Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas

This snack is is the equivalent of pop corn - so crunchy, salty, and addicting. Chickpeas have tons of protein and fiber making them a more nutritious option.

Ingredients:

2 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sprinkling of Cajun spices

Sprinkling of salt and pepper

Pour cans of chickpeas into a colandar and rinse well. Pat them with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Spread chick peas onto a baking sheet and cover with oil, Cajun spices and salt/pepper. Shake the pan to evenly distribute oil and spices. Cover them lightly with tin foil - just lay the foil on top without folding the edges over the pan. The foil is to prevent them from exploding all over your oven. Place them in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, or until crispy.

Barbecue Burgers

In the midst of our 75 degree days I'm in the mood for every kind of summer food. This weeks dinners consist of salads, burgers and chicken salad sandwiches. These burgers are delish! I bet they would be even better on a grill (sad face for not having any outdoor space). I made mine bunless to lighten it up.

Ingredients:

16 oz ground beef

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (plus extra for topping)

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup minced red onion

1/4 cup chopped green peppers 

Optional toppings:

Green onions, chopped

Corn kernels 

Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl and mush together with your fingers until it's mixed well.

Form into four patties and put them in the fridge form at least 30 minutes (helps keep them together).

Before putting them on the heat sprinkle the outsides with a bit more salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook in a pan for ~5 minutes on each side. To serve, top with extra barbecue sauce. To add some color, top with green onions and/or corn.

Kale-raisin-orange salad

Shout out to my grandma who made a rendition of this salad for my future sister-in-law's bridal shower. We got soooo many compliments on the salad. It was supposed to be a side dish and ended up being the star of the show. She found a recipe in the newspaper and I made it my own.

Ingredients:

I bag Kale, chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 can mandarin oranges, oranges chopped in half

Handful of cashews for topping

1 tablespoon juice from oranges can 

Vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Juice from 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar 

Pinch of salt and pepper

Combine the kale, raisins, sunflower seeds and oranges in a large bowl. In a small bowl wisk the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the kale mixture and toss. Add 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the mandarin oranges can over the salad and stir again. Let the salad sit in the fridge for 10-20 minutes before serving to allow the kale leaves to soften. Top with cashews right before serving. 

Tip: this salad is even better by day 2...You can store the salad that has already been tossed in dressing in the fride over night and it won't be soggy the next day! It will be even better the next day!

Kelp Noodle Pad Thai

Kelp Noodle Pad Thai

I saw these kelp noodles in a recipe online and thought I'd give them a try. They seemed glassy like rice noodles so it seemed fitting to make a pad Thai-ish dish. I was a little nervous when I took them out of the bag since they were so plasticky so I rinsed them and then boiled them for a good 15 minutes. Oh, make sure you cut them before you boil them too because they are veryyyyy long. 

Ingredients:

1 bag kelp noodles, boiled for 15 minutes

I package tofu

1 cup of baby carrots

Handful of spinach

1/4 white onion, sliced

 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2-3 tablespoons chicken broth or water

1 tablespoon coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes

2 green onions, chopped

Handful of cilantro, chopped

Lime, for garnish

Sprinkle the tofu with half tablespoon coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. Fry the tofu in a pan to make the outside crispy. I added 1-2 tablespoons oil on high heat and flipped them when they were brown. Boil the noodles while you're cooking the tofu.

In a sauce pan combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, coriander and pepper over low heat. Stir until the peanut butter melts into a creamy sauce. Thin the sauce out with the 2-3 tablespoons chicken broth or water. 

In another large sauce pan, add the carrots, onion, garlic (and whatever other veggies you have in the fridge!) and sauté in 1 tablespoon oil for 4-5 minutes on low heat. 

Now combine the noodles, tofu and veggies and spinach in the veggies pan. 

Top with the sauce and mix well. Top it all off with red pepper flakes, cilantro, green onions and lime!

Rainbow Kale Salad

Needed a little detox after Super Bowl festivities this weekend... This salad is sweet, spicey, salty, crunchy, chewy and every other word that you want in a dish!

Ingredients

8 oz kale, chopped tiny

1/2 red onion chopped

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

1/2 cup shelled edemame 

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

A handful of shredded carrots

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (the crunch!)

1 jalapeño, chopped teeny tiny (the spice!)

1 orange, cut into bit size pieces

1 lime

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey (the sweet!)

A pinch of salt and pepper

Start by mixing together the olive oil, cider vinegar, juice of the whole lime, honey, 1/4 of the jalapeño,  salt and pepper. Pour a quarter of the dressing over just the chopped kale in a bowl. Mix to coat all the kale. Put the kale in the fridge and let it marinate for about an hour. (Marinating it makes it less bitter. Feel free to skip this step if you wish!) After an hour, add the onion, rest of the jalapeño, garbanzo beans, edemame, pomegranate seeds, carrots, sunflower seeds, and orange. Pour in the remaining dressing and toss. Top with avocado or chicken if you wish!

Lunch tomorrow:

Protein Pancakes

Who doesn't want pancakes every morning? Now you can, guilt free! 

I have these probably 3-5 days a week because they are so easy and healthy!

Ingredients:

1/2 banana, mashed

1 egg white

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon almond milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Tiny pinch of salt

Mash the banana in a bowl and add the egg white. Wisk them together. Add the almond flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla and almond milk and mix well. It should be not thick but not watery either...ya know like typical pancake batter. Pour the mixture into a non stick pan with a teeny bit of oil or butter. Cook the pancake until the top is bubbly and the bottom is golden brown. It cooks for as long as it takes me to do my make-up :) or about 4-5 minutes. Flip it and cook for another 2 minutes.

I eat mine with a tiny pat of butter. Or, on the weekend I indulge with some real Michigan Maple syrup. 

Perfect morning....

Halibut and Antipasto Salad

Ingredients 

1/2 pound Halibut

1 jar roasted marinated red peppers, sliced

1 jar hearts of Palm, chopped into 1/2 pieces

2 tablespoons capers

6 slices salami, cut into strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 wedge of lemon

Salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Start by putting a sprinkling of salt and pepper on the fish.  I like to wrap the fish in aluminum foil like a present to keep it from stinking up the house. Place the wrapped fish in a sauté pan and cover with a lid. Cook for ~10 minutes, depending on the thickness. When it is finished cooking, unwrap the foil and add 1 clove garlic and butter. Wrap it back up to allow the butter to melt for about one minute. Take it out of the foil and squeeze the lemon juice over the fish.

Meanwhile, combine the roasted red pepper, hearts of Palm, capers, salami, 1 clove of garlic and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a bowl.