Artichoke W/Dipping Sause HCG Phase 2

Need a great snack idea? Try an artichoke! Steam artichoke for 40 minutes. Make a dressing out of a little milk, Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Really good and satisfying. Don't eat the heart. :-)

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower - HCG Phase 2

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Place 2+ cup of chopped cauliflower in tin foil with a few whole cloves of garlic and s/p. 

Back at 400 for 20 minutes. 

Blend in blender by adding chicken broth in slowly to get the mashed potato consistency. 

Serve with sautéed steak and tomatoes ( I sprinkled a little curry on the steak while it was cooking for an interesting added flavor) Delicious.

Cumin Lime Chickpeas - HCG Phase 3

Every winter, after weeks of eating hearty soups and stews, I start craving something really light and fresh. I just get sick of all of the super cooked down hot food. I want bright, I want it to taste like SUNSHINE. You know what I'm sayin'?

So today I threw together this quick salad with a couple of cans of chickpeas that I had hiding in the back of my pantry. It's really fast, easy, and bursting with fresh flavor!

Lime juice can sometimes have a slightly bitter bite to it, so if you're not into that or limes just aren't available in your area, this salad would be just as delicious with lemon juice. If you want to cut the price in half, cook your own chickpeas from dry. I haven't done it but I'm sure it's just as easy as cooking any other bean... especially if you cook them in the slow cooker!

Another interesting twist to this salad would be to add a touch of honey and chopped jalapeno. Unfortunately, I didn't think of that until just now as I was typing this. Someone try it for me and let me know how it is! Thanks!




Total Recipe cost: $3.79
Servings Per Recipe: 6 (about 1/2 cup each)
Cost per serving: $0.63
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 15 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 (15 oz.) cans	chickpeas (garbanzo beans)	$2.18
1/2 medium	red onion	$0.51
1/2 bunch	cilantro	$0.39
2 cloves	garlic	$0.15
1 medium	lime	$0.25
2 Tbsp	MTC oil	$0.22
1 tsp	cumin	$0.05
1/8 tsp	cayenne pepper	$0.02
1/4 tsp	salt	$0.02
TOTAL		$3.79

STEP 1: Empty both cans of chickpeas into a colander and rinse with cool water. Let the chickpeas drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.

STEP 2: Remove the cilantro leaves from the stems and then roughly chop. Dice the red onion. Place both in a large bowl.

STEP 3: Prepare the dressing by squeezing the juice from one lime into a bowl and adding the olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt. Finely mince two cloves of garlic and add them as well. Stir everything to combine. Taste and adjust salt to your liking.

STEP 4: Add the drained chickpeas and the dressing to the bowl with the cilantro and onion. Stir to combine and then serve! The flavor intensifies the longer it sits so, refrigerate before serving for a stronger flavor.

Step By Step Photos

I had a couple lonely cans of chickpeas in my pantry, so what better to do with them than add my favorite flavors...


Cilantro, lime, garlic, and onion! This really is my favorite combo. Anytime I need something to taste fresh and vibrant, this is what I reach for.


Rinse the chickpeas in a colander with cool water to remove all of that canned flavor. I'm sure making fresh chickpeas from dry would not only be more inexpensive but the flavor would be even more clean and fresh. Note to self: make fresh chickpeas.


Remove the leaves from the stems of the cilantro and then give them a rough chop. The leaves pull off easily so this should take no more than a minute or two.


Dice the red onion and place it in a bowl with the cilantro.


Squeeze the juice from one lime into a bowl and add the olive oil, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Mince the garlic and add that as well.


Stir it all up and now you've got a delicious cumin dressing. Give it a taste and adjust the salt and any other ingredients as you see fit.


Add the drained chickpeas and dressing to the bowl with the cilantro and onion. Stir until everything is coated in dressing and then serve!


The salad will be even more intense the next day! ...if it lasts that long!

Found on - Budget Bytes: cumin lime chickpeas $3.79 recipe / $0.63 serving

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

These cabbage wedges taste great alongside roasted beef or pork.

• Yield Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Place 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds, in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds. Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40 to 45 minutes.

Found here:
Roasted Cabbage Wedges - Martha Stewart Recipes

Grilled Asparagus & Feta Salad

This grilled asparagus salad is the kind of wholly satisfying dish that makes you wonder if you might possibly be a very happy vegetarian. It's so simple, yet so good.

Like most vegetables, asparagus tastes better slightly charred and caramelized, and the direct heat of the grill is the best way to accomplish that. For this recipe, be sure to find nice, thick asparagus spears (the skinny ones will burn and get mushy) and get your grill nice and hot.



Coat the spears with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, then grill them until tender-crisp. Toss with crumbled feta and lemon zest and -- voilà -- you're done. Proof that simple really is fabulous.



Serve this salad room temperature with grilled fish, chicken or meat (particularly these Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts or this Grilled Flank Steak). Or try it on its own for lunch or a light bite...all you need to complete the meal is a hunk of warm crusty bread to sop up all the lemon-scented olive oil and feta.



As food writer Michael Pollan has so eloquently said:

Eat Real Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.



I agree. Less Meat. More Vegetables. Grilled Asparagus. Amen.



Grilled Asparagus & Feta Salad
Printable Recipe

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

1 bunch thick asparagus, about 24 spears, ends trimmed*
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest**

Directions

1. Preheat grill to high.

2. Place asparagus spears in baking dish and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Put asparagus on the grill, making sure to place spears perpendicular to grates so they don't fall through. Set asparagus dish next to grill (do not clean). Cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until asparagus spears are nicely browned and tender-crisp. Remove asparagus from grill and place back in baking dish. Let cool, then transfer spears to cutting board and cut into 1½" pieces. Place cut asparagus back in dish, then add remaining tablespoon olive oil, feta and lemon zest; toss gently and season to taste. Serve room temperature or cold.

*To trim ends, bend one spear near its base to see where it naturally snaps off. Use a knife to trim remaining spears to the same length.

**Use a fine or Microplane grater to zest the lemon. Simply rub the lemon in one direction against the blades, turning the lemon as you go. Be sure to remove only the yellow part; the white pith underneath is bitter.

Grilled Asparagus & Feta Salad - Once Upon A Chef

Spaghetti Squash

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There are many varieties of squash available at the grocery store and farm stands. Spaghetti squash, also know as calabash squash or vegetable spaghetti, is really quite unique because when cooked looks like thin translucent strands of thin spaghetti. It has a mild, delicate flavor somewhat like that of yellow summer squash and watery texture.

Spaghetti squash has a rounded shape and can vary in weight and size. The ones I bought weighed almost four pounds and were about 9 inches long.

When you buy spaghetti squash, it should have a nice lemon yellow color. If it is green it means that it is under ripe.

Washing and Cleaning Spaghetti Squash

Begin by washing the squash with a vegetable brush under running water.

Dry it well so that it does not slip when you are cutting into the squash.

To cut spaghetti squash you need a big, heavy kitchen knife. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise.

Cutting the squash is the most difficult part of preparing the squash! It is like making that first cut into a melon, which can be tricky if you are not using a knife that can handle the task.

Once open, you can see there are seeds and stringy bits that need to get removed. (Just like with butternut squash or pumpkins.)

Using a spoon, scrape away the seeds and stringy bits….

…until the inside is clean.

Cooking Spaghetti Squash

I’m going to show you how to roast spaghetti squash in the oven and also how to cook it in the microwave. Normally these two cooking methods provide very different results. Roasting vegetables often makes them crispy and brings out their natural sweetness. Surprisingly enough, there is virtually no difference in the taste or texture when spaghetti squash is cooked in the oven vs. the microwave!

Oven Method:

Preheat the oven to 400º F ( = 200º C = gas mark 6-moderately hot.)

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on cut side of the squash and rub it around with your fingers.

Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.

Place the squash, cut side down in an oven-proof dish.

Depending on the size of your squash, it will take approximately 35-45 minutes to get tender.

Microwave Method:

Place the squash in a microwave-safe dish…

…cut side down.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap…

…being sure to leave a steam vent.

Cook the squash on high for approximately 7-10 minutes - depending on the size of your squash and how powerful your microwave is. If you do not have an automatic turntable in your microwave, give the dish a turn every 3 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Remove the plastic wrap with a pair of tongs and be very careful of the built up steam.

Note: I do not recommend cooking the squash WHOLE in the microwave. Some recipes have you pierce the whole squash about 20 or 30 times with a knife (so the squash does not explode in the microwave). Then stick it in the microwave whole. It is very difficult to cut and remove the seeds and stringy bits from a steaming hot squash.

How to Make the Squash Look Like Spaghetti

Once you have removed the squash from the oven or microwave, check to see if it is cooked by sticking a knife into it. The knife should slide in easily.

If you have over cooked the squash it will taste fine but the texture will be creamy and you will not be able to make the spaghetti like strands.

Flip the squash over with a spatula so that the cut side is facing up. (Be careful as it will be very hot!)

The above photo is of the oven roasted squash

Using a dinner fork, scrape the flesh of the squash….

…moving gently around the shell….

…fluffing up the strands of squash.

Turning the squash into spaghetti strands takes about 10 seconds!

You can then serve the squash as is or remove it to a serving plate. It will be very hot so hold the squash in a dish cloth so you don’t burn your hand.

The above photo is of the microwave cooked squash

Decision time! What do I now do with this squash?

You can eat it as is or dress it up with your favorite spaghetti sauce.

I like to add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of basil infused olive oil, and some salt and pepper!

Enjoy!

P.S. Just for the heck of it, I tried freezing the leftover spaghetti squash. WRONG! It turned into spaghetti squash mush. It tasted fine but the spaghetti texture did not hold up at all!

This recipe found on:
Spaghetti Squash > Start Cooking

Baked Vidalia Onion

"Baked Vidalia Onion"

1 Vidalia Onion (med. sized)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Remove the outer layers and roots from onion. Wrap in foil. Bake in Preheated oven at 350 degrees for at least one hour. Remove from foil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
servings=1 vegetable

Roasted Kale Chips with Sea Salt and Vinegar

(Makes 2-3 servings of kale chips, recipe adapted by Kalyn with inspiration from many other bloggers who also made kale chips.) one small bunch of kale, about 6 oz. 1 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 T vinegar (I used Spanish sherry vinegar, but any vinegar you like the flavor of will work) sea salt to taste Preheat oven to 300F/150C. Cut away inner ribs from each kale leaf and discard, then tear the kale leaves into same-size pieces. (I made my pieces about the size of a small potato chip.) Wash torn kale pieces and spin dry in a salad spinner or dry with paper towels until they're very dry. Put kale pieces into a large Ziploc bag (or use a bowl if you don't mind getting your hands oily.) Add half of the 1 T of olive oil, seal bag, and squeeze the bag so the oil gets distributed evenly on the kale pieces. Add the other half tablespoon of oil and squeeze the bag more, until all kale pieces are evenly coated with oil and slightly "massaged." Open the Ziploc bag and sprinkle the 1 T sherry vinegar over the kale leaves, then seal bag and shake to spread the vinegar out over all the leaves. Arrange kale leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet, then roast until they are mostly crisp, about 35 minutes. I checked every 10 minutes or so and turned some pieces over. I also found I didn't mind if there were a few softer parts on some of the kale leaves, I liked the combination of crisp and softer parts. When chips are done to your liking, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and eat immediately.