leanKitchen » Vegetables

Garden Hideaway Marinara/Pizza Sauce

leanKitchen — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:54:52 +0000

I know, I know, I’m lucky ’cause my kids eat veggies. Not only do they eat them, but they like them as well.

I also know many kids will ONLY eat chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, and pizza. My beautiful 3 year-old nephew Myles, does eat a wide variety of foods, but his favorite is mac n cheese…so my sister-in-law stirs squash into it. Hey, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?

Well there’s this beautiful little man that frequents the lK, and he undeniably likes what he likes. One of those things is pizza. I take whole grain, low-carb wraps, and make pizzas with those. I tried the old “hide the spinach leaves under the sauce” trick, as well as the “chopped peppers under the cheese” trick. He was too smart for that! I watched him once literally peel of all the cheese, take the peppers and spinach out, put the cheese back, and proceed to eat it.

I had to outsmart this two year old, but HOW?

Then, inspiration hit:

I took a bunch of garden-fresh tomatoes, a HUMUNGOUS handful of spinach, garlic and onions to taste, some red peppers, and put it through the blender….

I pre-baked the tortilla, put the sauce on, the cheese, and waited with bated breath…

..and the lil’ man WOLFED down the pizza, and wanted “more please!!!!”

It was a successful day in the lK.

I’ve found this works well as a pizza sauce as well as a marinara over pasta..or, better yet, putting it on spagetti squash!

Trish’s Delicious Fishes

leanKitchen — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:46:59 +0000

My good friend Trish was telling me last night about the fish tacos she made for dinner. I wanted to try it so bad, so I asked for her recipe.

I took the zest and juice from one lime, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 hot sliced fresh red pepper, 1/4 c. chopped & mixed green onion and cilantro (fresh from the garden!) and mixed it up well. I poured it into a large freezer bag over 1 lb. of cod (she used mahi mahi, which stands up to a grill much better than cod, haddock, etc., though pretty much any white fish would work my way*), and let it marinate for 1/2 an hour.

Next, I put a patch of foil down on the grill. I turned my grill on high, and used the foil like a grill surface (* my way). When it was hot, I put the fish down on top of the foil, and discarded the remaining marinade.

While that was cooking, I went in the house and mixed 1 tsp of mayo, a splash of cider vinegar, and lime zest to taste- taste it and make sure you like it!- then I threw in a handul of broccoli slaw, which is coleslaw with broccoli instead of green cabbage. Toss around. Mmmm!

The fish on the grill you’ll need to flip once. Depending on the thickness, it should take about 10-12 minutes till it’s time to take off the grill for good. General rule of thumb- when the fish is flaky and opaque, you should be good to go.

Put in a low-carb, whole grain wrap (lowest carb count you can find-I used 1/2 of a Wrap-itz lo-carb Wheat Wrap), top with the slaw, and ENJOY your zesty fish taco!

Granted, I’ve never had a fish taco, and this probably isn’t even what they look like (I know they’re typically fried), but this was SO DELICIOUS!

Thank you, Trish!

Salsa Squash Boats

leanKitchen — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:01:59 +0000

Last summer, pre-leanKitchen, I found myself taking pictures of my food. At the time, I wasn’t sure why, but I think I’ve come to the conclusion: it’s for backup. Backup for nights like tonight, when I’m prepping for my little man’s 7th Birthday Beach Party this weekend, and don’t have some new concoction to blog about.

Right now, I’m totally focused on Cam’s party. See, I’ve got this whole big beach theme planned out with all these water games, including some ridiculous monstrosity that wasn’t around when I was a kid- the Slip n’ Slide Triple Racer with Slide Boogies. Umm…I had a piece of tarp with a hose spraying on it, so I consider my little man very lucky (Ok, maybe I’m just jealous).

I plan on having a 3-tier cake with sand (brown sugar) around the base, and seashells and sea glass. Camron LOVES finding sea glass when we’re at the ocean, so tonight, I made some out of Jolly ranchers. I simply crushed them up, put them in one of those disposable pie pans (that for some reason I ALWAYS seem to have on hand), stick it in the oven on 300, melted them for about 10 minutes, then took them out of the oven to set. Once they did, I broke ‘em up with a hammer, and got pretty little pieces of sea glass!

Cool, huh?

Alas, when I was busy in my very own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-esque leanKitchen, I was NOT doing something else- BLOGGING! Oops! Nor was I cooking something supportive- I had a shake.

SO, I looked through the ol’ lK archives to find my Grilled Salsa Squash Boats. Considering I just picked my first zuke and squash yesterday, I found it fitting.

First, wash your summer squash or zuke, cut both ends off, and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (like this), fill with a piece of kale, some salsa, and some cheese. Grill till it’s soft, and the salsa and cheese is bubbly,and ENJOY!!

Mmmm…

YUM!!!

(And, don’t tell Cam, but his gift is tickets to see the Red Sox!)

Paper Towel Toasted Tomato Sandwich

leanKitchen — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:30:56 +0000

When I was a kid, spending long summer days at my grandparents, some of my fondest memories spent with my grandmother are (shocking, I know…) her FOOD! To this day, I don’t know what it is, but I swear she makes the best EVERYTHING I’ve ever eaten!!

Take TOAST for instance. She makes the BEST toast I’ve ever had! Granted, all she does is put a piece of bread in the toaster and butter it, but it’s the best I’ve ever eaten! She’s my food-spiration!! To this day, my stomach’s conditioned to start rumbling as soon as I’m in her driveway. I saw her this past weekend, and she told me she’d tried my Bacon-wrapped Scallop Salad, and I welled up with pride- SHE had tried one of MY recipes. Wow!

But when my brother and I were little, we used to have these all the time at their house. They were the perfect summer sandwich, when it was too hot to cook, and the produce was plucked fresh from the garden.

My grandmother would toast the slices of bread, put a layer of mayonnaise on, slice the tomatoes (the beefsteak kind, but any tomato will do), salt and pepper them, and serve the sandwich on a paper towel, with a side of fresh-from-the-garden cucumbers.

I, of course, had to go and put my spin on things, doing much of the same, except instead, I slathered my toasted bread (Check the labels! Sprouted Wheat is your best bet, if you’re trying to lose fat), with plain Greek yogurt, rather than mayo. I (of course) still salt & peppered and served on a paper towel, cut on the diagonal, with cucumbers on the side, the way my Grammy served it.

These are also FABULOUS with cukes inside, or any roasted veggie, or with cheese added. Yum!

The Bee’s Knees Fresh Fruit Bruschetta

leanKitchen — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:30:51 +0000

Today, the power and beauty of the internet brings you a guest blogger from Hamburg, Germany! Carla writes another food blog called The Bee’s Knees Kitchen.

When Carla first wrote, and sent me the link to her site, I was immediately intrigued by the beautiful, colorful pictures. Seriously, I’m not sure which I’m more impressed with, her food or her photography.

Here’s what Carla had to say about her site:

Guten Tag, I am Carla Aguas, the creator behind the Bee’s Knees Kitchen, the raw food blog aimed at discovering healthy, simple recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth and hungry belly!

The Bee’s Knees Kitchen is a blog I started in February 2010 to chronicle my adventure into the raw food world. My objective was to find healthy meals and desserts that use the same basic ingredients and were easy to prepare.

As a former Oregonian living in Germany and food addict, I wanted to be able to share my recipes with family back home and it blossomed from there. I come from a family of foodies and I take my inspiration from foods I recall from my parents and being raised in such a bountiful place as the Pacific Northwest.

I know that my raw food diet is my lifestyle but my recipes transcend the boundaries of ‘raw’ culture and are pure bliss. My food appeals to all of your sense without even realizing that you are being held to “raw” standards. Fresh produce is continually my main inspiration, and I am persistently searching far and wide for desserts and meals to appease my varied palette. Please visit my blog, create, comment and share a more nutritious way of eating that doesn’t sacrifice the flavor or beauty of what food should always be!

Alright, so what was the recipe that Carla won me over with??

The Fresh Fruit Bruschetta!!!

Without Further ado, here’s Carla’s recipe!

After being home in the States and experiencing the Pacific Northwest spring weather for the first time in over 6 years I forgot how absolutely beautiful it is! The flowers and trees are in fuller bloom than here in Germany and it was wonderful sitting in the yard taking in all the floral smells and fresh green air. Living in city centers for the past 7 years, I can truly appreciate what a treasure this is! So while I was home enjoying the luxury of having Whole Foods around the corner, and seeing all the fresh organic seasonal produce, I had the inspiration to make a full fruit treat. Theses Fresh Fruit Bruschettas are refreshing and sweet with a small twist of lime flavor. They are so beautiful and appealing looking and not to mention healthier for you and these are so versatile that they can be served as a starter, breakfast, dessert or snack!

Fresh Fruit Topping

1 c Strawberries, cubed

1 c Kiwi, cubed

1 c Mango, cubed

10-12 Blackberries

Gently mix all the fruit in a bowl and set aside.

Cucumber Baguette

1 Cucumber

Cut the cucumber vertically into 1/4 inch thick slices. This will create 10-12 slices depending on how long the cucumber is.

Agave Citrus Dressing

1 tbls Lime juice

2 tbls Agave Nectar

Lightly mix the lime juice and Agave Nectar in a bowl being sure to give it an additional stir before serving.

To assemble, plate the cucumbers and top with 2 tbls of the Fresh Fruit Topping. To keep the blackberry in place cut a toothpick in half and stick the half into the center of the Fresh Fruit topping and gently push down the blackberry on the toothpick. Drizzle the Agave Citrus Dressing over the top of the Bruschettas and sprinkle with Lime Zest.

Makes 10-12 Bruschettas

Beautiful!!!

With a dollop of Greek yogurt, this could even count as a gorgeous, supportive breakfast.

Thanks so much, Carla!

Spicy Salmon Kabobs

leanKitchen — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:30:50 +0000

This weekend, at the Relay for Life in my county, I was honored to be part of a phenomenal team. Want to read about the outcome of the relay? Click here!

At the relay, we had tons and tons of food, lots of fun, and 24 hours of walking. It was great, it all went to a phenomenal cause, and I just know that my mother would have been so proud of me and the team’s accomplishments.

While we were there, a couple of us had brought prepared kabobs (yes, we used this method), and they were sooo wonderful!! Tonight, I had some of the leftover veggies, but no chicken or beef. I did, however have salmon steaks.

So, I cubed 2 salmon steaks, 1 zucchini, a red onion, and halved some mushrooms, skewered, sprinkled with dried herbs (some with Old Bay, some with salt-free all-purpose seasoning), and put onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

I’d pre-heated the oven to 500 degrees, though you could certainly grill these!

I broiled them for about 9 minutes (careful to get the onions soft, but not overdo the salmon) till they looked like this:

I flipped them after about halfway, and they were AMAZING! Moist, flavorful, simple!

Grilled Watermelon, Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad

leanKitchen — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:30:59 +0000

Alright guys, yeah, it sounds gourmet. But I had some watermelon, some arugula, and some goat cheese in my fridge, and..well, this is what happened!

First, I grilled the watermelon. How did I do that? Well, I got a grill pan nice and hot, like I taught you in this post for Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops, and paper-toweled the watermelon dry. I grilled it with weight (see again what I mean in this post for the Pork Chops), and they came out like this:

Beautiful, right??

Then, I made a salad out of arugula, topped with some crumbles of goat cheese, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and topped with the grilled watermelon, cut into chunks.

Here’s what it looks like:

Grilling the watermelon gives it a smoky, muted, almost savory flavor, not like what you expect, but very delicious! This salad isn’t supportive alone, but would be fabulous topped with some seared scallops, or cooked chicken or shrimp. Yum!!

How to easily cut a pepper

leanKitchen — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:30:31 +0000

Last year, I was in the presence of an “actual” chef, and I was making a dip that had in it diced yellow, red, and green peppers. As I was hacking away at the peppers, trying desperately not to cut my hand off, this chef stopped me dead in my tracks. She shared with me how she learned to cut a pepper in culinary school, and I’m going to share it with you!

or, if for some reason the video isn’t working for you, click the link below.

How to easily Cut a Pepper

Beanless Chili in Green Pepper Cups

leanKitchen — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:30:47 +0000

The other day, I decided I was in the mood for some chili. So what were the problems I encountered? Well for one, it was 85 degrees, and I didn’t feel like keeping my stove on for hours on end, and for two, I didn’t have any red kidney beans in the house!

So I browned 1 lb of 93% ground organic, antibiotic-free, local farm-raised beef with 1/2 a diced onion with some olive oil. When the meat was browned, I added some Old Bay (of course) to taste, added 2/3 cup of water till it was boiling, added a can of stewed tomatoes (the garlic and onion kind), turned off the heat, and added 1 diced red pepper, and 1 diced green pepper. I let the peppers sit in the hot pan with the cover on for about 10 minutes, so that they just barely cooked, stayed crunchy, colorful, with a good amount of bite left to them.

Next, I had a pepper sitting on the counter, so I cut the top off, scooped out remaining seeds, and spooned my Beanless Chili into the Green Pepper Cup, topped with cheese, and I was done! Awesome!!!

P.S. I didn’t miss the beans, AT ALL!

Deveney’s California Slaw

leanKitchen — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:30:02 +0000

Hey folks,

Today, I’m on my way to Providence, RI for a conference, and so I’ve taken advantage of lK’s first-ever guest blogger, Deveney.

Deveney, who I’ve talked about in previous posts, has literally gone (in terms of both kitchen and cooking skills) from “I can’t-even-boil-water” to really getting the hang of things; finding her own way around the kitchen, so to speak. She’s now creating her own recipes.

I’m so thrilled about it, in fact, that when she sent me a recipe she concocted herself, I decided right then and there that she was going to be my FIRST EVER lK guest blogger.

She made a supportive version of coleslaw using a bag of California Slaw (found in grocery stores in the pre-packaged fresh veggies section) which, if you haven’t seen it, is shredded broccoli and cabbage, and minimal carrots.

And without further ado, here’s DEVENEY:

Mix in a bowl:

1 6oz chobani plain non-fat

Dijon mustard to taste (I just did a few squirts)

Honey mustard to taste (about a teaspoon)

Fresh dill and parsley

Ground pepper and sea salt to taste

It was so good, and tastes like regular coleslaw!

I love my slaw drenched in dressing, and with this recipe, you don’t have to feel guilty about eating it that way!

You could also use this to make more of a Waldorf salad too, with apples or cranberries and walnuts.

P.S. Do YOU want to be a guest lK blogger? Easy! Simply Contact Me, and we’ll chat!