Tomato Greek-y Tuscan-y Chicken over Quinoa

I am having a hard time appropriately naming this meal... it has a greek/tuscan flair to it, I suppose. The original recipe called for ground lamb, which I am dying to try. I added a bunch of veggies to this recipe that the original didn't call for for either, but I think the sauce makes a great base for anything!

Source: Inspired by Company's Coming: 30 Minute Weekday Meals
Serves: 6 large servings

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces and cooked
• 1 tbsp of oil (I used the oil of the sundried tomatoes for extra flavour)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 pkg of mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 10 sundried tomatoes, sliced (about 1/2-3/4 c.)
• 1 can of asparagus
• feta

Sauce:

• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1/2 c. red wine
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• s&p

Instructions:

1. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Put the quinoa on, following the instructions on the package.
3. Cook the chicken in the skillet until browned on the outside and a tiny bit pink in the centre. Set aside.
4. Heat the oil. Soften the red onion and add mushrooms after about 5 mins. When the mushrooms release their liquid and are soft, deglaze with the balsamic vinegar and cook stiring continuously until the vinegar cooks down.
5. Add the sundried tomatoes, asparagus, sauce and chicken.
6. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes and until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Serve over quinoa and top with crumbled feta.

Comments:

This was a big hit, especially for a quick week night meal. I was just kind of making it up as I went, so I was glad it turned out! The spices give this thick, hearty dish an interesting flavour. The original recipe called for spinach wilted in at the end instead of asparagus. I wanted to use up the asparagus, so I added it and cooked spinach as a side with some evoo and garlic. But, it would be great with spinach or even black olives (bleck, olives, one of the few foods I hate!) I can't wait to try this with ground lamb.

Salmon with Mango Sauce

Source: Company's Coming: 30-Minute Weekday Meals

Ingredients:

For salmon:

• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 4 salmon fillets
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Mango sauce:

• 1/2 can of mango in syrup, drained and juice reserved
• 1/4 c. plain yogurt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp sweet chili sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. Combine the lime juice and sweet chili sauce together in a bowl. Brush it onto the salmon fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet. Add fillets and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, continuously brushing with the chili/lime sauce. I doubled the sauce recipe.
2. Mango sauce: combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Serve over salmon.

Comments:

This was SO GOOD! The salmon was crispy on the outside, but nice and moist on the inside. I served it with jasmine rice and snowpeas. I used the reserved mango juice to cook the rice and added the remainder of the mango (chopped), sliced green onion and chopped cilantro to the rice.

Chili Coconut Pork

Source: Company's Coming: 30-Minute Weekday Meals

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tsp cornstartch
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced against the grain
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2-3 peppers, julienned
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger root (or 1/2 tsp ground)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried crushed chilies
• 1-14 oz (398mL) can of light coconut milk
• 1/2 c. mango chutney
• 1 c. frozen peas

Instructions:

1. Stir water into cornstartch in a small cup/bowl and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook the pork until slightly pink. Set aside.
3. Add more oil, vegetables and spices. Cook for a couple of mins, until the spices are fragrant and the veggies are starting to soften.
4. Add the coconut milk and the chutney. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 mins.
5. Add the pork, peas and cornstartch mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of mins, until the sauce thickens and the peas are cooked.
6. Garnish with sliced green onion, serve and enjoy!

Comments:

I served this over brown rice with a side of broccoli. It would be delicious over basmati or jasmine rice. The broccoli side wasn't really necessary, as there were enough veggies in the dish, but I needed to use it up :) The flavour was very nice and light. I might use spicier chutney instead of mild next time or some red pepper flakes, because I did find it a teensy bit bland. Over all, this was very good and a quick weeknight meal.

Old-Fashioned Raspberry Squares

OLD-FASHIONED RASPBERRY SQUARES

Source: Inspired by www.skinnytaste.com
Servings: 24


Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• Raspberry jam (any kind of fam or pie filling will do!)
• Icing sugar (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in.
3. Add the flour, one cup at a time.
4. Pour the batter into the greased, rectagular pan. It will be quite thick and you will need to use a spatula to spread it around a little. "Score" it into 24 squares (4 x 6). Scoring basically means to take a toothpick or a small knife and mark off the 24 squares on the top of the batter, so you know where to put the filling.
5. Put a tsp of jam or filling in each square.
6. Bake for 30-35 mins. Remove from oven. Cool, cut, serve and enjoy :)

Comments:

We have coffee hour after Church every Sunday and I wanted to make something to bring. I saw this recipe while browsing one of my favorite cooking websites, "Skinny Taste". The squares reminded me of something my grandmother made, so I decided they fit the bill perfectly. The original recipe called for cherry pie filling, skinny taste used strawberry pie filling and I used raspberry jam! Basically, you can use any pie filling or jam. I am looking forward to trying blueberry.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

CROCKPOT SALSA CHICKEN
Source: My variation of a popular internet recipe

Ingredients:

• 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 jar of salsa

Instructions:

1. Put the chicken breasts in the crockpot and top with the salsa and the taco seasoning.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Shred.

Comments:

This mexican flavoured shredded chicken can be used in so many ways... for taco's, burritos, to top salad or my favorite, in Mexican Rice and Beans.

Mexican Black Beans and Rice

MEXICAN BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Source: Moi!
Servings: A lot, probably 8?

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. uncooked brown rice (cooks up to about 2.5 cups)
• Crockpot salsa chicken (or ground beef/chicken/turkey, cooked in taco seasoning)
• 1 jar of salsa (if you don't use the crockpot salsa chicken)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Possible toppings:

• Low-fat shredded cheese
• Fat-free sour cream
• Guacamole
• Shredded lettuce (to make a salad)
• Chopped green onion
• Black olives
• Tortilla (to make a burrito)

Instructions:

1. Make the crockpot taco chicken or ground meat. Make the brown rice.
2. In a skillet, cook the onion, red pepper, green pepper and garlic in the olive oil until the veggies are soft.
3. Add the corn, black beans, chicken (or meat and salsa) and diced tomatoes. Cook until heated through.
4. Add the rice and mix everything up. Cook, stirring regularly until heated through.
5. Serve with toppings, over rice or in a tortilla as a burrito.

Comments:

This recipe is very flexible. We jokingly call it "mexican dump" because you can dump in a variety of ingredients and use them up. Sometimes, I use the crockpot salsa chicken, other times I use ground beef cooked with a packet of taco seasoning and sometimes I leave out the meat altogether. You can also use whatever veggies you have on hand.

Best Ever Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

CHEESY CHICKEN AND RICE CASSEROLE
Source: Me!
Servings: 8 (or 6 big ones :)

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 c. brown rice, cooked (or whatever 1 c. uncooked makes)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 large carrots, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 can of mushrooms, drained (or 1 package of fresh sliced mushrooms)
• 1 tbsp jarred garlic
• 1 can of Campbell's low-fat cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 c. milk (I used 1/2 the soup can)
• 1 c. fat-free or low-fat sour cream
• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• salt and pepper (I like lots of fresh ground black pepper in this)
• 2 c. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook diced chicken and rice, if you aren't using leftovers.
3. While they are cooking, dice carrots, celery and onion (mushrooms too, if using fresh). Cook the vegetables in a pan until they are soft. Add garlic and the canned mushrooms at the end and cook for about a minute.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix the chicken, rice, vegetables, soup, sour cream, milk, dry mustard, s&p and 1 c. of the cheddar.
5. Pour it into a large greased rectangular pan, like your lasagna pan. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 mins if ingredients are already warm, 30-40 if cold.

Comments:

I have a cold and had a hankering for creamy comfort food. I had chicken breasts thawed and the other ingredients are things I always have on hand. The KEY to this recipe is the dry mustard. It might sound crazy, but it doesn't make it taste mustardy at all, trust me, because I LOATHE mustard. It just gives it it a nice kick. Using all low-fat and fat-free ingredients, due to the vegetable content, this is a pretty light recipe too!

You could totally use leftover chicken or turkey too. I would keep the onion/carrot/celery veggie base, because it gives it a nice flavour, but you could definitely add chopped peppers, corn, broccoli, etc...

Spinach and Bruschetta Pasta

SPINACH AND BRUSCHETTA PASTA
Source: ME!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 package of mushroom, sliced
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 jar of bruschetta mix (I used Classico Extra Garlic Bruschetta mix)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 1 pkg of chicken sausage, diced (I used Nature's Own Chicken spinach and garlic)
• Whole wheat pasta

Directions:

1. Boil water and cook pasta as you make the sauce.

2. In a dutch oven, sautee the red onion in the EVOO until the union is soft and starting to brown. Add the mushrooms and cook until liquid is released.

3. Add/deglaze with the balsamic vinegar and stir continuously until the vinegar is mostly cooked off.

4. Add the bruschetta mix, diced tomatoes and sausage. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-10 mins.

5. Cover the top in spinach. Put the cover back on the pot until the spinach is wilted and then stir it in. Repeat adding the spinach, wilting and stiring until the whole bag of spinach is wilted and stired in.

6. Serve over pasta with a dusting of parm cheese.

Comments:

I was planning on having pieorgies with spinach, mushroom and onion last night, but I didn't have enough pierogies for everyone. I was limited in the produce I had on hand and had a jar of bruscetta mix that had been in the cupboard FOREVER, so I came up with this! It was a really nice change from traditional sauce, cooks up much quicker and is nice and healthy. The bruschetta mix is already well seasoned, so I didn't have to add any additional spices. Also, you could probably do without the balsamic vinegar step, but I think this gave it a bit of kick.

This was a delicious, easy and healthy weeknight meal. I have been told this is being added to the meal rotation :)

Bubble-Up Pizza Casserole

BUBBLE-UP PIZZA CASSEROLE
Source: Internet/Me

Ingredients:

• Ground chicken or turkey (you can use beef, I'm just trying to keep things light)
• Turkey pepperoni (I used a package of butterball brand)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp jarred minced garlic
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• 1 small can pizza sauce
• 1 medium can diced tomatoes, liquid drained
• Italian seasoning (1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp Italian seasoning)
• 1 can Pillsbury biscuits
• 1 c. Kraft 4 cheese Italian blend (skim)

Directions:

1. Grease a lasagna pan (large rectangular) and turn over to 375 F.

2. Brown ground meat and put it in a large mixing bowl. Soften onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic and add to the mixing bowl.

3. In the mixing bowl, combine ground meat, vegetables, sauces and seasoning.

4. Remove biscuits from the tube and quarter them. Stir into mixture. Pour into pan.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until biscuits are puffy and start to brown. Cover the top in cheese and bake for 10 more minutes. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken a bit. Cut and serve!

Comments:

I made the enchilada version of this a couple of weeks ago and it was delicious, so I thought I would give the pizza version a try. It did not disappoint! Again, the presentation certainly wasn't great, but the taste made up for it. It is quite time consuming to make all at once. I really should make it all up the night before and when I get home, just add the biscuits and bake.

Orange Ginger Pork

ORANGE GINGER PORK, JASMINE RICE AND ASIAN SLAW

Orange Ginger Pork

Ingredients:

• 4 large pork chops or 8 small
• 1 c. orange juice
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 2 tbsp corn startch
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 can of mandarin oranges, drained, juice reserved
• 2 tbsp pickled ginger, chopped
• 1/4 c. green onion, chopped

Directions:

1. Put a little oil in a large skillet. Cook pork on each side for two minutes, to brown. Set aside.

2. Whisk together orange juice, chicken broth, corn starch and brown sugar. Bring to a boil in the skillet. Add mandarin orange and pickled ginger. Stir gentle.

3. Add pork chops and cook in the sauce, turning every couple of minutes until pork chops are cooked and the sauce thickens.

4. Serve garnished with chopped green onion.

Jasmine Rice:

While the pork is cooking, prepare jasmine rice. Use the leftover mandarin orange juice, chicken broth and water to make up the liquid. Once rice is ready, mix in some chopped green onion, fresh or dried cilantro and a little chopped pickled ginger.

Asian Slaw

Mix shredded cabbage, shredded carrot, chopped red onion, chopped green onion, garlic, cumin, pickled ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar and a couple of squirts of lime. Or, mix up the veggies with Newman's Asian Ginger Vinegrette.

Comments:

This was a super fast, delicious and healthy supper. It was ready in under thirty minutes. If I had done the chopping the night before, I think it could have been ready in about 15 minutes! The flavours were all really fresh and the orange sauce from the pork was delicious poured over the pork. I cut up my pork and mixed it all together for my lunch today and can't wait to eat the leftovers.

Bubble-Up Enchilada Casserole

Bubble-Up Enchilada Casserole
Source: Internet/Me

**Warning: This sounds like a bizarre and disgusting recipe, but I can assure you that it is DELISH. I would not lead you astray.

Ingredients:

• 1lbs of ground chicken or turkey, browned (you can use hamburger, I am just trying to keep it "light")
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 pkg mushrooms
• 1 small can of corn
• 1/2 can of black beans
• 1 can of enchilada sauce (8 oz)
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 pkg of taco seasoning
• 1 can of Pilsbury buscuits
• 1 pkg of Kraft Mexican cheese blend

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 370. Brown the ground chicken/turkey. Put in a large mixing bowl.

2. Cook the peppers, onion and mushrooms in the pan until the onion is slightly browned and the peppers and tender. Add to mixing bowl.

3. Mix up beef, veggies, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Remove the buscuits from the can and quarter each biscuit. Mix them in the enchilada mixture until they are coated in sauce.

4. Pour the whole mixture into a large greased pan, like a lasagna pan. Try to make sure the buscuits are somewhat evenly distributed around the pan. Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and add cheese to the top. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until biscuits are cooked.

5. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until it cools and settles a bit. Serve with low fat sour cream.

Comments: As I mentionned earlier, this dish sounded somewhat gross and the appearance was questionable. However, it is so very delicious, even the skeptics devoured it. You could mix it up the night before and just add the biscuits and pour it into the pan when you got home, to speed things up a bit.

Rosemary Peppered Lamb Chops

ROSEMARY PEPPERED LAMB CHOPS
Source: Company's Coming 30 Minutes Weekday Meals

• Lamb chops (I used 8 small but thick)
• 1/4 c. flour (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large carrots finely sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 c. beef broth
• 1 c. dry red wine
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp fresh group pepper

1. Dredge lamb in flour. Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook lamb for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. Set aside.

2. Add 1 tsp of olive oil to the skillet. Cook onion and carrot in the skillet until the onion is browned and the carrot is becoming tender.

3. Add broth, wine, pepper and rosemary. Stir and bring to a boil.

4. Add lamb, coating in sauce. Cook for 3-5 more minutes on each side, until lamb is cooked.

5. Serve the vegetables and sauce over mashed potatoes.

Side dish: I served this with brussel sprouts. I normally don't love brussel sprouts, but I tossed them in 1 tsp of butter, 1 tsp of honey and a squirt of lemon juice. They were AMAZING!

Comments: This was really good and quick for a weeknight. I cut up the vegetables while the lamb was searing and steamed the brussel sprouts over the boiling potatoes to save time and dishes. My lamb chops were really thick, so they took a bit longer to cook, even to medium doneness (is that a word?) They stayed moist though, since they were cooking in liquid.

Definitely a make-again!

Sweet and Spicey Grilled Sweet Potatoes

SWEET AND SPICEY GRILLED SWEET POTATOES
Source: Me!

Ingredients:

• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" square pieces
• 1 bag of baby spinach
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into pieces. Slice onion. Put potatoes, onion and spinach in a bowl. Toss.
2. Mix the olive oil and all the spices. Pour over the sweet potato mixture. Toss to coat.
3. Use a store-bought foil packet or make one out of tin foil. Spray with non-stick spray. Fill with mixture and make into a fairly thin, rectangular packet.
4. Grill for 20-30 mins. Flip it a couple of times.

Comments:

I had made sweet potato fries in the oven using the spice mixture before, but the rest was my own creation. I wasn't sure how the spinach would be with the rest, but it was DELICIOUS. My parents were skeptical, but they gobbled it up.

Stuffed Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

STUFFED PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CHICKEN
Source: Me!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• fresh basil, juiliened
• goat cheese
• sundried tomatoes, sliced
• salt & pepper
• prosciutto

Directions:

1. Defrost chicken. Preheat over to 375 F. Pound chicken breasts until they are quite thin. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
2. Julienne the basil. I am a tool and didn't know how to do this before. You just roll up the basil and slice it! So easy! Chop up the sundried tomato.
3. Stuff each chicken breast with about a tbsp of goat cheese, 1 tbsp of chopped subdried tomatoes and some basil.
4. Roll up and wrap in prosciutto. The prosciutto is sticky enough that you don't need toothpicks.
5. Cover a baking sheet in foil and spray. Bake for around 20-25 mins. The chicken is thin so it cooks quickly.

Comments:

These were SO, SO good. I wish I had a photo, because the presentation was even gorgeous. I would make these for guests, with red potatoes and green beans. The prosciutto keeps all the moisture in the chicken breasts and the flavours are amazing. We had them with spinach and garlic stuffed portobellos, topped with a little goat cheese.

Sole in Ginger Sauce and Cilantro Slaw

SOLE IN GINGER SAUCE
Source: South Beach Diet Book

Ingredients:

• Sole (we used 6 thin filets)
• 2/3 c. sherry
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 2 tsp fresh garlic
• 2 tsp fresh ginger
• 1/3 c. green onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Whisk sherry, soy, garlic, ginger, onion and pepper in a bowl. Spray a glass baking dish and pour sauce over fish. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork.

Comments:

This was a nice way to prepare sole. The original recipe called for orange roughy, but to be quite honest, I don't know what the hell that is. The recipe you could use sole, cod or flounder instead, so basically any white fish will do. This didn't have overwhelming flavour, but it was tastey! I served it with snap peas in the skillet with garlic and soy and some cilantro slaw (see below).

CILANTRO COLESLAW
Source: A combination of the South Beach Diet Book and Me :)

Ingredients:

• Cilantro mayo
• 1 bag of coleslaw mix
• 2 stalks of green onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. of fresh cilantro, loosely packed

Cilantro mayo:

• 3/4 c. reduced fat mayo (I used Hellman's with olive oil light)
• 3/4 c. cup of loosely packed cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp fresh garlic

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until quite smooth.

Directions:

Make the cilantro mayo. Mix the mayo with the other salad ingredients.

Comments:

You definitely have to be a cilantro lover to enjoy this salad, which thankfully, I am! It was very fresh tasting a nice compliment to the fish.

Marinated Chicken and Grilled Veggies

MARINATED CHICKEN
Source: Kalyn's Kitchen Blog

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp low-fat mayo (not miracle whip)
• 1 tbsp Worchestire Sauce
• 1 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp thyme
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions:

Mix the marinade ingredients together. Marinate chicken all day. Grill, continuously brushing marinade over chicken.

GRILLED VEGGIES
Source: Me

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1" cube pieces
• 1 8 ounce package of mushrooms, cut in half
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 green pepper, cut into 1" pieces
• 1/2 red onion, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh group pepper
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp onion salt
• 1 tsp fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp vegetable spice

Instructions:

Mix olive oil and spices together. Toss vegetables in the mixture until they are all coated. Grill in a grill basket while the chicken is cooking.

Comments:

We each had a chicken breast, with veggies and a spinach salad. It was a TON of food and such a good way to get in a lot of vegetables. I had never cooked an eggplant before and was pleasantly surprised that it just took on the flavour of the other ingredients. Also, I was a bit skeptical of the chicken when I saw the marinade but OMG it was so, so good. The chicken was really moist and by continuously brushing it with the marinade while it was grilling, so flavourful!

Rosemary Garlic Salmon

ROSEMARY GARLIC SALMON
Source: South Beach Diet Book


Ingredients:

Rub:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Other:

• Salmon fillets
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Grill and tin foil

Directions:

Mix the rub ingredients up in a bowl. Lightly brush salmon with olive oil. Rub the dry ingredients onto both sides of the salmon with your fingers.

Place tin foil over grill. Heat grill. Lightly brush foil with EVOO so the salmon doesn't stick. Grill salmon until done, about 8 minutes on each side.

Comments:

We usually have salmon on the grill cooked in lots of butter and BBQ sauce, which is not exactly diet friendly. Although I was a bit skeptical as to how flavourful this would be, it was DELICIOUS!! The rosemary goes perfectly with salmon and the olive oil makes the outside a little crispy and really locks in the flavour. I served it with grilled asparagus and a spinach salad. This will definitely become a regular addition to our meal rotation!

Stuffed Mushrooms

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg of crimini mushrooms
• 1/4 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 c. frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
• 1 tsp of precrushed and minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
• 1 wedge of herb and garlic laughing cow light cheese
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Wash mushrooms and carefully remove stems. Finely chop stems.
2. Place mushroom caps, cap up whole down on a plate. Microwave for about 30 seconds. Press the liquid out of the mushrooms with a paper towel. Set aside. (You can do this in the skillet too, but you might need to use more EVOO.)
3. In a skillet, sauté the mushroom stems, spinach, onion and garlic in a little oil until the mushrooms are cooked down and the onion is translucent.
4. Mix the spinach mixture with the laughing cow cheese wedge. Stuff mushrooms. Bake for about 10 mins on 375 or nuke in the microwave if you are bringing them in your lunch.

Comments:

These are really, really good! I was inspired by a recipe in my South Beach Diet book, that didn't include the cheese, but it is a nice addition of protein that gives a good flavour and consistency. They are also super healthy and a very tasty way to get in lots of vegetables!