Flatbread Mexican Pizzas

Do you ever latch on to a recipe once you try it and make it everyother night or so for weeks on end? Well, while it hasn't been weeks yet, this recipe is quickly becoming a favorite. It's fast, easy, flavorful and filling and, as many of our recipies are, easily adaptable.

Enjoy!

Flatbread Mexican Pizzas

4 Flat Out flat breads
1 can black beans, rinsed
½ c cheese
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 c tomatoes
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Garlic powder
Cumin
Salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place flat breads on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 4 minutes (keep an eye on them, they go from crisp to burnt pretty quickly).

Meanwhile, season black beans with garlic powder and cumin to taste. Microwave for about a minute. Set aside until flat breads are done.

Combine bell pepper, green onion and tomatoes in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for about 1-2 minutes, until warm but still crisp.

When flat breads are done, top with ¼ of the beans, and 1/8 c cheese. Place back in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Top with ¼ of the warm veggies, ¼ of the avocado, cilantro and as much salsa as you’d like.

Serves 4.

Lettuce Wraps

By now you should know that our recipes are more like suggestions on how to arrive at a good meal. There is always a lot of room for substitution. Should today's recipe be any different? We didn't think so either. This is perfect for spring, light and easy to prepare. It would make an excellent luncheon if you're into that kind of thing. Regardless, we hope you enjoy these lettuce wraps, no matter what source of protein you try them with. Also, about the photo, I'd like to note that while these are lettuce wraps in the photo, they took a small deviation from the recipe, so your final version may look a tad different, but will promise to be just as yummy.

Enjoy!

Lettuce Wraps

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Tofu, shrimp, lean steak or pork tenderloin would make good substitutions) 

Cooking spray 

4 cups packaged coleslaw mix

2 bell peppers, thickly sliced 

1⁄2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro 

1⁄2 cup unsalted peanuts 

12 Boston lettuce leaves

Sauce: 

1⁄2 cup natural peanut butter 

1⁄2 cup hoisin sauce 

White wine or water 

Garlic chili paste

Prepare chicken on grill or in a large, nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Chop cooked chicken into strips once fully cooked. Set aside.

Combine coleslaw, cilantro, bell peppers and peanuts; set aside.

To prepare the sauce, mix peanut butter, hoisin in a food processor. Add garlic chili paste to taste. Add white wine or water until the desired consistency is reached. Set aside.

Arrange 3 lettuce leaves on each plate, top with chicken, coleslaw mix and sauce. 

Serves 4.

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Spread

This recipe is a smidge summery. But, we all know summer time will be here eventually! It's about this time of the year I stop finding comfort in soup and want to start eating a lighter, more summery menu. I keep envisioning this dish next to a nice spinach salad, maybe with some diced mango, red onion, cilantro and vinegarette dressing. But, it would be nice with a rice pilaf too.

Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with an Avocado Spread
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

For the Fish:
6 salmon steaks, 4-6 ounces each
2 teaspoons garlic power
1 lime
Pepper to taste

For the Spread:
2 avocados, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons low-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Pepper to taste
Sea-salt to taste

Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grates.

In a medium bowl, mash together avocados, garlic, yogurt, and lime juice. Add sea salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Rub salmon with lime slices, sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. Place on the prepared grill and cook about 15 minutes, turning once. They are done when they are easily flaked with a fork.

Serve fish with the avocado mixture alongside.

Serves 6.

Peanut Udon Soup

Thankfully for readers here in Michigan, soup weather seems to be winding down. Or, at least it feels that way this week. But, before it is gone altogether, we invite you to try this soup. This quick and easy dish is great next to a light salad and the udon really reheats well the next day.

Enjoy!

Peanut Udon Soup

Prepared Udon noodles for 4
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock, divided
4 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, sliced
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1T tomato paste
1T low sodium soy sauce
Hot chili sauce to taste

Heat 3 ½ cups stock over medium heat, adding garlic and carrot, simmer 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, put remaining ½ cup stock, peanut butter, tomato paste and soy sauce in a food processer. Once combined, add to stock. Add prepared noodles and green onion. Serve when noodles are heated through.

Garnish with chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds or green onion.

Serves 4.

Sweet Potato Bites

So, what is a Sweet Potato Bite? Well, it's the best name we could come up with for something that isn't crispy like a chip, or fried like a French fry. So, bite it became. These are pretty darn good, and super easy to make. Enjoy them now, next to your favorite winter fare and try them in the summer, along side your favorite burgers or BBQ.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Bites

Bites:

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean

Cooking spray
Sea salt

Dipping Sauce:
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 T catsup
1 T horseradish sauce (try to find one without corn syrup)
Garlic powder

Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Sriracha to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut sweet potato into rounds, sliced thick. Spread on baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10 minutes, flip then return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes (the cooking time will depend on how thick you cut the potatoes).

While the bites are baking, make the sauce by combining all ingredients, and adjusting to taste. Let sauce sit while baking to allow for flavors to combine or refrigerate if not eating right away.

Serves 2-4.

Tex-Mex Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

We've got another easy one for you. Stuffed peppers are a hearty comfort food, and this version is pretty darn healthy and low in calories.  It seems like it has a lot of ingredients, but it will go together quickly. It is another one that can easily be adapted to use up items in the fridge.

If nothing else, try making your own stuffed pepper recipe with quinoa next time (And, since quinoa is high in protein, feel free to leave out the ground beef that is also likely in your own recipe).

Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Adapted from Vegetarian Times (February 1, 2009)

2 large red bell peppers, halved

½ cup quinoa
1 c water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained, but reserve liquid
½ cup corn
½ medium sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups packed spinach, chopped
½ cup grated reduced fat pepper-jack cheese
1T cumin
Olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper

Heat oil in sauce pan over medium heat, adding onion and garlic; sauté until soft. Add cumin, drained tomatoes and spinach. Cook until spinach in wilted and liquid has evaporated. Add quinoa, water, black beans and corn. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, until quinoa is tender – about 20 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat oven to 350. Fill each pepper half with ¼ of the mixture and place in a baking dish. Pour liquid from tomatoes into the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil, poking a few holes in the foil, and bake for an hour. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return the dish, uncovered, to the oven for 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Mushroom Rice

This recipe is a perfect winter recipe. The mushrooms make it hearty without being too heavy, something I think everyone in cold-weather climates can appriciate in late February. This would be ideal next to some beef with some green beans on the side. It also would make a nice vegetarian meal along side some braised tofu. However you choose to serve this dish, we are sure you will like it.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Rice

Adapted from Epicurious (Gourmet, December 1997)


1 cup brown rice
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 pound crimini and shiitake mushrooms, sliced thick
1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
4 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine

In a heavy saucepan prepare rice according to package directions, using vegetable broth in place of water.

While rice is cooking, sauté mushrooms, asparagus and scallions in olive oil over medium-high heat until mushrooms are golden and any liquid is evaporated.

Add wine and simmer, stirring occasionally, until wine is evaporated.

Fluff rice with a fork and stir in mushrooms, asparagus and scallions.

Serves 4.

Skillet Salad

Just like a light, fresh delicate salad is perfect in summer, this skillet salad is perfect in winter. Hearty, filling and warm, it is great as a main dish (feel free to throw some protein on top) or as a side. Don't limit yourself to the ingredients listed here. Any vegetable in your fridge that needs to be used up would probably taste good in this salad.


Enjoy!


Skillet Salad

1 large bowl greens, trimmed, torn, rinsed and drained

2 carrots, sliced

½ sweet or red onion, sliced

6 crimini mushrooms, sliced

½ c red cabbage, sliced

1 c broccoli, cut into small florets

1 bell pepper, sliced

½ c squash, cooked and cubed

1 can beans, drained and rinsed

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and pepper

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the carrots, onions, mushrooms, cabbage and broccoli in a small amount of olive oil.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until softened. Turn up the heat and add bell pepper, beans, greens and a dash of water. Cover for about 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute. Add the squash and stir in. Top with balsamic vinegar or oily dressing of your choosing, and sea salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 2 large servings.

Colorful Couscous

This dish is really the stew of the salad world, in that you can toss in whatever you've got and it will taste great. Zuchinni or summer squash, toss em in. Want a Tex-Mex version? Some corn, a can of black beans and some salsa will give you just that. In fact, this dish doubles as a side dish, so don't think of it just as a salad. It's good cold or warm. Pretty versatile stuff, huh?

Enjoy!  

Colorful Couscous

Recipe has been adapted from Rachel Ray

1 box Israeli couscous

Low-sodium vegetable broth

Olive Oil

Lemon juice

Flat leaf parsley

Cilantro

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Bell Peppers

Pepper

Pour box of couscous into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Lightly toast the couscous until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Prepare couscous according to package directions, substituting vegetable broth for the water. When finished remove from heat to let cool, occasionally fluffing with a fork.

While the couscous is cooking, mince the parsley and cilantro. Seed and cut the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Once the couscous is cool, add olive oil, lemon juice and pepper to taste. Mix in the herbs as well as the diced vegetables. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

This dish is good either warm or cold, and makes a wonderful salad as well as a side dish.

Roasted Root Vegetables

This dish is the ultimate food cure for the winter blues. It's hot, colorful and is just right next to almost anything (salad, check! slab of meat, check!). The starches in these vegetables turn so sugary sweet - we are sure you'll love it. Oh, and it is easy too. While this recipe is for root vegetables, feel free to add in any other roasted veggies you enjoy, like: broccoli, asparagus or cauliflower; just make sure to cut them into similarly sized pieces, keeping in mind they will cook faster - so if they are a little bit bigger, that's okay.

Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetables

6 red new potatoes 

2 medium sweet potatoes 

4 carrots 

3 large parsnips 

3 medium raw beets 

1 large head of garlic, separated and peeled into cloves 

4 T extra virgin olive oil 

2 t rosemary 

2 t thyme 

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut all vegetables into roughly 1 inch cubes.

Place all vegetables with the garlic cloves into a large baking dish and drizzle the olive oil over top and toss to coat evenly. Be sure not to over crowd the pan.

Sprinkle on the rosemary, thyme, sea salt and pepper.

Place, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. Vegetables will be tender and evenly browned.

Serves 6

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Recently, a client brought in a favorite recipe looking to have it adapted to be made more healthfully. By switching out a few ingredients for lower calorie ones, and changing the portion size a bit, the recipe was transformed. The original recipe had an estimated 805 calories with 28 grams of fat and 118 grams of carbohydrates. The adapted recipe is still carb heavy with 84 grams, but that can be expected from a meal of squash. The calorie count now rests at approximately 425 with 5 grams of fat. The protein count took a hit, and is now only 17 grams, but most don't look to squash for their protein now, do they? 


Enjoy!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Adapted from a client’s recipe

2 large acorn squash 

1⁄2 sweet onion, chopped 

4 oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped 

3⁄4 C low-fat ricotta cheese 

4 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese 

Egg whites from 2 eggs 

3 packed cups fresh spinach, chopped 

Sea salt and pepper to taste 

Pinch of nutmeg 

2 slices whole grain bread, toasted dark

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut both squash in half and scoop out the seeds and discard.

Mix together all remaining ingredients, except for the toast.

Turn toast into breadcrumbs by mixing in a food processor.

Spoon 1⁄4 of the cheese and vegetable mixture into each half of squash. Top with 1⁄4 of the breadcrumbs.

Bake the filled squash in a shallow cooking dish for about 1 hour, or until a fork easily pierces the skin.

Serve immediately. 

Serves 4.

(Vegetarian) Quick Chili

We heard the collective groans from the carnivores, but we want you to give this a try. This is carnivore approved! For those of you prepping for a Super Bowl party, this is a guilt-free recipe and we’re sure you won’t miss the beef. Plus, it is just more than 300 calories per serving, so you can fill up on something healthy (lots of fiber plus 22 grams of protein) and not indulge in as many fatty Super Bowl snacks. This is also a great pick for those who observe Meatless Monday (yes, that’s a real thing) or abstain from meat on Fridays – really, it’s for anyone trying to eat healthier.

Enjoy!

(Vegetarian) Quick Chili

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 packet hot chili seasoning (like McCormick’s)   
   or combination of favorite spicy spices to cut

   down on sodium

12 oz ground meat substitute (like MorningStar  
   Farms crumbles) or browned lean ground  
   meat

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans of your favorite beans (kidney, black, 
   pinto, etc).

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

Sautee vegetables in oil, in a large pot. Add remaining ingredients and heat through. To make it extra spicy try a can of chipotle in adobo.  

Serves 4-6.

Now, we know that adding extras to top off chili is a common practice. So, go bonkers with the fresh diced tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. But, when it comes to sour cream, shredded cheese and oyster crackers, we have a few suggestions…

First, try Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It is healthier and contains more protein. Next, if you must have shredded cheese, for the love of exercise, measure it out and don’t blindly throw in a handful. Just a pinch will make it stringy. And, commit to omit the crackers. This recipe is already chock full of healthy carbohydrates and fiber, no need to add extra calories with white flour.

Kale Chips

Kale Chips are a funny thing. Somehow baking the kale removes the bitter taste and brings out a nutty flavor. True, these don't taste like potato chips. But they can satisfy your craving for something salty and crunchy. Over the summer it seems that many a blogger was making these, and there is no shortage of variations of this recipe on the internet. This is how we have come to make them. 

Enjoy!

Kale Chips 

1 bunch kale 

1 T olive oil 

Sea salt 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Remove the kale leaf from the stems, and tear into bite sized pieces. Wash a dry the kale (use a salad spinner or roll the kale in a clean kitchen towel to remove all water droplets). Add kale to a large bowl and top with olive oil; toss to coat. 

Place kale in one layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and sprinkle with sea salt, to taste. 

Bake about 10 minutes, until the edges are browned (don’t let them burn, keep a close eye on them).

Feel free to experiment with some spices too. Garlic powder, cumin or pepper might be nice. Also, some people swear by adding an acid like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the chips after coating them in oil. 

Serves 4. 

Sushi Bowls

These are a favorite because of how simple they are. Truly, they are equivalent to soup, in that they are a great way to use up odds and ends around the kitchen. If you aren't one for experimenting in the kitchen, and not following a hard and fast recipe makes you nervous - fear not! These are really hard to mess up. They are good hot or cold (but you might find that your choice of protein determines your preference) and they are pretty filling. 

Enjoy!

Sushi Bowls

1⁄2 C brown rice 

1⁄4 C TVP or 1⁄2 C other protein, see below* 

1⁄2 sheet nori, cut into confetti sized pieces (use kitchen shears) 

Assorted vegetables, diced 

Wasabi (squeezable, found with the mustards works best), to taste 

Low-sodium soy sauce, to taste

* Assorted sushi grade fresh raw fish, or cooked meats of your choosing, diced

Prepare brown rice according to package directions, set aside. Prepare TVP or dice selected protein and mix with rice. Add assorted diced vegetables (avocado, bell pepper and green onion are good ones to try – use whatever you like best in sushi rolls or whatever you have on hand) and sprinkle in the nori. Top with soy sauce and wasabi, to taste.

This is good either warm or cold, but your choice of protein may determine how you like it best.

Makes 1 serving. 

Happy New Year

In 2011 we hope to expand our blog! 

The recipes will still appear every Wednesday, but now they will include a little commentary with them too. 

Also, we will (soon) begin posting our daily workouts on the blog, so that you can see that we ask as much of ourselves as we do from you, our clients. 

We would like to thank our family, friends, clients and readers for their support. If you don't yet follow us on Facebook or Twitter, we'd love for you to do so. Also, if you are unfamiliar with our website, don't forget to check out www.InfiniteIron.com.