Burrito Bowl with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Makes 3-4 burrito bowls

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked rice or quinoa

1/2 cup salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 roma tomatoes, diced

1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen corn, thawed)

Romaine lettuce, chopped

Creamy chipotle sauce*

Other additions: onion, green onion, bell pepper, avocado, cheese, cilantro

Directions

Cook rice. (For firmer rice, use 1 cup rice + 1 1/4 cup water.)

While rice is cooking, prep your veggies and make the creamy chipotle sauce.

When rice is cooked, stir in salsa.

Begin layering your bowl: start with rice, then black beans, and vegetables.

Drizzle the creamy chipotle sauce on top and enjoy.

*Creamy Chipotle Sauce:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

1/2 tsp. adobo sauce

1-2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. cumin

Scrape away the seeds from the chipotle with a knife (use caution when handling chipotle, and wash your hands when done.)

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasonings/consistency as necessary.

Tips: if the sauce is too thick, thin it out with more lime juice, or olive oil. If it's too thin, add more greek yogurt. If you like a touch of sweetness, add some honey/agave.

Avocado Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 pound linguine
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or sliced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

• Directions

  Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining basil, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  Toss pasta with pesto. For an extra touch of color and flavor, top pasta with cherry or sun-dried tomatoes. Divide pasta among serving bowls.

Very American Cheeseburger Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag Very American Salad Mix 
1C Cherry Tomatoes 
1C Sliced Pickles 
1 packages of Soy Beef 
½ jar TJ’s Organic Ranch Dressing 
½ bag Diced Onion 
Cheddar Cheese, shredded 


Directions:

1) Brown the beef with the onion (and other spices if desired) until it is no longer pink. Drain & sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of the meat. 
2) Put the salad in a bowl with the pickles (sliced and diced) and tomatoes. 
3) Add the beef and dressing and toss together. Enjoy! 


Serves:  4


Calories:  463
Fat:  23
Protein:  40
Carbs:  27

Grilled Portobello Tacos with Salsa and Soyrizo

Marinade:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp black pepper

Tacos:
6 large portobello caps
6 6-inch soft whole-wheat tortillas
1 package of soy chorizo
2 cups chopped tomatoes
3 cups shredded cabbage
Plain greek yogurt
Salsa- I used Trader Joe's Salsa Especial and Trader Joe's Guacamole Salsa

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat grill or grill pan to high heat.  To make marinade combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

2.  To make tacos:  Brush mushroom caps with marinade.  Grill mushrooms 3-5 minutes per side.  Cool until easy to handle, then slice into strips.

3.  Cook soyrizo in nonstick pan until done. Toss with the mushrooms.

4.  Fill tortillas with mushroom and soyrizo mixture, tomatoes, and cabbage.  Serve with salsa of your choice and top with a dollop of greek yogurt.

Serves:  6  (1 tortilla)

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Golden Garlic, Tomatoes, and Sage

• 1/2 lb. whole-wheat spaghetti
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled,  halved, and sliced (3 Tbs.)
• 1 1/2 lb. ripe tomatoes, coarsely  chopped (6 cups)
• 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 Tbs. fresh chopped sage, plus more leaves for garnish
• 2 Tbs. chopped green olives

DIRECTIONS:  

1. Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water 10 to 11 minutes, or until al dente.


2. Heat oil and garlic in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until garlic is browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, sage, and olives, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.


3. Drain spaghetti, and return to pot. Add sauce, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Divide among 6 serving bowls, and garnish with sage leaves.

Serves:  6 (1-cup serving)

Calories:  258

Fat:  9g

Protein:  9g

Carbs:  40g

Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Soy Meatballs

2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms 
1/2 lb. fresh or frozen asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (approx. 1 cup)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (approx. 2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 13.25 oz. package whole-wheat linguine 
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
One bag of Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs


DIRECTIONS


1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together mushrooms, asparagus, onion, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes on a coated cookie sheet.  Roast 20 minutes or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2.  Start your pasta water, if you haven't already.

3.  Add tomatoes and meatballs to pan, and roast 7-10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften. Transfer vegetables to bowl.

4.  Sprinkle wine over vegetables return pan to oven and let wine cook off about 5 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta.

6.  Return pasta to pot. Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium-low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in torn fresh basil leaves, and serve immediately.


Serves 6 (1-1/2 cups)


Calories:  324
Fat:  10g
Protein:  20g
Carbs:  43.5g

Hummus with Tomato-Mint Salsa

2 medium tomatoes, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup diced white onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 recipe Classic Hummus (click here)

DIRECTIONS

Stir together tomatoes, diced onion, oil, mint, and lemon juice in small bowl; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Let stand 5 minutes. Spread Classic Hummus in shallow dish, and mound salsa in center.

Serves: 8
Serving: 1/4 cup hummus & 3 Tbs. salsa
Calories: 228
Fat: 13g
Protein: 8g
Carbs: 23g

***** (out of 5-star rating)

I packed this for my lunch and threw in a whole-wheat pita bread for dipping to round out the meal. Sooooooo good!

Tomato-Mozzarella Packets

1 16-oz. tube prepared polenta, cut into 16 slices
2 large tomatoes, each cut into 8 slices
16 green olives, halved, optional
4 tsp. garlic olive oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular “bowl” with 1/2-inch sides. Coat insides of foil with cooking spray.
2. Place 4 polenta slices, slightly overlapping, in each foil semicircle. Arrange 4 tomato slices over polenta. Scatter 8 olive halves (if using) over tomatoes. Drizzle each serving with 1 tsp. garlic olive oil and 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. Italian herbs; season with salt and pepper (if desired), and top with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and seal edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer to baking sheet, and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Remove baking sheet from oven, and transfer packets to serving plates. Let each person open packet slowly and carefully—escaping air will be hot. Garnish with basil.

Serves: 4
Serving size: One packet
Calories: 216
Fat: 9g
Protein: 11g
Carbs: 23g

***** (out of 5-star rating)

I made these for dinner- so good! They tasted like pizza when you combined everything. I will most definitely be making these again. They went over very well with the husband as well!

Hominy Salad with Basil-Shallot Vinaigrette on Arugula

• 
  
• 1 small shallot, minced (2 Tbs.)
• 2 Tbs. white wine or champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 15-oz. can white hominy, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen soybeans, thawed
• 1 cup halved grape or teardrop tomatoes
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese or shaved Asiago cheese
• Arugula
• 
  

• DiRECTIONS

1. Whisk together shallot and
vinegar in small bowl. Whisk in
oil until emulsified, then whisk
in basil. Add white pepper and salt,
if desired.

2. Toss together hominy, soybeans, tomatoes, and bell pepper in serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing, and toss again to coat. Sprinkle with cheese,
and serve over arugula.

Serves: 6

Serving size: 1/2 cup

Calories: 200

Fat: 12g

Protein: 6g

Carb: 18g

***** (star-rating out of five)

I made this for my lunch today, last night, and I threw all the veggies in with the dressing and left in a tupperware overnight. This afternoon I emptied out veggies onto arugula and topped with goat cheese. Everything stayed crisp and wasn't soggy at all!