Meatless Monday: Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce Wraps

(adapted from Ellie Krieger)

I was pretty skeptical of this whole Meatless Monday thing when I moved home, but I must say, it's meals like these that really make me see the light. And since my big brother is moving home for the summer and he refers to all meatless meals as "hippy food" we're going to have to break out the big guns. Put this at the top of the list of meatless meals to impress my brother with!

These babies are such a nice treat. They're light. They're flavorful. And at almost no calories at all, you can eat tons of them and still have room for dessert! Just one thing: once you assemble a lettuce wrap and pick it up, don't even try setting it down or it will completely fall apart and you will no longer have a lettuce wrap but more of a lettuce mess on your plate. 

Lettuce Wraps

Recipe...

• 12 oz extra-firm tofu
• 1 Tbsp bottled chili-garlic sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 c hoisin sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sherry or Chinese cooking wine
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 2 scallions, greens trimmed and reserved, thinly sliced (about 1/3 c each greens and whites)
• 1/2 c finely diced water chestnuts
• 1 large head Bibb lettuce, outer leaves discarded, leaves separated
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/4 c chopped peanuts

1) Line a plate with paper towels, cover with another couple of paper towels, and set a plate on top. Place something heavy on top and let it sit for 20 min. 

2) Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, and sherry.

3) Slice tofu into 1/2 in thick slabs and lay on top of paper towels. Use more paper towel to firmly pat the tofu. The goal is to get as much moisture out of the tofu as possible. It should take about 2 min and use about 3 paper towels. Finely mince tofu and set aside. 

4) Heat oil in a wok or very large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and scallion whites and cook until scallion whites are translucent and ginger is fragrant, about 2-3 min. Add tofu and cook, stirring, until warmed through. Add reserved sauce. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring, another 3-4 min. Add water chestnuts and stir to incorporate. 

5) Fill each lettuce leaf with the filling. Add scallion greens, red peppers, and peanuts on top and enjoy!

rawr.

Tropical Green Monster

(inspired by Skinnytaste)

I came home from a workout today and wondered to myself what to refuel with. I went through my list of refueling stand-bys in my head and yawned. Glass of milk? meh. Cereal? nah. Scrambled eggs? bleh.

And then it hit me! Why have I been spending hours pinning delicious things on pinterest if not to eventually make them? I knew I had pinned some tasty smoothies. All I had to do was find them...

Turns out you can combine coconut, fruit, and spinach and it's not gross at all! In fact, it's quite delicious. I used this, but modified it to fit with what I had in the house.

Tropical Green Monster
Recipe...
serves 2

• 3/4 c coconut milk
• 6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
• 3/4 c frozen mango
• 1 ripe medium banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1 c baby spinach
• 2 Tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/4 c ice cubes

1) Combine all ingredients in a blender. Stick a straw in it, you're done!

Peanut Butter Gets Healthy

source

We all love that salty, creamy goodness known as peanut butter, but I can't really say I love the calories. 180 calories in the recommended 2 tablespoons? Come. On. Any peanut butter lover, or even a peanut butter liker, is going to eat more than the label leads us to think is normal.

And what about my favorite childhood snack? Apples and peanut butter have deceived me for years. All this time I thought I was doing myself a favor by eating it, but with the amount of peanut butter I end up smearing on my apples, well... it's probably not what any nutritionist had in mind.

The solution? This dip.

Peanut Butter Dip
Recipe...
serves 1

• 3 oz greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• pinch of cinnamon

1) Combine the above ingredients and stir well. Dip apples into it. 

Simple, right?

Summery Veggie Pasta

Summery Veggie Pasta

We live on a lake here at home, which means come summer time we will be out on the lake until the sun goes down. You may notice that means we're out on the lake until 9 or 10 pm. Totally fun, but drinking on an empty stomach is a bad idea! Which is why we need to have an arsenal of make-ahead, minimal maintenance meals to take on the boat.

This Summery Veggie Pasta is a great side dish or meal with the addition of grilled chicken. It's easy (cook pasta, cut veggies, make vinaigrette, combine, done), it's nutritious (hello, vegetables!), and it's delicious cold. Perfect for throwing in a small cooler with a few forks to gobble on the back of the boat.  You don't even have to pack napkins! Let's face it- if you drop some pasta on your bathing suit you can just jump in the lake.

For those of you that aren't living the aquatic life, this is for you, too! You didn't think I would leave you out, did you? You can use whatever veggies you prefer and as much or little as you want!


Summery Veggie Pasta
Recipe...
veggie to pasta to dressing ratio is completely subjective

• big bowtie pasta (or little if you prefer)
• 1 carrot, cut into bite sized bits
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized bits
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into bite sized bits
• 1/2 red onion, cute into bite sized bits
• 3 c baby spinach
• 1/4 c asiago cheese (or parmesan or another hard cheese), grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 c olive oil
• 2 Tbsp white wine or tarragon vinegar
• S&P

1) Cook bowtie pasta according to package directions (don't forget to salt the water!). 

2) Meanwhile, cut your veggies into bite sized bits. 

3) Prepare the dressing. Combine garlic, vinegar, and S&P in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Taste the dressing and adjust the proportions accordingly. 

4) When bowties are finished cooking, drain and place in a large bowl (or back in the pot). Stir in baby spinach and let it wilt. Add dressing and grated cheese while the pasta is still hot. Add veggies and serve warm or cold.

Meatless Monday: Sort-of Kind-of

We didn't do Meatless Monday last week. It just wasn't in the cards this time, so we went out. We went to Johnny Carino's because it's local and OMG did you know you can get the family sized portions for half off on Mondays?!?! It's pretty much the best deal ever.

Since Meatless Monday was sort-of kind-of cancelled last week, here's what I can offer you: a beverage and some almost meatless sushi. 

Besides the amazing deals at Carino's, my favorite thing about it is the Italian Cream Soda. I'm pretty sure they just put some of those flavored syrups in the bottom of a glass, fill it up with soda water, and top it off with cream (just like the kind you put in your coffee). I might be salivating as I type this. 

As for the sushi, that was a bit more involved than the Cream Soda.

First you have to make sushi rice and let it some to room temperature. Then you prep your sushi fillings and get rolling! I kept it simple with cucumber, avocado, and crab (in various combinations). I'm going to spell out the steps, but I really can't call it a recipe. It's more of a process description.

I'm a huge fan of this making sushi at home thing because I love sushi, but it's not cheap. If you make it at home, you can make a whole bunch for cheap and totally pig out!

Sushi Rice
Recipe...
(about 3 rolls worth)

• 1c rice (uncooked)
• water
• 1/3 c rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt

1) Rinse 1 c rice until the water runs clear. Place in a pot with about 9.2 oz water (if you can get that exact measurement, more power to you). Put over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the water comes to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, cover, and let it cook about 6-8 min. 

2) While the rice cooks, heat vinegar, sugar, and salt over medium heat until the solids dissolve.

3) Check rice. If there is still water in the pot, recover and check every minute. If there's no water, it's done! Put in a bowl and pour the vinegar mixture over top and stir it in. Let this rice come to room temperature.

Sushi
Sort-of Recipe...

• nori
• sushi rice
• fillings
• avocado
• cucumber
• crab
• avocado
• carrot
• anything else you want
• rice vinegar

1) Get all of your ingredients arranged on your work surface. Cut vegetables into sticks. Prepare a bowl of 1 c water mixed with 1 Tbsp rice vinegar. Have a dry dish towel by your side.

2) Lay a sushi rolling mat (available at Japanese markets and even some run-of-the-mill supermarkets- or a magazine) on your work surface. Place a nori sheet on your rolling mat, shiny side down. 

3) Spread a thin layer of rice on top of the nori, leaving the top 2 cm edge of the nori clear. Place your sushi fillings on top of the rice, not quite in the center (closer to you). 

4) Watch this video on how to do the rolling. It's not too tricky, but learning from example can't hurt!

5) Cut your sushi roll into about 6 pieces and enjoy!

6) Watch this video to make an inside-out roll.

Chocolate Treats

Chewy Chocolate Meringues

(adapted from Completely Delicious)

There's a bandit in my house. Yes, a bandit. Any time there is chocolate in the house, it disappears! Chocolate chips in the cupboard? Gone. Chocolate candies in the secret drawer? Devoured. Brownies? Puh-lease. They don't even make it through the day.

Now I know what you're thinking, but I swear I'm not the culprit! (Not the only one, anyway.) The guilty party may be a certain someone we call DAD. 

Dad is a purist, though, and he doesn't want anybody messing up his chocolate treats with words like "healthy", but even he liked these chewy chocolate meringues! They're chocolatey and the inside has a satisfying chewy texture and at only about 50 calories per meringue, you'd have to be crazy to say no to them. 

I'm not a big fan of bittersweet chocolate, so I went with semisweet. Use whatever you prefer! I also made a half recipe. They don't stay fresh long and 4 dozen just seemed overindulgent, even if they are diet-friendly. 

Chewy Chocolate Meringues

Recipe...

• 1/2 cup egg whites, (about 3 or 4 eggs)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1) Preheat over to 350 ℉. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silpats. Fill a saucepan with about 1" water and bring to a simmer.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Set bowl on top of saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk often until sugar is dissolved. (Carefully test with your fingers to make sure you can't feel any sugar granules.)

3) Return the bowl to the stand mixer and beat on high with the whisk attachment until meringue is stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes. Sift cocoa powder over the meringue, add chopped chocolate, and gently fold together with a spatula until incorporated.

4) Scoop rounded tablespoons of meringue onto the prepared sheet pans, about 2" apart. Bake 2 sheets at a time for about 8 minutes. Rotate pans and bake for an additional 8 minutes, until meringues are puffed and cracked. Let cool before devouring... or don't.

Sloppy Joe, I love you so

Sloppy Joe

(from Ellie Krieger)

When the weather starts the get warmer, something happens in my brain. It goes a little something like this: "S'mores! Hot dogs! Burgers! Ooh, yeah, eat a burger! Potato salad! Corn on the cob! Fruit! Strawberries that actually have flavor! Ice cream sandwicheeeessssss!!!"

Also included in the insane mess of "summer foods" flying around in my brain is sloppy joes. But since my family is sort of into eating healthy-ish, we usually try to make things homemade whenever possible (opening a can of Manwich doesn't count). That way we know just what is in our food and can alter it to fit our needs. Ellie Krieger has this wonderful recipe for Sloppy Joes that has all the same flavors as a Manwich Sloppy Joe, but fresher. I never thought I would hear myself call a Sloppy Joe fresh, but there it is. 

One thing to note here is that Ellie Krieger is a health-food diva extraordinaire. I, on the other hand, am not quite the diva she is. I like to keep it healthy as long as it doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of the food. Ellie's recipe almost hits the mark, but there's one thing I would change: the beans. I would probably leave them out or mash them up a little bit and mix them in with the ground meat. Also, use any kind of ground meat your heart desires. My family is cutting back on the beef these days, so we went with half ground beef and half ground chicken. Just do what feels right!

P.S. Be prepared. All those summer foods flying around in my brain will be showing up here over the next few months. 

Sloppy Joes                                                                Printer friendly

Recipe...

(serves 8)

• 1 lb. ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey, pork- whatever you want)
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño, minced
• 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
• one 15.5 oz. can small red or pinto beans, low-sodium, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 c no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. unsulfured molasses
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• S&P
• 8 whole-wheat burger buns

1) Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Dice an onion and put it in the skillet with the meat. Brown meat about 5 minutes, breaking it up into bits. While meat is browning, mince garlic and jalapeño, and dice red pepper. Drain drippings from the pan (there may not be enough to drain depending on what kind of meat you use).

2) Add garlic, jalapeño, and red pepper, cooking about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. If you choose to mash the beans a little bit before adding them, mash them now.

3) Stir in the rest of the ingredients (except the buns), reduce to low heat, and simmer for another 5 minutes.

4) Put 1/2 cup of the mixture on a bun and get sloppy!