Things that make you go MMMMM
 

We all know that eating healthy can be delicious too. What are some of the things you've eaten recently that are yummy and healthy?

Yesterday I had protein pancakes that I folded around fresh sliced strawberries for "strawberry tacos." Monday night we had roasted chicken with roasted zucchini and potatoes. Simple and yummy. Tuesday night I sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, spinach and green chilie and had it with some beans and avocado.

How about you? Anything extra yummy lately?

Grilled marinated sea bass ... :T

Buffalo burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and guacamole (no bun) ... :T

Honeycrisp apples ... :T

I've been making a kind of protein pancake using equal amounts of Bob's Red Mill High Fiber pancake mix, FF cottage cheese, and egg whites, with a shake of cinnamon ... :T

Mmm....I like guac on pretty much anything, but that burger sounds particularly delicious. Who needs the bun when all the good stuff is what's in between anyway?

Do you grill the seabass on an outdoor grill? I have to say I've never grilled fish. I've grilled shrimp, but I usually cook my fish in the oven.

Apples! Best time of year for them! Mmmm!

I've grilled fish on an outdoor grill, but an easy and quick alternative is to use a grill pan. Mine is made by All Clad and I bought it at Amazon.

It's also fantastic for grilling onions and peppers for fajitas (you should try buffalo fajitas!)

Pomegranates are back in the market! I had some arils on my arugula today. And a little bit of goat cheese.

Roasted portabella mushrooms, marinated first in olive oil, balmsaic vinegar, a bit of black pepper & some crumbled thyme.

A Dr. Praeger's veggie burger. (I'd never had that brand before & had a coupon & one of those grocery promotions where they double your $1 coupon.) Is that okay to mention, as it's not a natural food? It wasn't burger-ish but I really liked it.

Last night I made cod 3 ways, all baked with zero oil and took 10 mins including prep:
- with ginger and grapefruit
- with lemon thyme and fresh lemon
- with heirloom cherry tomatoes and basil.

Steamed some green beans to go with.

My fav quick thing is kale. God I love me some kale!
- lightly steamed with a ton of garlic and a lil salt
- barely steamed to make easier to wrap, then wrapped around veggies like shredded carrots, cabbage, jicama, apples, etc (add green goddess dipping sauce if you like!)
- raw, with purple onions, lemon juice and feat (add walnuts if you like)
And I recently heard about shiratake noodles, but havent had them yet. Its made from the root of a japanese veggie and found in the cold section packed in water. Basically tasteless when drained from water but CARB and calorie free. Just a lil fiber. Add a bunch of spices and veggies and mmmmm noodles! Cant wait to try.
Also - Grissini, the italian breadsticks that are like 18in long have only 20 cal and are so crunchy they really help my carb desires :)

My boy made me bbq roasted zucchini brushetta last weekend. Its was incredible!

I needed it too because I've been living off fridge/freezer/pantry leftovers in anticipation of a move.

Howdy,
I revently spiced up my "riced" cauliflower with the same seasonings I did for the family's spanish rice and it was heavenly. I truly enjoyed each and every bite more than I would have with the rice. I was born in Louisiana and this is saying something.

So I try cauliflower exactly like rice when needed, including the seasonings. Too much fun.

Homemade baked falafel patties with a cilantro mint yogurt sauce.

Turkey and black bean chili packed full of veggies and cooked in the crockpot all day.

Those were the standouts from this week, I think.

Originally Posted by midwife:
Do you grill the seabass on an outdoor grill? I have to say I've never grilled fish. I've grilled shrimp, but I usually cook my fish in the oven.

I grill fish - in my case salmon - on my gas grill most of the year. I don't like the fishy smell in my kitchen. :) I just make sure the grate is clean, and give it a swipe with olive oil. I usually put the skin side down first and then when it's mostly done, flip it over to get that grill flavor/look on the other side. I do bake it sometimes, esp when it's too snowy on my deck, but mostly we grill it.

Best thing this week, "fried rice" from leftover brown rice. Sauteed onions, peppers, patty pan squash, celery, mushrooms, then added in the rice (heated up first), stirred altogether, added a little Yoshida's gourmet sauce, and served (DH adds a lot more sauce at the table). Served with butternut squash - my very favorite! :)

Originally Posted by mandalinn82:
Homemade baked falafel patties with a cilantro mint yogurt sauce.

Turkey and black bean chili packed full of veggies and cooked in the crockpot all day.

Those were the standouts from this week, I think.

Is your recipe for the baked falafel patties & sauce here somewhere? It sounds really yummy! Can you direct me to it or would you post it. I'd really like to try it.

I have a similar grill pan and I ADORE it.

Cauliflower? Love and adore it as well.

I've been making frittatas. Soooo good. Lots of sauteed, seasoned veggies, placed in a round tin, with egg whites poured over it and topped with sliced tomatoes which I first roast in the oven. DELISH!!

I also made this past week a kind of savory squash pudding, using zucchini, onions and mushrooms that is quite yummy.

I made lemon chicken this week.

Hmmmm, anything else?

Okay, nothing new, but worth a mention - roasted green beans with onions and garlic. The green beans happened to be at their best this past week.

xty-
Shiratake noodles are awesome! Just mke sure you rinse them well. I usually let them sit in hot water for 5 min before mixing then with some veggies. Be sure to drain them as well. I blot them with some paper towels before adding extras. This is a great way to use any leftover veggies from previous dinners. Just reheat them and toss them in with your noodles. Yum!

I agree with WebRover! Recipies please!! I am particularly interested in the falafel and squash pudding recipes as well as the technique behind the cauliflower rice. :) If you please, ladies! (crossing fingers in hope)

I too would very much like that cauliflower recipe. I happen to have 2 cauliflowers sitting in the fridge.

SAVORY SQUASH PUDDING

8 large green zucchini, peeled and cut into 4 or 5 chunks each

Place in a large pot, cover with water and boil till very soft. Drain in a colander. Right there in the colander, mash the zucchini with a fork. This will be easy to do. Let it continue to drain in the colander for a while. You want to remove the liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large non stick skillet, heat about 1 tsp oil. Saute a large, diced onion. When the onion is brown, add 1 8 oz pkg of white mushrooms, sliced. Brown those as well.

I now put the mashed zucchini back in the pot I cooked it in (instead of a bowl - less clean up), add the onion/mushroom mixture. Beat one whole egg and one egg white, add to the mix. Season with salt, pepper and onion powder to taste. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan, till it is set in the middle and edges are brown in a 350 - 375 degree oven. Enjoy!!

basil or small amount of pesto tastes good on everything.
in beans and salsa
in light tuna salad
spagetti, extra flavor so it doesnt need cheese.

I use this recipe for my falafel:

http://chowvegan.com/2009/01/06/baked-falafel/

Except I do process in a food processor and usually drop in a bit more lemon juice.

The sauce - well, I don't really have a "recipe" for this - start with a base of greek yogurt, add chopped herbs (mint, cilantro, parsley, really whatever you like), a pasted garlic clove, salt, pepper, and a bit of lemon juice. Adjust until it tastes good.

Robin, the squash pudding sounds devine. Thanks.

Midwife, here's a recipe I got from a friend for the cauliflower rice. I haven't had it yet myself, but she loves it.

Cauliflower Rice,
Take a head of cauliflower, cut into pieces and use a chopper or food processor to chop into fine pieces. Heat some olive oil in a skillet and start to fry the cauliflower. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper, chinese 5 spice to taste. I add a bit more olive oil until the cauliflower just starts to brown. It tastes just like rice.

Baked sweet potato, roasted sweet potato cubes, any kind of sweet potato deliciousness! About October the craving hits and doesn't let up until the spring. Total winter comfort food.

I love chili too - either lean ground beef or turkey, beans, and all the tomatoes and veggies.

A protein pancake with a spoon of my Mom's apple butter smeared on top, and a cup of skim milk. Perfect breakfast. Except when the perfect breakfast is a delicious bowl of banana oatmeal with cinnamon, maybe a few nuts or seeds sprinkled in.

Yum!

Originally Posted by WaterRat:
Robin, the squash pudding sounds devine. Thanks.

Midwife, here's a recipe I got from a friend for the cauliflower rice. I haven't had it yet myself, but she loves it.

Cauliflower Rice,
Take a head of cauliflower, cut into pieces and use a chopper or food processor to chop into fine pieces. Heat some olive oil in a skillet and start to fry the cauliflower. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper, chinese 5 spice to taste. I add a bit more olive oil until the cauliflower just starts to brown. It tastes just like rice.

Thanks Pat. I have seen many cauliflower rice recipes that involves pushing and draining and seemingly a whole lot of work! This is something I would be able to handle. :)
Also, thanks to midwife for starting this thread I am really in a mmmmm food slump. This a.m. I committed to a planned weekly dinner schedule for my household. Now, for the follow thru-- always a bit of a challenge for me :o

Thanks for the recipes, guys!

Kitty, feel free to post your weekly dinner plan here (purely for you to be accountable, I would NEVER dream of copying...ahem)

Oatmeal + just about anything. Fat free yogurt, sugar free maple syrup, pumpkin. It's a huge bowl of delicious guilt-free comfort, lol.

There are others, but oatmeal has seriously been my go to food and I have yet to get tired of it. I look forward to my oatmeal every single day for nearly a year. Given the option, I would seriously choose oatmeal over a lot of "cheat foods."

I'm not hard to please...lol

Greek yogurt w/ honey and granola - love it now

Roasted brussel sprouts - who knew that would happen

Sweet potato of all type of prep, really love Megan's sweet potato & apple bake

Broccoli - love it cooked or raw

Peppers in anything

And, I made a Peruvian Quinoa Stew last night that was fantastic - first time I've had quinoa and I love it. I added potato and upped the spice level from the original recipe.

Originally Posted by Shannon in ATL:
Sweet potato of all type of prep, really love Megan's sweet potato & apple bake

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM :T

Fresh figs are top of my MMMMM list right now. I bought a tiny fig tree 2 years ago and it just started cropping this year. Because they're aren't many fruit on it yet and I love figs anyway, it's a special treat when a couple of them ripen, and you can't get fresher than something just picked from your garden. Two are ripening now and I think that will be my last until next year.

I've also got a couple of chicken recipes from cookbooks I that particularly like. One is a marinated chicken recipe that's jerk-influenced in its seasoning and another is for a chicken korma which has none of the heavy fattening aspects but still manages to be delicious and aromatic. I'm very fond of spices in general in food.

Delicata squash, roasted whole in the oven. I want to eat this stuff like candy. Even the skin is edible.

If I start thinking about fresh figs, I will make myself unhappy. They are soooo good. Stop teasing, Lora. I'm in NY: Those little suckers are costly around here. My grocery store sells them nestled in cartons like eggs, but at many, many, many times the price of eggs.

Originally Posted by saef:
Delicata squash, roasted whole in the oven. I want to eat this stuff like candy. Even the skin is edible.

If I start thinking about fresh figs, I will make myself unhappy. They are soooo good. Stop teasing, Lora. I'm in NY: Those little suckers are costly around here. My grocery store sells them nestled in cartons like eggs, but at many, many, many times the price of eggs.

I made roasted beets tonight... heavy duty yummm factor.

Delicata squash is on my menu for this weekend. And here I thought I was the only one who ate the skin. I too could eat it like candy, which is why the small size is great for me.. portion control

I bought one of those cartons of figs a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed two of them a day there for a few days. SO good.

And to think, a few years back I never would have touched this stuff. I'll go a step further, I didn't even know what they were.

Fresh Cranberry Beans! Never had them before, but found them at my market this weekend...had fun shelling them and currently devouring them in an Italian bean and pasta soup with tons of veggies.

Asian pears!!! There's a woman who sells them at our farmers market really cheap (compared to the grocery store where they are like $1.50 apiece). Unfortunately the market is over for the season and we only have a couple asian pears left. They are so juicy and so crisp! I'm going to try to talk DH into planting an asian pear tree in our backyard.

Originally Posted by saef:
Delicata squash, roasted whole in the oven. I want to eat this stuff like candy. Even the skin is edible.

Really? I bought two this weekend and might give this a shot!

I had the delicata roasted last night. Put leftover brisket in the interior, drizzle of BBQ sauce 30 cal, roasted beet sleces, broccoli steamed with marjoram. Yum. I tell you, I did not miss what the starch the family was eating.

Didn't know about the skin.

So how do I roast the Delicata squash? Do I cut it and scoop out the stuff or put it in the oven whole and poke it holes in it? If I do it whole do I eat the seedy inside part or scoop it out when it is done?

Shannon, I've never made it whole, though I may experiment with that. I cut it in 1/2, scoop out the seeds, place in a shallow baking dish with a little water in it. I drizzle the squash with sugar free maple syrup and cinnamon. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven till desired done-ness. I've also chopped up apples, added chopped walnuts, and some raisins and put that in the center.

Karen - your dish definitely falls under the title of this thread - MMMMM.

MMMMM..... made a yummy side dish last night --- sauteed diced onion, carrots, yellow and green squash.. very eye pleasing, I liked the *smallness* of it and darn tasty...

Squash of any variety is my favorite veggie! I love delicata the most I think, or maybe it's because I can only get it for a month to 6 weeks here. :) It should be available this week or next in our grocery. Acorn, which I can get a lot of the time I bake the same way, though roasting works too. Okay I need squash for dinner tonight.....

Originally Posted by Shannon in ATL:
So how do I roast the Delicata squash? Do I cut it and scoop out the stuff or put it in the oven whole and poke it holes in it? If I do it whole do I eat the seedy inside part or scoop it out when it is done?

Cut it in half, scoop out sides, I turned upside down 350 roast. I over did mine and cooked it upright which gave me a tough outer layer. So, I turned it over the second time and checked for doneness. Delish. Thought I might need water but didn't. Would spray with pam next time to make pan easier to clean.

Mmmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmmm good, excellent, delicious, easy..

I made the best veggie stew last week. Gobbled it up quickly and am making another one for tonight.

I sauteed a diced onion, a few stalks of sliced celery, two big huge carrots sliced, red peppers in chunks, a half of a cabbage in chucks and about a half of a container of some grape tomatoes that were kinda going. I browned those and added about 4 green zucchini cut into chunks, about a pound of white mushrooms halved, green beans cut in half. I browned those a bit. Then added a few cloves of garlic, crushed, browned that. Added a can of stewed tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce and some spices. Cooked it for about 10 minutes.

It was sooooo good.

I ate it with a sprinkle of parmesean cheese. The next night, I sauteed some chicken breast and added that to the mix.

I had it around for a few days. Some days it was a snack, other times, it was part (or most) of a meal. I can't tell you how good this was. I was craving something hot. Which I thought was funny in and of itself. I was craving something hot. Not sugar, not a particular food - just hot.

Hit the spot. My husband was swooning. Good stuff. :)

Winter squash in all its glorious varieties!

I made a great roasted root veggie dish:
Drizzle a little canola oil over chopped parsnips, rutabaga, carrots, pearl onions, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. Roast about 30-45 minutes depending on your desired texture.