalayan sea salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 T. Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb 

Directions:
- You can make cashew cream in advance and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.  Just place soaked nuts in blender with about 4 T of the water and blend adding more water until a sour cream-like consistency is acheived
- Peel your zucchini and spiralize.  Or, if you don't have a spiralizer, use your vegetable peeler to make fettuccine-type noodles 
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Spray with pam and add meat, brown
- Toss in your worchestershire, garlic, salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash
- Add onions and mushrooms and sautee until you begin seeing some nice crisp brown bits
- Divide zucchini among plates
- Top with Beef, mushroom, onion mixture and cashew cream.
- Stir well to coat everything in cashew cream
- Enjoy

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Asian Tuna Slaw Salad



This salad is delicious, quick and easy, low calorie, and chock full of protein.

Ingredients:
- Sushi grade tuna steaks
- Himalayan salt
- Pepper
- Sesame oil
- Baby Spinach
- Broccoli slaw
- 3T. Kraft Lite toasted sesame dressing
- Wasabi powder
- Water
- Raw slivered almonds
Optional Toppings:
- Edamame
- Roasted red bell peppers

Directions:
- Salt and pepper tuna steaks to taste
- Heat skillet (I used my cast iron griddle) to high, after skillet is good and hot (so that a drop of water dances across the top) take a paper towel and carefully spread oil evenly over surface
- Cook tuna 2-3 min a side (the good thing about tuna is that you can see the doneness from the outside)
- Meanwhile, take a tablespoon of wasabi powder and mix it with enough water to make it drizzle-able (about the same consistency of the dressing)
- Grab a dinner plate and pile on the spinach, broccoli slaw, and roasted bell peppers and edamame, if using
- Slice tuna steak into strips and place on top
- Drizzle with dressing and wasabi drizzle
- Top with slivered almonds


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Bolognese Sauce


Now this recipe is a little involved, but quadruple it and freeze the rest and it will be well worth it...trust me.

Here is the link for the sauce: Bolognese Sauce Recipe

Directions for Spaghetti Squash:
Stab spaghetti squash repeatedly with sharp object (Note: if you don't do this you will end up with squash guts all over your microwave).  Place on plate in microwave and microwave on high for 12-14 min.  Cut squash in half lengthwise.  Discard of seeds and stringy stuff in the middle (and yes "stringy stuff" is a technical term).  Use a fork or spoon and scrape the meat of the squash from the flesh.  It will come out as little spaghetti strands :-)
Really delicious and really healthy.

Note: You could also make this sauce with spiralized zucchini noodles if you prefer

Ceviche


I have been super busy with school and was sick and tired of laboring over the grill and the stove all day.  My fiance is from Peru and when we go there we gorge ourselves on the most delicious ceviche the coast has to offer.  It's like summer on a plate, cold, refreshing and tart.  It's also SUPER delicious, SUPER healthy and SUPER easy and SUPER gorgeous...the superfecta of the perfect meal.
Serve it up with 1/2 an avocado (sliced into strips) and sweet potato cubes sprayed with Pam and dusted with cinnamon, cayenne powder, and Himalayan sea salt then roasted in a 425 degree oven for about 40 min (turn halfway through).

Prep Time: 30 min (but can be done ahead)
Cook Time: 0 :-)
Sit Time: 3.5-4 hrs

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs Tilapia (diced into 1/2 in cubes)
- 1 c diced plum tomatoes (seeded)
- 1 red onion (diced)
- 2 jalapenos (chopped)
- 1/2 c lime juice
- 1/2 c lemon juice (although if you don't have lemons a cup of lime will work fine)
- A few dashes of hot sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 bunch cilantro
- Avocado

Directions:
- Toss Tilapia cubes, tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno together in a non-reactive dish (such as Pyrex or ceramic)
- Sprinkle with salt and hot sauce
-Pour lemon/lime juice on top, Stir to coat, Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours stirring every hour
- After four hours garnish with cilantro, serve with sliced avocados and roasted sweet potatoes on the side, and ENJOY