Whaddya Eating Wednesday? Three Meals for a Healthy, Hump Day

Today I’m going to reveal two of my favourite recipes from long, long ago (and one newbie from just last week) . The first two hold a special place in my heart and stomach because they are mine, not a slight variation on something I’ve seen somewhere or heard about and tried; they are 80% Donald. Of course their base did not appear from thin air, I’m not this guy:

…..but they have been so drastically altered that I feel confident claiming them as mine.

Recipe #1 – Quinoa Stir Fry

The first is my quinoa ‘stir fry’. I don’t really know what else to call something where the ingredients have just been thrown together, so I think this works. I could get fancy and call it a quinoa medley or some nonsense but that would not sound like me.

So…Step 1 – You cook two or three cups of quinoa (depending on how many leftovers you want). It’s easiest to use a bag of already strained quinoa but the Bulk Barn variety works as well, it’s just a little more work.

Step 2 – While you are cooking up the quinoa, cut up about a cup of onion and a few cloves of garlic and saute it for about 5 minutes in olive oil.

Step 3 – Next, throw in a bag of shrimp. I used a bag of smaller, pre-shelled ones but the larger variety is always the most delicious option. Squeeze some fresh lemon on the shrimp while they cook with the onion and garlic.

Step 4 – Chop up two cups of fresh, baby spinach and add to the pan. At this point you can also add broccoli, mushroom, peppers, whatever your little heart desires. I usually add mushroom and broccoli.

Step 5 – Once everything is cooked up, mix in the quinoa. At this point you may need to add more olive oil depending on the level of moisture in the pan.

Step 6 – Add a small container of sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and a dash of salt and pepper throughout the mixture and stir into the stir fry.

Step 7 – Dole out your portions! I usually add Parmesan cheese to the top as well. This particular time around the lid fell off on me and it was an explosion but I scraped quite a bit onto Mark’s plate and saved the meal from being a cheesey disaster.

The end result should look something like this, albeit with a little less Parmesan.

The above recipe should yield you two dinners and a lunch. Obviously if you want lots of leftovers to freeze you can just double up on the ingredients.

Recipe #2 – Spinach, Artichoke and Crab Dip

My other tried and true recipe is spinach, artichoke and crab dip. It has affectionately been dubbed another term after my friend Joanna gave me a phallic shaped baking pan a while ago and I insisted on making the dip in that pan and that pan only. However, I got over my rigid ways and now make it in a variety of oven-safe containers. So we shall call it by it’s proper, sophisticated name.

Step One – Soften and stir together two bars of light cream cheese. Add 1/2 cup – 1 cup light mayo.

Step 2 – Chop up a few cloves of garlic and a couple slices of onion and throw in with the cream cheese mixture. Be careful with the onion! It can really make or break the recipe.

Step 3 – Add two cups of fresh, baby spinach.

Step 4 – Add one chopped up package of artificial crab or lobster.

Step 5 – Add 3 or 4 artichokes (or the equivalent of one small jar).

Step 6 – Mix all of these ingredients together and add to a  well-greased baking pan. Top with light mozzarella or cheddar cheese.

Step 7 – Heat oven to 400 and cook for 10-20 minutes depending on how hot you want the dip to be. We like ours to be a little browned on the top.

Step 8 – Serve with some kind of cracker or chip. We like to use Parmesan Garlic Triscuits or Whole Grain Tostitos chips.  Enjoy!

Recipe #3 – Chili Chicken

Last week I decided to try something new with chicken. Mark and I have discussed the age old question, ‘If you could eat one food and one food only for the rest of your life, what would you pick?’ I chose pizza and Mark picked chicken, not only because we love them but also because there is a lot of versatility in both of these foods. You can top a pizza with anything and you can do about a million things with chicken…so it might be cheating a bit but luckily for us I don’t think we will ever have to truly face this one food forever conundrum.

Since I made mini pizzas last week, I decided on chicken this week. I found a recipe for white, chili chicken in the four-hour body cookbook: http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/50061547?access_key=key-1ir8bokpi5af144q4mfd

Step 1 – Much like the recipes above you want to cut up some onion (a whole small one is what I used) as well as 3 or 4 cloves of garlic and sauté them in olive oil until translucent.

Step 2 – While you sauté these you should cook up the chicken.

Step 3 – After your onions and garlic are ready to roll, add whatever other veggies you like in your chili. I added red pepper and mushrooms.

Step 4 – I then added a package of tofu to the mixture and several seasonings. I used cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper, all to taste. I’m not a precise chef but usually it turns out just fine.

Step 5 – I then added a can of diced tomatoes, the cooked chicken, a can of corn and a variety of beans. I used a can of kidney beans, black beans and lentils.

Step 6 – Finally, I added 3/4 of a box of chicken broth and added a little more of the spices above to taste.  You bring this all to a boil and then simmer for 1-2 hours.

Step 7 – Dish our your portions and top with cheese if so desired 🙂

For a new recipe, I was pleasantly surprised. I definitely messed around with the ingredients and steps and it all worked out for the best. We got two dinners out of this and I froze enough for another two dinners. Really, of any of the recipes above, this was the best bang for my buck but I’m not going to tell you which one if my favourite because I want you to try them all 🙂

Let me know if you try any of these and how it goes. But first, what’s your favourite recipe and one you’re proud to call ‘your own’?