Skinny Shrimp and Grits

This recipe has been a long time coming….a classic from my hometown of Charleston, SC. I’ve thought long and hard about this for quite some time. Today, I finally had the guts to go ahead and mess with a good thing! Some of the true lovers of this dish may find it blasphemous that I’ve left out butter and sausage, but added in a heaping portion of fresh kale! And on the other hand, some of you may be scratching your head wondering why the heck I’m putting shrimp on grits?! Either way, think what you may about this….but don’t knock it til ya try it. For only 330 calories per serving this dish has really got it going on, y’all 😉
Makes 2 servings @ 330 calories each

Creamy Yogurt and Parmesan Grits:
1/2 c. stone ground grits
1 1/2c. water
1/2 c. plain unsweetened almond milk
1/4 c. plain low-fat or nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 c. Shredded Parmesan cheese
S&P, to taste

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Stir in grits. Let water come back to boil then turn down to lowest heat. Cook covered, stirring frequently for approx. 10-15 min. Stir in almond milk and continue to stir for another 10 min. until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in yogurt and cheese. Season with S&P.

For the Shrimp:
8oz. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 c. bell pepper, sliced
1/4 of an onion, sliced
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 c. kale, chopped
1/2 tsp. cooking oil (olive or coconut)
1 c. vegetable broth
Old Bay seasoning
S&P
Sliced green onions, optional garnish

Place shrimp in a small bowl. Season liberally with Old Bay and S&P. Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté garlic, onions, mushrooms and peppers for approx 6-8 minutes over med-high heat until just beginning to brown. Fold in kale and sauté another 4-5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to simmer then add the shrimp. Cover and cook about 3 minutes. Stir to make sure shrimp are just opaque and cooked evenly. Season with a little more Old Bay and S&P to taste. Serve over a bowl of grits. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

**Note- the calories for this dish are calculated based on a single serving of 1/2 c. of the grits, half of the shrimp (approx. 3oz) and veggies with broth.

Sesame Grilled Ahi Tuna with Warm Asian Slaw

*This may seem like a lot of work compared to some of my other recipes, but it really is simple and worth it, I promise!

(Makes 2 servings)

1 or 2 Ahi Tuna steaks (8-12oz total, thawed if frozen)
For the Tuna:
2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. Sriracha sauce
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
A couple grinds of black pepper
1-2 tbsp. sesame seeds

For the slaw:
1/4 of a small red cabbage, shredded
1 c. sugar snap peas, sliced thin
1/4 of a red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 c. carrots, sliced thin
1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped
rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce- to taste
1 tbsp. creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp. coconut oil or any other cooking oil

Mix soy sauce, Sriracha, vinegar, oil and pepper in a small bowl. Place fish in a shallow dish and cover with marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (longer for more flavor) turning occasionally.

Remove the fish from marinade and season with S&P. Sprinkle both sides with sesame seeds and gently press them down to make them stick. Sear in a pan or on the grill with high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Please don’t overcook!

To make the slaw heat cooking oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Mix all veggies in a large bowl, season with S&P and drizzle with a little soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Fold in peanut butter and sauté just another minute. Remove from heat.

Thin slice tuna against the grain and serve on a bed of slaw.

Salmon and Black Bean Lettuce Cups

Makes 2 servings

2 salmon fillets (about 4-6oz each)
Drizzle both sides with olive oil and season with s&p. (adding a little Sriracha sauce is optional, but very delicious!)

1/2 c. cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. cooked quinoa
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. olive oil
Mix beans, quinoa, spices and olive oil together in a small bowl

6-8 leaves of Butter lettuce
Diced avocado
Chopped cilantro
Salsa

Bake, pan sear or grill the salmon…which ever cooking method you prefer will work great, though grilled tastes the best! Do not overcook….just a few minutes on each side until opaque and flakes easily. Once your fish is cooked, cut into strips or flake with a fork. Put a little bean mix in each lettuce cup, top with salmon pieces and garnish with avocado, salsa and cilantro. Enjoy!

Squashed Pumpkin Mac N Cheese

This is my healthy spin on an old favorite! Squash purée makes a perfectly pleasant and creamy pasta without actually using any cream or butter…so yummy!
Makes 8 servings @ about 300 calories each.

2 1/2 c. butternut squash and pumpkin purée (see recipe below)
1 pound brown rice penne or other pasta of choice
1/4 c. fresh chopped basil
1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley
3 roma tomatoes, sliced
3/4 c. lite shredded cheese
1/4 c. reserved cooking liquid from pasta
S&P
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. Boil pasta according to package instructions. Save 1/4 c. of water before draining. While pasta is cooking, place sliced tomatoes on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 25 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl mix together cooked pasta, squash purée, pasta water, herbs and 1/2c. of the cheese. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Place in a baking dish and top with roasted tomatoes and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes @ 350.

Butternut and Pumpkin Purée
(Makes about 4 cups)

1 small pie or sugar pumpkin, cut in half, seeds removed
1 medium butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed
Olive oil for drizzling
1/2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
S&P
Garlic powder, Onion powder

Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle squash halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a baking sheet (cut side down) for 25 min. Once cool enough to handle, scrape out of skin with a spoon. Place in a blender with broth and almond milk. Blend smooth. Season with garlic powder and onion powder to taste.

Avocado Tomato Cheesy Bread

I whipped this up the other morning and now Webb and I are addicted! Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner 🙂

2 slices healthy wheat bread (I use sprouted honey wheat)
2-3tbsp. mashed avocado or guacamole
1 roma tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4c. reduced fat shredded cheese
Salt/pepper
Garlic powder

Spread avocado evenly on both slices of bread, place 4 tomato slices on each piece. Season tomato with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Top with cheese. Toast in a toaster oven or broil in the oven until cheese is melted and beginning to turn golden brown.

This recipe is also amazing topped with eggs cooked any style…though poached is my fav!

**pictured with steamed green beans tossed with sautéed mushrooms and diced tomato

Super Clean Sunday Morning French Toast

Made this today for a lovely breakfast in bed with my love. He wouldn’t wake up so I decided to lure him out of dreamland with a tasty treat. It definitely woke him up! I brought it into the room and before he even opened his eyes he said “Oh man, that smells delicious!”

Makes 2 servings @ about 375 calories each 🙂

4 slices of sprouted wheat bread (I use Alpine Valley Honey sprouted wheat, Ezekiel bread works great too! About 80 calories per slice)
2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. almond milk
Cinnamon, to taste (a few dashes in the mix and more on top)
2 small bananas, sliced (or any other fresh fruit)
Raw honey

Whisk together eggs, vanilla, almond milk and cinnamon. Pour mix in a shallow dish. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Dip bread in batter and cook on both sides until golden brown (there should be just enough mix for 4 slices of bread…waste not!) Top with fruit, drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Baked Chickpea and Brown Rice Burgers

So it’s been quite a while, but I’m back to blogging! I’m changing gears just slightly and keeping it as simple and healthy as possible…..less wording and still tasty as ever!

Makes 4 burgers

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 c. cooked brown rice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 of a yellow onion, small diced
1/3 c. bell pepper, small diced
1/4 c. oat flour (just oats ground up in food processor or blender)
1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 egg white
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. oil
**you can substitute other spices depending on what you have on hand 🙂

Heat oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Saute peppers, onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes until soft. Mash chickpeas in a large bowl with a potato masher until smooth. Add sautéed veggies and remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined. Divide mixture into four equal portions and form into patties about 1 inch thick. Place patties on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden, turning once halfway through. Serve in a pita, on a ww bun, on a salad or in a lettuce wrap….yum!

Jenni’s Power Breakfast Bowl

So as of lately, I have been working hard and working out harder…not to mention tearing my house apart preparing to move.  Needless to say, I have been going non-stop daily for the past month and I can feel the toll it has been taking on my body.  All the while, I have still been trying hard to eat healthy, and yet I ended up getting sick and also have been noticing a general lack of energy.  After recovering from my illness, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out why I was still feeling tired…..and then it dawned on me.  With the increase in my daily activity and new workout regimen, I don’t think I have really been focusing on my caloric intake.  Though I try to eat healthy with lots of fruits and veggies, I think I have been lacking on the heartiness of my meals. I have just been making quick stuff, grabbing an apple or granola bar, rather than thinking and planning balanced meals.  So, in addition to mass quantities of vitamin C, this week has been revolving around heartier healthy meals, while still keeping the calories within reason.  I have to say, I’m feeling much better this week after consciously eating meals to power me through the day. This breakfast bowl is my new favorite post workout meal.  Having cooked brown rice on hand has been a great help in adding healthy sustenance to my meals.  I never thought of rice for breakfast, but its actually quite tasty in this easy scramble.

Jenni’s Power Breakfast Bowl

1 serving

1 tsp. coconut oil or olive oil

Diced bell pepper (about a 1.5 inch strip)

3 Sliced mushrooms

Handful of spinach

Couple spoonfuls of beans (any kind you like, I used organic pintos)

1/4 c. cooked brown rice

1 tbsp. water

Approx. 2 egg whites (I use a carton of Trader Joe’s Cage Free Whites)

Dash of seasoned salt

 

Heat oil over medium high heat in a small pan. Add mushrooms and peppers, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach. Once spinach is wilted add beans. Then add rice and water (the water helps bring the rice back to life after being in the refrigerator) Saute another minute or so. Season with salt. Add egg whites. Scramble until whites are fully cooked. Eat and be powered for your day! 🙂

Easy Stuffed Eggplant

A major challenge that I face as a “veg head” is that I sometimes find myself buying the same fruits and vegetables over and over.  Easy to list and easy to spot in a lot of my recipes: spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, celery, romaine lettuce, apples and bananas.  To be honest, I have recently found myself straying away from my diet more frequently.  I’ve attributed it to dwindling self control, but even as I reel myself in and get on track, something is still off.  It’s not nearly as easy as it was last year or even 6 months ago.  Luckily, I have made a very important discovery that I think may be my real problem. I have become bored with what I’m eating!!

I feel much better knowing that it’s just this and not something related to my willpower or desire to continue a healthy lifestyle.  My determination and drive to be healthy has not bottomed out. Phew! So while reflecting upon this, I have come up with a simple solution that will help me and hopefully help you. I am making a conscious effort to buy at least one different fruit and vegetable each time I go to the store. I think one at a time is good to start because otherwise things end up going bad before you get around to using them.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve decided to buy some random fruit or vegetable, which I ended up throwing away before I could eat it. So, the real challenge in buying something different, is to actually have a plan for how you will use it.  My latest “out of the norm” vegetable purchase was an eggplant.  Of course, my plan was to come up with something on my own so I could blog about it.  With that being said, you can now go grab and eggplant because I’m providing the plan 🙂  I also urge you to look up other recipes using vegetables and start trying new things!

 

Easy Stuffed Eggplant

3 servings

1 large eggplant

1-2 c. spinach

1/4 c. diced bell pepper

2 tbsp. sundried tomatoes, chopped

5-6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c. extra firm tofu, crumbled (optional)

1/2 jar tomato sauce

Coconut oil or olive oil, for sautéing

S&P

Italian seasoning or fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 350.  Slice top and bottom off eggplant and cut lengthwise into 1/4in. planks.  The two side pieces will have too much skin but save them to dice and add into filling.  Also, if any plank doesn’t come out in one nice piece, just dice it up and sauté it with veggie mix.  Heat coconut oil or olive oil in a large skillet and cook 2-3 pieces at a time, flipping over a couple times.  Cook just until soft and begins to brown slightly.  Also, remember that eggplant is like a little sponge, so add more oil in pan each time.  Your pieces should look like this.  I ended up with 6 nice planks. Also, try grilling the eggplant for an even more delicious flavor profile.

Next, make your filling.  I diced up all the veggies (don’t forget any eggplant scraps), seasoned with S&P, and sautéed them just until tender.

This recipe is perfect to use up any veggies you have on hand!   Next, mix the crumbled tofu with sun dried tomatoes and seasoning.  You can replace the tofu with ground meat or cheese if desired.  As always, get creative and add or substitute whatever you have. When it comes to stuffed dishes, the possibilities are endless.

Next, take a square baking dish and pour desired amount of tomato sauce in the bottom.  You will be sitting your stuffed beauties right on top of it as you make them.

So, to stuff the eggplant, lay a plank down on a cutting board and place some veggies and tofu right in the middle. (Its okay if some spills out of the sides).  I found it easiest to roll the larger end up first.

As pictured, roll from bottom to top.  Carefully place each roll into your baking dish.

Cover with extra sauce if desired, and also sprinkle any left over stuffing right over top.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

© 2011 Jenni Baker

Outstanding Oatmeal for the Healthy Eater

Oatmeal, like other packaged products, comes in a whole slew of different varieties, usually taking up shelf upon shelf in the grocery store.  In my opinion, the only option is plain, old-fashioned oats which of course, are usually placed on the very bottom shelf off to the side, whereas all of the instant, sugar filled flavors are within sight.  In addition to sugar, these oatmeals generally have a laundry list of other preservatives, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors and colors, and who knows what else.  Plain oats are a staple in my pantry, or I should say my freezer. I’ve been storing oats in the freezer ever since the time I was eating oatmeal and later noticed quite a few of those weird little pantry bugs in my bowl.  Insects in my oatmeal is not a way to start the day! I prefer to get my protein in other ways besides ingesting bugs.  Aside from potential bugs, oatmeal is very healthy.  It has a decent amount of protein and fiber, it’s low fat, low calorie, and keeps you full.  There are also studies showing that oatmeal contains special antioxidants and is good for your heart.  Plus, oatmeal is super easy to cook.  It only takes 5-6 minutes on the stove, plus a very minimal amount of time to add fresh ingredients.

I know that people are busy and want what is most quick and easy, but we should really stop for a minute and realize that spending an extra 10-15 minutes on our breakfast in the morning could be the first step to a more healthy day.  I understand that a packet of “just add water” oatmeal takes 2 minutes in the microwave, but why would you do that when you could make a delicious and more filling bowl of oatmeal in about 10 minutes. The 8 minutes extra you spend making breakfast could make a huge difference in your health.  Think about it, if you spend 15 minutes to make yourself breakfast, 15 minutes making a healthy lunch and spend another 30 minutes preparing a healthy dinner, you have only used 1 hour total out of an entire day.  I don’t care how crazy busy you think you are, if you put forth a little effort, it can go a long way.

Ok, enough preaching about how easy it is to eat healthy. Let me tell you the main reason I love oatmeal: it is a “blank slate” food item just like brown rice, quinoa, or couscous. In my one container of “plain” oatmeal there are an endless number of flavors.  You’re probably wondering, flavors in plain oatmeal? Yes, It just takes a little imagination and minimal effort and you can have any flavor of oatmeal your little heart desires. I have three recipes for you plus a few other ideas for delicious and easy oatmeal.  Three main things I love in my oatmeal are: agave nectar, cinnamon and coconut oil. And since the blog is “what I cook” you will notice that all of my oatmeal recipes contain these three items, of course they are all optional.  They could be substituted for sugar, brown sugar, or butter if desired, but the point it to keep it as healthy as possible.

Blueberry Cinnamon Oatmeal

1 serving

1/2 c. plain oats

1 c. water

1/4-1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1-2 tsp. agave nectar

1 tsp. coconut oil

Cinnamon, to taste

Salt, optional

Bring water to a boil in a small pot. Add a pinch of salt if desired.  Stir in oats and reduce heat to simmer.  Let cook about 2 minutes then add blueberries, agave, and cinnamon.  Cook another 3-4 minutes, until desired consistency.  Put in a bowl and top with coconut oil and more cinnamon. Stir it up and enjoy.

© 2011 Jenni Baker

Pear Berry Oatmeal with Cinnamon and Honey

1 serving

1/2 c. plain oats

1 c. water

1 ripe pear, diced

1/4-1/2 c. blueberries and raspberries

1-2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. coconut oil

Cinnamon, to taste

Salt, optional

Bring water to a boil in a small pot. Add a pinch of salt if desired.  Stir in oats and reduce heat to simmer.  Let cook about 2 minutes then add blueberries, raspberries, honey and cinnamon. Cook another 3-4 minutes, until desired consistency.  Put in a bowl and top with coconut oil and diced pear. Finish with a drizzle of honey and more cinnamon. Enjoy!

© 2011 Jenni Baker

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal with Golden Raisins

1 serving

1/2 c. plain oats

1 c. water

2 tbsp. pumpkin puree

1-2 tsp. agave nectar

Small handful of golden raisins

1 tsp. coconut oil

Cinnamon, to taste

Nutmeg, to taste

Salt, optional

Bring water to a boil in a small pot. Add a pinch of salt if desired.  Stir in oats and reduce heat to simmer.  Let cook about 2 minutes then add raisins, agave, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Cook another couple of minutes and stir in pumpkin puree.  Cook another 1-2 minutes until desired consistency.  Put in a bowl and top with coconut oil.  Add more cinnamon if desired.  Enjoy!

© 2011 Jenni Baker

Other favorite oatmeal add ins include:

Diced apple

Sliced banana

Peanut Butter

Cocoa Powder

Mango

Strawberries

Pineapple

Orange Zest

Dried Cranberries

 

Get creative! Try any combination of the above or use whatever dried or fresh fruit you have on hand. Just use the standard recipe and mix in fruit and other ingredients accordingly.

Also, try steeping a bag of your favorite tea into the water for a tea infused oatmeal.  Or stir an egg into the oatmeal about half way through cooking for a creamy, custard like breakfast with extra protein.

Happy Healthy Eating! 🙂