Mushroom & Onion Whole Wheat Pizza

Making a homemade pizza is a really great way to use up vegetables that are just sitting in your fridge that would otherwise go bad. When I opened my fridge this time, I had some red onion and mushrooms that needed to be used up, so onto our pizza they went! I had some of this whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer already, and I find that if the dough has been frozen, it actually rises again as it thaws, and is much easier to roll out, as compared to when I have just freshly made the dough. I have found some really good canned organic pizza sauces, and some brands, such as Muir Glen, use BPA-free cans. Canned and jarred tomato products provide more bioavailable lycopene, as compared to fresh tomatoes, which is great. But just beware of what brand you are buying so that you can be sure that it is not in a canned lined with BPA. Here is a link for a list of companies whose cans are BPA-free: 

http://bpafreecannedfood.wordpress.com/bpa-free-canned-food-brands/

Mushroom & Onion Whole Wheat Pizza

Ingredients

Whole wheat pizza crust (use 1/3 of dough and freeze the rest)
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
6oz fresh cremini mushrooms
1 cup organic pizza sauce (I used Muir Glen because their cans are BPA-free)
1 1/2 cups organic mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Grease rectangular cookie sheet with olive oil and roll out pizza dough until thin and in rectangle shape. Place dough on top of cookie sheet and remove excess dough around edges of pan with a knife.

2. Place pizza dough in preheated oven and bake for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and top with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and place vegetables on top. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Whole wheat flour is less refined than all purpose flour so provides more fiber and nutrients, particularly B vitamins, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, and iron. Canned tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C. Red onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Mushrooms  are an excellent source of minerals selenium and potassium as well vitamins riboflavin, and niacin, and are the only item you will find in the produce section that supplies some vitamin D!  Mozzarella cheese provides lots of protein and calcium.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

I like a good lasagna, and I tend to always make the usual traditional lasagna with ground grassed beef and cheese. This time, I wanted to try to re-create a roasted vegetable lasagna that was made for us by a friend when our son was born. I didn't have a recipe, so I loosely followed one I found on the Taste of Home website, and it turned out really great! We ended up freezing most of this because we knew we wouldn't have any opportunities to eat leftovers in the following days, so we have a future dinner or two waiting for us in the freezer!

To save some time, you can roast the vegetables ahead of time and toss them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble your lasagna.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Makes ~9 servings

Ingredients

1 medium-sized organic eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices

8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 small organic zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices lengthwise

2 organic red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch slices lengthwise

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper, for seasoning

15oz organic ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated organic parmesan cheese

1 organic free-range egg

26oz jar organic marinara sauce

12 lasagna noodles

8oz organic mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 Tbsp fresh organic basil, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 baking pans with olive oil. Place eggplant and mushrooms in a mixing bowl, and zucchini and red peppers in another mixing bowl. Combine olive oil and garlic powder and pour half of mixture in each bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix until vegetables are evenly coated. Place eggplant and mushrooms on one baking pan, and zucchini and red peppers on the other. 

2. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, turning vegetables over halfway through. Remove eggplant and mushrooms. Roast zucchini and peppers for an additional 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles as directed on package.

3. In small mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan and egg. Mix until evenly combined. 

4. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

5. Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, followed by half of ricotta cheese mixture, half of vegetables, a third of remaining marinara sauce, and a third of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with half of fresh basil. Repeat layers and top with remaining 4 noodles, pasta sauce and mozzarella cheese.

6. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

(Recipe adapted from tasteofhome.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal?  Eggplant provides fiber, B vitamins and folate. Mushrooms  are an excellent source of minerals selenium and potassium as well vitamins riboflavin, and niacin, and are the only item you will find in the produce section that supplies some vitamin D! zucchini is a good source of  fiber and vitamins A, C and folate. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control. Ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses are all excellent sources of protein and calcium. Jarred tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C.

Beef & Sweet Potato Pockets

This is another recipe from the Feed Zone Portables cookbook, and it was even better than I thought it would be! I changed the recipe a bit by making a 100% whole wheat pastry crust, instead of traditional white flour crust. Next time, I think I will use just partial whole wheat flour because it made the dough really dense and hard to roll thin enough.  And honestly, the filling was so good on its own that I may skip the crust altogether in the future, which would make this a really fast and easy dinner. Preparing the dough and rolling it out for the individual pockets took a good amount of time. I made this crust with butter because it seems that our son has outgrown his dairy allergy, which is awesome! But if you are looking for a dairy-free whole wheat pastry crust, click here. If you were to use these pockets for high intensity endurance exercise/activity, as the original recipe is intended for, using white flour and white rice would be a better option to have less fiber and a more quickly-broken-down source of carbohydrate.

I served these with some steamed broccoli, but they would be good with any green vegetable!

Beef & Sweet Potato Pockets

Ingredients

Pie Crust:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup cold water

Filling:
8 oz grass-fed ground beef
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (~1 cup)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups organic brown rice, cooked
~3 cups organic chicken stock (for cooking rice, instead of using water)

Directions

1. To make the pie crust: Pulse together flour, salt and cinnamon in a food processor. Add butter and blend until butter pieces are no longer visible. Transfer mixture to large bowl and add cold water gradually, using hands or spatula to turn the dough and mix. Add more water or flour, as necessary, until dough takes shape. Divide dough into 12 portions, forming into balls.  Wrap dough and chill (30 minutes in the freezer, or at least one hour in the refrigerator.

2. To make filling: Cook ground beef over medium-high heat until browned. Drain excess fat. Cooked cubed sweet potato in microwave until tender, about 3-5 minutes.  Combine beef and sweet potatoes in a bowl and add soy sauce, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, kosher salt, and cinnamon.  Mix until evenly combined and then fold in rice.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat muffin tin with canola oil.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out each ball of dough, on a lightly floured surface, until it is big enough to fit in the form and fold back over the filling. Transfer dough to muffin forms, gently pressing into place and letting excess dough hang over edges. Place enough of the filling mixture into the dough pocket to be level with the top of the muffin tin. Fold excess dough over filling and gently press together to form a seal.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust turns golden

(Recipe adapted from Feed Zone Portables: A Cookbook of On-The-Go Food for Athletes by Biju Thomas & Allen Lim)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Whole wheat flour is less refined than all purpose flour so provides more fiber and nutrients, particularly B vitamins, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, and iron. Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Brown rice is unrefined, so contains it's original abundance of iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, antioxidants and fiber. Sweet potatoes are very high in vitamin A (one cup provides over 400% of the daily value!) and are a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Broccoli is packed with vitamins C and K, and is also a good source of folate and calcium. 

Baked Lemon-Herb Salmon & Herbed Quinoa

When my husband ate this last night, he said "this is the best salmon I have ever tasted; this is company-good!" and when he is willing to feed something to other people, it is definitely good.  What is even better is that it is incredibly easy to make.  If you are a quinoa-lover, as I am, then this herbed quinoa is a great side to go with the salmon, as they both have an olive oil, lemon juice and parsley base and so pair together well.  Plus, it is nice to use up the parsley in more than one dish since you get so much in a bunch. I feel so wasteful when I toss out an old half-used bunch of parsley or cilantro.  This quinoa can also be made ahead of time. I made it a few hours before dinner and just tossed it in the fridge.

Baked Lemon-Herb Salmon & Herbed Quinoa

Baked Lemon- Herb Salmon

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

2 wild salmon filets (4-6oz each)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, whisk together all ingredients (except salmon).

2. Place salmon filets, skin side down, on center of a large piece of foil. Place in glass baking dish.  Pour mixture over salmon filets and enclose the filets to make a pouch with the foil. Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until cook through.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Herbed Quinoa

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup organic chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups organic quinoa, uncooked

 Dressing:1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh organic parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh organic thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, combine chicken stock, lemon juice and quinoa. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 14 minutes, covered, until liquid is absorbed.

2. To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Pour over quinoa and stir until evenly combined. Serve warm or cold.

(Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentii's Herbed Quinoa recipe on food network.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Wild salmon gives nice dose of omega-3s and protein. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control. Lemon juice is high in vitamin C. Parsley is rich in vitamins C, K and A. Quinoa is a whole grain and is a complete protein, meaning it contains all 9 essential amino acids. Quinoa is also a great source if fiber, iron, lysine, magnesium, riboflavin and manganese. 

Classic Cobb Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

I like pretty much all salads, but I can sometimes get into a rut, making the same old tossed salad with the same simple vegetables and dressing. So I decided to do something different and make a big cobb salad with a new salad dressing to branch out a bit. This was really good and was a complete meal in itself.  It does take a bit of prep time to cut cook/cut-up all of the toppings, but if you cut the vegetables up ahead of time and pre-cook the eggs, chicken and/or bacon, it saves a lot of time when you go to assemble the salad. The dijon vinaigrette was really good without being over-powering. I doubled the amounts of the ingredients that I have listed for the dressing so that I would have extra for other salads, and I'm glad I did because it is so good!

Classic Cobb Salad

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

8 slices all-natural, pasture-raised bacon
4 organic free-range eggs
1 Tbsp white vinegar
Kosher salt
2 organic free-range chicken breasts
Salt, pepper and garlic powder, for seasoning
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 shallot, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste in dressing
2 avocados
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 heads organic romaine lettuce, washed and torn into pieces
4 oz crumbled blue cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange bacon on baking sheet and cook in preheated oven until crisp, about 8 minutes, turning at 4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on paper towels to collect excess fat. When cool enough to handle, crumble bacon and set aside.

2. Place eggs in pan and cover with cold water and add white vinegar. Bring to boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Peel and chop eggs and season with kosher salt.

3. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brush with olive oil. Heat grill pan and grill pan top over medium high heat. Place chicken breasts on grill pan and cover with grill pan top. Grill about 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove from heat and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Slice chicken into strips.

4. To make the dressing: whisk together cider vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper. Toss sliced chicken with 1 Tbsp of dressing in a separate bowl.

5. Remove skin and pits from avocados and dice. Season diced tomatoes with salt.

6. In a large bowl, place dressing on bottom, topped with lettuce.Arrange bacon, eggs, chicken, avocados, tomatoes, and blue cheese in rows on top of lettuce. When ready to serve, toss salad and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

(Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine's recipe on foodnetwork.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Pasture-raised bacon, like all pasture-raised meats, is higher in omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventional meat. They provide protein, and are also one of the best food sources of choline. Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats that have been shown to boost HDL (good cholesterol), and are an excellent source of vitamins C,E and carotenoids lycopene and beta carotene, as well as the minerals selenium and zinc. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and lycopene. Red onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of vitamins, A,  K and folate, as well as the mineral molybdenum, and is a very good source of fiber, minerals manganese, potassium, copper, and iron, as well as vitamins biotin, B1 (thiamin) and C. Blue cheese is a great source of protein and calcium.

Garlic & Lime Flat Iron Steak

We got a couple of great grass-fed flat iron steaks in a recent shipment from Door to Door Organics, and they tasted so good in this garlic and lime marinade. We put the beef in the marinade in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all afternoon. You could also let it sit overnight. To complete our healthy Mexican fiesta dinner, we made some brown rice, vegetarian beans, peppers and onions, and sliced up some fresh avocado to go with our steak. This turned out well using the grill pan on the stove, but I am looking forward to being able to make this on the grill outside this summer and enjoy it with one of my homemade strawberry margaritas!

Garlic & Lime Flat Iron Steak

Ingredients

1 pound grass-fed flat iron steak
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp organic tamari
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Place all marinade ingredients in mixing bowl to combine. Place meat and marinade in large resealable plastic bag and let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

2. Heat grill pan with top over high heat.  Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

(Marinade recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Brown rice is unrefined, so contains it's original abundance of iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, antioxidants and fiber. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats that have been shown to boost HDL (good cholesterol), and are an excellent source of vitamins C,E and carotenoids lycopene and beta carotene, as well as the minerals selenium and zinc. Pinto beans are high in protein, iron and calcium.

Fruit & Dark Chocolate Energy Bars

I got a request for energy bars made with dark chocolate, so this is for you, Corrine :) And I have to say that these are definitely my favorite energy bars I have made thus far! They hold together really well and taste amazing. The original recipe I came across had some whey protein powder, but I decided to leave it out because, for one thing, we didn't have any, and for what my husband and I use the bars for, we don't really need the additional protein.  I usually use these bars as a pre-cardio snack or as a snack right after I go to an intense hour-long spinning class.  For a longer endurance workout, or one that involves weight training, the additional protein would be more beneficial.  The original recipe also had some pistachios in them, but I left them out and just doubled the walnuts. 

Fruit & Dark Chocolate Energy Bars

Ingredients

1 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 2/3 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup dried blueberries
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Peanut oil for oiling pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil 9x13 inch baking pan with peanut oil.

2. Mix together syrup and peanut butter in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined.

3. Press mixture into pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut into 20 bars.

(Recipe adapted from "Confections of a Foodie Bride" blog on yummly.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of these energy bars? Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and potassium, as well as poly- and mono-unsaturated fats. Oats are high in soluble fiber, which helps reduce cholesterol levels. Whole wheat flour is less refined than all purpose flour so provides more fiber and nutrients, particularly B vitamins, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, and iron. Wheat germ is high in folic acid, iron and zinc. Sunflower seeds are packed with antioxidants, particularly vitamin E, and minerals, including selenium, magnesium and copper. Blueberries are packed with antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C. Cranberries are an excellent source of vitamin C. Walnuts are very high in omega-3 fatty acids, and are also high in vitamin E and B vitamins.

Nutrition information per bar (if batch is cut into 20 bars): 272 calories, 13g fat, 7g protein, 33g carbohydrate, 18g sugar, 4g fiber