Surf N Turf

I mentioned last night on the kick that I made sea scallops with mango salsa and flank steak tacos for dinner and all the girls were very impressed. Impressive as it may sound, it was very easy to make thanks to Sam The Cooking Guy (www.thecookingguy.com) who has a way of making extraordinary sounding meals in a very ordinary way. My kinda guy...

South of the Border Scallops

• 1/3 cup diced fresh mango
• 1/3 cup peeled and diced cucumber
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 pound sea scallops, rinsed and dried
  
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil

1. Mix all ingredients except scallops and set aside
2. Season scallops with salt and pepper
3. Heat non-stick pan over high heat
4. Put in oil & when just smoking add scallops and sear each side until nicely brown and a cool little sort of crust builds
5. Put on a plate and serve with the mango salsa

This is the recipe from Sam's website but an even EASIER way to do it is buy the prepackaged mango salsa. So all you have to do is sear the scallops, plate them with a scoop of mango salsa and voila!


Spicy Steak and Corn Soft Tacos

• 3 teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thin
• 1 red pepper sliced into thin strips
• 1 pound flank, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup whole corn kernels - if frozen, cook first according to directions
• 1 jalapeño chopped fine with seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

1. Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat.
2. Add red pepper and onion and cook until tender - about 10 minutes.
3. Remove to plate.
4. Add flank steak to skillet and cook until the pink is gone - about 1 minute.
5. Add the corn, jalapeño, cumin and chili powder.
6. Saute quickly for a few seconds.
7. Add the onions and pepper back in.
8. Stir until heated through and remove.
9. Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, salsa and lime wedges to squeeze on top.

Delish! Of Note: I've had a very bad experience with chopping jalapeños so now I always use latex gloves....

Stuffed Green Peppers

I'm sorry Miss Avery...these are too good not to share! I was hungry for something easy, hearty and healthy to prepare for dinner after the gym and remembered my mom made a mean stuffed pepper. Debs shared the recipe below and they turned out QUITE incredible if I do say so myself!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey (you can also use regular ground meat)
• 4-6 Bell Peppers halved and seeded
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Worchester Sauce
• 2 cloves of Garlic (more if you love garlic!) - minced
• 1/2 basket of mushrooms - diced
• 2 tablespoons of Milk
• 1/2 cup of Breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of finely diced Onion
• 2 teaspoons of each: Kosher or Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1/4 cup of French Fried Onions (my special additive)

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees.

First, cut your bell peppers in half and scoop out all the seeds, then set aside. Next in a large bowl, mix together the ground turkey, eggs, garlic, mushrooms, Worchester sauce, ketchup, milk, breadcrumbs, onion, french fried onions, salt & pepper using your hands. Once it is mixed all together well, start stuffing the halved bell peppers with the meat.

Place the peppers back in the Pyrex dish and sprinkle the top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese for some extra flavor and presentation. Cover the Pyrex dish with foil and place in the oven. Bake the peppers for at least an hour (different timing based on how full you fill the peppers and your oven). The last 5 minutes, remove the foil and let the tops of the peppers get a nice golden toast to them.

Viola! Delicious and healthy too!

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

For the third night in a row, I used my new favorite discovery (House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles) to create a "pasta" dish. Last night's was chicken fettuccine alfredo. I got the recipe from the Hungry Girl website.

Ingredients:
1 package House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles, Fettuccine Shape
1 wedge The Laughing Cow cheese, Light Original Swiss
2 tsp. fat-free sour cream (I used reduced fat instead of ff)
2 tsp. reduced fat grated parmesan cheese (unfortunately, I didn't have reduced fat on hand)
5 oz. skinless chicken breast; grilled with nonstick spray only (I used a little olive oil)
**I added steamed broccoli
Optional: salt, pepper, and paprika


Directions:
-Drain and rinse noodles well.
-Dry noodles thoroughly (use paper towels to soak up as much moisture as possible) and use a knife to slice them up a bit.
-Next, top noodles with both cheeses and fat-free sour cream, then microwave for one minute. -Stir and microwave for one additional minute.
-Slice up chicken breast and add to pasta.
-Season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Since I gave up flour, wheat and potato products for Lent, I've been looking for different things to make for dinner. Although I usually try not to eat a lot of pasta, bread or potato products anyway, when you can't, it makes you want them more. However, I discovered the best product to curb my craving for pasta, thanks to Jackie; House foods Tofu Shirataki noodles. There are three varieties; fettuccine, spaghetti and angel hair. The best part is that they only have 20 calories and 3 carbs per serving, and are gluten-free and dairy-free! This product is a favorite of the Hungry Girl website (also brought to my attention by Jackie), which is where I got the following recipe and where I will get many in the future - such good (healthy) ideas. Ingredients: 3 packages House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles, Fettuccine Shape 1 packet of tuna (7 oz.) packed in water (I used a can of albacore tuna in water, drained) 1 10.75 oz. can 98% Fat Free Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light cheese, Original Swiss 1/2 cup frozen peas 3 tbsp. reduced-fat parmesan cheese Salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to taste (cayenne is optional) Directions: -Preheat oven to 375 degrees. -Rinse and drain noodles well. -Cut noodles. -Microwave noodles for one minute and pat dry. -Melt Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge into noodles, microwaving again for 20 seconds if necessary. -Mix cheese wedge thoroughly into noodles. Add tuna and peas and stir well. -Put noodle/cheese mixture into a casserole dish. -Add your can of soup and one tbsp. of parmesan and mix well. -Season to taste. -Top with remaining two tbsp. of parmesan and bake in your preheated 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Serves 4.