Category Archives: Main Dishes

Swiss Chard Lasagna Rollups

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian, , , , , ,

Lasagna roll ups…Why on earth have I not made these before? This is my new favorite way to make lasagna. They are so easy and yummy! I used beautiful swiss chard from my Door to Door Organics Tristate delivery. You could also use fresh spinach leaves, but the swiss chard was just delicious and has so many health great benefits!

swiss chard lasagna rollup

I really like how you can use any veggie or meat combination per roll to satisfy any eater. Now my husband doesn’t have to pick out the extra mushrooms I just love. And my daughter, who’s currently on a “not eating anything green” kick had shredded carrots and cheese in hers. Go ahead and get creative!

swiss chard lasagna rollup

swiss chard lasagna rollup

did-you-know

Did you know Swiss chard is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on the planet. It contains beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, quercetin, kaempferol, and many other disease fighting antioxidants.  Click here to learn more great health benefits about Swiss Chard.

swiss chard lasagna rollup

Ingredients

  • 6-8 cooked and drained lasagna noodles, depending on many people you will be serving
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 small bunch swiss chard, chopped
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Handful fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh grated mozzarella or parmesan cheese for topping
  • Your favorite tomato sauce

Directions

  1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place drained lasagna on parchment paper and lay out flat.
  3. In a skillet heat a tablespoon of oil and saute the onions for about 3 minutes and then add garlic and cook for another minute.
  4. Add chopped swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes.
  5. Place ricotta cheese in large mixing bowl and add beaten egg, swiss chard mixture, herbs, and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
  6. Spread cheese mixture onto the lasagna noodles and roll up.
  7. Place rolled up noodles in a baking dish coated with about a cup of tomato sauce. Once roll ups are in the dish top with additional sauce and cheese.
  8. Bake, covered for 30-35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Thai Lettuce Wraps

Game Day Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, , , , ,

I recently had some friends ask me to make some Paleo recipes. This is a great idea for me, since I am into crossfit and that’s the diet many crossfitters try to follow. So I had to do some research on what the heck the Paleo diet was and what they ate.

I came up with lettuce wraps! Quick, easy, and can be made with just about any meat and veggie combo you like. Or they could just be easily made vegetarian… mushrooms instead of meat. Works great as both an appetizer or a meal.

thai lettuce wraps

Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons oil of choice, I used sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons raw honey
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tamari for gluten free, or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic chili sauce, or more if you like spicy
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground chicken, turkey, or pork 
  • 1 small zucchini, shredded
  • 1 medium carrot, shredded
  • 1/2 small cabbage head, shredded, or half a bag coleslaw mix to save time
  • 1/3 cup green onion, chopped
  • 1 handful of chopped cilantro for topping, if desired
  • 1 head of lettuce to use for wrap, I used Boston bib, but I think romaine would work great too

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl and set aside.
  2. Cook ground chicken until no longer pink. Add veggies and sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  3. Add mixture to lettuce leaves, roll up and serve. They are a little messy to eat, but they are so good!

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Pizza

Food, Game Day Recipes, Main Dishes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , ,

Pizza time! I just love to make my own pizzas. It’s a great way to use up my leftover veggies and it tastes so much better than the frozen stuff. I usually cheat and buy the dough, so it only takes me a few minutes to assemble and bake. This is a perfect quick week night dinner, or a weekend lunch that can be nibbled on throughout the day. So get creative and add whatever you like!

This pizza I went Mediterranean.  I used:

  • tomato sauce
  • mozzarella cheese
  • fresh spinach
  • red onion
  • red pepper
  • kalamata olives, sliced
  • feta cheese

mediterranean pizza

mediterranean pizza

Last Minute Skillet Pasta Recipe

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, , , , , ,

Another crazy busy week night and I’m starving. Luckily, I had taken some sun dried tomato chicken sausage (free range chicken of course) out of the freezer recently. Now what to do with it?

I found some whole wheat bow tie pasta in the pantry and diced tomatoes. That’s a start! Of course I never made it to the store this weekend for fresh veggies. I’m really missing the local produce stands to quick stop at on my way home from work.

While digging through the fridge I found a jar of leftover sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and capers. I know, who keeps that stuff laying around in the fridge?  I like to buy that stuff in bulk so I always have a meal to throw together.  Of course fresh veggies would work wonderfully in this dish. Fresh peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, just about anything!  Oh well, next time.

Considering the circumstances, the dish came out great!

Skillet Pasta Recipe

did-you-knowSun dried tomatoes contain many antioxidants that help fight many types of cancers and also help boost immunity. Just one cup contains 9 percent of the daily value for vitamin A and 35 percent of the daily value for vitamin C.  Click here to learn more about the benefits of sun dried tomatoes.

Skillet Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 package Italian chicken or turkey sausage (or no meat at all!) This recipe would also work with ground meat or shrimp.
  • 1/2 to 3/4 pound of pasta, cooked (I used bow tie)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced1 large roasted red pepper, sliced into strips
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/4 cup capers
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 jar pasta sauce
  • parmesan or mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Cook sausage in a pan with a little bit of water until no longer pink and cooked through. Drain water and saute until nice and brown. Cut into bite size pieces and set aside.
  3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside.
  4. Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet (or a skillet you can put in the oven) over medium high heat. If you do not have one, cook in a regular skillet and transfer to a baking dish.
  5. Saute onion for a few minutes. Add roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until garlic is cooked.
  6. Lower skillet heat to medium low. Add can of diced tomatoes and pasta sauce. Cook until nice and bubbly.
  7. Add cooked pasta and sausage and stir.
  8. Top with cheese and put the skillet right into the oven, or transfer to baking dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

    Nutritional facts coming soon.  I Promise. 🙂

Enjoy!

Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta with Vegetables

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, , , , , , ,

So you’re probably thinking…Peanut butter and pasta, really? Don’t be fooled, it really is a great combination!  In fact, this is one of the most requested meals by my husband. It’s not very spicy and the peanut butter sauce adds a nice sweetness to the dish so if you’ve never had Thai food before, this is a great recipe to start with.

peanut chicken pasta

tips&tricks

Ginger root is typically large and most recipes call for only a few teaspoons. Don’t let that ginger go to waste. Freeze it. When you need to use it again no need to defrost, it actually is easier to grate while frozen. Just simply peel away the skin and grate. Ginger root will last about 6 months in the freezer. Click here for more information about ginger root.

peanut chicken pasta 02

Ingredients

  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided (you can use olive oil if you don’t have sesame)
  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter (creamy or chunky, whatever you have)
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (white vinegar will also work)
  • 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce or sriracha (you can find this in the Asian section of the grocery store)
  • 1 cup canned lite coconut milk (found in the baking isle or Asian section)
  • 1 lb chicken breasts cut into strips
  • 1 large red pepper cut into thin strips
  • 1 pound green beans or snow peas
  • 1 box of whole wheat spaghetti or linguine, cooked
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup peanuts for topping (optional)

Directions

  1. Shave carrots with a vegetable peeler and set aside in a bowl.
  2. Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add ginger and garlic, saute for about 30 seconds. Add broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and chili sauce. Stir together until peanut butter is smooth. About 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and stir until heated. Remove sauce from heat and keep warm with a lid on top of pan.
  3. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add peppers and green beans or snow peas, saute for about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  4. Add chicken strips. Cook chicken strips until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.  Turn off heat.
  5. Add the carrots, sauted vegetables, pasta, and peanut sauce to the cooked chicken in the skillet. Toss well so everything is covered with the sauce. I found that using tongs worked best.
  6. Top with fresh cilantro and peanuts.

nutrional facts - thai peanut pasta

Enjoy!

Thin Sliced Roasted Potatoes

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sides, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , ,

February is National Potato Lovers Month!  To celebrate I made my favorite roasted potato recipe.  These are easy to make and are a great side dish with almost any meal. Crispy and delicious, you’ll keep going back for more.

potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs potatoes (any kind will work, I like red or yukon gold)
  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. 
  2. Cut potatoes in thin slices and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. (I use a stone which I feel works best). Drizzle with olive oil and steak seasoning.
  3. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are nice and crispy.
  4. Top with parmesan cheese.

Chicken Salad Recipe

Food, Game Day Recipes, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Sandwiches, , , , , , , ,

Looking for something different for lunch?  This chicken salad full of fruit and nuts will keep you feeling full.  It tastes great on rye and pumpernickel bread, on a bed of lettuce, with crackers for a snack, or how I like to eat it, right off a spoon!

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts, boiled and shredded, or a rotisserie chicken shredded
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red or white onion, diced
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup walnuts or sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons mayo, I used the kind with olive oil
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Boil chicken breast in water and some salt and pepper until cooked through. About 20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. Cool and  shred the chicken with 2 forks. A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store would work too.
  2. In a large bowl mix chicken, celery, onion, apple, cranberries, nuts, yogurt, mayo, and lemon juice. The yogurt and mayo can be adjusted to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. The longer the chicken salad marinades the better it tastes.
  3. Serve as a sandwich, or on a bed of lettuce.

nutrional facts - chicken salad

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Breakfast, Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian, , , , , , , , , ,

Nothing says Sunday morning more than scrambled eggs. The search for the perfect scrambled eggs took me to this Gordon Ramsay recipe. It’s actually more of a technique rather than a recipe. Paired with a side of sautéed veggies not only makes delicious, but adds nutritional value to start your day.

perfect scrambled eggs

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs (I love farm fresh brown eggs)
  • 1 small pad of butter (just a little for some flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon scallions

Directions

  1.  Heat pan over medium heat. Break eggs right into the pan. Stir with a rubber spatula until mixed. It is kind of like making a risotto, stir, stir, stir. Once the eggs begin to set remove from heat and you guessed it, stir. Add butter and return to heat. Keep removing and putting pan back to heat eggs. Not sure why this works, but that’s what Gordon Ramsay did and they tasted great!  Once eggs are cooked add the scallions. 
  2. Serve up with a side of your favorite sautéed veggies. I had some spinach, broccoli, and red peppers that needed to be used up!

nutrional facts - scrambled eggs

Enjoy!

Mexican Twice Baked Sweet Potato

Food, Main Dishes, Mexican, Recipes, Sides, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , ,

I’ve never been a huge fan of sweet potatoes…Boy did this recipe change my mind.  These aren’t just good, they’re amazing, oh and they’re healthy too!

Mexican Twice Baked Potatoes

Recipe from Pinch of Yum.

Ingredients

  • 2 or 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can of corn, drained, I like shoepeg, or fresh off the cob is the best
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup red pepper, diced
  • 1 small jalapeño, diced (if you like spicy)
  • 1 clove of garlic, pressed
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • sprinkle of cumin
  • 1 ounce light cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup of greek yogurt or sour cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • handful of chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup of cheese, I used cheddar, you could use Monterey Jack, Colby… anything really


Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and baked sweet potatoes for about an hour, until soft. Check by poking with a fork.
  2. Heat a skillet (cast iron is the best) over medium high heat. Do not add any oil or butter, and add corn to pan. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  Do not stir.  Let the corn roast for a few minutes before stirring. Roast for about 10 minutes until nice and brown. Set aside in a bowl with black beans.
  3.  Heat a tablespoon of oil and saute onions,  peppers, and garlic. Set aside.
  4.  Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Cut sweet potatoes in half and scoop out flesh. Leave a little lining of the flesh inside to help keep the shape of the sweet potato.
  5.  In a large bowl mix sweet potatoes, cream cheese, yogurt or sour cream, and mix using a hand mixer.
  6.  Careful mix black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, peppers, garlic, and cilantro into the sweet potato mix.
  7.  Scoop the filling into sweet potato skins. Top with cheese and broil for 5 minutes, until cheese is nice and bubbly. I had filling leftover, so I put it in a casserole dish, topped with cheese and baked.

nutrional facts - mexican twice baked potato

Yummy!

Wonton Wrapper Cheese Raviolis

Food, Main Dishes, Recipes, Snacks & Appetizers, Vegetarian, , , , , , , ,

This week I am cleaning out my fridge and pantry. I had some leftover wonton wrappers and some ricotta cheese. So I came up with these raviolis for dinner.  They also make a great finger appetizer since they crisp up so nicely in the oven, just serve with a small bowl of tomato sauce or pesto to dip.

Cheese Ravioli

Ingredients

  • wonton wrappers (found in the refrigerated produce section)
  • ricotta cheese
  • handful of  shredded parmesan cheese (next time I want to try with goat cheese)
  • 5-6 fresh basil leaves or chopped spinach leaves
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • dash of nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • your favorite tomato sauce

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl mix cheeses, basil or spinach, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  3. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Lay wonton flat on baking sheet and add about 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture. Fold wrapper into a triangle and seal edges with water (I just dipped my finger in a bowl of water and smoothed around edges).
  4. Brush ravioli with olive oil and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Watch, they brown up quick.
  6. Serve on a plate with sauce, or on a large serving tray with a small bowl of sauce to dip for an appetizer.

Enjoy!