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Where do you get your cookbooks?  Do you search solely online?  When you travel to different states or countries do you add a cookbook to your collection? What makes a cookbook standout to you?

Personally, I love cookbooks that have pictures to go with every recipe.  A drab book of food with no pictures will not grab my attention.  Bookstores like Barnes and Noble or Borders and craft stores like Michael’s or A.C. Moore tend to have bargain bins.  And in these bins or on these shelves are TONS of cookbooks filled with vibrant pictures and incredible recipes.  I have been known to find these cookbooks for $1 each at a craft store or for $4 at Barnes and Noble.  I venture upstairs to the more expensive cookbooks but they just don’t have the pictures that I want.  I like to see the dish.   From appetizers to world cuisine, I can find just about any type of cookbook in the bargain bin.  Next time you are at a bookstore, grab a cup of coffee and go perusing in the bargain section.  It’s amazing what you will find.

This recipe comes from one of my bargain cookbooks, and I’m very excited to share it with you.  Oh, and it’s on sale on amazon.com for $0.23!!!  Click the link below to get this steal.  It’s a fabulous cookbook!

Florida Keys-Style Citrus Chicken

Source: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Big Book of 30-Minute Dinners, p. 59

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 or 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Tbs butter and/or olive oil
1 tsp. lime zest
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 orange

Directions:

Rinse chicken; pat dry.  In a large skillet cook chicken and garlic in butter/oil over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and cooked through.  During this time, make sure to stir the garlic occasionally while flipping the chicken once.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine lime zest, lime juice, ginger, and red pepper.

Peel and slice orange, reserving juice.  Cut orange into quarters.  Add orange juice to the lime juice mixture.  Place juice into skillet and place orange slices on top of chicken.   Cook, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes or until the oranges are heated through.

Spoon drippings over chicken to serve.  Sprinkle lime and orange zest on chicken for garnish.

*I served my chicken on top of Israeli couscous.

Today was a very special day for me because I started dinner before 5pm.  My new summer work schedule allows me to get home before 4 every day.  Don’t you just love that?!  I know that I do.   I finished cooking and it was barely 5 o’clock!!!  I’m normally still at work for another hour or so.  Well, not anymore.

As always, this meal took only 15 minutes or so.  And although it’s extraordinarily healthy, it is very delicious.  It was so good, in fact, that I didn’t even add cheese.  I always add cheese to my pasta.   But don’t worry, you can add cheese if you like )

Linguine with Sundried Tomatoes

Source: Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 277

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh green beans or edamame (or a mix of both)
1 lb. whole wheat linguine
6 Tbs. olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup sundried tomatoes, not in oil, chopped
1/2 low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:

Flash cook peas and/or edamame until just tender but still firm.  Drain and set aside.

Cook pasta al dente.  Drain.

In a large skillet, saute garlic and shallots in olive oil.  Add sundried tomatoes, peas, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and immediately add drained pasta to the skillet.  Toss lightly until sauce and vegetables cover the linguine.

Add freshly ground black pepper and sea salt and garnish with parsley.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about whole foods and their tremendously positive impact on our health, and decided to go out and buy myself a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer.

I have seriously wanted one since I was a kid staying up late at night watching Amazing Discoveries Informericals.   I cannot tell you how excited I am about this!

It turns this….

…into this!!!

Seriously, how awesome is that?!

I call this a smoothie because although it’s nothing but fruit, it had a a smoothie texture to it.  It wasn’t just liquid.  There was some substance to it.  That’s good because then you are getting incredible nutrients from the entire fruit.

It’s really simple to make. The only catch is that you need a juicer. )

100% Natural Strawberry, Blueberry, and Kiwi Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 pint of strawberries, whole
1 pint of blueberries, whole
3 whole kiwi fruits

Directions:

Simply place each ingredient gently into the juicer.

Sooooo good!

I wish I could relive this moment over and over….

Despite the fact that our wedding day has passed, Jason and I continue to create and enjoy memories that are tender, loving, and sweet.

 

One fond memory is this weekend’s feast in celebration of our upcoming anniversary – made from scratch and made from love.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, we wanted a fun and exciting meal, but we didn’t want to gorge ourselves into utter guilt and discomfort.  Our meal was made from just about all clean ingredients (we did have some wine spritzers!).  Eating clean simply means that you are staying away from processed foods.   Slightly processed items such as spices and extra virgin olive oil are perfectly fine, but the key is staying away from packaged goods with chemicals and scary toxins.

I will be the first to admit that I am not always good at eating clean.  Cake and ice cream just tempt me beyond belief (you know, the kind with all that high fructose corn syrup and “natural flavors”, which are nothing more than chemicals), but just know that it is okay to eat that kind of stuff as a treat every once in a while.  Just don’t make it a daily ritual.

I am reminded of an episode of Oprah I watched last year; a girl in her twenties was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and was basically handed a death sentence.  She decided that it was not her time, bought a juicer and began consuming loads of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Her clean diet saved her life.  She is now in remission.  REMISSION!!!  Healthy food has power, people!  It saves lives!

Now that I have said my piece, I will step off of my soap box and focus on our anniversary meal ;o) …

Jason and I thoroughly enjoyed our clean meal.  We ate until we were full and an hour later, we felt great!  (Even ready to eat a little more!)   The next day, my little pudgy belly was flatter, and I felt incredible!   Need I say more?!

 

Here is our wonderful pre-anniversary dinner menu with recipes:

Roasted Eggplant Dip with Herb Rubbed Pita

Adapted from: Martha Stewart Living, July 2009

Serves: a hungry crowd

 

Ingredients for Dip:

3 medium eggplants
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (the recipe calls for full-fat, but I used non-fat and it turned out well)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from two lemons)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop up eggplant into small chunks.  Place on baking sheet, toss in 2 Tbs. olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes or until browned and tender.

Using a knife, press the flat side of the blade back and forth across the garlic with 1.5 tsp. salt to create a garlic paste.

Add eggplant and garlic into food processor.  Gradually add the remaining olive oil while processing.   Once done with processing, place mixture into a bowl.  Gently stir in yogurt and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

Ingredients for pitas:

1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Coarse salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 pitas, sliced horizontally if thick

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.  Stir herbs together in a small bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Rub over pitas, and slice into triangles.

Place on baking sheets and bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown.

 

 

Pumpkin & Pear Soup

Source: Oxygen Magazine, June 2009

Serves: 4-6

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh ginger, minced
3 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 small cans pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups chicken broth

 

Directions:

Put first four ingredients in a large soup pot and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Puree in batches in a blender or use a stick blender to blend until soup is smooth.

 

 

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

Source: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 150

Serves: 12 (we made 4 servings for our meal)

 

Ingredients:

8 cups water
3 tsp. sea salt, divided
1 lb dried lentils, rinsed drained and picked over

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbs. ground cumin, divided
2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. chili powder
2 garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken or turkey breast, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro

 

Directions:

Combine water and 1 tbs. salt in stock pot over high heat.  Add lentils.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to medium heat.  Simmer until lentils are soft, about 20-25 minutes.  Drain well.  Rinse under cold water and drain well.  Place in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup oil, vinegar, 2 Tbs. cumin, 2 Tbs. chili powder, garlic and 1 tsp. salt.  Pour all but 2 Tbs. of this dressing over lentils.  Toss gently and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs. oil.  Add onion and saute until well cooked, about 5 minutes.  Onion should appear dark brown and soft.  Add chicken or turkey and saute 2 minutes more.  Add 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbs. cumin, 2 tsp. chili powder and cinnamon.  Saute until chicken/turkey is cooked through.

Arrange lentils on a large serving platter.  Place sliced chicken on top of lentils.  Use any remaining dressing to pour on top.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serve at room temperature.

 

 

Marinated Zucchini with Mint

Source: Everyday Food, July/August 2009

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

3 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
4 Tbs. olive oil
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. fresh mint

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  On two large rimmed baking sheets toss zucchini with 2 Tbs. oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until tender and brown underneath, about 10-15 minutes.

On a serving platter, sprinkle zucchini with garlic and 2 Tbs. oil and vinegar.  Let stand for an hour.  (If you don’t have time to let it stand, don’t worry about it.  It tastes great served immediately!)

Sprinkle with fresh mint.

Our 3 year wedding anniversary is coming up this week, and we like to not only celebrate on our anniversary but also on the weekend.  It makes it fun to celebrate twice!  We both decided that we wanted a romantic dinner, but we also wanted something healthy.  Each and every component of this menu is completely healthy.  Thanks to the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook, we had ourselves a hearty and healthy meal.

To tease you a bit, I decided to post pictures of our dinner with recipes to come in the next day or so.  Since there are so many recipes to include, it will take me a little time to post, but I was so excited to share this with you that I wanted to give you a little taste.

I love you, Jason!  Happy (Early) Anniversary!

Sneak peak of what’s to come:

Roasted Eggplant Dip with Herb Rubbed Pita Chips

 

 

Pumpkin & Pear Soup

 

 

Moroccan Chicken with Lentils

 

 

Marinated Zucchini with Mint

Mmmmm…. Greek yogurt jumped right to the top of my favorite yogurts.  And Greek yogurt with HONEY is a MUST.  It comes in a small package OR you can by plain Greek yogurt and add your own honey (or agave nectar) to it.  The Stonyfield Farm brand is really good – I use it for a fruit dip (especially strawberries), but it can be rather sweet on its own.  That’s why I suggest adding your own honey to plain yogurt.  You can make it as sweet or unsweetened as you want it to be!  Either way, you must try Greek yogurt with honey!

I love fruit salad!  And nooooo, not store bought fruit salad that gets you all excited with the lone kiwi on top (which you thought would be throughout the salad).  I’m talking about all-out cutting board, big knives fruit salad with some elbow grease put into it!  Getting creative with your fruit salad when you have guests over is an instant hit!  Throw in some papaya, mango, or white peaches and the crowd goes nuts!

Check out my Caribbean Fruit Salad back during the days when the mango and I had battles.  I have since conquered the stubborn fruit.

And click here to find out how to successfully cut a mango.

Egg white and goat cheese omelettes cooked in olive oil… enough said.   This and the honey yogurt tend to be my daily breakfast.

My Gevalia coffee in a french press.

My Bean.  Her name is Noodles, but  I always call her “Bean”.  Because that makes sense ;o)

I was going to put a picture of my hubby, but he is too shy….

And you, of course!  If it weren’t for you, I’d have no one to post for!

You should really sit down and think about your favorite things… food, travel, family, friends… Just sharing these few favorites with you puts an enormous smile on my face….

Did I mention that I love dessert??  Did I mention that I love fresh fruit??  Let’s combine them, shall we?

I was SO excited when I found this recipe.  I made rootbeer floats for my students not too long ago so the idea of milkshakes was still lingering in the back of my head.

I also had all this fruit in my fridgie since there was a mega sale on berries last week.  Yes, I said last week.  Yes, it was time to use up my berries!

You can’t get any simpler with this recipe.  Three ingredients and one blender.  That’s all that you need!  You ready to make your blueberry milkshake???

PS – You could easily substitute the ice cream with yogurt and a few ice cubes for a delicious breakfast smoothie!

Blueberry Milkshake

Source: Noob Cook

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2-3/4 cup fresh blueberries
2 Tbs. milk

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into your blender.   Blend until smooth.

DONE!  YUM!

I am going to start this post with two of my favorite words especially when referring to dessert – LOW CALORIE!

I was sitting at work with my friend Nicole teasing her about looking through Seventeen Magazine when I came across an awesome dessert.  Let me preface this by mentioning that Nicole is 18 years old so reading Seventeen is totally okay.  I just happen to be almost 10 years her senior and haven’t read that magazine in years.  I had to crack some sort of joke )

Anyway, Seventeen was introducing ways for already adorable and skinny-minny girls to achieve their perfect bikini bodies.  At 17, chances are you don’t have THAT much work ahead of you.  As a full-blown matronly woman (yaaaaaaay hips!), I took a vested interest in the desserts that they provided.  I love dessert.  I know I’ve told you this before, but no matter how stuffed I am from dinner, I ALWAYS have room for dessert.  My belly has its own dessert compartment ready to go at all times.  Skipping dessert is not an option for me.  But I am willing to cut corners to make my final and favorite meal of the day more figure friendly.

I’ll be honest with you yet again – I totally forgot about the pudding in mine.  I glanced at the magazine before work and then tried to remember its ingredients afterwards.  I was CLOSE, but I forgot the pudding.  Despite this error, I must say that these little cups are quite tasty.   I’m sure that their consistency will be different WITH the pudding, but I’m not all that concerned!

These little cups are so cute!  I have a bunch stashed in my freezer for when my sweet tooth gets outta control.  I used fat-free cool whip, sugar free strawberry preserves, and reduced fat nilla wafers.  I would have used sugar free pudding had I remembered that part.  Ha.  Cutting all of those corners allows me to guiltlessly enjoy dessert.  And it was GOOD.

Frozen Strawberry Cool Whip Pudding Cups

Source: Seventeen Magazine, June 2009

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

(I chose sugar and fat free items for my cups, but you don’t have to!)

1-2 small sugar-free vanilla pudding snack packs
1 container fat-free cool whip
2 Tbs. sugar-free strawberry preserves
8-10 reduced fat Nilla wafers
8-10 cupcake liners
Sprinkles, optional
Fresh Berries for topping

Directions:

Make room in your freezer.

Place cupcake liners on a plate or cookie sheet (a size that will fit in your freezer).

Place Nilla Wafers at the bottom of each cupcake liner.

In a large bowl, mix pudding, cool whip, and preserves.  Fill cupcake liners with pudding mixture.

Add sprinkles and top with one berry.

Place in the freezer for an hour.

Happy Outdoor Grill Season!  In our family it’s always outdoor grill season, but this time of year is particularly fun because Mother Earth gives us fantastic fruits and veggies to grill.

We LOVE grilling corn on the cob.  The flavor is intensely smoky…. mmmmm…  My only advice is that when you grill your corn on the cob you do one of two things – keep the corn in the husk (with cornsilk removed) OR remove the husks and rub the corn with oil and/or juice (such as lime).

I saw this recipe on one of Rachael Ray’s 30 minute meals.  Personally, I love her recipes but find a lot of them to be expensive to make.   Sorry Rachael, I do love you, but my pantry is meager compared to yours!

This recipe uses items that are already in your kitchen.  Rachael whipped up her own homemade BBQ sauce to top the corn with and in hindsight, I should have done the same thing.  I used store bought BBQ sauce, which was yummy, but I wish I had tried making my own.   It requires mixing a few staple ingredients together such as brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, etc. in a sauce pan.  Easy enough for me!

The only thing that I did NOT have on hand were scallions to throw on top of my bbq’d corn.  That would have added a beautiful finish to these babies.  There is always next time )

BBQ Corn on the Cob

Source: Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

(including items needed to make your own BBQ sauce, which are indicated with an asterisk “*”)

If you want to use store bought BBQ sauce, omit the items and directions with an “*”…

4 ears corn on cob
2 limes, juiced
A drizzle extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar*
2 tablespoons brown sugar*
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce*
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, a palm full*
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce*
1 tablespoon hot sauce*
2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions:

Heat grill over medium-high heat.

Husk corn and cover with lime juice, drizzle with oil and season with salt.  Grill corn for 10-12 minutes, rotating it every few minutes.  Make sure there are lots of char marks on your corn!

Combine vinegar and brown sugar over medium-low heat, stir in Worcestershire, grill seasoning, ketchup or tomato sauce, and hot sauce. Simmer a couple of minutes.*

Baste corn liberally with sauce and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from grill, cover corn with chopped green onion and serve.

Alright, Philadelphians – I initially wrote “hoagie” in the title but for some reason “sub” was a better fit.  I really want to put hoagie in there given my Philly roots, but it didn’t work.   I just don’t ever see a Philly Deli offering Roasted Red Pepper HOAGIES.  Hoagies are loaded with meats, cheeses, oil, mayo, hot and sweet peppers…. this just isn’t a Philly sandwich.  But feel free to call it a hoagie if it makes you feel better – it tastes just as good. )

This sandwich is great for picnics because the goat cheese lasts a long time in your picnic basket.  Simply wrap it in wax paper and you’re on your way!   It’s also great when you want to have a sophisticated and unique meal at your home without all of the fuss or stress that large and time consuming meals bring about.  Like many of my recipes, this one takes minutes.  You gotta love that!   It goes great with a side salad filled with nuts and dried fruit.

Be creative.  Use this recipe as a template for your own creations.  Add grilled eggplant, portabella mushrooms, chicken… anything to make this sandwich to your liking!  Have fun and enjoy.

If you like this sandwich, check out my Grilled Vegetable, Herb, and Goat Cheese Sandwich!

Roasted Rainbow Pepper Sub

Slightly adapted from: Eatingwell.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce jar roasted red, orange and/or yellow peppers, rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 16- to 20-inch baguette, preferably whole-wheat
3 tablespoon olive paste or olive tapenade – or pulse black olives with olive oil and salt in your food processor
4 ounces creamy goat cheese
1 1/2 cups arugula or spinach leaves
1 container of baby portabella mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in olive oil (5 minutes or so)

(PS – this sub is 220 calories per serving!!)

Directions:

Combine peppers, garlic, vinegar and oil in a small bowl; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.  (**Note: go easy on the garlic and vinegar.  A little goes a loooong way!)

Slice baguette in half lengthwise.

Spread one half with olive paste and the other half with goat cheese.

Layer pepper mixture, mushrooms, and arugula over olive paste.

Top with remaining baguette. Cut across into 4 pieces.