Once in a while I’ll post a recipe by a FoodNetwork star or other celebrity chef that is just really tasty AND unique. This past weekend, we were looking for a creamy, chocolatey, but still moderately healthy dessert. We found just that in Rachael Ray’s Chocolate Silken Tofu Pudding. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and there’s not a drop of dairy in the recipe. We left out the pistachios, but did top the pudding with raspberries. A fantastic find for a vegan or gluten-free person, or anyone looking for great nutrition in dessert. The best part is that it only takes 5 minutes to make! Here’s where you’ll find the recipe: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/fast-recipes/chocolate-silken-tofu-pudding

Anil usually makes fantastic Indian style masala burgers, but last week, it was time to toss something different on the grill. Bring on the chipotle! For those of you who have never had chipotle peppers, they are essentially smoked jalapeños. You can find them canned with Adobo sauce in the grocery store. We added the chipotle, lots of cilantro and some Vidalia onions to the burgers to make them incredibly juicy and with plenty of kick. Summer’s almost over, so give this a try soon!

Ingredients (for 4 – 6 burgers)

About 1 pound ground turkey (we buy natural, hormone and antibiotic free turkey with about 8% fat)
About 3/4 of a cup of breadcrumbs
1 cup of cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup of  shredded 2% Mexican blend cheese
3 -4 tablespoons of light sour cream
1/2 Vidalio onion, finely chopped – cut the other half into thin strips
3 – 4 chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 cup Cremini (baby Bella) mushrooms, sliced
4 -6 slices of 2% Pepper Jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. After chopping the onion, cilantro, chipotle peppers and mushrooms, take the turkey out of the package and mix in the onion, peppers, cilantro, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Add salt and pepper.

2. Slowly add the breadcrumbs, until the turkey mixture is firm enough to form patties.

3. Form patties and place on a foil wrapped cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

4. Grill each patty for about 15 – 20 minutes on low heat (on a gas grill). Add a slice of Pepper Jack cheese to each patty during the last 3 – 5 minutes.

5. While the patties are grilling, spray a small skillet with cooking spray and sauté the mushrooms and onion strips for about 10 minutes.

6. Top the patties with the mushrooms and onions and serve with an ice cold glass of beer. Enjoy summer while it lasts!

If you’ve never tried quinoa before, you’re missing out on a great rice / grain substitute which happens to be an excellent source of protein and dietary fiber. Quinoa is a grain often found and eaten in South America. The cooking process is similar to rice, which makes it easy to prepare. I often whip up quinoa bowls that Anil and I pack for lunch during the week. Here’s how you can recreate one:

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1 to 1.5 cups of quinoa
1.5 of your favorite frozen mixed veggies
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and add the frozen veggies.

2. Saute the veggies for about 10 minutes and add the curry powder, salt, and pepper.

3. Mix in the quinoa when it’s done cooking and stir the entire mixture so all flavors can combine. Enjoy as a quick and easy lunch or as a side for dinner.

I’ve been making this slaw throughout summer and although it goes great with burgers and grilled foods, it makes a very robust and refreshing side to accompany almost any dish. Anil’s not a very big fan of cole slaw and I think that he even liked eating this. Even though summer is almost over, I’ll definitely continue making this from time to time throughout fall and anytime I need to get some quick veggies in.

Ingredients (for 2 – 4 people)

4 cups of shredded cabbage / cabbage mix with carrots
1 cup of radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of mustard powder
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cut veggies and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients and toss with veggies. Enjoy with a hot sandwich or burger and an ice cold beer!

Stonyfield Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt – Peach Mango

It’s been a really busy summer for us, but the great thing is that we’ve been eating really well. We’ve taken full advantage of summer produce, which is why I actually don’t have many packaged food faves for the last few months. Here is one that I recently discovered and absolutely fell in love with:

What I love: This yogurt, like many other types of greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein – it’s got as many as 13 grams of it. It’s a pretty good source of calcium as well, is fat free, and has this amazing blend of peaches and mango bits on the bottom of the container. It’s refreshing, light, yet keeps me full for quite a while. Excellent nutrition that tastes fantastic.

What I don’t like: As with many fruit flavored yogurts, the main problem from a nutritional standpoint is the sugar content. A container of the good stuff sets you back 19 grams of sugar, which is quite a bit. The other slight negative is the price, although I don’t mind paying a little extra for organic dairy that not only does the body good, but helps the environment as well.

The verdict: If you’re looking to get the maximum amount of nutrition out of your yogurt, want it to taste fabulous, and want to keep things as natural as possible, this is your yogurt. Extremely refreshing for summer, but bound to be a fall favorite of mine as well. Pack one in your lunch box, I promise you won’t regret it!

I love killing two birds with one stone. And no, this dish actually isn’t about two chickens that I killed for supper. Last month, when preparing for Anil’s birthday celebration, I decided to lay out some heavy snacks while waiting for the pizza, which was dinner for Anil’s party. I needed something to “pretty up” the table as well and then thought of these awesome  no-cook tomato-basil-mozzarella skewers. Not only are they tasty, especially when served with a mix of high quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, they also make an excellent center piece for the table.

Prep is easy – just pile grape tomatoes, whole-milk mozzarella balls, and fresh basil onto a skewer and insert into a flower bouquet base. You could even use a piece of cabbage, covered with aluminum foil, if your skewers are strong enough. Give it a try and let me know what other creative variations you come up with!

If you’re looking for an easy snack or light meal, rustic bruschetta is great because there’s no measuring required to make this traditional appetizer taste good! Here’s what I like to whip as a light dinner or lunch when I’m too tired to cook:

Take a loaf of French or Italian bread and cut it into small logs.  Brush half the loaf with good quality extra virgin olive oil and lightly rub with a clove of garlic. Take two medium tomatoes, remove the seeds and dice the tomatoes along with some fresh basil leaves and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Toast all the bread until the crust is crispy, but bread is still soft. Top half the loaf with the tomato mixture. Sprinkle with some finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Spread the other half of the loaf with Mascarpone cheese and sprinkle with some dried oregano, dried basil, and crushed red peppers. Be sure to spread the cheese right after taking the bread out of the toaster, so that it melts into the bread (yum!).  Serve warm with a glass of vino and enjoy!

You may have seen Quorn mentioned in the health nut food fave entry for May. Quorn is an excellent soy-free meat substitute that I recently started using to add some protein to our vegetarian dishes. For this recipe, adjust the spinach or the number of Quorn naked chik’n cutlets according to the ratio of veggies to protein that you would like to eat. I’m especially curious to hear what frequent meat eaters have to say about Quorn, so let me know what you guys think!

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
about 5 ounces of baby spinach (more, if desired)
2 pieces of Quorn naked chik’n cutlets, cut into bite-sized pieces and thawed to room temperature
1 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon of garam masala
1.5  teaspoons of coriander powder
1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon of red chili powder (more, if desired)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a splash of water

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for about 2 minutes and then add the baby spinach. Cook on medium heat until the spinach starts to wilt.

2. Add all spices, salt, and pepper, and a splash of water so that the spinach doesn’t burn. Saute for a minute and then add the bite-sized pieces of Quorn.

3. Saute for about 5-6 more minutes and serve hot with warm rotis, naan, or pita bread.

I love pita pizzas! Pocket-less pita bread makes a perfect pizza crust and allows you to create personal pizza with just about any topping you like. I recently experimented with a light olive oil base to create a nice and light pizza to go along with a wonderful glass of French wine. Here’s what I came up with. This pizza can be eaten as a light dinner or cut into smaller pieces to serve as a nice and hearty snack.

Ingredients (for 1 person)

1 pocket-less white or whole wheat pita
1/2 teaspoon of herbes de provence
1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 small tomato, thinly sliced and seeds removed
1 crimini mushroom, thinly sliced
a small handful of fat free or low-fat feta cheese
a sprinkle of good quality extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice the tomato and mushroom and brush the pita with olive oil. Sprinkle all herbs evenly all over the oiled pita.

3. Top the pita with the feta cheese and bake for about 10 – 15 minutes, until the crust is fairly crispy. Serve warm with a glass of your favorite vino!

Summer is right around the corner…and you know what that means: margaritas by the pool! Although I love margaritas, I’m not a big fan of pre-made mixes since they tend to be high in sugar or high fructose corn syrup and add a ton of calories to your drink. Because of this, I decided to take things into my own hands and blended together a fresh strawberry margarita for me and the hubs. I didn’t look up a recipe anywhere, so went completely off my instincts. Check it out and let me know if you like it as much as we did!

Ingredients (for two margaritas)

6 to 7 fresh strawberries, washed and leaves removed
1 cup crushed ice cubes
2 shots of your favorite tequila
1 shot of Cointreau, triple sec, or other orange liqueur
1 shot of sweetened lime juice
1 tablespoon of confectioners sugar
a squeeze of fresh lime juice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into two margarita glasses and enjoy with your favorite Mexican food, or, all by itself!