Butternut Squash Mini Pizzas

These are delicious. For real. They are so yummy, I texted my niece a picture of them with the hashtag #imagenius. Ok, so I'm not really genius, but I felt like one when I bit into one of these delicious mini pizzas!

The crust is very simply roasted butternut squash. DELICIOUS. Roasting the squash is so simple. It makes it crisp on the outside and tender and sweet on the inside.

I use parchment paper to line my cookie sheet - this will keep your squash from sticking to the pan without using any fat at all. You don't even need to spray it with cooking spray. Parchment paper is magic. If magic was a paper, seriously, it would be parchment. 

One thing I love about this recipe - super simple. There is no need to make or buy a pizza sauce. I took a few ripe tomatoes, chopped them up and added a few fresh basil leaves. So basically, if you can cut up some herbs and veggies without chopping your hand off - you can make this pizza. 

I think peppers should be in everything. Even cake. One day, I will figure out how to make the perfect pepper cupcake. (It won't make it onto a clean eating blog though.) Use any veggies that you want, but I love peppers (and I had some great shallots fresh from my friend, Jenny's garden. Yum!! If you aren't familiar with them, shallots are like onions, but look like a giant purple-y garlic clove. They are more mild than onion, but still have that great onion family flavor. Plus they roast AMAZINGLY. If you have a friend who will grow and give you free shallots - take her up on that. Your pizza will thank you.

After I had roasted my squash I added BBQ seasoning. Use your favorite kind. This is not technically clean because mine did have the teensiest bit of sugar in it. Worth. It. BBQ needs sweetness, and this little bit added almost no calories, but really added to the flavor, and it brings out the sweetness in the squash.

Piling on the toppings is just adding one delicious flavor layer on top of another. I used parmesan cheese, finely shredded. I know that here you're probably tempted to use a gooier cheese, but DON'T. Parmesan will not melt right away, so it gives your shallots, peppers, tomato, and basil time to roast. Plus it's LOADED with flavor, far more than any soft cheese. These pizzas are mini. MINI. So there isn't room for tons of gooey cheese. You can use the parmesan instead, and because it's so flavorful you don't need nearly as much.

Here is the exact recipe, for the detailed oriented:

8 slices of butternut squash, sliced thin
3 ripe campri tomatoes chopped
3 large fresh basil leaves chopped
3 sweet mini red peppers chopped
3 sweet mini yellow peppers chopped
1 shallot chopped
4 tablespoons finely shredded parmesan

1. Heat oven to 450.
2. Slice squash into slices and lay on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 20 minutes or until the edges and sides begin to crisp, and the middle is tender. Flip once halfway during cooking.
3. While the squash is roasting, chop remaining ingredients.
4. Mix together the tomatoes and basil and let sit while the squash cooks.
5. Once squash is done, remove from oven and top each one with tomatoes & basil mixture, then peppers and shallots, and finish with the cheese.
6. Return pizzas to the oven and let them roast an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is well cooked.

Enjoy!!

Super Fast Super Loaded Nachos

These were fun and delicious but more imprtantly - fast. I'd just come home from shopping,  barely put cold foods away,  & my kitchen was still messy from breakfast. Not the best environment for cooking. Plus it was hot,  I was tired & running late anyway. So IF I weren't clean eating, I might like a nice order of nachos bell grande (or something similar). Thankfully,  I can do that pretty quickly & inexpensively,  all while staying under the clean eating banner.

The flavor profile I'm looking for here is salty,  spicy,  creamy,  hearty,  & fresh.

So first I make my own chips,  which is easy & takes about 5 minutes to prepare.

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. Take a sprouted grain tortilla (I buy Ezekiel brand on sale and keep them in the freezer.)and use a pizza cutter to cut into chips.
3. Lay chips on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with lemon juice and 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil on each side. Sprinkle with garlic powder,  onion powder,  paprika & kosher salt to taste.
They should only take 10-15 minutes to cook. So while the chips are finishing make your toppings.

Salsa:
Combine together 1 can of diced tomatoes with chilis (drained), 4-5 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped, & 1/2 medium yellow onion diced.

Build your nachos by using black beans (I was in a hurry so I took a can from the pantry, drained it, and threw 1/2 c serving onto the plate), salsa, fresh diced avocado (healthy creamy fat! Yum!!) And topped it with two big tablespoons of 2% plain greek yogurt.

My tortilla chips are salty & spicy. My avocado & greek yogurt and creamy and decadent. The beans are hearty, and my salsa is fresh and flavorful.

400 calorie Nacho dinner ready in 20 minutes. Score!!

Low Carb Jalapeño Crusted Chicken Tenders

I LOVE spicy food. Now this recipe you can do plain or with a kick. I recommend a nice Chuck Norris version with plenty of hot peppers & spices :-) but to each his own. 

To make it low carb I substituted coconut flour for whole wheat or all purpose. It's lower in carbs but a bit trickier to use. It's also has a sweetness to it that other flours don't. I like that but if you don't I'd use whole wheat pastry flour instead. 

Also the breading was a little more dry than regular flour. I would either mist with olive oil or use a different flour if that's a problem for you. 

The best part about this recipe is how quick it is to make. It's only about 5-10 minutes to prepare & it's in the oven for 20-25. You can easily have dinner on the table in 30-35 minutes with this one.

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil (this keeps the meat moist)

2 tbsp lemon juice (this makes the meat tender)

1/4 c coconut flour

Paprika 

Cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Cumin

6 chicken tenderloins

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil & position a wire baking rack that can go in the oven on top. 

3. In a shallow dish whisk together the lemon juice & olive oil. It should be cloudy & thick. 

4. In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Start with small amounts of the spices, adding more according to your tastes. (Remember the cayenne is hot, so use with caution.)

5. Chop up a Jalopeno pepper - 1 or 2 according to your taste preference & the hotness of the peppers. Keep in mind this step is completely optional. However if you dare to light the fire - add these to the dry ingredients. 

6. Dredge the tenderloins in the oil & lemon juice. Then through the breading.  

7. Place on the wire rack & bake for 20-25 minutes. 

(Pictured here are both plain & fiery versions)

I added my salt at the end because I often serve people on a low sodium diet, but feel free to mix yours in with your breading. 

While this is in the oven, take time to whip your favorite veggies to go with - steaming is always quick & healthy :-)

Last step: Enjoy!

Wild Caught Pink Salmon

Over the last month, I haven't been watching a lot of what I've been eating. My dad went to the Dr for a routine diagnostic procedure & they found cancer in his colon. He had major surgery to remove the part of his colon which contained the tumor. Now he's recovering& he will soon begin chemo. My mom & I took turns sleeping at the hospital for the week he was in there. Given all the stress & hospital food, I haven't done a good job clean eating. Unfortunately I am a stress eater, & even though I know God is looking out for Dad, this has been a pretty overwhelming experience.

I still want to glorify God with what I eat. It's important that I nourish the body that He has given me, because I'm going to need to be healthy in the months to come. 

So one thing I'm doing is low carb cooking in combination with clean eating. 

Tonight I made salmon filets. This recipe  uses boneless skinless wild caught pink salmon. It's pretty fast to make, so it's great for a healthy quick meal.

Ingredients

Soy sauce

Worcestershire sauce

Kitchen bouquet browning sauce 

Extra virgin olive oil

Wild caught pink salmon filets

1. Begin by drizzling extra virgin olive oil into a pan on the stove 2-3 tbsp. 

2. Add the filets and add the other ingredients (to taste). 

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

Kitchen bouquet browning sauce, after pouring a small amount over each filet, brush the browning sauce to evenly distribute it. 

3. Heat over medium heat, turning the filets once during cooking. The juice from the filets will combine with the other ingredients to make a delicious sauce. Bring it to a boil and then it reduce. Serve warm with your favorite vegetable. 

4. Enjoy!

Roasted Tofu & Asparagus

After many moons off I am returning to my clean eating blogging. I'm kicking things off by a simple but adventurous recipe - roasted tofu! I got this idea from some tofu I saw at the salad bar at Fresh Thyme, one of my new favorite grocery haunts. 

A clean eater's dream - Fresh Thyme has a great bulk foods section, lots of organics, and an amazing selection in groceries. As long as you stick with what's in season and what's currently on sale you won't have to pay hefty prices (which is why I ended up abandoning Whole Foods). I drove my brother in law to work this morning while his van was in the shop which meant I had a little extra time to kill before work. No place better to go then Fresh Thyme. 

I like tofu because it's bland - I can flavor it however I want. It's high in protein, low in fat, and low in carbs. It's not for everyone though, so you can substitute with chicken breast if you like. 

For this super simple dinner, I used the tried & true method of throwing lots of my favorite things in a pot and roasting them. 

1 pkg extra firm organic tofu, chopped

2 tbsp teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tbsp browning sauce

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Dash of ginger 

Palmful of garlic powder (to taste)

Dash of turmeric

Dash of red pepper

Dash of ground gloves

1. Mix all the spices & oil together with maple syrup and whisk together. 

2. Add to chopped tofu and mix to coat. 

3. Begin tofu baking in an oven preheated to 350, for about 10 minutes. Then switch to broiling for 10-20 minutes more until you get desired doneness. 

I also had a hankering for some asparagus. It's getting to be the right time of year for it. & as long as I had the oven set for roasting why not throw in a pan of asparagus? The key to good roasted vegetables for me is using kosher salt. When you have a nice char on the outside of the vegetable, the inside is soft and sweet, and there is just a perfect bite of seasoning from the kosher salt, it's better than dessert. 

For any roasted veggie the recipe is the same - drizzle lightly extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt, then stick it under the broiler. 

 

Chipotle Cheddar Grilled Cheese

I have taken a long time off of blogging, but I'm ready to jump back in with the new year. I'm doing 100 days of real food, as a way to kick some bad habits I picked up especially over the holidays. I didn't want to get any bad habits, but chocolate dipped Oreos, my sister-in-law's sweet potato casserole (it's like eating Heaven made of candied vegetables), and homemade fuge really hindered my efforts. Maybe that's why we have New Years resolutions - it's clean up after holiday habits. 

The first challenge which was last week, is to eat two servings of either fruits or vegetables with every meal.  I lost FIVE POUNDS in one week doing this challenge. I'm sure part of that was water weight, but still that puts me 1 pound away from my pre-holiday weight. A goal I can't wait to meet. 

Of course one go to meal that I've been doing lately is grilled cheese with steamed veggies. It's just what I need on a cold winter day. I don't want it to get boring, so this time I added a little spice to it. And then I did Steamable frozen vegetables. Those steam in the bag vegetable are my favorite thing to eat ever. Not because of taste, but laziness. I am not ashamed to admit that sometimes I just want to pop a bag in the microwave. There is no fuss, no prep, and most importantly NO DISHES! How can I not love that. Plus who has time to be cooking things from scratch all day everyday. Not this chick.  

To liven up my grilled cheese I added some chipotle cheddar and green onions to it, which gave it a little bit more kick. I also made the bread into garlic toast. It added a little interesting to my ordinary meal.  Now if I can keep eating this way I'll build the habits to lose that last pound & not put it back!

Cheddar Chipotle Grilled Cheese with Steamed Vegetables

Sandwich 360 calories

Broccoli 50 calories

2 pieces Ezekiel bread

Garlic powder (to taste)

Kosher salt (a sprinkling)

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 to 1 ounce chipotle cheddar cheese, sliced very thin

1/8 cup lowfat cottage cheese

1 tablespoon chopped green onion

1 bag of Steamable non-starchy vegetables

1. Combine garlic powder & olive oil.

2. Brush one side of each piece of bread with the garlic oil.

3. Build your sandwich with a layer of chipotle cheddar cheese, layer of green onions, & cottage cheese. Make sure the oiled side of the bread faces out, to keep it from sticking to the pan.

4. Sprinkle each side with kosher salt to taste.

5. Stick your vegetables in the microwave, and the load your sandwich onto to a cookie sheet & stick it  into the oven under the broiler. 

6. Halfway through cooking take the sandwich out & gently flip it over to make sure it cooks on both sides (be careful - cottage cheese drips!).

Once both vegetables & sandwich are done, take out & enjoy :-)

My garlic oil:

My give-it-a-kick not so secret ingredients:

Building this bad boy:

Pop that sucker into the oven:

Enjoy with freshly steamed veggies: