Tuna Quinoa Cakes

As mentioned in my previous post, I made these the same time I made the Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers. Both contain sweet potatoes and quinoa, so it was easy to prep and make them together. It was nice to only have to heat up the oven once in this summer heat, too!

The original recipe and photos can be found here, my alterations are below:

1 medium sweet potato, cooked and mashed
2 cans tuna, drained (I use white albacore in water)
3/4 cup quinoa, pre-cooked
1/4 cup onion, chopped (I used yellow, you could use green)
 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg. beaten
1/4 cup low fat sour cream (could use Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, etc.)
1 tsp yellow mustard
dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Mash the sweet potato in the bottom of a medium mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well.

Form into 6 cakes and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 400° oven for about 20 minutes, flipping once.

Each cake is 199 calories, 27g carbs, 4g fat, and 14g protein.

In the future, I might put more onions or celery in these. They were a little one-note in the texture department. They reheat well in the toaster oven and I enjoyed mine with a sprinkling of low sodium soy sauce over top!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

I pinned these from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy, and made them the same time as another recipe, Tuna Quinoa Cakes, that I'll share next. Both have sweet potato and quinoa, so it was easy to prep and make them together. It's been busy around here, so I'll take a little convenience where I can.

The original recipe and photos can be found here. My version is below:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium sweet potato, mashed
1/4 cup corn (I used frozen)
1/4 cup onions, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup quinoa, pre-cooked
3 Tbsp oats
1 Tbsp cumin
dash of cayenne

Remove the skin from the sweet potato and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Drain and rinse the can of black beans, and add half to the sweet potato. Using a stick blender, mix them together, until they form a play-dough like consistency. Add the remainder of the black beans and the rest of the ingredients, using the back of a spoon to incorporate everything and slightly mash the whole beans.

Heat the oven to 375° and grease a baking sheet. Form the mixture into small patties and place on the sheet. Pop into the oven for ~30 minutes, flipping once.

I formed mine into 9 patties. Each were 92 calories, 17g carbs, negligible fat, and 4g protein.  

I brought some of these to work to heat up for dinner with some frozen peas, and they reheated nicely. They had a bit of a kick and were full of flavor. I'm not sure I'd like them on a bun, it might be a little dry, but on their own, they were good. Debbi served hers with a big dollop of guacamole on top!

Tofu UnStirred Fry

This was one of those dinners that gets thrown together because you haven't gone to the grocery store in forever. Our new house is halfway between grocery stores. 9 miles in one direction, 10 miles in the other. It isn't the most convenient, so I tend to put off going to the store until the last possible minute when the only thing left in the house is a tablespoon of milk and a can of soup. (Not really. But, you get the point.)

I tried to resist all urges to get take out from the delicious pizza place that is < 1 mile from our new home, in favor of a healthier option, so I worked with what I had. It turned out pretty good, definitely healthy, and I'm glad I didn't cave and get take out.

This could be made as a stir fry, but mine is an unstirred fry. Johnny and I got some new "waterless/greaseless" cookware before the wedding (post forthcoming) and I'm learning how to cook with them. Please feel free to cook this however you like- the end results will be the same! 

1 cup, uncooked rice - prepared as desired
1 bunch broccoli, steamed
4 stalks celery, steamed
1 onion, steamed
1 container extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/4 cup Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

To start, I drained and pressed my tofu between two heavy plates in the sink. I sliced it in 1/4" slices and marinated it in the dressing.
I cooked our rice separately. Then, I steamed the vegetables separately. I used our Cuisinart griddler on high to cook the tofu and give it some nice color and grill marks.
I combined the rice, vegetables, peanuts, and remaining dressing in a large bowl and tossed until everything was combined. We served giant spoonfuls, then placed the tofu on top.
Serve with additional soy sauce or hot sauce, as desired.

 

This made a lot - we had huge helpings that night and a big container for leftover lunches. 

 

Entered into My Fitness Pal as 4 servings, each serving is 316 calories, 9g fat before adding additional sauces. Not too shabby for a throw together dinner, while trying to behave!!

Griddler (or Waffle Iron) Hash Browns

Breakfast for dinner had been planned for 2 days. I just needed a lil sumthin' sumthin' extra on the side to round out the meal.

Then, one of my Pinterest friends repinned these hash browns, and it was settled. Original post and recipe can be found here. My take on them is below:

2 medium potatoes, shredded
1 medium onion, shredded
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Shred the potatoes and onions using your preferred method. I used my mandolin, but you could use your food processor's grater, some old fashioned Grandma's kitchen type grater, or just a regular ol' box grater.

Throw the grated potatoes and onion in a medium bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Using a fork, toss everything until mixed well.

Open your Griddler, panini press, waffle iron, or similar weapon of choice. Generously spray with olive oil or non stick spray. Lay the potato mixture out in an even, flat pile, and gently close the lid.

Let cook for 5-10 minutes, and then check on it. The bottom of my Griddler cooks hotter than the top, so I flipped the potatoes at this point. Continue cooking another 5-10 minutes, until they're a beautiful, crispy, crunchy brown.

I served ours with a cheese omelette and turkey sausage links. Later I added some ketchup to the hash browns, but they're delicious on their own. 

It was surprising to get such a yummy crunch from potatoes at home. I usually only get that at diners where I know they slather tons of grease and butter for the desired crunch. Johnny said "holy crap, these are better than Arby's potato cakes." And if you know Johnny, that's high praise. Really high praise.

This whole "recipe" is 266 calories, with ~5g fat from the small amount of olive oil. Both of us ate very hefty helpings (see plate above) and there was still some leftovers.

Cereal and Yogurt Parfait (Giveaway Post)

Hello everybody! I have a special treat to share with you and a chance to win a $25 Wal*Mart gift card, so stay tuned for the information at the bottom of this post!

Pillsbury has created a new site, Bake-Off.com, which showcases over 100 recipes chosen from recipe contest finalists across the country. I was asked to peruse the site and choose a recipe to share with you, and I chose a simple, low-fat dessert.

Of course I changed it up, but the original recipe can be found here.

2 cups Cheerios cereal (I used the new peanut butter kind!)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp butter, melted
whipped topping of choice
2 containers Yoplait fat free yogurt (I used Boston cream pie mmm)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large zip bag, using a rolling pin, crush your cereal to resemble a coarse crumb. Add the sugar, water, and melted butter to the bag and reseal. Move everything around until it's fully incorporated and moistened.

Grease a baking sheet and pour the cereal mixture in the center. Lay a piece of wax paper over the top and use your rolling pin to roll the mixture out to about 1/8" thickness. Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until browned. Watch closely, the edges can start to burn quickly near the end. Remove from oven and let cool, then crumble.

In a pretty glass, layer cereal crumbles, Yoplait yogurt, and whipped topping. Garnish the top with a few extra cereal crumbles. Enjoy!

This was really, really good. A nice after-dinner snack for me when I made it. My favorite part, by far, was the Cheerio crumble. After baking, it got nutty and crunchy and delicious. I'd love to make a pie crust or experiment more with other cereals.

Ok, now for the fun part! I have another $25 Wal*Mart gift card to give to a lucky Dinner at Christina's reader. Giveaway will end Monday, April 23rd at midnight. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, April 24th.

 

To enter, just leave a comment answering: What is your favorite cereal!? 
 

Mine is a toss-up between Golden Grahams and Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. We always have both on hand. We also usually have Lucky Charms or Froot Loops too! What can I say? We like sugary kids cereal more than the healthy, bland stuff!

Giveaway packaged provided by MyBlogSpark, General Mills, and Wal*Mart. The opinions, photos, and recipe adaption are my own.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Don't adjust your computer screens. This really is a new recipe with photos being posted to my blog.

It's been a long, long time, hasn't it!?

But I am so happy to have a kitchen. My pots and pans. A reliable stove/oven. My utensils. My gadgets. And a fridge that doesn't freeze everything. It all makes cooking so much easier and FUN!

I had company visit for Easter break, and while here, we went to our local fruit stand. My God daughter fell in love with teeny bell peppers, so I let her pick out a few so I could stuff them. She liked the yellow ones, so that's what we went with- feel free to use your color of choice.

3 cups cooked quinoa
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 head of broccoli
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
~1 cup frozen spinach
salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste
5-8 bell peppers (depending on size, mine were very small lemon-sized ones)

Begin by cooking the quinoa. I cooked mine in vegetable broth. While this is simmering away, prepare the rest of the vegetables by cleaning, chopping, and adding together in a large mixing bowl. Add the beans and the quinoa, stirring everything until combined. Season with salt and pepper, adjusting to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Half and gut the bell peppers, placing in a large baking dish. Scoop heaping spoonfuls of the filling into each pepper, finishing with a generous sprinkle of Italian seasoning.

Cover the dish with foil and bake approximately 30 minutes, until peppers and vegetables are tender. Reheats well. Also tasty at room temperature!




(Please excuse the photos, I didn't realize until I uploaded them that I changed my camera settings to take small format photos, instead of the usual high resolution ones.)

So, what has everybody been up to!? I try to check in on your blogs, but did I miss anything IMPORTANT you want to tell me about!?

Baked Boneless Buffalo Wings

I've really been trying to behave myself the past few weeks since the wedding is next month. I bought my dress back in January, a few pounds lighter than what I am now.

Of course, as soon as I put my mind to eating healthier, I instantly crave all things obnoxious. Soda, cheesy meals, things covered in gravy, and deep fried anything.

So when I saw Ally post these Boneless Buffalo Wings I knew I hit the jackpot and bookmarked them right away!

Baked chicken is on the healthy end of the spectrum, but boneless wings with the finger licking sauciness would seem like I was indulging in a sinful meal!

I made a much larger quantity, and I had to change a few things due to what I had on hand.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
~3 cups flour (Don't ask me how a box of Bisquick disappeared since we moved in- I know I unpacked it and put it in the cabinet under the microwave.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Buffalo sauce (I used Texas Pete extra mild)

Preheat the oven to 450°.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk. In a second large bowl, stir together the flour, cheese, garlic powder, and paprika.

Cut the chicken into little 1" chunks. Soak in the egg bowl, then move the pieces into the flour bowl and toss to coat. Spread out onto two greased baking pans and bake for 20 minutes, flipping half way through.

Once cooked, put the hot chicken chunks into a large bowl. Pour the buffalo sauce over top. Fold with a large spoon to coat everything evenly.

Plate with celery sticks and bleu cheese or ranch dressing. Serves 6.

I didn't know it beforehand, but both Lyn (our company) and Johnny are not big fans of buffalo wings or bleu cheese. They both ate and ate and ate multiple servings of this, praising it highly.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Quick, easy, and painless. Plus a lot of veggie-munching goodness!

FroYo

You guys post about fro yo all the time and I have never been! Sure, I've eaten frozen yogurt in cartons you buy at home, or made my own. But as far as these trendy little by-weight froyo places? Never been.

Until last week. Visiting my God daughter, we went for it after dinner since they ate all of their turkey.

You grabbed your bowl, filled it up with the flavor of your choice (under the spoons), then had fun with the toppings! There was a salad bar area with lots of fresh fruit and candies. Along the wall was a row of gumball machine-like devices for even more toppings like cereals and other crunchies.

The cash register had a scale in front of it, so you put your bowl there and it was .39c per ounce. I got strawberry yogurt, banana yogurt, and put fresh strawberries, blueberries, and crumbled sugar cone on top. It came out to about $3.

Here is my God daughter, Marissa with her bowl. I promise she's not always a blur! I'll have clear pics of her in future posts.

And her little sister, Cecelia, shouting "CHEEEEEEEEEESE" while she poses with her bowl!

Banana Walnut Muffins

Like Errign, I can't stand bananas once they are ripe. I like them with a little bit of green, right before they become ripe, otherwise it makes me want to gag.

Anyways, I bought a bunch of bananas for the three men currently residing in my home. And they sat, and sat, and sat. I asked what was going on once they became spotted and they confessed that none of them wanted to eat them in case somebody else wanted them.

I know, right? Men!

So, in my first ever baking experiment where I kind of loosely went off a recipe and threw stuff in a bowl, hoping it'd turn out:

3 over ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 flour
3/4 sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add all of the other ingredients, except the walnuts. Stir until everything is smooth and incorporated. Fold in the walnuts.

Scoop even amounts into 12 lined muffin tins. Bake in a 350° oven for about 25 minutes.

I'll update you on the house in the next post - we've got a lot more done, if you can believe it! I'm too tired to sift through photos now to show the progress!

Kale Chips

I finally tried kale chips. I know, I know I'm late to the game. But the only place around me I can find kale is at Wal*Mart and I know you won't blame me for avoiding that place.

It's a simple process. Stem the leaves and tear into 3-4" pieces. Rinse thoroughly and drain. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and your choice of spices. You could sprinkle garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, etc. depending on your mood.

Spread out onto a greased baking sheet and pop into a 350° oven for 12-15 minutes. The leaves will be dried and crispy when they're ready to be removed. Some areas might remain slightly soggy/steamed but most crisp up some upon standing.

I thought they were good, but they didn't rock my socks off. Plus I think it's a lot of effort for not a lot of product.

If I were to make these regularly, I'd do really big batches because you snarf them down pretty quickly. Although I'm not sure how well they keep and also how the nutrients are once you've baked them to a crisp.

Southwestern Succotash

We enjoyed some of my tamales for dinner, so I needed a quick side dish. Working with what I had on hand, this is what I whipped up.


1 Tbsp olive oil
3 green onions/scallions
1 cup frozen corn
15 oz. can of black beans, drained
1 cup leftover grilled bell peppers
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the scallions. Once they're softened, add the frozen corn and stir until it comes up to temperature. Add the can of beans and grilled bell peppers. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin, stirring to mix everything. Put a lid on the skillet and let it slowly heat through.

The house is coming along pretty well! My dad and cousin got here Monday and have already finished the drywall job downstairs that Johnny and his brother started. The downstairs bathroom is re-drywalled and the shower gutted. Next comes some tile work for the bathroom and fireplace, then they'll be able to paint! It's exciting to see so much work get done in such a short amount of time.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

The inspiration for this recipe is really wacky, so bear with me.

The last night we were in Florida, it was just me, Johnny, and my brother Michael. I was in the kitchen of the rental home cooking fruit filled pancakes and scrambled eggs for our dinner. Johnny and Michael were lounging in the living room talking, with Hoarders playing in the background.

All of a sudden I heard both of them scream "ewwww" and other loud outbursts of disgust. I ran into the room, spatula still in hand, to see what was going on. Apparently, the teenaged daughter of the hoarder had boiled pasta, spooned huge spoonfuls of Miracle Whip in with it, and stirred it together with canned tuna and peas. She put this concoction in the microwave to heat it up, and then they ate in their car, since it was the only place for both of them to sit.

That was Sunday night, and it's kept replaying in my head since. It was so disturbing, especially since both of them were overweight and battling diabetes. I kept thinking "why would they make something so unhealthy?"

I had to make something like it myself, but I wanted to make it healthy. I really don't know why, but I felt like that was the only way I'd be able to get over my disgust of the situation.



1 pound of elbow macaroni
1 cup fat free sour cream
1 packet Lipton's Recipe Secrets mix (I used vegetable)
1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup frozen peas
1 can of albacore tuna, packed in water

Bring a pot of water up to a boil. Season with salt and boil the pasta 2-3 minutes short of being done (very al dente).

While the pasta is boiling, mix the sour cream, Lipton's packet, veggies, and tuna in a covered baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Drain the pasta and mix with the other ingredients. Put the lid on the baking dish and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serves 3-4.

The Ridiculously Delicious Challenge - Stage 3

Thank you for your votes, everybody! Because of you, I have successfully made it to Stage 3 of the Ridiculously Delicious Challenge, hosted by Marx Foods!

In this stage of the challenge, I had to choose one of the other 14 blogger's recipes who advanced and makeover their recipe utilizing three of my unused ingredients from the original eight mystery ingredients.

After perusing the widely diverse recipes, I chose to interpret the Moroccan inspired fish tacos and coleslaw by Lawyer Loves Lunch in a new way.

My makeover uses a different flavor inspiration - the lively Jamaican jerk seasoning. Jerk seasoning is such a unique spice/marinade. It uses sweet, spicy, hot, salty, all in one burst of unmatched flavor. I looked through recipe after recipe until I found a list of must-have inclusions. In place of the traditional brown sugar, habanero chilis, and black pepper I used the coconut sugar, Tepin chilis, and Szechuan peppercorns, respectively. I feel like these ingredients still represent Jerk seasoning's complexity, while adding a diverse spin.

Jerk seasoning:
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 gloves garlic, minced
7 or 8 dried Tepin chilis, ground (more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, ground
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground Thyme
1 small onion, minced (can use green onions/chives)
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Coleslaw:
1/4 wedge of small green cabbage
2 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp celery seed
salt and pepper, to taste

Additional:
1 lb. cod fillets
10 6" tortillas (your choice of corn or flour)

Begin by mixing the Jerk seasoning ingredients in a shallow glass dish. Taste and adjust seasonings to your personal preference.

Liberally cover the cod fillets in the Jerk and allow to marinate for at least two hours.

Chop the cabbage into bite sized pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the cabbage. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours for the flavors to develop.

Heat a griddle pan to high. Cook the cod fillets through, until they begin to flake.

Plate your fish tacos using the warmed tortillas, generous chunks of the Jerk marinated cod, and a healthy forkful of the coleslaw.


This is such an explosion of flavors. The Jerk seasoning covers every tastebud on your tongue with heat, sweet, spice, warmth, salty, and peppery. The coleslaw is very tart and refreshing, a nice addition to the other complex flavors.


Only 10 of the 15 Stage 3 competitors will move to Stage 4, so wish me luck! There will be no voting for this round. The 8 recipes chosen the most times to be made over will move up and Marx Food's opinions will determine the other 2 advancers.

Edited to add: My 2nd choice makeover choice would have been Snippet of Sue's salmon.

Healthy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

If you're not interested in a healthy version, my usual fried version can be found here.

This was kind of a science experiment of a dish. I wasn't sure what would or wouldn't work, but I'm happy to report that it turned out well enough to share with you guys!

I started with my usual way of doing things, and made some healthy substitutions along the way, both in the ingredients and cooking methods used.

3 medium to large eggplants
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1 24 oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Begin by washing and slicing your eggplant in 1/4" thick pieces. Lay out on baking dishes and sprinkle with Kosher salt to draw out some of the moisture.

While the eggplant sits, combine the flours, salt, and pepper in a large, flat Tupperware style container. In another large, flat container, whisk together the eggs, skim milk, salt, and pepper.

Use a few paper towels to firmly pat down the eggplant, grabbing any excess moisture that has been drawn out. (I only did one side because I'm lazy.) Preheat the oven to 375°.

Start your assembly line, which will go like this: a feather light dusting of the flour mixture on the eggplant, a dunk into the egg mixture, and another feather light coating of the flour mixture. Lay the battered eggplant pieces on a greased baking pan. Pop the pan in the oven, and continue with the eggplant pieces until all are battered, on a sheet, and in the oven. Each pan should bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the eggplant has softened and the batter is browned (at least on the bottom).

Mix the jar of sauce with the water to thin it out a little bit (helps with easier spreading). Grab a very large casserole dish and spread the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Remove the first pan of eggplant put in the oven. Lay the pieces out in the casserole dish. Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce overtop, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and a few Tbsp of the Parmesan. Remove the second pan of eggplant put in the oven, and repeat the process. Finally, remove the last pan of eggplant from the oven and lower the temperature to 300°. Repeat the layering process, omitting the cheese, using your spatula to firmly press down the layers. Pop back into the oven, covered for 30-45 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil, sprinkle the last of the cheese, and finish under the broiler.

Serves 5-6. Reheats well. You can also assemble and freeze the dish before baking. When ready to bake, just thaw and bake until the sauce is bubbling.

I'm not going to lie, this is a tedious dish to make, with a lot of hands-on time. It took me about an hour and a half from washing the eggplant to popping the assembled casserole into the oven for the final bake. I personally love the battered eggplant, but if the coating isn't your thing, you could certainly skip the battering steps and just roast slices of eggplant and make the dish the same way from that point on.

It's definitely worth the effort, though!