Caprese Chicken Burgers

I kept promising to post my caprese chicken recipe, and today I finally got everything together to do so. It's a good thing I waited, because this is the best batch yet! I realized that I haven't been adhering to the main goal of this blog, which is to share recipes that help me incorporate more vegetables in my diet... these burgers are full of them!

The whole process took about 30 minutes, and it made 6 lovely and juicy burgers.

Gluten Free

Here's what you need:

1 lb Ground Chicken Breast
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 T Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
4 Sun-dried Tomatoes (Dry Packed), Chopped
2 Egg Whites
1/3 C Brown Rice Krispies, Pulverized
1 t Lemon Juice
1-2 t Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 C Frozen Spinach
1/2 Yellow Onion, Chopped

Warm olive oil in pan--I used cast iron--on medium heat. When pan heats up, add onion, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Soften until onions are nearly translucent. Stir in basil, set aside.

Sautee-ing nicely, and smelling AMAZING.

Place ground chicken in to a medium sized mixing bowl. Add contents of pan and remaining ingredients. Stir.

Festive, isn't it?

Form patties. Cook patties until fluids run clear. When the burgers are cooked, sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.

I served them on toasted buns with a light spread of olive oil mayo, torn romaine lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes and a side of Food Should Taste Good sweet potato chips. It was a very happy meal.

Behold!

EXTREME close-up!

I realize for this to be *actual* caprese, it has to have mozzarella...but I ran out. Deal with it. :)

Glorious, Glorious Cheesecake

 Gluten-Free

It seems to be a tradition in my home for me to make Mother's Day dinner. For one reason or another my husband can't do it. This year I decided to keep the dinner simple (roasted chicken, whipped potatoes and a green salad) and serve a truly decadent dessert. This was my first attempt at a gluten-free cheesecake and I was so happy with how it turned out!

The little beauty cooling off.

Triple Chocolate Orange Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce 

I started by preparing a gluten-free brownie mix (Betty Crocker, it has chocolate chips) and spread it on the bottom of a greased spring-form pan.

Then I prepared the filling:

2 Packages Softened Reduced-Fat Cream Cheese
1 C Fat-Free Sour Cream
1 Egg
1/2 C Organic Cane Sugar
1 T All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
1 t Vanilla Extract
1/3 C Milk
2 t Orange Zest
A Squeeze of Fresh Orange Juice

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, egg, flour and sugar. Blend until smooth. Add vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and milk. Pour on top of brownie batter.

Place pan on jelly roll pan (deep cookie sheet) with 1/2 C water, replace water as it evaporates. Bake for 20 minutes at 375, and 350 for 20 minutes until knife comes out clean.

Gooey and delicious.

Every decadent cheesecake needs a sauce or topping. It's a fact. On the fly, I put together a strawberry sauce.

 

Strawberry Orange Sauce:

Hull and Slice 1 Carton Local Strawberries

1 T Organic Cane Sugar

1/4 C Fresh Orange Juice

Mix in medium bowl and let soak for at least 2 hours. The strawberries will break down a little and absorb some of the orange flavor.  

With all of the reduced and non-fat ingredients, I didn't feel guilty eating it. The cheesecake was light and fluffy, and the crust was delightfully gooey. It was the perfect combination.

Complete with the sauce and dark cacao shavings.

I'll give you a moment to let that sink in.

 Serve cold, and SAVOR. 

Coming next, those caprese chicken burgers I've been meaning to post!

A Thief In The Night

Hey, quick plug for my husband's band! If you like awesome American rock (occasionally inspired by the 1970's) you should check out Groove Thief! Solid musicianship, excellent songwriting, and these guys put on a heckuva show. It's perfect music for working out or driving around. I'm proud of my guys!

Here is a link to their first full album:

A Thief In The Night

Here is their official site: http://groovethief.webs.com/ 

You can find their music on CDBaby.com and iTunes. If you want me to send you an autographed copy ($10) let me know, we'll figure it out. :)

That's my superhot husband. My life is sweet.

Coming up next: my orange cheesecake with a gluten-free brownie crust. Stay tuned!

A Little Bit of Chocolate

Gluten-Free, Vegan

I don't know about you, but it takes everything in me to not stress eat. It's a major obstacle for me. This evening was rough, and after a busy and stressful week my sweet tooth was really aching. I decided to give in, but in a healthy way.

Here's what I came up with:

1 C Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/2 Banana
1/2 T  Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 t Agave Nectar
1/2 t Coconut Extract

 Blend until smooth. It comes out velvety, just sweet enough, and just a little coconutty. It was exactly what I wanted. I found a quiet corner and savored it. After that, and a few deep breaths, I felt worlds better. Best part? It was about 130 calories. You're welcome, friends.

More posts to come! Up next: a caprese chicken burger!

Lunchtime Pizza

Gluten-free

Have you ever gone in to the kitchen really wanting a sandwich, only to find out that your bread was moldy and you were out of tortillas? This afternoon I had my brother over and was faced with this very predicament. I didn't want to make the both of us salads, because they aren't sandwiches. So, naturally, I made a sandwich pizza. Yes, that's right. PIZZA.

It ended up looking a little something like this:

The flavors were exactly what I was looking for, and it was actually kind of juicy (not something you always get with a sandwich...or pizza).

Here's how you make this happen:

I didn't have time to make a crust from scratch, so I used Gluten-Free Bisquick and followed the pizza crust recipe (add oil, water and eggs).
To the mix I added--

1 T Dijon Mustard
1 t Rosemary

Stir, and spread on to greased 13x9 pan. Pre-bake crust for 5 mins at 425 degrees.

To top it off:

Over 1/4 lb Deli Meat of your Choice (sliced in to strips)--I used 1/4 lb turkey, 1/8 lb ham
1 Tomato, Diced
1 C Grated Cheese (I used cheddar)

Bake for 13 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the crust is a light golden brown.

This is what it looked like after it came out of the oven and was attacked by my hungry husband and brother (the amazing smell emanating from the oven just made them hungrier).

Cut in to 6 pieces. Top it with 1 torn up leaf of romaine lettuce per person--or a handful of spinach-- and sliced cucumber. I added ground pepper on the top for extra flavor, but that's up to you.

Let's bask in the glory a little more--

Before.

After.

Have fun with this! My husband wanted me to add that this would also be great for brunch (someday I'll delve deeper in to our brunch obsession.)

Enjoy!

The 250 Calorie Burrito!

Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Spicy

Most days I'm lucky to be able to make a proper lunch, let alone sit down and eat it. So for me, convenience is key. The problem is, convenient usually equals unhealthy. The other day my husband and I went to Trader Joe's and picked up some easy lunch items.

Here is what I used to create my spicy, flavorful, 250 calorie gluten-free burrito--

Here's how I made it happen:

1 Brown Rice Tortilla
2 T Spicy Black Bean Dip
Approx. 1/4 C Shredded Cheese
2 Handfuls Torn Lettuce
2 T Medium Salsa
Mix 1 T Roasted Corn in to Salsa (you'll thank me for this smoky addition)

First add beans and cheese to the tortilla and heat until cheese is melted. I also warmed up the corn a little so I wouldn't bite in to cornsicles. Top with lettuce and salsa.

What I wish I had:

1/4 Avocado, Diced and Tossed in Lime Juice
1/2 T Plain Yogurt (I use that instead of sour cream)

In minutes I had a delicious lunch complete with whole grains, fiber, vegetables and metabolism-boosting spice that didn't leave me feeling guilty.

If you don't want, or like spicy beans (the TJ dip is kind of intense), my darling friend Cossette has an easy, tasty black bean dip recipe:

1 Can (Drained) Low-Sodium Black Beans in to Blender
1 Handful Cilantro, Torn, Add to Beans
1 T Plain Yogurt

Blend until desired consistency.

Any time I can make healthy food simple, I'm happy--so this lunch left me ecstatic!

Enjoy!

Superfood Smoothie

Vegan, Raw, Gluten-Free, Light

Cold and flu season is still upon us, which means VITAMINS, VITAMINS, VITAMINS! Few things are better than antioxidants, or superfoods, to help boost immunity; and dark fruits (strawberries, cherries, blueberries, etc) are full of them, and smoothies are a great way to get the nutrients you need on the go. This dark fruit smoothie is like health in a glass. For those who are unfamiliar with what antioxidants are, here's a quick rundown: they are vitamins and minerals (C, E, Beta-carotene, zinc, etc) which, when consumed in moderation, help repair damage to your cells.

While dealing with a cold I made this marvelous vitamin bomb:

Not only did it have what I needed to help me recover, it tasted like dessert...bonus!

Toss these lovlies in to your blender and let it go until smooth:

1/2 C Dark Cherries
1/2 C Blueberries
1/3 C Raspberries
3 Large Strawberries
1/2 Banana
1 T Flax
1/4 C Raw Almonds
1/2 C Natural, Nothing Added, Coconut Water
1 C Fresh Orange Juice

Serves 4

On top of the loads of antioxidants these ingredients provide, you get omega-3's from the flax, potassium and B6 from the banana, calcium from the orange juice, protein and monounsaturated fat (great for weight loss) from almonds, and natural electrolytes from the coconut water. Many of these fruits are full of seeds--which, I know, can be unpleasant-- but give you extra fiber (also helpful for weight loss). How great is that?!

My two year-old was getting impatient, she wanted more smoothie. This is one of her favorites.

I can't guarantee it, but you will probably feel like this when you're done.

In other news, I have signed up for my first 5k! Never did I ever think this is something I would do. Hooray for personal progress!

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