Easy Stir Fry

1 lb meat (steak, chicken, pork shoulder)
1 lb veggie (broccoli, beans, mix, spinach, etc.)
2 Tb peanut or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
1 1/2 Tb minced garlic
2 Tb low sodium soy sauce, plus more to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup minced scallions for garnish

Cut meat very thin

Heat wok over high heat until it begins to smoke. Immediately add half the oil and all the meat. Cook stirring occassionally, until the meat browns and loses all traces of pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and lower heat to med.

Add remaining oil, add the garlic and stir. As the garlic begins to color, return heat to high and add veggies. Stir until veggies are tender.

Return meat to pan and stir for 1 minute. Add soy sauce and lime juice, stir, turn off heat and taste; add more soy sauce if necessary. If mixture is dry, add a bit of water and heat through. Garnish with scallions. Serve iwth rice.

Pesto

Easy recipe from BHAG June 2011

Parm, basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil. Puree until smooth. To stretch it out and boost nutrition add a few handfuls of spinach.

Build Your Own Burger

Let guests play iwth their food with a flavor your own burger station. Place portions of beef in disposable zip-top bags. Have bowls of cheese, bacon, fresh herbs, onions, pickles, bbq sauce, and hot sauce out for seasoning the meat. Guests can add seasonings to the meat in the bags and mix and shape burgers without getting their hands messy.

Sweet POtato Salad

BHAB June 2011

4 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup mayo
2 Tb dijon style mustard
4 ribs celery, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted (2 oz)
chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 400. Wrap individual potatoes in foil. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Cool until easy to handle. Peel, then cut into 3/4 inch chunks.

Mix mayo and mustard. Add sweet potatoes, celery, red pepper, pineapple, and scallions; toss gently and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate about 1 hour til chilled. Just before serving fold in pecans and sprinkle with chives. 8 servings. 174 cal per serving

Watermelon Martinis

5 cups watermelon cubes (seed and rind removed)
3/4 cup lemon vodka
6 Tb lime juice
3 Tb cointreau or triple sec
3 Tb sugar

Blend watermelon until smooth. Pour puree into a pitcher and keep very cold, even a little frozen to make it icy.
For two martinis, add one cup of watermelon puree, 1/4 cup of lemon vodka, 2 Tb of lime juice, and 1 Tb each of cointreau and sugar to the blender with 3 - 6 ice cubes. Cover; blend until slushy.

Each serving 150 calories

Electric Lemonaid

BHAG June 2011

1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 cup sparkling mineral water
dash ginger ale
2 - 3 cups ice
1 cup vodka or sparkling mineral water

Combineeverything but vodka or sparkling mineral water in a blender and slowly blend until thick.

Pour 1/4 cup vodka each into 4 serving glasses. Top with frozen lemonade mixture.

Fresh Corn Salad

BHAG June 2011

8 ears corn shucked
6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 green onions chopped
1 green sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 Tb white balsamic vinegar
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Preheat grill to med-high. Brush corn with a little olive oil. Grill corn until lightly browned, turning often to cook evenly; cool.

When cool enough to handle, cut corn from cobs.

Toss corn with veggies, vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss and marinate for at least 2 hours b4 serving. Bring to room temp to serve. Makes 8 servings.

Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil

Got from people June 6, 2011

Kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb spaghetti
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tb chopped frsh parsley

Boil spaghetti. Reserve 1 cup pasta water

Heat olive oil over med heat and add garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Add red pepper flakes and continue sauteing until the edges of the garlic just begin to brown (about 2 min more)

Add reserved cup of pasta water and a pinch of salt. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Turn heat down to med-low and then add drained pasta and parsley. Toss until pasta has absorbed most of the liquid, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Smoothies

Got from People, July 4th

Strawberry shortcake: 4 oz filtered water, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 cup fat free vanilla frozen yogurt, 2 Tb honey, 1 graham cracker square, dash of cinnamon and 1 cup ice

Body Fuel: 4 oz filtered water, 8 oz natural pineapple juice, 1/2 banana, 1 cup fat free vanilla frozen yogurt, 2 Tb honey, and 1 cup ice

Blueberry cobbler: 8 oz filtered water, 4 oz natural pomegranate juice, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1 cup fat free vanilla frozen yogurt, 2 Tb honey, 1 graham cracker square, dash of cinnamon and 1 cup ice

Hummus Varieties

Got from O Magazine July 2011

Classic: combine 1 clove chopped garlic, a 15 oz can drained and rinsed chickpeas, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 Tb each lemon juice, tahini (sesame paste), olive oil, and water in a food processor and pulse until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Season to taste with salt, olive oil, or paprika, if desired. Refrigerate up to 7 days.

2 Tb = 48 calories, 3 g fat

Simple Blueberry Jam

(Real Simple July 2011) Simple Blueberry Jam
5 cups blueberries
½ cup sugar
1 Tb fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp kosher salt
In a med saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon until berries have released their juices.
Cook over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened, 18 – 25 minutes. Transfer to containers and refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 1 year.
This recipe can also be made with two 10 oz bags of frozen blueberries instead of fresh. Cook the frozen berries for 2 – 3 minutes before mashing, then reduce the total cooking time to 15 – 17 minutes.

Brown Rice pilaf with pecans

(Real Simple July 2011) Brown Rice pilaf with pecans
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook 1 cup brown rice according to directions. Meanwhile, spread ½ cup pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, 8 – 10 minutes. Let cool and then coarsely chop. Fold into rice along with 3 Tb fresh dill, 2 Tb cut up unsalted butter, ½ tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp pepper.

Corn and avocado salad

Corn and avocado salad (Real Simple July 2011)
Cut kernels off 3 ears corn. Toss with 1 cut up avocado, 2 thinly sliced scallions, 1 Tb olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper

** I tried this and really liked it - just used half a bag of frozen corn and a little less olive oil, salt, and pepper with an avocado and it was good :-)

Grilled Flank Steak

Grilled Flank Steak: (got recipe from Parents July 2011)
1 – ½ lbs beef flank steak
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat a grill till hot or use a grill pan or medium size pan over medium-high heat
Bring steak to room temp, pat it dry with paper towel, and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
Grill steak until nicely browned, 3 – 4 minutes per side. Move meat to a cooler part of the gril and cook for another 5 – 7 minutes turning once. Test for doneness by slitting with a knife. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting across the grain into thin slices.

Use in fajitas by serving with corn tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado, and sour cream

Serve with oven fries by heating oven to 400 degrees. Wash three large sweet potatoes and slilce them into rounds. Toss with 2 Tb olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on baking sheets and cook for 25 – 30 minutes undisturbed or until they start to brown. Flip potatoes and continue cooking for another 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Paella Style chicken and Rice

Paella Style chicken and Rice (got from People June 20, 2011)
1 Tb olive oil
2 oz andouille chicken sausage or 1 oz andouille pork sausage
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
½ tsp salt
1 cup brown rice
1 tsp saffron or 1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 C chicken broth
1 Lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 cup frozen peas thawed
1 red bell pepper sliced
Scallions and parsley to taste
Heat oil and add sausage and cook for 3 minutes.
Add onion, celery and salt. Saute for 3 minutes. Stir in brown rice. Stir saffron into chicken broth and add to pan. Bring to a boil and add chicken.
Cover and cook for 30 – 35 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed and the ride is tender. Stir in peas and sliced bell peppers. Serve in bowls, topped with parsley and scallions.

Lemon Chicken Penne

Got from the back of a pasta box
12 oz package penne
3 chicken breasts sliced
1 ½ tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 whole lemon
1 Tb olilve oil
16 oz package broccoli florets thawed and drained
1 cup red pepper, cut into strips
1 Tb chopped garlic
¼ cup white wine
Prepare pasta and train.
Meanwhile sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper seasoning, set aside. Cut lemon in half; cut one half into 6 wedges, set aside
Heat oil over high heat. Add chicken and lemon wedges; reserving other half of lemon. Saute until chicken is browned (3 – 5 minutes)
Add broccoli, peppers, and garlic. Saute until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through (3 – 5 minutes). Add wine; sauté until reduced by half.
Toss in pasta; salt and pepper to taste