Super Healthy Quinoa Lunch Recipe

I have recently been trying to include this super food into my diet. Quinoa contains key nutrients such as, protein, fiber, magnesium, and iron. It's benefits include overall cardio health, aids in prevention of migraines, may help prevent cancer and heart disease, aids in digestion and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.

I make a batch of quinoa in the beginning of the week and divide it into 1/4 cup servings for lunch. Then I add in all different fresh ingredients. One day I will add in a little maple syrup, raisins, walnuts and berries and the next day I add in ingredients like the recipe below. It is very easy to make, it doesn't take any longer than making rice; about 15-20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.

Zucchini and Feta Quinoa 
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 zucchini- thinly sliced half moons
2 cups baby spinach
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp Dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes-optional
1-2 tbsp feta cheese
Lemon juice-optional

1. In a non-stick skillet heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add in sliced zucchini and season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano. Cook until softened; about 5 minutes. Add in baby spinach and cooked quinoa. Cook until spinach is wilted. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place mixture into a bowl and top with feta cheese and a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Enjoy!

Whats on my DVR?

If there is a food show on television, it is most likely taped on my DVR. Besides the Ellen Show, cooking shows and competitions are the only thing I like to watch on TV. Well, that and Revenge, Parenthood, Modern Family, The Office, Grimm and Greys Anatomy :)


At the moment, my favorite shows are: Chopped, Top Chef, Best Thing I Ever Ate, Worst Cooks in America, Barefoot Contessa, Travel Channels: No Reservations and Bizarre Foods.
There is a rule in our house (given by my husband Tom) if I am going to make him watch food shows, I have to cook a big dinner with a lot of meat. In other words, soup and salad night means no food TV at night. I will admit watching these shows will make you drool.

The other day we were watching Bizarre Foods America. The episode was all about the food in Charleston, South Carolina. Andrew Zimmerman (host) was eating at a farm to table restaurant McCrady's and the food looked amazing. Coincidentally, my parents we on their way to Charleston a week later. I told them to make reservations at this restaurant. They said the food was outstanding. I am looking forward to trying this restaurant in the future.

http://www.mccradysrestaurant.com/

A quick warning, not all the places they recommend on these shows have been a success. I sent Tom to a burger place in the city (Pop Burger) because I saw it on one of these shows. He was disgusted by the burger and had to throw most of it away. For those of you who know Tom, that burger had to be pretty bad. Its all part of the fun, trying these places, some good, some bad.

Here are a few pictures from their dinner.

Salad of Killed Baby Spinach, Pickled Quail Egg,
Crispy Potato, and Virginia Sorghum

Roasted Beets and Ambrose Strawberries Lettuces,
Almonds, and Anise

Duo of Berkshire Pork Cabbage Roasted in Embers,
Beet and Ginger

Duck, Aged and Roasted on the Bone, 
Pine Nuts in the style of Risotto, Turnips and Arugula

Dark Chocolate Ganache, Wadmalaw Pine,
Malted Milk and Barley

Orange Sorbet

I use to cook over at my parents and in-laws once a week. It was a good time to experiment with some recipes and have a nice dinner with family. When Layla was born I put this on hold for a little while until I had a better routine. Now that she is a little older (7 months) it is easier for me to start cooking for family again. This past weekend, I wanted to cook something very refreshing and healthy. All this warm weather is making be crave light, fresh summer meals.

I decided to make fish tacos (you can find the recipe under Seafood on the recipe page) and for dessert I made fresh orange sorbet. This dessert hit the spot for a very refreshing way to end a healthy dinner. I made a few adjustments from the original recipe from Cooking Light.  I reduced the amount of sugar, 3/4 cup is more than enough sweetness and I served them in a frozen orange shell. Serve with whipped cream on top..yum!

This dessert is less than 90 calories per 1/2 cup serving and has 0 fat.


Orange Sorbet (adapted from cooking light)
Makes 6-8 orange cups

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
Orange rind stripes from 2 oranges
2 2/3 cups fresh squeezed orange juice (6-8 juice oranges)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
6-8 reserves orange halves-Place in freezer

1. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add in orange rind stripes; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Discard the rind; remove from heat and cool completely (refrigerate to cool quicker)

2. Juice the oranges and lemons and stir together. (If you are using the orange shells, remove any pulp and place in freezer until ready to use) Add the juice mixture to the sugar water mixture; stir well. Add to ice cream maker and freeze according to manufactures instructions. Place in an air tight container; cover and freeze for 1 hour until sorbet is firm.

3. Remove the frozen orange shells from freezer. Using an ice cream scoop; place 1 large scoop of sorbet in each shell. Serve with whipped cream.

Greek Salad Pizza with Roasted Shrimp

Pizza is starting to be my favorite thing to make these days. For me, it is the perfect combination of baking and cooking. It's an easy way to experiment with all different ingredients and flavors.

My inspiration for gourmet pizza's comes from a wood- fired pizza place in NYC, Waldy's. It is a little place right in midtown and makes amazing thin crust individual pizzas. It's a great place to go to avoid the horrors of Penn Station food and the over priced restaurants in the surrounding area. Waldy's is located at 800 6TH AVE (27th St. between 6th Ave. & Broadway), definitely check it out if you are in the area. 

As I said above, my inspiration comes from that type of pizza, however, I like to create my own flavors and combinations. This is my attempted at a healthy pizza, and I have to say it came out exactly as I planned. Enjoy!!

The recipe below uses 1/3 of the pizza dough recipe. You can freeze the extra dough or double/triple the toppings to make 3 pizza's instead of 1. 

Greek Salad Pizza with Roasted Shrimp
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
1 recipe for pizza dough (recipe below) or store bought pizza dough
1 head of romaine lettuce-chopped
1 handful of mixed greens-optional
1 red bell pepper-chopped into bite sized pieces
10 cherry tomatoes-halved
5-6 pepperoncini's
1 small cucumber-sliced thin
4 oz feta cheese-crumbled
Kalamata olives-optional
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper

For the Shrimp:
1/2 pound medium shrimp-peeled and devained
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dried oregano
Dried rosemary
Dried Thyme

1. Prepare pizza dough (recipe below) and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place red bell pepper on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 10-15 minutes until soft. Set aside.

3. Prepare the shrimp: On a baking sheet place shrimp on a single layer and coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme and dried rosemary to taste. Roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes until done; they should be opaque and pink. Set aside.

4. Turn the oven to 500 degrees F.

5. Roll out the pizza dough into an oval or rectangle shape to fit onto a baking sheet. Brush the dough with olive oil and season with dried oregano and a little black pepper. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

6. While the pizza dough is baking, prepare the lettuce. Place the romaine lettuce in a bowl and dress with lemon juice, olive oil, oregano. Toss together.

7. Remove the pizza dough from the oven. Let cool 5 minutes. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, top it with dressed lettuce, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, feta cheese, cucumber, Kalamata olives and roasted red pepper. Scatter roasted shrimp on top of pizza and serve.



Pizza Dough: (For recipe above, only use 1 of 3 dough balls, freeze extra dough)

1. Prepare the pizza dough: In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, sugar and warm water, stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand 5- 10 mins until it starts to foam.
2. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tbsps of olive oil. Add in the flour a little at a time, mixing on lowest speed, until flour is incorporated. Keep mixing on medium speed, if it feels really sticky add a little more flour, if it is dry and crumbly add a little more water.Keep mixing for 5 minutes until the dough comes to a ball and become elastic.
3. Coat the dough with a little oil and place it back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into 3 even balls. Cover and let rest for 10 mins to make it easy to roll out. (If the dough is not rolling easily, let it rest a little while longer.)
5. At this point you can use the dough immediately, wrap the balls of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, or you can freeze the dough for later use.
6. When you are ready to use the dough, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with baking sheet in the oven.
7. Roll each section out into a 12" circle or oval shape. Place the dough on parchment paper.

Stuffed Turkey Breast

Try this recipe over the weekend for a miniature thanksgiving dinner. The turkey came out nice and juicy and the stuffing was moist in the center and crispy on the edges. It's an easy way to have all the flavors of Thanksgiving without roasting an entire turkey for hours. You can find boneless turkey breasts in most grocery stores these days. Try to find one with the skin on.

When you make the stuffing add in whatever dried herbs you prefer.

This came out so good, I told my dad I would make it again for him to try soon. Dad, I promise to make this for you one day in the near future.


Stuffed Turkey Breast
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 Turkey breast-bones removed and skin on
1/2 loaf of white sandwich bread- cut into 2" cubes (You can leave this sitting out for a few hours to become a little stale)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove-minced
2 celery stalks-diced
1 onion-diced
Salt
Pepper
Poultry seasoning or blend of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage
1 egg
1 tbsp melted butter or olive oil
Paprika

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a small skillet heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion and celery and cook until softened;8-10 mins. Add in garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. To prepare stuffing, place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl and add in onion,cerlery and garlic mixture. Add in salt, pepper and all other spices to taste (about 1-2 tsp per spice). Make sure you taste the mixture before you add the egg and re-season if desired. Add in enough water to moisten the bread and add in 1 egg slightly beaten. The mixture should be wet and mushy with no excess water.

4. To prepare turkey, butterfly the breast by slicing it lengthwise in the middle and spreading it open (do not slice it all the way through) Spread stuffing mixture on the inside of the turkey breast leaving 1" border. Roll the turkey breast like a jellyroll, until it is back to its original shape. Use butchers twine to keep together.

5. Brush melted butter or olive oil on the skin of the turkey and season with salt, pepper and paprika.

6. Place the turkey seam side down in a roasting pan. Roast for 1 3/4 hours to 2 hours until cooked through and the instant thermometer reads 150 degrees in the center. Cover turkey with foil and lest rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carve 1/2" slices and serve with stuffing and gravy.