Skinny Shrimp Nachos

When I say I love nachos, I mean I LOVE nachos! I can remember as a teenager nachos being a regular meal for me (that is before I actually paid attention to the foods I put into my body). But still to this day, nachos are my weakness, the ooey gooey cheese melted over refried beans, tomatoes, jalepenos....I am slightly drooling thinking about them. However, what I do not love is that at restaurants this ooey gooey meal comes with some ooey gooeyness around the waist. To satisfy my nacho craving I created a sort of slim downed version including corn tortilla chips, black bean corn salsa, shrimp, cheese, and jalepenos. My fiance recommended I even adding it as a keeper to our menu repertoire; score for me!

Recipe for 2

6 corn tortillas
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c home made or store bought black bean corn salsa
1/2 bag frozen shrimp; peeled and deveined; defrosted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 c shredded cheese of your choice; preferably 2%
canned or fresh jalepenos
1 tbsp plain greek yogurt

1. Pre-heat oven to 400.
2. Cut corn tortillas using pizza cutter into desired chip sizes and place on greased cookie sheet.
3. Place into oven for approximately 20 minutes or until chips are crispy.
4. Meanwhile, place olive oil in medium skillet on medium heat.
5. Mix seasoning and lemon juice in bowl and toss with defrosted shrimp.
6. Place shrimp in skillet and cook until pink about 2-3 minutes each side.
7. Pile shrimp onto cooked tortilla chips.
8. Top with jalepenos, black bean corn salsa, and chopped onions.
9. Smother toppings with cheese and place under broiler until cheese melted and bubbly.
10. Serve with 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt.

Pear, Blue Cheese, and Spinach Pizza

So if you have ever been to Matt the Miller's and not tried their pear and gorgonzola flatbread, then shame on you! Unfortunately, it probably would not be in my best interest to eat there daily so I've re-created my rendition of the pizza at home for my own personal (and cheaper) enjoyment! This time, I used a whole wheat refrigerated crust by Pillsbury, which even my fiance drooled over!
Sadly I could only make 1/2 of my gooey goodness because my fiance likes to keep it simple with his standard pepperoni and cheese ;) This recipe is fast so I was able to make it after work with minimal clean up and time to enjoy the summer like weather!

Pear, Blue Cheese, and Spinach Pizza Recipe

1 refrigerated whole wheat pizza crust (I used the Pillsbury brand)
1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2.5 tbsp crumbled bleu cheese
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 of thinly sliced pear
1 handful spinach
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
red pepper flakes to tasted
1/2 tbsp olive oil (or spray butter, which I used instead)

**again I only made this on 1/2 pizza, so you may need to double or add more for a whole pizza**

1. Pre-heat oven to directions on pizza crust
2. Cook pizza dough according to package (Pillsbury called for 8 minutes at 400 degrees before adding toppings and popping back in the oven)
3. Thinly slice
3. Add spray butter or olive oil to prepared crust and add garlic powder and italian seasoning. Add 1 tbsp balsamic and using pastry brush spread on crust.
4. Top with 1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese.
5. Top cheese with sliced pears and spinach.
6. Add crumbled bleu cheese.
7. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbling.
8. Remove and add rep pepper flakes as desired.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

I like to think of a pizza crust as a blank canvas with endless combination possibilities; which is probably why I am so excited to tackle pizzas this month. I used a pre-made pizza crust; but if you are really feeling savvy you could make your own! I am not always a huge fan of tomato sauce on my pizza (call me crazy I know), so a lot of my pizzas start with a spritz of spray butter with minced garlic, italian seasoning, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I then took stock of the veggies in my fridge and pulled out broccoli, tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, and onions and topped it with some fresh mozzarella and crushed red pepper flakes. Talk about flavor; and not to mention it took virtually no time, I was able to sneak in some veggies, and I had three meals from it; success to me!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

1 pre-made pizze crust
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp olive oil or spray butter
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tbsp minced garlic
red pepper and pepper for taste
About 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
1/4 jar marinated artichokes
1/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
4-6 slices fresh mozzarella depending on the size of the slices

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Place broccoli, onions, and mushrooms on foil lined baking sheet and spritz with olive oil or spray butter and toss with 1/2 tbsp minced garlic, red pepper, and black pepper; place in oven till browning and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile place 1 tsp olive oil or a couple spritz of spray butter on crust and top with 1/2 tbsp minced garlic, italian seasoning, and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.
4. Remove vegetables from oven and place on prepared crust along with cut tomatoes and artichokes.
5. Top with mozzarella cheese and put into oven for 7-10 minutes or until cheese melted and bubbling.

* Once I removed the pizza, I topped it with more red pepper flakes and a drizzle of extra balsamic vinegar.

Month of May Pizza Challenge: Cauliflower Pizza

For the month of May's food challenge, I chose pizza because a.) who doesn't like pizza and b.) there are endless options to making a fantastic pizza and most of them can be without layers of fat and grease.  I am constantly looking for healthy adaptations for high calorie foods because not only do I love to eat and be healthy, but I also love the satisfaction it gives me when I can pull one over on those sneaky high fat foods: like, AHA mac and cheese not so fattening now are you!? So with that rant out of the way, I can move on to my first pizza. So I am sure most of you have read the hype of turning cauliflower into cheesy breads, buffalo bites, and pizza crusts and I also decided to jump on that band wagon. Like a lot of my inspired recipes, I found the following cauliflower crust recipe on Pinterest. I have made a cauliflower pizza crust before, but it was really hard to work with and most of it fell apart in one quick bite. I was skeptical about this recipe too, but it really did have a better consistency and tasted great as well; win/win!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
 2 cups grated cauliflower (about 1/2 a head)
1/2 c yogurt
1 egg
1 tsp Italian seasoning
dash of salt

(I added 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, and 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. In a food processor, prepare the cauliflower by pulsing until grainy or grated texture
3. Place in a bowl and add yogurt, egg, and spices.
4. Fold the mixture until everything combined
5. Place the dough on a baking sheet lines with parchment paper and spread until about 3/4 in thick.
6. Bake the crust for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm enough to hold its shape.
7. Top with your ingredients and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese melted and Voila!

I'm not much of a sauce fan so I topped my pizza crust with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, sautéed mushrooms and onions, diced tomatoes, jalepenos, and part skim mozzarella cheese.

Quinoa Veggie Salad

So I know I've been slacking but I do have a new salad recipe! Since I don't eat meat, I am always looking for ways to increase my protein intake, and quinoa has been a good addition to my life. Quinoa is a good staple to have in your pantry because it can be used as a substitute for rice in casseroles but it can also be mixed with chocolate, fruit, or added to protein bars. I made this salad a couple of weeks ago ( and forgot to take the picture! so one will be coming soon) as a way to clean out my fridge ( I have a slight obsession with not wasting food) and have something that I could pack for lunch the remainder of the week. The great thing about most of these past salad recipes are that they can all be easily modified to fit your tastes. I've recently added a greek vinaigrette to the salad for an added twist. I love making my own salad dressing because not only is it easy and full of flavor but you control the ingredients which is always an added bonus.

Quinoa Veggie Salad

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup red bell peppers
1/4 cup cucumbers
1/4 cup red onions
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 avocado chopped (add a squeeze of lemon juice to keep avocados from turning brown so quickly)
1 container crumbled fat free feta

1. Add all ingredients into large bowl and top with 1 tbsp lemon juice.

**You can keep the salad like this or go on to add the following greek vinaigrette for added flavor and good fats ;)

Greek Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 shallots finely chopped (could also use 3 gloves garlic minced)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
few shakes crushed red pepper
3 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 c olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine first 6 ingredients in bowl and slowly whisk in oil until blended. Refrigerate up to 1 week.

Baby Arugula Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

 I was excited to make this salad because it is so easy to eat by itself or pair with a salmon patty or goat cheese cake (not to mention I love any reason to eat bleu cheese in an appropriate manner and not straight out of a container). Yum-O! After making the salad I wanted to pair it with a vinaigrette and I happened to have left over shallots from goat cheese rice cakes I made for dinner. So shallot vinaigrette it was! I found a super easy recipe with a good flavor at Epicurious that I will definitely be making again for other salads.

Baby Arugula Salad

1 bunch or container of baby arugula washed and dried
1/2 cup dried raisins or cranberries
1/4 c walnuts
1 container crumbled bleu cheese
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 chopped red onion

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

Shallot Vinaigrette

1/2 c chopped shallots
6 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1. Whisk shallots, rice vinegar, and dijon mustard until combined. Gradually whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Shrimp Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry

When I was rummaging the fridge to make dinner for my fiance and I, I found the rest of my bag of broccoli slaw from my detox salad sitting there looking sad and I decided I'd find a way to incorporate it in my meal. I promised my fiance some shrimp, but I was sick of making the tired shrimp pasta with tomato sauce. I landed on the idea to do a shrimp stir fry of sorts using the broccoli slaw instead of rice. It turned out to be a great choice and the broccoli slaw softened but didn't become soggy. Enjoy!

Shrimp Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry

1 bag of medium shrimp peeled and deveined
1 bag of broccoli slaw
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1/4 red onion
~ 1 tbsp of olive oil (I kind of eye balled it)
dash red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
~ 1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce (I adjusted the amount to my taste)
2 tbsp crushed peanuts (optional)

1. Heat the garlic and oil in large pan; add the onions and let cook until fragrant and soft
2. Add broccoli slaw and soy sauce and cook approximately 5 minutes
3. Add shrimp and cook until pink on both sides approximately 2 minutes each side.
4. Put in a bowl and top with red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and peanuts.

Since it was a last minute idea, I plan on playing with this recipe more to add snap peas, broccoli, and mini corn on the cobs. Have fun with this recipe and let me know your ideas of what to add!