Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" with Goat Cheese and Parmesan

So last fall I went hard core no carbs, South Beach Diet phase 1, for a few months and dropped over 20 pounds. It was really hard to not eat carbs since I love sweets and bread products, but losing the weight made me feel better about myself, and it was something I just needed to do for my health.

Well, I got lazy, started chowing down on all my favorite carbby foods again, with no restraint, and I re-gained a few of those pounds. The husband's pants have been fitting a bit tighter lately as well, so we decided to give South Beach another try, but this time focus more on less carbs, rather than NO cabrs, because let's face it, carbs taste good! And no carbs gives me headaches and makes me crabby- I'm no ray of sunshine on a normal day, so doing something that puts me in a bad mood is no way to live life.

In our quest to cut the carbs, I pulled out this recipe for cauliflower mashed "potatoes", which obvs contain no potatoes. Let me tell you, I am not a fan of many vegetables, and cauliflower is definitely on that list. But, once they were pureed, then combined with goat cheese and parmesean cheese, I could.not.stop eating them! The consistency was spot on- smooth, creamy, velvety. Yummm. The two different cheeses added extra creaminess, as well as amazing flavor.

The husband, who is a veggie hater and steak lover, commented that this dish was the star of the meal and better than the steaks we had for dinner. If that's not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is!

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes" with Goat Cheese and Parmesan Cheese
Source: Kayln's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon half and half or cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 ounces goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Chop up cauliflower into small chunks, discarding the stem and leaves.

Put cauliflower and minced garlic in a saucepan (or microwave safe bowl if you want to microwave it) with enough water to cover the cauliflower. Cook for 20 minutes, until cauliflower is soft.

Drain the water and let cauliflower sit in a colander for about 5 minutes to allow extra water to drain off.

Puree cauliflower in a blender or food processor (I used my immersion blender for this, with the cauliflower in a saucepan. It worked great!). Put pureed cauliflower in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and mix in the goat cheese, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Stir to melt the cheese, then remove from heat. Sprinkle chopped chives over the top and serve warm.

Grilled Summer Vegetables

The husband and I can be a bit of picky eaters when it comes to veggies, which leads to us eating far fewer vegetables than we should. But one of our favorite ways to incorporate more vegetables into our diets is by grilling them. The grill brings out the sweetness in the veg, similar to oven-roasting, while the burning charcoal imparts a nice smokey flavor into the food.

Usually, I just slice up the vegetables and sprinkle them with some salt and pepper, and maybe a drizzle of olive oil, before grilling em up. This time, I decided to make up something of a simple marinade to add some pizzaz. The lemon and lime juice adds a bright note to the veggies, without overpowering them.

The best part of this dish is that it works with whatever veggies you have on hand. The husband loves broccoli, so I threw some florets in for him, but you can easily leave them out. Onion slices would be delish, as would carrots or asparagus. Make it your own, but make it soon!

Grilled Summer Veggies
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
about 1 pound of summer squash (I used 1 yellow crookneck, 1 patti pan, and 1 round squash I don't know the name of)
1 medium head broccoli, stems trimmed and discarded
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
heavy shake salt and pepper

Directions
Prepare a charcoal grill for direct heat.
Slice the squash into planks or into bite-sized chunks.

Combine the squash and broccoli florets in a large bowl or Ziplock bag. Pour the remaining ingredients over the vegetables and stir or shake to combine.

Once the charcoal is medium hot (I usually cook my meat first, then the veggies, so the charcoal is at the appropriate temp) and the coals are glowing, but there aren't any flames, place a grill pan over the center of the grill. Pour the veggies into the grill pan and cook until the veggies are soft and slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Shake the grill pan and stir the veggies as they cook to ensure all the vegetables cook evenly.

Remove from heat and serve.

Grilled Artichokes

I have kind of a long commute home from work every day, and I often spend the time stuck in the car thinking about what I want to eat and what I am going to make for dinner, which is exactly how I came up with this recipe. I knew I was going to grill up some rib eye steaks that we didn't get around to cooking on Memorial Day, and as I was thinking about sides, I remembered I bought two ginormous artichokes recently, but hadn't eaten them yet. Since I already planned to have the grill fired up, I thought grilling the artichokes sounded good too. A quick Google search (not while I was driving!) turned up an abundance of blog posts and recipes, so after a quick glance through several different sites, I decided to just keep things simple and boil, then grill the chokes.

You want to boil them first to soften up the tough leaves; the grilling imparts a smokey flavor into the vegetable, which was perfect with a simple lemon butter. Since the whole point of grilling the artichokes is to get that smokey flavor, I once again highly recommend a charcoal grill over gas. You won't get the same flavor from gas.

Grilled Artichokes
Source: various websites

Ingredients
1 artichoke
1-2 Tablespoons butter
lemon juice to taste

Directions
Bring a pot of water, deep enough to cover your artichoke, to a boil. Boil the artichoke for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, stack your charcoal in a pyramid, creating areas of indirect heat, and light the fire.

Cut the artichoke in half, lengthwise. Pull out the purply inner leaves and the furry portion, leaving the heart intact.

Once your coals are white and hot, place the artichokes cut side down over indirect heat. Cover the grill and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the artichokes are slightly charred.

Melt the butter and squeeze in your desired amount of lemon juice. I like to also squeeze straight lemon juice onto the artichoke itself. Dip the leaves in the lemon butter and enjoy.

Red Snapper with Tomatillo Salsa

Following Phase One of South Beach has not been easy...I feel like the list of things NOT to eat is miles long, and the approved list of foods is teeny tiny. The results have definitely been worth it so far, but I do have to admit, I fell off the wagon a bit recently....I ate a McRib over the weekend and a Whopper on my way to class last night. oops. :/ So I guess Phase One will extend an extra week for me, to make up for those "cheats".

Back to this recipe. I needed something tasty and non-chicken based for a Phase One meal, so I turned to fish. The husband loves fish, and even though I love sushi, I am really picky about cooked fish. I don't like it to taste fishy and the texture needs to be firm and flakey, otherwise it just totally grosses me out. I'd had macadamia nut encrusted halibut at a restaurant back in September and thought it was a nice mild fish, so when I saw this original recipe (it calls for halibut) I figured we'd give it a try.

Unfortunately, fish has seasons (did you know this? I didn't) and apparently halibut is not in season in October/November. The fish monger at my local Henry's told me if I could find fresh halibut (I don't like buying bags of frozen fish either. yuck) it would be crazy expensive, and then steered me towards the red snapper fillets. I didn't feel like piling up the charcoal and manning the grill, so I cooked the fish under the broiler-yum!

I loved the tomatillo salsa too. This was my first time trying a tomatillo and I will definitely be making this chunky salsa again soon.

Red Snapper with Tomatillo Salsa
Source: Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Ingredients for the fish
4 red snapper filets (about 1 pound total)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon Spike seasoning
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fish rub

Directions for the fish
Turn the broiler on to high.

Combine all of the ingredients, except for the fish, in a small bowl and mix together.

Spray a piece of foil with non-stick spray and lay the fish on top. Rub the mixture over the tops of each piece of fish.

Broil for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until the fish is just cooked through and is flaky. Serve with the tomatillo salsa.

Salsa Ingredients
5 medium-large tomatillos, husks removed, chopped
one 3-ounce can diced green chiles (I used the fire roasted chiles)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/3 cup lime juice, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed jalapeno (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Salsa Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Toss again before serving.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Here's an interesting factoid about black beans for you to chew on: You can cut your risk of heart attack by nearly 40% just by eating 3 ounces of black beans a sad (thank you Reader's Digest).
Not only that, but these little legumes are packed with fiber, antioxidants, and folate, as well as naturally low fat. Those benefits all add up to a healthy dining option.

But, eating a pile of plain black beans can get a bit boring. That's where black bean burgers make an appearance. Healthy, filing, and flavorful, these burgers make a great dinner and are easy to pack for lunch. Just add some sandwich thins and your favorite toppings and you're set! Just in time for back to school (well, really, back to work if you're me).

Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Source: Adapted from Good Things Catered
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 large bell pepper, any color (I used red)
3 green onions, roots trimmed off
1 large clove garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans no salt black beans, rinsed well and drained
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (taste after mixing in the 1/4 teaspoon)
1 1/4 teaspoons sriracha (Spicy chili sauce)
1 egg
1/4 cup herbed bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roughly chop the the bell pepper, green onions (use both the green and white parts) and garlic into large pieces. Combine them in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until minced.
In the bowl of a food processor, add onion, green pepper, carrot and garlic.

Remove the vegetables from the food processor bowl and place in fine mesh strainer to strain off excess liquid. Gently press the minced vegetables to help squeeze out the liquid.

Add the drained black beans to the food processor and pulse several times to mash the beans into a chunky paste.

Combine the minced vegetables and mashed beans in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir to completely combine.

Using your hands, shape the mixture into patties. Place each patty on the parchment paper. The mixture will be thick and goopy, but should hold it's shape easily.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until edges have crisped up and burgers are cooked through.

Remove from oven and serve. You can also freeze these burgers for future meals.

Guacamole Salad

The husband and I recently invited my parents over to celebrate my dad's 65th birthday. All 4 of us a big fans of babyback ribs, so I immediately planned to BBQ 3 racks of ribs as the main course. But when it came to the sides, I wasn't sure.

I didn't want to go the traditional route of corn and potato salad, so I kept browsing recipes until I hit upon this guacamole salad. I knew it would be the perfect pairing to our ribs. It was really really good! I bought my avocados a few days before making the salad in order to give them time to get ripe; they were perfectly smooth and creamy, with that faint bacon-y taste that Hass avocados sometimes have.

I added a roasted passilla pepper to the mix to give everything a smokey flavor and tie the salad into the main course. I loved the way the whole things turned out and even at a bowl of the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Guacamole Salad
Source: adapted from Pink Parsley
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 passilla pepper
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced
1 jalepeno, seeded, minced
zest of one lime
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground dried jalapeno (you can sub cayenne)
2 ripe Hass avocados, cut into large chunks

Directions

Roast a passilla pepper until the skin is blackened. (I roast mine over the flame on the stove). Let the pepper cool, then peel off and discard all of the charred skin. Deseed the pepper and cut it into large chunks.

Combine the first 7 ingredients, including the roasted pepper, in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olve oil, salt, pepper, and dried jalapeno. Pour this dressing over the salad and gently toss, coating all of the vegetables.

Add the avocado just before serving.

Toss and taste before serving; you may want to add a bit more salt at this point.

Eat Your Veggies

The husband and I are on a kind of health kick right now and have been working out a few times a week together. I've even started running a couple times a week, 3 miles at a time. This is a pretty big accomplishment for me-I've always hated running and would walk as soon as my legs began to hurt. Now that first mile is so easy it feels like I am floating down the track, and even though I am exhausted by the end of my third mile, I feel amazing for running the whole way without stopping or walking.

So with this recent focus on living healthier, we're trying to eat healthier dinners as well and eat a serving of veggies with dinner every night. The husband and I both love grilled veggie kabobs, which makes it even easier to get more nutritious food into our diets. They are full of fiber, making them very filling, and low in calories/fat. The best part about vegetable kabobs is customizing them to what you like and what's available in your store. I used 3 different types of squash and 2 different peppers, but you could use mushrooms, shrimp, onion--whatever you like!

Grilled Kabobs
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3-4 turkey & chicken basil sausage (I buy mine at Trader Joe's)
1 zucchini
1 yellow crook-neck squash
1 calabeza
1 bell pepper
1 poblano pepper

Directions
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30-60 minutes so they don't burn up on the grill.

Prepare a charcoal grill with an even layer of charcoal on the bottom of the grill.

Cut all of the vegetables and sausages up into bite sized chunks, of even thickness. Thread them onto the skewers, alternating the different vegetables and sausage.

Lay the skewers on the grill in a single layer and grill for 2-3 minutes, rotating the skewers.

Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper if desired and enjoy.

Taco Salad

One of my favorite summer meals is taco salad. It is really easy to throw together, and is a perfect light meal for those days when it is just too hot.

We're not quite in summer yet, though the weather has been heating up this week...after a 2 week spell of wintery cold weather. I made this for dinner on a recent warm day when I didn't really feel like cooking dinner. I had some leftover grilled chicken and carne asada in the fridge, so I convinced the husband that a meaty salad would make a great dinner. He was still a bit hungry later that evening, so if you have a big appetite, you might want to serve some rice and beans with this salad.

I like to crush the tortilla chips and sprinkle them over the top of this salad, but the husband prefers them uncrushed and the salad heaped on top; serve your's however you prefer. I also think that Fresh and Easy's Lime Tortilla Chips are the best for this salad as they add another kick of flavor.

Taco Salad

Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 pound grilled carne asada

3 grilled chicken thighs

1/2 head Romaine lettuce

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved

3 green onions, sliced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 bag frozen corn, or 1-2 ears fresh corn, steamed or grilled, kernals cut off

1/2 cup shredded cheese

tortilla chips (I used colby jack, but pepper jack or sharp cheddar are good choices too)

salsa

2 limes

Directions

Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. If these are refridgerated leftovers, heat for about 30 seconds to cut the chill. If the meat has just been cooked, set aside and let cool; you don't want the meat to be so hot it wilts the lettuce.

Rinse and dry all of the vegetables.

Tear the lettuce into small pieces and put them into a large serving bowl. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green onions, and meat. Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and toss.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the salad.

Serve with the tortilla chips and spoon some salsa over the top.

Steamed Artichokes and Lemon Butter

I love artichokes; they make a quick, easy meal. Just boil some water and steam until the leaves are soft. I remember my mom serving steamed artichokes as the main entree for dinner in the spring and summer when I was growing up, so when I saw artichokes at Fresh and Easy recently, I decided to pick one up for myself.

I know many people like dipping them in mayo, but seeing as I am not really a fan of the condiment, I prefer dipping mine in butter. I love the zippy tang of citrus fruit, so I figured adding a squeeze of lemon to the butter would be a great way to jazz up this simple dish.

Steamed Artichokes with Lemon Butter
Source: Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
artichokes (1-2 per person)
butter (about 2 Tablespoons per person)
lemon juice (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons per person)
water

Directions

Fill a large stockpot with water. Set a steamer basket on top of the water; make sure there is about 2 inches between the bottom of the steamer basket and the top of the water. Cover and bring to a boil.

Rinse the artichokes. You can also cut off the pointed ends if you like, but I leave mine as is.

Add the artichokes to the steamer basket once the water is boiling (you may need to cook them in batches if you are serving a crowd) and cover the pot. Leave the lid on and steam them for 25-45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke; you should be able to pull the outer leaves off pretty easily once they are done. My artichoke took about 33 minutes.

While the artichokes are steaming, combine the butter and lemon juice in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 10 second increments until the butter is melted. Portion the melted lemon butter into individual dishes for each person.

Pull the leaves off the artichokes and dip into the lemon butter, scraping the flesh off the underside of the leaves with your teeth.

Once you get to the middle of the artichoke, scrape off the fuzziness--you've uncovered the heart. Eat the heart whole, dipped in butter, or save for later use in salads, pizzas, and calzones.

3 Cheese Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

Mmm, doesn't that sound yummy? Not just one cheese, but THREE cheeses stuffed into a portabello mushroom. Now what if I told you one of those cheeses-the main cheese, even- is cottage cheese?

Wait, stop!

Don't hit the back button!

While cottage cheese may be the lumpy, bumpy mainstay of diet food, when combined with some mozzarella and parmesean, mixed with garlic-sauteed spinach and heaped into a beefy portabello cap, that lumpy excuse for a cheese comes alive. The flavor of the mushroom seeps into the cheeses, flavoring everything with a cheesy-earthy taste that is simply delicious. I know I am pushing my luck with some of you readers (people are still questioning my decision to make basil ice cream....unless they were lucky enough to get a taste. Those people are lining up for more.)

I have to admit, originally I was going to make Ricotta and Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms, but I deviated for a few reasons:

1. I could stand to lose a few pounds (I let you decide what "a few" means), and cottage cheese is a low fat option.

2. Cottage cheese was significantly cheaper at my local Fresh & Easy, and I was trying to save money (so I could spend it on ice cream instead :/ )

3. I wanted a new recipe that I could blog, rather than a rehash of something I've already done.

Since I am housesitting for my parents, this was the perfect opportunity to try out the cottage cheese mushroom. No husband to worry about pleasing and plenty of time to make something else if this turned out badly since it only takes me 15 minutes to get to their house from work.

This was definitely a winner and will be made again. The husband will have to just deal...

3 Cheese Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 portabello mushroom caps
3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesean cheese
1 tablespoon shredded mozarella, plus additional to top
1 bag of fresh spinach
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the portabellos, removing the stems and gills.

Spray a small baking dish with non-stick spray and cook the mushrooms, gill-side up, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauce pan. Sautee the garlic and spinach, just until the garlic is soft and the spinach is wilted.

In a medium bowl, combine the cooked spinach and garlic with the cottage cheese, parmesean cheese, and 1 tablespoon mozarella cheese. Add in the salt, pepper, and crushed chili peppers. Set aside.

Remove the mushroom caps from the oven. Spoon the cheese and spinach mixture into the mushrooms. It is ok to mound it slightly higher than the mushroom's edge. Sprinkle each cap with additional shredded mozarella cheese.

Return the mushrooms to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. The cheese should be melted and slightly golden. It may run into the baking pan a bit.

Plate each mushroom and serve.

Chicken and Veg Stir Fry, Version 2

I recently made this stir fry, using bags of frozen veggies I had on hand. We thouroughly enjoyed it, and since stir fry is an easy (if a bit time consuming) dinner, I decided to make it again. This time I had a bunch of different fresh veggies in the crisper, a can of baby corn in the pantry, and chicken breasts rather than thighs, so it was practically a whole new dish.

Start a pot of brown rice (I use my rice maker) while you chop up the veggies and the rice will be done right about the time you are ready to plate your stir fry.

On another note, I've been showing Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution to my journalism students lately, and they are loving the show. I gave them some time in the computer lab to check out his website and many of them were searching for the stir fry recipe Jaime made on the show! Too cute.

Chicken and Veg Stir Fry
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups green beans, cut in half
2 cups asparagus, cut into thirds
1 can baby corn, drained
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
1/2 teaspoon chili paste
1 cup water + 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bullion

Directions
Cut up the chicken breasts into small chunks and put into a ziplock bag. Add the cornstarch and shake, ensuring that all chicken pieces are coated. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ground ginger, minced garlic, and pepper. Shake to coat and let marinate 10-30 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok until hot. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes, until chicken in no longer pink.

Remove chicken from the wok and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon sesame oil in the wok. Once it is hot, add all of the vegetables, sprinkle with garlic salt and add the chili paste . Stir fry until heated through and crisp. Add the chicken back to the wok, pour in the water with bullion. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Serve over rice.

Zucchini Fries

As soon as I saw this recipe for zucchini fries I immediately bookmarked it as something I wanted to try right away. While these are nothing like potato french fries, of course, they are so yummy. The panko gives the zucchini a crispy crunchy coating and the oven roasting brings out a slightly sweet flavor in the zucchini itself.

Zucchini Fries
Source: Adapted from Le Petit Pierogi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 zucchini, cut into sticks
3 eggs
4 Tablespoons milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
4 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons season salt
salt
pepper


Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a wire cooling rack. Spray the rack with non-stick spray.

Assemble 2 shallow bowls and one large ziplock bag.

Mix together the season salt, pepper and flour in the ziplock bag.

In the 2nd bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.

In the 3rd bowl, combine the panko and Parmsean cheese. Season the zucchini sticks with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Add a quarter of the zucchini sticks to the flour mixture and shake to completely coat with flour. Remove the zucchini sticks from the bag and dip them, one by one, in the egg mixture, followed by rolling in the panko until coated.

Place on the cooling rack, side by side, and repeat until all of the zucchini sticks are coated and breaded.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Serve with ketchup or marinara sauce.

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches with Pesto

The fast food detox continues with this meal. My second day back in the kitchen after a week-long hiatus I decided to slice up a bunch of veggies and throw them on the grill. Knowing I would need to dress it up in order to entice the husband, I bought some hoagie rolls, spread them with a healthy layer of pesto and a sprinkling of freshly grated parm (not that powdered stuff in a can we all sprinkled on our spaghetti in the 80s!), and then stuffed the veggies in.

The husband's reaction? "Wow, these are really good! You can definitely add them to the rotation, maybe once a month." This coming from a guy who thinks eating nothing but Twinkies and Funions is vegetarian.

If you don't have a bbq, you can cook up the veggies on the stovetop in a grill pan, but they won't have the same smokey-sweet flavor. And please tell me you have a charcoal grill and not a propane bbq; let's not even go down that road again.

Feel free to change up the veggies to suit your preference.

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
2 yellow crook-neck squash, sliced lengthwise
2 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced into quarters
1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced into quarters
2 portabello mushrooms, rinsed of all dirt and stems removed (leave the gills intact)
pesto
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions
Prepare a charcoal grill.

Place all of the prepared veggies in a large bowl and toss with a little bit of olive oil.

Once the coals are hot (all white), lay the vegetables on the grill in a single layer. You might need to cook in two batches, depending on the size of your grill.

Grill for about 3 minutes and then flip the zucchini and yellow squash over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. The squash and zucchini should be slightly charred, and the vegetables should be much softer than when raw.

Once the skin of the bell peppers is charred, remove them from the grill.

Don't flip the portabello mushrooms; they are done when they are softer and slightly shriveled on the edges. Liquid may pool in the center of the mushroom during cooking.

Slice the mushrooms into 1/2" thick slices. Peel the charred skin off the bell peppers and discard.

Cut two hoagie rolls in half, lengthwise, and toast under the broiler. Spread with your desired amount of pesto (I used about a tablespoon or so per sandwich) and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Top the pesto and cheese with the grilled veggies, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli with Mushrooms

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I hated most veggies as a kid. I suffered through many mushy veggies, and later cruched on raw vegetables dipped in Ranch dressing throughout my time living at home, wondering how anyone actually enjoyed eating vegetables.
But then my mom discovered this recipe for cauliflower when I was a teen, and all of a sudden, I was actually asking for cauliflower. So when I was planning the menu for my dinner party, I immediatly thought of this dish, knowing I needed to serve some sort of veg. My mom's recipe doesn't include broccoli, but I decided to add it for a bit of variety and color. There's no broccoli in the picture though; I served myself last, and by the time I got to this dish, all of the broccoli was gone! :)
The balsamic vinegar adds a savory tang to the veggies, without overpowering your taste buds. Balsamic is actually a great, flavorful addition to most vegetables.



Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli with Mushrooms
Source: adapted from my mom's recipe
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 cups cauliflower florets (about a lb.)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cups chopped mushrooms
½ cups chopped red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, plus extra for drizzling
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cups chopped green onions (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350d. Spray a 13x9 pan with non-stick spray.

Chop the broccoli and cauliflower into large chunks; chop the broccoli into bigger pieces than the cauliflower so it won't over cook.

Mix all ingredients and spread in the pan. Drizzle additional balsamic vinegar over the top.

Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes, until tender and golden brown. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Serves six.

Crispy Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu and Broccoli

The husband loves tofu and is always up for trying new tofu recipes, but I have a fear of cooking tofu. I feel like it never comes out right, no matter how much I squeeze out the water or how I cut it up. I usually just crumble it up a bit and throw it in stir frys, but even then, I still am less than thrilled.

Where is that crispy on the outside, soft, almost creamy, on the inside texture I find in Thai restaurants? Why can't I recreate that at home? Do I really have to fry tofu to get that texture I crave?

Well, apparently not. I saw this recipe on Cara's Cravings recently and decided to give it a try. She mentioned some of my same frustrations, but then went on to describe her success at achieving crispy, yet creamy tofu. Well, let me tell you, she was right! This tofu came out wonderfully well! It had a nice crispy exterior and a soft interior, with a ton of flavor.

I made some modifications to Cara's recipe, including adding broccoli to make this a more filling meal. If you'd like to see her original recipe, check out Cara's Cravings. Don't be afraid of the maple syrup here; I thought it might be cloying and overly-sweet, but it just added a subtle hint of sweetness to round out the flavor profile.

Crispy Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu and Broccoli
Source: Adapted from Cara's Cravings
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 14-ounce block extra-firm water-packed tofu
2 small heads of broccoli, stems removed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Squeeze the water out of the tofu and cut into 1" cubes.

Spray a 9 X 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add the tofu cubes; lightly spray the tofu with more nonstick cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces of tofu are lightly browned. Turn the pieces over, and roast for another 10 minutes.

Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup and vinegar in a small bowl.

Cut the broccoli into small chunks.

Remove the tofu from the oven, and add the broccoli to the dish. Toss with the maple mixture, sesame seeds, ginger, and crushed red pepper.

Return to the oven and roast for another 5-10 minutes, turning once, until desired crispiness is reached.

Serve over brown rice.

Roasted Veggie Pasta with Arugula

I'm sure you read about my mean decision to deprive the husband of his requested salmon dinner, only to recant after a chiding from some co-workers. Well, I still wasn't feeling like eating any salmon, so I threw together this pasta dish for myself, and popped his salmon fillet in the oven while the water boiled. There, now everyone is happy. :)

But salmon is on the menu again this week. *sigh* At least I convinced him to try salmon pesto pasta...I'll let you know how that goes.

Roasted Veggie Pasta with Arugula
Source: Martha Stewart Every Day Food (The Light Issue)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 pints grape tomatoes (I only had about 3/4 of a pint on hand...I wish I'd had more tomatoes!)
6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 shallots, cut into eighths
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (I used a few heavy shakes of dried)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
8 ounces rigatoni pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
1/2 cup pitted olives, coarsely chopped (I omitted these)
3 cups baby arugula or spinach (I used an arugula mix that also included radicchio and frizzze)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Place tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and thyme on a rimmed baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment to save on clean up). Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roast about 20-25 minutes, or until garlic is soft and tomatoes are bursting.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente (I cooked my penne about 11 minutes). Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Return pasta to the pot, with the 1/4 cup reserved water.

Peel the roasted garlic and smash with the side of a knife. Add garlic, tomatoes, shallots, thyme and olives to the pasta and cook over medium-high for about 3 minutes.

Let cool slightly and mix with the arugula. Serve and enjoy, glad to not be eating salmon!

Citrusy Chicken and Green Bean Salad

Now that the holiday season is over and we are into the new year, it's time to lighten up some recipes. While the champagne chicken was delish (and I can't wait to make it again for Valentine's Day and possibly our anniversary in the spring), the husband and I need to move away from heavy cream, butter, and loads of cheese.

What a sad prospect. I feel like that Julia Child quote, "If you're afraid of butter, use cream!" is so true sometimes. There is just something to be said for going whole hog and using those great tasting fats.

But then my jeans get tighter and my belly gets rounder and I start to wonder if butter is really worth it after all. However, lightening up dinner does not have to mean throwing out flavor. Heck no! Squeeze some lemon juice into a dish, add in palmfuls of fresh or dried herbs, and you have just as tasty a meal, without all the fat.

In light of this decision to eat some healthier meals (I said some...I still intend to make pizza, and Mexican, and ice cream with whole milk on occasion), I picked up the newest issue of Martha Stewart's Every Day Food recipe booklet. The cover enticed me with its promise of lighter, yet tasty meals and so far it has not disappointed.

I heavily adapted this recipe from Every Day food; the original called for cucumbers (omitted), only 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (upped to 2 lemons), and 1 tablespoon of basil (upped to 2, plus some dried rosemary). Also, I doubled the recipe, but decided not to double the amount of oil, in an effort to continue the healthyness.

The husband, who doesn't really like lemon, thoroughly enjoyed this and requested that it be added to "the rotation."

Citrusy Chicken and Green Bean Salad
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, poached
8-10 ounces green beans, steamed
2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, and dried rosemary.

Cut the chicken into chunks and add to the dressing, along with the steamed green beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the chicken and beans to fully coat with dressing. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds and serve.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

As a kid, I disliked many vegetables, but I think none more so than broccoli. I absolutely detested the vile green vegetable and couldn't agree more when President George H. Bush proclaimed his hatred towards this menace of a plant in the 90's.

Whenever broccoli made an appearance on my dinner plate, I knew it was going to be a long night for me. I usually had to stay at the dinner table until I ate all of my vegetables....and sometimes they made a reappearance at breakfast if I didn't choke them down by bedtime. As I got older I devised new ways of making the despised veggie disappear; I often hid florets in my napkin, balled up under the edge of my plate. I even went so far as to drop them in my milk glass, which would then be poured down the sink or in the toilet when no one was looking. I never was very good at dropping food on the floor for the dog, mainly because the dog always sat under my brother's chair on the other side of the table.

As an adult, I still dislike broccoli. The husband on the other hand looooooooves it. Ugh. I am forced to pick it out of stir fry and eat around it when it makes an appearance in other dishes. With two stalks of the green menace in the crisper....organic broccoli at that...I decided to try a new method of cooking. I enjoy oven-roasted cauliflower and asparagus (two other veggies I wouldn't eat as a kid), so I gave oven-roasted broccoli a try.

This recipe, with a nice sprinkle of parm cheese, made me rethink my hatred of broccoli. While I still won't be offering to eat broccoli on a regular basis, this was really good and I found myself eating a second helping.

Oven Roasted Broccoli
Source: Food Network
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound broccoli, rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or sharp Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets into bite size pieces. Cut the stalk into 1/8-inch thick, round slices (I just used the florets and discarded the stems). Place the broccoli into a mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, garlic, kosher salt and pepper and set aside.

Spread the panko into a 13 by 9-inch pan and place into the oven for 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove the panko from the oven and add to the bowl with the broccoli mixture. Toss to combine.

Return the broccoli mixture to the pan, place in the oven and roast just until the broccoli is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss in the cheese and serve immediately.

Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is a quick (30 minutes...45 including prep) and healthy that's great for a weeknight dinner. I can be pretty picky about veggies, but I've found that I really enjoy winter squash, including acorn squash and this is a fun way to serve the veg.

PS. I don't know why my pictures are coming out so yellowy lately. Ugh!

Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash
Printable Recipe
Source: Me

Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 pound ground turkey
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, minced
5 large baby bella mushrooms (or whatever you like/have on hand), diced
1 tablespoon dried sage
2 teaspoons pepper (we like a lot of pepper. adjust to suit your tastes)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
dash chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
a sprinkle of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and goopy flesh.

Fill a shallow pie pan with a few inches of water. Place the acorn squash in the water, flesh-side down. Bake for 30 minutes, or until fork tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Sautee the garlic, onions, and mushrooms until fragrant.

Season the raw turkey with the sage, pepper, salt, garlic salt, chili powder, and cayenne. Using your hands, or a large spoon, mix the seasonings into the raw meat.

Add the seasoned ground turkey to the pan and cook, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. Drain the fat from the meat and return to the pan to keep warm.

Once the acorn squash is cooked, remove from the pan of water and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add a bit of butter if desired. Fill the cavity of the squash with the turkey mixture and serve.

Buffalo Potato Wedges

These are a great football snack. They do take about an hour, start to finish, but if you start chopping potatos during the pre-game shows, you'll have your snack by the end of the first quarter. They are spicy, so make sure you have a bowl of bleu cheese dressing and a beer handy!

Note: the following recipe easily serves 4-5 people. You can halve it if there are just two of you.

Buffalo Potato Wedges
Source: Adapted from Love Delicious
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
5 baking potatos
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup butter
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wash the potatos to remove any dirt. Slice into wedges (I prefferred thinly sliced, but thick works too), but don't peel the skin.

Place the wedges on a greased cookie sheet, in one layer. Spray or brush with olive oil (just a thin coating is fine). Sprinkle generously with salt, oepper and garlic powder.

Cook the potato wedges for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl and then mix in the buffalo sauce.

After 30 minutes, remove the potatos from the oven. Now is a good chance to try one and see if it has enough salt, pepper, and garlic powder for your tastes. If not, season again. Then, drizzle the wing sauce and butter mixture over the wedges. If you like them really spicy, put a thick coating over each potato. Otherwise, a heavy drizzle will do.

Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. If your wedges are really thick (pver 1/2"), you may want to cook them for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve with bleu cheese dressing to dip, and an icy beer.

Touchdown!