Chocolate +PB Stuffed Dates (aka Snickers hoax)

 

I love dates, but an added perk to their taste is the health benefits of them.  These taste exactly like a Snickers bar, and they're the perfect snack to grab to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

Pitted dates (I like Joolies brand.)

Natural peanut (smooth or chunky) or nut butter of choice (I like Kirkland's Organic PB.)

Chopped chocolate of choice (I used a variety of Hu chocolate bars.)

Chocolate chips of choice (I used dark) with a little drizzle of coconut oil to thin the consistency

Toppings: pistachios, hemp hearts, flakey sea salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Slice pitted dates down the middle and open (like a baked potato). 
   
   
   
    
2. Fill them with chopped chocolate and little dollop of peanut/nut butter.
3. Freeze on parchment-lined baking sheet for about an hour.
4. Melt chocolate chips + coconut oil (30 second/half power increments) and dip date into chocolate to cover entirely.  Shake off excess and transfer back to parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Before it fully hardens, sprinkle tops with some favorite toppings: flakey sea salt, crushed pistachios, hemp seeds...
6. They'll last in your freezer for about two weeks!  Enjoy!

*www.rachaelsgoodeats.com

Cottage Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup cucumber, diced or sliced in rounds (pictured above) (Use minis if slicing in rounds.)
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tablespoons red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup full fat cottage cheese (IMO, Good Culture brand is by far the best!)
• ½ - 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I love the Graza "drizzle" EVOO.)
• Fresh herbs (dill or parsley are best) (I used a couple pinches of dried dill and it was great!)
• Cracked pepper and flakey sea salt

Directions:

• Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and a crack of pepper and toss to combine.
• Add cottage cheese + vinegar to a shallow bowl and stir to combine. Scoop veggies on top with a slotted spoon to drain excess liquid from the veggies.
• If desired, toss to combine.  Top with herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, cracked pepper, and flaky sea salt. Enjoy on its own or served with pita chips or bread. (Siete Dip Chips are a fave at our house!)

*www.eatingbirdfood.com

Healthy Cashew Chicken

This is so so yummy!  

Takes thirty minutes start to finish and serves six (or great for leftovers)!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced into 1/2-1 inch cubes (I used red and yellow.)
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (3 frozen Dorot cubes are super easy!)
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated (Look for frozen Dorot ginger cubes too!)
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts (I omitted.  Yuck.)
• 3/4 cup cashews (I chopped mine.)

• Sauce:

  1/3 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium.)

  1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

  1.5 teaspoons sesame oil

  3 tablespoons honey

  3 tablespoons cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)

  3/4 cup water

Directions:

1. 1. Prep ahead of time!  Dice chicken and veggies and prepare the sauce by whisking together all of the 'sauce' ingredients in a small bowl. (p.s., I added the cornstarch to the water to "dissolve it" before adding it to the other sauce ingredients.)
2. 2. When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet.
3. 3. Cook your chicken breasts until almost all the way cooked, about 5 minutes, turning a few times.
4. 4. Once almost cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
5. 5. Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan and toss in the bell pepper and broccoli.
6. 6. After sautéing for 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and ginger and cook for one more minute.
7. 7. Stir the sauce into the pan and allow it to thicken.  Once thickened, add cooked chicken, cashews, and water chestnuts (if you like gross things).
8. 8. Cook all ingredients together and mix to combine!
9. 9. Serve over rice.  If desired, sprinkle with more cashews and sesame seeds.
10. *www.erinliveswhole.com

Fastest Quick-Lunch Ever: Mediterranean Wrap!

Ingredients:

• 1 tortilla wrap (I use the brand "Mission Carb Balance".) 
• 1 Original Laughing Cow cheese wedge (I use lite.)
• 1/2 cup (loose measure) mixed greens lettuce (or baby spinach) (I use arugula.)
• 1/4 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and herbs (I only use about a tablespoon.)
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil pesto (I only use about a tablespoon.)
• 1-2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

• ASSEMBLY: Set out the tortilla and spread the Laughing Cow cheese wedge down the center of the tortilla.
• ASSEMBLY: Slightly to the left of the cheese, add the mixed greens. Top with the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes (add these with a fork to drain out some of the oil), and then spoon and gently spread the pesto on top. Crumble the feta cheese over the pesto.
• ENJOY: Fold the top and bottom in slightly and then tightly roll up the tortilla. Use a sharp knife to cut the wrap in half and enjoy immediately! (The Mission Carb Balance wraps are a bit on the small side, so I only fold the bottom in, roll, and keep the top open.)
  *www.chelseasmessyapron.com

Roasted Asparagus, Tomato, and Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus
• Salt and pepper
• 1 fresh lemon
• 1 package (5.8 ounces) Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil Couscous (I used the Near East brand, but you can substitute 1 cup plain cooked couscous.)
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, separated
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 of 1 container (10.5 ounces) ripe cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Break off the woody ends of the asparagus. Toss the asparagus, 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste) together on a large sheet pan. 
2. Bake in the oven for 12-17 minutes (depending on the asparagus thickness), flipping the spears once halfway into the cooking time. Remove and squeeze 1 tablespoon lemon juice over the spears. Allow to cool and chop into 2-inch pieces.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the packaged couscous according to package directions. Allow to cool.
4. While the asparagus is cooking, prepare the dressing. Pour the vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce until the vinegar is halved (about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons). Allow to slightly cool and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic, dijon mustard, and honey. Briskly whisk and season with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste).
5. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
6. Add the cooled couscous, cooled chopped asparagus, and cherry tomatoes to a large bowl. Lightly toss. Add dressing to taste and another fresh squeeze of lemon if desired. Lightly toss again and then top with the crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy immediately.
7. If you don't plan on eating all of the salad, only dress what you will eat (this salad doesn't sit well with the dressing for an extended time).

*www.chelseasmessyapron.com

Turkey Pesto Meatballs!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pound Lean Ground Turkey (I used 1 pound breast, 1/4 pound thigh.)
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1/4 cup your favorite breadcrumbs (I used Italian seasoned.)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp. salt
• I added about 1/8 cup of chopped carrots and a heaping handful of baby spinach (using my mini food processor to finely dice.)
• 2 cups tomato sauce  *(I used herhttp://simpledinners.blogspot.com/2015/06/easy-tomato-sauce.html recipe.  You can also just buy your favorite jarred brand.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place all the ingredients (except for the tomato sauce) in a bowl and using your hands, combine until everything is incorporated.
3. Using about 1 tablespoon of the mixture per meatball, roll into balls and place on a plate.
4. Pour the tomato sauce into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan and top with the meatballs.
5. Cover the baking pan with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. Serve with a salad or pasta.

To Freeze: At the end of step 3, place the rolled meatballs on a cookie sheet and freeze. After 30 minutes, place the par-frozen balls in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or put them straight in the oven with sauce increasing cooking time by 5 minutes.  

*Weelicious Cookbook: One Family, One Meal

Chopped Thai Salad with Honey Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup canola, vegetable, avocado or other neutral-flavored oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 heaping tablespoon honey (I used two tablespoons.)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (or ginger paste) (I used 2 drops of Ginger essential oil.)
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (I used 3 drops Lime essential oil.)

Salad:

• 4 cups chopped kale or baby kale (about 4 ounces)
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce (about 4-5 ounces)
• 3 large carrots, peeled and diced small*
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced small
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro*
• 1 to 2 green onions, white and green parts chopped*
• 3/4 cup roasted cashews 
• 1 to 2 cups frozen, shelled edamame (fully cooked), thawed and patted dry
  * = see step 2 for instructions 
• (I added some chopped rotisserie chicken to make this a meal!)

Instructions:

1. Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. In a serving bowl, add the chopped kale.  Add a drizzle of olive oil to lightly coat the kale and massage, massage, massage until softened!!  Following, add romaine.  (I made the veggie prepping process super easy by throwing a heaping handful of baby carrots, cilantro, green onions, and edamame into a food processor.  Pulse until chunky.)  Add carrots, cilantro, green onions, and edamame to bowl.  Then add diced peppers. 
3. Clean out food processor, add the cashews, and pulse until coarsely chopped to desired texture. (If you don't have a food processor, you can always chop with a knife and cutting board.) Add the cashews to the salad bowl.  (If using chicken, add to bowl.)
4. Give the salad ingredients a light toss. 
5. Pour about half of the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Add additional dressing to taste, and serve immediately. To preserve crisp leftovers, add the dressing and cashews only to individual servings instead of the whole batch so leftover salad and nuts don't get soggy.

*www.melskitchencafe.com

Sriracha Tuna Salad Wrap

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (5 ounces each) Albacore Tuna in Olive Oil 
• 1/3 cup regular, real mayo
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
• 1 regular lime 1/2 teaspoon zest, 2 and 1/2 tablespoons juice
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1-2 large avocados
• 1 heaping cup matchstick carrots
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 4 large tortillas
• Optional: salt and pepper, fresh lime

Directions:

1. Thoroughly drain the tuna.
   
2. In a bowl, combine the mayo, Sriracha, lime zest, lime juice, and white sugar. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and whisk until smooth. Add in the tuna and gently stir until combined.
   
3. Prep the veggies: thinly slice the avocados, cut the cucumber into matchsticks, thinly slice the red pepper, and coarsely chop a large handful of cilantro.
   
4. Lay out the tortillas. Divide the tuna mixture evenly among the tortillas.
   
5. Top the tuna with even amounts of sliced avocado, matchstick carrots, cucumber, red pepper, and cilantro.
   
6. Add some salt and pepper and fresh lime juice if desired.
   
7. Roll up tightly and enjoy immediately. (Do not make these in advance as the tuna will get the tortilla soggy.)

*www.chelseasmessyapron.com

Copycat Whole Foods Tabbouleh Salad

So I've been in love with this salad at Whole Foods for quite some time; it's in the prepared foods section, so luckily the list of ingredients is stated above it on a card.  The challenge was to guess the actual amounts of ingredients, but luckily, screwing up a salad is pretty difficult.  You can even add additional veggies to it; cucumbers, peppers, carrots...the crunch would be amazing! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salad:
1/2 cup dried quinoa
1/4 cup dried bulgur 
1 3/4 cup water or chicken broth (I used broth.)
1 cup kale, chopped finely  (I put one huge handful into the food processor and chopped finely.)
1 roma tomato, diced
1/8 cup red onion, diced small
2 green onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
Italian, flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional) (I didn't bother using.)

Directions:
To make vinaigrette, whisk vinegar, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl.  Slowly stream olive oil into the vinegar mixture and whisk briskly.  Beat lemon juice into the mixture.  Set aside.

To make salad, cook quinoa and bulgur according to package directions.  Mine says to cook 1/2 cup quinoa with 1 cup liquid, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes and let rest for 5.  For the bulgur, mine says to cook 1/4 cup bulgur with 3/4 cup liquid, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes and let rest for 5.  *Allowing it to rest is important.  You want all the liquid to have been absorbed before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.

While grains are cooking, chop (food process) kale, onions (red and green), and tomato (and parsley if using).  Combine all salad ingredients into a large bowl and mix.  (And I actually didn't even wait for grains to cool.  Adding them to the fresh ingredients nicely perfumed the onions and brightened/softened the kale a bit.)     

I did not serve all of the salad in one sitting, so if you plan to do the same, I wouldn't dress the entire thing with the lemon vinaigrette; I would dress it as you eat it (or allow people to dress their own, rather).  So in my refrigerator, I have the dry salad and the dressing stored separately.  When ready to eat, ever so slowly, drizzle the lemon vinaigrette onto the salad.  DO NOT USE IT ALL!!  Continuously stop to mix to check how much you've moistened the salad, as you don't want the salad to be submerged in the vinaigrette.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate when you need to stop yourself from eating the entire bowl.

*Whole Foods Prepared Foods Section

One Skillet Sausage White Bean Gnocchi

• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 package (12 ounces) chicken sausage, cut into coins (I only used 3 of the 4 links, and I quartered the "coins" to make it kid-friendly.) 
• 1/4 cup water or chicken broth (I suggest 1/2 cup and I would definitely use broth.  I felt like the end result was a tad dry.)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika, optional
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can (15 ounces) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes (Be sure to get the Italian flavored tomatoes!)
• 1 package (16 ounces) gnocchi
• 1 and 1/2 cups (4-5 ounces) fresh spinach (I chopped mine.)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Optional: fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Move a rack in your oven to the upper third of the oven and then preheat to 425 F.
2. In a large oven-safe skillet (I use a 12-inch cast iron skillet), over medium-high heat, pour in the olive oil. (I used garlic infused.)
3. Add in the chopped onion and stir until the onion is transparent -- about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
4. Add the "coined" sausage to the skillet. Cook over high heat until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Add in the water or broth, undrained Italian diced tomatoes, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper, rinsed and drained white beans, and uncooked gnocchi. Stir until everything is well combined. Gently stir in the spinach and make sure it's covered with liquid.
6. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese (don't stir) and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 17-22 minutes. If desired, turn on the broiler and then broil for another 2-3 minutes for a delicious crispy gnocchi.
8. Remove from the heat, and top with some chopped fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy immediately.

*www.chelseasmessyapron.com

Quick and Easy Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1- 10 oz can original Rotel
• 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded or not (depends on how spicy you like it)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• small to medium-size handful of cilantro, washed
• juice of 1 lime

Directions:
Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency.  Season to taste.

*www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com