Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Grilled Turkey

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I LOVE butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash.....This salad is a combination of my own creation and a recipe I found on Epicurious. It was light, yet filling and full of savory and sweet flavors. The original recipe did not call for turkey or tomatoes, but I always need some kind of protein with dinner and I have been receiving SO many beautiful and delicious tomatoes from a co-worker's garden! I just had to add them. Plus, a salad isn't a salad without tomatoes. At least not to me. Because there isn't really a recipe for this, I will just let you know what I put on it. First, I roasted 1/2 of a butternut squash (that is all I had) at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. I tossed it (I peeled it with a vegetable peeler and sliced it into large chunks) with a bit of olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and a little bit of balsamic vinegar mixed with about 1-2 tsp. of brown sugar. The squash will be tender when it is done. I placed fresh field greens on a plate and topped them with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, dried cranberries, avocado, garbonzo beans, the squash, and gorgonzola cheese crumbles. I then marinated turkey cutlets in fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. I let it marinade for about 20 minutes and grilled it on the George Foreman grill until it was cooked through but still juicy. When it done, let it rest for a few minutes. Slice it up and toss it on your salad. Top your salad with your favorite dressing. This was such a yummy meal! I also served fresh baked rolls on the side. YUM!

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

I bought a 6 pack of beautiful bell peppers at Costco last week. I had four of them left and decided that it would be a great opportunity to try a new recipe! I remembered seeing Giada de Laurentis make this on an episode of Everday Italian and thought that it sounded perfect. WOW! This filling is SO good! I could (and did) eat a huge plate of it on its own. It is full of flavor from the mint. I never knew that mint could taste so good in a recipe. I also loved that it had shredded zucchini to bulk it up a bit so that it wasn't just all pasta. I decided to grill some salmon and steam some veggies to go with it. I will warn you right now, the recipe says that it stuffs six peppers, but I am certain I had enough to stuff eight. However, leftovers of the pasta alone are fantastic!

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

1 28 oz. can Italian tomatoes

2 zucchini, grated

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan cheese) plus more for sprinkling

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (1 used 2 Tbsp.)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups orzo

6 sweet bell peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart. Add zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add orzo. Cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should only be partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to drain the orzo and reserve the broth. Transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other veggies. Stir the orzo into the veggie mixture. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish. Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Place the peppers in the baking dish with warm broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the orzo stuffed peppers to a serving plate.

Roasted Vegetable Burritos

I think that one of the reasons I get so excited for fall is because it means it is time for pumpkin, butternut squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, hot soup and homemade bread. All of those things are on my list of favorites! This recipe uses butternut squash...something I think I could eat on a daily basis. I love this recipe! It is quick and so flavorful!

Roasted Vegetable Burritos
1 small or 1/2 of a large butternut squas, peeled and diced large
2-3 red potatoes, large dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into large strips
1 large onion, sliced
1 8 oz. package mushrooms, large dice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
olive oil
black beans
cooked brown rice
grilled chicken
non-fat plain yogurt
green salsa verde
tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 dgrees. Place diced vegetables on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Add minced garlic, salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes and squash are soft. Layer rice, beans, roasted veggies and chicken on a tortilla. Dallop a scoop of yogurt and some green salsa on top. Roll up and enjoy!

Stuffed Shells

I don't know why, but I was in a pasta mood for about two weeks. All that sounded good was pasta with lots and lots of sauce! It had been a long time since I had made stuffed shells, and since I bought a package of them the day before at Target for only .60, I thought I would make a pan for us to eat now and one to freeze. I didn't follow a recipe. I just added what I thought sounded good. In a bowl I mixed cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, grated zucchini, grated carrot, sauteed mushrooms, chopped parsley, a little crushed rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper. After that was all mixed, I added 1 egg to bind it together. Cook the shells as directed on the package. Place a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan. Stuff the shells and place stuffed side up. After they are all stuffed, pour a little sauce on top and top with more cheese (optional). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. I served these with panko breaded chicken and sauteed summer veggies. Yum!!!

Chili Rubbed Salmon with Baked Potatoes

This meal was simple and delicious. I have told you about the chili rubbed pork I made for my husband a little while ago, but this time I used salmon. It was delicious! I have been craving baked potatoes a lot lately. These baked potatoes were a perfect side dish to the salmon and steamed broccoli. The potatoes were topped with a creamy scallion yogurt sauce (instead of sour cream). My husband preferred this topping over butter or regular sour cream It was full of flavor, cool, creamy and very healthy. The only ingredients needed for this topping are plain non-fat yogurt, 1 scallion, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of salt and pepper. I also added a touch of fresh thyme just because I had some.

Panko Breaded Chicken and Summer Pasta

I have been craving pasta lately. There is something about biting into a heaping fork full of saucey covered noodles that I have been needing. This meal completely satisfied my craving...and I can't wait to have it again tomorrow! The chicken had a flavorful crispy crust on the outside and was tender and juicey on the inside. I didn't follow a recipe, I simply added what sounded good. It is simple and uses basic ingredients, but it really hit the spot!

Breaded Panko Chicken and Summer Pasta

Panko bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Parmesan cheese (grated)
Chicken breast (boneless, skinless)

Combine the panko, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Dip chicken breast in the mixture and place in a hot skillet with 1 Tbsp. oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Place under broiler for a few minutes if necessary.

Pasta
Spaghetti or angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
Sauce (I used Classico)
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
1 zucchini squash, sliced
1 onion sliced
1 pkg. mushrooms

Place squash, onion and mushrooms in a hot skillet. Stir fry and season with salt and pepper. Place desired amount of pasta on the plate, top with sauce and veggies. Serve with panko breaded chicken.

Fish Po' Boys

I found this recipe in the Great Food Fast Cookbook by Martha Stewart (one of my favorites). These sandwiches are going to be a regualr at our house. Not only are they quick, delicious and healthy, they are also quite inexpensive to make! Most of those things you may already have! I served this with fresh corn on the cob (we try to eat as much of this as we can in the summer when it is fresh and cheap), and some roasted sweet potatoes. It was just the meal we needed....light, yet satisyfying and extremely flavorful! You should give this a try.

Fish Po Boys

1 pound skinless flounder fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips, and patted dry (I used Mahi Mahi)
2 tablespoons cornmeal
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (8 ounce) baguette, cut in half horizontally, and hollowed out slightly
Lettuce
Sliced tomatoes
1 large head romaine lettuce (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces

Spicy Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons chopped gerkins (or pickles)
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco, if desired

Place fish in a medium bowl. Add cornmeal; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Brown fish (work in batches if needed) on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes (turn fish carefully). Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate; season with more salt, as desired.
Spread both halves of baguette with tartar sauce, and layer with lettuce, tomatoes, and fish. Cut into 4 pieces.
Spicy Tartar Sauce
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, parsley, mustard, and gerkins. Season with hot sauce. Sauce can be refrigerated, covered, 2 to 3 days.