A Fork In Each Hand

Baby Potatoes with Tomato-Corn Sauté

Shannon — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:27:12 +0000

Memorial Day weekend is finally here and even though it’s rainy here in the Northeast, I’ll happily take the extra day off to chill out, relax and widdle away the stresses of working life. While I don’t have any real plans for the weekend, hopefully some of you are getting out there and enjoying yourselves, either at the beach, the park, the lake or wherever it is that you love to go most. We’re entering the season of grilling and cookouts so for the unofficial start of summer I’m giving you Baby Potatoes with Tomato-Corn Sauté.

Baby potatoes are mixed with olive oil, corn, grape tomatoes and garlic to give you a simple sort-of potato salad that travels well and can be eaten hot or cold. No mayonnaise means no worrying about taking this dish to an outdoor event and with summer corn and bright tomatoes, what a better dish to kick off the summer. Topped with fresh cilantro and salty parmesan cheese, these potatoes get the slightest kick from red pepper flake and will be a great addition to any get-together you might be attending this weekend. Get out, enjoy the weather and have yourselves a fantastic weekend!

The ingredients:

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until tender; drain.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add corn, garlic, salt and red pepper flake to pan; sauté 2 minutes.

Add potatoes and tomatoes to pan; cook 1 minute.

Top with cilantro and cheese.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Crushed garlic

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Barbecue Turkey Meatballs

Shannon — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:30:03 +0000

I’m sickened by the recent tornadoes lately. A tornado hit the town in Texas my sweet sister lives in over the weekend and I don’t think I’ve gripped my phone any tighter than I did in those moments when she was texting me. And now I’m tortured by the coverage of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado. I grew up in Central Illinois where tornado drills in school were as common as fire drills and a tornado warning still instills paralyizing fear within me. I even remember a storm hitting our town when I was around 7 or 8 and the tornado alarm went off, resulting in us lining up in the elementary school hallway, crouching down on the floor with arms wrapped around our heads as the older kids crouched over us. I remember looking down the long hallway out the door and seeing the outside sky such a disturbing color of black that I was certain the school would collapse on top of us. Even now as an adult and no longer living in a tornado zone, I’m still scared to death of tornadoes and my heart breaks for the people of Oklahoma.

On a much, much lighter note, I made these Barbecue Turkey Meatballs this past weekend. Luckily, they made enough that I have been heating them up and eating them for a quick dinner each night while I watch TV. I eat them plain, but obviously they would be perfect with some pasta. Slightly sweet, slightly smoky and totally tasty, these are perfect for when you need a quick bite.

The ingredients:

Place brown sugar, vinegar, spices and tomatoes in a blender; blend until smooth.

Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, and chili powder in a large bowl; using wet hands, shape into 16 meatballs.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add meatballs; cook 2 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add tomato mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes or until the meatballs are done.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Shannon — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:30:41 +0000

It really is a shame that when I have browning bananas, my first instinct is to make cupcakes with them instead of a healthy smoothie. This, my friends, is why I struggle with my weight. But then again, it’s not really about the final product so much as the process. Making cupcakes and frosting is just more satisfying than blending a bunch of fruit together. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I’ve tried making banana cupcakes in the past but each time they ended up tasting more like banana muffins. Then I came across these Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. These cupcakes are light and cakey like a cupcake and not at all dense like a muffin. Finally!

Because I didn’t expect these cupcakes to turn out as well as they did, I didn’t document anything but the final product. I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it. And I’m not going to sugar coat it – the only thing reduced-fat about these bad boys is the reduced-fat cream cheese I used in the frosting. The rest is butter, sugar and white flour. I’m not even going to kid you that these are good for you. But look at it this way, since they are cupcakes, they are already portion controlled. Just try to only eat one!

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

1/3-less fat cream cheese

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Baking Bites blog

Spring Green Fried Rice

Shannon — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:30:46 +0000

I have to say I’m really enjoying our Spring in Philadelphia lately. Normally, Spring lasts all of 3 days before it either gets cold again or boiling hot. But we’ve had so many crystal clear blue skies and moderate temperatures that I’m just beside myself. Having nicer weather not only puts me in a better mood but it tends to make me eat better also. This Spring Green Fried Rice is a perfect Spring meal. Sure, fried rice doesn’t sound like the healthiest thing but this version is flavorful, packed with veggies and not at all fattening.

Crunchy cabbage, sweet peas, crisp edamame and fresh ginger are mixed with brown rice and soy sauce. Lightly fried, this rice is also mixed with eggs to give it the typical eggy addition commonly found in fried rice. If you don’t like ginger, you can leave it out but I think the flavor of the ginger in this dish is really the best part. Instead of running to get take out fried rice next time, consider making this. You’ll save calories and money and you be happy with the results.

The ingredients:

In a small bowl beat egg and 1 tsp. soy sauce; set aside.

In a wok or large skillet heat toasted sesame oil over medium heat. Add egg mixture; stir gently until set. Remove egg; cool slightly. Using your hands to roll the cooked egg into a log. Use a sharp knife, slice the egg into strips; set aside.

In the same skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger, cook 30 seconds. Add cabbage; cook and stir 2 minutes.

Add edamame and peas; cook for 2 minutes.

Add rice and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce. Cook and stir for 2 to 4 minutes or until heated through. Add egg mixture and green onion; cook and stir about 1 minute or until heated through.

Top with crushed red pepper, if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Better Homes & Gardens magazine

Lemon-Horseradish Dip

Shannon — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:30:25 +0000

I keep forgetting how much I like horseradish. It’s one of those things that I eat and think Why haven’t I been eating this on my turkey sandwiches my whole life? But then I’ll go and have another turkey sandwich and still forget to pull out the horseradish. So when I had a friend coming over and nothing in the way of appetizers to prepare quickly, I was reminded of this good old standby. And since I usually have Greek yogurt and lemons in my refrigerator, this Lemon-Horseradish Dip pretty much could have made itself.

Plain non-fat Greek yogurt is mixed with horseradish and lemon zest. Can’t get much easier than that. This is a light unassuming dip that will perfect for those moments when you need something really quick. It’s great for dipping whatever you have on hand also – vegetables, crackers, or chips. This recipe was on a page from Real Simple magazine about uses for Greek yogurt and I’ve now made each one. Check out the other recipes for quick and easy dips here:

Sweet Raspberry Dip

Spinach-Pesto Dip

The ingredients:

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, horseradish, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Serve with chips and vegetables if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Real Simple magazine

Honey Cashew Chicken

Shannon — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:30:13 +0000

I think I might have found the perfect meal. For someone who didn’t eat much Asian food as a kid, I have identified Asian flavors as being my favorite thing to make and eat. When I have nothing else to eat, my go-to is either chicken, rice, pasta or veggies with some kind of soy sauce-rice-vinegar-sriracha sauce. This Honey Cashew Chicken is exactly right up my alley. A little bit of protein, a little bit of veggies, a little bit of carbs in a sweet, spicy and salty sauce – Yes!

Bite-sized pieces of chicken are tossed in a light coating of cornstarch and cooked in a hot skillet with canola and sesame oil. Fresh broccoli, red pepper and edamame are added and stir-fried until perfectly crisp before being mixed with cashews and a perfect concoction of soy sauce, honey and sriracha. Served with a side of brown rice or quinoa, this will be a meal I will make again and again.

The ingredients:

Combine chicken, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl; toss to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola and sesame oils. Add chicken mixture, and sauté for 4 minutes or until lightly browned.

Increase heat to high, and add broccoli, edamame, garlic, onion and red pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is done, stirring frequently. Stir in cashews.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add vinegar mixture to chicken mixture; toss to coat.

Serve with rice or quinoa.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Onion

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Sesame-Lime Chicken Salad

Shannon — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:08:21 +0000

Something must be going wrong in the universe because I’ve been craving salad. As in green leafy vegetables with other vegetables with a light dressing. When, why and how did this happen? I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore. I’m specifically craving the Thai Chopped Chicken Salad from Panera Bread. I could eat it morning, noon and night. And there for a little while, I pretty much was. I got a little embarrassed at my local Panera after my third night in a row there and hoped and prayed that different staff was working and didn’t recognize my loser self. So I decided instead of spending money on this salad that I can’t get enough of, I might as well try to make my own. This Sesame-Lime Chicken Salad comes pretty close.

Romaine lettuce, chicken, carrots and red pepper are mixed together with a light sesame-lime dressing. Crispy Chinese noodles top the salad for crunch and toasted sesame seeds and cilantro are added for another layer of flavor. Instead of a jalapeño pepper, I used a good old red pepper which I cut up and roasted in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. To add a little bit of heat and make it a little bit more like Panera’s salad, I threw some dashes of peanut sauce over the top too (my favorite is House of Tsang’s Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce). Luckily this recipe makes one gigantic bowl of salad so I can eat it often without worrying that someone out there might be judging me.

The ingredients:

In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, chili, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the lettuce, carrots, and chicken and toss to combine.

Serve the salad sprinkled with the sesame seeds, noodles, and cilantro.

Additions:

Peanut sauce

Omissions: none

Substitutions:

Red pepper

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Real Simple magazine

Double Chocolate-Mocha Muffins

Shannon — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:30:57 +0000

I haven’t really been cooking as much as I want to, let alone doing much baking. There are so many things to do, so many things I’m interested in, so many ideas, and so many plans on my mind. It can sometimes seem a little overwhelming. But then I remember than cooking calms my head and sometimes I forget just how easy baking can be. I love the fact that most of the time, you can whip everything up in one bowl and once it’s in the oven, you get to leave it alone. You can write, clean, do laundry, read a book, watch TV, anything you want. Try doing that with a skillet of chicken and you’ll have your smoke alarm going off. These Double Chocolate-Mocha Muffins are another one of those really easy recipes to whip together when you just have too many other things to do or think about.

Chocolate chips and cocoa are both added to this batter to make some really chocolate-y muffins and espresso powder or instant espresso is added to give it yet another layer of flavor making these perfect for breakfast, as a sweet addition to brunch, or even as a late night chocolate snack. The recipe calls for chocolate chunks but I used mini-chips because I had them on hand so use any kind of chocolate you want. I also substituted applesauce to lighten their calorie load and the end result was still a light, fluffy muffin. Also consider replacing up to half of the flour with whole wheat flour. These muffins puff up nicely, just the way you want a good muffin to and also freeze well. Craving a little chocolate with your coffee? Or a little coffee with your chocolate? Just mix them together and make these muffins.

The ingredients:

Whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips in a large bowl.

Whisk together eggs and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir egg mixture into flour mixture just until blended, being careful to not overmix.

Pour batter evenly into muffin pans lined with paper liners.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven.

Serve warm, or cool on a wire rack.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Mini-chocolate chips
Applesauce

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Coastal Living magazine

Asparagus with Lemon and Pecorino

Shannon — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:30:01 +0000

Here I go again – trying to eat better. I go in waves with food. I’ll eat really well for a week or two but then as soon as I get something not-so-good for me, all I crave is bad food. I guess that’s why they say “You are what you eat”? After all, when I’m eating lots of fruits and veggies, I tend to eat better. But then as soon as I get a french fry or donut, forget it. I’m a lost cause. Well, I’m doing better this week, mostly because I spent a wonderful few days last week with my sister, niece and baby nephew in Texas, and ate pretty bad. We’re talking peanut-butter Snickers minis, leftover Easter candy and bags and bags of Chex Mix. So I made a conscious effort to start eating better on Monday. So far so good but it’s only been a few days. Anyway, this Asparagus with Lemon and Pecorino is a great way to jazz up boring asparagus while also getting a daily dose of veggies.

After boiling the asparagus until bright green and crisp-tender, it’s moved to a pan, sauteed in garlic and topped with lemon rind and pecorino Romano cheese. The lemon rind provides a fresh brightness while the pecorino adds a slightly sharp tang and melts perfectly. Since asparagus is one of Spring’s favorite gifts, go out and get some on sale and make this to eat with your favorite meal.

The ingredients:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add asparagus; cook 1 minute.

Sprinkle evenly with lemon rind, pepper, and salt; toss to coat.

Sprinkle asparagus with pecorino Romano cheese.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Spinach, Green Onion and Smoked Gouda Quiche

Shannon — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:30:21 +0000

I like cheese but for the most part, I could take it or leave it. This comment generally surprises anyone I tell this to who usually comes right back and says “I love cheese!” like I have something wrong with me. Aside from Cheese Wiz with my soft pretzels or a slice of creamy American on my turkey burger, I didn’t really have a hankering for cheese. Until smoked Gouda came along. I can’t remember the first time I was introduced to this wonderful cheese but I do remember my friend Lori and I shielding the cheese table at a charity benefit a few years ago so that no one could get to the smoked Gouda without going through us first. So it’s no wonder that this Spinach, Green Onion and Smoked Gouda Quiche recipe had me at hello. I love me some spinach but without the smoked Gouda in this title, I might have otherwise passed it by.

Fresh baby spinach and scallions are sautéed until wilted and added to a mixture of low-fat mix, eggs, and shredded smoked Gouda. Poured into a homemade, simple crust and baked until golden brown, this quiche is not the pretentious quiche you might have grown up hating. This quiche is fresh and smoky, light and filling. The crust itself requires some patience and the final product is pretty boring so next time I might just use a store-bought crust. Either way, the smoky cheese and creamy texture of this quiche is the real winner and I’ve realized boring quiches needn’t be so boring after all.

The ingredients:

To prepare crust, place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Combine milk, salt, and egg yolk in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add milk mixture to butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add flour; beat just until combined. Press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover. Chill for 1 hour.

Unwrap and place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 10-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze 15 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

To prepare filling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 2 minutes.

Combine 1 cup milk and remaining ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Stir in spinach mixture. Pour filling into crust.

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes. Cut into 10 wedges.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine