Tortillas con Pescado y Piña salsa

Okay, someone may need to do a word check or pull a snap fish on my Spanish attempt above. Mexican food is a favorite for me and Preston.  So much that our rehearsal dinner was at Pappasitos. It’s easy to make Mexican food at home with a lot less fat and calories and it is way more fun.  Just ask Preston. Look at what a great time he is having below mashing avocados.

You will like making your own soft tacos/burritos at home. Your options are truly unlimited if you just use a tortilla as your canvas.

Soft tacos with Fish and Pineapple salsa:

La tortilla factory smart and delicious 100 calorie tortillas

tilapia- 2 fillets feeds 2 people

pre-made mango and black bean salsa

can of dole pineapple chunks in 100% juice

1 large avocado mashed

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain pineapple and mix in a small bowl with pre-made mango and black bean salsa.

Spray non-stick cooking spray in a pan w/ Mexican seasoning covering each fillet.  I love Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning. Place fish in pan over medium high heat for about 5 minutes on each side until fish is no longer transparent.

Remove fish from heat and allow to cool.  Pull fillets apart into bite size pieces.

Place tortillas on a pan in the oven for about 3 minutes until warm.

Make your soft taco.  Place fish, salsa, and guacamole on top.  I love to spread Amy’s fat free canned refried black beans on my tortilla. Preston loves to put Hidden Valley Southwest chipotle ranch dressing on top. You can add lettuce, tomato salsa, sauteed onions, mushrooms. Be creative!

Cooking tilapia

Preston being quite the little helper

Pineapple salsa mixed and ready to eat

I highly recommend trying Amy’s canned refried fat free black beans.  They add a creamy texture to the soft taco that makes you feel like you are eating something really fatty.. so deceiving!

Spaghetti Squash and Boca Burger Meat Sauce

Spaghetti and meat sauce is an all time comfort food.  With the weather dropping into the 30′s, I’ve been craving heavy meals. Solution: lighten up my favorites.

Spaghetti squash is a pretty good substitute that soaks in the flavor of pasta sauce.  My friend Mary introduced me to this vegetable and I’ve been in love since. It’s great with a little spray butter or olive oil and in this case I’ve used it as a noodle substitute.

Boca makes “meat crumbles” that add meaty consistency and flavor to pasta sauce.  You cook them straight from a frozen state.

Spaghetti Squash and Boca Burger Meat Sauce:

1 spaghetti squash

1 package Boca meat crumbles- found in vegetarian frozen section

vegetables of choice to make a chunky pasta sauce-chopped broccoli, squash, mushrooms, peppers- all good options

1 jar pasta sauce- I use Mur Glen organic tomato basil

grated parmesan

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 415 degrees.  Slice spaghetti squash in half length wise and place open side down on baking pan.  Place in oven and allow to cook for 45 minutes. Let cool.  Scoop out seeds with a spoon. Use a fork to pull out spaghetti squash. Place aside in a bowl.

In a medium sauce pan, place your chopped vegetables of choice.  Allow to cook over high heat until tender, about 8 minutes.

Add Boca crumbles and stir together.  Add pasta sauce and bring to a boil.

Place sauce over spaghetti squash, top with parmesan cheese, and serve.

Visuals are good

Baked spaghetti squash

Bringing meat sauce to a boil

spaghetti squash with meat sauce

Shrimp and Egg “Fried” Rice

Happy 2012! We had a great holiday with lots of food, fun, family, and friends.  It’s good to get back to routine.

I’ve decided to take a step towards making smarter eating choices and cooking healthy meals for me and Preston. I’m getting back in the kitchen and  being an “inventive cook” (this is not necessarily a positive attribute because many times I goof up thinking I’m making something that will turn out spectacular and it’s a flop).

Who likes fried rice? This is a one bowl meal that is so quick and easy. There is nothing fried about this. I lightened fried rice up by using more vegetables than rice, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil rather than globs of butter, and low sodium soy sauce.  This tastes better than Benihannas.  Well, not really, but that’s what we told ourselves as we scarfed it down.  Great alternative.

Shrimp and Egg “Fried” Rice:

1 bag Steamfresh brown and wild rice with corn, peas, and carrotts (cook per bag instructions)

3 eggs

20 shrimp cooked (you can buy cooked shrimp at the fish counter)- remove tails once you get home.  Just squeeze them off.

1/2 white onion chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1 squash chopped

8 large mushrooms chopped

1 can water chestnuts drained

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, or garlic soy sauce (I ask for sides of garlic soy sauce when I order chinese food and keep these in my refrigerator for stir frys)

Preparation:

Cook bag of rice per instructions and set aside.

Place oil, onion, garlic, zucchini, squash, water chestnuts, and mushrooms in a wok pan over high heat.  Allow to cook for 8 minutes until tender.

Reduce heat to medium. In a small bowl whisk together eggs. Add egg mixture to vegetables and mix together like you are scrambling eggs (eggs should look scrambled, not runny. Add shrimp.

Add rice to the pan.  Add soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, or garlic soy sauce.  Stir all ingredients together.

Serve warm.

All of the ingredients waiting to go to work.

Getting veggies ready for the rice.

Shrimp and Egg “Fried” rice

Bluberry Crumb Crumble

We just returned from a week vacation visiting Maryland and New York.  I have eaten just about anything and everything I could possibly crave.  However, something was telling me to make a blueberry dessert this evening, so I did! A very crumbly blueberry crumble cake or in my eyes, a very perfect ice cream topper.

I can not eat a crumble, cobbler, pie without a large scoop (or 3) of vanilla bean ice cream.  I always go for Dreyer’s Light so I feel better about saving 1/3 the calories and half the fat, which is much better spent on my outrageously slimming blueberry crumble. There is something pleasantly deceptive about a dessert with fruit (kind of an oxymoron)- but you are getting a serving of fruit and some fiber which in a chocolate cake you are lacking.

As we sat watching tv and eating our blueberry crumble, we made a joint decision, as good married couples do, to order Dominos pizza.  This is definitely a holiday weekend.

I made a blueberry crumb crumble for 2 people instead of the full serving because I felt we didn’t need to eat 16 servings.

BLUEBERRY CRUMB CRUMBLE RECIPE:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 OF 1 large beaten egg

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER AND PUT IN THE REFRIGERATOR WHILE PREPARING THE FILLING.

FILLING:

1 package rinsed blueberries

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Take crust mixture out of the refrigerator and take half of the mixture and press into bottom of small baking dish. Spoon blueberry filling on top. Take remainder of crust mixture and crumble over top.  Place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Bottom crust molded to pan.

Crumble Assembled in ready for baking in the oven.

Perfectly golden blueberry crumb crumble.

Happy JULY 4TH! Look at the beautiful red, white, and blue above!

With ice cream of course, don’t mind if I do!

Hybrid Meatballs- Experiment w/ Garbanzo Beans & Ground Beef!

We are leaving to visit Preston’s family in Maryland this weekend, so I’ve been on a quest to empty my refrigerator into as many meals as possible to get us through the week. Cooking ingenuity is the trick to making the whole refrigerator filled with random necessities into a well-rounded meal for me and precious hubby.

I was excited when I remembered I had a few hamburger patties leftover from the weekend, but was disappointed when I realized this was not enough to make a meatloaf, meatballs, or even nachos with ground beef (which did not seem the least bit appealing).

So, I felt like a cartoon character with a thought bubble aside my head as I searched for solutions.  Finally, Garbanzo beans + ground beef seemed plausible, a hypothesis that needed a conclusion. Could garbanzo beans and ground beef meld together to make a delicious, low fat meatball.

YES! My conclusion is if you like a soft interior and a crispy exterior to a meatball, then this is a great alternative when you are looking to stretch the amount of ground beef you have and save a trip to the grocery store. Preston thought the meatballs were interesting, not the same as normal meatballs.  He knew I did something different and didn’t like my sneaky smirk.  Finally, I gave in once he finished and admitted to the “difference culprit”.. garbanzo beans.  He was pleased the outcome considering they were not completely meat, that’s my husband, tough critic.

RECIPE:

1/2 package of ground beef ( 3 large pre-made hamburger patties)

1 can garbanzo beans- drained and ground or mashed

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 small chopped white onion

salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or a soy sauce packet from the grocery store)

1 large egg

2 pieces crumbled Natures Own 40 calorie bread- for “bread crumbs”

Mix together in large bowl.  Roll into balls and bake in pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Add to hot spaghetti sauce and place on whole grain pasta.

Grind Chickpeas. Have you ever made hummus?  Very similar idea!

Mix all ingredients together.  Penny thought this looked tasty.

Meatballs rolled for the oven.

Baked and ready to serve.

Hybrid meatballs are served.  Successful experimentation.

Southern Hospitality- Peach Cobbler Style.

My parents flew into Atlanta Wednesday of last week.  Since they arrived, we have been on a mad search for the ultimate Georgia peach cobbler. Once my dad sets his mind to finding something, he asks for it everywhere we go.

After calling multiple restaurants, bakeries, bar b q spots, and even grocery stores, I was shocked to discover most places in Georgia (known for peaches) didn’t carry the dessert and every place that did used canned peaches.. a sin!

I couldn’t listen to my dad ask for this treat any longer, so I took the initiative to turn his DISAPPOINTMENT into DELIGHT.  I bought some fresh local peaches and made my own Georgia peach cobbler courtesy of Paula Dean’s genius recipe with a few tweaks of my own. Took an hour and everyone was impressed. My dad even recommended I open a peach cobbler shop in Atlanta, haha.. maybe some day!

Fabulous Peach Cobbler Recipe!

Ingredients:
8 sliced peaches with skin (skin adds fiber and texture, but you can remove skin if you wish)
2 cups sugar- mix 1 cup of white sugar with 1 cup brown sugar- use one cup of mixed sugar for the peaches and the other for the breading of the cobbler
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk- preferably whole, but skim works too!
Ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Life’s like a bowl of Georgia Peaches.. SO SWEET!

Sliced peaches simmering with sugar water

Flour, sugar, and milk mixture poured on top of melted butter.  Trust me, this is all heart healthy because it makes you happy as you are making the recipe!

Peach cobbler ready for the oven

Cobbler hot out of the oven wanting a big old scoop of ice cream to cool off!

Now that’s not one, but two Georgia Peach cobblers served up for my parents.  It’s all about Southern Hospitality!

Big Marty’s Sausage Pasta

Quick Update:  I have taken some time away from the blog as Preston was offered a football coaching position at Georgia Tech and we have since moved and settled in Atlanta, GA. Atlanta has embraced us with great Southern hospitality and charm.  I love this city and the food of course! Food here is delicious with down home cooking.. picture Aunt Jemima in the kitchen preparing shrimp and grits, chicken and biscuits, and lots of mac and cheese and fried okra. However, that’s not all you can expect.  Atlanta is nestled between the North and South with a nice collaboration of both area’s distinct flavors and creativity embedded in this trendy city.  This city has truly been blessed with ingenious cuisine and chefs ready to take food to the next level. Basically we started our first week here trying every restaurant that exemplified “Atlanta” cooking and quickly realized that would not be conducive to our somewhat trying to be healthy lifestyle. If you need a list of incredibly tasty Atlanta restaurants, I already have a few favorites so please ask!

Last week Preston’s mom came in town. Press calls his mom Big Marty.  She is so tiny, hence the nickname “Big” Marty I guess.  She helped me pick out a few things for our place, so we didn’t have much time to cook anything and resorted to eating out.  However, she makes this pasta that Preston could eat for days.  I am not a huge fan of pasta, but this dish certainly tops my list of delicious home-cooked meals.

This recipe feeds 5 people easy or 2 hungry people with leftovers for the next night.  The sweet sausage in the recipe makes a huge difference in the outcome of this meal, but you could substitute veggie Italian sausage or even ground beef, turkey or chicken. Unless you have strict dietary needs, I recommend just following the recipe as stated.

Recipe:

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (remove from casing)

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion sliced

3 garlic cloves

2/3 cup dry white wine

1 can diced tomatoes Italian kind

1 cup heavy cream

6 T Italian parsley chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb penne pasta

1 cup parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter and oil in the skillet on med high heat- sautee onion and garlic until transparent and add crushed sausage (without casing)

2. drain drippings, add wine, boil until liquid evaporates, add tomatoes and simmer 3 minutes

BEGIN PREPARING PASTA SEPARATELY

3. add cream to sausage mixture and simmer 5 minutes, stir in parsley and parmesan cheese, salt and pepper

4.Pour the sausage sauce on top of the drained and prepared pasta, mix well and serve.