Shrimp Quinoa Stir-Fry

Okay, I love this dish.  I have to post a weekly spotlight about quinoa soon, because it is SO nutritious.  Not to mention it doesn't take much to eat to make you full (ex: This recipe made 8 servings)! So low in fat and so high in everything under the sun that's good for you... sounds like my kinda dinner. Here's what you need:

1 c quinoa

2 c water

1 lb shrimp

1 onion

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

4 garlic cloves

2 eggs, lightly scrambled

1-2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp. oil

Cook quinoa the same way you would rice.  I poured the quinoa and water into a rice cooker, but if you don't have one, you can do the stove top method: Boil water, reduce to simmer, pour in quinoa, cover and simmer quinoa for about 15 minutes, until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat and set aside. Hint: while the quinoa is cooking, you can:

Crush garlic with the flat side of a knife. This ruptures more of its cells, releasing more of it's medicinal properties, it also makes it easier to remove the skin.

Dice the onion.

Peel and grate the ginger.

Chop shrimp into one inch pieces.

Over low-medium heat, add oil to pan. Then add onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir for a  few minutes until onion starts to become soft and translucent. 

Add shrimp, stirring constantly until all the shrimp turns pink. Then add mixture to the quinoa. Set aside.

In another pan (or the same pan, who cares), add oil and eggs. Stir eggs constantly while chopping them up with your spatula to make small egg pieces.  When fully cooked, add to the quinoa mixture.

Add soy sauce and stir, then serve!

 (hint: you can also add peas for some color, I didn't have any)

Parmesan Broccoli

I love how quick broccoli cooks. Seriously, from start to finish is less than ten minutes. And broccoli gives you SO MUCH of your daily essential vitamins and nutrients, that I don't know why I didn't start cooking with broccoli more than I use to.  Here's what you need:

1 bunch of broccoli

2 tsp salt

Olive oil for drizzling

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Remove stem, and slice the florets into smaller pieces.  

Pour into a pot of rapidly boiling water for 3-4 minutes.  Add salt at the same time of broccoli (It's a lot of salt, but adding it now allows the broccoli to absorb the salt as it becomes soft). Check for doneness with knife or fork. 

Drain water. Drizzle oil and sprinkle with cheese, stir.  Serve warm. Yum!

Holy Guacamole

This recipe is as simple as can be, and as healthy as can be! Needless to say, it doesn't take long for this dip to be your new favorite snack. Here's what you need:

4 avocados

2 Tbsp. low-fat mayo

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Cut the avocados in half. Remove the pit and spoon out the inside into a medium bowl.

Mash up the avocado, then add mayo, lemon juice, and salt. Then stir some more. (hint: to make it extra creamy, you can use a beater, but I just didn't want to wash extra dishes haha)

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!

Weekly Spotlight: Tomatoes

What better food to spotlight than one that's in season?

We always have these guys in our fridge, especially in the summer time, when they are in season! They are so good for you and so good in many many recipes!

Aside from their taste, and amazing meal versatility, here's what's so great about them:
For starters, tomatoes contain a major anti-oxidant component called Lycopene.  This compound will help prevent against cancer and will protect your cells against damage from free radicals.  However, you should make sure that you get organic tomatoes for this property, because their genetically modified friends only contain about 1/3 of the lycopene.  Organic ketchup even contains more!

Many studies have also been shown to prove that tomatoes help keep your prostate healthy (if you have one). But, they are even more effective when eaten broccoli and green tea. This is because  each food contains separate cancer fighting compounds that are responsible for preventing cancer in different ways. So for the best prostate cancer prevention, including the cancer fighting team of tomato, broccoli and green tea as an important and frequent part of the diet is a good idea!

Tomatoes also have many vitamins and nutrients that will help to lower the risk of heart disease.  They are rich in potassium, niacin, folate, and vitamin B6, which all help to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood clotting levels.

Vitamin K is also present in tomatoes, which is responsible for helping you maintain healthy bones. They also contain nutrients that help people who suffer from migraines and diabetes.

And the best way to eat them? 
Raw. Sure, there are awesome cooked tomato recipes, in fact I have one on my blog.  But, like most fruits and vegetables, all these nutrients that I just listed above, stay active when they are not cooked. When cooking them, you will still get some of the nutrients, but a significant amount less than when eating them raw.

Salmon Fajitas

This was one of those last minute recipes again: "Let's see... I have salmon, tortillas, and random veggies.  Salmon fajitas??"  Sure why not. And it turned out really well! This may look like another fajita recipe that I have done, but this one is different enough to post about. So here's what I did:

2 lb of salmon, chopped into 1 inch squares
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped peppers (any color)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp freshly shredded ginger
1 tbsp oil
4-5 wheat tortillas
cilantro for garnishing

Slice salmon into 1 inch cubes.

Combine all ingredients (except last 3) in a medium bowl. 

Cover and let sit in fridge for 30 min.  After 30 min, heat skillet on low-medium heat, pour oil in.  Add salmon mixture. 

Cover and stir occasionally, until salmon is flaky and onions are soft.  

Serve with warm tortillas.

Update

So..... I haven't posted for a few days.  It's not because I just forgot about my blog, but I cooked so much food last week, that we have been eating left overs for the past few days! So I haven't really been cooking a whole lot! I did make some of my salsa last night though, so we have a nice healthy snack this week.  Also, the work load for school has been picking up (wish me luck on my Nutrition midterm this week). :)

You can expect some posts this week though! :)

Side-note: I guess me blog has reached a high enough status in the world wide web to the point that I am a target for spammers now! haha  I received my first spam post today! This is exciting and annoying at the same time... but I think I'm more excited than annoyed!

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

I got this idea from my mother-in-law.  She made something like this for dinner once and we could not stop eating them!  They make excellent side dishes for any meal.

For this dish, you just need:

1 bag of red potatoes

Oil for drizzling

1-2 Tbsp. Parsley

Salt to taste (1-2 Tbsp)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse potatoes, leaving the skin on. Quarter potatoes. If they are larger, you may need to do some extra chopping.  Place chopped potatoes in a medium bowl.

Mix oil, salt, and parsley into bowl and stir until all potatoes are covered. 

Spread potatoes on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for about 45 minutes, testing with a fork for tenderness.

Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

Weekly Spotlight: Strawberries

Last night, when we went grocery shopping, we decided to splurge and get some organic strawberries that were slightly on sale.  I was so excited. You don't understand though, berries are one of those things where if you can't get them organic, you shouldn't get them at all because they have the highest concentration of pesticide residue.  So I have been (not-so) patiently waiting ALL summer for organic berries to go on sale, cuz they can put a dent in your wallet if your not careful.  Strawberries have to be one of my favorite fruits too, so my excitement of finally getting organic strawberries was almost on the level of weird. 

Aside from their taste, strawberries have a lot of excellent nutritional properties to them:

One of their most famous nutritional qualities is their potency of Vitamin C.  These guys are great to eat for fighting and preventing colds, and also help the symptoms of hay fever. So eating them regularly can help to ensure a strong immune system. 

Their anti-inflammatory agents found in the Vitamin C help against arthritis.

All berries are great sources of antioxidants, which will reduce the amount of free radicals in your system, preventing dangerous cell damage; thereby preventing cancerous cells from appearing. 


Strawberries also contain antioxidant polyphenols, which help preserve brain function, eyesight and other forms of macular degeneration.  So if you want to keep a youthful brain, keep strawberries on hand for a snack. 


Tips for use: 
First, select the ones that are the deepest in color. This means that they are fully ripe and contain the most nutrients. They are also the most tasty.  Also, watch out for spoilage (mold in the packaging, juice from squished strawberries, etc.)


Don't slice them until just before consuming.  Once strawberries are sliced, their vitamin C compounds start to break down.  


Eat them fresh. Cooking fruits (eg: breads and stews) will significantly reduce their nutritional content because they cannot withstand high temperatures.  

Egg Sandwich

I kind of grew up on these. Why? Probably cuz they were cheap.... well and they fill you up like crazy.  But I'm posting them because it is a great way to get your grains and protein.  We eat these for lunches and for dinners.  And to be quite honest, they are delicious.  So get ready to read another super easy recipe!

2 eggs
2 slices of bread
Salt and pepper to taste
Mayo and ketchup

Heat small frying pan on a stove top over medium heat. Add small amount of oil or cooking spray so eggs won't stick.  Crack eggs into the pan.

 Add desired amount of salt and pepper. With a spatula, break the yokes and stir slightly. Let egg mixture sit in pan so it can start to harden.  

While the eggs are cooking, you can spread a small amount of mayo and ketchup on each slice of bread, then set aside on a plate. Once the eggs become hard enough to mold, mold eggs with your spatula to form the shape of your bread (you don't have to be exact, just make something that resembles a square). 

 Let the eggs sit in the pan until they are cooked completely on the bottom, then flip them over to cook the other side.  Cook for a few minutes more, checking occasionally for doneness (I might have just made up that word).  

When the eggs are cooked through, transfer onto bread to make a sandwich!  Happy eating! 

Italian Breaded Salmon

Salmon has to be one of my favorite things to cook. Why? It meets my "Three So's" : It's SO good for you, SO easy to make, and SO tasty. (I just made that up while I was eating the salmon).  This recipe is especially good because it has a crispy outer layer, with a soft breaded layer underneath... and it's delicious! I hope you like it too!

1 boneless salmon fillet
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. parsley
1 Tbsp. oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large glass baking dish, drizzle oil in pan to prevent skin from sticking to the pan. Place salmon fillet in the pan.

  In a separate bowl, combine crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese, and parsley.  Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top of the salmon, covering completely.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. 

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. (baking directions may vary depending on the size of the fillet.  Check the package directions to be sure.  When fillet is pink and flaky, remove from oven and enjoy!

Today's Tip: The Labels... they don't tell it all

I apologize in advance if this sounds like more of a rant than anything, but anyone can get upset when they feel they they are being cheated... right?

When you look at some labels in the store, sure you can recognize some stuff on there: flour, sugar, salt, cocoa, etc.  But sometimes, you keep reading, and the words become a little harder to pronounce: Monosodium Glutamate, Glycyrrhizin, Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, Saccharin, Neotame, Red 40, yellow 50, Blue 30 (since when does food have numbers in it?).... What the heck is all this stuff??

The general rule of thumb when looking at stuff like this is... if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it.

There are now TONS of food additives and preservatives that have been released by the government for consumption.

Many people think, "Well, if the government says it's okay, then it can't be bad for me."  FALSE.

Many people in these government offices are also extremely connected with the businesses they are supporting.  People will also lobby from these companies (give government officials money to help them win campaigns), and in return, those officials agree to help keep their dealings legal. This stuff goes way deeper than that, but the bottom line is: there is a major conflict of interest.

Just because it is legal, does not mean that it is safe.

Too many studies have been done explaining the causal relationships between diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, etc., and the food additives and preservatives that we all consume.

Since more people have become aware of this, demand for foods that are loaded with additives has gone down.  So what do these companies do? They try to literally sneak them by you.

My husband's cousin Amy recently shared with me this article about the future deception of high fructose corn syrup.

This isn't the only thing that they try to sneak past us... We have all seen the ingredients "Natural Flavors", and "Artificial Flavors".  These guys are everywhere.  And many people would turn to the "Natural Flavors" as being better for you. I can't believe that they can get away with this umbrella term.  So many chemicals are under this umbrella term, and they don't even have to tell us what they are. 

Did you know that natural and artificial flavors are actually extracted at the same chemical plants? The difference between these two is not the substance that is being included in the food, but the way it is extracted. And that's basically it.

Even the US Code of Federal Regulations admits that the "significant function [natural flavoring] in food is flavoring rather than nutritional."

Bottom line: be aware of what you put in your body.  Don't trust that the government will do what's best, they have their own interests in mind first. In the end, we are responsible for our own health.

Chocolate Almond Clusters

I recently bought one of those huge almond bags from Costco, and realized that I needed to step up my almond- consuming game, cuz they weren't going away fast enough.  So I figured why not make this a good way to satisfy my nearly-ever-present chocolate craving? Ladies, I know I'm not alone on this one.  Chocolate and I are in a war, and chocolate likes to win the battles.  So I thought, why not at least justify  losing a little bit, by sneaking in some healthy almonds? Ya, sure, why the heck not.  So this recipe is intended to satisfy that chocolate craving, and they are already in portioned sizes, so you can grab one cluster and feel good about not over-indulging yourself, but still keeping that chocolate craving at bay.

3 cups whole, raw almonds
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4-1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
27 cupcake liners

Lay out cupcake liners in baking sheet, set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay out almonds on a separate baking sheet. Roast almonds in oven for 10 minutes. (this helps to bring out the flavor in the almonds, so they present a good contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate)

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly.

Once chocolate is melted, add cinnamon and vanilla. The extract will make the chocolate sort of chunky again, so add milk to brink it back to a smooth consistency.

Add almonds and stir to coat almonds.

Pour almond mixture by the spoonful into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full.  

This should fill about 27 cupcake liners.  To be extra cute, you could add sprinkles or powdered sugar, etc, and give them to people.  But I was just making them for my husband and I. (more chocolate for meeeeeee!)

Place baking sheet  in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to harden the clusters.

Once clusters are hardened, store in a gallon freezer bag and place in the freezer. Then, when you want some chocolate, just take a cluster out of the bag and munch away!

**Note: If you are putting these in the freezer, make sure to let them sit out for a few minutes before you start eating them,  Otherwise they will stick to the liners (unless you are using wax liners).

Gourmet Cheese Sauce

I had the hardest time trying to come up with a name for this sauce.... Onion and Garlic Cheese Sauce, Cheese Sauce with Onion, Cheese and Onion Sauce with Garlic.... whatever. I thought that the word "Gourmet" just covered all of it, so there you go.  This sauce just really hit the spot with our dinner tonight.  We served this over some steamed white rice, but you can just as easily have it over pasta, or serve as a dipping sauce.
(I know I say to try and use oil instead of butter when cooking, but I think that is is one of those times that butter is better for the consistency of the dish)

1 whole onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 handfuls of spinach, chopped
2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup mozzarella or swiss, shredded
1/4 cup of romano cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Begin by melting butter in a saucepan over medium heat

  

Meanwhile, pour oil into frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and spinach. Saute until onion is soft and translucent. Remove from heat. (you may be multi-tasking between both burners here)

Once butter is melted, add flour, salt and pepper. Stir in flour and seasonings until mixed well, making a roux.

Slowly add milk and stir briskly to combine roux mixture.  Turn heat to medium-high.

Bring milk mixture to a boil. Let boil for 30 seconds.

Add all cheeses and stir until melted.

Once cheese is melted, add sauted mixture to the saucepan

Stir until everything is well combined

And serve!