Yes, I’m one of those annoying foodie freaks who are 99% likely to take photos of everything they shove in their pie-hole. They need to create support groups for poor losers like us. Some sort of steps of enlightenment to guide us toward a less annoying practice.

On a brighter note, at least we are (for the most part) enthusiastic about what we eat, where it comes from, and how it’s prepared (hence, more open minded and a little more conscious about food than the average artery-clogged, golden arch-loving bear)—at least my overly optimistic inner-cook sure does hope so.

So, on that note…this was my dinner. Don’t worry, I won’t take a picture of its glorious exit. That’s a whole other group of weirdos that probably should follow some sort of 12-step program themselves. :)

Spicy Chicken & Pasta!

Everybody loves a little heat, and this one sure does deliver (without assaulting your tastebuds overly much)! A great recovery meal after a tough workout, and packed with lean protein and good-for-you carbs and nutrients, I applaud Women’s Health for providing yet another tasty dinner recipe to go along with their “Best Meals/Workouts for Your Body Type” plan.

Here is the recipe (the only changes I made were to use 3/4 of the chili powder it indicated, tossing the chicken in the spice before adding to the pan, and to cook the noodles just 2-3 min shy of al dente before cooking for another 4 minutes more in with the sauce so the pasta could soak it all up…I also added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and red pepper flakes once plated):
http://recipes.womenshealthmag.com/Recipe/spicy-chicken-and-pasta.aspx

See previous posts for a link to this great regimen of strength training, cardio, and easy to prepare meals day-by-day to help you stay on track with your fitness goals and feed your body the fuel it craves! It is tailored to your specific body type, which is pretty clever, I think.

I’ve lost a couple pounds so far and I’m only on day 3 or so—can’t beat that! Enjoy! :)

Penne with Chicken Marengo!

Oddly enough, citrus goes well with chicken and pasta, I discovered tonight. I was pleasantly surprised by this dish from Women’s Health, which pulled me out of my old way of thinking oranges and chicken should be reserved as a glaze for Cornish hens or that age-old guilty Chinese restaurant pleasure, orange chicken (oh how I love those deep-fried and battered nuggets of sin).

Day 2 of Women’s Health’s “Best Workout/Meals for Your Body Type” (I’m a “pear”, if anyone is curious to know…lots of junk-in-the-trunk and proud of it) proved to be a tasty one. See my post from yesterday for dinner from my first day on this diet. “Diet” is such a dirty word… But this magazine has proved to be not only manageable but very delicious and filling, so I’m encouraging you to give these recipes a try and improve your health while possibly shocking your unsuspecting tastebuds into culinary bliss with these good-for-you meals that will give you energy, help you shed pounds, and ultimately help you look at food not only as a luxurious experience but also as the essential fuel it was meant to be!

Here is the recipe….my only changes were using a few spoonfuls of canned, diced tomatoes in lieu of the sun-dried tomatoes and Mrs. Dash seasoning in place of the thyme—Enjoy!

http://recipes.womenshealthmag.com/Recipe/penne-with-chicken-marengo.aspx

Apple-Onion-BBQ Pork Chops & Spicy Tomato Rice!

Perfect example of scavenging crap from your fridge, freezer and pantry to make dinner!  Don’t ever be afraid to create something exciting, original and tasty by searching for what ingredients you have on hand and transforming them into a plate (or bowl) of pure awesomeness! Just be sure to write down your successful attempts for future use, and share your victories with others!

The sweet apples, smoky BBQ sauce, and heat from the spicy tomato rice turned out to complement each other nicely. I even used leftover pork and rice for sandwich wraps the next day (with cheese, sweet pickled banana peppers and spinach). These are the chaotic/experimental moments where one feels pretty darn proud of oneself. Like a boss. :) Enjoy!

Apple-Onion-BBQ Pork Chops(with 1 chop extra for leftovers) :

• 3 bone-in thin-cut pork chops
• splash of beer
• 1/2 c BBQ sauce (I used Jack Daniel’s original recipe)
• pan spray
• 1/2 c onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 granny smith apple, sliced thin

In a resealable plastic bag, combine first 3 ingredients. Marinate for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a baking dish large enough to hold all three chops with the pan spray. Add chops, then apples and onions, and then drizzle marinade from bag on top. Bake for 45 min or until cooked through (140 F internal temp).

Spicy Tomato Rice:

• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/4 c chicken of vegetable broth
• 1 T olive oil or butter
• 1 c brown rice
• 1-2 t dried parsley flakes
• sprinkle of cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, cover, lower heat, and simmer 50 min or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Serve.

Tropical Shrimp Wraps & Tomacornocado Salad!

A/C still isn’t working. Still on a heat-source cooking strike because of it. Plus, shrimp and various produce was on sale so I felt compelled to take advantage of it :)

Fresh, refreshing, and downright healthy, this can be used for lunch or dinner, or whenever you want something that doesn’t require tackling any kitchen equipment that emits heat or flames (perfect for hot summers or when your apartment is a sauna, like me right now). Enjoy!

Wraps (serves 2):
2 large tortilla wraps (I used a cheddar jalapeño kind)
2 c coarsely chopped, cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail off)
2 cups fresh spinach
1 ripe mango, diced

Sauce:
1/3 c plain yogurt
1/3 c mayo or miracle whip
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk or use food processor/blender all sauce ingredients, spread evenly over each tortilla (only a few tablespoons—you will have more sauce left over for future use…like a dressing for salad or topping for quesadillas!).

Layer remaining ingredients on tortilla, wrap up, and enjoy!

Salad:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/corn-avocado-and-tomato-salad-recipe/index.html

Thanks to Paula Deen and Food Network for this tasty corn-avocado-tomato recipe! I used 4 ears of raw, fresh cut corn off the cob for this one.

Lemon caper chicken, mashed acorn squash, & cucumber-tomato salad w/ marinated garbanzos and feta!

Thanks to my newfound addiction to Pinterest, I came across recipes for all of these (separately). Luckily, these are healthy recipes and not “bacon-wrapped-ice-cream-casserole-cupcake-squares” or something similarly artery-clogging (though delicious) that would further cause me to curse this all-encompassing app.

Again, kudos to me for getting my slightly picky hubby to try (and enjoy) something he thought he wouldn’t like (mashed squash), but we also found out he isn’t too fond of feta (a strong, crumbly cheese that I’ll admit is one of those hate-it-or-love-it type-deals). So I broke even, I guess. He still ate the salad, but just picked out the big cheese bits, so maybe I get half a point… Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chicken link:
http://theurbanspork.com/2009/09/braised-chicken-with-lemon-and-capers/

Note: I used 4 thighs instead of the breast/thigh combo, and DO NOT cook the chicken 12 minutes at high heat like it says! Medium heat and 3 min per side was just perfect—anything different will burn them.

Mashed acorn squash:
Cut acorn squash in half, scoop out seeds with spoon. Place in baking dish, sprinkle with butter slivers and one big pat in each middle. Roast cut side up in 400 F oven, 30-35 min (until fork-tender), basting cut sides with the melted butter from the middles. Remove from oven, scoop out flesh into bowl. Add drippings from dish, 1 T butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar. Mash. Done!

Cucumber-tomato-garbanzo-feta salad link:
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/06/weekend-herb-blogging-35-oregano.html?m=1

Note: I used basil from the garden instead of oregano, and it was still very yummy.

Southwestern Chicken Wraps & Fresh Corn Salad for 2!

After a long day of working in a hot galley (or “kitchen” for you lay-folks), all I wanted for dinner was something cold and fresh. After scanning my fridge for what to work with, here is what I came up with….

Wraps:
Thanks to Martha Stewart for this awesome recipe, which I halved—and I added a sprinkle of garlic powder to the sour cream/jalapeño spread because I love gahhhhlic!!! http://www.marthastewart.com/354050/southwestern-chicken-wraps

Corn salad:
Thanks to Food Network for this simply fresh creation that features raw corn (lending amazing sweetness), cubed mozzarella, basil, grape tomatoes, and scallions in a light, subtle dressing: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/fresh-corn-tomato-salad-recipe/index.html

My waistline AND my taste buds were grateful for this one…and even the Tater scarfed it down. :) Enjoy!

Homemade sofrito and resulting beef burrito dinner!

Sofrito: heat 2-3 T olive oil in a large pan or pot over medium heat, sauté 1.5 cup diced carrots until softened, then add equal amounts diced bell pepper, onion and tomatoes until cooked through and soft, about 10 min. Add 2T minced garlic, a handful of chopped cilantro, and salt/pepper & oregano (or italian seasoning….I also added 1/4 c beer because I was drinking some at the time and thought it’d be cool to add some) to taste. Lower heat to medium-low. Simmer another 5 min. Mash in pot with potato masher (or process in blender or food processor until smooth—I like chunky sofrito so I did it by hand). Mix into seasoned ground beef or chicken for burritos, or freeze into portions or a resealable plastic bag for future use!

Note: sofrito is the base for much of Caribbean cooking (early origins trace back to the Catalan region of Spain, but have been adapted over time by different island cultures). Like the French love their mirepoix, the Spanish, Latin American and Caribbean cooks love their sofrito. It’s used as a topping, a base, or a last-stage addition to season a dish. In Puerto Rico you may see sweet peppers added, in Cuba some bay leaves and cumin, habañeros in Dominican Republic, and the version I posted in Spain. Play around with it and make it your own! Either way, you’ve got a tasty addition to your next meal!

Stove-top seared ribeye steak & my fave salad!

Who needs a grill?! Not THIS guy, and certainly not you! Steak can be enjoyed without the assistance of a charcoal, gas, or even an electric grill!

Ribeye: a perfect ribeye is marbled with fat, so don’t be afraid of the white lines in the bright red meat…it adds flavor, juiciness and like my grandpa always said, “no fat, no flavor, no FUN!” :) Sprinkle with montreal steak seasoning on each side, let rest at room temp for 15 min, then sear 6-7 min each side in a sprayed pan over medium heat, or to desired doneness. I use the following method to check my steak, to get the perfect medium-rare I love: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_finger_test_to_check_the_doneness_of_meat/

Pan sauce: let steak rest 10-15 min to keep the juices in so they don’t escape when you first cut into it. It’s tempting to dig right in, but please—for the love of meat, let it rest and you’ll be happy you did. Make a pan sauce and it’ll provide the waiting time you need while making an amazing topper for your steak. Add 1 T unsalted butter to the pan juices over medium heat. Stir to melt. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 c red wine, heat til bubbling. Add onions, and even some jalapeño or mushroom slices if you like, and reduce sauce while stirring until it reaches a thick consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Pour over your steak, and ENJOY!

Salad: my fave includes blue-cheese stuffed olives, feta, red onions, spinach, tomato, avocado, and Italian dressing :)

Fresh mango salsa:

2 mangoes, peeled/diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled/diced
1/2 large tomato, seeds scooped out & diced
1/4 of one red onion, diced
1 small jalapeño, seeds and white ribs removed, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Handful cilantro, minced
Sprinkle of salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste

Combine all the ingredients above, adding or subtracting as you like…it’s one of those things where you can just throw it all together and adjust according to your own preferences. More mango? Sure! Less onion? Why not? This goes great with coconut rice, tortilla chips, over crusty-baked fish or even with tacos. Enjoy! :)

CoastieTip: when working with produce that has discard scraps (peels of cucumber, seeds of jalapeños, etc), keep a large bowl handy beside your cutting board so you won’t be running back and forth to your garbage disposal/trash can. It keeps the kitchen clean and if you have iguanas in the backyard like me, you can just dump it in the back for the critters, or even in a compost pile, if that’s your thing. ALSO: jalapeño peppers have an oil in them that stays on your skin for awhile (as I’ve discovered many-a-time when I’ve gone to touch my face and ended up with burning, red, puffy eyes), so either use some disposable latex gloves during prep or wash your hands a BUNCH when you’re done handling them. Don’t be a victim of fire-face! :)