Frittata with Canadian Bacon, Green Onions and Cheese

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So I have been up since 4am this morning, but I feel great because I got 5 hours of straight sleep last night!  For the last 6 weeks I have been up every 2-3 hours with little dude.  It's been lethal.  I think that sleep deprivation has to be the most severe form of torture.  Seriously.  He slept 4 hours the night before, so I pray this is the new norm and not some fluke. 

Being up this early has SO many perks though!  I have silence all to myself!  If it isn't the baby crying or my annoying adorable toddler, it's my husband bothering me.  I feel like there is never a moment of peace in my waking hours.  So far this morning I made some coffee (Dunkin' Doughnuts brand mmmmmm), got ready (alone!) and surfed the net for places to possibly travel for labor day weekend.   AND FINALLY get to post a recipe to my blog!  Im so happy to feel like myself again, yipeeeeeeeeeeee :)

I started the South Beach diet a few days ago.  I really don't care for diets, however for us this is more of a lifestyle change than a temporary diet.  Though the first 2 weeks are somewhat restrictive, it's for a purpose.  Do a google search and you can learn all about South Beach.  But basically the first two weeks all bad carbs and foods with a high glycemic index are cut out (including fruit).  This is to train your body to not crave starches or carbs.  It's the only diet I will do because 1) it works and 2) it's easy.  I made this for breakfast yesterday and will make it again this morning.  I can not believe how damn good it was.  Such simple ingredients, but so much flavor. 

My husband wanted more and asked me to make it for breakfast again.  I love cooking things like a Frittata because it's a blank canvas.  You can add or take out whatever you want.  I love such freedom.  Unlike baking where everything has to be so exact.

 Frittata is an Italian dish and unlike an omlette which is usually stirred less and has less air, in a frittata  the eggs are beaten to incorporate air. The additional air in the frittata mixture allows for a deeper filling and a fluffier result. Ingredients to be incorporated into a fritatta are added to the pan before the egg mixture whereas in a French omelette they are added after.  (Thanks wikipedia)

I used Lowery Season Salt b/c I love that stuff and it's what I had on hand.  Also, my pan doesn't have a lid, so I stuck it in the over without a cover and it still turned out great.

Ingredients

2 tsp. olive oil
2/3 C diced Canadian bacon
1/4 cup sliced green onion + 1 T for garnish
1 C grated low-fat cheese
8 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or more)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
low-fat sour cream for serving if desired

Heat olive oil in heavy non-stick 10 inch frying pan or frittata pan. (Use a pan that can go under the broiler if you plan to brown the frittata.) Add diced Canadian bacon and sliced green onions and cook on medium-low heat 1-2 minutes to release flavors.

While Canadian bacon and green onions cook, break eggs into small bowl and season with Spike Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle grated cheese into pan, then immediately pour in eggs. (I stir gently with a fork to get ingredients well distributed. Start to preheat the broiler now if you plan to brown the top.)

Cover pan and cook on medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, or until eggs are barely firm and frittata is slightly puffed up. If you want to brown the top, place under preheated broiler and cook 2-4 minutes, watching carefully. You might need to rotate it to get the top evenly browned.

Cut frittata into 4 wedges, sprinkle with green onions if desired, and serve hot.

Recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen

Ancho Chili Chicken with Black Beans and Yellow Rice

Pin It Now! My favorite part of this recipe was the yellow rice.  I personally didn’t love the flavor of the ancho chili, but if you like a smoky pepper taste this recipe is for you. 

Recipe per Cuisine at Home:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( 5 oz. each)
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
½ tablespoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon black pepper
2 dried ancho chilis, stemmed, seeded, broken into pieces
1 ½ cups tomatoes, chopped
½ cup onion, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 corn tortilla, torn
1 cup chicken broth
Salt to taste
1) Season chicken with oregano, cumin and black pepper.  Saute in 1 tablespoon oil in large sauté pan over high heat until brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.

2) Toast chilis in 1 tablespoon oil in the same pan over medium heat, 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, ½ cup onion, garlic cloves, and tortilla; simmer 3 minutes.  Stir in broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and return chicken to pan.  Cover and cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 5 minutes.  Remove breasts; puree tomato mixture in a food processor or using an immersion blender. Then season with salt.  I used an immersion blender and would recommend transferring the sauce to a big pot or else it will splash everywhere!

For black beans
¼ cup onion
1 tablespoon garlic
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1) Saute ¼ cup onion and 1 tablespoon garlic in 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir in beans to heat through, then season with salt to taste. 

For the rice
¼ cup onion, minced
½ tablespoon garlic, minced
½ tablespoon turmeric
½ cup dry brown rice
 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
Salt to taste

1)      Saute onion, garlic and turmeric in oil in a saucepan over medium heat 1-2 minutes.

2)      2)  Stir in rice; cook 1 minute, then add broth and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until rice is tender, 30 minutes.  Season with salt.

Serve beans with chicken, sauce and yellow rice.

Tip:  Read through the entire recipe before cooking.  There are a lot of steps, but it isn’t hard if you read through all the steps before cooking.  Prep all ingredients together before cooking.

Nutritional Info: Per breast with 1/4 cup sauce, 1/2 cup beans and 1/2 cup brown rice
Calories: 575 Fat: 26(saturated 4 grams) Carb: 45g Sodium: 373mg Fiber: 8g Protein: 42g Iron: 4mg

Poultry Pockets with Sauteed Whole Wheat Pasta

Pin It Now! After watching Food Inc. I have commited to making over the food I cook. (click here to read my rant after watching that movie)   I'm sure there will be times when I may cheat and used processed foods, but for the most part everything I make will come from organic, nonprocessed ingredients.  It's called clean eating and there are so many health benefits associated.   I have noticed a huge difference in the way food tastes when I use fresher, organic fruits,vegetables and meats.  According to Clean Eating magazine to eat clean means to:

Be label savvy
Clean foods contain very few ingredients.  Products with a long list of ingredients are processed and not considered clean.

Avoid processed and refined foods
White flour, white sugar white breads and most pasta.  Opt for whole grain instead.  It actually tastes better!

Shop with a conscience
Consume humanely raised and local meats.

Reduce your carbon footprint
Buy from local farmer's markets and use ingredients that are in season.  It's usually cheaper and also better for the environment.

With that being said I found this lovely recipe in a Cuisine at Home magazine a friend lent to me.  It's easy and delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh spinach (or frozen is fine too)
2 boneless, skinless breasts, pounded to 1/4" thick, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 large tomato slices, 1/2" thick
2 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 oz. dry whole wheat pasta
2 garlic cloves, minced
handful chopped chives (save a few to garnish)
Olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)
1) Saute spinach in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high until wilted; season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and blot dry to remove excess moisture.

2) Begin cooking pasta in boiled salted water according to package directions; drain and set aside.

3) While pasta is cooking arrange chicken.  Layer a tomato slice, cheese slice and 1/2 the spinach on 1 side each prepared chicken breast.  Fold other side of each breast over fillings to enclose, and secure with toothpicks.

4) Saute pockets in 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet as spinach over medium high heat until browned, about 4 min.  Turn chicken over and saute on the other side 2 minutes, then transfer pan to oven.  Roast until chicken is cooked and cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and transfer pockets to a plate. 

5) While chicken is roasted, heat oil in a new skillet coated with nonstick spray over medium heat.  Add drained pasta and garlic, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes, tossing to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and add chives.

6) Return pan to the burner over high heat.  Deglaze pan with vinegar, reduce by 1/2, then drizzle sauce over chicken.

Serve chicken on top of pasta and garnish with chives.

Tips:
Be sure to pound the chicken thin enough or else it will take longer to cook in the oven.

This recipe was intended for 2, but could easily be made for more.  Just use 1 breast, 1 cheese slice and 1 tomato per person and adjust spinach as you like.

Nutritional Info.
Per pocket and 1/2 cup pasta

Calories 556 (42% calories from fat); fat 26g (saturated 6g); Chol 102 mg; Carb 32g; sodium 304mg; fiber 10g, protein 49g; iron 7 mg, calcium 402 mg; omega 40g

Information and recipe obtained from Cuisine at Home.

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

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One of the aspects of living a more balanced and harmonious life is health.  Mr. Wright has been nagging at me for weeks to cook healthy meals.  It's not that I'm against healthy.  It's just that I don't want to always eat healthy.  I'm pregnant and have desires!  I can't eat good cheese.  I can't drink wine.  I can't eat deli meat.  I don't want to have chocolate and ciabatta bread take from me either damnit!  BUT as I was reading about Feng Shui and realizing more and more how  I want to incorporate the philosophy into my life, I decided nutrition and health is a huge factor of feeling balanced.  If I keep junk in my home (chips, cookies, etc) then I'm going to continue to feed my body junk.  And it's not going to be possible for me to feel my absolute best eating that crap.  I am not going cold turkey though.  I'm just going to be making smartER and healthiER choices. 

So along came this recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  I followed it for the most part.  I didn't grill the fish.  Instead I sauteed it.  Using the pan drippings from the tilapia, Mr. Wright added about 1/4 cup butter to the pan then sauteed some shrimp.  To the mango salsa I added a teaspoon ish of honey and let it sit while the tilapia marinated. At first I just served the mango salsa on the fish with lettuce.  Mr. Wright cut up the fish and shrimp and turned it into more of a wrap.  Boy oh boy was it delicious.  I was surprised at how full it made me feel.  I guess I just figured it would be light, but not filling.  It was filling.  And it was great!  The best part of this meal is how good it actually made me feel.  I had so much energy the rest of the night and wasn't too drained to do the dishes or clean up like I usually am.  I think this recipe is a must try for the simplicity and health factors.

Here's the recipe as it appears on allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1 teaspoon dried basil


• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 2 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets


•  


• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced


• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced


• 2 tablespoons minced red onion


• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced


• 2 tablespoons lime juice


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley, garlic, basil, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the tilapia fillets, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.


2. Prepare the mango salsa by combining the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve.


3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate.


4. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill the fillets until the fish is no longer translucent in the center, and flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Serve the tilapia topped with mango salsa.