Spiced Pork Chops & Mango Salsa

Rare is the day that I touch meat. But every once in a while I have to get down and dirty in animal flesh for my boys. So when I saw that Publix had pork chops on BOGO this week I decided to make it happen. I found some recipes and tweaked them to our taste.

Pork Chops

• pork chops
• allspice
• berbere
• salt & pepper
• rosemary
• basil
• honey
• evoo
• balsamic vinegar

Mango Salsa

• 2 diced mangoes
• mint
• chives
• lemon rind
• lemon juice
• stevia
• red pepper

1. slice tofu, dry, and marinate in allspice, bebere, rosemary, basil, salt, pepper, a tiny bit of honey, evoo and balsamic in the fridge for a few hours 
2. chop mangoes and mix with mint, chives, rind, juice, stevia, and red pepper to taste 
3. saute tofu in nonstick pan until crispy 
4. serve with salsa drizzled over

Tofu with Mango Salsa

I was looking for a good pork chops recipe and decided to try the same method from the pork chops on my tofu. It was outstanding and plateLickWorthy.

tofu filet

• tofu
• allspice
• berbere (or crushed red pepper if you don't have berbere)
• salt & pepper
• rosemary
• basil
• honey
• evoo
• balsamic vinegar

mango salsa

• 2 diced mangoes
• mint
• chives
• lemon rind
• lemon juice
• stevia
• red pepper

1. slice tofu, dry, and marinate in allspice, bebere, rosemary, basil, salt, pepper, a tiny bit of honey, evoo and balsamic in the fridge for a few hours
2. chop mangoes and mix with mint, chives, rind, juice, stevia, and red pepper to taste
3. saute tofu in nonstick pan until crispy
4. serve with salsa drizzled over

Meatless Lettuce Wraps (In the order of P.F. Changs or Chilis)

So. I can't tell you how many times I have been to Chilis and watched a friend eat those lettuce wraps while I silently drool over the concept. As a big fan of flavorful food and one who yearns to like lettuce more it was something I wish I could enjoy. When I found a couple copycat recipes for the chilis lettuce wraps and the lettuce wraps that they make at P.F. Changs I knew that I could make a version without meat that my family would enjoy. Not to toot my own horn... but toot. It was fantastic. My son ate his two huge wraps in the blink of an eye and then was stealing lettuce off of our plates before we could eat ours. My husband asked for more despite being stuffed. And I couldn't wait until everyone was gone today and I could sneak the leftovers for lunch. Bwahahaha - yeah its all gone now. So steal my recipe and fill your bellies. Of course if you want to, you can always substitute my fake chicken with chicken or any other meat.

• big outer lettuce leaves (we used iceburg but anything is usable)
• boca fake chicken strips, defrosted and chopped
• 1/2 of a sweet vidalia onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger
• chopped peanuts
• green onions
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of black beans
• hoison sauce
• 2 T teriaki sauce
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T evoo
• 1 T peanut butter
• 1/2 T water
• 1/2 T honey
• 1/2 T chili sauce

1. Cook fake chicken and onions over light evoo in pan until browned
2. add garlic and ginger
3. add corn and black beans
4. add teriaki, vinegar, evoo, peanut butter, honey, water, and chili sauce
5. cook until well blended and browned
6. add green onions to the top and cook until they soften
7. scoop mixture into lettuce, top with peanuts, wrap tightly
8. Serve hot with hoison sauce and ENJOY!

Kale Chips (Potato Chip Replacement)

My husband (the one with the sweet tooth) also has a salty tooth. He can take down a full bag of potato chips in a sitting. You know the bag that most people buy, have some, clip, save for later. Yeah. One sitting. So when I heard of kale chips my first thought was - could you imagine if he would eat kale chips like he does potato chips. He would have some amazing vitamins and nutrients running through his body. Anyhow I mentioned to him and he was open to trying. Above is the final result. I think I should have cooked them a bit longer because some of them were a bit soggy. Though we had enough good ones to decide that we liked it. There were a few that we ate that we thought - ok thats the consistency of a potato chip. And the taste is definitely pretty good. So anyhow here is how you can make kale chips in your house.

• kale chips
• evoo
• seasoning of your choice (salt / pepper / garlic / red pepper / sugar / ?)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Clip your kale into bite sized pieces
3. Oil your baking dish
4. Spread out your washed and dried kale on the baking dish
5.  Drizzle with evoo and seasoning
6. Bake until chips are browned but not burnt
7. Enjoy!

Cholesterol Killer Peach & Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

So I decided to try and perfect a cholesterol killer breakfast smoothie so I can get my key cholesterol fighting ingredients in it. It actually turned out pretty well but I am bound to redux it at some point. :)

• 1 C ice
• 1/2 C water
• 1/2 C lite coconut milk
• 1/2 banana
• 1 C frozen peaches
• 1 C rolled oatmeal flakes
• 1 t cinnamon
• 2 t low fat greek yogurt

1. blend
2. enjoy and share with your favorite 2 year old

 

The Kiwi Carrot Orange Smoothie

I am not going to lie - this has definitely been the best one thus far. I am dying for another one right about now...

• 1/2 C ice
• 1/2 C carrots
• 1 frozen kiwi sliced
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 C lite coconut milk

1. Blend
2. Enjoy

Peach Pineapple Kale Green Smoothie

Today I put a peach twist on the pk smoothie and man was it a good choice. Enjoy my friends, enjoy!

• 1/2 C cut pineapple
• 1/2 C frozen peaches
• 1C kale
• 1/4 t raw agave nectar
• 1/2 C ice
• 1 C lite coconut milk

1. Blend
2. Enjoy

Pineapple Kale Green Smoothie

 So, day two of smoothies and here we go. My sister had told me her favorite smoothies / juices were the pineapple kale ones, so I figured that I would give it a try today.

• 1C cut pineapple
• 2C kale (as much as you can fit in the top)
• 1 cut and peeled kiwi
• 1 frozen banana
• 2C ice
• 1C coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter
• 1t raw agave nectar

1. Blend all
2. Enjoy all

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie

OK. I found this recipe on Pinterest and was most excited to try it based on what everyone was saying about it. For the second smoothie meal on my smoothie diet I figured I would give it a try for lunch today. It was not as good as the blueberry oatmeal smoothie but it was pretty good and full of nutrients. I will surely be eating it again. I will say that I am so full I can't imagine eating for anytime soon.

• frozen sliced bananas
• 1T peanut butter
• 1/2C greek lowfat yogurt
• 1Cup sugarfree coconut milk
• 4C baby spinach

1. blend it
2. eat it

Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

So, I am in a competitive weight loss competition with my bestie, and yes I need it can't you tell from my recipes? hehe. So if you are on a diet and that is why you are reading this - make sure when you are off the diet you come take a look at my yummy yummy nondiet recipes hehe.

This smoothie is an adaption on some recipes that I found online. Having cholesterol problems I am always looking for ways to get more oatmeal in to my diet. I was skeptical on what a smoothie with oatmeal would taste like, but let me tell you - this was awesome. I can't wait to try it again!

• 1 C ice
• 1/2 C frozen blueberries
• 3T lowfat greek yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1/2 C old fashion rolled oats
• 1t raw agave nectar
• 1C water

1. Insert into fancy blender
2. Blend
3. Pour and enjoy

Makes 1 big serving

Indian Quinoa Delight

My sister had thrown me some recipes and I modified this one to our taste and what we had in the cabinet. It actually turned out tasting pretty good, considering - and super duper healthy and flavorful. Enjoy!

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cans vegetable broth
• 3 chopped plum tomatoes
• 1 package frozen spinach defrosted and drained
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2T lemon juice
• 1t sweetener (whatever you like, sugar/splenda/raw agave nectar/honey/?)
• salt and pepper
• 1T curry spice
• 1t mustard seed
• .5 t cumin
• .5 t coriander
• any other spicy yummy spices you have (i threw in some berbere)

1. throw everything in a slow cooker
2. cook on high 3/4 hours (lentils should be soft and it should become creamier)
3. enjoy - i found it made way too much even though we had leftovers for days we still ended up throwing some out

Tofu in Peanut Sauce

So in hopes of finding something to cook on the healthier side I invented up this crockpot yummy. Feel free to modify to your taste! Regardless of how it looked it tasted soooooo good - now to perfect it by making it pretty :)

• Extra Firm Tofu
• Frozen Baby Carrots
• 0.5 sweet vidalia onion
• 0.5 package frozen greens
• veggie broth
• garlic
• lemon juice
• peanut butter
• soy sauce

1. Saute tofu in evoo or butterspray
2. Mix lemonjuice, peanut butter, and soy sauce in small bowl
3. Throw all ingredients in crockpot and spread sauce on top
4. Put on medium and mix ocassionally to spread the sauce across it
5. About 4-6 hours later take out and serve

TEAR Marinara

So, a couple months ago I was going through my cabinets trying to find something to make for dinner and decided to just throw some things together that I liked and see how it turned out. Well, Bry and I were uber impressed with this concoction and since I hadn't written it down - we havent had it since. But I found some photos of it and decided to get it down so that I can remember to make it again. :) So here goes. Tofu Eggplant Artichoke Risotto (TEAR)

• extra firm Tofu
• Eggplant
• Artichokes
• Risotto
• Marinara Sauce

1. Brown the eggplant in a frying pan with just a few drops of evoo 
2. Put the risotto on the bottom of a baking pan with enough water to make it almost drowned
3.  Cover with the browned eggplants
4. Saute the sliced tofu until it browns on the edges
5. Cover the eggplant and risotto with browned tou and artichokes
6. Cover baking dish and concoction with marinara sauce
7. Bake on 375 until the sauce bubbles and the risotto is cooked.
8. Serve and enjoy :)

Spaghetti with Red Lentil Sauce

• 1 package whole wheat spaghetti
• 2t brown mustard seeds
• 1C veggie broth
• 1/2 red onion
• 3/4 cup red lentil beans
• 4 Garlic cloves
• 6T lemon juice
• 1/2 bag fresh spinach
• 2 cans of artichoke hearts quartered

1. cook pasta and set aside to drain
2. heat mustard seeds over medium heat until they pop
3. add water, broth, onion, lentils, garlic carefully to pot
4. bring to boil
5. lower heat to simmer at low-med heat until lentils separate and turn mushy (15mins)
6. remove from heat
7. add lemon juice and stir until it is well blended
8. add artichokes to sauce and stir
9. add pasta to sauce and stir well
10. add spinach
11. serve and enjoy :)

Vegetarian Broccoli and Tofu Tagine

I decided to give a take two on the ole tagine. The last one I made was good, but definitely too spicy. I have since worked on perfecting my tagine skill. Lets work through it together:

• tofu
• broccoli
• onions
• red peppers
• veggie crumbles
• couscous
• 1 can veggie broth

1. preheat oven to 350
2. saute tofu, onions, red peppers, broccoli in nonstick pan with 1T evoo
3. Fill bottom tray of tagine with thin layer of couscous
4. pour a splash of veggie broth into the couscous to wet it
5. pour saute contents over couscous
6. pour remainder of veggie brother over vegetables and couscous until you can see liquid rising through it though not too much to spill over
7. place cap over tagine and carefully place in over
8. keep an eye on the steaming and peek under the cap here and there to make sure it doesnt dry out, adding water/broth as needed to keep it from burning or drying out the couscous before its cooked
9. once the vegetables are softened and the couscous is cooked, and no longer soupy remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes covered
10. serve and enjoy :)

QuinoKim :: Quinoa, Tofu, Black Olives, & Tomato Delight

Last night when Bry asked what we were having for dinner, I honestly had no clue. I told him, "Ill throw something together, babe". And I wasn't kidding. I decided to do something with Quinoa and Tofu and ended up throwing some random things in. When we tasted the creation at the dinner table last night, Bryan said "What is so creamy in this?" and we were both amazed at the flavor produced. So here we share with you and hope you enjoy as well.

• quinoa
• extra firm tofu
• diced tomatoes
• black olives

1. boil 1 cup of quinoa in 1.5 cups of water in a pot
   
2. while the quinoa is boiling saute tofu in strips in a pan with evoo
   
3. add spices to tofu (i used cilantro, chives, and thyme)
   
4. once the quinoa bloats you can remove it from heat (approx 20 mins)
5. once tofu is gets grill marks on both sides you can add the quinoa to your pan
   
6. throw in the diced tomatoes
   
7. throw in sliced black olives
   
8. spice it to taste
   
9. enjoy