Wellness

[Laura14]

Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich

Two slices of bread (I use Ezekiel)

Hummus (any flavor you want.  I like roasted garlice for an extra kick)

1 slice provolone cheese

Cucumber slices

Tomato slices

Any other type of vegetable slices like onions, olives, etc...

Crumbled feta cheese

Shredded lettuce

Salt, pepper and olive oil if you want to taste

Use the hummus as you would mayo and then build your sandwich any way you like.  

Sometimes I like to toss the lettuce in olive oil and Italian spices before I put it on the bread but you can leave that out if you want.

Use whatever vegetables you like.  Cucumbers will give you crunch, avocado creaminess, peppers some spice, etc... 

It's your sandwich.  Put on it what you like as long as it's good for you.  

[Laura14]

Chipolte Turkey Burger

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons canned chipotles in adobo sauce (pureed)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix everything together until well incorporated.

Add extra chipotle sauce or chili powder for more heat.

Let sit for several hours or overnight.

Form into 4 patties.

Make a dent with your thumb in the bottom side of each burger.

Dent side down, grill on medium high heat. Don't press on the burgers.

Flip after a few minutes and cook through until no longer pink.

Serve on a bun with smeared avocado and salsa

[Laura14]

Roasted Salmon with Cucumber Dill Yogurt

Ingredients

1/2 cucumber

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced and divided

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, divided

1.5 pounds salmon fillets, skin on salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Shred the cucumber, excluding the seeded part, and use paper towels to squeeze out and discard excess water.

In a small bowl, stir together the cucumber, sour cream, yogurt, dill, half the garlic, half the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Line a baking pan with foil. Rinse the salmon and pat dry.

Place it skin side down on the pan. Sprinkle with remaining garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until barely opaque in the center, about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with the yogurt sauce.

For the seafood peeps!  

[Laura14]

Lemon Vanilla Meltaways 

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1/2 cup Coconut Butter - softened

1 Piece Lemon - juice and zest

1 dash Vanilla bean extract

DIRECTIONS

Whisk all ingredients together into a spouted cup.

Line a mini cupcake pan with 12 liners.

Pour the mixture evenly into the liners, refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes or until firm, and finish with fresh lemon zest {optional}.

No sugar!  Not sure about the coconut if, like me, you're not a fan, but quick and easy dessert in no time.  

PS:  If you don't have a spouted cup, just use a regular bowl and then a ladle to fill up the cupcake liners.  

[Noel7]

---

@Laura14 wrote:

Chipolte Turkey Burger

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons canned chipotles in adobo sauce (pureed)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix everything together until well incorporated.

Add extra chipotle sauce or chili powder for more heat.

Let sit for several hours or overnight.

Form into 4 patties.

Make a dent with your thumb in the bottom side of each burger.

Dent side down, grill on medium high heat. Don't press on the burgers.

Flip after a few minutes and cook through until no longer pink.

Serve on a bun with smeared avocado and salsa

---

**************************

@Laura14

We've switched to using ground turkey for a lot of dishes.  I love it instead of ground beef in Zatarain's Dirty Rice.

[Laura14]

@Noel7  That's all I use too!

[Laura14]

Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon paprika

One 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed

1¾ cups low-fat milk, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne

Directions:

Put a large pot of water on to boil.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl.

Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.

Heat 1½ cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining ¼ cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted.

Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.)

Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well.

Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish.

Spoon the spinach on top.

Top with the remaining pasta.

Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.

Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

A bit of a healthy update to a comfort food for colder nights.  I would use veggie pasta in lieu of whole wheat or you could forget the pasta and just go with vegetables themselves for a Veg and Cheese and an even healthier dish.  

[Laura14]

Chicken Enchilada Quinoa

INGREDIENTS

1 c. quinoa

2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced

1 jalapeño, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken

1 c. corn kernels

1 c. red enchilada sauce

1 1/2 c. Shredded Monterey Jack

Chopped tomato, for garnish

Diced avocado, for garnish

Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a small saucepan, combine quinoa and chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until fluffy, 15 to 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat oil.

Add onion, jalapeño, and garlic and cook until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add cumin and chili powder and stir until combined, then add chicken, corn, and enchilada sauce (reserve 1 tablespoon for drizzling) and stir until combined.

Add 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (reserve rest for later use) and stir until combined, then top with cheese.

Bake until cheese is melty, 15 minutes.

Garnish with tomato, avocado, cilantro, and reserved enchilada sauce and serve.

I might substitute brown rice but this looks good!

[Laura14]

Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Italian salad dressing

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp honey

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

1 1/4 lbs chicken breast tenderloins

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed of tough ends, chopped into 2-inch pieces (Green beans are another good option)

1 1/2 cups small carrots

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

Directions

In a mixing bowl whisk together salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, honey and red pepper flakes, set aside.

Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then place chicken evenly in skillet.

Cook about 6 - 7 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking, until chicken has cooked through (meanwhile, chop asparagus and tomatoes).

Add half the dressing mixture to skillet and rotate chicken to evenly coat.

Transfer chicken to a large plate or a serving platter while leaving sauce in skillet. Add asparagus and carrots to skillet, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp tender, about 4 minutes.

Transfer veggies to plate or platter with chicken.

Add remaining dressing mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute.

Add tomatoes to chicken and veggies and drizzle dressing mixture in pan over top (or return chicken and veggies to pan and toss to coat).

Can't beat one pan recipes and a quick skillet prep!

[Trinity11]

Laura, thank you for all the delicious recipes. My husband says thank you also as I have tried a few and it was thumbs up.