Date Night: Roll Your Own Sushi

First off, I am so sorry its has been so long since I blogged. Truth be told...I'm still cooking, just forgetting to take pictures of my food! On friday night, Chris and I stayed in and had an affordable and fun date night. We bought a roll your own sushi kit from World Market that had basically everything you need minus the fresh veggies and seafood. It makes 4 rolls, 2 bowls of misu soup AND it was only $12.99! The instructions were super easy to follow. At the grocery store I spent about $15 on lump crab meat, a cucumber, an avocado, carrots, scallions and smoked salmon. We will definitely try this again. Our goal is to go to the Asain Market and get a little more creative with our rolls.

Roll Your Own Sushi

Ingredients:

Sushi Kit from World Market
1 container of lump crab meat or a stick of imitation crab meat
1 cucumber
1 avocado
1 carrot
Scallions
1 package of smoked salmon

Preparation:

1. Start by slicing all of your veggies julienne style. The thinner the better. You don't want to over stuff your rolls or they won't stay closed once you cut them into pieces.

2. Follow the simple directions on the box. Basically you take your seaweed (shiny side down) and place it on the bamboo mat. Cover evenly with sticky rice mixture (directions on box) and then stuff with veggies and seafood of your choice. Then simply roll with the bamboo mat, cut and serve. Here is a picture of what it should look like before you roll.

Here is the finished product! Yum!



Turkey Hummus Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries

Sorry, its been a few days since I have blogged. I have been busy being newly ENGAGED!!!!! Chris proposed on Friday at Robert Carr Chapel in Fort Worth. It was absolutely perfect, my ring is stunning and we can't wait until January 14, 2012!!! So...from now on, if I start blogging unhealthy recipes-- make me stop!! I've got a dress to find and fit into! ;)

I've really been looking forward to sharing this recipe with ya'll! I made it a few weeks ago for some friends after church, and it was definitely a hit! Here is the recipe for only two burgers.

Turkey Hummus Burgers

Ingredients:

1/2 lb lean ground turkey meat
1/4 cup spicy red pepper hummus
1 tsp corriander
S & P to taste
2 100 calorie sandwich thins
1 plum tomato, sliced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 english cucumber, diced
1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Preparation:

1. Combine diced cucumbers, feta cheese, vinegar, oil, s & p. Set aside.
2. Mix turkey meat, corriander, hummus, s & p, and parsley. Wet hands with water (or else hummus will stick) and form 2 patties.
3. In a large skillet on medium high, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add patties and let cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until done.
4. Toast buns with a little bit of butter in oven or in toaster. Brush the inside of buns lightly with watered down hummus. Add the turkey burger, tomato slices and cucumber topping. Mmmm!! One of my new favs!

How  can you eat a burger without fries? How about some healthy sweet potato fries???

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced julienne style
garlic powder
s & p
olive oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Drizzle oil over potatoes and add seasoning to taste. Only need about a tablespoon or so of oil.
3. Bake for 20 minutes and then switch to broil for 3-5 more minutes. BE SURE TO LEAVE OVEN CRACKED ON BROIL OR YOU WILL BURN YOUR FRIES!!!

Veggie Lasagna

For all you vegetarians out there--this recipe is a great spin off from plain old lasagna.  Omitting the meat saves you calories, allowing you to feel less guilty for all the cheese you consume in lasagna! And who doesn't love cheese??

This dish may not look the prettiest but it is tasy. Just come over to my house and try it (we have 2/3rds of a casserole dish left over). So unless you want to eat lasagna for a week straight, I'd opt for cutting this recipe in half.

It takes a good amount of preparation time (almost 1.5 hrs with cook time). So maybe try it out on a sunday, and then bring leftovers to work for lunch?

Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 15 ounce container part skim ricotta cheese
1 8 ounce bag mozzerella cheese
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon oregano
Pinch of garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 zucchinis
1 large broccoli head
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 package of spinach leaves
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. First get your noodles going. Once ready, lay on wax paper to cool.
2. Start chopping all your veggies. Coarsley chop the broccoli and mushrooms, while dicing the zucchini into very small pieces. You can also coarsley chop the spinach.
3. In a large skillet on medium high heat, add 1/4 cup of butter. Let melt and then add zucchini, mushrooms and broccoli (hold off on spinach for now). While stirring often, add oregano, garlic salt and S&P (from here on out - Salt and Pepper). After veggies are tender firm, reduce heat to medium and add spinach. Cook just until spinach wilts. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
4. In a small bowl, mix riccotta cheese and eggs thoroughly with a fork. Set aside.
5. Now to make the sauce: In a 2 qt sauce pan, let 1/4 cup of butter melt on medium heat. Then sprinkle 1/4 cup flour over the butter, stirring slowly (it will start to thicken and clump). Add milk slowly, stirring constantly to thin out the sauce. It will thicken and start to bubble when it is ready. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Set aside.
6. In a 13x9 glass baking dish, begin to layer the lasagna. Start with 6 noodles lining the bottom of the dish (they will overlap). Add 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture, spread evenly. Add 1/2 of the veggie mixture followed by 1/2 of the sauce. Top with 1/2 the bag of mozzerella cheese. Then repeat again: noodles, ricotta, veggies, sauce, mozzerella.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. The cheese should start to turn a light golden brown. Let cool at least 10 minutes before eating to avoid burning the roof of your mouth. - sorry, Chris :(

** I made this veggie lasagna with zucchini, spinach, broccoli and mushrooms because that is what I had in the fridge. You could pretty substitute any veggies you like and it would still be great!

Rosemary Balsamic Pork Medallions with Sweet Bell Peppers

Okay, so here goes nothing...

Last night I made a delicious dinner. It was so easy and low calorie as well (I am all about trying to find low calorie dishes--however, I will warn you now; some recipes will not be healthy AT ALL-- Homemade Chicken Fried Steak to come soon). But back to last night's dinner...Chris literally licked his plate clean.  We will definitely be making this recipe again in our house!

$$ Saving Tip: I've found that Albertsons has really great and affordable pre marinated pork loins (or logs as my friend Emily calls it haha). We buy it often, cut it in half and freeze the rest.

Rosemary Balsalmic Pork with Sweet Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Pork Loin
4 Tablespoons of Balsalmic Vinegar
1/8 cup Fresh Rosemary (or 1 Tablespoon of dried )
1 Red, Yellow and Orange Sweet Bell Pepper, sliced julienne style
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation (3 easy steps!) :

1.  Slice pork loin into approximately 1 inch think medallions. Salt and pepper both sides. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add pork and let cook for 5 minutes before flipping.
2. Reduce heat to medium once pork has been flipped and add bell peppers, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. Let look for 7 minutes, stirring constantly until peppers are tender.

Here is what your pork and peppers should look like as it is cooking:

3. Add balsalmic and let it mix over pork and peppers. Add more fresh rosemary, remove from heat and serve.

The combination of Sweet balsalmic and rosemary with the garlic pork is mouth watering! I paired with squash and zucchini for a less heavy meal but of course some good old fashioned mashed potatoes would be great with this dish!

Hope you enjoy! :)