Beef Satay with Peanut Ginger Noodles

This meal couldn't be quicker and kids love it. I used fresh Udon Noodles. You can find them in the refrigerator case at the grocery store. If you can't find fresh, use ramon noodles. Discard the seasoning packet. Serve this with the cucumber salad below for a delicious weeknight meal.

Serves 4

1 pound skirt steak, cut into thin strips
3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
juice of 2-3 limes
2 tsp sugar, divided
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
1 clove garlic, finely mince
1/2 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper
3 7oz packages of fresh Udon Noodles
vegetable oi for the grill
1/2 of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, peeled and cut into strips
1/4 cup minced cilantro
4 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
4 green onions, thinly sliced

In a medium sized bowl, mix together half the lime juice,1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, chili flakes, 1/2 of the minced ginger and the garlic. Add the beef and toss to coat. Set aside. If you want to grill this on the bbq, soak some wooden skewers in water. If using a grill pan, you can skip the skewers, just cut the meat into smaller pieces. In a blender, place the rest of the ginger, peanut butter, water, rest of the lime juice,3/4 tsp sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce. Blend until smooth, pour into a small bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the grill and brush with vegetable oil. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with salt and cook the noodles according to the package directions,omitting the seasoning packet. Put the meat on the grill, cooking it for 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain the noodles and toss with half of the peanut sauce. Sprinkle half of the cilantro over the noodles. Reserve the rest of the sauce for dipping if desired.
In a bowl toss the cucumber, pepper, green onion with rice vinegar, salt and pepper and the rest of the cilantro.

BLT Quinoa Salad

I've made a pledge to take fewer frozen meals with me to work and fix more healthful lunches. I love a good BLT, so this recipe went right to the head of the class. It's so yummy you won't miss the bread.

Serves 4
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
salt and pepper
2 avocados, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 pound turkey bacon, cut into pieces and cooked crisp
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
micro greens

Put the water, quinoa and 1/2 tsp of salt into a sauce pot. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, place a lid on the pot and let it cook for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and let it cool. Cook the bacon until crisp. In a large bowl, mix together the bacon, feta, quinoa, tomaotes, green onion, feta, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil,salt and pepper. Toss. Serve on a bed of micro greens that have been tossed with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp of olive oil.

Oat Snack Bars

I've been looking for a cookie-type recipe that I can take along in my lunch. This cookie needs to enough sweetness to taste good but I don't want it to be heavy in the calorie department. I think these will fit the bill. There is little fat and just enough sugar to be sweet but not sugary.

Makes 30 bars

5 cups of rolled oats(not the quick cooking kind)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 bag semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with baking spray. Place the oats, almonds, cranberries and chocolate chips into a large bowl. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, honey, pumpkin puree,applesauce, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the oats and mix until all the oats are coated. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole

Easy to make and ready when you walk in the door after a long day at work. Who could ask for anything more? I recommend using a whole wheat or a multigrain pasta in this dish. They have more body to them then the traditional semolina pasta, which will stand up to the long cooking time. Use a thicker shaped pasta. I used rotini.

serves 8-10

1 pd pasta, par-cooked
3 cups of cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighes(I cut mine and browned them)
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 5 oz pkgs of fresh mushrooms,sauted
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 cups low fat small curd cottage cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
butter or margarine

Spray the insert with cooking spray. Place all of the ingredients into the insert and mix thoroughly. Spread out until even and dot the top with the butter or margarine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Do not lift the lid or the top will not have a brown crusty edge.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

This cake is great served with coffee or for brunch.

Serves 12

4 cups flour + 3 tbsp flour
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup softened butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups fresh blueberries
zest of 1 medium lemon
1 1/2 cups sugar

glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with baking spray and set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla. Add in the lemon zest. Stir together 4 cups of flour and the baking powder. Add the remaining 3 tbsp of flour to the blueberries and toss to coat. Add half of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture. Then add all of the butter milk and finish with the remaining flour. Fold in the blueberries by hand. Spoon the batter into the bundt pan and spread to evenly distribute. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 2o minutes. Invert onto a cake plate and let it cool completely. Mix up the glaze in a small bowl and pour over the top of the cake. Let the glaze drip down the sides of the cake. Let the glaze set up before serving.

Bulgar and Chickpea Salad

I'm trying out different salad ideas that I can take for lunch and that will fill me up. This one has protein and fiber with the taste of a Greek salad. Delicious!

Serves 6-8(as a side dish)

1 cup bulgar wheat
2 cups water or veggie stock
salt
pepper
1/2 a seedless cucumber, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans,drained and rinsed
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp greek spice blend, mine had no added salt-McCormick brand
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Bring the bulgar, water or stock and 1/2 tsp of salt to a boil. Cover and turn off the heat. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Remove the lid, drain off any extra liquid and place in a large bowl. Add the garbanzos, onion, cucumber,greek seasoning, lemon juice, salt. pepper, feta and olive oil. Toss to combine and serve.

Fish, Spanish Style

I love Spanish food. It closely resembles Italian but with a few twists. So when I needed to come up with a recipe for Cod, this is what came to mind.

Serves 4

4 large firm white fish fillets like Cod, Tillapia, Baramundi, or Red Snapper
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with juice
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
1 shallot,sliced
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
3/4 cup flour
salt
pepper
1/2 cups kalamata olives or 3 tbsp of olive tampenade
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
Fresh minced parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 175. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Lay the fish out on paper towels and pat dry. Season both sides of the fish with salt, and pepper pepper. Pour flour onto a plate. Mix in 1 tablespoon of paprika and dredge the fish in flour on both sides. Heat a skillet and add the olive oil. Immediately follow with the fish. Sear on both sides over medium high heat about 3-5 minutes each side. Turn the fish only once.Remove the fish to the baking sheet and place in the warm oven. Remove the oil from the skillet. Return to the heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive.Add the shallots and garlic and cook until shallots just begin to brown, stirring constantly. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and remaining paprika.Let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes on rapid boil. Finish with the olives or tampenade. Return the fish to the sauce and turn heat down to gentle simmer. Cover for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice, soft polenta or pasta.Garnish with minced parsley.