Spiralized Greek Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Feta

This light cucumber Greek salad is the perfect meatless summer dish. Trust me, you're going to want to make this all summer long! Fresh cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, red onion, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh feta – it's filling, high in fiber and protein, perfect for lunch or dinner!

I had some fresh Feta leftover from my Lemon Feta Drumsticks, and I've been craving a good Greek Salad, but I wanted to make it without the lettuce and make cucumber the star of the show. This turned out better than I could have imagined! I used my favorite cooking gadget – my the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer with the chipper blade to quickly whip this up into beautiful spirals and the results were a salad that's crunchy and bright, and not weighed down by a heavy dressing. This took me less than 10 minutes start to finish – win!

If you don't own a spiralizer you can just dice the cucumbers with knife and make it a chopped Greek salad instead. I highly recommend using a decent Feta cheese, not a fat free Feta.

A great Meatless Monday meal. If you are making this ahead for lunch for work, you can leave the lemon juice and olive oil out, and pack it on the side, then just add it when you're ready to eat. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Cumin Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Summer parties and dining al fresco doesn't get more convenient than this – lean pork tenderloin seasoned with a quick, flavorful rub then grilled to perfection served with the easiest salad ever!!

I love having my friends over in the summer for BBQs, but I don't love spending hours in the kitchen. Instead I prefer to keep things simple so I can actually enjoy my company, which is why I love these new DeLallo SaladSavors.

If you're not familiar with DeLallo; I first discovered them last year. They are the only brand of whole wheat pasta my family will actually eat, but they sell tons of other quality ingredients like olive oils, vinegars, olives, roasted peppers, marinated artichokes and more. So it only makes sense that they took those ingredients and conveniently packaged them to create quick and easy salads – all you do is add the lettuce!

Whatever you throw on the grill; whether it's pork tenderloin, shrimp kabobs, pesto chicken kabobs, harissa lamb chops or even just burgers – making a salad with one of these salad toppings takes minutes to put together – EASY!

These are brand spanking new so at the moment they're only available in select supermarkets, but I'm sure you'll be seeing them everywhere soon! And here's the BEST news – I've partnered with DeLallo Foods and a few of my food blogging friends: Sommer from A Spicy Perspective, Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil, Ali from Gimme Some Oven, Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod and myself to host the Ultimate Al Fresco Dining Giveaway!

You could win A YEAR of SaladSavors (10 SaladSavors® sent monthly), plus tons of stuff from Crate & Barrel and West Elm: a beautiful patio set, a salad bowl, platter, serving tub, flatware serving set and more!! If you love entertaining outdoors in the summer as much as I do, click here for a chance to win this giveaway.

And back to the pork tenderloin – it's super lean, a serving is under 175 calories (4 points plus) and is gluten-free, clean, paleo-friendly, & takes 25 minutes to make. You can easily double the recipe to serve more. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Lemon Feta Chicken with Oregano

Mediterranean ingredients such as lemon, oregano and feta cheese turn ordinary chicken into a spectacular dinner. The cheese forms a light crust on top when broiled – you won't even miss the skin!

This is sooo easy to make with only a few ingredients; simply marinate the legs with lemon juice and oregano and bake. Once it's done, top it with fresh grated feta cheese and broil until golden.

I keep this simple and serve it with a salad on the side or you can make this with one of my favorite summer sides, Sauteed Zucchini with Summer Tomatoes.

I first published this recipe back in 2009 using skinless chicken thighs, but a year or two ago the USDA changed the data for chicken thighs and the calories, fat and points increased so much, I started using drumsticks instead. There's a part of me that hopes they made a mistake but until then I use thighs less often.

The drumsticks I used were pretty small, so if yours are really large the points may increase slightly.  Hope you enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Avocado Coconut Popsicles

These creamy popsicles are a real treat! Made with just 4 ingredients – nutrient dense avocados, coconut-almond milk, raw sugar and sweetened coconut flakes. They are also dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.

It’s no secret, I'm pretty avocado obsessed! I grew up eating avocados all my life and I usually incorporate them into a meal just about every day! In fact, I love them so much I created an entire Pinterest Board devoted to avocados. But I usually eat them in some type of savory dish such as guacamole, BLT, egg salad, in my salad dressings, with my soups and more.

But the fact is, in Brazil where my Dad lived for many years, avocados were never eaten with salt; instead they were treated as the fruit that they are and were often sweetened with sugar. My dad used to make a smoothie years ago with avocados, milk and sugar which he called Vitamina. Because I love coconut, I took his smoothie idea and added coconut flakes and loved it! And since avocados are so nutrient dense, you're also getting a good dose of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals to boot!

PS - The popsicle mold I used is from Progressive which I bought on Amazon, click the link if you're interested.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Vegan Eggplant Meatballs

These amazing meatless meatballs are made with eggplant, white beans and breadcrumbs to hold them together – if I was a vegan, I would have no problem eating this for dinner every night! They almost remind me of eggplant parmesan, in the form of a meatball.

I've had my eye on this recipes since I got a copy of Mark Bittman's VB6 Cookbook, and it did not disappoint! I love finding new ways to incorporate more veggies into my diet, and I try to eat meatless two to three times a week, so Mark's concept of eating vegan by day and flexitarian by night is quite appealing to me. And this week, I'm giving away 3 signed copies of the VB6 Cookbook on Skinny Bits. Click here for a chance to win your signed copy of the VB6 Cookbook.

Mark suggests serving this on a whole wheat roll, over pasta, rice or vegetables, but I thought I would make some zoodles (zucchini noodles) for a veggie play on spaghetti and meatballs. To make the zucchini noodles, you'll need a spiralizer (I use the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer) or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade. I use 1 medium zucchini per person and saute each zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and garlic for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes tops. To see a more detailed zucchini noodle recipe, click here for my Zucchini Noodles with Lemon and Shrimp.

These meatballs are perfect for all types of diets; vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, clean eating, and gluten-free if you swap the crumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Spiralized Raw Zucchini Salad with Avocado and Edamame

Fresh, quick and delicious – this salad takes less than 5 minutes to make, start to finish and there's no cooking involved, so it's perfect for the summer because you won't heat up your kitchen!

This salad was inspired by an amazing vegan appetizer I had in Seaside Florida prepared for me by the staff at Raw and Juicy. It was so fresh and simple, I knew I was going to recreate it at home. Rather than dicing the zucchini into perfect little squares, I used my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer  (my all time FAVORITE cooking gadget) and spiralized it instead plus I added some cooked shelled edamame sold in the salad section of my supermarket for protein. The results were fresh and fantastic – a MUST try!

And speaking of summer, as shorter hemlines and bathing suit weather approaches, I want to introduce you to my friend Erin Stutland – a life and fitness coach and the creator of Shrink Session: Tone Your Body, Expand Your Mind. She has been featured in Glamour Magazine, Shape, Daily Candy and more and people all over the world are currently experiencing her work.

Erin and I got together last week in her little NYC kitchen to shoot a quick, fun cooking video to demonstrate just how easy this recipe is. Can you believe this is my FIRST cooking video on Skinnytaste? It's not perfect, but I don't think it's terrible for my first time. I plan on doing some more in the future to get more practice, you check it out here...



Erin is a seasoned pro at making videos, and she has also created a workout that is unlike ANYTHING I have ever experienced before. I say that, because frankly, it doesn’t feel like a workout at all. What makes Shrink Session so DIFFERENT from your average workout is that it will definitely tone your bod, amp up your metabolism and burn fat. But it also helps you step into a more a confident, powerful, rock star part of yourself that you may not be in touch with on a daily basis.

Erin is running a FREE 5 day Say it, Sweat it, Get it Challenge that starts June 2nd. You can sign up HERE. Don't miss it. I have no doubt that you are going to fall in love with the workouts and your body!

Hope you enjoy the recipe – it's vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, clean, and delicious!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Shrimp and Watermelon Chopped Salad

Chopped romaine tossed with sweet, juicy watermelon, grilled shrimp and goat cheese and a golden balsamic vinaigrette – I'll be making this salad all summer!!

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you, it's so good I plan on making it again for dinner tonight so my husband gets to try it. I put this together in about 20 minutes, so it's perfect for busy weeknights. The dressing is DEE-LICIOUS, I used DeLallo's golden balsamic vinegar, which is made from white grapes rather than red and has a sweetly rich taste – it's fabulous! They sell it at my local supermarket, or you can buy it online, but if you want to use regular balsamic, that would work fine too.

I love watermelon in my salad, mostly because I'm not much of a tomato lover. A few weeks ago while in the airport headed to Seaside Fl, I stopped to grab a bite at Marcus Samuelsson's new restaurant Uptown Brasserie located at the new JFK Delta terminal 4, and ordered a salad just like this. Eating healthier while traveling is getting so much easier these days, a good thing although they also have a Shake Shack which after seeing the calories on the menu, I opted not to try.

Hope you enjoy this salad, I'll be making this one all summer!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

This is my go-to turkey taco recipe. It's delicious and light – On nights I want to go low-carb, I forgo the taco shells and use lettuce wraps instead!

This is an oldie from the archives, but since I make this so often I thought I would update the photos just in time for taco Tuesday! It's naturally gluten-free, low-carb, and paleo & dairy-free without the cheese and sour cream. I find the outer leaves of Iceberg lettuce makes the best wraps, it's crisp and pliable and the leaves are large enough to make decent size wraps.

Add your favorite taco fixins such as shredded cheddar, light sour cream, chives, black olives, jalapeno, tomatoes or whatever you like on your tacos. The portions are generous, and if you're kids want shells, you can easily bake a few for them and use the same filling.

Making your own taco seasoning is a healthier alternative to buying packaged taco seasoning, and uses less sodium, no sugar, no preservatives and no msg. It also saves you money if you are on a budget. If you prefer to use the package seasoning, simply replace it with the spices listed here.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Veggie Ham Egg and Cheese Bake

For an easy brunch recipe to serve for a large gathering, try this wonderful savory egg dish; made with part whole eggs, part whites, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, scallions, tomatoes, ham and cheese.

You can modify this however you wish – swap the ham for lean sausage or leave it out. Swap the cheddar for mozzarella or leave it out for dairy-free. As for the vegetables, use whatever you prefer, no rules here!

My sister in law Denise recently made something very similar to this at a brunch she hosted and I knew I wanted to remake it (just a bit lighter). Her recipe called for flour but I tested it without and it worked fine, plus I swapped some of the eggs for egg whites, added a lot more veggies and use reduced fat cheese. This turned out wonderful, and you can prep it ahead and bake when your guests arrive. Enjoy!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower Poppers

“I received free samples of Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax and Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic from Dare Foods Incorporated mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Dare Foods Incorporated and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

I'm a "To Do" list kind of person, which falls under the category of "Make it Happen people!"
But not to be confused with "Extremely focused and Organized" sort of gal. So why then does it seem like procrastination gets the best of me every so often and sabotages my very un organized to do list?  For all of my worrying and stressing about any given thing, I typically put off most chores and projects until the last minute when my "Get off your ass and snap to it" personality surfaces. She's a bitch sometimes.


Soooooo, when my latest blog project was to come up with a gluten free recipe using Breton crackers I in true form mulled the choices over and over and over  for weeks (tell me that's not a bad thing) until yesterday when I decided to double check the deadline and oh crap, 5 days! No problem right? Wrong. Wordpress decided to "block me due to suspicious activity" just because I forgot my password..... three times..... in a row. All because of a major hacker sittuation involving Word Press. Hackers suck. Big time.

So now I'm sitting here with 2 killer recipe ideas and a major deadline (I like how that makes me sound very important, kindof Mad Men like) and no way to access my WP account. Wait, I don't even use WP as a blogging platform! That's the kicker! 


Deadline or not, I'm bound and determined to share these cheesey poppers with a punch with you. You have to have something fun and original to bring to your next potluck right? I'm planning a small back yard get together with our friends soon and can't wait to see the expressions on their faces when they pop these seemingly innocent tots into their mouths. 

I rolled the poppers in Breton's Gluten Free Herb and Garlic Crackers which I pulsed to a crumb in my handy little food processor for the extra crunch factor and flavor. Simple as that!

Best of all, no one has to know they're totally healthy! Instead of bread crumbs I used Breton's Gluten Free Crackers  in the poppers. No gluten to bloat your tummies and they are low fat and low on the glycemic index.  Cauliflower was used instead of starchy potatoes as the base for these cheesey poppers. Warning, they are a tad spicy and very addictive so have an ice cold beverage near you to wash down all 30 poppers you devour. Or is that just me?

Of course while you're putting these poppers together you will want to snack on a few crackers with cheese. This is my new favorite cheese lately and will be buying these Breton crackers often in the future, yum!  The cheddar is so buttery and soft and the flavor is amazing! It's not overly spicy but has an after 'kick' of chipotle peppers. It melted perfectly in these poppers and didn't ooze out of them onto the pan.

Simply steam your cauliflower florets for 5-6 minutes (don't overcook or you'll have mashed cauliflower). Then throw 4-5 florets in your mini food processor and pulse a few times until it becomes a rice consistency. I love my little hand operated food processor because it allows me to chop my food to exactly the right consistency which is imperative in this recipe.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place your poppers 1/2" apart. I love my stone baking pan which always turns out perfectly browned veggies, poppers, cookies and beyond.

TIME     30 MINUTES        YIELDS     30 POPPERS

Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Poppers GF using Breton's Crackers

Ingredients

1 small head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

4 egg whites

1/2 cup shallots, minced

2 tablespoons dried parsley (or fresh)

1 cup Chipotle Cheddar Cheese, grated (or cheese of choice)

1/2 cup (about 8 crackers) Breton Gluten Free Original Crackers with Flax

1/2 cup (about 8 crackers) Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic Crackers

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large stock pot steam cauliflower florets for 5-7 minutes. Do not over cook! Drain water and place florets in a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for at least 1 hour (this will help with shaping them into balls).

Remove chilled cauliflower from freezer and place in a food processor. I use this small hand operated chopper  which allows you to control how course or finely chopped your food will be. Chop until cauliflower is the consistency of couscous or rice. Do not over process or you will have mush. Remove any remaining chunks of cauliflower and discard. Scoop cauliflower into a large bowl.

Add cheese, shallots, parsley and Breton's Original GF Crackers with flax, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

In a separate bowl or mixer, beat egg whites until just frothy. Fold the egg whites into the cauliflower mixture till just combined. Fold egg whites into cauliflower mixture.

Preheat oven to 400F.

In your food processor, pulse Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic Crackers until they are a fine crumb. Place them in a large shallow plate. Using your hands, shape the cauliflower mixture into golfball size balls. Gently roll the balls in the cracker crumbs to lightly coat. Place on a stone baking sheet lined with parchment paper 1/2" apart.

Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and balls are deep golden brown and crispy.

Serve warm! These make a great appetizer to any dinner party or picnic.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Canned Tuna Ceviche

Transform ordinary canned tuna into a zesty, flavorful lunch with a Latin flair by adding fresh lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, tomato and avocado – so good!

A high school friend (hi Cynthia!) actually gave me this idea. She had it while vacationing in Guatemala and shared the idea with me when she returned. When I read the email, I thought it was brilliant! It's basically a poor man's ceviche.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good fresh ceviche made raw fish or seafood. It's actually one of my favorite things to eat. I actually shared a recipe here of Ceviche in Cucumber Cups or this ceviche-like Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad. But when you need a quick lunch using pantry ingredients, this is great and it's inexpensive, low-carb, paleo-friendly, dairy-free and gluten-free!

For presentation, I put the ceviche tuna into the can to use as a ring mold, then inverted it onto my plate; completely optional of course! Topped with fresh avocado, this was filling and delicious.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Quinoa Chickpea and Avocado Salad

Garbanzos, avocado, quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, lime juice and cilantro – this flavorful vegetarian salad is loaded with protein, fiber and healthy fats. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are my new favorite legume. I only recently started liking them in my salads, but now I can't get enough. Using dried garbanzos taste better than canned, but for speed and convenience, canned is perfectly fine here. This is also vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free and under 250 calories.

I don't know about you, but I'm counting the days until summer (54 days to go!!) Living near the ocean, nothing makes me happier than having my feet in the sand with a good book or magazine. But that also means bathing suit shopping (ugh!) and exposing a lot more skin than I did all winter. My solution – eat more salads (and of course exercise)!

This salad is perfect for lunch, you can make it ahead, leaving the cucumbers and avocado out, and add the just before your ready to serve.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Sea Scallops Arugula and Beet Salad

Sweet yellow beets, arugula, goat cheese and sauteed scallops tossed with a honey vinaigrette – this salad is delicious!

A day trip out East inspired this wonderful salad. We spent the day out in Riverhead, Long Island and stopped to eat at a quaint little restaurant overlooking the river called Farm Country Kitchen.  I ordered the scallop and beet salad that was sooo good, I knew I had to recreate it. Sea scallops are really easy to make and take only minutes to prepare. You can use precooked beets to make this quicker, but I just boiled them ahead until they softened. If you prefer roasting the beets, that of coarse would work out fine as well. Once the beets are cooked and cooled, the rest of the salad comes together in less than 15 minutes. You can easily halve the recipe if you are cooking for two!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

PB2 Flourless Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are pretty amazing! Made with PB2 (powdered peanut butter) instead of flour plus cocoa powder, raw honey and chocolate chips – moist and delicious, you won't believe they're only around 130 calories each!

I'm not a baker. Baking is an edible science that requires accuracy and precision. It requires the perfect balance between flours, leaveners, fats, and liquids. When I bake, I feel more like a mad scientist because I break all the rules. So when something actually works and turns out awesome, I'll be honest, I'm often surprised! These brownies are the perfect example – no flour, no oil or butter, but they are amazing (happy dance)! And the best part, you don't need a fancy mixer. I mixed this all by hand in a large bowl with a whisk and a spatula.

If you've never heard of PB2, it's basically a powdered peanut butter with 85% less fat. You add a little water to make it a spreadable peanut butter. I personally prefer real peanut butter if I'm spreading it on toast, but for baking and adding to smoothies, PB2 is excellent. I used to buy it on Amazon, but now I see it in my local supermarket. Here's the Amazon link if you can't find it near you.

Moist, chocolatey and delicious, you will LOVE them! They also happen to be gluten-free, and if you use dairy-free chips they can be dairy-free as well. If you have nut allergies however, these are not for you. But my other brownie recipe called: Amazing Flourless Brownies are your nut-free answer. Those are made with black beans instead of flour but I swear, you'll never know! Both recipes are great yet different. Curious to see which you like best!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Easy Crock Pot Chicken and Black Bean Taco Salad

This simple slow cooker chicken taco salad is high in fiber and protein which means it's very satisfying – all for under 300 calories. Trust me, you won't miss the tortillas!

I'm on a salad kick now that Spring has sprung. Last week I whipped this salad up for dinner, and it was so good and simple I knew I had to make it again to share. I basically added chicken breasts and black beans to the slow cooker, seasoning it with taco seasonings and topped it with salsa. Doesn't get easier than that! A few hours later I shredded the chicken and combined everything for this wonderful topping to this salad.

I also whipped up some of my favorite zesty avocado cilantro buttermilk dressing for the perfect salad that's so satisfying and super easy to make.  Try this for taco Tuesday!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Super Power Breakfast Cookies #breakfastonthego

What's that? A cookie that gives you super powers? It's true, no need to disbelieve. We have been making these protein packed, whole grain cookies almost every very week for a few years now and they remain one of our favorite breakfast and afternoon snacks ever. They come together as quick as waffles or pancakes do and have everything you need to fuel your bod all morning, especially when you pair them with a piece of fresh fruit and a glass of milk!

I'm admittedly and unabashedly most definitely NOT a morning person! Even after 16 years of having a job that requires me to wake up at 5:30 am and even after having 4 children who require every ounce of energy that you don't have at 4 o'clock in the morning.


This means that a bowl of cold cereal would be served every. single. morning at our house during the week if it weren't for brainlessly easy fixes like these cookies. Everyone loves them and they keep me full until I'm able to have a late mid-morning snack at work. I'm happy knowing my kiddos are being fueled through their mornings of quizzes, science reports and P.E. classes. Win-Win.







Mmmmmmmmm, cookies.......... for breakfast.

Another reason I'm so hung up and head over heals for these cookies? They make a great "Grab and Go" afternoon snack. Perfect for those days when we are running all over town, day trips and hiking adventures. Again, we almost always pair a cookie (or two) with a piece of fresh fruit. A banana, apple, orange or grapes make great travel friendly snacks!

Toasted Whole Oats {Coach's Oats}

Super Power Breakfast Cookies

TIME     20 MINUTES        YIELDS     28-20 COOKIES

Ingredients

2 flax eggs (2 T flax meal + 1/4 c water)

1/2 c cooked pumpkin or applesauce or 2 medium ripe bananas (mashed)

1/2 c natural, no sugar added peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch sea salt

1 t pure vanilla extract 

1/4 c maple syrup or honey

1/2 c oat flour (ground from oats in coffee grinder or blender or food processor)

1 c whole grain oats such as Coaches Oats (or 1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes AND 1/2 c oats)

1/4 c each: walnuts or pecans (chopped); raisins or other dried fruit, and/or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

In small bowl, combine flax seed & water; let sit while you're preparing the batter. 

Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl & dry ingredients in another bowl.  Add flax eggs to wet ingredients then stir in dry ingredients.

Drop cookies by spoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheet or silpat non-stick baking mat set on top of a cookie sheet (the cookies won’t expand much). Bake 15-17 min or til cookies are slightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack. After completely cooled, store in air-tight container to keep fresh for a few days. Refrigerate or freeze for even longer storage time.

recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

You might also like these healthy breakfast options

Protein Packed Banana Sunflower Cookies

Cottage Cheese Pancakes {GF}

Granola, Quinoa and Fruit Bars

What are your favorite quick and easy "Go To"  breakfast options?