This was my Mother’s Day dinner for my future mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law. We all love salmon, but I wanted to make a different salad, something light and refreshing.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 lb pecan halves
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Salmon
• 2 pears
• Baby spinach
• Arugula
• 1 red onion
• Pear infused vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Dressing

1. Add 1/3 cup of pear vinegar, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 1tsp salt, 1tsp black pepper, juice from 1/2 lemon and 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
2. Add 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil and whisk well (or shake well if in a Good Seasons bottle)

Salad

1. In a large bowl, mix equal parts of arugula and baby spinach
2. Slice your pears into thick juilanne slices. If you pear is not ripe, give it a quick stir fry over high heat and add a pinch of sugar and cinnamon for flavor. Allow the pears to chill in the fridge as they should be served cold
3. Thinly slice your red onion and keep separate
4. When you are ready to assemble the salad on the serving plate, place a bed of arugula/spinach, then add some pears, onions, candied pecans and goat cheese

Salmon

1. Prepare salmon as in previous recipe

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 oz mushrooms (sliced)
• 8 oz broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 package refrigerated pizza dough

Pre-heat oven to 425 oF and pre-bake your crust for 5 minutes

In the meantime, put 2 tbsp of oil into a hot skillet and add the mushrooms.  Cook for 5-8 minutes.  There should be enough water from the mushrooms to steam the broccoli.  Add the broccoli and cover to steam, 4-6 minutes or until tender.

In another saucepan (smaller), heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the flour.  Cook until pale golden, stirring constantly.  Then stir in the milk, garlic and salt.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese.  Stir until smooth and cheese an melted.

Spread the white sauce onto the dough, top with the broccoli and mushroom and spread the rest of the cheese on top of the pizza.  Bake 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees or until crust is golden and center is cooked.

[vegetarian times]

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
* 1 small fennel bulb, halved, cored and diced
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1/2 cup pine nuts
* 1 cup long-grain rice
* 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill leaves
* 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 (8-ounce) jar grape leaves, rinsed and drained
* 2 lemons, juiced

Directions

To make the filling, coat a large saute pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and lemon zest and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and rice, saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Pour in just 3/4 cup of the chicken stock and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 10-15 minutes. Scrape the parboiled rice mixture into a bowl and add the dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. Now on to the grape leaves.

Bring a big pot of water to a simmer. Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Drain then trim the stems and any hard veins from the leaves. Pat dry with paper towels.

To assemble the dolmades, lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down. Put 2 tablespoons of the rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar – it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling.

Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven or wide deep skillet, seam-side down in a single layer. Pour the remaining cup of broth, remaining olive oil, and the lemon juice over the dolmades, the liquid should reach halfway up the rolls, add some water if necessary. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dolmades are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool.

Ingredients

• 1 package of couscous
• 4 red/orange peppers (large)
• 1 small sweet onion
• 3 celery stalks
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup of red lentils
• 1/2 package of baby bella mushrooms
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove
• tumeric
• ground ginger
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 jar of Masala sauce (Trader Joe’s or your local grocery store in the Indian section)
• Fresh parsley/cilantro

Directions

First cook your lentils and couscous as per package instructions (lentils 1cup to 2cups water, boil with pine nuts and immediately simmer; couscous add 1.25cups water, 2tbsp and season package, boil, add couscous, remove from heat and fluff after 5min).  Once both are cooked, place them in a bowl and mix.

Finely dice your celery, zucchini, mushrooms and onions into fairly small pieces. Next, add about 1/4 cup of olive oil to a hot skillet and add your onions to sweat.  Add some salt, pepper and 2tbsp of curry powder, 1tsp of ground ginger and 1tsp of tumeric to your onions.  Next, add your mushrooms, zucchini and celery and cook them until tender.  Once tender, mix with the couscous and lentils.  Season the mixture with some salt and pepper.

Thoroughly wash your peppers and carefully slice the top off with the stem.  Be sure to leave as much of the pepper as possible as you will be filling these.  Core the peppers, remove the seeds and cellulose.  Slice the pepper in half (top -> down) in the most optimal way to make a big scoop.  Once sliced, place the halves on a baking dish and fill with your couscous/lentil/veggie mixture.

Heat the Masala sauce in a saucepan and keep warm.

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  Serve with a couple of spoonfuls of Masala sauce on top.  Top with some freshly chopped cilantro/parsley.

Ingredients
3 large chicken breasts
1 very small red onion
1 orange pepper
1 European cucumber
4 plum tomatoes
1 bunch of asparagus
2 small summer squash
3 cloves of garlic
dried basil
dried oregano
dried parsley
1/2 cup pesto
1/3 cup orzo
extra virgin olive oil

Cooking

Veggies
Coarsely dice your squash, peppers, onion, cucumber and asparagus. For the tomatoes, I slice them in half and remove the seeds and pulp.  We only need the outer flesh.  Keep the veggies separate!  You should group them by order of cooking (asparagus and onions first, squash and peppers next, cucumber and tomatoes last).  Mince your garlic and set aside.

Chicken
Cube your chicken breasts. They should be small bite-sized pieces. Once you are finished cubing, place the chicken pieces in a mixing bowl with some olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano and basil. Add some freshly ground black pepper/sea salt as well (for taste). Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Now we’ll start cooking the orzo. Be sure to add some salt and oil to the boiling water before you add your pasta. Cook, drain and rinse with cold water. We don’t want the pasta to continue cooking while sitting in the strainer. After chilling the orzo, let it drain and sit while we cook our chicken.

Cook your chicken in an oiled skillet (not non-stick). Once the chicken is cooked, add your asparagus and onion. Cook until the onions start to become translucent. A quick fry will tender up the asparagus, but will also brighten the greens. Next, lower your head to low-medium and add your squash and peppers. At this point, add your orzo to your pan before mixing everything together. After mixing, add your half cup of pesto. Mix and turn the heat to low/simmer. Add your remaining veggies (tomatoes and cucumbers) and mix thoroughly.

Shut the heat off after mixing and serve in a bowl. Here you have a very bright, colorful dish that is light, crispy (veggies), smooth and creamy (orzo) and savory (pesto and chicken). Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 large green pepper
1 medium sweet onion
1 package of Chorizo
Bulkie rolls
Some “Mexican” shredded cheese

Cooking

Coarsely dice your peppers and onions.  You don’t need these to be fine and are better if they are a bit chunky.  Next, dice your chorizo (both sausages).   That’s it for prep work!

In a skillet, lightly cook your diced chorizo (medium heat for about 5 minutes while stirring).  Next, add your peppers and onions and continue cooking until the peppers are very soft (an additional 7-10 minutes stirring).

For your bulkie roll, you can decide to toast or not toast.  I like to toast and melt some cheese on it.  Right before serving, add about 1/4 cup of your shredded cheese to your chorizo mixture and incorporate.  Add a heaping scoop onto your bulkie roll and enjoy!

Note:  Alternatively, you can serve this as a sub/gridner/whatever you call it.

Ingredients

2 Large cauliflower heads
1 green pepper
1 sweet onion
1 package of whole white mushrooms (or baby bellas)
1 clove of garlic
2 8oz packages of frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots, etc)
1.5lbs of lean ground turkey
1/2 cup milk or cream (half and half is fine)
1/2 stick of butter (unsalted)
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper

Cooking

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a very large pot, add some water and steam your cauliflower heads until they are very very soft.  Drain and put the heads back into the pot to mash with your masher.  Add some salt, butter, cream/milk, pepper and/or garlic to taste.

Mince your garlic and dice your onions, pepper and mushrooms. Add some olive oil to your frying pan and sweat your garlic and onions.  Add your ground turkey and brown.  Once your ground turkey is cooked, add your peppers, mushrooms and frozen veggies.  Continue cooking until the frozen veggies are done.

In a 13″x9″ baking pan, pour your meat/veggie mixture and spread evenly.  Next, add as much cauliflower mash as you can on top of your meat/veggie mixture and spread this evenly as well.  Add some tiny slices of butter on top of the mash and bake in the oven for 20-30min.

Now, the texture of the cauliflower mash won’t be the same as mashed potatoes, but it is much much healthier and with enough salt, you shouldn’t really notice a difference!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 tilapia fillets
1 large yellow Pppper
1 very small red onion or 2 shallots
1 clove of garlic
3-4 tbsp capers
1/2 cup of sliced kalamata olives
Cilantro
1/2 stick of butter (unsalted)
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper
Lemon

Cooking

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Mince your garlic and finely dice your onion/shallots.  Cut your yellow pepper into slices and place the slices on a lightly greased (you can use cooking spray) baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Flip each slice over and bake for another 10 minutes.  Here, we will be doing a quick roast of the peppers.

Heat a large pan (not non-stick) and add a liberal amount of oil to coat the bottom of your frying pan.  We don’t want your fish to stick.  Gently place 2 fillets into your very hot frying pan and just sear each side for no longer than 3 minutes per side.  If your pan can not accomodate more than 2 fillets, you can transfer the cooked fish to a glass baking dish.  Once you are done with your fish, throw the pan/baking dish in the oven for 10 minutes.

Now for the relish.  Take a small saucepan and gradually melt your butter.  I use unsalted because I like to know how much salt I add to my dishes.  Once your butter is melted, add 3-4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to it.  This will give the butter a nice fruity and nutty flavor.  Bring up the heat on your saucepan and add your garlic and onions/shallots (1/8 cup finely diced) and quickly sweat them.  Add your capers and olives and incorporate them into your butter mixture.  Once your fish is done, add your quickly roasted peppers to the relish and toss to mix.

When you plate your fish, add 2-3 heaping spoonfuls to the top of each fillet with some chopped cilantro and enjoy!  Don’t forget your lemon wedge!

Ingredients

4 large Eggplant
1-1.5 pounds of lean (<7% fat) ground turkey
1 large sweet onion
1 large green pepper
Oregano (dried or fresh)
Basil (dried or fresh)
Parsley (dried or fresh)
Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic (3-4 cloves)
1-1.5 pounds of fresh low-fat mozzerella cheese (the ball or brick, not the shredded)
1-1.5 pints of low-fat ricotta cheese
2 jars of pasta sauce (I use the garden veggie from Whole Foods… 35cal/serving)
Olive Oil
Penne pasta (optional)
9″ x 13″ baking pan

Cooking

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Mince your garlic and dice your onions and peppers.   Heat a large pot (enough to put your turkey, jars of sauce and veggies).  Add some olive oil to your pot, and then add your garlic and onions.  Sweat your onions a little by adding some salt to it while cooking.  Once the onions turn translucent, add your ground turkey and cook.  Once your ground turkey is cooked, add your peppers and stir to incorporate.

Next, add your 2 jars of sauce to the pot.  Add some oregano, basil, parsley, salt, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.  We will let this simmer in the back burner while we get everything else ready.

The Eggplant!  I like to slice them the long way.  It is a little difficult, but try and make the slices somewhat thick… like 1/4 inch thick.  Slice up all 4 eggplants.  We’ll pan sear each slice by gently brushing some olive oil onto each side and frying them in a pan.  Once tender, you can start to place your eggplant slices into the baking dish.

Assembly of your baking dish:  I can generally fit 4-5 slices of eggplant in 1 layer.  I then add a layer of mozzarella (sliced thin with 1-2 slices per eggplant slice) and a layer of our meat sauce.  Then comes another layer of seared eggplant, ricotta and sauce.  Repeat until you reach the top of the pan.  You don’t need a lot of sauce per layer… I found this out the hard way when everything was bubbling over into the bottom of the oven!

Once everything is assembled, place your baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  This will give you plenty of time to cook your pasta (if you choose to serve some).

Now, you might have a lot of eggplant, sauce and cheese left over… What I generally do is make a smaller portion in a loaf pan.  Repeat the assembly steps above and pop it in the oven.

Notes

A couple of things with this recipe.

1. It is a little time consuming, but considering all of the food you make, it is very worth while.
2. The eggplant parm actually tastes better the next day as the eggplant soaks in some of the sauce!
3. I don’t bread my eggplant since it adds extra calories that aren’t really needed.
4. Pan sear and cook your eggplant.  If you don’t, the eggplant will be tougher to eat and cut.
5. When you assemble your baking dish, you can alternate eggplant orientation so that you maximize eggplant surface area… yes, I think about these things!
6. A small slice of mozzarella goes a long way.  1 thin slice cut in half can be used per eggplant slice (4-5 slices per layer)
7. A ladle-full of sauce also goes a long way.  I can usually get by with 2-3 ladle-fulls per layer.
8. Try and end your top layer using mozzarella and sauce.  The cheese will melt nicely over everything.

Ingredients

Fresh Basil (I went with a 2.5oz package from the local grocery store)
1/4 cup almonds (raw)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup freshly grated aged Parmesan cheese
Cilantro (a handful of leaves only)
Garlic (3 cloves)
31/40 Shrimp (frozen/fresh with shell… I’ll leave quantity/serving size to you…)
Penne pasta

Cooking

We’ll start with the shrimp to marinate.  Remove the shells and tails from your shrimp and in put them in a mixing bowl with some olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and let it sit while we prepare everything else.

For the pesto, I use a blender since I can pour oil while everything was mixing.

Wash your basil and cilantro.  I generally put my leafy stuff in a huge bowl and fill it with water.  Give it a quick stir and let the particulates settle for a couple of minutes.  Remove all leafy objects to a strainer and dump the water (I throw it outside to water the lawn).  Repeat rinse 1 more time.

Now, roughly crush your almonds in the blender and put in a small separate bowl.  In your now empty blender, add your garlic, about 1/4 cup of olive oil and your leafy herbs.  BLEND!  You might need to stop blending here and there to push down your leaves and you might need to add some more olive oil to get things moving but be sure to add a little at a time.  Once you have a thick paste, add your cheese and almonds and some additional olive oil to get things moving.  Be sure to taste it every once in awhile and season with salt and pepper.

This makes a lot so be sure you have a storage container on hand.

As for the shrimp and pasta, cook your pasta al dente (just before it gets completely soft).  Fry up your shrimp and quickly remove from heat.  Once everything is cooked, add your pasta to the pan where you cooked your shrimp.  Add your shrimp back and add your pesto.  Start with a spoonful and see how far that gets you.  Once you’ve been able to coat everything, serve it up and enjoy!