Veggie Wraps.

My "wedding diet" really wasn't a diet. Basically, the man and I wanted to make a life change to be healthier. Of course, shedding some pounds was a by-product of that, so no complaints here. However, anyone who has either gone on a diet or made a serious diet overhaul knows that it is difficult to come up with menu options that are easy, filling and healthful. The desire to add butter (YUM) or cream to things can sometimes me overwhelming just to make that meal stick to your ribs.

However, a very cool friend of mine who has been very successful at making a big lifestyle change offered up this recipe that, while sounding simple and unexciting, is absolutely delicious. Both my husband and I enjoy this tremendously.

Ingredients:
-1 bell pepper (orange or red makes for a prettier mix, but I've used green too)
-1 zucchini
-1 yellow squash
-1/2 red onion

(Marinade)

-1/4 cup lime juice

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 T. garlic

-1 T. Worchestershire sauce

-1 T. chili powder

-1 1/2 tsp. cumin

-1 tsp. pepper

-salt

How to:
-Chop all vegetables into thin, fajita-like strips.
-Mix together marinade ingredients.
-Pour marinade on veggies and let them marinate for about 15 minutes. (Longer is OK too.)
-Sautee veggies with the marinade until they're cooked through to your liking.

Serve with a can of black beans, drained. We also like low-fat sour cream (or low-fat Greek yogurt works really well too) and light grated cheese too. Salsa also works well with this dish.

With the black beans and additions, we can get two dinners (for two) out of this recipe.

My friend likes to keep this virtually carb free (aside from the beans) by serving a la PF Chang's lettuce wraps by using iceberg lettuce as wraps. This is a great option, but can be messy. My lettuce does not peel off as well as they do it at P.F. Chang's, I will tell you that. But it's very tasty.

The first time, we didn't have iceberg lettuce, so we made up some quinoa and treated it more like a burrito bowl. That was mighty tasty too. Use whole wheat quinoa and feel good about the carbs.

(P.S. I do not lead a carb free existence. I just like to save my "bad carbs" for the really good stuff!)

White Bean Chicken Chili

To counteract the horrific mid-May temperatures we've been having (seriously...40 degrees and rain on Sunday. I vote NO to Mother Nature's power these days), our menu planning turned to incorporate a little chili. White bean chicken chili, to be precise.

We recently bought the Cook This, Not That cookbook in an attempt to make healthier meals. I'm not going to lie, we have really enjoyed everything we've made from this book. The recipes are simple, uncomplicated, and quite tasty. Speaking of those three things, here is the recipe for the White Bean Chicken Chili from that cookbook. (I add my own tips as well.)

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground chicken
-1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
-2 yellow onions, diced
-4 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 7-oz. can of roasted green chilies
-1 can of white kidney beans (aka great northern beans or cannelini beans, usually 14-16 oz.)
-4 cups of chicken stock
-1 tsp cumin
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
(Optional garnishes: diced jalapeno, cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro)

How to:
-Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot (I never measure, just use enough to coat the pan).
-Add the onions and garlic and cook for about three minutes.
-Add both kinds of chicken, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and chilies. (We actually bought thighs with skin and bone, but my husband was kind enough to cut these all up. If you bought boneless/skinless thighs, this dish would be so much easier. Additionally, I just used two four ounce cans of the green chilies. I couldn't find the 7 ounce cans.) Cook for about eight minutes, or until chicken is mostly cooked.

Looks pretty good already, right?

-Reduce heat to low and add the chicken stock and beans. Simmer for twenty minutes. (Or longer, if you can be patient. We did about 30 minutes, but I feel like this would be a good dish for slow cooker. The longer it sits together, the better it tastes.)
-Garnish with whatever you like. (We added corn chips too for a good little crunch. Also, a squirt of lime juice is DELISH.)

(Recipe says it serves eight, but I'm guessing it's more like four for an entree. We likely will get two dinners out of this.)

Enjoy!

Te gusta mi salsa?

Well...you most certainly SHOULD. I make pretty damn good salsa. And because Amie requested it, you can make damn good salsa too. Pay no attention to the fact that my last name is not Bayless, nor that I am of Irish and German heritage. You will like this salsa.

Ingredients:
-Tomatoes (I use whatever looks good)
-Onion (I generally go with the sweet onion, but sometimes I'll use red)
-Garlic
-Jalapeño
-Cilantro
-Lime juice
-Salt

How to:
-Chop the tomatoes and onions together in a bowl.
-Salt liberally and douse with lime juice.
-Add the garlic (I usually just mince it with my garlic press) and jalapeño (chopped finely) (I do it to taste by adding a bit, then tasting, then a bit more).
-Add the cilantro.
-Throw the mixture into a blender or food processor.
-Blend.
-Taste.
-Add more of whatever is missing.

I didn't put any amounts in the ingredients because I usually just guess based on how much salsa I am making. So much of the salsa is how you prefer it (spicier, or more onion-y), so I just named all the ingredients and then you can do your thang. As a general rule, use more tomatoes than onions, and add the garlic and jalapeno sparingly 'til it's at your desired heat.

Also, it tends to taste better the next day after it has sat together overnight.

I recommend serving the salsa with this recipe for margaritas. Rick Bayless definitely knows his drink stuff. My tip on that margarita recipe? Make the water/sugar into a simple syrup so the sugar is fully dissolved before you mix it with the lime juice. Also, making a batch times SIX is a great way to spend a Thursday night.

Voila. Now you, too, can have a fiesta, like this one: