Month: July 2021

Eggplant Hummus

Eggplant Hummus

I eat fresh veggies with hummus almost every day.  This eggplant hummus is light, delicious, and easy to prepare. Recipe adapted from Food Network Ingredients: 6-8 white and/or green eggplant 1 ½ cups cannellini beans 3 tablespoons tahini 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon fresh 

Strawberry Lime Balsamic Coleslaw

Strawberry Lime Balsamic Coleslaw

I love how well coleslaw pairs with fish and other main courses.  I made this strawberry lime balsamic coleslaw to accompany blackened tilapia and BBQ shrimp. Ingredients: 1 bag shredded cabbage/coleslaw mix ½ red onion diced 1 long pepper diced 1 lime juiced and zested 

Lightened Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

Lightened Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

This dish makes everyone happy.  Veggie lovers will like the eggplant and meat lovers will enjoy the chicken parm.  You can even eat a little of both.  This can be a meal on its own or served over pasta, veggie noodles, or sauteed vegetables.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

1 small eggplant cut into 8 slices

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/3 cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large egg whites beaten

3 cups crispy rice cereal (Rice Chex)

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

1 1/3 cup marinara sauce

Sliced provolone cheese

Fresh basil and parsley to garnish

Directions:

  1. Preheat the boiler. 
  2. Mist both sides of the eggplant with olive oil spray.  Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant with Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  3. Place eggplant on a rimmed baking sheet.  Broil on high for 6 minutes flipping once.
  4. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.
  5. Combine the flour and cayenned in a shallow dish. 
  6. Combine the egg whites and 1 teaspoon water in a second dish.
  7. Combine the crushed cereal and parmesan cheese in a third dish.
  8. Dredge each piece of chicken one at a time.  Dip in flour tap off the excess.  Coat with egg white.  Place in cereal mixture.
  9. Set chicken on a dish until ready to cook. 
  10. Spray a large nonstick skillet with olive oil spray.  Cook the chicken in batches for 5 minutes turning halfway. 
  11. Transfer cooked chicken to a 9×13 dish.
  12. Add eggplant slices to the baking dish on top or next to the chicken.  Top chicken and eggplant with a tablespoon or so of marinara sauce.  Then top with provolone cheese.
  13. Bake 15-20 minutes.
  14. Garnish with basil and parsley.
  15. Serve with spaghetti, in a sandwich, with sauteed veggies, or over a bed of lettuce.
  16. Enjoy!
Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Cheesy and creamy baked macaroni cheese is a dish I often make for big family dinners.  My kids don’t like a breadcrumb topping so I focused on the cream and cheese in this dish. Recipe adapted from Food Network Ingredients: 1 pound elbow macaroni 2 

Peanut Butter and Espresso Energy Balls

Peanut Butter and Espresso Energy Balls

One morning I was craving peanut butter and really needed an energy boost, so I decided to make two mixes for energy balls and then smash them together into one delicious bite. Ingredients: Peanut Butter Half- 1 cup old fashioned oats 2 tablespoons powdered peanut 

Turnip Fries

Turnip Fries

I made turnip fries in the oven a few years ago and I wasn’t impressed.  With the right seasoning and an air fryer these were amazing!

Recipe from 2B Mindset

Ingredients:

2-3 turnips cut peeled and cut into fries

1 garlic clove minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Directions:

  1. Place turnips, garlic, olive oil, cumin, paprika, and salt in a medium bowl.  Toss to mix well.
  2. Spray air fryer with nonstick spray.
  3. Air fry at 370 for 15 minutes flipping at least once.
  4. Mix yogurt, lemon juice, and parsley in a small bowl. 
  5. Dip fries in yogurt sauce or eat plain.
Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

Lemon bars are the perfect summer dessert.  These are light, tart, and a little sweet. Ingredients: Crust- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 4 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil melted 1/3 cup powdered sugar Filling- 4 eggs 1 ½ cups sugar 6 tablespoons lemon juice with 

Yogurt Fruit Dip

Yogurt Fruit Dip

I love to eat fruit and I usually eat it plain.  When we had a party I wanted a light fruit dip to put in the center of the fruit tray.  This simple dip is delicious.  You can also used this in a parfait with 

Lemony Veggie Pasta Salad

Lemony Veggie Pasta Salad

Pasta salad loaded with veggies always brightens my day.  This light lemon vinaigrette coats the noodles and veggies and tastes amazing.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

Salad-

1 box tri color veggie rotini

12 ounces green beans

1 bell pepper diced (or 1 cup of diced bell peppers yellow, green, orange, and red)

1 shallot diced

3 radishes cut into matchsticks

1 zucchini sliced horizontally and cut into quarters

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

Lemon Vinaigrette-

½ cup fresh lemon juice, zest from 1 lemon

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves minced

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.  Drain. Rinse with cold water.
  2. Blanch the green beans. Cut into 1-2 inch segments.  Bring a medium pot of water to boil.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Drain.  Rinse with cold water.
  3. Add all vegetables to a large bowl.  Mix to combine.
  4. Add pasta to bowl.   Mix to combine.
  5. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients in a medium bowl.  Pour over salad.  Mix to distribute evenly.
  6. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Stir before serving.
Peanut Butter Stuffed Deep Dish Frosted Brownies

Peanut Butter Stuffed Deep Dish Frosted Brownies

I made peanut butter stuffed (Tag-A-Long cookie) brownies a few months ago using a boxed mix.  These are made from scratch and so sinfully delicious.  There are a few adaptations from traditional brownies to reduce the fat, sugar, and carbs a little. Ingredients: Brownies- 4