Martha's Corn and Turkey Salad (gone clean!)

Along with my new Clean Eating magazine, my 25 year old going on 45 year old ass, got the new Martha Stewart Living magazine. Yes. My mother got the subscription for me and I absolutely adore it! So many crafts – so many delicious recipes – so much inspiration! It’s my once a month, sit at the pool, guilty pleasure to sift through coral infused living rooms and 101 ways to use a flower pot… Yes. I am this lame. And proud of it ;)

More to the point, I found this delectibly simple recipe for Bone in Turkey Breast – and along with it a corresponding recipe for a Corn and Turkey Salad… Simply typing it makes me hunger for it! Cooking the turkey takes, maybe an hour total with cooking, resting and cutting… But the salad assembly in a synch! And who doesn’t love a simple, summer meal? Well I’ll tell you one thing, Martha Stewart and I are on the same page with this one!

Rosemary Steak with Arugula and Blue Cheese

I recently got a new issue of Clean Eating magazine … and this recipe was staring me in the face! How delicious – I thought! I had a whole bunch of arugula from a tomato, arugula recipe from a week ago, and this was the perfect way to finish off the allotment!

So simple, so delicious – I am becoming a master of cooking steaks, indoors that is. Steve was telling me a while back that most restaurants cook steak either just pan-searing or a combination of pan-seared AND broiled… either way.. I am learning to secrets to the perfect steak YUM!

Clean Eating Pan Seared Tilapia with Avocado Citrus Salsa

So, if you haven’t picked up on this one already, I am a bit of a planner. And if I am going to eat right, I need to plan to eat right. This means I need to write out every dang meal, collect every dang ingredient, for the whole dang week – or I’m dang screwed. But my Type A organization works here – it really does! Taking the guess-work out of “What’s for Dinner” really forces you to be regimented… and that’s the whole point!

This recipe surfaced when I created a meal plan for the week with basically chicken and veggies. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love chicken, and I love vegetables, but variety is the spice of life people!

Enter Pan Seared Tilapia with Avocado Citrus Salsa… admittedly this is a weird recipe. At first I was a little hesitant to combine all these ingredients, but I thought Steve would love it (he’s far more adventurous than I am) so I gave it a whirl. What a GREAT risk! It was absolutely divine! You HAVE to try this!! Its quick, delicious and light! The perfect summer meal

Operation White Dress: Lemon Walnut Chicken

I stepped on a scale Friday...Hell of a day to step on a scale I know. And to boot, it was horrible. Who ever said numbers can't be mean -- well, quite frankly, I believe some lying skinny bitch probably said that while she downed her last of many martinis. All the weight I had lost from eating clean and running every day has come back… Yo-yoing so 1994… But in four short weeks I have undone everything I worked so hard and passionately for. Traveling is amazing but UGH it certainly takes a toll on your numbers... I don't even want to know my butt measurement right now - I would make Beyonce jealous for sure. 

So today, we started Operation White Dress. I bought a workout DVD incase its too hot out to run (a common excuse in our household), and my yoga mat is back in full operation. I even bought myself a new sports bra to inspire me to wear workout clothes – and the rule is if you want to wear the clothes, you have to do the work.

There will be no cheating.

There will be no processed crap entering this house.

There will be no excuses.

However!

There will be planning.

There will be cooking.

There will be sweat.

There will be pride and confidence in this house again! (insert Braveheart howl here)

My triumphant return to the stove: Chicken Piccata with Parmesan Couscous

I cooked again! And the weird thing was I remembered where all the tools were :P Although initially it was like calling the doctor to make an annual check-up appointment, even though you haven’t been in four years… or maybe even like pulling teeth pre-Novocain… or maybe even going to work without coffee (the worst of all  three!) … But once I got over that initial hump of “holy crap, how do I do this?” … it was GREAT! I forgot that cooking isn’t a chore with the right foods, some good tunes and maybe a glass of wine (or two) – but rather it’s really enjoyable and fun! And the best part, by far, is putting that creation on the table and seeing someone’s face when they take the first bite. 

Panini Heroes Continued: Prosciutto and Grilled Asparagus Panini

Well after the success of the Turkey Panini, I figured we would have another relaxed but delicious dinner this past Monday (and subsequent delicious lunch Tuesday) and do another Panini. After crusing the internet for inspiration I decided to combine a few recipes I saw, but put a little twist. It's not exactly "clean eating" but its better than a lot of alternatives! Just trusty ol' fashioned good eats :)

I’ll keep this post short since I’ve already gushed about the grill pan and it’s wondrous and numerous uses… But seriously, it doesn’t get much better, much easier, and much more delicious for 5 minutes of effort… than this. 

the infamous Grill Pan introduces our star player: Turkey Panini

Music: Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin (oh yeah... eat your heart out)

Drink: Water

Question: So what do you when you are having a particularly tiresome day, but still want to cook and eat something absolutely delicious?

Question: After making that fabulous aioli, how can I use it on more things, but keep it fresh and new?

Question: How do I do all this in one pan?

Answer: Panini.

After our longest but wonderful and victorious run yet, the last thing I wanted to do was get out lots of complicated instructions and.. well … try! What?! I was tired! (and sweaty!) So I literally took all five ingredients and the grill pan (my favorite kitchen utensil of the moment) and off we went!

And here is where I am going to put in a plug for the underrated Grill Pan. Honestly, I wasn’t so jazzed when we bought this.. thinking “who wants nasty soaked-in-its-own-grease table top burgers?” or “if I want to grill I’ll light the dang grill!” …oh no. I was mistaken

So versatile!

So simple to clean!

So fabulous!

I mean not only crispy paninis.. but perfect chicken... tender turkey burgers all worthy of great salivation. Hungry yet? Good! Go make a Panini on your new grill pan :P

Remember to always experiment! Try switching up the ingredients… Go wild! This makes ordinary sandwiches look… well…  ordinary!

Dinner on the Porch? Tomato Basil Rotini

Music: B.o.B

Drink: None - I’m too busy chopping!

Never have I wanted an herb garden more than I do right now. The smell of basil is just one of those beautiful scents… Like vanilla or garlic... it’s just something I love smelling when I cook. This recipe is just clean, light, delicious and has basil, tomatoes and cheese! An Italian girl’s favorite (yes, I am pulling the 1/6^th part Italian ancestry card right now…) combination!  

Now embarrassingly enough this is the first time I have purchased fresh parmesan cheese to add instead of that processed garbage… holy crap.. what was I THINKING?! (I know what you are thinking, “How can she even consider herself Italian? I bet she likes Ragu too…” Well I do and I USED to! I’ve since seen the light!)

I have cooked recipes like this (but found this one here) about a billion times in the past, but the fresh ingredients made it light, very un-pasta-coma-like, and crisp, not salty or sticky. Totally worth the extra trip to the supermarket..

Note: You should totally add chicken for protein if you have some precooked, or if you have time to bake it… unfortunately I didn’t budget enough time and ended up making a delicious vegetarian dish :D When eating clean, you should always strive to combine lean proteins with complex carbohydrates…

So major take-aways:

1.       Use fresh basil

2.       Use fresh parmesan cheese

3.       Find a 25^th hour in the day, or con your job into letting you work 6 hours for the price of 8…

4.       That cliché about fresh ingredients being the key to a successful dish… totally true

Lazy Thursday... Rosemary Grilled Pork and Asparagus

Music: Mumford & Sons

Drink: boring ol’ water

Feeling less than motivated today (hence the mellllow music), I could not have been happier that this meal was on our schedule tonight. Steve was busy studying for finals and Chili doesn’t have opposable thumbs… so I was on my own. This is one of those evenings I wish it had rained so I had an excuse to curl up on the couch and eat popcorn for dinner… Alas, this city being what it is, it was (unfortunately) sunny and 75 out… So out we went, and on came dinner…

Where was I? Back to the food!

I don’t even know that this deserves a recipe, it’s just that simple. Literally, marinate, cook, eat. Do things in the kitchen get any easier than that? I’ll tell you… not typically…not typically…

However, given this “simplicity” constraint, it is not WOW-OMG-when-can-we-eat-this-again-amazing, but it’s also not holy-crap-throw-that-out-NOW bad… It’s just fine… which sometimes… is just what you are looking for…

Grill-less Grill! Clean Eating Balsamic Marinated Pork with Grilled Peaches

I did not cook this today (clearly, thanks to the timestamp, that is blaringly obvious) But I just have to get this out… A confession if you will

This is, literally, the easiest recipe in the world!

AND ITS GOOD FOR YOU!

AND IT’S DIVINE!!

The recipe is from Clean Eating Magazine.. and is BRILLIANT! We marinate ours over night for convenience, but you can marinate the day of if life allows. But literally I cannot rave enough about this - I give this recipe out as often as I can!! YUM!!!!

Unsuccessful 101: Clean Eating Peanut Tahini Pasta

After a trying 1.5 mile run, I was really looking forward to this one. Peanut, chicken, tomatoes, PASTA.. what’s not to like right? I’ll tell you, the proportions… Apparently Tiffany from the Gracious Pantry really likes peanut butter!

This isn’t all together a travesty though..I think with some monkeying this can work out to be a tasty dish for those who don’t want to all together bathe in peanut butter.. But it might be a while before I return to this sticky mess… *sigh* they can’t all be miracles in a pan!

To be amended…. This is the original recipe from the Gracious Pantry

Heaven comes on toast: Clean Neufchatel Red Pepper Tea Sandwiches

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this in the past, but I LOVE goat cheese. (yes, I know, I’m obsessed) Well, when I started thumbing through Tosca Reno’s Clean Eating Books, I discovered a close cousin: Neufchatel. UGH! Is it heavenly!

Although not for the budget eater, this little treasure is a mix between brie and goat cheese (in my mind anyway) – salty but savory! Just the right amount of cheesy resistance (the Baby Bear of cheese consistency you could call it)

Perfect for a snack at work (with a little assembly – it’s been done!) or dressy enough for a schmaltzy brunch – this is a sure fire hit! This recipe is adapted from Miss Tosca herself… Eat it with squeaky love my friends J

The Cure to all Mornings: Clean Oatmeal Pancakes

I don’t like eggs... Well, I do like eggs in cake, pie, cookies...

Ahem...let me rephrase…

I don’t like breakfast eggs.

Now, as a person who is egg-averse, breakfast tends to be more of a desert than an actual meal: waffles with whipped cream, crepes with nutella… I mean YUM, but who has room in their pants for such indulgences every day? Well, what about pop-tarts or bars? Cereals? Freezer solutions are abounding! …all I have to say is read the ingredients people…

This is one of those back-pocket, every-day, microwave-friendly, just add fresh berries PERFECT recipes! A staple in our houss-i mean-apartment :) if you want a more traditional pancake texture, I would recommend grinding the oats first, but if you don’t, it’s just as tasty! This tasty treat will give you a GREAT boost to start your day, keep you full for hours, and all with as little as 150 calories per pancake!

Feel free to substitute/add other ingredients to the batter for a change of flavor! Bananas, Strawberries, even walnuts!  I always eat mine with fresh strawberries as a topping ..mmm!

Clean Eating Savory Mushroom Oatmeal

We are about to dive into a new obsession of mine: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/

She is a real help with clean eating! We have bought several cookbooks, and continue to scour the internet for clean recipes to keep our taste buds dancing.. but this little lady is one stop shopping!!

Well, we are on a two week, sugar free challenge. Voluntarily.

I almost broke a few times so far (its day 7)… wanting a glass of wine, a cookie, (I’m a desert FIEND), shortbread!  But Steve has really been pushing me to finish this one with my head held high and victory in my hand! And I will!!

We have discovered many recipes on this challenge, some good, some not so suited for our refined pallets (well, mine really, Steve will eat anything…)

Here is a GOODIE!

This is wonderful for a lazy weekend brunch-y moment (it’s SO easy!), or maybe when you're feeling a little famished and want something to really fill you up in the morning without lying like a brick in your stomach. yum yum YUM!! I added more mushrooms because they are wonderful… Play around!

(original recipe found here)

Orecchiette? Oh-rah-what? Orecchiette with cherry tomatoes and arugula

Another gem from my favorite online recipe goddess at www.smittenkitchen.com. On her blog she hand makes the pasta, but let's be serious, after work you hardly want to hand-make pasta, so I'm just going to take the complex part out of it. Truth of the matter is this dish is fabulous for dinner then equally  fab for lunch reheated the next day.... and I loathe leftovers. 

As far as finding the pasta goes, I had to search for a while in the pasta section, but it was there! If you don't want to hunt, or you just don't care, any kind of softer, smaller pasta will do. I think its totally worth the hunt - it’s a marvelous pasta! 

 Orecchiette with cherry tomatoes and arugula (25 minutes)

Ingredients

×          2 cups dry orecchiette

×          2 tablespoons olive oil

×          2 cloves of garlic, minced

×          2 small shallots, finely chopped (PS you should always have these handy!)

×          1 pint mixed red and yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered (or you can be boring and just use red)

×          2 cups fresh arugula, de-stemmed, roughly chopped

×          Salt and pepper

×          Parmesan

Instructions

1.       Cook pasta fully, strain and set aside

2.       Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat

3.       Add garlic and shallots. Sauté until soft but not browned (about 5 minutes)

4.       Add chopped cherry tomatoes and cook until they have softened but not lost completely lost their form (about 3-5 minutes)

5.       Add pasta, reheating it in the sauce and seasoning with salt and pepper

6.       Add the arugula, stirring it until it has just wilted

7.       Add parmesan and enjoy!

In loving memory of Papa Fritz: Figgy Goat-Pig Pizza

Oh what I wouldn't give for some Bertuccis or Papa Gino's... But alas, none to be found. And for a girl from the North, this is a painful transition. But lucky for me there is a quick and simple solution to a) missing delicious pizza, b) being broke, c) being hungry -- homemade pizza! Now since my right hand man was at work (likely excuse I know) and I was incredibly unmotivated (more so the excuse), I made this with a store-bought crust. Blasphemy I know, but we will make this completely from scratch for Version 2.0 and post again!

The great thing about pizza is it tends to take more prep time than cooking time. Maybe 20 minutes tops for cooking these little babies, that is with the right crust J

A Figgy Goat-Pig (20 minutes)

Ingredients

×          Olive Oil (I use grape seed oil)

×          Fig jam or jelly

×          Goat cheese, crumbled

×          1 medium yellow onion, caramelized (this means throw in a pan with a little butter)

×          Prosciutto

×          Arugula 

Instructions

1.       Brown crust on a nonstick, greased, cookie sheet

2.       Remove from oven and brush on oil.

3.       Spread a very thin layer of Fig jam, the crumble on the goat cheese and onions

4.       Return to the oven for ~5 minutes or until browned

5.       Remove from oven and add prosciutto and arugula once the pizza has had time to cool. I usually do it per slice since its cleaner

Presto Change-o its a Figgy Pig! 

You Thoughtless Cow: Skirt Steak with mushrooms and onions

Skirt steak is cheap, thin, and delicious! Just throw some seasonings (steak seasonings, salt, pepper, garlic, paprika... you name it steak loves it!) on it and sear that sucker in a pan. Pair with mom’s Worcestershire mushrooms (with optional but fantastic onions) and it’s too good to be true! Just more proof that you don’t need carbs to eat a wonderful meal. But if you must, toast a piece of bread and put the whole thing on top :) yum!

 Skirt Steak with mushrooms and onions (20 minutes)

Ingredients

×          Any steak that’s on sale, I tend to look for 1 lb or more

×          1 tablespoon of butter

×          1 medium yellow onion

×          1 small package of button mushrooms

×          Salt and Pepper

×          Worcestershire sauce

×          Celery Salt

×          Tabasco sauce

×          Garlic Salt

Instructions

In medium skillet number one:

1.       Melt 1 tb butter

2.       As soon as the butter begins to crackle, toss in your pre-seasoned steak

3.       For medium-rare, cook for 3-4 minutes on each side

4.       Remove steak and let rest

In a second smaller skillet, at the same time that you start the butter in the first

1.       Add thinly sliced onion and a small bit of butter if you want (I don’t use it but, you are a Fenton)

2.       Cook onion until it starts to give, but not browned!

3.       Add sliced mushrooms

4.       Add salt, Worcestershire, celery salt, Tabasco, garlic salt and whatever else you 

Cuban Marinated Steak with Chimichuri Sauce

So my coworker and I have a few favorite spots to spoil ourselves during lunch (and by spoil I mean this is a regular occurrence... we're indulgent little worker bees) But we do have a favorite within our favorites ... We have nicknamed it, aptly I might add, 'Latin Grill'. Its freaking delicious. Like the cute old men we are, we always get the same thing.. I get Ropa Vieja and she gets the Skirt Steak. mmmmm... Today, lets concentrate on the steak - tender and pink - seasonings that just dance all the way down to your belly... UGH! its heaven.

Needless to say I was inspired to attempt to take this simple but fantastic dish home! Cuban steak has a similar feel to a fajita meat, only slightly more citrusy, and trust me when I say that is a delightful attribute! For my home version, I added a chimichuri sauce (to replace the typical white rice) to keep the dish lighter but still tasty tasty! The sauce is really just a fancy name for parsley, cilantro, oil and vinegar. It sounds scary but your boldness will pay off!

This is a good one to prep the night before. If you do that, this will only take about 30 minutes of minimal work before you are feasting! Voila!

Cuban Marinated Steak (Adapted from McCormick - fancy I know)

Ingredients

×          1 1/2 pounds boneless beef sirloin steak (I look for ~1-1.5” thick, minimal marble)

×          1/4 cup orange juice

×          2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (~2 little limes, or 1 large)

×          2 tablespoons vegetable oil

×          2 tablespoons steak seasoning

×          1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Instructions (indoors)

1.       Marinate for at least 30 minutes, I typically marinate overnight

2.       Set burner on med/high and let a grill pan sit and get nice and hot for ~5 minutes

3.       Sear the first side for ~3-4 minutes, and slightly less on the second side

4.       Depending on your thickness, you may want to put this in the oven for 10-15 minutes @ 325-350

5.       Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing on the diagonal

Instructions (outdoor)

1.       Marinate for at least 30 minutes, I typically marinate overnight

2.       Grill!

Chimichuri Sauce (Adapted from Emril)

Ingredients

×          1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley

×          1/2 cup olive oil

×          1/3 cup red wine vinegar

×          1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro

×          2 garlic cloves, peeled

×          3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

×          1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.       Puree all ingredients in processor

2.       Transfer to bowl

3.       Let it sit for at least 2 hours so the flavors have time to fall in love

Note: You can make it the day before and throw in the fridge 

Sunny Goat Gnocchi

So, one fateful day, Steve and I were looking for somewhere to eat - a celebratory dinner that is! This was one of those rare occasions where we actually had an excuse, so it had to be good! I googled. I citysearched. I yelped. and then we went to Max's Wine Dive. Holy moley talk about an amazing dinner! 

Long and the short of it is I had this fantastic gnocchi dish with arugula  and goat cheese (my secret main cheese squeeze of the moment) and it stole the show. I clearly needed to try to copy it :) Sadly, once I finally remembered my plan (I foolishly didn't write it down and into the ether it went) I couldn't remember exactly what was in it! So, I just used what I had in the house to make something sliiiiightly similar... but still SO very different I will undoubtedly need to try again soon.. but with more forethought

My little creation isn’t half bad. I think next time I will play with the proportions more, but really, I impressed myself. We will see what Steve thinks when he eats the leftover tomorrow :)

Sunny Goat Gnocchi (20-25 minutes)

Ingredients

• Package of gnocchi (fresh if available)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
• 10 oz jar of sundried tomatoes, chopped or sliced
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• Fresh tomatoes, preferably cherry, halved or quartered
• Goat cheese
• Mixed greens

 Instructions

1. Cook the dang pasta! Drain and set aside with some extra virgin olive oil .
2. Add the onion and marinade from sundried tomatoes to a medium saute pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and continue to saute for another 2 minutes
3. Add sundried tomatoes and white wine and continue to cook until the mixture starts to thin
4. Right before removing the mixture from heat, add the tomatoes and cook for only 1-2 minutes
5. Add the pasta right into the saute pan and stir to mix
6. Crumble a generous amount of goat cheese onto your plate, then top with pasta mixture. Top with mixed greens and then fall in love!