Lunch is ready!

A delicious way to refuel following a 5 mile run and 75 minute hot yoga class (after my "extreme peach" smoothie at the local deli next to the studio):

Strawberry caprese salad with garden basil, a touch of salami, heirloom tomatoes, chipotle olive oil, and blueberry balsamic vinegar. A little sweet, a little tart, with just a touch of salty zing. Fresh foods are so much fun in the summer!

One-stop meal, courtesy of Ken's

This dinner was made possible thanks to Ken's Fruit Market, that local gem that we've been thrilled to have in our neighborhood since last summer. I didn't realize it when I formed the meal in my head, but as I was assembling it, I had to laugh. Earlier this year I made a week-long challenge to myself to shop only at Ken's for our dinners, and here I accomplished the same thing by mere coincidence.

Grilled chicken breasts, marinated in Garlic Expressions dressing/marinade, topped with pico de gallo, and served with cilantro-lime brown rice (yep, even rice-cooker friendly brown rice can be found at Ken's!) and homemade baked corn tortilla chips made the perfect complement to the brilliantly sunny, breezy spring day we had here.

While The H grilled the chicken, I chopped all the goodies for the pico and cut/seasoned the corn tortillas. A few minutes of baking--just until browned on the edges--at 350* was all they needed.

Aside from the kosher salt, olive oil, and dried coriander I used in the rice and on the tortilla chips, everything I used in this meal can be found at Ken's.

While we may get a few "Oh hi, ma'am, you again?" looks behind the pleasant smiles that greet us at Ken's when we dash in for the third time in a week, we'll continue going back because it's perfectly located (can't beat less than a half-mile walk when gas is so expensive!) and they carry what we use at good prices. And no, this is not a paid advertisement. I just like the local guys!

I find myself very content when the little guy and I (and The H, when he's home) can spend a day grocery shopping, visiting the library, picking up a few things at the hardware store, mailing our bills, grabbing some cash from the ATM, and capping the day with treats from our favorite pizza joint and/or ice cream shop, without leaving our little neighborhood or hopping into the car. It makes me want to spend that much more time and money investing in our super-local community businesses, and happy that we have so many to choose from.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Is it *fall* where you are yet? Here in the mitten state, we can see our breath clouds outside in the morning, the heat has been turned on, and the leaves are becoming more colorful every day. It's the perfect time for a perfect pairing like grilled cheese and tomato soup!

This soup is loaded with vegetables, and is very flavorful. I was pleased to note that it wasn't as acidic as other tomato soups I've had. And don't worry about the curry powder if that's not one of your favorite flavors; it doesn't make the soup taste like Indian food, it just adds depth. I brought this to a boil on the stove, and then since we had to go to running group, poured it into a CrockPot to simmer while we were gone.



Tomato Soup
from The Eat-Clean Diet for Family & Kids

serves 8

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
4 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped
2 sweet carrots, peeled and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 cups fresh Roma tomatoes OR one 28-oz can plum tomatoes (I used a box of Pomi strained tomatoes, no salt added)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth OR veggie stock OR water
1 Tbsp dried basil, crumbled
1 Tbsp dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of curry powder (I used 1/4 tsp)
2 low-sodium chicken or veggie bouillon cubes (I used Trader Joe's stock concentrate packets)

1. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add all chopped vegetables and saute until onion is soft and translucent.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes, stock or water, basil, salt, oregano, curry, and bouillon. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer 30 minutes (this is where I transferred to the slow cooker), stirring occasionally.

3. Using a hand-held stick blender, puree the soup to your desired consistency.

4. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with a scoop of low-fat plain yogurt or yogurt cheese.



We served these with grilled cheese sandwiches--on Udi's gluten free bread for The H (first picture) and Trader Joe's sprouted grain bread for me and the little guy.


Nutrition information per 1-cup serving:
Calories - 170
Fat - 3.5g
Protein - 1.5g
Carbs - 10.5g
Fiber - 2.5g
Sodium - 500mg
Cholesterol - 0mg

Load up!

This is one of the tastiest, no-cook meals I've made in a long time. For the minimal effort that goes into it, the flavor return is immense. The only "cooking" I did was to slow-cook the black beans (but of course you can use canned) and use my rice cooker for the quinoa. This meal is great way to keep extra heat out of your kitchen on a summer night! My modifications follow the recipe.



The Loaded Bowl
from Clean Eating Magazine, Sept/Oct 2010
serves 12

Ingredients:
3 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups cooked black beans)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (more or less according to your taste)
2 fresh avocados, pitted, peeled and diced
Fresh lemon juice to prevent avocado from browning
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Juice of 4 limes
Zest of 1 lime

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. While it is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, and cilantro.

3. Dice avocados and drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside.

4. Combine all dressing ingredients in a bullet-style blender. Pulse until garlic is incorporated and dressing appears creamy. Set aside.

5. Fluff quinoa with fork and add to bean mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add lime juice and zest; toss to combine. Top each serving with avocado pieces and dressing.



This salad will keep well, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days. Without the avocado, it could last up to 6 days, and may be frozen. Feel free to substitute brown rice for the quinoa, or add grilled chicken to make a heartier meal.

I made a lot less quinoa (my rice cooker only holds so much--I think 1 cup uncooked?) but still used the full 2 cups beans, pint of tomatoes, 2 avocados, 2 limes and the zest of one, and the full dressing recipe with 2 cloves garlic. We had about 1/2 cup cilantro to use up, and it was plenty. We did not portion this individually, but served it family-style with the quinoa on the bottom and the colorful goodies spread out on top.



This served four adults generously, with one portion leftover for my lunch. We didn't use all the dressing, but it was nice to have the extra on the side for those who wanted it.

Nutrition information per 1-cup serving:
Calories - 293
Fat - 12g
Saturated fat - 1g
Carbs - 39g
Fiber - 6g
Sugars - 1g
Protein - 9g
Sodium - 59mg
Cholesterol - 0mg

Chicken with Olive-Tomato Relish

This recipe from the March/April 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine was a perfect choice for our after-church Sunday lunch. It came together incredibly quickly because I used two pre-cooked chicken breasts (from my massive food-prep day!) and pre-cooked quinoa from when I made tuna nicoise casserole last week. I served green beans--whole, frozen, thawed in microwave--with Earth Balance and fresh cantaloupe on the side. I halved the recipe for me and The H since I knew the little guy wouldn't care for it. He was happy with his picnic-esque plate of turkey, cheese, melon, and edamame.

Chicken with Olive Cherry-Tomato Relish

from Clean Eating Magazine

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided

4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, vinegar, oregano, oil, and 1/4 tsp peper. Set aside.

2. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt and remaining 1/4 tsp pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve topped with tomato relish.

We subbed grape tomatoes for the cherry called for, because that is what was on sale this week. Because my chicken was already cooked, I simply heated it through in a hot skillet with olive oil to give it a touch of color, and added the salt and pepper directly to the tomato relish instead of the chicken. I also used just 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano in the relish and it was extremely flavorful.

Altogether, this made for a delicious and lightning-fast meal. It was very filling! I loved the flavors of the relish; for only marinating a few minutes while I threw everything else together, it was very well-rounded.

I would like to do as the magazine suggests, and use the topping on a fish fillet or roasted/grilled portobello sometime. This recipe is part of a mix-and-match feature of this issue, so it doesn't suggest a carb outright, but the quinoa was delicious mixed with the relish, so I'm glad I opted for that. Besides, using it up gives me back one of my leftover containers. Bonus!

This would even make a decent cold salad if you chopped the chicken and mixed it all up, so if you don't have access to a microwave at work (or time to reheat it at home--I know how life gets with a little one) don't be afraid to try it anyway.

Nutrition information for 1 chicken breast and 1/2 cup relish:

Calories - 250

Total fat - 5g

Saturated fat - 1.5g

Carbs - 7g

Fiber - 3g

Sugars - 3g

Protein - 36g

Sodium - 350mg

Cholesterol - 95mg

Oh. Yum.

Dinner was awesome. The H may not agree, since he prefers beef over turkey for burgers, but I hope he'd concede that they were at least good as far as turkey goes! I ever-so-slightly modified the "Ultimate Turkey Burger" recipe from the Summer 2008 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. They came out flavorful, not dry, and just a little crispy-browned at the edges. I served them with blackened green and purple beans, which incidentally also turn green when cooked, sliced tomatoes with bleu cheese, and my first (but certainly not last) attempt at homemade sweet potato chips.

The beans have been a staple in our house for years but we love them each time I make them. The H even made some for himself the other night when I was running with my friends! So proud. :) All we do is heat some oil and add some diced onion, about half of the quantity you want to use. Then add half your fresh, trimmed, whole green beans. Stir them around to coat with the oil, and add a shake of sea salt and some cracked pepper. Let them sit in med-high heat until some of them are blackened and starting to wilt. Add the other half of your diced onion and the remaining beans. Cook until dead. No, really. The blacker they are, the better. Those bits of onion char up beautifully and turn so caramelly-sweet!

Speaking of sweet, my potatoes. Oh, those potatoes. I sliced a medium sweet potato as thinly as I could and soaked the slices in salted water while we went for a run. I've heard this makes potatoes stay crispy when they're made into fries, but maybe I did it wrong because it didn't work all that great. Anyway, I cooked them in a single layer, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned salt (not the best CE option) at 425 for 10-12 min on each side. At the end of the cooking time, they were still pretty soft, so I stuck them under the broiler until they looked a little charred and dry. Genius! The crispiest ones, which I saved for last, tasted just like a toasted marshmallow. Yum.

The tomato was.. a tomato. Not the best Roma I've had, but a lovely colorful pop on our plates next to the blackened beans, grilled burgers, and charred chips.

And now, the burgers:

Ultimate Turkey Burgers, Clean Eating Summer 2008, pg. 45

1.5 lbs ground turkey (I used 1 lb)

1 medium red pepper, diced (I used 1.5 cups of Trader Joe's frozen tri-color pepper blend, thawed and drained)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely minced (I used the curly kind)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup organic wheat-free quick oats (this is my addition, not in the original recipe--burgers were a little loose without it)

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients together well. Place about 1/3 cup of mixture between two sheets of waxed paper.* Press firmly into a patty, about 4in wide and 1/2in thick. Repeat with remaining mixture until you have 6 patties. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes before grilling time.

*If you do not use wax paper; your burgers will stick to the plate and you will have to let them sit at room-temp while you wait for them to defrost enough to pry up.

2. Using a spatula, place patties carefully on grill over medium-high heat. Grill 3 to 4 minutes, and then flip. Grill for another 3 to 4 minutes or until burgers are golden brown and firm in the middle.

Serve burgers on whole-grain rolls* with a selection of fresh vegetables for toppings, such as sliced tomato, lettuce, and onion.

*We skipped the buns, as usual.

And now The H just brought me a mug of decaf chocolate-marshmallow espresso with frothy steamed low-fat milk for dessert. Sweet ending to a sweet meal. I took pictures, but they're terrible! And my kitchen was horribly messy. Alas.