Smoked Chicken and Artichoke Salad

Dave and I have spent two weekends this month at music festivals. As far as healthy meal options go they rate somewhere between the county fair and a baseball game. Coachella was definitely the healthier of the two with some vegan and vegetarian options but Stagecoach was a BBQ fest with more pulled pork than you've ever dreamed of.

This being the case we decided to do a "salad cleanse" this week. Luckily I have a fantastic recipe book so we will be making our way through it until we're back to feeling green and clean. I started with the smoked chicken salad so we could slowly ween ourselves off of the BBQ

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 leafy celery head
3 oz canned artichoke hearts*
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
3 smoked chicken breasts (I got mine at Whole Foods)


Dressing:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Make the dressing by beating together the mustard, vinegar, and oil.
Brush each artichoke half with a bit of the dressing and place on a piece of aluminum foil under the broiler until lightly brown (3-4 minutes.)
Remove the leaves from the center of the celery, reserving the leaves. Finely slice 3 stalks and put them in a large salad bowl with the leaves, parsley and artichokes.
Thinly slice the smoked chicken breasts and add to the bowl with the celery, parsley and artichokes.
Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and lightly mix.

*To make your own artichoke hearts start by removing all green leaves from the uncooked artichokes so only the yellowish, soft leaves remain. With a sharp knife remove the pointy tops and the ends of the stems. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the rough bits of leaves that remain on the hearts as well as the stems. Cut each artichoke in half and using a paring knife remove the sharp, purple leaves and fuzz in the center. Place each artichoke half in a large bowl of cold water, ice cubes and lemon juice for several minutes. Transfer to a pot of boiling water and cook for 6-8 minutes.

Shrimp Salad Stuffed Tomatoes

The only thing that could have made this meal better is homegrown tomatoes. In honor of earth day I hereby pledge to begin growing my own tomatoes. They will taste a million times better and be pesticide free:)

Ingredients:
1 pound peeled coked shrimp (21-25 per pound; thawed if frozen), tails removed, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 medium shallot, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
10 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
2 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
4 large ripe tomatoes, cored

Directions:
Combine shrimp, celery, basil, lives, shallot, mayonnaise, vinegar and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
Carefully hollow out of the inside of each tomato using a melon baller or small spoon; reserve the scooped tomato for another use. To serve, fill each tomato with a generous 1/2 cup of the shrimp salad.
Extra filling works great as a salad on the side!

Pasta-less Ravioli

How did I not know about this?? The part of not eating pasta I miss most is all the scrumptious ravioli fillings. Glad to know I can still enjoy them for a fraction of the grain. (To make this meal completely gluten free try using a flour such as Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour.)

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
2 large eggs
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp plus pinch sea salt, divided
1/4 tsp fresh grated or ground nutmeg
1/3 cup frozen  thawed and drained chopped spinach (squeeze as much water as you can from spinach before using)
4 1/2 cup white or whole-wheat flour, divided (I used much less)
2 cups marinara sauce


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick potato with a fork and bake on a tray for 50 to 60 minutes until tender (I did this the night before.) Allow to cool. Peel and discard skin and mash flesh with a fork; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Whisk in ricotta, parmesan, oregano, pepper, 1/4 tsp salt and nutmeg; whisk until smooth and fluffy, about one minute. Whisk in spinach until incorporated. Fold in 1 cup mashed potato, reserving any extra for future use. Sift 1/2 cup flour into bowl and gently fold in. (NOTE: Mixture will be wet.)
Cover the bottom of a baking dish with flour. Gently scoop ricotta mixture into 2 1/2 tbsp balls; lightly roll each in your palms and drop into flour, making 20-24 balls. Toss flour over balls and pat each gently to coat. Arrange into rows on tray, ensuring balls don't touch and sprinkle desired amount of flour over top.
Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil; add remaining pinch salt. Carefully remove the balls from flour, shaking off and discarding excess and place on a tray. Gently immerse half the balls into boiling water. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, until balls float to the top. Removed with a slotted sppon and transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, in a medium pot on medium, heat marinara sauce until it bubbles. Reduce heat to low, cover and keep warm. Add balls to a large serving bowl and gently coat in sauce.

Lentil Loaf

This recipe is one of the most time intensive I've blogged about given the amount of ingredients and steps required. However, especially if you're a vegan or vegetarian, it's worth it!

I made two lentil loafs last week - one for Dave and me and one for a girlfriend who just recently had a baby and her family. The "gifted" loaf looked beautiful on a serving platter and traveled well so it was a great choice. But after eating our own loaf (both for dinner that night and for lunch the next day) we wished we hadn't given the other one away!

Ingredients:

Lentil Loaf: 1 cup old fashioned oats 1/2 block extra firm tofu (Trader Joe's is my favorite) 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 1/2 cup chopped red pepper 1 tbsp tomato topping mixture (to the right) 3 tbsp corn meal 3/4 cup cooked and drained lentils 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 tsp thyme 1/4 tsp cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp dried parsley 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/4 tsp onion salt 1/4 tsp dried mustard

Tomato Topping: 1 6 oz can tomato paste 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp onion flakes 1 tsp garlic salt

Directions: Mix the tomato topping mixture together first because you will need a tbsp to mix into the lentil loaf. The rest will be set aside to coat the loaf when completed.
Add 1 tbsp of the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat, add chopped onions, red and green bell pepper and let cook until onions are transparent (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently
In a food processor chop oats for 5 quick pulses
Drain tofu well and press with hands until all excess water comes out. In a mixing bowl mash tofu with a fork or crumble with your fingers. In the same mixing bowl combine cooked onions and peppers, 1 tbsp tomato mixture, oats, corn meal, lentils, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil, thyme, cumin, chili powder, parsley, salt, sugar, garlic and onion salt, dried mustard and mix well until combined.
Spray a large sheet of tin foil with cooking spray to form loaf on, place on cookie sheet. On top of foil form loaf mixture into laof that is 2 1/2 inches tall and 4 inches wide and 6 inches long. Coat top and sies with tomato mixture.
Cook loaf for 20 minutes, then cover with tin foil and cook for another 10 minutes. After cooking let col for 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Berry Bean Protein Shake

Between green juice, smoothies and protein shakes I use my Vitamix every day. So it’s a wonder I don’t post more blender recipes! This occurred to me this morning as I was making my FAVORITE protein shake after a real butt kicking at the gym. 

The ingredients may strike you as a little strange for a shake but trust me when I tell you it all blends together perfectly and tastes delicious. I also love it because it’s a complete meal. I have included a chart below to demonstrate the benefits you are getting from each ingredient which include:

8-10 hazelnuts, chopped

1 ½ cup fresh or frozen berries

1/2 cup drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans

1 tbsp ground flaxseeds

1 scoop protein powder (optional)

Ice, two cups of water

Fiber	Protein	Iron	Antioxidants	Vitamin C
Cannellini beans	Cannellini beans	Cannellini beans	Flaxseed	Berries
Hazelnuts	Hazelnuts	Hazelnuts	Berries
Flaxseed	Protein Powder
Berries

All that for 159 calories and 6 grams of fat per 2 cup serving (not counting protein powder.) So it’s a perfect recovery drink/ breakfast after a hard workout and you will still end up with a calorie deficit:)