Quinoa Patties with sauteed greens

This recipe was adapted from one I found on Pinterest (my newer obsession). It came from wholeliving.com and I did adapt it a bit to offer less cholesterol and a bit more flavor. My mind was going crazy thinking about all of the vegetable variations I could mix into this recipe; it's endless!  So here goes!

Ingredients for patties:
2.5 cups cooked/room temp quinoa
3 cloves of garlic
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup egg beaters
6 stalks scallions
1/2 large white onion
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup whole grain seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried thyme
olive oil sprayer/spray
1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients for greens:
3 stalks kale
3 stalks swiss chard
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
rosemary

Quinoa Patties:
1)Cook quinoa as instructed on the package. To get about 2.5 cups quinoa I used 1 cup of dry quinoa. Let cool to room temperature.
2) Using a food processor chop and combine the onion, scallions, cheese, rosemary and thyme. Chop into small, coarse pieces. If the mixture gathers some liquid at the bottom of the processor bin, drain slightly.
3) Combine quinoa, eggs, egg beaters and salt in a bowl. Add processed mix into bowl until well combined.
4) In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs and almond meal. Add to quinoa mixture. It should be mixed well and not overly dry/wet.
5) Spray a pan with olive oil and heat at medium/low.
6) Using a spoon (or in my case a 1/3 cup silicon measuring cup), scoop the mixture onto the pan and push down to flatten into patties.
7) Let cook until you can see the edges of the patty begins to brown. Flip. Continue this way for about 7-10 minutes or until evenly browned on both sides.

Greens:
1) Pour olive oil into a large saucepan with garlic cloves. Allow garlic to heat up at medium.
2) Add kale and chard to pan and gently mix with olive.
3) Cook until the leaves begin to slightly wilt and become bright in color.
4) Add seasonings to taste and serve.

This recipe was so good and filled a craving I was having for a hearty meal. Add grated vegetables to the patties for a variety of flavor combinations!

Vegetable Medley over Bulgar Wheat

This was a delicious meal I prepared pretty quickly for my lunch!
Loaded with fiber, iron and protein this is a nutrient rich meal with lots of flavor!

This recipe was essentially a "leftover" food item recipe that turned out to be delightful! I had some fresh spinach that I feared would go bad if I didn't do something with it within the next day or so. Here is what I ended up with!

Like my fancy "takeout" container?
I didn't have time to plate it nicely, ha!

Ingredients
1 Cup fresh spinach (frozen would also work, make sure it is thawed first)
1 medium sized white potato peeled, sliced into very thin slices
1 carrot
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil spray (I use a mister)
1/2 cup Gimme Lean Meat Substitute (if you eat meat, feel free to use ground turkey, very lean beef or ground chicken)
1/2 cup dry bulgar wheat
Black pepper
Salt
Onion powder
Rosemary

1) Spray a sautee pan with mister to coat with olive oil mist.
2) Add 1 clove garlic and turn heat to medium. Allow garlic to simmer slightly.
3) Spray pan again with mister and add potato slices.
4) Allow slices to brown. Stir and flip frequently so the potatoes don't stick to the pan. (About 4-5 minutes).
5) In a small saucepan bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook until spinach wilts and become a very bright green. Reduce heat and add 1 garlic clove. Simmer for 2 minutes.
6) Using a pasta spoon or any spoon with holes to drain water, transfer drained spinach from saucepan to sautee pan, leaving the excess water in the saucepan. Allow spinach to cook with potatoes.
7) Using the leftover water from the spinach, prepare your bulgar wheat. Add bulgar wheat and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the wheat absorbs the water.
8) Using a peeler, peel off the top layer of the carrot and discard. Then peel slivers of carrot until the carrot is mostly peeled. Add slivers to sautee pan.
9) Mist with olive oil spray.
10) Add seasonings to taste.
11) If using, Gimme Lean meat sub or another kind of meat substitute, add to vegetable medley. Break up pieces until it resembles ground beef. If you chose to use a meat, follow the instructions below.
12) Continue to cook for a few more minutes or until the medley and "meat" are browned slightly.
13) Spray bulgar wheat with mister and spinkle a small amount of onion powder. Top with vegetables and enjoy!!


Using Meat:
In a separate pan, brown thawed meat before starting to cook the vegetables. This process takes much longer than substitutes because they are essentially ready to eat. After the meat of your choice is browned, drain excess liquid and add to vegetables at step 11.

** I used the excess water from the spinach because I like to utilize all of the vitamins and minerals present in a food. When a vegetable is boiled, the colored water leftover contains many minerals and vitamins that were leached from the food during boiling. Using that same water to boil a grain that absorbs water allows you to still enjoy the benefits of all of the nutrients in the food.

Post- Workout Veggie scramble

I started doing the Beachbody Insanity program this week and it is so good! I normally am not a pusher of high protein diets but the scramble below is perfect for after an intense exercise bout.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites
1/2 zucchini sliced thin
1 handful of fresh spinach
Olive oil in a mister
Onion powder
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
2 slices of low calorie multi-grain bread

Coat the base of a frying pan with the olive oil from the misto.
Add spinach and zucchini and sautee until tender.
Add egg and mix generously so the egg covers all of the vegetables.
Add seasonings to taste and let eggs cook until slightly browned or to your preference.
Enjoy with toasted bread!

This recipe is great because it is low in calories, high in protein, fiber and iron. Yum!
Have a delicious day!

Healthy Cookies? Here's how!

What a nicely written article with great tips to lighten up cookie recipes. I already do all of these things and they help without sacrificing flavor!

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/healthier-holiday-cookies-161900065.html

Holiday Food Safety

This is a cool site I found that talks about Food Safety during the holidays. Alot of the tips can and should be applied all year long.

http://www.holidayfoodsafety.org/

Apple Streusel

This is a Weight Watchers recipe, not mine, but I had to share! My wicked sweet tooth only lets me hold back for so long!

Photo & recipe are from http://www.laaloosh.com/ a great
blog with all Weight Watchers style recipes!

Weight Watchers Apple Streusel Recipe

Ingredients:
- 4 medium apples
- 1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
- 1  tbsp coconut oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together apples, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice; pour into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
Cut flour, oatmeal, remaining brown sugar and coconut oil together with a pastry blender or fork in a medium bowl; sprinkle over apple mixture.
Bake until apples are tender and top is browned, about 45 minutes.
Serving size = 1/2 cup
Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Points


Well this looks delish!!! What a perfect holiday dessert that does not pack a calorie punch. I'd use whole wheat flour instead of white, but its so little flour white still works.

Diabetics can utilize a brown sugar/sweetener blend like Splenda's here.

Check back soon for more recipes!

Have a delicious day!

Sauteed Cranberry Kale over Quinoa

This recipe was suggested to me verbally by a co-worker. I am not sure if it turned out just as she explained but I really enjoyed it anyway!


Ingredients4 stems of kale
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup craisins
3/4 cup cole slaw mix
3 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup quinoa
black pepper to taste
onion powder to taste

Cut the kale leaves from the stems and roughly chop leaves. Discard stems or save for vegetable stock by freezing in a ziploc bag.

Drizzle approximately 1 tbsp of olive oil onto a frying pan. Heat pan on medium heat.

Add garlic clove and allow to marinate oil.

Add kale leaves and gently stir in oil & garlic.

Add cole slaw mix & stir.

Add craisin, pepper and onion powder and let vegetables cook for 10-15 minutes. The kale will brighten in color and you may see some browning of leaves.

Add additional oil as necessary if the mix begins to dry out.

Prepare quinoa plain or with vegetable stock for added flavor.

Enjoy!!!!