Tempeh Parmesan

I had not heard of tempeh until the other day when I was browsing the tofu section of the market. I'm looking for meat substitutes so I decided to give it a try. This recipe was just perfect for anyone that is trying tempeh for the first time! Danny loved it which is a lot to say because when I bought it all I heard were complaints. It was so filling and just plain good! I served mine with a side of spaghetti squash and it was all healthy and guilt-free.

Ingredients:

1 block tempeh (I used soy)
panko crumbs
seasoned crumbs
2 tbsp egg beaters
dash of salt and pepper
tomato sauce
cheese

Set up your breading station with the egg beaters and the crumbs mixed together. Cut the tempeh block in half and the half the piece again so that it is not that thick. Dip in egg and then in crumbs. Heat a pan with olive oil on med low heat, once it is hot enough place the tempeh in and wait till browned. Flip over and cook through. When it is all cooked place in a baking dish and spoon some tomato sauce on top of each piece and top with cheese. Broil on 400 until cheese gets bubbly.

Plate and enjoy!

Zucchini Chia Ribbons

Hi everyone! Sorry for the week long hiatus... I just started a fabulous new job and have been super busy organizing my new schedule. Let me catch you up on what has been going on in my kitchen, me and Danny are mostly vegetarian. All our home cooked dishes are vegetarian and we only have meat or fish when we go out. I will be sharing some of things I make :) We start off with a good pasta substitute: zucchini ribbons.

Ingredients:

2 small zucchini
basil leaves
olive oil
1 tbsp chia seeds
morningstar farms chickn' patty

All you need for this yummy dish is to cook the chickn' as directed on package, and mandolin the zucchini until you get to the seeds. The seedy area makes the dish watery so avoid them, just peel around it. Once it is all peeled toss it in some olive oil and saute till tender.
For the skinny pesto you need to mix the basil leaves and olive oil in a food processor, then once the ribbons are cooked through mix in the chickn' and pesto, scatter the chia seeds over it and mix.

 Plate & Enjoy!

Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu

Cordon Bleu is an old favorite of mine, I used to eat it all the time when I was younger. Usually this dish is breaded and is made with real chicken, my version is a "skinny" one. I'm using those faux chicken breasts again! Only 80 cals... sounds skinny to me haha.

Ingredients:

Quorn chik'n breasts
fat free swiss cheese slices
ham of your choice
olive oil

These are so simple to make and taste pretty good. Cook the faux chicken as directed on box. Once there is about 5 min left in the cooking time fold a piece of ham in half and place on top of the chicken. Now at the 2 min mark add a slice of cheese.. and tada you are done!! Plate it with some veggies and a healthy low cal meal is served.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Heaven Cookies

How do I even begin to tell you how good these are.. Ooey gooey chocolate oozes out from every bite. They are perfect, The powdered sugar cracks and makes them look fancy which is always a plus. Anyways let's get to making these babies!

Ingredients:

2 cups mini chocolate chips
3 large egg whites
2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Let stand for a bit.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. 

Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. 

On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (the dough wasn't hard enough yet so let stand for a bit).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball (using spoons to scoop it out helps) ; roll in sugar, coating thickly. 

Place on parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.

 Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. 

Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

 && then enjoy!!

Pizza Grilled Cheese

I love pizza.. I really can't help it and I try to make everything into a pizza!! This is another successful pizza experiment. Who doesn't love a cheesy grilled cheese sandwich? This one is special because it has pepperoni and italian cheese inside..yum.

Ingredients:
several slices of pepperoni
italian cheese mix
2 slices bread
italian seasoning
pizza sauce for dipping (optional)
butter

First butter up the pan so you get a golden crust on the bread. Med heat. Place the bread on once the butter starts to sizzle. Then add some cheese, italian seasoning & pepperoni... top with more cheese. Place the other slice of bread on top and press down with a spatula. Once cheese has started to melt, carefully flip over (you might want to add a little more butter). Finish cooking.. Plate & serve!

Easy as it can get, enjoy!