Pad Thai

My fiancé and I LOVE noodly (totally just made that up) meals and are continuously looking for delicious recipes.  We found this super easy and quick Pad Thai recipe that is full of flavors, but we put our own spin on it to make it even healthier and more filling! This is great to make after a long day at work and all you want is take-out.  This version tastes even better and is much healthier.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 2 cups
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
8 oz. cooked rice noodles
4 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 fresh limes, cut in half
6 Tbsp. soy sauce, low-sodium
2 tsp. olive oil
Small bunch of green onions (use both green and white parts), chopped
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped
3 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (more if you like it SPICY!)

Directions:
Soak noodles according to package in hot water; drain when done.  In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, juice from 1 lime, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce; set aside.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add white parts of green onions and garlic.  Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add eggs and cook, scraping the pan with a spatula until eggs are almost set.  Add drained noodle and sauce mixture to the skillet.  Toss until evenly coated.  Serve with lime wedges and top each serving with cilantro, green parts of the onions and 1 Tbsp. chopped peanuts.

Tip:
I like to add veggies to this dish to make it healthier and to add more texture to the Pad Thai.  I slice carrots with a peeler (the long way so they are thin) and bean sprouts.  Add these ingredients when you transfer the noodles to the skillet.  You could also add in zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower or whatever vegetables you like.  Just make sure they are cooked to your liking before serving!

XOXO - Laura

Asian Grilled Tofu + Bento Box Lunch

Hello!  I hope ya'all had a great weekend.  I did a lot of baking and cooking this weekend, and found some amazing new recipes.  I used to work downtown Minneapolis, and when I did one of my absolute fav. lunch spots served a Tofu Veggie Bento Box.  It is one of the things I miss most about working down there! I have cooked a bit with tofu, and it really never works.  But I decided to try ONE more time to create a copy of this dish and it worked great! I enjoyed this very healthy and filling bento box for lunch yesterday AND will be enjoying it for lunch today. 

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 6 oz tofu, 1/2 cup brown rice, steamed broccoli
Point Plus: 9pp
Prep Time: 1 hour (including marinating time)
Cook Time: 1 hour (including cooking brown rice)
Level of Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients
12 oz extra firm tofu
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
1 1/2 t brown sugar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 t olive oil
1 cup brown rice
1 head broccoli
Salt + pepper to taste
Sriracha

Directions
To prepare tofu
Using a serrated knife, cut tofu into small pieces.  I like the pieces about 1" by 1 1/2".  The key to cooking tofu that doesn't fall apart is getting as much water out of it as possible. To squeeze the water out, I cleared off my stove and put down a triple layer of paper towels. I set the tofu on a single later over the towels and covered them with another triple layer of paper towels.  I then set my very heavy Le Creuset Dutch oven over the tofu to press it down. I let it sit for about five minutes, and then repeated the process three more times.  Really, try to do this pressing step at least four times for best tofu grilling results!

Next make the marinade. Mix all remaining ingredients in a shallow flat bottomed dish and whisk around.  Add tofu and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes, flipping it every 5 minutes or so.  Again, the longer you marinate the tofu the better it will be!

To prepare. Heat a grill pan (or non-stick skillet) on your stove over medium heat and allow it to get hot. You will know it is not enough when you drop a tiny drop of water on it and it sizzles and evaporates right away.  Having a really hot pan will allow the tofu to sear off and get those lovely grill marks that you see above.  It also creates a slightly crunchy crust on the tofu. Working in batches and using a tongs, gently place each piece of tofu on to the grill pan, and let each side cook for about 2-3 minutes. After one side has cooked, give it a flip and cook the other side.  Tofu is done when each side is golden brown.  Remove the tofu from your grill pan and set it on a plate until you are ready to assemble this dish.

To prepare brown rice
Follow the package instructions on your brown rice to make 1 cup unprepared.  I love to use a rice cooker, so I added one cup of uncooked rice and 2 1/4 cups of chicken stock to my rice cooker and turned it on. Brown rice takes a while to cook in a rice cooker, about 45 minutes, so I would actually suggest making the brown rice before you start the tofu.

To prepare broccoli
Cut a large head of broccoli into small pieces. Set a medium sauce pan with about 1/4 cup of water on your stove and turn on.  Add broccoli and cover, allowing the broccoli to steam for about 3-4 minutes. Check broccoli after 4 minutes and if you can pierce it with a fork, it is done!

To assemble
Place 1/2 of the broccoli, 1/4 cup cooked brown rice and 6 oz of grilled tofu on a plate. I love to add Sriracha at this point, so feel free to add that or your fav. hot sauce! I packed a separate Tupperware container to bring for lunch!

Tip
You could easily double this recipe and make four lunches out of it! Do all your prep on Sunday for a week of stress-free eating.

UPDATE!!! Microwaved, reheated tofu is NOT good.  I suggest eating this recipe fresh or the leftovers cold :)

XOXO - Katie

Beef & Peppers Stir Fry

I saw The Pioneer Women aka Ree Drummond aka my obsession make this on her TV show a few weeks ago and knew I had to make it ASAP.  I love dishes that morally go on top of a car (ie: rice) over lettuce.  It for sure lightens it up and adds an extra crunch!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 5pp
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
1 pound steak cut into thin strips, I used filet
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 T packed brown sugar
1/2 T cornstarch
1/2 T minced fresh ginger
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste
1 t olive oil
1 onion, Sliced
2 Red Bell Peppers, cut into rings (I used a bag of assorted colored mini peppers)
1 T jalapeño, diced
1 cup sliced carrots
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Cilantro leaves, removed from stem
Lettuce

Directions:
Wisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili paste (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside. 

Heat 1 t oil in a large skillet. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for about a minute. Add bell peppers, jalapeno and carrots. Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm.

Add your meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook until meat is cooked through.

Reduce heat to low and cook until sauce has thickened.

Serve on top of lettuce and top with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately. 

Tip:The sauce in this recipe is really tasty, you could use it as a stir fry sauce with any meat or even just veggies!
Adapted from The Pioneer Women

XOXO - Katie

Asparagus & Chicken Stir Fry

With the spring-like temps here in MN (today it's supposed to hit 70 degrees!!!), I was craving some spring flavors for dinner!  I found this simple stir fry on Skinnytaste and knew this would be perfect to satisfy my craving.  I made a few slight adjustments; I cut back on the garlic and added some extra ginger (I LOVE ginger!). Traditionally stir fry recipes pack in a bunch of different veggies - this one only adds in one in asparagus, but it's quite good!  The combination of fresh ginger, lemon juice and garlic come together nicely in the stir fry sauce.

Servings:  4

Size:  1 1/4 cups stir fry + 1/2 cup white rice

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredient List:

1 ½ lbs. chicken breast, skinless and boneless
Kosher salt
½ cup chicken broth, reduced-sodium
2 Tbsp. soy sauce, reduced-sodium
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
3 tsp. garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Start by prepping the chicken by cutting the chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces.  Sprinkle kosher salt on top to season.  Wash and prep the asparagus by cutting into 1-2 inch pieces.  Combine the chicken broth and soy sauce in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until fully combined.  In a large skillet, heat ½ Tbsp. olive oil.  Add the asparagus pieces and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they are starting to become tender.  Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.  Transfer the cooked asparagus to a bowl; set aside.  Add the other ½ Tbsp. olive oil and add the chicken; cook until browned and all pieces are cooked all the way through (use a tongs for this step to continuously turn over the chicken pieces to cook evenly).  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.  Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet.  Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the cornstarch mixture and lemon juice.  Whisk the sauce to make sure all ingredients are well mixed.  Once combined, allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes.  Finish the stir fry by adding back in the chicken and asparagus; toss to evenly coat.  Serve immediately over 1/2 cup rice per serving!

Tip:
Rice cookers can change your life!  It is just SO easy to make rice with one of these kitchen tools.  I am still amazed by it!  My rice cooker has seperate buttons for if you are cooking white or brown rice - it automatically adjusts the cook time accordingly.  Go buy one if you don't already own a rice cooker for your kitchen!

XOXO Megan

Asian Honey Chicken

This recipe makes a delicious, tender, flavor-packed Asian chicken!  I love to make chicken in the crock pot, it is so easy and it always turns out great. The original recipe can be found on
Just a Taste’s blog. You can serve this on lettuce for a healthier option, or on sandwich buns, or over some rice!  It will make leftovers, so try it out as a few different options.

Servings: 8  

Size: 1/8 of the chicken 

Points Plus: 7pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4-5 hours (crockpot), 20 minutes (assembly/to serve)

Ingredient List:

2 ½ -3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup honey

½ cup soy sauce, low-sodium

¼ cup blackberry jam

¼ cup hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup onion, diced

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 Tbsp. water

Chopped scallions (for garnish)

Sesame seeds (for garnish)

Directions:

Get out your crock pot!  Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot. Combine the honey, soy sauce, blackberry jam, hoisin sauce, olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl.  Use a whisk to make sure the sauce is fully combined.  Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Remove the chicken and shred with forks.  Make a slurry in a small bowl by whisking the cornstarch and water together.  Pour the liquids from the crock pot into a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the slurry while stirring to combine.  Bring this sauce to a boil and cook for 3 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.  Add the sauce to the chicken and toss to evenly coat.  Serve with scallions and sesame seeds as garnish.

Tip:

Instead of a tip today… go check out our Referral Contest!!!  We want to spread the foodlove, or love, to even more fabulous people and we need YOUR help to do that!  Also, as a thanks for helping us spread the word about our blog we are giving away a really cool kitchen tool to the person who gets the most referrals! Get the word out!!

XOXO Megan

Asian Quinoa Salad

Asian week continues with this beautiful quinoa salad.  Really, the reason I was drawn to this recipe in the first place, was because of the lovely photos on Two Peas & Their Pod’s blog, I just made a few changes. This recipe is full of fun Asian flavors like edamame, red cabbage, ginger and my FAV – toasted sesame oil.  I made this on Sunday, and then packed it in my lunch all week long!

Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 6pp

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredient List: 

Salad

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup chopped red cabbage

1 cup shelled and cooked edamame

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 cup diced cucumber

Dressing

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 teaspoon grated ginger, I used my micro-zester

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add water and quinoa to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Place the quinoa in a large bowl and add the cabbage, edamame, red pepper, carrots, and cucumber. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and stir to combine. This salad is good served at room temperature or chilled.

Tip:

I always make my quinoa in a rice cooker; it comes out perfect every time.  I simply add the quinoa and chicken stock, give it a stir, and then turn it on.  I check it after 20 minutes and it is usually done.  

XOXO - Katie

Asian Meatballs

These little appetizer meatballs are SO delicious!  They have a blend of fresh ginger, cilantro, soy sauce and of course the lime in the dipping sauce.  I found the original recipe on Skinnytaste for these meatballs served as an entrée with zucchini noodles.  I made them into smaller, bite-sized versions for an appetizer dinner my husband and I made last weekend.  Try them out and see what you think!

Servings:  8 (total recipe will make 24 meatballs)

Size:  3 meatballs

Points Plus: 3pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredient List:

Meatballs-

¼ cup bread crumbs

1 ¼ lbs. lean ground turkey

1 egg

1 Tbsp. ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. salt

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

1 Tbsp. soy sauce, low-sodium

2 tsp. sesame oil

Dipping Sauce –

3 Tbsp. soy sauce, low-sodium

1 ½ tsp. sesame oil

1 ½ Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 ½ Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. scallion, chopped

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all 10 ingredients above for the meatballs.  It works best to use your hands to make sure all ingredients are fully combined.  Shape into meatballs that are about 1/8 cup in size (total you should make about 24 meatballs total).  Bake on a baking sheet or stone until fully cooked, about 15 minutes.

While the meatballs are cooking, combine all 5 ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl.  Use a small whisk to fully integrate all the flavors.  Serve as a side to the meatballs or drizzle some of the sauce on top of the meatballs.

Tip:
You could easily modify this recipe to make Italian style mini meatballs instead or Asian.  Throw in some fresh parsley, onion and maybe some roasted red pepper?  The great thing about making meatballs with ground turkey instead of beef is that you can cut down on pp!

XOXO Megan

Cream Cheese Wontons

It is Asian Week on foodlove!  All of your favorite Asian flavors...only healthy!  First up, baked cream cheese wontons.  These have the same crunchy texture and creamy flavor as their deep fried counterparts, however they are baked! And at only 1pp per wonton, these babies are a life saver when you are craving a side dish to your stir fry!

Servings: 24 servings
Serving Size: 1 wonton
Points Plus: 1pp
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: About 10 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredient List:
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 green onions, white and green part
24 wonton wrappers
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together your cream cheese, garlic salt and green onions - until combined.  Put about 1 teaspoon of creamy mixture into the center of each wonton. Fold each wonton diagonally. Fill a small bowl with water and use your finger to seal the edges. Lay wontons on a sprayed baking sheet and spray the tops of them with cooking spray.  Bake for about 10 minutes. If wontons are not totally crunchy, flip them over, spray them again and bake them for 2-3 more minutes.

Tip:
You can only imagine the possibilities of what these can be stuffed with.  I think adding shredded carrots would be delish, or any veggies in your fridge!

XOXO Katie 

Asian Sloppy Joes

We discovered this recipe from a sample they were handing out at Byerly’s.  Have you ever tried ground chicken?  It’s basically just like ground turkey, but replace the meat with chicken instead.  Ground chicken worked perfectly to lighten up the traditional sloppy joe recipe – and the cilantro and Thai peanut sauce took a new twist on a classic sandwich.

Servings:  6

Size:  1 Asian sloppy joe sandwich

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  20 minutes

Rating: 3 stars – Good

Ingredient List:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped bell pepper (red or green)

1 lb. ground chicken

5 oz. Thai peanut sauce

6 whole wheat hamburger buns

2-3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, optional

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the chopped onion, celery and pepper – sauté until the veggies are tender.  Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, stir frequently to break up the chicken into smaller pieces.  Next, stir in the Thai peanut sauce making sure all the chicken and veggies are evenly coated.  Cover the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve on hamburger buns and top each sloppy joe with chopped cilantro.

Tip:

Another way to cut out some pp value on this recipe is to turn this into a lettuce wrap instead of serving it on a hamburger bun - check it out!  The pp value would drop to only 5pp if you make lettuce wraps instead. 

XOXO Megan

Broccoli Slaw

Here is a yummy summer salad that comes together quick and is full of flavor.  I would call it Asian inspired, as it uses shelled edameme and a touch of sesame oil. This salad is great for parties or company because it is so pretty and full of color!

Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 cup
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredients:
Dressing
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 T. salt
1/2 T. black pepper
1/8 cup canola oil
3 T. rice vinegar
2 T. toasted sesame oil

Salad:
4 cups brocolli slaw (can purchase at Trader Joes)
1 cup canned corn
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup yellow peppers, chopped
1 cup soybeans

Directions:
Mix salad dressing ingredients in a bowl with a fork until combined. Mix salad ingredients in a pretty bowl until combined. Pour salad dressing over salad and mix to combine! haha Refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to mingle.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper before serving.

Tip:
Du du duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. Instead of mixing your salad dressing in a bowl use this Pampered Chef salad dressing thingy!  It is FUN to use and it has some delish salad dressing recipes right on the container!

XOXO - Katie

Fried Wild Rice

Have you ever thought about stir frying wild rice?? I haven't...until today!  This is a simple twist on traditional fried rice, and like many recipes you find on EAT ME, it can be customized based on what is in your fridge. I experimented with an interesting spice combo and I think the dish turned out great.

Servings: 2

Size: About 1 1/4 cup

Points Plus: 5pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooke Time: 25 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List:

1 box wild rice

1 egg

1/2 cup peas

1 cup raw onion, cut in long stips

1 cup raw carrot, diced

1 garlic clove, chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dash of red pepper flakes, curry powder, garlic powder & cinnamon

Low sodium soy sauce, optional

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions.  Prep veggies. Spray a medium sized wok. Start with carrot and  sautee about five minutes.  Add onion and sautee for 3 minutes more.  Add peas, garlic and spices and sautee for about 2 more minutes.  Remove wok from heat and spray a small sautee pan.  Scramble egg and cook it until, well, it resembles a scrambled egg! Add scrambled egg to veggie mixture and return to stove. When rice is cooked add one cup to veggie mixture and sautee for about one more minute.

Tip:

A dash of cinnamon is an excellent addition to curry.

XOXO - Katie

Sweet & Sour Chicken

You will not believe this sweet and sour chicken is homemade!  It honestly is exactly the same as the breaded kind you would get in a restaurant  but waaaaaay more healthy.  There are several radical and unique things about this chicken.

1) You make your own sweet and sour sauce, which is actually very easy.

2) This chicken looks breaded.  This chicken TASTES breaded.  But this chicken isn't breaded!  The breaded effect is made by dipping the chicken cubes in cornstarch and egg, and then frying them slightly before baking them slowly with the sauce.  This slow bake + the sticky and sweat sauce + the egg is a truly amazing process to watch in the oven, so turn on the light! This will easily become a weekly favorite. I adapted the below recipe from here.

Servings: 4

Size: About 1 cup

Points Plus: 7pp

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 15 minutes if chicken is defrosted

Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes, this includes frying and baking

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb boneless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cornstarch (you should have about 1/2 cup leftover)

2 eggs, beaten

Cooking spray or MISTO with EVOO

Sauce

1/3 cup sugar

2 T. ketchup

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 t. soy sauce

1/2 t. garlic salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse chicken and cut into 1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Prepare one bowl of egg and one bowl of cornstarch. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the egg.  Spray a non-stick skillet and cook chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a baking dish. Wisk together sauce and evenly pour over chicken. This would be especially helpful. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Don't feel like you have to serve with an Asian inspired side.  I have paired with any steamed veggie, TJ's Harvest Grains Blend or even on it's own!

Tip:

When sauteing the chicken don't crowd it.  Fry it in batches so that the chicken pieces don't touch, this will make the browning process a lot smoother!

XOXO Katie

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This recipe was a kitchen disaster SAVED at the last minute. I wanted to make some Asian lettuce wraps inspired by the popular PF Chang's app. When cutting the lettuce I got three 'cups', but everything else ripped. SO, I improvised and created three lettuce wraps and one lettuce salad.  Both were very good and nothing went to waste.  Also, sesame oil is like the best oil ever!

Servings: 4
Size: 1 cup meat mixture, unlimited lettuce cups
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredients:
1.25 pounds ground turkey, 93% lean
1/4 cup water chestnuts, cubed
1/4 cup mushrooms, cubed
1/4 cub red onion
1/4 cup carrots
1 T + 1/2 t. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 t. sesame oil
1 T. rice vinegar
1/2 t. sugar
Kosher salt
Pepper
Iceberg lettuce, cut into cups or cubed (for salad)*
Siracha
Cooking spray

Directions:
Prepare lettuce.  Either rip into cups, or cube. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, a pinch of salt and a some ground pepper.  Whisk together and set aside. Add 1/2 t. to wok and saute ground turkey. As turkey cooks spray a skillet with a dash of cooking spray and saute the carrots and onion, about five minutes. Add the water chestnuts and mushrooms and cook 4 minutes longer.  Add veggie and sauce mixtures to ground turkey and saute until meat is cooked through. Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and divide into four, 1 cup servings. Put in cups or over lettuce and squeeze

 a little hot sauce over the top!

Tip:
After some internet research I found that Bibb or Butter* lettuce works well for lettuce wraps. My cups may have turned out better if I would have had a little more patience when disassembling the head!

XOXO Katie

Toasted Almond, Orange and Pea Pod Salad

This is a salad I threw together a few weeks ago.  Given it is spring (despite the still winter-like weather here in MN); I was craving some spring flavors.  I made this salad again this week and it was just as good as the first time.  My fiancé claims I ‘hit it out of the park’ with this salad – pretty good for a made up recipe! 

Servings:  2

Size:  Main course salad
Points Plus: 7pp (this includes 3pp for the mustard vinaigrette dressing)
Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  5 minutes

Rating: 3 – Good

Ingredient List:

Mixed greens

1 orange

1 c. snap pea pods

½  c. sliced almonds

Homemade Vinaigrette 

Directions:

Toast the sliced almonds in a small pan over the stove; about 5 minutes or until browned.  Wash your mixed greens and plate out two healthy servings. Peel and section the orange; split between the two servings.  Wash the pea pods and add to each salad. Your almonds should be toasted by now; add to the salad and serve immediately.

Tip:

Serve with the homemade mustard vinaigrette featured earlier this week on our blog!  Or you can choose your favorite Asian inspired salad dressing.  I really like the low-fat Sesame-Ginger from Newman’s Own as another option that goes well with this salad.

XOXO - Megan

Egg Drop Soup

It is snowing in Minnesota.  Actually let me rephrase that, it is BLIZZARDING in Minnesota! (in mid-April) Anyways, to follow up on Megan’s Asian inspired post from yesterday, I wanted to share one of my favorite comfort food meals, egg drop soup.  This recipe is so easy, and in my opinion tastes just like the restaurant kind! (with less MSG)  

Servings:  2
Size:  Just over 4 cup
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time:  10 minutes
Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Recipe above modified from this one.

Ingredient List:
4 cups chicken broth (canned, boxed of bouillon cubes work)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
A drizzle of soy sauce if desired

Directions:
Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the ginger and chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, wisk together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.

Tip:
Adding the cornstarch mixture at the end keeps the soup from boiling over.  After the mixture is added watch the soup very closely.  The longer it cooks the thicker it will get but I have had many overflow accidents with this one!

XOXO - Katie