Recipes

Garlic & Lime Mahi Mahi

~Ingredients~

• 2 mahi mahi filets (about 1 inch thick)
• Juice of 2 organic limes
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

~Directions~

Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine lime juice, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, salt, pepper and dijon mustard; whisk together so it blends.

Using aluminum foil, form an open packet to allow the fish to marinate in the garlic-lime mixture . Place fish in each packet and pour on garlic-lime sauce. Place packets in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes.

* Check filets from time to time to ensure garlic does not burn; to avoid this, spoon mixture over the fish from time to time to help coat the garlic.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

~Ingredients~

• 1 bag of Vigo yellow rice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 large and organic peppers (red or green)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese

~Directions~ Cook rice with a pinch of salt in boiling water for about 25 minutes. Drain if necessary. Set aside the rice. Rinse peppers. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and white membrane. Parboil peppers in boiling & salted water for 5 minutes. Arrange them in an oiled baking dish. Heat oil in skillet with onion and celery. Saute onion until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in rice, eggs, oregano, salt, pepper and a couple spoonfuls of cheese. Fill peppers with mixture. Put 1/3 cup water with 3 tablespoons oil in bottom of dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top of peppers when 10 minutes remain. Serve hot.

Couscous and Veggie Salad

~Ingredients~

• 1 10z. box of regular couscous
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 zucchini (quartered lengthwise, chopped)
• 1/2 English cucumber (quartered lengthwise, chopped)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 package of organic arugula (5 oz. bag)
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 8 ounces Queso Blanco or Feta
• Juice of 1 lemon and some grated peel
• Salt & Pepper

~Directions~ In medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. remove from heat and stir in couscous w/2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the lemon peel, lemon juice and fluff with w fork. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over med. heat and cook zucchini until golden (about 5-7 minutes). Add salt and pepper for taste. In a large bowl, combine couscous, zucchini, arugula, cucumber, scallions, pecans and half the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Top this dish off with the remaining cheese. * This dish can be served warm or cold. It is delicious both ways!

Blueberry Muffins

~Ingredients~

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest (grated lemon peel)
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/3 cup melted butter (I used Smart Balance)
• Crumb topping directions are below.

~Directions~ In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine milk, egg whites and melted butter. Combine both bowls, stirring until moistened and gently stir in the berries. Spoon the batter into 12, 2 1/2- inch muffin pans lined with paper cups or greased. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the muffins. Crumb topping: In a small bowl, combine 1/2-cup flour and 1/2-cup sugar. Whisk the ingredients, put in 1/4-cup melted butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Raw Fruit and Nut Pie (Can be eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or makes for a nice dessert) This recipe was taken from Steve Pavlina’s website. The pie is relatively easy to make and surprisingly VERY tasty. Here the link to some pictures and his recipe: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2009/06/how-to-make-a-raw-fruit-pie/

Mushroom Lasagna – Inspired by Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa – Food Network)

~Ingredients~

• 1 tablespoon salt
• Good olive oil
• 3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms or pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 cup freshly ground reduced fat Parmesan

~Directions~

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.

For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside.

Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add the garlic to flavor the sauce. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan and add half the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. I added part-skim mozzarella cheese to the top the last 8 minutes the lasagna cooked. Remove from oven after 45 minutes and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Cucumber Sandwich

~Ingredients~

• 2 pieces whole wheat or whole grain bread

• 2 Tbsp. hummus (plain recommended)

• 8–10 thin cucumber slices

• olive oil

~Directions~

• Preheat a grill or panini pan over medium heat.

• Brush the olive oil on one side of each slice of bread, then turn the slices over so that the oiled side is down.

• On the dry side, add one tablespoonful of hummus to each piece of bread. Add the cucumbers. Close the sandwich and place in the pan.

• Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until it begins to brown and grill marks begin to appear.

* Note: If you do not like hummus, try this with tzatziki sauce.