80% Healthy, 100% Fantastic

What's for Dinner?

2016-03-01T07:48:00.001-08:00

Apps
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
White Bean Hummus
Crab Cakes
Jalapeño Poppers
Twice Baked Potatoes
Stuffed Mushrooms
Caprese Salad Bites
Goat Cheese, Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine
Black-Eyed Pea Dip
Cajun Rock Shrimp
Stuffed Artichoke

Sides
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes
Corn Side Dish
Hot Corn Dip
Corn-Tomato Salsa

Soup
Cream of Asparagus Soup
Green Chili Stew

Vegetarian
Pesto Portobello's
Vegetable Lasagna
Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers
Black Bean Burgers
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Lentil Curry Bowls with Cilantro Cashew Sauce

Mexican/New Mexican Favorites
Zesty Chicken Enchiladas
Paella
Baked Chicken and Spinach Burritos/Flautas
Green Chili Stew
Fish Tacos

Louisiana Cookin
Crawfish Pie
Crab Cakes
Cajun Rock Shrimp
Crawfish Corn Bisque

Thanksgiving
Crock-Pot Turkey and Gravy
Cornbread Dressing

Eat More Chicken
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach and Blue Cheese
Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Baked Chicken and Spinach Burritos
Bacon and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Blackened Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf and Corn-Tomato Salsa
Mango Chicken Salad
Trinidadian Chicken Curry

Italian
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Pesto Portobello's
Vegetable Lasagna
Shrimp Regatta

Crockpot
Greek Meat
Turkey and Gravy

Meatloaf
Turkey Meatloaf #2 (with spinach)
Turkey Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Sweets
Cake Batter Blondies
Zucchini Bread
Red Velvet Cake Balls

Drinks
Dirty Bananas (Martha's Vineyard Mudslide)
Basil Infused Vodka

Trinidadian Chicken Curry

2016-03-01T07:46:00.004-08:00

I adapted my own recipe from three recipes for Trinidadian Chicken Curry based on some of what I had on hand. It turned out really good. Id like to get advice from my Mom's best friend from Trinidad about the recipe she has used. if there are any updates I will post. But in the meantime I will definitely keep this recipe in rotation.
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs (i used boneless)
3 cloves garlic
1 Bunch Collard Greens (I used Chinese broccoli)
1 jalapeno
3-6 thai chilis depending how how you want it (optional)
rice or polenta (optional)
Marinade:
2 green onions
1 tomato
dash tumeric
1/4 tea cumin
1/2 tea thyme
1 tea garam marsala
2-4 tea curry powder

1. Cut the chicken into ~1 inch peices

2. Marinate chicken at least 30min with the above marinade ingredients

3. cook the collard greens or chinese broccoli for ~4 min with the garlic and 1-2 tea olive oil or coconut oil

season with salt and pepper

set aside

4. heat pan with 1-2 tea. olive oil or coconut oil

add chicken with marinade

cook ~7-10min until cooked through

add 1 Tbs. water, season with salt and pepper

5. Serve over the greens and if you would like over polenta or rice

Mango Chicken Salad

2015-10-28T07:02:00.001-07:00

Trying to eat healthy after a summer full of indulgence is not always easy.

But finding this amazing blog 'Pinch of Yum' has definitely made the task fun and enjoyable.

I made some modifications to the recipe and it was a hit.

Ingredients

4 chicken breast
1 tbs. each minced garlic and jalapeno and olive oil
1 mango, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
juice and zest of ½ lime
½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 chopped red pepper, roasted or raw. (either will be great)
optional add-ins: 1 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

Saute garlic and jalapeno in oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 1 minute. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in skillet until cooked through and brown on the outside, about 4 minutes per side. After chicken has cooled, dice or shred into small pieces.
Toss chopped celery, peeled and chopped mango, and cooled chicken in a large bowl. Stir in mayonnaise and yogurt. Add lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in red pepper and cilantro. Serve with a warm tortilla if desired.

Lentil Curry Bowls with Cilantro Cashew Sauce

2015-08-12T05:32:00.002-07:00

I found this recipe on a cute blog called 'Pinch of Yum.' This healthy recipe was sooo good. I was a little nervous to try it because I do not like cooked carrots, but it turned out amazing. I did roast a sweet potato as well in case I did not like the carrots and it was an excellent addition. I think you could add butternut squash as well if you want to not add the calories and carbs of a potato. I did not have garam masala so I just used curry powder. Also, I made my own chili powder because I did not have any on hand.

This was a huge hit. My boyfriend and friend came over and both were excited to take some home for lunch the next day.

INGREDIENTS

For the Cilantro Cashew Sauce:

½ cup fresh cilantro
¾ cup cashews (I used raw but you can use salted)
⅓ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
juice of 2 limes
1 clove garlic (optional)
1-2 teaspoons honey

For the Roasted Carrots:

8-10 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon chili powder ( see recipe below)
salt to taste

For the Rice and Lentil Curry:

1 cup basmati rice (or long grain) (update: I made this using 1 cup cauliflower rice last night (put in raw) and it was fantastic, could not tell the difference)
1 tablespoon oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon cumin seed (or ground cumin)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
14 ounces tomato puree
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
pinch of salt
avocado and cilantro for topping

Chili Powder:

1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoon garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS

For the sauce, puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Taste and adjust.
For the carrots, toss all ingredients together. Roast at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
Cook the rice according to package directions. I used a rice cooker.
For the curry, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; saute for 3-5 minutes. Add the curry paste and spices; saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the lentils, tomato sauce, and broth. Simmer until lots of the liquid has evaporated - continue adding ½ cup of liquid as needed (the lentils will just keep soaking it up). Repeat this process for about 45 minutes until the lentils are soft (I needed to add 2 more cups of broth and 1/2 cup of water).
Add the rice to the lentil mixture; stir to combine, adding extra broth or water as necessary.
Serve in bowls topped with the roasted carrots, cashews, cilantro, and cilantro cashew dressing. (all optional)

Meatloaf

2015-08-06T10:35:00.006-07:00

Turkey Meatloaf #2 (with spinach)
Turkey Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Crockpot

2015-08-06T10:35:00.003-07:00

Greek Meat
Turkey and Gravy

Italian

2015-08-06T10:34:00.007-07:00

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Pesto Portobello's
Vegetable Lasagna
Shrimp Regatta

Eat More Chicken

2015-08-06T10:34:00.003-07:00

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach and Blue Cheese
Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Baked Chicken and Spinach Burritos
Bacon and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Blackened Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf and Corn-Tomato Salsa
Mango Chicken Salad

Thanksgiving

2015-08-06T10:33:00.003-07:00

Crock-Pot Turkey and Gravy
Cornbread Dressing

Louisiana Cookin

2015-08-06T10:32:00.003-07:00

Crawfish Pie
Crab Cakes
Cajan Rock Shrimp
Crawfish Corn Bisque

Mexican/New Mexican Favorites

2015-08-06T10:30:00.003-07:00

Zesty Chicken Enchiladas
Paella
Baked Chicken and Spinach Burritos/Flautas
Green Chili Stew
Fish Tacos

Vegetarian

2015-08-06T10:29:00.007-07:00

Pesto Portobello's
Vegetable Lasagna
Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers
Black Bean Burgers
Quinoa Tabbouleh

Soups

2015-08-06T10:29:00.003-07:00

Cream of Asparagus Soup
Green Chili Stew

Sides

2015-08-06T10:26:00.007-07:00

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes
Corn Side Dish
Hot Corn Dip
Corn-Tomato Salsa

Sweets

2015-08-06T10:26:00.003-07:00

Cake Batter Blondies
Zucchini Bread
Red Velvet Cake Balls

Drinks

2015-08-06T10:25:00.003-07:00

Drinks
Dirty Bananas (Martha's Vineyard Mudslide)
Basil Infused Vodka

Apps

2015-08-06T10:23:00.003-07:00

Black Bean and Corn Salsa
White Bean Hummus
Crab Cakes
Jalapeño Poppers
Twice Baked Potatoes
Stuffed Mushrooms
Caprese Salad Bites
Goat Cheese, Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine
Black-Eyed Pea Dip
Cajan Rock Shrimp
Stuffed Artichoke

My Black Bean Corn Salsa

2015-08-06T10:18:00.001-07:00

I'm going to start nice and simple with one of my favorites that I like to keep in the house for a healthy snack option. No two batches are exactly alike, but the one I made today was my all time favorite, so I will attempt to chronicle my steps in hopes that you can recreate my Black Bean and Corn Salsa. I have put many recipes together to get, in my opinion, the best one yet!!

Ingredients:

Jalapeno

Habenaro

Cilantro

1/2 shallot

1 Fresh Tomato

1 can Rotel with green chili

3-4 green onions

1/4 purple onion

1 garlic pod

1 can black beans

1 can Mexi-Corn

A couple of shakes of Red Wine Vinager

salt and pepper to tatse

dash of cumin (My mom disagree's, but I promise Mom, it's such a small amount you won't even know it's there)

A couple shakes of hot sauce (today I used Cholula)

Throw all the ingredients in a bowl, stir, and...wa la!

Yum yum yum! There you have it! The best black bean and corn salsa brought of all time from yours truely, 80 Percent!

Other suggestions: The other day I made this for Belinda and I. She made fish tacos later that night and we topped them off with this salsa and it was Fantasic!!!!!

Fish Tacos

2015-08-05T07:33:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

2-3 pieces of white fish (I usually use haddock or cod)

Tony Chachere's

Tortillas

Mango Salsa

3 ripe mangos, diced (see photos)

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

½ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 large lime, juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)

⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste

Yogurt

Greek yogurt (1 small package)

1 lime, zest

1. Season fish with Tony's.

2. Add all ingredients of Mango Salsa to bowl, mix

3. Add 1tea of lime zest and squeeze ~1/2 lemon into yogurt, to taste (can sub with sour cream). Add Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Heat tortillas in oven until warm. Spread yogurt sauce on tortilla, add fish, then top with mango salsa.

*see the black bean corn salsa, this is also a great topper for fish tacos as well.

Shrimp Regatta

2015-06-26T13:27:00.002-07:00

This is a great healthy, colorful, summer dish. Bursting with flavor, it's one of the few pasta dishes I keep in my regular rotation.

Ingredients:

1 bag or box of penne pasta

1 bag ~ 30 shrimp -peeled and deveined, precook with Tony's

1 tomato -diced

3 cups (1bag) spinach

2 Tbs Pesto

2 Tbs Gorgonzola

1/4 cup walnuts or pecans -diced

1. Cook pasta per the directions

2. Cook Shrimp until pink

3. When pasta is cooked, drain and add all other ingredients. Stir until spinach wilted

4. Add Gorgonzola last

Crawfish Corn Bisque

2015-06-23T09:11:00.001-07:00

Living in Boston I have to ration my Louisiana crawfish. I only use it for my absolute favorite recipes and this is one of them! The original recipe calls for 2 cups of Heavy cream. So, I have changed this recipe up ALOT to make it more hearty and healthy.

To season the crawfish:

(I do this first and put in the fridge)

Tony Chachere's

If you do not have this can use:

1/4 tea. seasoning salt

1/8 tea. garlic powder
1/8 tea onion powder

dash cayenne 1 can creamed corn

1 can whole kernal corn

1 cup light cream (I have made this recipe with 2 cups of skim milk and no cream and it turns out great too, just thinner)

1 cup skim milk

3 Tbs. butter
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 bell pepper, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 stalks chopped green onions (optional)

saute onion, bell pep., celery, and garlic and butter

cook down

Add creamed corn and simmer for 30min
Add a small amount of sugar (1 tea)
Stir in cream and milk
Adjust quantity of milk to get desired consistency
Cook over med low until hot ~10 min
Add crawfish, cook 5-10 min
Garnish with green onions.

enjoy!

Serving suggestion. Serve over crab cakes.

Corn-Tomato Salsa

2015-01-31T05:02:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
1 can corn
3 scallions
1 clove garlic
4 ounces cherry tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro

1. Thinly slice the scallions separating the tops from the bottoms. Peel and mince the garlic. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves. Quarter the tomatoes.

2.Heat the pan of medium-high until hot. Add corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the white bottoms of the scallions and remaining garlic; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until softened and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Remove from heat. Add half the cilantro and half the green tops of the scallions to the corn salad; season with salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined.

Blackened Chicken with Zucchini Rice Pilaf & Corn-Tomato Salsa

2015-01-31T04:56:00.001-08:00

This was my first ever BlueApron and I loved it. I love the way the chicken turns out so juicy. The Corn Tomato Salsa is now my new go to side. Love it!

Ingredients:

4 Ounces Cherry Tomatoes

3 Scallions

3 Cloves Garlic

2 Chicken Breasts

1 Ear Of Corn or 1 can

1 Large Bunch Cilantro

1 Lime

1 Zucchini

¼ Cup Mexican Crema (you can substitute with sour cream)

½ Cup Rice

2 Teaspoons Ancho Chili Powder

1.Quarter the tomatoes. Cut off and discard the roots of the scallions; thinly slice the scallions, separating white bottoms and green tops. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut off the kernels of corn; discard the cob. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves and stems. Using a peeler, remove the rind of the lime, avoiding the white pith; mince to get 2 teaspoons of zest. Quarter the lime. Small dice the zucchini. In a small bowl, combine the Mexican crema, a pinch of lime zest and the juice of 2 lime wedges; season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a medium pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add thezucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in half the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir in the rice, remaining lime zest and ¾ cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook 16 to 18 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in the juice of the remaining lime wedges; season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and chile powder. In a medium pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add chicken. Cook, loosely covering the pan with aluminum foil, 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the skin is blackened and crispy and the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan. Loosely cover the resting chicken with aluminum foil. Set aside in a warm place.

4. Heat the pan of reserved fond on medium-high until hot. Add the corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the white bottoms of the scallions and remaining garlic; cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until softened and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Remove from heat. Add half the cilantro and half the green tops of the scallions to the corn salad; season with salt and pepper to taste and stir until well combined.

5. Serve with lime-crema sauce!

Cajun Rock Shrimp

2014-06-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

My mom created this recipe and it's delish! She used to serve it as an appetizer with a side of french bread for dipping in the amazing spicy sauce. I also put the shrimp over a salad and use the sauce as my dressing. Any way you eat it, I am sure you will not be disappointed!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 bag of deveined shrimp (raw ~30-50)
5 pats of butter
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. thai chicken sauce
1-2 Tbs. Ketchup
Tonie's
1.5 Tbs. Louisiana Hot sauce or Hot sauce you prefer
1 Tbs Sriracha

Directions:
Peel shrimp.
Add ~ 1-2 Tbs. olive oil to 9' by 9' or 9' by 13' baking dish.
Place shrimp in baking dish.
Spinkle Shrimp with all ingredients above.
Broil on HI for 5 min or until starts to turn pink, flip and broil another 5 min. Once shrimp are pink they are done.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Burritos/Flautas

2012-05-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe on good ol' pinterest, yes this is becoming a trend...but a trend that I LOVE. These turned out amazing and I will keep this recipe around and continue to tweak it depending on my mood and ingredients on hand. Believe it or not, I did not have the 16oz. beer it called for to boil the chicken in, so right from the get go I knew this was going to be my version of the recipe I had found on the "Healthy-Delicious" site.

While getting sushi with some coworkers the other night one mentioned her love for the seasoning Sazon. I had never heard of this and the way she described it, I felt it was something I must try immediately! She said she uses it on everything, so it instantly reminded me of my go to spice TONY CHACHERE'S. I know nothing can replace my Tony's, but having a back up could really open doors for me. So the next day I picked up this SAZON. I accidentally got a bottle of the "tropical Sazon" but let me tell you it was amazing.

So to the point, I started by boiling the chicken in just enough water to cover the chicken and a generous amount of Sazon and a few shakes of Tony's (I know I can't let go). I boiled this for about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, I added the spices to a separate bowl and chopped my spinach, jalapeno's, green chili's and cilantro. (The original recipe didn't have cilantro but I feel like any Mexican dish I make can only get better with it's addition, same goes for the green chili). Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the water and shred. Save about 1/4 cup of the water in your pot. Mix the shredded chicken with the spices and add back to the pot with 1/4 cup of the saved water. Add the chopped veggies and cook for about 2-3 min or until spinach is wilted. Roll and bake.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
~2 cups water
~3Tbsp Sazon
~1/2 Tbsp Tony's
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper
1 jalapeno, minced
3 cups or 1 bag baby spinach
2-3 green chilis or 1 can minced (optional)
3 Tbsp cilantro, minced
6 flour tortillas (I used wheat)
cooking spray
1-2 cups mexican cheese (sharp and Monetery jack)
sour cream and salsa optoinal

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees F.
2. Put the chicken and water in a pot (fill water to just cover the chicken) add sazon and tonys, or spices of your choice. Cook 10-15 minutes.
3. Pour out all but 1/4 of the cooking liquid. Take chicken out and shred. Mix chicken with seasonings. Put back in pot with water and add spinach, jalapeno, cilantro, and green chili. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
4. For flautas cut the tortilla in half, add sour cream and cheese then chicken mixture. Roll up startingi with the straight edge, place seam side down on a oiled baking sheet. Or you can use a whole tortilla and make buritto style.
5. Spray the burritos/flautas with cooking spray bake for ~10 minutes or until lightly browned.

6. Can serve with sour cream or salsa, or just eat plain, they are great!