Salmon and Snow

This post is brought to you by:

COFFEE.

and a SNOW DAY.

Drink ALL the antioxidants.

so, therefore WINE.  Naturally.

Anyway,  I whipped up some salmon dip for a little protein action to top off my salad for lunch.

Also making an appearance in this salad…TJ’s new Cruciferous Crunch (I roasted it last night, tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar at 400 degrees for 15 mins.)  New. Obsession. Can’t go wrong with these veggies!

Inside the salad: Spring mix, roasted TJ’s Cruciferous Crunch, salmon dip, feta cheese, balsamic vinaigrette

Salmon Dip

Created by: Katie Dondero

Ingredients:

12 oz. of  TJ’s canned Alaskan Pink Salmon, drained (make sure its boneless!)

1 tbsp lowfat cream cheese

2 tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt (I used fat-free)

1 tbsp ketchup

Old Bay seasoning to taste

Smoked Paprika to taste

Directions:  Mix all ingredients together well, add desired amount of seasonings to taste.

Enjoy!

Breakfast of Champions

I wanted to share a recipe that I made for breakfasts this week. In my house, breakfast are often “grab and go” due to early work schedules and an affinity for the snooze button. But, often quick breakfasts like cereal leave me hungry in an hour, or give me a sugar crash from too many carbs/too little protein. This casserole is perfect to prepare at the beginning of the week, reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds, and It doesn’t leave me starving by the time I get to work. Bonus – it’s paleo friendly for all you caveman lovers out there! Enjoy!

Breakfast of Champions Casserole

1 lb chicken sausage, lightly browned (or pre-cooked)
1 sweet potato, roasted
1 cup chopped bell peppers
2 cups raw spinach, steamed
1/2 onion, diced
6 eggs
1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
Salt and pepper to taste
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly brown chicken sausage on the stovetop over medium heat, then set aside. Slice sweet potato into thin discs and place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (I use TJ’s coconut oil spray). When oven is preheated, roast sweet potatoes in oven for 20 min.

While potatoes are roasting, whisk eggs together in a medium mixing bowl, then add almond milk and whisk again until we’ll combined. Add salt and pepper to egg mixture. Dice bell peppers and onion, and steam spinach on the stovetop. Add veggies to egg mixture, stir, and set aside.

Spray a 9×12 baking dish (I used Pyrex) with cooking spray. Line bottom of baking dish with roasted sweet potatoes. Next, evenly spread a layer of chicken sausage on top of potatoes. Lastly, pour egg and veggie mixture over sausage so that everything is evenly covered with the egg mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until eggs are set.

Yield: 8 servings

Dinner Lately

While this is not necessarily a quick meal from start to finish, it was easy to prep (about 15 minutes). Once I put it in the oven, I was free to prep and cook some other meals I was working on for the week, including a yummy breakfast casserole that I will share soon.

This meal is high in protein, gluten-free, and includes some greens as well. Feel free to add more greens or whole grains as a side to round out your meal. It is also great for leftovers (if it lasts that long!)

Stuffed Chicken Meatloaf

Stuffed Chicken Meatloaf
(adapted from Bakin’ and Eggs, which was adapted from Seeded at the Table)

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground chicken
1 cup marinara sauce, divided (I used Trader Joe’s Roasted Garlic Marinara)
1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
2 cups fresh spinach, steamed and water squeezed out
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, sliced (you could also use shredded)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with foil – shiny side down.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1/4 cup marinara sauce, oats, herbs, garlic, onion, eggs and Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Press half of chicken mixture into loaf pan. Make an indentation in the middle (lengthwise) for the stuffing. Line the indentation with thin slices of cheese, making sure to leave some plain edges so the meatloaf will seal the stuffing inside. Add the steamed spinach on top of the cheese in the indentation. Cover with the rest of the chicken mixture and seal the edges so that the stuffing doesn’t leak out!

Top with remaining 3/4 cup marinara sauce bake for 70-80 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. (Mine took closer to 80 minutes because I used about 1.4 lbs of chicken. If you only use 1 lb of ground chicken, it could be done in about an hour.)
Let cool and serve!

Yield: 6 servings

**Edited to add: Jen from Bakin’ and Eggs also just re-posted her version of this recipe on her healthy living blog – Peanut Butter Runner….so you can find some yummy inspiration there, too.  It’s like she read my mind that I just made it! 🙂

A Katie Original Recipe

Whew. You would think with a day off I’d be relaxing by the pool.  Negative.

Between doing errands, cleaning up the apartment, and taking the dog out (yes, this was a time consuming activity) I’ve been rather busy all day.  But alas, when I am busiest, I am also the most creative in the kitchen.

Hayley, I stole this from you. Love it. Thanks 🙂

Anyway, here’s the skinny on the dog monster:  Finn got back from vacay and has been wimpering and crying about his little paw. Even though we know he is usually just a big baby, we took him to the vet (twice).  First antibiotics to get rid of any infection in his poor little paw, now low dose steroids and antihistamines to get rid of said paw irritation.  Now I have a puppy on steroids.  Great.

Anyway, the vet said to expect increase in appetite and thirst.  This dog has not only wolfed down any food that is put in front of him (which is actually unusual for him) but he has also drank about 6 gallons of water today.  Which means he subsequently has to pee out that water.  Which means I have been seeing this adorable fuzzy face crying by the door about 3 times an hour today.

Good thing we finally got that potty training thing down.

SO…In between all this, I have concocted a fabulous dinner for hubs and myself.

I’m going to call it: SPINACH ARTICHOKE AVOCADO TOFU WRAP

Here’s what you need to know.  It looks like this going into Adam’s lunchbox tomorrow (which also means it’s a keeper recipe):

sorry for the bad cell phone picture lighting

And here’s what it includes (from bottom of wrap to top, layered):

• Whole Grain Tortilla (warmed)
• 1 Tbsp. Goat Cheese spread across tortilla
• 2 slices Honey Lime Tofu (recipe below)
• 3 Slices of Avocado
• 1 Tbsp. homemade Spinach Artichoke cold dip (recipe below)
• 1 slice tomato

Can you tell I’m not a food blogger? 🙂 Wrap it up and enjoy!

Honey Lime Tofu

Even Adam is a fan of this tofu and requested me to make more.  So don’t be afraid of the ‘fu!

Ingredients:

1 Package sprouted Extra Firm Tofu (sliced into slabs, drained and pressed)

2 Tbsp. Tamari or Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp. Honey (I used TJs raw honey)

2 Tbsp. Lime juice

Whisk together tamary, honey, and lime juice in a shallow dish.  Put tofu slabs in marinade and let soak for about 30 mins. in the fridge, flipping over once if needed.  Broil tofu for about 6-7 minutes each side.

Homemade Spinach Artichoke Cold Dip

This was made as a simple and quick version of Spinach and Artichoke dip.  I love Spin dip but I am way too impatient to make the hot version, plus it’s not that good for you.  Here’s the lazy girl’s version that is much healthier.

Ingredients:

5-6 canned artichoke hearts, drained (I used Trader Joe’s brand)

1 small container (5 oz) Earthbound Farm Organic Baby Spinach

1 Tbsp. Veganaise (or light mayo if you prefer)

1 heaping Tbsp. Goat Cheese

2-3 Cloves of garlic, pressed through a garlic press

Sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Throw all ingredients except for spinach into the food processor and pulse for a few seconds.  Then, add in the raw spinach handful by handful and pulse again a few times so that it mixes in without making a paste out of the entire thing.  (Technical process, I know.)  You can heat it in the microwave with some cheese on top if you’re feeling fancy, or you can just spoon directly into your mouth.  Your choice 🙂