Recipe: Sautéed Asparagus & Peas

Spring has sprung and so have these veggies. Straight from the fridge right into this pan.

Sautéed Asparagus and Peas
Servings: 4
Total Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 bunch asparagus spears, ends trimmed, cut into 1-½-inch pieces on a diagonal
• 1 cup thawed frozen peas
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a medium to large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Add the asparagus, ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring frequently trying not to burn the shallots, for about 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. Add the peas and cook about one minute more until the peas are warmed through. Add a little more salt and pepper if needed and serve.

Recipe: Chicken Avocado Wrap

Easter weekend’s got you like “ugh, can’t eat another bite”….over indulged a bit too much on chocolate? It’s okay, bring this for lunch tomorrow. You’ll thank me later 😊👍

Chicken Avocado Wraps

Ready in: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded cooked rotisserie chicken or pre cooked chicken breast cut into small cubes
• 1 ½ avocados, hollowed and cut into small pieces
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped and divided
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
• 12-15 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese
• Juice from half a lemon
• 4 whole grain wraps
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Place 1 ounce of Gruyere cheese onto each whole grain wrap.
• In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt garlic and salt. Set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, combine avocado, tomatoes, lemon juice, and half of the Parsley. Set aside. In a skillet, brown the cooked chicken with the olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. While cooking, sprinkle with the remaining half of the parsley.
• Remove from heat and add ¼ of the chicken to each pita.
• Top the chicken with a drizzle of the yogurt mixture followed by a large spoonful of the avocado mixture. 
• Wrap, roll and serve.

Recipe: Crunchy Mac & Cheese

Crunchy Crust Mac and Cheese, yes please! I chose to use rotini in place of macaroni simply because the cheesy sauce wraps around each rotini and the spiral hangs onto it.This dish is also delicious as leftovers. Pack it for lunch 😊

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients 

• 1 box (375g) whole grain Rotini
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 6 tbsp Panko bread crumbs
• 4 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 4 cups skim milk
• 1 cup shredded, reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 10-inch x 10-inch baking dish with grape seed oil or any high heat oil spray.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the rotini according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside. Combine the bread crumbs and 2 teaspoons oil in a small bowl. Stir with a fork to evenly coat the crumbs with oil.
• Add the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of oil to a large saucepan. Set over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour, paprika, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking, for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese until it melts. Stir in the rotini. Pour into the baking dish. Top evenly with the bread crumb mixture.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe: Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls

It’s Monday! ….. wait, is the ! too much? Well, I’m excited because I’ve got the perfect no fuss, ready in 30 minute meal “DECONSTRUCTED CABBAGE ROLLS” AAAAAND you’ll have plenty for lunch the next day!! So this recipe makes it a !!! type of day …. Right? 😊👍

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ - 1 head cabbage, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes 
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce (I use home made tomato sauce, you can use a low sodium, no sugar added brand)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

• In a large pan, brown ground beef. Add onion and continue cooking until translucent. Drain extra fat in the pan. Return ground beef to the pan, add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
• Add olive oil, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and pepper to the meat mixture and stir to combine.
• Cover and simmer about 20 - 30 minutes until the cabbage is soft.
• Serve and enjoy!