Dish of the Day 5/1/2012

HAPPY MAY!! I love this month! The weather is beautiful, the air is fresh and it's my birthday month :)
Today's recipe is perfect for a summer BBQ. As you know, I don't eat red meat, and this pork recipe is delish! Enjoy!

MARINATED PORK KABOBS

Recipe Courtesy of: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Marinated-Pork-Kabobs

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
• 8 small white onions, halved
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and coriander; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
• Alternate the pork, onions, tomatoes and peppers on eight metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill, covered, over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until meat juices run clear. Yield: 8 servings.

Dish of the Day 4/30/2012

Good morning and happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday...it was a busy day! It's the last day of April! Can you believe it?! That was a fast Winter season, huh?
Today's recipe is delicious AND nutritious! I love salmon and I LOVE Jerk seasoning! My husband and I went to Jamaica on our honeymoon 5 years ago and I feel in love with the flavors of the Caribbean :) 
*NOTE: I use quinoa instead of the white rice since I am gluten-free*

CARIBBEAN JERK SALMON BOWL

Recipe courtesy of: http://pinchofyum.com/caribbean-jerk-salmon-bowl-with-mango-salsa#more-4092

Author: Pinch of Yum

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. wild caught salmon filet with skin (in one or several pieces)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon curry
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 1 12 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 large red onion, diced
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 squeeze lime juice
• 1 avocado (optional)

Instructions

1. Stir the spices together. Rub over salmon filets (on the meat and also the skin if you want). Sprinkle with sea salt.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add salmon, starting skin side down, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add more oil as necessary to prevent from sticking. Flip the salmon and cook another 3-5 minutes on the meat side. The salmon will start to get a brown crust on the outside from the spices.
3. When salmon is mostly cooked, pull off the skin, leaving just the pieces of meat in the skillet. Break up into smallish pieces and leave on heat until completely cooked through (not translucent). Once the pieces are cooked, remove from heat – salmon dries out quickly if you overcook it.
4. Combine mangoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and avocado in a small bowl and stir until combined. Season with sea salt.
5. Stir together rice and beans and season with several pinches of salt, adding a tablespoon water if necessary.
6. Divide between bowls, layering the rice and beans, salmon, and salsa into each bowl.

Dish of the Day 4/28/2012

Happy Saturday! The weekend is here and I'm already off to a busy start! So today's "dish" isn't a "dish", more like a healthy and quick breakfast you can grab on the go! Packed with protein, non-fat Greek yogurt and a handful of raw almonds is a great way to start you're day! 


Have a fabulous weekend!

Dish of the Day 4/27/2012

BLACK BEAN, CORN AND SHRIMP "SALAD"

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light, posted on: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-corn-shrimp-salad-10000001072198/

Ingredients:
    * 1 tablespoon chili powder
    * 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    * 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
    * Cooking spray
    * 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
    * 1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
    * 3/4 cup bottled salsa
    * 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

    * 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation:
   1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
   2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat.
   3. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice. Remove shrimp from pan. Add corn to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in salsa, cilantro, and beans; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice. Serve shrimp over bean mixture.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving

    * Calories: 354
    * Calories from fat: 12%
    * Fat: 4.8g
    * Saturated fat: 0.7g
    * Monounsaturated fat: 0.7g
    * Polyunsaturated fat: 2.4g
    * Protein: 43.3g
    * Carbohydrate: 34.9g
    * Fiber: 9.1g
    * Cholesterol: 259mg
    * Iron: 7.6mg
    * Sodium: 827mg
    * Calcium: 148mg

Chocolate Wasted!!

So...I must admit, I have a soft spot for chocolate (dark chocolate, to be exact). I have been looking for a "healthier" chocolate that I wont feel so guilty about eating, and I stumbled upon this deliciousness while checking out at Trader Joes last week! I.AM.HOOKED! This stuff is SO good and is MUCH lighter in fat, calories and carbs than regular chocolate bars. The bars come in Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate with Almonds. I am diggin' the Dark and Dark w/almonds! I actaully have a bar of each in my freezer now :) You never know when you're going to need a piece, so I keep some on hand for those "chocolate emergency" moments....LOL. This chocolate is gluten free, no sugar added, low carb, no trans fat and reduced calories/fat! What's not to love?!

Here's a link to the Simply Lite website: http://www.simplylitefoods.com/

Dish of the Day 4/26/2012

Happy Thursday! Can you smell the weekend?! It's getting closer! It's supposed to be another warm weekend around these parts, so today I am sharing with you a fresh and easy summer salad you'll love!! 

SUMMER SALAD

Recipe courtesy of "Kalyn's Kitchen" http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/07/not-so-dumb-salad-recipe-with-cucumbers.html

Not-so-Dumb Salad Recipe with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Onions, Avocado, and Balsamic Vinegar
(Makes 2 generous servings or 4 side-dish servings, recipe created by a reader named Lisa who lives on Maui.)

Ingredients:
3 small Persian cucumbers or garden cucumbers
1 cup diced tomato or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly diagonally sliced green onion or thinly sliced sweet onion (or more)
1 avocado
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (optional, for tossing with avocado)
about 1 T good-quality balsamic vinegar (I used Fini)
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise, then slice into half-moon slices.  (I never peel Persian cucumbers, but if you use other cucumbers you might want to peel some of the skin off in stripes before you slice them.)  Dice tomatoes or cut cherry tomatoes in half to make one cup.  (Only make this salad when you have flavorful fresh tomatoes.)  Diagonally slice green onion or slice onion to make 1/4 cup, or more if you like onion.  Peel and cut up the avocado into small cubes.

Combine the cucumber, tomato, onion, and avocado in a plastic or glass bowl and gently toss together.  Add a small amount of balsamic vinegar, enough to barely coat the veggies, and toss again.  (I used about a tablespoon of vinegar, which was plenty.)  Season to taste with your favorite sea salt and plenty of fresh-ground black pepper.

If you're making more salad than is going to be eaten right away you can toss the avocado with a few teaspoons of fresh lemon juice so they don't turn brown, but this is best freshly made.   If you like it as much as I did, you probably won't have leftovers no matter how much you make!

Just Run!

I found this on Pinterest this morning and wanted to share it with you guys. You know me, I'm all about cardio...especially running!