Banana Kale Colada Smoothie

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Summer is around the corner and warmer days means cooler food. There's a fantastic juice bar in my neighborhood that I often stop into for a delicious fresh pressed beverage or blended smoothie to cool me off. Recently, I tried one of their signature shakes and was shocked at how yummy and filling it was. Unfortunately, the other thing that shocked me was the price. I love eating healthy and I totally think it's worth the extra cost most of the time, but some things are just too easy to recreate at home and save me seven bucks.
 So, the day after I had visited the juice bar, I put together my own version based on what I knew was in the smoothie from the menu. I pulled together a few things I had on hand, as seen above, and voilà...
The perfect recreation in all it's green, bubbly glory. This smoothie was so delicious, quick and easy and it's seriously good for you. If you want to have it as a meal, throw in some protein powder or any meal replacement powder of your choice that is flavorless. Most of the items I used to make this drink are available at Trader Joe's, but you can certainly find them at any well stocked market or health food store. With tropical flavors like banana, coconut and pineapple, it's only fitting to drink this bad boy out of one of these right? Yep, totally.

Banana Kale Colada Smoothie
3/4 C unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 C coconut water (you can add more if the smoothie is too thick)
1 ripe banana
a large handful of chopped kale
1/3 C frozen pineapple bits
ice (optional)

Pour the coconut milk and water into a blender first, followed by the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and Kale is thoroughly mixed in. You could also add chia or flax seeds for another healthy boost.

Enjoy!

What I ate Last Wednesday....

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Last week as I was combing through an endless feed of tweets, I came across one that caught my eye. It had the hashtag WIAW (#wiaw for those of you who know twitter well). It was tweeted by a fellow blogger of mine, whose website I thoroughly enjoy and highly recommend for veggie lovers...PeasandCrayons.com
But I had no idea what w.i.a.w. stood for, until I did some further investigating and discovered a really fun and interesting blog community project. It stands for What I Ate Wednesday and every Wednesday, bloggers, blog readers, and whoever else are encouraged to share what they ate for one whole day. It doesn't have to be things you eat just on Wednesdays, it can be any day, any time, any place.

So I thought, what better way to introduce myself to WIAW, than with a post about what I ate the day I discovered What I Ate Wednesday. How many times am I gonna write the words what, ate and Wednesday in this post you think?

This is my personal menu from last Wednesday.
Breakfast: Plain, nonfat, Fage greek yogurt with grapefruit wedges, a sprinkling of instant oatmeal and a swirl of raw honey. Plus a cup of one of my favorite teas, Tazo Rest, which smells amazing and tastes like a rose garden.
Lunch: The best meal ever! Coconut brown rice, green beans and Mango lime salsa. I posted the recipe for this one on my blog last week. Right here.
Afternoon Snack: One of my all time favorites, Graham Cracker with Natural, unsalted peanut butter and a banana. That was way under ripe. I didn't finish it.
Dinner: Italian Chicken Wraps. So yummy! Basically, grilled chicken, homemade creamy italian dressing and a simple salad wrapped up in a soft tortilla.

I hope you enjoyed this post, maybe it will even give you ideas for new things to eat in your day. And if you'd like to be apart of WIAW (you don't have to be on twitter to join in), just check it out on peasandcrayons.com

What's in Your Fridge Friday - Quick Veggie Pasta

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You know those days when you feel like you have nothing in your fridge to make for dinner, yet it's completely full? Yeah, me too. Sometimes it's hard to force yourself to work with what you've got because going and buying everything for a recipe you already know is so easy. Last week I decided I was just gonna do with what I had on hand and skip a trip to the market. Then I thought, why not make this a weekly tradition? Let's call it What's in Your Fridge Friday.
I had basically one of every vegetable in my crisper leftover from various other recipes I'd made all week. Luckily, the meal that came out of them was sooooooo delicious, easy, AND bonus: vegetarian! Hooray for forced creativity!
I chopped up all of the veggies to roughly the same size, browned and cooked them down until they were tender. Then I deglazed them with white wine and added in some good old marinara sauce and herbs.
I reduced that down on a low simmer for about 30 minutes and had a fabulous, thick gardeny sauce ready to go in under an hour. I boiled some whole wheat spaghetti, drained it and dropped it into the Veggies to finish cooking. Oh and I added lots of cheese. You can never have too much cheese.
This is a method you can do with any veggies you have in the fridge. Broccoli would be great, as would different types of squash or even celery. Be creative. You'll save a trip to the store, not to mention, money!

Quick Veggie Pasta
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1 Carrot
1 zucchini
10 or so green beans
20 or so small tomatoes (I used mini heirlooms)
4 cremini mushrooms
1 baby eggplant
1 tsp. of garlic, minced
1 T fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C good white wine
1/2 a jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1/4 - 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

Chop all of the vegetables to roughly the same size. Heat a heavy saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Swirl a tablespoon of olive oil in the pot and dump all of the chopped veggies in, stirring occasionally. After about 10-15 minutes, the veggies will become tender and lightly browned. Add the basil, garlic and salt and pepper and pour in the wine to deglaze the pot. Stir and add the marinara sauce, turning down the heat to low at the same time. Simmer the sauce for another 15 minutes or until slightly reduced and thick.

Meanwhile, boil your favorite pasta. I used whole wheat spaghetti. Just when the pasta becomes al dente, drain it and pour it into the Vegetable sauce. Stir to coat the pasta, add the parmesan cheese, stir again and serve!

Remember, this is just a guideline, you can add whatever veggies you like, and whatever sauce you like. Just make sure to use a really good wine, that you would actually drink. A sip or two while cooking always helps.

Enjoy!

Lightened Up Chicken Parmesan

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Ingredients:
4 slices whole-wheat bread (1-ounce each)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
Olive oil cooking spray
1 jar good-quality marinara sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons (1/2-ounce) shredded Parmesan
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed, about 25 to 30 seconds. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until golden. (You will wind up with about 1 1/3 cups toasted crumbs.)

In a medium bowl, toss the crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place breaded breasts in a glass baking dish and spray on each side with cooking spray, about 5 seconds total per side. Bake breasts until cooked though and crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.Recipe shared from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/chicken-parmesan-recipe/index.html

Chicken and Asparagus Crepes

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Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, dill, chives or mint)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 store-bought crepes (about 9 inches each)
1 shallot, sliced
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a large baking dish. Combine the chicken, ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan, 3 tablespoons herbs, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling across the lower half of each crepe; roll up to enclose the filling. Place the crepes, seam-side down, in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake until the filling is hot, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook until it softens, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, lemon zest and the remaining 1 tablespoon herbs and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the crepes among plates, top with the asparagus and sauce, and sprinkle with parmesan.

Recipe shared from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-and-asparagus-crepes-recipe/index.html

Baked Spring Rolls

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Ingredients:
For the Spring Rolls:
1 2-ounce piece deli ham, finely diced
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon chopped peeled ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Asian chili-garlic paste
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
14 square spring roll wrappers
1 large egg white

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon chopped peeled ginger
1 scallion, finely chopped
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make the spring rolls: Cook the ham in 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and scallions; cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

Toss the cabbage and carrot with the hot ham mixture in a large bowl. Add the crab, cilantro, chili-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, the soy sauce and vinegar; toss.

Wrap the spring rolls (see right). Pierce each roll with a skewer in a few places to prevent bursting.

Place a rack in a baking dish and brush with vegetable oil. Mix the remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oiland 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; lightly brush on rolls. Place the rolls on the rack; bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes. Turn the rolls; bake until golden and crisp, 8 to 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with the warm spring rolls.
Recipe shared from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/baked-spring-rolls-recipe/index.html

Tangerine Beef with Scallions

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Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef tri-tip steak, trimmed of excess fat
1 tangerine
4 scallions, sliced, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons orange preserves
Directions:

Pierce the steak with a fork several times on each side. Remove a 2-inch strip of zest from the tangerine, halve the fruit and squeeze the juice into a resealable plastic bag. Add the zest, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and 1/4 cup water to the bag and mix well. Add the meat, seal the bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the broiler with a broiler pan in place. Remove the steak from the bag and reserve the marinade. Pat the meat dry and place on the preheated broiler pan. Cook, without turning, until the meat is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 130 for medium-rare, about 10 minutes. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing; reserve the drippings.

Meanwhile, boil the marinade in a small pot over medium-high heat until slightly thickened. Stir in the orange preserves and the drippings from the meat. Slice the meat against the grain and top with scallions. Serve with the sauce.

Recipe shared from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/tangerine-beef-with-scallions-recipe/index.html