Chicken Enchiladas

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I love Mexican food; unfortunately, my waistline doesn’t! I don’t think traditional Mexican food is necessarily high in calories or fat, but rather the way restaurants prepare it nowadays. They load the dishes up with tons of cheese and sour cream, and who knows how much oil was used in the kitchen. Hence, I tend to make a lot of Mexican inspired dishes at home so I can control the quality and quantity of ingredients.

I got the idea for this easy chicken enchilada recipe from Rachael Ray. I love how she always manages to keep her ingredients list to a minimum while making sure the dish doesn’t take you hours to prepare. I made a few tweaks to her recipe, however, to cut down on the calorie and carb level. I also added time to let the meat marinate so that it’s juicier and more flavorful. I made my chicken enchiladas with a red tomato sauce, but you could also use my recipe for a green tomatillo sauce! Continue reading →

Omelet with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

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Looking for a different way to make your eggs this weekend? Try out my quick and easy recipe to make roasted tomatillo sauce to kick up the flavors in your eggs! I had about a pound of fresh tomatillos sitting in my refrigerator last weekend and was trying to think of a creative way to use them. (This was the last of the veggies I received from Peggy’s CSA!) Then I started looking at other ingredients I had in my kitchen and realized I could make a tomatillo sauce.

This is such a versatile sauce because you could add it to eggs, meat, tacos, enchiladas, etc. I portioned my recipe to make a little more sauce so I could use it with another dish, chicken enchiladas! But you could halve the recipe if you just want to use it for one dish, or even make a larger batch to freeze. You’ll also notice that my sauce is slightly more red than green. That’s because I added A LOT of chipotle chili in adobo :). Since Michael and I love spicy food, I added about one tablespoon of these bad boys. If you prefer your food on the mild side, simply reduce the amount or omit completely. You could also use fresh jalapeno peppers instead.

I made an omelet to serve with my tomatillo sauce because I had leftover shredded cheese and spinach that I wanted to use up. You could throw in any other leftover veggies you have in the fridge, such as mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc. Or, you could also make scrambled eggs instead. It’s up to you! :) Continue reading →

Teriyaki Steak with Japanese Vegetable Soup

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This recipe was inspired by two things: 1) my quest to eat low- to no-carb dinners that still leave me full and satisfied, and 2) my love for Japanese soups! I came across the original recipe in a Food Network Magazine last year and made it for dinner one night. It came out pretty good, but I’ve played around with it since to enhance the depth of the broth’s flavors and to make a more tender steak. I also changed the vegetables in the recipe to fit my own preferences :). You could add or reduce the amount of vegetables in my recipe, or even use other vegetables. Napa cabbage, spinach, white daikon, radish, snow peas, or sweet potatoes would also work well in this soup. The possibilities are endless!

The broth in this recipe has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and slightly tart flavors found in typical Japanese style soups. It is so flavorful and is perfect for any night where you’re looking for a lighter, yet still satisfying, meal. And if you’re in the mood for a Japanese style noodle soup, simply add soba, udon, or ramen noodles to the dish! I’ve added soba noodles a few times and it was absolutely delicious.

So make sure to try out this recipe the next time you’re in the mood for a Japanese inspired meal. You won’t be disappointed! Continue reading →

“Healthier” Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

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Sadly, summer is coming to an end. So why not celebrate the last few weeks of summer by baking this yummy, and healthier, strawberry rhubarb cobbler?! I rarely bake because I prefer savory over sweet, but I wanted to take advantage of strawberries and rhubarb being in season during the summer months. I’ve been playing around with this recipe for quite some time now; however, I think I’ve finally nailed it! I made this cobbler a little healthier by using whole wheat flour, oats, and less butter. Don’t worry, the flavors are all still there :)! It’s a great recipe because you can use virtually any fruits you like, such as berries, plums, or peaches. I even made this cobbler with frozen berries and it came out just as delicious.

I portioned this recipe for 6 to 8 servings because it’s slightly more labor intensive. Basically, you’ll want to enjoy the fruits of your labor for a few days ;). Plus, what’s better than having homemade dessert readily available for a few nights? You can store this cobbler in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Give this recipe a try and let summer go out with a bang! This would also be a great dessert to make for a Labor Day picnic or barbecue. Continue reading →

Not Your Typical Carrot Salad

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How many times have you eaten carrot salad and thought to yourself, “Ehh, nothing special” or “Yup, tastes like plain carrots to me?” Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about plain carrots. They are naturally sweet and extremely high in nutrition. Every now and then, however, I think we could all use a carrot salad make-over. This recipe is the perfect solution! Not only is it quick and easy to make (15 minutes), it’s also packed with amazing flavors. The cumin, fresh lemon juice and parsley add the perfect balance of smoky, citrusy and fresh flavors. What’s also great about this salad is you could make it ahead of time since it could be served cold or at room temperature.

Because the carrot salad is flavor intense, I would recommend pairing it with a simple main dish such as steak or chicken. The flavors in your main and side dishes should not compete against each other, but rather complement each other. I served this salad with a simple grilled steak and it was absolutely delicious! Continue reading →

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

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I have fallen in love with this recipe. If you are tired of eating dry and bland baked chicken, you will fall in love with this recipe too! You would never think that making such moist, succulent, and flavorful chicken could be this easy. Anyone who knows me will tell you I greatly dislike chicken breasts; however, with this amazing recipe, I will throw down chicken breasts in a heartbeat!

The original recipe is from one of my favorite chefs, Ina Garten. Although I loved the original recipe, I made a few tweaks to reflect my own preferences. I opted to use fresh herbs instead of dried since I have them readily available from my mini-garden. I also added red pepper flakes because Michael and I love our food on the spicy side. Most importantly, though, I used bone-in chicken breasts because the meat comes out much more moist. The bone adds so much more flavor to the chicken while roasting as well. I also used chicken drumsticks in my recipe because I personally like them. You can feel free to use more chicken breasts, or chicken thighs instead.

So the next time you’re planning on making chicken breasts again for dinner, give this recipe a try! I promise they’ll stop responding with, “chicken again?” 😉 Continue reading →

Tomato, Cucumber, and Onion Salad

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This fresh and light summer salad is dedicated to my friend, Peggy. Thanks to her CSA (community-shared-agriculture), I had about five cucumbers and six large tomatoes sitting in my refrigerator last week! Making a boring green salad would’ve been such a waste given the freshness of the cucumbers and tomatoes. Then I remembered watching an episode of 30 Minute Meals where Rachael Ray made this yummy looking salad. It was so quick and easy to make. I already had all the ingredients, but added a few spices to kick things up a bit. Even if you don’t like raw onions, please don’t omit them from the recipe. They lend such a nice flavor to the dish that it would be very bland and boring without them! Red onions are milder than yellow onions, and get even milder because of the vinegar in the salad. You can reduce the quantity of onions in the recipe if you’re still skeptical ;). Continue reading →

Heart Waffles

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The first time I ever saw a heart-shaped waffle iron was in Europe. I thought it was the most adorable thing ever! Sadly, they are rarely available in U.S. stores, where you typically only find square-shaped waffle irons. Hence, I could only make these adorable waffles for us every now and then when we were in Austria. Michael and I would wake up every morning excited because we could finally make our favorite waffles! Yes, we are that childish. We know it’s just the shape of the waffle that is different, but that’s not the point! 😉 Michael likes to sift a little powdered sugar on top of his waffles, but I like to drizzle maple syrup all over mine! Serve with a side of fresh berries and you are in heaven!

Nowadays, you can literally buy anything online. So I decided to search on Amazon for a heart-shaped waffle iron, and was successful! It’s even better than the one we have in Austria (but don’t tell my German that, lol). You can control how you want the outside and inside of the waffle cooked, as well as the darkness of the waffle. I tell ya, with this little gadget, making waffles is so much easier than pancakes!

I know you can easily go out there and buy a box of waffle mix, but making your own at home is so quick and easy, and tastes a lot better too! You probably already have all the necessary ingredients sitting in your pantry. Although there are many variations on waffle recipes, I’ve found my all-time favorite. Give it a try one morning; I hope it becomes your favorite too! (And you can, of course, use a traditional square-shaped waffle iron!) Continue reading →

Sauteed Swiss Chard

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Getting tired of the same leafy greens for dinner night after night? Spice up your side dish with a little swiss chard! Not only are they pretty to look at with their vibrant red, orange, and yellow stems, but they’re SO delicious as well. They are so quick and easy to cook up any night for dinner. I love to make sauteed swiss chard because it’s a nice change to spinach, but has similar health benefits. Swiss chard is full of iron, calcium, fiber, and vitamins A and C.

I’ve tailored this recipe so it’s healthy, quick, and simple yet still flavorful; however, you can tweak it any which way to fit your own preferences. For example, omit or add more red pepper flakes to control the level of spiciness, add sliced bacon for a smoky, buttery flavor, or add a splash of vinegar to make your greens a bit on the tart side. Oh, the places you’ll go with these greens! Continue reading →

Stewed Okra and Tomatoes

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I think okra is something you either love or hate. I am definitely an okra lover; however, it is a bit of a pain to prepare. Since fresh okra gets extremely slimy when cut into, I typically prefer to use frozen chopped okra instead. Nonetheless, I received a bag of fresh okra last week from my friend, Peggy’s, CSA (community-shared-agriculture). Even though Michael wanted me to fry them up, I opted for a healthier and less messy option – stewed okra and tomatoes. I grew up in the south, and this dish practically screams south :)! I love serving this side dish with fish or meat. It’s such a great accompaniment to almost any meal.

Okra, also known as “lady finger,” has many health benefits too. It’s very low in calories and has zero cholesterol. It is also an excellent source of fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and D. So go ahead and pick up a pound of okra the next time you see them at the farmer’s market or grocery store! These pods not only taste good, but they’re good for you too! Continue reading →