Spiralized Shanghai Beef and Broccoli

Marinated sirloin steak with broccoli and spiralized broccoli noodles in a delicious hoisin sauce. This dish is out-of-this-world good, and so filling I couldn't even finish it! You NEED this in your life!

Here's the deal, you know those broccoli stems you usually throw out? Well you can spiralize them and use them in place of noodles in dishes like this easy Asian stir fry for a low-carb alternative to noodles. There's lots of spiralizers out there and I'm often asked which I use, I love my Paderno Spiralizer, it's the easiest way to make zucchini noodles, sweet potato spirals, carrot ribbons and more! If you don't have one you can also use a mandolin with a julienne blade, or buy a bag of broccoli slaw.

The trick to spiralizing broccoli stems is to find the thickest ones. At least 2-inches in diameter, and cut off any pieces sticking out. Then I used my potato peeler to smooth it out. I placed the thicker end of the stem into the spikes which I found was the key to success.

This recipe was inspired by a meal I had with Phillip Chiang, the man who started the wildly popular Chinese restaurant chain PF Chang's. I got to sample their Chinese New Year menu which they are serving right now and even got to go behind the scenes and watch them cook up some dishes. Hope you enjoy, happy spiralizing!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime

Easy weeknight dinner solution – grab some chicken, remove the skin, brush it with this Dijon-lime sauce and put it in the oven. I've been making this recipe for years using thighs until the USDA changed the calories and fat contact for thighs. Now I do this with drumsticks, you can use any parts you like.

While the chicken's cooking, grab a bag of lettuce, and top it with one of these delicious DeLallo SaladSavors® that make life so easy. These are the BEST, and come in 6 varieties with top quality ingredients. All you have to do is add some oil and vinegar, and you have an amazing salad in 5 minutes.  My favorite is the Zesty which has marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and Asiago cheese pictured below.

And because I love you ALL so much, I've teamed up with DeLallo to bring you this awesome giveaway! One lucky winner will have a chance to win all SIX SaladSavors® PLUS....

Prizes:

    -  One (1) copy of the Skinnytaste Cookbook
    -  One (1) Hand-Dipped Walnut Bowl (Food52 Provisions)
    -  One (1) Pair of Orange Kate Spade Earrings
    -  One (1) Journal (TOMS Marketplace)
    -  One (1) of each kind of DeLallo SaladSavors® (six total)
    -  One (1) of each kind of DeLallo Whole Wheat Pasta
    -  One (1) 16.9 oz. bottle of DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    -  One (1) 8.5 oz. bottle of DeLallo Balsamic Vinegar
    -  One (1) 8.5 oz. bottle of DeLallo Golden Balsamic-Style Vinegar

To enter fill out the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Petite Crust-less Quiche

Loaded with turkey kielbasa, veggies and cheese, this slimmed down quiche will not dissapoint.

I like to make these on weekends, and reheat leftovers for the week. I usually refrigerate them for up to 3 days or freeze them to reheat at a later time.

You can swap the veggies for anything you like, and the kielbasa can be swapped with ham or sausage. Two muffin sized quiches are perfectly satisfying, and to be honest, who needs the crust? If you try, let me know what you think!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Roasting cauliflower brings out its nuttiness flavor and caramelizes the edges. This is such an easy way to prepare it, I toss it with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil and top it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some lemon zest when it comes out of the oven.

I can eat a whole bowl of this for lunch, but I usually make this as a side for steaks, pork chops or chicken. An irresistible side dish, even to people who don't like cauliflower.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Spiralized Mediterranean Beet and Feta Skillet Bake

Beet noodles baked with tomatoes, red onion, olives and Feta. Serve this as an appetizer with some baked pita chips, as a side dish or even as a main dish, topped with grilled shrimp or chicken – this dish is a keeper!

I think most of you know I'm pretty obsessed with my spiralizer, (I LOVE my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer) but my friend Ali is even more obsessed than me, if that's even possible. So obsessed, she devoted her entire blog to this gadget and just came out with a cookbook that you will need to get your hands on! The book is called Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals, and it's only 15.47 on Amazon! Tons of great spiralized ideas, everything from breakfast to dessert – the girl is a spiralizing genius!

I had a hard time deciding what to make first, but since I typically make spiralized zucchini and cucumber dishes with my spiralizer, so I chose a dish using beets instead. As a kid, I hated beets because I only tasted the pickled kind, that came in a jar. As an adult, I started enjoying them roasted in salads, and even discovered how delicious they are raw. Here, the beets are spiralized, tossed with vinegar, oil and herbs and roasted for 20 minutes. Once roasted, the beets are tender yet firm, exactly how I like my vegetables. If you're unsure about beets, I know this dish will convert you!

The only changes I made to her recipe was using less cheese, I cut the block in half horizontally and it was still more than plenty.

Oh and one more thing, I am giving 1 cookbook away this week! For a chance to win, leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite spiralized vegetable recipe is! Good luck! Ends February 24, 2015 US and CA.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Sticky Baked Chicken with Apricot, Sage and Lemon Zest

Sweet, succulent roasted chicken. Get a napkin and be prepared to get your fingers dirty!

Seems like everyone I know has read or watched the movie, Fifty Shades. I on the other hand have not read the book, but I do plan on seeing the movie just so I can see what the hype's all about.

But I did get my hands on the Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook. This cookbook is hilarious, with beautiful and somewhat risky nude photos of chicken... I couldn't stop laughing. And the recipes are actually really good – talk about the perfect gift for a foodie/Christian Grey fan! Recipes like Steamy White Meat, Dripping Thighs, Bacon Bound Wings, Chicken Strip Tease, just to name a few. I couldn't put it down or decide which to make, so I went with "Please Don't Stop Chicken".

I did have to modify the recipe to make it light. Originally it called for a whole chicken cut up, you can use any chicken parts you like but I went for drumsticks since I love them and they are leaner than thighs. I also removed the skin to reduce the fat, you really don't mind because they are coated with a delicious glaze.

And this week only, I'm giving 10 copies of the Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook away! To enter fill out the form below, ends Sunday!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Turkey Sausage Patties From Scratch

Making your own turkey sausage patties from scratch is easy –  and bonus, no processed ingredients! I'm so honored to have my friend Jackie share this recipe here on Skinnytaste as a guest post. Jackie is an incredible chef with Celiac, and has a blog called CAFE, Celiac and Allergy Friendly Epicurian where she shares her gluten-free recipes. I made these for breakfast today with my Red Pepper Egg-In-A-Hole and it was delish! Jackie will be guest posting once a month here on Skinnytaste, please welcome her...

I am excited to be here on Skinnytaste again. A lot has happened since my last guest post. This past summer I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime (or at least my lifetime) to work as a test kitchen contributor at Bon Appétit Magazine. I interned there after completing culinary school last year but it was quite a different and incredible experience to actually contribute to the magazine and website.

After working at Bon Appétit for 8 months I am happy to be back home with the kids and focus on developing recipes on a freelance professional basis as well as for my website. In addition to gaining a ton of experience while working in the test kitchen, I gained a few pounds. Occupational hazard, I suppose. I decided to re-join weight watchers and work on creating and maintaining healthy eating habits once again.

I used weight watchers after the last 2 of my 3 sons were born and it is my favorite weight loss program. The balanced approach is not only physically healthy but I’ve found it to be the best for my long-term success. Once I started calculating points for all of my recipes, I immediately thought of Gina and of course all of you here at Skinnytaste. I am looking forward to visiting here from time to time and sharing my healthy recipes with you. I hope you will stop by my page to say hi to me there as well.

Today’s recipe is for Turkey Sausage Patties. They are extremely flavorful and savory. You could serve them for breakfast with eggs or even for lunch and dinner. I soften the onion and garlic and then toast some fennel with the mix to add a depth of flavor you wouldn’t get by just adding everything raw It’s a short extra step that is definitely worth taking.



Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Gluten-Free S'mores Tartlets

For all the bakers and chocolate lovers out there – this recipe is for you! These chocolate tartlets are a fun twist on a my favorite camping dessert, S'mores. Crushed graham crackers on the bottom, a yummy chocolate filling and a marshmallow Italian meringue on top.

Madison loved helping me in the kitchen. I put those little hands to work. I also made the cupcakes a day ahead, then made the meringue the following day which worked out perfect.

I adapted this recipe from Kyra Bussanich's cookbook, Sweet Cravings. Such a great cookbook for gluten-free desserts. I met Kyra a few months ago, she was the first gluten-free winner of Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" where she beat out non-gluten free cupcakes on the show which is pretty impressive. Although her recipes are all gluten-free, they are obviously not light so it took some work to cut the calories but I loved the final result. Her original recipe uses heavy cream in her chocolate ganache filling, but these worked out well using evaporated milk instead. I made some other modifications and everyone enjoyed them.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Perfect Filet Mignon for Two

As a steak lover, I can't think of a better meal to enjoy for Valentine's Day.
Since it can be pricey, I only make it on special ocassions – and Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion! Get sizzling in the kitchen for an easy, Romantic dinner for two.

Filet mignon is the most tender cut of steak you can buy, and doesn't require fancy seasonings – coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper is all you need for a delicious steak that's pan seared then finished in the oven and cooked to perfection! I like mine medium rare, but you can cook it to your taste.

It's practically foolproof if you have a meat thermometer, but you can also use the finger test just in case you don't. This starts on the stove and finishes in the oven, so you'll need a heavy oven-safe non-stick skillet, or cast iron skillet to make this. One thing you should keep in mind is you'll want to bring the meat up to room temperature, so let it sit on the counter at least 30 minutes before you're ready to cook. It's perfect with sauteed or roasted vegetables on the side, here I made a quick sauteed garlic broccolini, but you can also serve it with skinny mashed potatoes.


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

This chocolate chip cookie pie is secretly good for you, but don't tell anyone! You won't believe it's made with beans, dates and oats! And because it's made with such wholesome ingredients, it's very filling.

I can't tell you how excited I am to share Katie's new cookbook, Chocolate Covered Katie! I've admired Katie's blog for years and have always been amazed by the sweets she dreams up and her healthy approach to making dessert. Oh and by the way, the back of her cookbook has a blurb from yours truly! Thumbing through her book I wanted to make so many things, but I'm a sucker for chocolate chip pie, so I knew I wanted to try this.

Katie says: "So famous it's been featured on ABC's Five O'Clock News, this gooey cookie pie sparked a complete beans-in-dessert revolution on the Internet..." I knew I HAD to make this! She has two versions, one with xylitol or sugar, and this more natural version using dates as a natural sweetener. If you prefer to skip the dates and use a sweetener, she used 1 1/2 cups.

I topped this with a little fat free vanilla frozen yogurt but that's completely optional. Everyone in my house enjoyed this!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Avocado Toast Egg-in-a-Hole

The perfect 5 minute breakfast to make the one you love! Whole grain toast with mashed avocado, eggs over easy and a few dashes of hot sauce – 5 ingredients, 5 minutes to make, doesn't get better than that!

I'm obsessed with avocado toast and eggs lately as you might have noticed! I was thinking about Valentine's Day breakfast ideas and forgot I had these heart shaped cutters, so immediately this came to mind. I bought heart shaped cutters on Amazon last year, but even if you don't have fancy cutters, you can keep it simple and use the rim of a glass to cut out a hole.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chicken Barley Soup

Warm up with a bowl of this Chicken and Barley Soup! My entire family loves this including my five year old, and the leftovers are better the next day!

This week's forecast – snow, snow and more snow! Making soup is my way of dealing with February and the cold. I like to use chicken on the bone when making soup because it adds more flavor. If you prefer to use water instead of broth, that is fine too, just add salt to taste.

Make a big pot of this, and freeze the leftovers if you wish! Enjoy and stay warm!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chicken Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

This hearty soup – loaded with chicken, kale, sweet potatoes and veggies, will warm your bones on this cold winter we are having! And the leftovers are perfect for heating up for lunch the next day and can also be frozen for another night.

I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes unless they are savory, so I loved them in this soup! There's no grains in here, but a large bowl is very satisfying. The jalapeño adds the perfect flavor, and just a trace of heat. Of course if you like your food spicy, you could add more! This is naturally gluten-free, Paleo and a great One-Pot meal – enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...