Easy-Peasy Pickles!

6 ingredient pickles! So easy!

I really haven't blogged in forever and for that I apologize. Summer came and went and we are amidst the ever-decreasing temperatures of fall in NJ. I bought a few organic cucumbers the other day and after visiting my parent's house yesterday found myself with a bunch of dill. Of course I could always dry it out and add it to salmon dishes or make some dill butter, but instead, I'd rather take a stab at some fresh pickles. I've also been pinning myself to death on Pinterest, and looking at all of the cute holiday DIY projects out there has me a bit inspired. So many are fat and sugar laden and while these contain both sugar and salt, they're not as horrible for you as the 500 cookies and gallon of eggnogg (cocktails?) that will be staring you in the face this holiday season. You could very easily dress these up with some raffia or ribbon with a tag that says "Happy Holi-dills".

With that being said, I present you with my pickles. I won't be able to eat these for a few days because they need to "marinate" but this is how I made them. I will update this post in a few days and let you know how they came out!

You will need:
1 qt mason jar
1/3 C white vinegar
2 C total of water - 6 oz of which came from the Keurig
a handful of fresh dill
1 garlic clove, quartered
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar

In a bowl, combine sugar, salt and garlic.Slice a large cucumber into 1/2" slices. I use organic cucumbers, so I don't peel them, however, if they were not, I would peel the outer skin off. Add 6 oz of hot water (small Keurig setting) and stir to melt the sugar and salt. Add vinegar. After it is mixed well (about a minute in) add 10 oz COLD water. You want the sugar/salt water to be cool enough as to not "cook" the pickles.

In a 1 quart mason jar, place fresh dill at the bottom and then placed the sliced cucumbers on top. Pour liquid mixture over the cucumbers, seal the lid tightly and shake a bit to incorporate the cucumbers, dill and liquid. Let sit, refrigerated for a few days (I would say 3 minimum) to absorb the flavors. Each day, turn the jar upside down and right side back up again to mix up the flavors.

Have you ever made your own pickles? Do you add different flavors such as lemon or Old Bay seasoning? Post in the comments below!

Panko-Crusted, Seasoned Chicken Balls with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

Just the right amount of sweet + heat!

A few weeks ago, I was in the grocery store when I came across Blue Dragon's sweet chili dipping sauce. The color reminded me of the mango dipping sauce that accompanies our West-Indian conch fritters that we love so much when we're on the "rock". Then I remembered, that there is a restaurant where I had a similar sweet chili sauce that calamari was tossed in and I loved it. This particular sauce has just the right balance of sweet and heat; it's just enough to give it a little tang but not so hot that you need to frantically drink your entire glass of water without coming up for air.

I love meatballs but since they're usually so high in fat, I decided to make a new version of chicken meatballs. I still wanted them to have that island flare, so instead of using the traditional "meatball spices" of oregano, basil, etc., I decided to make it very, very simple. The meat itself only had about 1 Tbsp of Cruz Bay grill rub from St. John Spice that we purchased on our most recent trip to STJ. If you have never been there or are planning on visiting St. Thomas, I'd highly recommend hopping on a 15 minute ferry ride and paying that store a visit. I have no words for the coffee and teas. They're just household staples.

This "recipe" was very simple. It makes roughly 30 meatballs. I sauteed some fresh yellow squash from the garden to accompany the meatballs and my toddler loved them.

1 package of Perdue ground chicken (1lb)
1 package of Perdue ground chicken breast (1lb)
1 XL egg
1 Tbsp Cruz Bay Grill Rub
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp lemon zest OR McCormick Lemon Pepper Grinder (to taste)
1C Panko crumbs, for rolling

Mix everything EXCEPT the panko crumbs together in a bowl. Since I didn't use breadcrumbs to dry out the chicken and make it more manageable to form into balls, the mixture is pretty soft.  I spooned by tablespoonful into my thumbs and formed as best of a ball as I could. I then rolled them into the panko crumbs and shaped as needed, forming a ball that's about 1.5" in diameter. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes for until no longer pink in center.

For the sauce:
1/3 C Sweet Thai Chili dipping Sauce (I used Blue Dragon brand)
2 Tbsp water
Whisk together water and sauce and heat in a saucepan until bubbly. Toss cooked chicken meatballs in a large bowl with sauce.

Each 1.5" meatball yields approxmimately:
Calories: 55
Fat: 1.69g
Carbs: 3.2g
Protein: 7.1g

*Note*
Spices were not added to nutritional information.

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

Make the most of summer vegetables
with this easy side dish!

I love summer and all of the vegetables that the garden brings. Here is an easy appetizer or side dish that you can prepare ahead of time and pop back in the oven to reheat or you can freeze between layers of wax, parchment or freezer paper to use during the off season.

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

1 large zucchini (about 3C shredded)
2 medium potatoes (about 1.5C shredded)
2 eggs
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1 tsp ground black pepper (again, more or less to taste)
1/2 small onion, grated or finely chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 C seasoned bread crumbs

With a grater, shred potatoes and zucchini into a bowl. Dump out the bowl over a cheesecloth (this is the easiest way) and squeeze out to drain excess water, then place back into the bowl. I have done this with the cloth and drained nearly 1C of excess liquid from the vegetables. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, salt, pepper and onion. Add to shredded zucchini and potatoes. Add breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly. In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil and drop by spoonfuls. Flatten out to form pancake shape. this recipe yields approximately 12 2-3" "pancakes".

In each "pancake":
Total Calories: 69
Fat: 2.2g
Carbs: 10.3g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4g
Sugar: 1.4g
Protein: 2.6g

Goat Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomato Ravioli with Mushrooms & Tomato

I'm a huge fan of a meal I can whip up in 10 minutes or less that packs a flavorful punch but doesn't destroy my "belly budget" for the day. Sunday was the first time I had ever stepped into a Trader Joe's and I'm sorry I haven't been to one sooner. One of the products I had picked up (and loved!) was the goat cheese and sun-dried tomato ravioli. They were about $3.49 and in the refrigerated section. There are 3 servings (or roughly 21 pieces)  per package. Fresh ravioli takes so little time to cook, so I like to use it whenever possible.


You will need:

1 8 oz package mushrooms
2 medium sized tomatoes
2 Tbsp whipped cream cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle of sugar
dusting of salt
lemon-pepper seasoning
1 package Trader Joe's goat cheese & sun-dried tomato ravioli.

Bring water to a boil in saucepan and cook ravioli according to package directions. While they are cooking, chop tomatoes & mushrooms and sautee in olive oil. Add whipped cream cheese and stir with a spatula to melt and incorporate. Season to taste, using lemon-pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar. The sugar will remove some of the acidity in the the tomatoes. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Each serving contains about 1 C of sauce, tomato and mushroom mixture and 7 ravioli (there are roughly 21 in the package). Makes 3 servings.

Each serving contains approximately:
Calories: 374
Fat: 21.75g
Carbs: 34.03g
Protein: 12.39g

Cranberry Chicken Salad Stuffed Cabbage

super crunchy!

I am always looking for ways to eliminate the bread in my lunch, frankly because I love pasta. I'd rather take the "budget" for my lunch and "spend" it on dinner. I also love using cabbage for a leafy crunch whether it be in tacos, cold wraps or hot dishes because it's a hardy green that doesn't seem to wilt easily when exposed to other foods or sauces.

I made a simple chicken salad and dressed it up a bit.

The key to this dish is blanching the cabbage leaves before you try to construct them. I fill a large skillet with lightly salted water, bring to a boil and have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Dip the cabbage leaves into the boiling water for about 20-30 seconds, just enough to make pliable. Immediately place them in the ice water bowl. This will stop the cooking process almost instantaneously. It will also enable you to wrap the leaves without breaking them. They hold up extremely well, even after biting into them. I had enough "salad" in this to stuff about 4 large cabbage leaves.

You will need:

4 cabbage leaves
1 - 4 oz piece of chicken breast
1 Tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
1/8 C dried craisins
1 tsp lemon rind
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 medium celery stalk
1 scallion
pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

Boil the chicken and either shred or chop finely, whichever you prefer and set aside. Finely chop celery and scallion. Stir in mayo, lemon rind, craisins, chia,  pepper & paprika, to taste. Gradually add in chicken. Spoon into center of cabbage leaves and roll the back end first, then starting at one side, fold over. Lay seam-side down.

Each recipe above yields approxmiately:
Calories: 300
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 28g
Protein: 26g

Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers

Reinventing the leftover!

At some point, many of us end up with leftovers in the fridge. I hate to see any food go to waste and like to incorporate leftovers as much as possible, reinventing them into new dishes or spins into old classics. I had made a batch of brown rice and had some leftover. Usually, when I make my italian farro & turkey stuffed peppers, I mix farro into the stuffing, substituting the rice. However, the last time I made them I used all of my stuffing. Honestly, I managed to take the ground turkey out and then 4:00 p.m came and my first thought was "What am I going to do with this? I really don't feel like cooking." Of course take out is easier, some may assume, but is it really? Think about it, it costs more and you have way less control about what goes into it. Typically you're not getting your food in 20 minutes anyway and within 20-30 minutes you can whip up something that is not only better for your belly, but also is better for your budget!

It's no secret how much I love Aldi, so when I was in there last, I picked up a box of Fit & Active quick cooking brown rice. I threw it in the rice cooker according to the directions on the back and it was done in about 10 minutes. I love my rice cooker because it frees up a burner. After I hit the lottery, I'll get one of those fancy 6 burner stoves. In the meantime, I'm in a 7 square foot house with 4 burners on a range that doesn't even have a clock, but it works, so who cares?!

For this dish, throwing the chopped peppers in for the last 8 minutes or so of cooking helps to keep them crunchy. You can add more or less water to change the amount of moisture. I ate this with a side of sauteed zucchini and mushrooms and BAM! (nearly) instant dinner.

You will need:

1lb ground chicken or turkey (I used turkey)
1 large green pepper or 2 medium (I like it colorful, so I used a mix & finished up all of the chunks in the fridge)
1 1/3 C cooked brown rice (use leftovers or make separately - about 3/4C uncooked)
1 small onion
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder OR 1 garlic clove
black pepper, to taste
1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
1/2 C water

In a large skillet, brown turkey and onion. While that's cooking, coarsely chop pepper and set aside. Gradually add in about 1/4 C of the water and simmer. Add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, garlic (or powder, if using), and black pepper. Gradually stir in brown rice, adding remaining water if necessary to keep moist. Stir in fennel and chopped pepper, stirring to heat through.

Each serving yields approximately:
Calories: 340
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 39g
Protein: 27g

Italian Farro & Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Italian farro gives this a protein punch!

Ohhh farro, how I love thee! One of the greatest supermarket finds for me, was farro. It has a firm texture and I have found it to be the best replacements for rice or pasta to date. If you haven't heard of it, it's an ancient grain that packs in 7g protein, 5g dietary fiber & 170 calories per serving. One serving is 1/4C.  I decided to use it as a stuffing previously in large mushrooms and when my husband mentioned that we hadn't had stuffed peppers in a while, I thought this would make the perfect substitution for rice. My beef (or lack thereof) with peppers is that I'm not a huge fan of them cooked. I don't like them soggy. I always say, I love my vegetables hot but raw. Preparing the stuffing and having it fully cooked enables me to bake the peppers just long enough to make them warm, but still crunchy.

You will need:

4 large peppers
1/2 C cooked farro
1 lb ground turkey

3 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 C water
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 Tbso minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
1 C part-skim shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400.

Prepare farro according to package directions and set aside. In a large skillet sautee ground turkey with onion. When fully cooked, add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt & pepper (to taste). Add 1/2 C water and slowly stir in cooked farro. Continue to sautee until the water has been fully incorporated.

Cut tops off of peppers and clean out the seeds. Stuff with farro & turkey mixture 7 top with part-skim mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Each stuffed pepper yields approximately:
Calories: 428
Fat: 18g
Carbs: 27g
Protein: 48g