Yep, I Made It: Oven-Roasted Veggie Wraps!

Tuesday Greetings!

By the end of the week, I’m usually so beat that my first instinct is to head over to a local restaurant or order take-out.  Alas, my resolve to improve my eating habits has motivated me to come up with healthy meal ideas that take almost no time to prepare.  Enter: the Oven-Roasted Veggie Wrap!

In my opinion, oven-roasted veggies are by far the quickest way to feel like you’ve just eaten a five-course meal.  Just wash, cut, season and roast, then add to warmed tortillas or rice.  (Veggie lovers like my mama can eat them plain!)  Also, if you’re watching your salt intake, keep in mind that seasoning is very much an option here – I barely used any salt and pepper.

What I really like about this meal is that you can use as many veggies as you want AND you can experiment with different types if you hate monotony in your food (like I do!)  You can even roast fruits!  E-gads!

In the below recipe, I’ve added tofu for protein purposes.  If you aren’t a fan of pure veggies, feel free to add lean meats.

And awayyy we go!

Oven-Roasted Veggie Wraps

What You’ll Need:

• 2-3 bell peppers (try to mix colors – I used red, green and yellow)
• 2-3 small yellow squash
• 2-3 small zucchini
• 2-3 large portobello mushrooms
• 1 package of firm or extra firm tofu, drained
• 1-2 tbsp. soy or Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup baby spinach (or lettuce of your choice)
• 4 medium whole wheat tortillas
• Olive oil
• Salsa (italian or honey mustard dressing works too!)
• Salt and pepper to taste

What You’ll Do:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 450ºF.

2.  Wash and cut bell peppers, yellow squash and zucchini.  I like them in 1/4 pieces just so they’re bite-sized!

3.  Wash and simply slice mushrooms.

4.   Using a brush, lightly coat a large baking sheet or roasting pan (about 15″ x  12″) with olive oil.

5.  Put veggies in a bowl and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Lightly drizzle olive oil (remember, your pan is already greased!)  Mix until coated.

6.  Place veggies on your baking sheet/roasting pan and put in the oven for about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Make sure there is room between vegetables so they can cook evenly.  Check on them often!  Each veggie takes its own time!  =)

7.  Drain tofu and place on paper towels to absorb excess water.  Slice and coat with soy or Worcestershire sauce.  Add ginger.   Mix and let it marinate for about 10 minutes.

8.  When veggies are done, place tofu on baking sheet/roasting pan for about 5-7 minutes on each side.

9.  While the tofu is roasting, wash baby spinach/lettuce and slice avocado.

10.  When the tofu is crisp on both sides, it’s done! Turn off your oven, remove baking sheet/roasting pan and warm tortillas on another foil-lined baking sheet.  Your oven should be super hot, so it’ll only take about a minute!

11.  Assemble!  Place all ingredients in your wrap.  Add salsa, italian or honey mustard dressing, and then….you’re ready to eat!

Other veggies to try:  sweet potatoes, eggplant, red onions, asparagus…roasted fruits like apples and peaches will add some sweetness (you don’t need to season or add oil…)  Enjoy!

xoxo andrea

Yep, I Made It: Ch-Ch-Chicken Meatballs!

Hello!

I always find myself wracking my brain when trying to come up with a versatile meal idea, where I have the option of freezing so it can be just as good if used within a week.  Then…meatballs came to mind!

Meatballs are super easy to make – just mix, shape and cook.  They’re also pretty simple to adjust just so they are a wee bit healthier.

In the recipe below, I’ve replaced beef with chicken, italian bread crumbs with whole wheat, and opted to bake instead of fry:

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, minced
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese* (optional)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (increase to 1 cup if eliminating parm cheese)
• 2 tsp. fresh** oregano (You can go with dried, but fresh herbs make a huge difference in this recipe!)
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

What You’ll Do

1. Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Place chicken, egg, yellow onion and garlic in a medium bowl.  Knead until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix parm cheese, bread crumbs, thyme, parsley, sea salt and black pepper.  Add to meat mixture.  Knead until combined.
4. Add Worcestershire sauce and olive oil.  Guess what?  Knead until combined. =)
5. Line a 9 x 12 cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.
6. Form meatballs to desired size and place on cookie sheet.  Keep them about 1/2 inch apart so that they can cook evenly.
7. Place in oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. And….

Voila!  Meatballs that you can use in spaghetti sauce tonight, then freeze and use next week in meatball parm heroes!  (Make sure they’re cooled before placing them in a freezer-safe zip-lock bag or container…)

Meatballs in spaghetti sauce with thin spaghetti and a just a little mozzarella cheese =)

(all photos by a. singh)

Enjoy!

xoxo andrea

Yep, I Made It: Salmon ‘n Veggie Couscous

Here’s a quick ‘n easy recipe I whipped up for my mama last week…it took just about 15 minutes to make!  No joke!

FYI:  Couscous is coarsely ground pasta made from wheat.  Its consistency is similar to rice, as seen here:

(click image for source)

It’s also affordable, cooks super duper fast and is deliciouso!

For the recipe below, I used canned salmon to ease the process, but you can also wash, marinate and bake/grill fresh salmon separately.  Ditto for fresh veggies!  (Keep in mind that it’ll be a bit longer in terms of cooking time…) 

You’ll probably notice that the salt content is drastically reduced here – I don’t think there’s a need to add extra when bouillon and salmon is involved…feel free to adjust to your liking!

Salmon ‘n Veggie Couscous

What You’ll Need:

• 1 1/2 cups plain couscous  (I used a brand called Near East)

• 2 3/4 cups water*

• 1 chicken bouillon cube*

• 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine**

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• 2 cloves of garlic, diced

• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

• 1+ cup of veggies (fresh or frozen!  I like a snowpea- various peppers-broccoli-zucchini-type mix)

• 1  5 oz. can of skinless, boneless pink salmon, drained

• 1 tbsp. dried parsley 

• Salt and pepper to taste

*you can replace the water/bouillon with 2 3/4 cups chicken broth.
** an optional ingredient

What You’ll Do:

1.  In a small pot, boil water and add bouillon cube.

2.  When the cube dissipates, add couscous and reduce to a simmer.

3.  Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.  (It’s done once the water is absorbed and/or the  couscous is dry and fluffy…) Optional:   Add butter and stir for a bit more flavor

4.  In a separate frying pan, heat oil (at medium heat) and add garlic and onion.

5.  When the onion is translucent, add your veggies.  Stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes.

6.  Add salmon and cook until both the salmon and veggies are hot. 

7.  Add the couscous and parsley. Mix all ingredients for about 5 minutes.

8.  Salt and pepper to taste.

All done!  You can use this as a side or serve as an entire meal if you add lots of veggies and salmon.  Feel free to substitute salmon with cooked, seasoned and diced boneless chicken. 

Enjoy!

Yep, I Made It: Easy Chicken Tortillas

For me, summer means many things, one of which is easy-peasy cooking!  It’s way too hot to spend hours in the kitchen (plus summer = fun ‘n relaxation!), so I like to cut my cooking time in half by making light, simple meals. (Bonus if it’s healthy – super bonus if there’s leftovers!)

Here’s a quick dinner that I’ve recently made for the bf and it was a hit!  Think open-faced tacos!  =)  I’ve also added a small salad…  (Keep in mind that this is my first recipe post, so feel free to send suggestions!  I’d like to make this a regular installment, if only to keep me cooking!  Har-har!)

Easy Chicken Tortillas

Yield:  4 tortillas

What You’ll Need

Tortillas:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. of boneless chicken breast, cut into very thin strips
• Salt, pepper, dried parsley (to taste)
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 16 oz. bottle of salsa
• Cheddar and/or Monteray Jack cheese, grated (to taste)
• Garnish:  1 avocado, sliced and/or sour cream (optional)
• 4 small corn tortillas

Salad:

• 8-11 ounces of spring mix or romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
• Endive and radicchio, rinsed and sliced
• 1  8 oz. canned corn, drained and rinsed
• 8-10 grape tomatoes, rinsed and halved
• 2 tbsp. feta cheese

What You’ll Do

1. In a medium bowl, prepare the salad by combining greens, endive, radicchio, corn and tomatoes.  Cover and place in refrigerator.
2. Using a saute pan, heat oil and add chicken breast.
3. Sprinkle salt, pepper and dried parsley* and cook chicken until browned (feel free to omit the parsley – it’s just a personal fave!)
4. Add black beans. Cook until soft.
5. Add salsa. I use the entire bottle for veggie overload, but use to your discretion!
6. Heat through then simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, on a slightly greased baking sheet, warm the tortillas in a preheated 350-degree oven.  Be sure to keep an eye on them – they can burn pretty quickly!  1-2 minutes on each side should be perfect.
8. Remove chicken/bean/salsa mixture from heat and spoon on each of the tortillas.  Top with grated cheese.
9. Return to oven until cheese melts.
10. Optional:  Garnish with avocado and/or sour cream.
11. Serve with salad, topped with feta cheese.

 Final result?

(photo by a. singh)

Ta-da!

Not only was this one really tasty meal, but it was healthy and filling to boot!  We were stuffed after one tortilla each.  Tip:  Use the leftovers in a burrito or spoon over wild or brown rice.  You can also replace the chicken with steak, shrimp, grilled tofu or fresh veggies like peppers, yellow onions, zucchini,etc.

Enjoy!

xoxo andrea