Category Archives: Main Entree

Honey Soy Drumsticks

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soy honey chicken

 

Baked chicken is an easy and healthy choice for dinner, but can often get boring and dull. I started playing around with this recipe when I decided to cut back on carbs for our weeknight dinners. It has become one of my favorite dishes because I love how crispy the chicken gets from baking at a high temperature on a wire rack. Chicken drumsticks are also inexpensive so you don’t end up blowing through your food budget. Most of the dish’s flavor comes from the honey soy sauce so you can use chicken breasts or thighs if you aren’t a fan of drumsticks.

Serve these apple honey drumsticks with sauteed kale or pumpkin mac and cheese for your next dinner and you will be set!  Continue reading →

Turkey Chili

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turkey chili
There’s nothing more satisfying, sometimes, than a hot bowl of chili on a cold winter’s night. My mom and I used to make chili with the seasoning packets they sell at the store. All the different spices were conveniently premixed for you, including tons of sodium. I took a look at the nutrition information on one of these packets a few years ago and was shocked at the sodium content! Since then, I have been making chili using my own spices and seasoning at home. I think it’s a much better choice because you control the amount and quality of ingredients that go into your food. It’s also not that much more difficult or time consuming. You probably already have all the necessary ingredients sitting on your spice rack.

I’ve played around with different recipes, but I really like this particular version of my turkey chili. It has less calories and fat because I use lean turkey. Plus, there’s tons of nutrients from the beans and carrots I add. You can substitute other veggies of your choice if you don’t like beans or carrots. Red peppers, corn, and zucchini would all work very well.

Give my recipe a try sometime this winter and you’ll have a delicious pot of chili in no time!  Continue reading →

Easy Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

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An oldie but a goodie! Perfect for dinner this fall.

Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese, especially when it’s home-made? I’ve tried many mac and cheese recipes in the past and have found a few that are amazing; however, they do take some time to prepare and bake. That’s why this easy pumpkin mac and cheese is my new favorite recipe! Not only does it have healthy nutrients from the pumpkin, but it’s so quick and easy to make. Plus, the pumpkin puree adds a rich creaminess to the dish so you don’t have to use that much cheese, which means less calories!

I was inspired to make this dish one night while watching Rachael Ray make a mac and cheese using butternut squash. My mouth was literally watering while watching the show. Needless to say, I wanted to make mac and cheese for dinner, but I didn’t have any butternut squash. The only thing I did have was canned pumpkin puree. So, I decided to wing it and make the dish using pumpkin puree and a few other substitute ingredients. I also kicked up the spiciness of the dish by adding red pepper flakes. The result? An awesome pumpkin mac and cheese!  Continue reading →

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

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I discovered this recipe during my quest to find a baked pasta dish that wasn’t lasagna or baked ziti. No offense to either of those dishes (I love them both), but I wanted to make a pasta dish that didn’t include any meat or tons of ricotta cheese. I was watching the Food Network Channel one day and saw an episode of Everyday Italian with Giada. She made it look super easy to prepare and so yummy! So I decided to give it a try.

Michael was a little skeptical the first time I made this dish because there wasn’t any meat in it; however, he was pleasantly surprised after taking a few bites. There are just so many different flavors in the dish, ranging from the herbs de Provence in the roasted vegetables to the melted smoked mozzarella, that your taste buds are surprisingly satisfied. After playing around with the recipe a few times, I made a few tweaks to make it even more perfect for my own taste buds :). I portioned the recipe to make about four “normal” servings; however, Michael and I nearly finished the dish after one sitting ;). The leftovers taste even better the next day, but you can definitely separate the pasta into two portions before baking. Simply put one portion in a baking dish for today and freeze the other portion in an airtight container to bake another day. Continue reading →

Oven-Steamed Fish with Shitake, Soy Sauce, Ginger, and Scallions

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This is my take on the classic Chinese-style steamed fish with soy sauce. Since I don’t have a proper steamer and prefer to cook fish in the oven, I decided to use the old parchment paper/foil trick! Similar to my baked salmon recipe, I “steam” this dish by wrapping everything in foil packets and baking it in the oven. It’s a quick and healthy way to cook fish, while leaving for a fast and easy cleanup! (Simply throw away the foil and you’re done! No need to wash the pan since it was lined with foil.) I love how all the juices stay in the foil packets, keeping the fish moist. Best of all, you have a wonderful sauce to drizzle over a side of jasmine rice or soba noodles. Yummmm!  Continue reading →

Baked Salmon

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This quick and delicious salmon recipe was inspired by Michael. The first dish he ever made for me was salmon baked in parchment paper. He piled chopped tomatoes, garlic, and onion onto salmon fillets and wrapped them up with parchment paper. This allowed the fish to steam in the oven, creating moist and quick-cooking fish fillets. I’ve continued to use his recipe and cooking method, but simply changed a few things ;). I added herbs and spices to the recipe, and use foil instead of parchment paper. I find that it’s easier to fold and wrap, and is less expensive than parchment paper.

What I love about baking fish in foil or parchment paper is you could use almost any type of fish fillet and toppings. We eat a lot of fish during the week, and this cooking method allows me to make healthy dinners in a short amount of time. Besides this salmon recipe, I’ve also made codfish topped with shitake mushrooms, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil. YUMMY! Continue reading →

Chicken Enchiladas

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I love Mexican food; unfortunately, my waistline doesn’t! I don’t think traditional Mexican food is necessarily high in calories or fat, but rather the way restaurants prepare it nowadays. They load the dishes up with tons of cheese and sour cream, and who knows how much oil was used in the kitchen. Hence, I tend to make a lot of Mexican inspired dishes at home so I can control the quality and quantity of ingredients.

I got the idea for this easy chicken enchilada recipe from Rachael Ray. I love how she always manages to keep her ingredients list to a minimum while making sure the dish doesn’t take you hours to prepare. I made a few tweaks to her recipe, however, to cut down on the calorie and carb level. I also added time to let the meat marinate so that it’s juicier and more flavorful. I made my chicken enchiladas with a red tomato sauce, but you could also use my recipe for a green tomatillo sauce! Continue reading →

Teriyaki Steak with Japanese Vegetable Soup

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This recipe was inspired by two things: 1) my quest to eat low- to no-carb dinners that still leave me full and satisfied, and 2) my love for Japanese soups! I came across the original recipe in a Food Network Magazine last year and made it for dinner one night. It came out pretty good, but I’ve played around with it since to enhance the depth of the broth’s flavors and to make a more tender steak. I also changed the vegetables in the recipe to fit my own preferences :). You could add or reduce the amount of vegetables in my recipe, or even use other vegetables. Napa cabbage, spinach, white daikon, radish, snow peas, or sweet potatoes would also work well in this soup. The possibilities are endless!

The broth in this recipe has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and slightly tart flavors found in typical Japanese style soups. It is so flavorful and is perfect for any night where you’re looking for a lighter, yet still satisfying, meal. And if you’re in the mood for a Japanese style noodle soup, simply add soba, udon, or ramen noodles to the dish! I’ve added soba noodles a few times and it was absolutely delicious.

So make sure to try out this recipe the next time you’re in the mood for a Japanese inspired meal. You won’t be disappointed! Continue reading →

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

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I have fallen in love with this recipe. If you are tired of eating dry and bland baked chicken, you will fall in love with this recipe too! You would never think that making such moist, succulent, and flavorful chicken could be this easy. Anyone who knows me will tell you I greatly dislike chicken breasts; however, with this amazing recipe, I will throw down chicken breasts in a heartbeat!

The original recipe is from one of my favorite chefs, Ina Garten. Although I loved the original recipe, I made a few tweaks to reflect my own preferences. I opted to use fresh herbs instead of dried since I have them readily available from my mini-garden. I also added red pepper flakes because Michael and I love our food on the spicy side. Most importantly, though, I used bone-in chicken breasts because the meat comes out much more moist. The bone adds so much more flavor to the chicken while roasting as well. I also used chicken drumsticks in my recipe because I personally like them. You can feel free to use more chicken breasts, or chicken thighs instead.

So the next time you’re planning on making chicken breasts again for dinner, give this recipe a try! I promise they’ll stop responding with, “chicken again?” 😉 Continue reading →

Bolognese “Cupcakes”

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Sometimes, there is nothing more homey and satisfying to me than good meatloaf. I used to love it when my family went to Old Country Buffet or Golden Corral when I was growing up. (I still love buffets – don’t judge.) My favorite items to get at the buffet were meatloaf and spaghetti. Although I loved eating the two together, I always thought it was such an odd combination, until now. When you think about it, meatloaf is essentially a giant meatball. The same basic ingredients go into both dishes – ground beef, onions, breadcrumbs, and eggs. THAT’S why it went so well with my spaghetti :).

Nowadays, however, I have to watch my daily calorie and cholesterol intake, which is why I was so excited to find this recipe in a Prevention magazine. It’s a “healthy” take on traditional meatloaf because it includes lean ground beef, quinoa instead of breadcrumbs, and grated carrots for extra flavor and nutrients. Cooking the meat in a muffin pan instead of an entire loaf is genius because it cuts your cooking time down to just 25 minutes. The individual “cupcake” portions are also ideal for two people.

Michael was a little skeptical about the recipe when I first showed him. With a raised eyebrow, he said, “Meatloaf made with quinoa? Hmmm, I don’t know…” Boy did I prove him wrong! It turned out SO incredibly yummy! There were just so many nice flavors in every bite. Since I used lean ground beef, the carrots and onions added the much needed moisture and sweetness to the dish. The quinoa was also great because it added a nice fluffy softness to the meatloaf. Eating these little “cupcakes” made me feel like a kid again :). Give these bolognese “cupcakes” a try the next time you’re craving something homey! It’s also a great recipe for kids because they don’t know these “cupcakes” are packed with healthy ingredients! Continue reading →