Spicy BBQ Shrimp

This recipe goes really well with garlic-cheese grits, and you can use the spicy BBQ sauce for chicken or pork as well.

If you don't have the time to grill the shrimp, you can sautee them in a pan with canola oil. Just before they done, stir in some of the BBQ sauce.

Shrimp
2lb large raw shrimp; peeled and deveined
1T sugar
1T kosher salt
1T garlic powder
1T onion powder
1T smoked paprika
1t chipotle powder

- Mix shrimp spices together
- Pat shrimp dry and toss with spice mixture
- Grill shrimp until cooked through.


BBQ Sauce
1/2c onion; diced
1/2c red bell pepper; diced
1 clove garlic; minced
2t crushed red pepper flakes
1T brown sugar
1T apple cider vinegar
2t canola oil
1c ketchup

- Sautee onion, pepper, and red pepper flakes in canola oil
- Add brown sugar and vinegar
- Stir in ketchup
- Simmer sauce until thick
- Toss shrimp with BBQ sauce and serve

Serves 4

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Creamy Pasta and Chicken Casserole with Spinach & Sundried Tomatoes

To make this a vegetarian dish, omit the chicken and use soy cheese instead of the cream cheese and parmesan.

Looking for a gluten free meal? Use brown rice pasta instead of the whole wheat!

3c cooked whole wheat pasta
2c broccoli florets
1c mushrooms; sliced
1c onion; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
3/4c sundried tomatoes; julianned
2c fresh spinach
2t olive oil
1c evaporated skim milk
4T reduced fat cream cheese
4T parmesan cheese; grated
1/2c panko breadcrumbs
2T sherry
1t kosher salt
1t black pepper

- Sautee onions, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil with salt & pepper until onions are softened.
- Add the tomatoes, broccoli, and sherry and continue cooking until sherry has evaporated.
- Add the cream cheese and evaporated milk and simmer on low until broccoli is tender.
- Toss pasta with the sauce and the spinach.
- Move the mixture to an oven safe casserole dish.
- Top the casserole with the parmesan cheese and panko
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the panko topping is golden.

Serves 4

Did You Know?
Panko is a variety of breadcrumb from used to create a crunchy coating. It is made from bread without crusts, thus it has a crisper, airier texture than most types of breading. Look for Panko in the Asian section of your market.

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Refrigerator Lo Mein

I call this refrigerator lo mein because I make it using whatever is in the refrigerator at the time. You can follow the recipe as written below or sub your own vegetables and protein. This dish works well with shrimp, chicken, beef, or pork. Omit the meat for a great vegetarian meal, or a side dish.

1/4c red bell pepper; julianned
1/4c onion; julianned
1/4c celery; sliced
2T scallion; diced
1c broccoli florets
1c baby corn
1c shiitake mushrooms; sliced
1/4c water chestnuts; sliced
1c pork tenderloin; cooked and diced
3c whole wheat fettuccini; cooked
2 clove garlic; minced
1T ginger; minced
1T canola oil
3T teriyaki sauce
2T sherry
1t dark sesame oil

- Sautee vegetables in canola oil, starting with the hardest vegetables first
- Add garlic, ginger and sherry. Continue cooking until vegetables are just undercooked
- Add pasta, teriyaki sauce, and sesame oil
- Toss with scallions and serve.

Serves 4

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Double Cheese Meatloaf

Meatloaf
1lb 93% lean ground beef
1 clove garlic clove; minced
1/4c ketchup
1/2c onion; minced
1/4c scallions; minced
1 packet uncooked instant oatmeal
2/3c reduced fat cheddar cheese; shredded
1 egg

- In a large bowl mix onion, garlic, scallions, 1/2 of the ketchup, egg, cheese, and oatmeal until combined.
- Add the meat and mix (with your hands) until combined. Do not over mix!
- Form the meat into two loaves on a foil lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes; basting with the sauce every 10 minutes.

Sauce
1/4c ketchup
2T mustard
2t Worcestershire sauce
1/2t garlic powder

Helpful Hits
Add a bit of shredded carrot, finely diced mushroom, or shredded zucchini to the mix for an extra boost of nutrition. The added veggies will also help to keep the meat moist while cooking.

Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, replace the oatmeal with gluten free breadcrumbs.

6 Servings

Apricot Glazed Pork Loin

This recipe would work well with any stone fruit. Try using peaches, plums, nectarines, pluots or plumcots instead of apricots. Keep in mind, the larger the fruit, the less you need. I would try using 2 of the larger fruits instead of 4.
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1 2lb center cut pork loin
4 apricots; diced
1/2c onion; minced
1 clove garlic; minced
1T brown sugar
2T rice wine vinegar
2T stone ground mustard
1/2t rosemary
1/2t thyme
1T canola oil
1t kosher salt
1t pepper

- In a sauce pan, saute onion and garlic in 1t of canola oil
- Add apricots, brown sugar, vinegar, rosemary, and thyme.
- Simmer apricot mixture on low until the fruit is soft.
- Blend the apricot mixture with an immersion blender and allow to cook down until thick.
- Once thickened, remove the sauce from the stove and whisk in the mustard.
- Sprinkle pork loin with salt & pepper and sear on all sides in a hot pan with the remaining canola oil.
- Move seared pork loin to a roasting pan with rack, and spread liberally with the apricot glaze.
- Cook at 400* for 35-40 minutes or until roast is cooked to desired doneness (cooking times will vary based on the thickness of your pork loin).

Serves 8

(nutrition information pending)

Southwest Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite lunch recipes. It's the perfect solution to leftover grilled chicken, and also works well with leftover pork.
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4oz boneless, skinless chicken breast; grilled
1/4c red bell pepper; diced
1/2c fresh corn; grilled
1/4c scallions; sliced
1c red cabbage; shredded
3T light sour cream (or plain yogurt)
2T salsa (or fajita sauce)
1/4t cumin
1/4t smoked paprika
1/4t chipotle powder
1/2t kosher salt

- Combine the sour cream, salsa, cumin, paprika, chipotle powder, and salt to create the dressing.
- Toss the remaining ingredients with the dressing, and serve.

Serves 2

Serving Suggestion
For a low-carb option, serve the salad in lettuce leaves with some sliced of avocado and a wedge of lime.

Helpful Hint
No time to grill corn? Try pan roasting it. Cut the kernels off the cob (or use frozen - I do NOT recommend trying this with canned corn), and cook them in a dry pan until lightly toasted.

Shrimp with Sundried Tomatoes, Zucchini and Basil

Serve this delicious shrimp dish over whole wheat pasta or brown rice for a complete meal. Grilled Romaine with Canadian bacon and creamy herb-garlic dressing (see salads) makes a great side dish as well.
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1lb large shrimp; raw, peeled, and deveined
1/3c sundried tomatoes; julianned
1/4c fresh basil; chopped
2 clove garlic; minced
1 medium onion; diced
2T sherry
1c broth (chicken or vegetable)
1c zucchini; diced
1T cold butter; diced

- Sautee onions and tomatoes in cooking spray until onions are translucent.
-Add zucchini and garlic. Sautee until zucchini is just a little tender.
- Add shrimp, sherry, and broth. Continue to cook until shrimp are slightly pink.
- Remove from heat, add basil, and cold butter.
- Stir until butter has been incorporated.

Serves 4

Helpful Hint
Removing the seeds from zucchini will help to reduce the amount of liquid in your dish. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise, and cut out the seeds. Save the seeds in your freezer for future use.

General Tso's Chicken Balls

This recipe also works well with turkey too!

Short on time? Use the chicken mixture to make patties, instead of balls, for a great chicken (or turkey) burger. Grill the patties, and brush them with the cooked/thickened General Tso sauce before serving.
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Chicken Balls
1lb ground chicken breast
2 cloves garlic; minced
½ large onion; minced
2 scallions; minced
1T pickled ginger; minced
2T teriyaki sauce
1/4c water chestnuts; minced
½ red bell pepper; minced
2T Thai basil; chopped
1 egg
1pkt plain instant oatmeal

- Mix ingredients and allow to sit (in fridge) overnight
- form into bite sized balls and pan fry in canola oil

General Tso's Sauce
3/4c chicken broth
2T rice wine vinegar
2T teriyaki sauce
2T scallions; minced
1T pickled ginger; minced
2 cloves garlic; minced
1t red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicier)
2T sugar
2T cornstarch

- Mix ingredients together and pour over the cooked meatballs (in the pan)
- Allow the sauce to thicken, and serve

Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, replace the teriyaki sauce with gluten free soy or tamari. Use gluten free breadcrumbs in place of instant oatmeal.

Serves 4

Whole Wheat Orzo with Vegetables and Lemon Zest

2c cooked whole wheat orzo
1c onion; diced
1c red bell pepper; diced
1 clove garlic; minced
1c mushrooms; diced
1c zucchini; cored and diced
1c summer squash; cored and diced
2t olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
zest of 1 lemon

- Sautee onion, pepper, and garlic in olive oil until onion is lightly caramelized.
- Add mushrooms, zucchini, and squash.
- Sautee vegetable mixture until zucchini and squash are just cooked through.
- Toss vegetables and orzo together with lemon zest.

Optional Toppings

- cooked shrimp
- goat cheese
- feta cheese

Serves 4

Whole Wheat Vegetable Couscous

This recipe also works well with bulgur instead of the couscous

Note: the nutrition information will vary slightly when subbing bulgur for the couscous.

Couscous

1 ¼c broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 clove garlic; smashed
1 bay leaf
1c whole wheat couscous; uncooked

- Bring chicken broth, smashed garlic clove, and bay leaf to a boil.
- Add couscous, cover, and remove from heat.

Vegetables

1c onion; diced
1c red bell pepper; diced
1 clove garlic; minced
1c mushrooms; diced
1c zucchini; cored and diced
1c summer squash; cored and diced
2t olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper

- Sautee onion, pepper, and garlic in olive oil until onion is lightly caramelized.
- Add mushrooms, zucchini, and squash
- Sautee vegetable mixture until zucchini and squash are just cooked through.
- Toss vegetables and couscous together.

Serves 4

Denise's Crab Cakes

1T lemon zest; grated
2T parsley; chopped
1lb crab meat; picked
2 eggs
1/2c celery; finely diced
1/2c sweet red bell pepper; finely diced
1/2c onion; finely diced
1/2c panko breadcrumbs
2T canola

- sautee onion, celery, and pepper in 1t of olive oil until vegetables are softened.
- add cooled vegetables, egg, lemon zest, parsley, and breadcrumbs to the crab.
- form into patties and sautee in remaining oil

Gluten Free

To make this recipe gluten free, replace the panko breadcrumbs with gluten free breadcrumbs.

Serves 4

Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms

Looking for a vegetarian option? Cut out the meat and use vegetable broth instead.

1lb lean beef round; cut into 1” pieces
1c carrot; diced
1c celery; diced
1c crimini mushroom; diced
1c shiitake mushrooms; diced
1c onion; diced
2T olive oil
3/4c uncooked barley
6c beef stock
1/4c sherry
2 bay leaves
1T caraway seeds

- in a large pot, sautee onions, celery, and carrot in 1t of olive oil until tender
- in a separate pan, brown the beef in the remaining olive oil (do this in 2-3 batches so you don’t over crowd the pan).
- add the browned beef, mushrooms, and barley to the onions, carrots, and celery
- deglaze the pot with the sherry and then add the bay leaves, caraway seeds, and broth
- simmer on low for an hour (or until the meat is tender and the barley is cooked through).

Did you Know?
Crimini mushrooms are actually young Portobello mushrooms. It takes about 48-72hrs for a crimini mushroom to grow to Portobello size.

Can’t find crimini mushrooms in your market? Look for them to be labeled as “portobellinis”, “ baby portobellos”, “baby bellas”, or “brown Italian mushrooms”. If you still can’t find them, you can substitute portobellos.

Serves 8

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Leeks

Want to try something a little different? Try using sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash. For a creamier soup, add 1c of evaporated skim milk at the end.

Did You Know?
Chicken stock and broth are not the same. Chicken stocks are made from the entire chicken (meat and bones). Chicken broth is made with only the meat. You will get a richer flavor from using stock than you would from broth. Stock should also have a thicker mouth feel due to the release of gelatin from the chicken bones.

1T + 1t olive oil
1 1/2c leek; sliced
1T garlic; minced
1c celery; diced
6c butternut squash; cut into 1” pieces
3c apple; sliced
6 1/2c stock or broth (chicken or vegetable)
1t cinnamon
1t dried thyme
2t kosher salt
1t pepper

- toss the squash with 1t of olive oil and 1t of salt. Roast in the oven, on a foil lined cookie sheet, at 400* for approximately 30 minutes (or until squash is tender and lightly caramelized)
- in a large pot, sautee leeks, celery, and garlic in 1T of olive oil until tender.
- add the roasted squash, apples, thyme, salt, pepper, and cinnamon to the leeks and continue sautéing until the apples begin to tender
- add stock and simmer until apples and squash are very tender
- blend in batches until smooth

Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, be sure to use a gluten free stock or broth.

Serves 8