Ja cię kocham…

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.

Forgive my absence on here.  Life has created a whirlwind that has picked me up, whooshed me around, and before I knew it, it was the end of April.  Where has the time gone??!

No worries, though.  I have plenty of recipes to be posted in the next few days or week….  I won’t let you down.  Promise.

Lucky for me red peppers are on mega sale this week.  They are always so painfully expensive, but THIS week they were more than 50% off!  SCORE!  As soon as I saw them, I piled them into my cart with a huge grin on my face.  Stuffed peppers dinner!  Yes!

This recipe was literally thrown together with whatever I had in my fridgie and cabinets.  Don’t you just love those experimental meals?  You hope and pray that it turns out okay since there is absolutely no recipe in sight.   And guess what.  These stuffed peppers were delightful!   The pineapple gave them a hint of summery sweetness while the red beans gave them the heartiness I need in a meal.

Get creative with your pepper stuffing.  Throw in whatever you would love to eat in your rice!  Or do what I do and just throw in whatever you got.  You won’t be disappointed.

Stuffed Peppers with Pineapple Rice

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil or cooking spray
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 c. vegetable stock (or whatever amount of liquid that your rice calls for)
2 c. instant brown rice
1 c. diced pineapple (Dole has the Pineapple “tidbits” that are perfect!)
1 can small red beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, chopped
Pepper to taste (If your veggie stock isn’t salty, then add salt to taste)
3-4 red bell peppers with tops cut off and discarded, seeds and ribs removed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat oil on medium in large skillet.  Saute garlic until fragrant.  About 3-5 minutes.

Add veggie stock to skillet, bring to a boil.  Add rice and cook according to directions.

Toss in the rest of the ingredients except for the peppers.

Fill a baking pan with an inch of water.

Divide the rice evenly among the peppers and fill them to the top.  Place stuffed peppers into the baking pan with water and cook for 30-45** minutes or until peppers begin to wrinkle and rice begins to brown on top.  Feel free to top the peppers with cheese with about 5-7 minutes left to cook.  I opted not to because I was looking for a more low-fat meal.

**IMPORTANT FYI – Many recipes call for 40-50 minutes but my peppers were done in 30 so use your judgment.  It doesn’t hurt to check them at 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Couscous is an awesome food.  I have made it several times, and it always comes out perfectly, AND it takes all of 5 minutes.  The person that invented couscous deserves a kiss from all of the busy people around the world…

Normally I just whip up a batch of couscous as is…maybe adding some cheese or something, but last night I decided to try someting a little different.

I was watching Giada at Home on the Food Network, and besides sitting there in complete awe and shock of her enormous house (that I KNOW she doesn’t have to clean), her hot tub, her patio, and her KITCHEN, I was in awe of her couscous cakes.   They looked simple enough, and her recipes always taste good so I decided to give them a try.

And they were pretty fantastic tasting although I had immense trouble keeping the little buggers intact while cooking them.  As I watched Giada make them I remember thinking how messy they looked and how all of a sudden they turned out so perfectly on her plate.  That’s TV for you.  I had to add an extra egg and some bread crumbs for a more suitable stickiness, and they still somewhat fell apart.   I think it’s because I used more couscous than the recipe called for.  It didn’t stick together with one egg and one yolk.   No worries, though.  It was my oversight, and they still tasted great!

Couscous Cakes

Source: Giada at Home

Yields: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked couscous, prepared according to package instructions and cooled
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 lemon, zested
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup mild mango chutney – (I used my Homemade Pineapple Chutney)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the couscous, cilantro, egg, egg yolk, coriander, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Mix until combined.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Form 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture into 8 patties. Add 4 of the patties to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side until golden. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining couscous mixture.

Serve the couscous cakes with mango or pineapple chutney.

This year I am absolutely determined to create my own veggie garden.  There is nothing better than fresh, beautifully ripe vegetables pulled right out of the garden.  They taste so much better than those that come from the grocery store.  Jay and I were thinking about investing in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), but the upfront costs are not very appealing.  The part that is appealing is driving 5 minutes to an organic farm and picking your own fruits and veggies for the week, and the fact that we would be supporting local farmers.  I cannot WAIT until the local farm stands open back up.  I pile on the fruits and veggies for mere dollars.  But I also want to just walk into my pea-sized backyard and pick piles and piles of veggies.

Giada De Laurentiis the host of a few Food Network shows made an unbelievable grilled vegetable, herb, and goat cheese sandwich on her show Giada at Home.  My mouth instantly began to water as I watched her mound eggplant onto sun-dried tomatoes, onto basil, onto goat cheese….  This sandwich literally uses most of my favorite foods!  I could not wait to make it.

The sandwich is filled to the maximum so make sure that you have parchment paper to wrap tightly around this masterpiece.  It’ll prevent you from losing any goodies from your sandwich.  )

I made absolutely no alterations to this baby.  It was PERFECT.

Grilled Vegetable, Herb, and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

Source: Giada at Home

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 zucchini, ends trimmed and discarded, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
2 Japanese eggplants, ends trimmed and discarded, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1 (12 1/2-ounce) baguette, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1 cup (6 1/2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.

In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a medium bowl. Add the zucchini and eggplant and toss until coated. Place the vegetables on the grill pan or grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until tender.

While the vegetables are cooking, spread the olive oil mixture on the baguette halves. Using a spatula spread the goat cheese over the olive oil mixture. Place the cooked vegetables on the bottom half of the baguette. Arrange the spinach on top of the vegetables. Place the top half of the baguette over the filling.

To serve, cut the baguette into 4 sandwiches. Serve immediately or wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

I have this crush on chickpeas.  They are light, nutty, and filling, and I could easily eat bunches of them in one sitting.  I have stashes of them in my cabinet in case I have a sudden craving.  I find myself tossing them in a hot oven with cumin, coriander, and salt for a few minutes for a fantastic treat.   Chickpeas are quite delightful when they have a crispy skin after being baked or sauteed.

During one of my huge chickpea cravings, I came across a recipe from 101 Cookbooks for a chickpea salad.  I already had all of the ingredients in my kitchen making this dish perfect for the evening.

Chickpea Salad with Curry and Leeks

Serves 2-4 as a side

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon clarified butter, olive oil, or coconut oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pat them completely dry with clean dish towel
1 cup of chopped leeks
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
zest of one lemon
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons Indian-style curry powder (or to taste)
scant 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 or 2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion or red spring onions, chopped

Directions:

Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet and add the chickpeas. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they start getting a bit golden in color. Stir in the leeks and cook until the chickpeas are more golden and the leeks have browned a bit as well, roughly 7 – 10 minutes total. At the last minute stir in the garlic and the lemon zest. Remove from heat, and set aside.

While the chickpeas cool (I like to serve this salad at room temperature), make the yogurt dressing by combining the yogurt, curry powder, and salt in a small bowl. If you need to thin it out a bit, particularly if you are using Greek yogurt, whisk in warm water a tablespoon at a time. Taste, adjust, and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the chickpea mixture with most of the cilantro and most of the chopped red onion. Add about 1/2 of the yogurt dressing and toss again. If you like more dressing, keep adding until you are pleased. Serve on a platter sprinkled with the remaining onions and cilantro.

It’s Friday around 6:30pm, and I just get home from work.  I’m STARVING.  I want something substantial like lasagna but I do not want to wait over an hour to eat it.  Eating after 8 is not something we like to do often.  What do I do????

I’ve had the recipe for black bean lasagna rolls for quite a while now, and it’s the perfect opportunity to make them!

They turned out pretty well.  Very quick, very tasty for the family!  Although it’s one of those recipes that I will need to tweak before I make them for guests.  The edges of the noodles got a little too crispy, and I have to make sure not to spread the cheese mixture too close to the edges of the noodles because it all oozed out and didn’t look as pretty as they could have.  But that’s okay because Jay said that these were a keeper!

Despite the crunchy ooziness, I would definitely make these again when I’m hungry for lasagna but don’t feel like waiting a long time to eat.  )

Black Bean Lasagna Rolls

Source: Health.com

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups drained canned no-salt-added black beans
Cooking spray
1 (15 1/2-ounce) jar no-salt-added salsa
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.

Combine cheeses and next 3 ingredients, stirring well. Spread cheese mixture over 1 side of each noodle. Spoon black beans evenly over cheese mixture. Roll up noodles, jelly-roll fashion, beginning at narrow ends.

Place lasagna rolls, seam sides down, in an 11- x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

To serve, spoon salsa evenly over rolls, and garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Let me preface this post by saying that the pictures do not do them justice.  Black beans when cooked in liquid are not aesthetically pleasing.  That’s why we top them with bright and colorful avocado salsa!

These vegetarian tacos were simply to die for.  I know I make it sound like EVERYTHING tastes really good (because I love food and everything about it), but this recipe deserves a round of applause all on its own.  Whenever I pour black beans and its sauce into a skillet to simmer with vegetables and spices, I am astounded by the results.  Simply astounded.

The recipe calls for wheat gluten or seitan, which I could not find so I substituted it with extra firm tofu.  The results were quite tasty.  High five for black beans and avocados!

Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Okay it’s another one of those recipes that is a no-brainer… Again I almost feel incredibly silly posting this because fajitas are so common and so easy.  But I decided to post it anyway to remind YOU how easy, filling, and delicious veggie fajitas are!  Plus, you can use just about any veggie that you like, which also makes this meal incredibly versatile.

Whenever I make these, I am reminded of a long weekend I spent up in the Poconos with the Hanes.  Each meal that Cindy made was incredibly healthy, super easy to make, and soooooo yummy.  We all ate like royalty and yet it was all natural.  Awesome.

If you have some veggies that you would like to use up before they spoil, this is yet another recipe that is perfect for that.  )

Veggie Fajitas

Source: The Vegetarian Cookbook, p. 85

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tsp of corn oil (I used olive oil)
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 bell peppers of any color, seeded and sliced
4 fresh green chilies, seeded and diced
2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
12 whole wheat tortillas
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom skillet on low. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until fragrant.

Stir in peppers, chilies, and cilantro, and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat a separate, dry skillet over medium-high heat and heat tortillas for 30 seconds on each side.  Or just heat them in the microwave according to the package.  Cover them with foil or place in warmer drawer of oven until ready to serve.

Add the mushrooms to the veggie mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper.

Divide veggies among the tortillas, roll them up and serve!

Basil, Tomato, and Mozzarella are a classic powerhouse of flavor.  By adding these three ingredients to pasta, pizza, or veggies you are guaranteeing yourself a winning dish.

I found this recipe in The Vegetarian Cookbook, which I recommend to everyone!  I needed something quick, simple, and FRESH – this side dish was all three.  Once again, this dish was used with “clean” ingredients making it light, healthy, and DELICIOUS.

This is a must-try, folks.  Very easy to whip up, and it will most definitely be a crowd pleaser!

Baked Zucchini “BTM”

Source: The Vegetarian Cookbook, p. 94

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 zucchini
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped, plus extra leaves for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 4 strips each.  Brush with oil and put in ovenproof baking dish or cookie sheet lined with foil.

Bake zucchini for 10 minutes or until softened but still holding their shape.

Remove from oven.  Arrange cheese slices on top, sprinkle with tomatoes and basil.  Return to oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Carefully place zucchini on a serving platter and garnish with basil leaves.

Clean?  What is clean food?

Eating clean simply means eating fresh, whole foods in their natural state.   The food is minimally processed and does not contain any additives or preservatives.   Fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains and legumes are all a part of eating clean.

I purchased an incredible cookbook: The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Dr. Lisa Hark, PhD, RD.  It is FILLED with wonderful clean versions of our favorite dishes.  If you’re looking for a way to eat without feeling deprived or famished, I suggest you look at this cookbook.  All of the meals are beautifully presented, flavorful, natural and filling.  Nothing frustrates me more than feeling starved after a meal.  This isn’t the case here!

Jay and I have a thing for ethnic food – African, Thai, Middle Eastern, you name it!  The only problem is that going out all the time gets expensive, and I would much rather make my own meals so I know what is in them.

Dr. Hark included a Pad Thai recipe that looked very light and figure-friendly.  We LOVE pad thai so I wanted to give this a try.  After making the sauce, I was initially put-off because it didn’t taste super delicious.  I felt the sauce had too much concentrated tomato flavor that overpowered it.   But I was determined to make it work since I had done all the legwork for it already.  And you know what?  It turned out pretty good!  I used about a 1/3 of the sauce that the recipe calls for, which I think was a smart move.  Personally, I have never tasted pad thai like this before, but I know what I have eaten in the past was very bad for me.

I enjoyed this meal.  I wouldn’t give myself a high-five or anything… I would give it a 3 out of 5, but next time I will use less tomato paste and I think that will do the trick!

Clean Pad Thai

Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook, p. 266

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 oz. rice noodles, flat
1 Tbs. canola oil
2 cloves garlic, passed through garlic press
2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
2 thick carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices
5 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cups bean sprouts
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Sauce:

3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2-3 Tbs. tomato paste (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup)
2 Tbs. reserved noodle water
2 Tbs. unsulfured molasses
2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Cover rice noodles with boiling water in a ceramic bowl.  Read directions on container to determine length of time.

Drain, reserving 2 Tbs. of noodle water

In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Stir in garlic, cabbage, and carrot.  Stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Make a well in the middle of the pan and scramble the egg whites.

Add noodles and sauce and cook for 5 minutes.

Add bean sprouts, zucchini and green onions and cook to heat through.

Remove from heat, garnish with cilantro, and serve.