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!

Singapore noodles are traditionally made with shrimp, eggs and chicken in it. I decided to make mine vegetarian by adding some fried tofu instead. If you decide to go the traditional route, you simply need to saute some strips of boneless, skinless chicken breast and shell-less, deveined shrimp, keeping in mind that the shrimp will cook faster than the chicken. Rice noodles are traditional in this recipe as well, but you can certainly play around with different kinds, too. Mix and match and find your favorite way to prepare this dish!

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1 pound thin rice noodles, soaked in water and drained, or prepared according to package
1 pound shrimp, 1 chicken breast, cut into strips, 1 pound of fried tofu, and/or 2 eggs, scrambled
1/2 red onion, julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into small strips
1/2 cup of green onion, finely chopped
1 container of bean sprouts
1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of spicy Madras curry powder (found at many Indian grocery stores)
4 tablespoons of Canola oil
chopped cilantro, to garnish the dish
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Soak rice noodles for at least 2 hours and drain, or prepare according to package directions to make the noodles soft, but tender.

2. Cut all veggies and saute chicken or shrimp, or fry tofu and scramble eggs in 2 tablespoons of Canola oil in a large wok.

3. Set chicken shrimp, tofu, or egg aside and in the same wok, add another 2 tablespoons of oil and saute ginger-garlic paste and all veggies on high heat for about 5-7 minutes.

4. Reduce heat to medium-high and add chicken / shrimp / tofu / eggs, Madras curry powder and soy sauce to the wok. Saute for another minute and add noodles.

5. Mix together for another 5 minutes, finish with salt and pepper to taste, add some chopped cilantro on top, and get ready to dig in!

For the last two years, I’ve been purchasing fresh fruits, veggies, and even local breads from The Produce Box. The Produce Box is basically a delivery service that works with local (NC-only) farmers to bring fresh produce to many communities and front doors in North Carolina. What I love about this concept is that it benefits farmers by giving them steady and predictable business, makes us healthier by allowing us to eat fresh produce that hasn’t been picked more than just a few days ago, and helps out the environment by reducing the distance the fruits and veggies have to travel.

The price isn’t much different from what you would find at local grocery stores, so in terms of costs, you’re not saving much (if anything). However, services like these connect families to their communities, allow them to be healthier, and introduce products that they might not have normally tried. As many of you know, I love a challenge in the kitchen and the Produce Box has given me that by including items such as beets, rutabagas, and turnips that I normally don’t cook a whole lot with. With a handful of boxes to pick from each week, and an organic box, this service is right up our alley! If you want to eat local and fresh, teach the kids about where their food comes from, and help the environment while you’re at it, check out http://www.localharvest.org/organic-farms/ to find local farm programs near you. Over the last few years, I’ve created Indian, Mexican, Hispanic, Italian, American, Indonesian, Chinese, and many other types of dishes with a single produce box. There’s much more that you can do with the veggies than just building salads. But, just in case you’re interested in those, I included two pictures that show off my favorite Produce Box salads. Enjoy and feel free to reach out to me if you want to learn more about how to get involved with a local farms program!

Here’s my favorite drink and grocery item this month!

Quorn – Naked Chik’n Cutlets

What I love: If you’re a vegetarian or simply want to be a little greener, Quorn products in general are a great way to add high quality, soy-free protein to your diet. The best part is that these naked chik’n cutlets are very easy to prepare and substitute great for chicken. Stay tuned for a nice and spicy Indian quorn & spinach recipe that I’ll be posting shortly! And, for those of you who are wondering: no, there’s no corn in it. Not sure where the name came from, to be honest.

What I don’t like: The price. These cutlets and Quorn products in general are pricy, but if you consider they’re in the range of organic chicken prices, you might not mind the price so much. I have yet to try all Quorn products to see how they measure up to the cutlets.

The verdict: As a great source of protein and having 25% less fat than skinless chicken breast, these cutlets will soon be a common staple in our freezer. If you’re tired of tofu, tempeh, or other soy-based products and need some variety in your meals, definitely try these out. Let me know what creative recipes you come up with!

Almond Breeze Almond Milk

What I love: I started drinking almond milk a few years ago and although I also drink skim or 1% milk on a regular basis (gotta keep those bones strong!), I frequently pick up almond milk because of its silky smooth taste, excellent source of vitamin A, and Calcium. I prefer the regular, unsweetened kind because it doesn’t have an aftertaste and doesn’t give you “milk breath”. Gotta love that.

What I don’t like: There’s really nothing  to like dislike, although I’m going to guess that almond milk might not substitute evenly when baking or using the almond milk in certain dishes. I have yet to try this and will let you know what I find out the next time I try to make a vegan dish.

The Verdict: If you’re living with a lactose intolerant person, chances are that you have already given this a try. But, if not, branch out a bit and see how you like the Almond Breeze brand. You can purchase either the refrigerator packs or the ones on the grocery shelves, but I tend to like them both better than other brands I’ve tried. My favorite way to drink this: chilled, in a tall glass, with 2 tablespoons of Ovaltine Rich Chocolate powder mixed in. Yum!

If you’re looking for a quick side-dish, look no further than these turkey-wrapped asparagus. What I love about asparagus is that they taste great and are also an excellent source of folic acid, and vitamins A, B, and C. They are super easy to prepare as well, so definitely give these a try, even on a busy week day!

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and washed
1/2 pound of sliced, low-fat deli-style turkey
4 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

Directions (For 2-3 people)

1.  Wash and trim the asparagus. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Spread aluminum foil over a large cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray.

3.  Wrap each asparagus spear with 1/2 slice of turkey. You can also leave some asparagus spears unwrapped in order to eat them plain (this also works well if you’re serving vegetarians).

4.  Arrange asparagus on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper. Spray with cooking spray and bake for about 12 minutes on 450. Serve warm and enjoy!

In the picture above, you’ll see that I served the asparagus with some whole-wheat bread and Portobello Medallions au Poivre, a fantastic dish that I highly recommend as well!

Because we have a family member who has Asperger’s, a form of autism, my family often prepares gluten-free dishes. A gluten-free diet can help autistic people focus better and generally helps them overall health-wise. When my family came to visit over the holidays last year, I decided to try making waffles using gluten free Bisquick mix for brunch one day. This month, I decided to use it again. Here’s why:

Bisquick Gluten Free

What I love: Gluten free Bisquick mix is made primarily from rice flour. Because of this, the foods made from this mix don’t feel nearly as heavy as foods made from regular pancake / biscuit / waffle mix. The waffles made with this mix come out nice and crispy on the outside, and really light and fluffy on the inside. I would say that they come out even better with gluten free Bisquick mix compared to regular Bisquick mix!

What I don’t like: The only problem with this mix is the fact that it is quite pricey, compared to regular Bisquick mix. It also comes in a 16 oz box, instead of the regular 40 oz box that the other Bisquick mixes come in, which means that you’ll need to replace  it rather quickly as well.

The verdict: If you want to eat lighter without losing taste, texture, or flavor, I would highly recommend using gluten free Bisquick for your next batch of pancakes or waffles. I promise that you’ll brunch will feel a lot less heavy and you’ll feel a bit healthier as well.

If you’re looking for a light, but spicy dinner, this salad should satisfy your palate. It’s got plenty of veggies and the tandoori chicken gives this dish an Indian flare. Tandoori spice mix (or “masala”) can be found primarily at Indian grocery stores, although many regular grocers are starting to carry it as well. Our favorite brands are Shan and Rajah. For best results, marinate the chicken overnight and toss it in the oven as soon as you get home from work or are getting ready to prep dinner.

Ingredients (for 2 people)

For the chicken:
1/3 cup of low-fat, plain yogurt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3-4 tablespoons of tandoori masala powder
2 teaspoons of ginger garlic
1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
cooking spray

For the salad:
1 bag of prepared baby lettuce, arugula or other type of salad mix
1/2 English cucumber, unpeeled, washed and sliced
1 cup of grape tomatoes, washed and halved
your favorite salad dressing – optional

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken with all ingredients (except cooking spray), cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge over night.

2. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray an oven-safe dish with cooking spray and add both chicken breasts. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes and broil for an additional 3 minutes.

3. While the chicken is in the oven, wash the lettuce, cucumber, and grape tomatoes and cut the cucumber and tomatoes. Toss the veggies together and divide evenly on two large plates.

4. Once the chicken is done, allow it to sit and cool for about 5 minutes, then cut lengthwise into strips. Top off the salad with the chicken, adding some olive oil or your favorite dressing, if desired. Enjoy!

Don’t eat chicken? Try this recipe with grilled tofu or paneer (Indian cottage-style cheese) instead.