Roasted Vegetables with Truffle Oil, Almonds and Applewood Smoked Sea Salt

I’m trying my best to eat clean this week as I move into my  second week of boot camp.  I loaded up my grocery cart with various veggies and a couple different cuts of fish.  Tonight we’re having Green Olive Crusted Mahi Mahi and the roasted veggie concoction I came up with.  I can smell it cooking in the oven as a write this blog and the smells are delightful.  I'm new to cooking with white truffle oil so I’ve been trying a lot of different things with it.  This is also the first time I’ve ever used the smoked sea salt and I’m anxious to see how it turns out.   The salt is Pacific flake sea salt, smoked over real Applewood from the Yakima Valley in Washington State.  I found it randomly near the specialty cheeses at Publix and I was intrigued by its unique description.  The bottle says it has a smoother flavor than most salts and can be used during cooking or as a finishing salt.    

 

I pre-heated my oven to 375 degrees and sprayed my large Stoneware Pan with a little Pam.  After chopping up my veggies, I drizzled a little white truffle oil over them, raw slivered almonds and 2 pinches of the salt and distributed evenly.  Bake for 45 minutes, tossing ever 10 minutes or so to prevent burning.  They should look brown and caramelized when done cooking.

 

Ingredients

12 to 15 Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 Large Yellow Onion, cut into wedges

1 extra Large Carrot, chopped

1 teaspoon Applewood Smoked Sea Salt

1 teaspoon White Truffle Oil

¼ cup Slivered Raw Almonds

Pepper to taste

 

 

Squash Hash with Poached Eggs

Morning Everyone!  I completed my first week of 5:45am boot camp and I’m feeling accomplished.  I’m also feeling sore but I know it will all be worth it in the end.  Because I’ve been getting up earlier, I’ve had more time to write on my blog and that too makes me feel good too!

 I’m not much of a power bar, cereal kind of girl when it comes to my breakfast.  I love my eggs and a hot meal in the morning.  If you pre-cut your veggies the night before, you can whip this up in less than 10 minutes. 

Start by boiling some water with a little vinegar in it.  If you’ve never poached an egg before, check out this easy instructional from Fabio Viviani.

  http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/easy-secrets-cooking-eggs-fabios-eggs-benedict-153800472.html 

He’s cooking up one of my favorite breakfast meals, Eggs Benedict.  I watched this video a year or so ago and it really helped me to master poaching an egg and making hollandaise sauce. 

I used zucchini squash and patty pan squash along with some diced yellow onions to make my hash.  Patty Pan squash is a summer squash that has a similar taste to acorn or spaghetti squash.  You can ask for it at your local farmers market from summer to early August.

 

In a non-stick coasted small pan, sauté your onions and squash with a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes while eggs are also cooking in a separate pot.  I served this dish with herb buttered toast and topped my eggs with some fresh Thyme.   

 

Over Easy Veggie Delight

I’m up and at em this morning continuing my first week of 5:45am boot camp.  Yes, I’m crazy!  I feel great aside from the soreness and I’m extra motivated this week to focus on my blog.  I really wasn’t hungry when I first got home so I decided to give breakfast a little more effort and here's what I came up with.

Over Easy Veggie Delight

First break out the Mandolin Slicer which we’ve talked about before.  Use the blade for shredding and get to work!  Be careful not to cut yourself by using the protective hand held piece when slicing smaller foods.  I shredded the pepper, leeks, and brussel sprouts first and saute them in a coated pan with a little garlic paste.  Cook for 1 minute so you can keep as many nutrients from the veggies as possible.  Push veggie mixture to the side,  crack in 2 eggs and cover.  Cook for about 3 minutes for an over easy egg.  While the eggs are cooking, toast your bread and spread a little bit of herb butter on it.  (gotta have a little fat)  I used the Kerry Gold Herb-ed Butter.  It is my absolute favorite brand of butter.

Ingredients:

 2 Brussel Sprouts

 1 Mini Yellow Pepper

 1 inch piece of a leek

1 teaspoon garlic paste

2 eggs

1 slice of Sesame Seed Sprouted Grain Toast

1/2 teaspoon butter

 

Enjoy!

Tuna Salad with Peas and Quinoa Pasta

In my pantry, you can usually find a can of tuna and some pasta at all times.  As a child I remember my mother making this dish a lot (probably because it was cheap eats)  Sometimes the best things in life are nearly free, right?  This whole meal to feed a family would cost under $8 and fills you up!  I spruced it up from the original recipe with a little dill and white truffle oil.

Tuna Salad with Peas and Quinoa Pasta

Ingredients:

2 Can Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water

I box Ancient Harvest Quinoa Shells

1 Small Bag of Frozen Peas-Defrosted

1 Medium Yellow Onion

3 Tablespoons Reduced Fat Mayo with Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon White Truffle Oil

Dash of Cayenne Pepper

1 Teaspoon Fresh or Dried Dill Weed

Salt to Taste

 

Cook Pasta according to box directions and let cool.  Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least an hour to chill.  Top with additional dill before serving (optional)

Where to find White Truffle Oil:  I bought mine on Amazon and it was $14.50 with free shipping.  The good news is that a little goes a long way so the cost is totally worth it.

What else White Truffle Oil is used For:  I put this stuff on everything!  I jazz up a can of soup, drizzle it on cheese and crackers, veggies, potatoes, and use in pasta. 

 

 

Mashed Turnips with White Truffle Oil

Here are a few links to other recipes that contain White Truffle Oil( these are not my recipes): http://www.melangery.com/2012/11/mashed-turnip-with-white-truffle-oil.html

Cauliflower Soup with White Truffle Oil

http://www.simplelivingeating.com/2012/12/french-fridays-with-dorie-creamy.html

White Truffle Parmesan Fries

http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/white-truffle-oil-parmesan-oven-fries/

Grilled Chicken Breasts, Topped with Red Pepper Jelly and White Cheddar Cheese

Hi folks!  It’s been quite some time since my last blog.  Have no fear; I haven’t stopped experimenting or taking photos of my food.  I just haven’t had the time to write it all down.  I made this dish back in May actually and it happens to be the last time I grilled anything. (need more propane-too lazy to refill)  The last few months have been a whirl wind.  Between turning 30, wedding events for friends, singing gigs and vacations, I have just dropped the ball regarding this blog.  I can’t wait to tell and show you all of the things I’ve made and places I’ve visited since my absence.  So…… here we go:

I recently discovered red pepper jelly as you may have noticed from past recipes.  It’s pretty much the bee’s knees :) it’s great on toast, crackers with cheese, omelets, wraps, sandwiches and now Grilled Chicken Breasts topped with Red Pepper Jelly and Cheddar Cheese

Ingredients:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 tablespoons Red Pepper Jelly

2 Thick Slices of Reduced Fat White Cheddar Cheese

¼ cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

¼ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Lemon Juice

First I start by marinating my chicken for 1 hour with equal parts of each:  soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil.  I only grilled 2 breasts so I used about a ¼ cup equal parts and would double the amount when doubling the chicken.  The acidity of the lemon juice helps to tenderize the meat before grilling. 

Ok, now we’re ready to throw it on the grill!

Pre-heat grill over high heat.  Spray each side with non-stick oil and grill for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees F.  Turn off the grill but leave the chicken on the rack and quickly spread the jelly on each breast and top with cheese.   Close the lid and wait for the cheese to melt.  The chicken is continuing to cook so you don’t want to leave it on the grill for to long.  The chicken will be piping hot and by shutting the grill lid it allows the cheese to melt faster.

 Now we’re ready to eat :)  I served this dish with a Simple Zucchini salad that you can find on my blog from back in June.   Bon appetite!

Butternut Squash Mash with Gorgonzola

Tonight we threw a couple steaks on the grill and this was a great alternative to mashed or baked potatoes.  I used a bag of organic frozen butternut squash which I love because it's much quicker than chopping and peeling.  I steamed the squash in the bag while I sautéed pureed garlic in a small pot with a little olive oil on low. I added in some ready-made chopped bacon, Gorgonzola and salt and pepper.  Mix it up with a spoon and cook for about 3 minutes.

 

Simple Zucchini Salad (Raw foods)

 

Break out your mandolin for this healthy and simple side dish. 

Ingredients

2 large zucchini’s

½ cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar infused with garlic

Pinch of salt

Garnish with dried thyme