I promised recipes and here they are…. I am going to give you some
tried and true recipes that I have already used at least once and thoroughly
enjoyed. Some of them I have adapted, so I will briefly describe that as well.
These are mainly summery type recipes, because well it's summer!
First on the list is adapted from a recipe
fromwww.wholefoodsmarket.com generally an excellent source of recipes, although
their archives are a bit daunting. They do have a recipe box if you set up an
account, which helps keep your favs seperated.
Grilled Chicken with Fresh Herbs (Kabobs): (this is my own variation)
Serves: 4
Kabobs:
3 chicken breasts (skin and bones removed and cut into chunks for
kabob style)
grape tomatoes
whole white mushrooms
half of a red onion
pinapple (fresh is best, cut into chunks)
Sauce:
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh is best!)
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
some fresh salt and pepper (optional - I don't use it now that
we're baby conscious)
Herbs! (this is the fun part!)
Place all of the ingredients in any desired order on kabob
skewers. If you have extra of one thing or another just put them together so
they are all on skewers ready for grilling, you will take them off before
serving so they don't have to be even. Grill for about 10-15 minutes (until the
chicken is cooked - which is an internal temp of 170 degrees farenheit). While
the kabobs are cooking mix up the sauce in a medium sized glass bowl...now the
herbs for those of you who like exact measuring, I'm sorry. My mother is firmly
against such things and therefore I never quite learned to be an exact
measurer...so do as few or many as you'd like. Generally speaking with herbs
it's hard to ever go overboard, so the more the merrier! It's fun to use fresh
herbs if you have them, I didn't so I used parsley (about 3 hard shakes from
the shaker) and oregano (same amount). Mix this together. When the chicken and
veggies are nice and done pull them off the skewers with a fork into the bowl
with the sauce, stir them up to coat, and serve.
This meal is DELICIOUS and super healthy! You can experiment with
other veggies and herbs as you'd like, or try other types of oils and maybe a
vinegar or two! Enjoy.
Strawberry Scones with Lemon Glaze (Again, adapted)
mainly used from the site www.tasteofhome.com
Ingredients:
2 Cups all purpose flour (I used organic whole wheat instead)
2 Tablespoons sugar (I recommend using organic)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons cold butter
1 1/4 Cups plus 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream (I used whole
milk plain yogurt instead)
1 Cup fresh or frozen (and thawed) strawberries chopped (I used
closer to 2 cups)
Glaze:
2 Cups Confectioners’ sugar (I used slightly less than this)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 Tablespoon milk (I used whole milk because I have it around, but
2% would work fine)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Cut in butter
until it's crumbly. Stir in yogurt (or cream if using) until moist. Fold in
chopped strawberries. Turn onto a floured surface. The recipe says knead 10
times, although I skipped this step so I don’t know that it’s necessary. Pat
into a rectangle or circle, whatever you prefer for a shape and cut into 10 equal
pieces. Put onto a greased baking sheet. (Tip: I find it easier to pat it out
and cut it on the baking sheet, so there’s no need to transfer to pieces once
they’re cut, but that’s just me!) Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400. Let cool for 5
minutes on a wire rack if you own one, or just on the pan if not. Drizzle or
cover with glaze and ENJOY!!!
While these are healthier with the whole wheat flour and yogurt,
the glaze is obviously Unhealthy, but super delicious, and my motto usually is
‘all things in moderation!’
This next recipe is from www.allrecipes.com and it is really
really tasty! I made it for a vegetarian friend (who’s boyfriend is not
vegetarian, so I also made the poach chicken at the bottom) and it was a big
hit!
25 Minute Tunisian Vegetable Couscous
Ingredients:
1tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 yellow squash, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas, drained (I used two cans)
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced (I left out the tomatoes, just because I
wasn’t feelin’ them!)
2 cups dry couscous
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped almonds (optional) (I did not use the
almonds)
Heat oil in large pot over medium-low heat. Place onion, zucchini,
yellow squash, and carrot in pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions
begin to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the red and
yellow peppers and mushrooms; cook another 3 minutes. Vegetables should still
be firm.
Pour in the vegetable stock and season with paprika, cardamom,
salt, and cilantro (I recommend doubling all spices to add extra flavor, I did
this because of a recommendation on the recipe site and it was yummy!). Bring
mixture to a boil; reduce heat to low. Stir in chickpeas and tomatoes. Slowly
pour in the couscous; stir. Cover pot immediately and remove from the heat. Let
stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. The couscous should
have absorbed about half the cooking liquid.
Serve at slightly warmer than room temperature. Garnish with
orange zest and the grated cheese, paprika, and almonds.
*If you insist on only eating things with meat in them, then you
can poach some chicken breasts in water with paprika and slice to serve with
this dish.
Cabbage and Leek Griddle Cakes
Ingredients
3 cups thinly shredded organic green cabbage (about 6 ounces)
2 organic leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into thin
matchsticks
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Natural spray oil
Method
In a large bowl, toss together cabbage and leeks; squeeze firmly 4
or 5 times to wilt them slightly. Add flour or matzo meal, salt, pepper and
eggs and stir until well coated. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and
spray generously with oil. Working in batches, drop a generous 1/3 cup of the
cabbage mixture into skillet, spreading it out to make 4-inch pancakes. Spray
the tops with oil and cook, flipping once, until tender and deep golden brown,
8 to 10 minutes total; transfer to a plate as done.
*This recipe is from www.wholefoodsmarket.com and is very
delicious with a spoonful of sour cream or greek yogurt on top when done. My
baby loves this one, too so if you omit the salt and pepper like I did for him
everyone can eat them!
This next recipe (also from wholefoods) was a big hit with our
families when we had ample radishes and spinach from the CSA. Bulgar wheat is
usually available in bulk bins, if you have those near you and is a taste hot
cereal for breakfast as well (without the veggies of course).
With pine nuts a little goes a long way. Buy small amounts from
the bulk section and store in the refrigerator.
Bulgur with Radishes, Pine Nuts, and Spinach
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked bulgur wheat
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 lemon
1 cup thinly sliced spinach leaves
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Method
In a large bowl, combine bulgur and water, cover and set aside
until water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, from lemon, grate 1/4
teaspoon zest and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice. Stir into bulgur with spinach and
radishes and toss until combined. Serve cold or at room temperature garnished
with pine nuts.
Some simple lunches include sandwiches, and this one is not what
you may be used to, but it’s delicious. (very loosely taken from a recipe on
wholefoods)
Strawberry Cucumber Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 pieces of toast
Some cream cheese
Strawberries – sliced
Cucumber – sliced
Mint if you have it fresh – chopped
Directions: Spread the cream cheese on bread (however much you
like) and then add the slices or strawberries and cucumber. It only takes about
2 strawberries, depending on how big they are. Add mint on top if you’d like –
close the sandwich and eat. Delish!
Last, but not least these spinach rolls are a variation between
lasagna and manicotti and they are really super yummy. They, too, are from www.wholefoodsmarket.com which lately is my favorite stop for
yummy healthy recipes.
Cheesy Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
Salt
1/2 pound (8 to 10) uncooked lasagna noodles
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Method
Preheat oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted
water to a boil, add noodles and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain
well and gently transfer to a clean work surface.
Grease a small roasting pan or casserole dish with cooking spray;
set aside. Working with one noodle at a time, spread with about 2 tablespoons
of the ricotta and 2 tablespoons of the marinara then top with spinach.
Starting at one end, roll up noodle snugly then arrange in pan either seam-side
down or with the rolls close enough together to hold each other closed. Pour
remaining marinara over assembled rolls then sprinkle with mozzarella and bake
until golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.
I hope you thoroughly enjoy these recipes! More to come in the
Future!!!
