Meal Planning

Happy Monday, foodie faithfuls! It's been over a week and my last post did not turn out to be very accurate - shame on me for poor forecasting. So here's the deal, the fire-roasted tomato soup and the spaghetti squash kale gratin will be along shortly for your reading and cooking pleasure but the rest experienced a bit of a hang up.

The grilled mozzarella and prosciutto sandwich didn't happen due to lethargy and time constraints, the two sweet treats were postponed to another bake date with Mamaw and the braised short ribs with polenta have been on hold because my grocery store has not had an order of these ribs in for over a week. I went for 4 days straight to get them, since I was assured that "tomorrow we will have them". However, this was not the case and by the fourth day, I may have somewhat, possibly, maaaybe given the butcher a little attitude so I'm staying away for a bit. Insert sheepish-accidental-cute face of guilt.

I'm meal planning right now on my lunch break, where I'm eating the leftover chicken curry that I made instead of the short ribs, a tasty favorite of Mr. Max and myself. This week, on top of the posts I have neglected to give you, I will also feature the following:

Meal 1: re-attempt the braised short ribs and cheesy polenta with breaded zucchini sticks
Meal 2: a fontina and prosciutto baked mac&cheese with herb chicken breast
Meal 3: oven-steamed salmon with a sweet & sour pepper sauce, and lemon-parsley couscous

I'm not locking them in a specific order, they will kinda depend on if my short ribs are available but that is one of the three, with an alternate of a butternut squash and chard manicotti (this will be in the near future if not this week).

I'm hoping to win my little cheese head tickets to see his Packers in action on Sunday at the SUPER BOWL here in Dallas, but compiling back up SB Watching Party recipes in case my attempts do not pan out - so here is my shout out to you foodie followers for help...

1) Help me increase my odds of winning by clicking on this link to the Save More coupon site that will be launching soon. They have been giving away 3 sets of 2 tickets daily and there are just a few days left! I'm up to 76 chances, fingers crossed! If you are a good soul that just wants to help but not receive the emails, just spam it :-)

2) What are some of your favorite party foods? In the event we do not win, I'd love to feature some of your favorites or any ideas next week! If I do win, perhaps I will use the $500 Visa card to do my first give away as a reward for your help - if we don't have to use it to afford parking at the stadium that is already up to $900...

Stay tuned!

Meal Planning

Usually this is a Sunday activity but I had more time on my hands today than I already know I will have tomorrow so I went ahead and got it out of the way. After catching up on my posts for this week, I scoured through my magazines and cookbooks, with the food channel on as inspiration.

Your sneak peak into this week is as follows:

Sunday afternoon: Zucchini bread and chocolate pumpkin muffins - baking day with Mamaw!
Sunday night: Fire-roasted tomato basil soup with a grilled prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich (similar to a meal I've done before, just done differently this time around!)
Monday night: Spaghetti Squash and Kale Gratin
Wednesday night: Braised short ribs with cheesy polenta and some breaded zucchini sticks

Tuesday and Thursday I am taking the nights off - one for work event the other for a happy hour with girl friends at a new place called Beauty Bar, they have $10 martinis and manicures at happy hour, yes please! Anyway, hanging up the apron those nights but looking forward to these new meals, I can't believe January is almost over!! Now, what will February have in store....

Mashed Cauliflower

Potatoes are my vice. One aspect of the "unhealthy" eating habits I just have not been able to part with. I spent a long time perfecting and finding my perfect potato recipes. Roasted, creamy mashed, baked, ahhhhh, I love.

Well, this year's resolution was to continue on with my journey into more healthy and clean eating. So, it was time to attempt a substitute for my beloved mashed taters. I searched several recipes and finally settled on the Novice Chef's blog for her "ass-friendly" version. Her intro really made me identify with her so I thought what the heck, here we go.

Now, a few things to air out before I get into this. I have never eaten cauliflower. Veggie dip trays a plenty but only touched the broccoli and carrots. I've picked it out and avoided it at all costs. It looks like white broccoli, I love broccoli, why wouldn't I just try cauliflower? I don't know, picky eater, afraid of the unknown, whatever. With this said, I do not know what my end result taste actually resulted from. I don't know if I didn't drown out the tangy cauliflower taste (if it in fact is kinda tangy), or too much of the other ingredients I used but - this was no mashed potato sub. You can see where this post is going.

Getting personal for second: wow, my stomach did not react so hot to it either. Just fair warning, I have heard this before and I back that claim. If you plan on a date night, fair warning for a grumbly, unsettled tummy.

I'm going to post this, though I view it as a total flop for me, perhaps someone else will love it or take it on to perfect themselves!

Grocery List:

• 10 oz. bag of frozen cauliflower
• 1 tbsp. of Chicken Better the Boullion (I accidentally got the beef version of this for my black eyed pea soup - this time, I think it worked perfectly)
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 big pinches of asiago cheese (2 oz.)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (recipe called for greek yogurt and I was afraid, so used SC as a sub)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and the Chicken Better than Boullion. Next add the cauliflower florets to the water on medium-high heat.


In a small food processor, combine your shallot, garlic and cheese - pulse until well blended.

Once the cauliflower is tender, drain and put the florets into a bowl. Add the ingredients from your food processor, followed by the sour cream (or greek yogurt, whichever you prefer). Using a hand mixer, beat well until smooth and creamy. You will notice the consistency is much more runny than mashed potatoes, recipe research confirmed that is normal.

Eating these plain, I would not have made it past bite 3 (take the initial bite, take the 2nd bite to evaluate and 3rd to try a final time...), however with the deliciously glazed pork tenderloin over top, it made it better.


I'm glad I went beyond my comfort zone and tried it, however I did not particularly care for it. Sweet Max Man continued to eat it, tried to offer up his compliments but I could see his longing desire for the mashed potatoes.

Simple Wilted Kale

When I started working with my nutritionist back in May, she challenged me to eat WAY more greens than I had been. One that she always, always, always recommended to me was kale. I fulfilled my greens-overdose with ones I already liked, such as broccoli and asparagus, while slowly incorporating new favorites such as green beans, spinach and zucchini. Finally, I got around to the winter green that is kale. And, success - I liked it! I decided to make it like I do my spinach. Simply sauteeing some garlic and shallot in olive oil, then adding the leafy greens.

Grocery List:

• 2-3 stalks of kale
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• balsamic vinegar

Friends, meet kale. Kale, meet friends.


Friends, remove kale from stem and tear it up like so.


In a skillet, heat your oil and roast your shallot, followed by your garlic.


Once nice and fragrant, throw in your kale then drizzle in some balsamic vinegar. Cover and let wilt - about 5 minutes.


That's it, simple and easy! Sweet, tangy and a just a little crunchy. This was served with a balsamic glazed pork tenderloin over mashed cauliflower.


Coming soon, a kale gratin and some kale chips.....

Kung Pao Chicken

Back to back nights where I was just not concentrating on what I was doing in the kitchen, just going through the motions - tonight, I completely forgot to capture picture proof. Not even of the finished product. This has been built into my cooking routine for nearly 9 months and I just forgot. I want to go ahead and post the recipe because it was really tasty, healthy and recommended.

Taken from Cooking Light's Recipe Makeover magazine, this recipe comes in at 239 calories, 7.9g fat, 30.9g protein, 11.4g carb, 3g fiber, 66mg chol, 1.8mg iron, 60mg calcium per serving.

Grocery List:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger, divided
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 lb. skinless chicken 1/4 in strips (cut into small pieces if you would like)
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. less-sodium soy sauce (or Tamari)
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-heat. Add the broccoli and 2 tsp. ginger to the pan. Saute for about 1 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. of water then cover to let steam for about 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove the broccoli from the pan and keep warm (I put on a plate in the microwave to contain the heat).

Heat the remaining 2 tsp. of oil in the pan. Add the remaining 1 tsp. ginger, crushed red pepper and the chicken strips to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned - if you would like to chop the chicken down a little more to help cook, now would be a good time.

In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, hoisin, sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic cloves. Add the broth mixture to the pan, cooking to let the mixture thicken. Return the broccoli to the pan, followed by the red bell pepper strips, toss to coat and cover for 3 minutes on low-medium heat to let everything blend.

Serve over your choice of rice or noodles! There was plenty left for Mr. Max seconds and my lunch the following day.

Vaquero Steaks with Bell Pepper Relish and Goat Cheese

You know sometimes when you eat and all you can really do is just go "mmmmm"? Well, that's how dinner was tonight. From first bite, Mr. Max and I just exchanged varying "mmm's" with emphatic nodding - like Caveman Talk yet appropriate for this.

This recipe is from my Cuisine Tonight Quick and Easy Meal Favorites magazine. Thumbing through it again, I realize that I have gotten some real gems out of here like the Balsamic Flank Steak, Tarragon Cream Chicken, Pan-Seared Halibut, Risotto Alfredo and Deviled Roasted Potatoes. Goodness that's some tasty food right there!

This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, even with side dishes of steamed broccoli and baked steak fries. Each serving (5 oz. of meat) is 447 calories, 27g of total fat, 90mg cholesterol, 918mg sodium (which you can decrease if you do not use a meat tenderizer), 9g carbs, 2g fiber and 40mg protein.

Grocery List:

• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb. flank steak
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper
  
• 1/4 cup scallions, diced
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

If you have an outdoor grill, go ahead and preheat it to high, brush the grate with oil. If you have an indoor grill or griddle, wait until you are almost ready to put it on.

Start by roasting your bell peppers. On a oven safe dish or pan, broil your peppers for 3-5 minutes or until blistering and blacking. Turn them to get the other side. Once finished, carefully place them in individual or one large plastic bag to steam them.


Combine the brown sugar, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper for the steaks. Spread the mixture along a large dish to rub or dredge the steaks in until covered on both sides.




In a bowl, mix together the vinegar, Dijon and sugar. Add a pinch of paprika and oregano. Drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly until well blended. Chop up your scallions and add.


Take your bell peppers and peel back the roasted blackened skin, remove the seeds, then chop them up accordingly. Add to the oil mixture and set aside until ready to serve.

Once your grill is ready, throw the steaks on for about 5 minutes on each side. Cook with grill closed until medium.


Slice with a serrated knife against the grain and spoon the relish with crumbled goat cheese over top to serve! You will absolutely enjoy! Served with creole steak fries and steamed brocolli

Meal Planning

Hope you all have had a great weekend! I'm excited about some of the recipes I've found for this next week. There are a few nights that I won't be in the kitchen but will be sharing 4 new recipes with you this week starting with tonight.

Sunday: Vaquero Steaks with Pepper Relish and Goat Cheese
Tuesday: Meatless Manicotti
Wednesday: Kung Pao Chicken
Friday: Balsamic Pork Medallions over Smashed Cauliflower and Wilted Kale

All of these recipes fall under 500 calories and come from either a Cooking Light Magazine or from Cuisine Tonight magazine. I'm looking at various spaghetti squash recipes and hope to have that coming up soon!

Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This tasty treat comes from the Cooking Light Holiday Specials magazine. The original recipe was made with polenta but I decided to try mashed cauliflower instead, saving polenta for an upcoming recipe. The pork was sweet and tender, a great new (and simple!) recipe to add into the rotation.

Meal comes in at 308 calories, 9.1g fat, 15.7g protein, 19.2g carbs, 2.4g fiber, 218mg calcium.

Grocery List:

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 6 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

Place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Watch carefully because you don't want it to reduce by too much.

You can use a grill, skillet or your long lost griddle pan that you have been neglecting. And by you, I mean me. Hello old friend, it's good to see you. Spray your surface and heat it up. Combine the rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper then add it to your balsamic glaze, stirring well.

I stabbed my tenderloin then sprinkled with a little meat tenderizer since I wasn't cutting into medallions and would be cooking it whole. In a large bowl, cover your tenderloin in the balsamic/rosemary glaze concoction, then throw it on the grill. Cook on medium heat, turning down a little lower if you are busy cooking other things to prevent the meat from getting to dry. I later covered it with a large skillet top to help cook more evenly, on a lower heat while I prepared my other foods.


Once cooked through, slice and serve! Dished out over top mashed cauliflower and wilted kale.

Meatless Manicotti

I tell you what, this past week was just not my favorite. At the end of the day my head was running somewhere else, I wasn't very attentive in the kitchen and chose the easy shortcuts, which I think resulted in these recipes suffering just a little.

I will say, for a quick and easy weeknight fix, this recipe is perfect. However, I didn't read the recipe very well before I started it, just the ingredients for my grocery run. I probably would have avoided some of the issues you'll read below. Posting this with the way I made mine, as well as the option to make it according to Cooking Light's Recipe Makeovers magazine. Overall, not a flop but could have been better.


Nutritional facts for each serving (size = 2 manicotti) 328 calories, 9g of fat, 23.9g protein, 38.3g carbs, 3.9g fiber, 23mg cholesterol, 3 mg iron, 451mg calcium.

Grocery List:

• 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 carton fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry (OR 5 cups fresh chopped spinach leaves, sauteed in a little olive oil and wilted down)
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 6-8 manicotti shells
• 1 jar of fat free tomato-basil pasta sauce
• Garlic, crushed
• Cooking Spray

Start by pre-heating your oven to 375 degrees.

In a pot, boil the manicotti shells until al dente. I failed, forgetting how fast they cook and mine were a little overdone. A few tore when lifted by the spoon so I ended up with only 5 of 8 that I had started with. As I said, my head was just somewhere else. Once cooked, drain and separate noodles on a plate so they do not stick to one another. This is what I did. What the recipe called for (and what I did not pay attention to) was to not cook the pasta noodles but stuff them and allow the noodles to cook in the casserole dish. Hmm. Take your pick!

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, dried oregano and crushed garlic. Mix well then season with the salt and pepper.


Stuff about 4 spoon's worth of the cheese mixture into one end of the shell. I wish I had 4 hands so I could have taken a picture of this epic fail for you. Not thinking about what I was doing, I had the shell vertical to stuff and the contents would slide right on out. Geez - don't think deep and cook... Finally got them stuffed. Had I thoroughly read the recipe before I started, I wouldn't have had this problem. Again, take your pick.


Spray your oven safe dish with cooking spray then pour 1/2 of your tomato-basil pasta sauce into the dish. Arrange your stuffed shells over the sauce and top with the rest. At this time, if you are like me you can top with cheese and stick it in the oven for 20 minutes or until browned. If you would like to follow the initial recipe, you pour in1 cup of water into the dish. Then sprinkle the remaining cheese over top and cover with foil. Stick in the oven for 1 hour or until shells are tender.


This was plenty filling for both Mr. Max and myself, served with a side salad to round it out.

Cheddar and Spinach Souffle

To pair with our French Bistro theme in my kitchen tonight, I chose a souffle that I've had on retainer from Giada deLaurentiis. This was featured on the episode of Todd's Midwestern Favorites, it stuck in my mind because her husband is from Wisconsin, where my little cheese-head of a boyfriend grew up so I made a mental note that this could have potential. I'll be honest, attempting souffle made me nervous. What if it didn't rise? What if it wasn't good? What if I burned it trying to make it rise so it would be good? I went out and bought a simple 2 quart souffle dish from World Market and set out to make my first souffle.

This souffle is plenty filling for manly men, yet light at the same time for us little ladies. It was great with the french onion soup! I included chopped rotisserie chicken but you can dismiss it.

Being terrified to mess it up, I kept to the directions but here is what I would do differently. I would chop up the baby spinach into smaller bits to help get more in the souffle. I would also be interested in experimenting with less egg - I know a souffle is mostly egg but I'm just curious... I will also make them in individual souffle cups next time! You can get them at World Market for only $3.99!

Grocery List:

• 1/2 stick of butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup of milk at room temperature (Giada used whole milk, I used low fat 1% milk)
  
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups mild cheddar
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 packed cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 store bought Rotisserie chicken, breast meat only, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 6 egg yolks at room temperature
• 2 (1/2 inch) thick pieces of country-style white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 6 egg whites at room temperature

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk until mixture is smooth and creamy. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 8-10 minutes.




Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste.


Remove the pan from heat and add the chicken, spinach, cheese, egg yolks and bread cubes. Make sure it is off the heat so the egg yolks don't begin to cook in the mixture. Stir until combined, it will be very thick.




In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at a high speed for about two minutes.

Ok, another reason why I love this new camera, this was while the electric beaters were on speed 8 TURBO, and it still was able to capture this. LOVE.

Stir 1/4 of the egg whites in with the chicken mixture, then fold in the rest. This took a while to do, be patient and continue to fold it in until it is well combined.


Coat the sides and bottom of a 2 quart (8 cup) souffle dish and then spoon the mixture into it. Bake on 400 degrees until the souffle is puffed and the top is firm and golden, for my oven that was about 45 minutes.


...but mine got slightly browned due to my cheap apartment oven... this is the good side.


and this is the little too browned side...but not burned and tasted great!


Remove and serve immediately.

French Onion Soup

Parlez vous francais? Bon moi non plus.

Ahh it's French Bistro night in my kitchen! It has been a very cold week around here so I decided to try this french onion soup recipe that I came across in my Cooking Light Recipe Makeovers magazine. My first encounter with French onion soup was on a trip to Milwaukee with Mr. Max. His family took us to brunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking Lake Michigan. He had ordered the soup as one of his starters, I a salad, but that soup smelled amazing. Being the fine gentleman that he is, he offered to let me try some.

It was amazing, I couldn't believe I hadn't tried french onion soup before! I remember saying that I needed to start getting that instead of the incredibly high in everything-under-the-sun tomato basil soup at La Madeleine. Well, that was over a year ago and I still haven't had it again to this day. That all changes tonight, my friends.

Reading about this soup, I'll share insight that I came across - the biggest factor in this soup is caramelizing the onions to bring out the natural sugars enhancing the onion flavor and sweetness. So don't rush the cooking process, the key to their flavor is low and slow. This is perfect for a night that you have some time on your hands or can leave and come back. The total cook time is about 2 hours for this soup - important to know going in.

One thing I would consider doing differently is to use a sweet red wine rather than a dry white - I feel like it could do leaps and bounds for the flavor, further extracting the sweet onion and hearty stock.

This soup is 290 calories, 9.6g fat, 16.8 g protein, 33.4g carbs, 3.1g fiber, 317mg calcium.

Grocery List:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 4 cups thinly vertically sliced sweet onion
• 4 cups thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups less-sodium beef broth
• 1/4 tsp. fresh thyme
• 4-5 slices french bread
• 4 slices reduced fat Swiss cheese

To slice my onions thin and perfect, I picked up a Mandoline at World Market - I love this thing!

Perfectly thin onion rings!

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in sugar, pepper and salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.


Increase the heat to medium-high and saute 5 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in wine and cook for about 1 minute. Add the broth and thyme, then bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for two hours.


When you are almost ready to serve, preheat the broiler. Please bread on a baking sheet and broil for 1 minutes on either side.


Place the oven safe bowls on a cooking sheet and ladle soup into each bowl. Top with bread, followed by the cheese then boil for 3 minutes, or until cheese is brown.


Carefully remove the soup from the oven and let cool then serve.

Black Bean Tortilla Casserole

Right around Christmas time, my friend Julie hosted a group of college girl friends for lunch at her new house in Grapevine before we hit Main Street and local wineries to enjoy the day together. She served a wonderful casserole full of squashes, black beans, spices and tortillas. As I was looking for some healthy additions to my "new year, new cooking" attitude, I received this recipe from her at Cara's Cravings blog.

It's full of nutritious veggies, a great spicy kick of flavor and topped with my love, cheese. I made this in an 8x8" casserole dish so there were leftovers to spare. This one gets big approval from my meat and potatoes man - Mr. Max went back for thirds and requested a container for his lunch tomorrow!

Special thanks to Julie for introducing me to this delicious dish and Cara's blog!

Grocery list:

• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 medium summer squash, diced
• 1 large bell pepper, diced
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into small cubes
• 2-4 corn tortillas
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese (I used a Monterrey Jack and Cheddar blend)

Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat your onions on medium-high heat. Next, add your bell pepper and cook about 5 minutes until softened.


Add your garlic, squash and zucchini. Cover your skillet and cook for about 8 minutes to allow the rest of your veggies to soften.


Season with salt and pepper, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Stir well to coat all your veggies.


Add the black beans and tomato with green chiles. Bring this to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Add your cream cheese cubes and stir until it is melted in and combined with the veggie mix.



Spray your casserole dish with a light cooking spray. Spread about 2 large scoops of your veggie mix on the bottom of your casserole dish, then top with a layer of tortillas. I baked mine in an 8x8 dish, so I cut 2 tortillas in half and puzzle pieces them together to cover the mixture.


Now the original directions are two layers of tortillas and three layers of veggie mix but I decreased that and only had one layer of tortillas, two layers of the veggies. Top the tortillas with either 1/2 of your remaining veggie mix or the rest of it and top with cheese (or repeat tortilla/veggie mix process for three layers, then top with cheese).


Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let cool for about 5 minutes and serve!