Mediterranean Kale Salad with Hummus Dressing

Mediterranean Kale Salad with Hummus Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE HUMMUS DRESSING:

• 1/3 cup Sabra Classic Hummus
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons water, depending on how thick you like it
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SALAD:

• 1 large bunch kale, ribs removed and finely chopped 
• 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup pita chips
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. First make the hummus dressing. In a small bowl or jar, combine the hummus, olive oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Whisk until smooth and season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the dressing is too thick, add a little bit of water until it reaches your desired consistency. Set aside while you make the salad.
2. In a large bowl, add the kale, chickpeas, tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, artichoke hearts, olives, feta cheese, pita chips, and basil. Drizzle with hummus dressing and toss. Serve immediately.

Recipe and Image found on: twopeasandtheirpod.com

Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Rice

Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
**vegetables like mushrooms, onion, tomatoes and zucchini, if desired

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice {about 3 lemons}
• 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Instructions:

1. Trim chicken and cut into large chunks- mine were about 1.5″ big and I got 4-6 chunks from each chicken breast.
2. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and thyme into Ziploc bag or plastic container. Add in chicken. Seal and squeeze bag or turn container over and shake gently so all pieces of meat are well-coated with marinade. Put into refrigerator and marinate 6-8 hours or more.
3. To get ready to grill, remove chicken from refrigerator, pull out chicken pieces and dump remaining marinade. Thread chicken onto skewers.  Spray grill with non-stick spray or mist with olive oil, then preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.
4. Grill skewers about 12-15 minutes, turning the first time as soon as you see nice grill marks. Souvlaki is done when the chicken is slightly browned and firm, but not hard to the touch. {If you use a meat thermometer, the temp should register 160 degrees. It will increase to 165 degrees even after you take it off the grill. I love using a thermometer as it really helps me not over-cook the chicken!}

Feel free to add extra vegetables to the grill! o marinate vegetables, if you just have a few, set aside 3-5 TBSP of the marinade prior to mixing with the chicken. Then just put vegetables & marinade in a separate ziplock bag in the fridge, turning the bag occasionally to mix it. If you’re doing a good amount of vegetables, I’d double the marinade instead!

Greek Lemon Rice:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 TBSP lemon juice {I loved 3 TBSP but my kids preferred it less lemony}
• 2 cups hot chicken broth

Instructions:

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. {Make sure pan has a lid!} Add in oil. After about a minute, add in rice and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t brown too much. Add salt and lemon juice to rice and saute 1 minute more.
2. Slowly add in chicken broth. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and put the lid on the pan. Cook for 30 minutes.
3. If all the liquid has been absorbed after 30 minutes, remove lid, turn off heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes prior to serving. If there’s still a bit of liquid, let it cook without the lid on for another 5 minutes or so. Then turn heat off and let it sit for 10 minutes.

** Can make rice the night before! Just fluff with fork and heat up in microwave before serving!**

Spiralized Greek Salad

Spiralized Greek Salad

Ingredients

• 2 large cucumbers spiralized
• 4 oz . of feta cheese crumbled
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 4 pepperoncini peppers sliced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp . extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp . garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp . Greek or Italian seasoning
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Spiralize your cucumbers and then lay them flat on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and let the moisture come out. After 10 minutes, pat them dry.
2. In a medium sized bowl add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, and peppers. Toss to distribute.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, and greek seasonings. Whisk until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Drizzle over salad and then sprinkle with black pepper.

Recipe found on: http://prettyprovidence.com/

Cookie Dough Energy Balls

Cookie Dough Energy Balls

Total Time: 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 13 servings, 1 ball each

Ingredients:
½ cup all-natural almond butter
¼ cup raw honey
½ cup finely chopped raw almonds
2½ scoops Vanilla Shakeology
2 Tbsp. mini semi-sweet (or dark chocolate) chocolate chips

Preparation:
1. Combine almond butter, honey, almonds, Shakeology, and chocolate chips in a medium bowl; mix well.
2. Roll into thirteen balls, about 1-inch in diameter each.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 127
Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 84 g
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 8 g
Protein: 5 g

Portion Fix Containers

1 Yellow
1½ tsp.

Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad

Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Marinade/Dressing:

• ¼ cup (60 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 5 cups Romaine (or cos) lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
• ½ cup mini mozzarella / bocconcini cheese balls
• ¼ cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper, to season

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk marinade ingredients together to combine. Place chicken into a shallow dish; pour 4 tablespoons of the dressing / marinade onto the chicken and stir around to evenly coat chicken. Reserve the untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat about one teaspoon of oil in a large grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat and grill or sear chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with lettuce, avocado slices, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and chicken. Top with basil strips; drizzle with the remaining dressing; season with salt and pepper; serve.

Recipe Found On: CafeDelites.com 

Buffalo Cauliflower Poppers

Buffalo Cauliflower Poppers

Ingredients

• 1 headCauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 4 cups)
• 3/4 cupWater
• 3/4 cupOat flour [1]
• 1/2 tspGarlic powder
• 1/2 tspSalt
• 1/4 tspPepper
• 1 cupBuffalo sauce
• 1 tbsHoney

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Prepare the batter for the cauliflower by combining the water, oat flour, and seasonings in a medium bowl. Mix until batter is combined, (it will look like pancake mix).

3. Dip the cauliflower in the batter, (you can do this in batches), shaking off the excess batter before placing the cauliflower on the baking sheet. Lay the cauliflower in a single layer on the baking sheet.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

5. While the cauliflower is baking, combine the hot sauce and honey in a medium bowl. When the cauliflower is ready, remove it from the baking pan and toss it in the hot sauce mixture.

6. Serve with dip/dressing of choice. 

Recipe found on: dashingdish.com

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (V) (GF)

Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
4 large bell peppers
3/4 cup dry quinoa
15 oz. can black beans
1 cup corn (I use frozen, thawed)
2 green onions
2/3 cup salsa
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
Optional additions: chipotle, tomatoes, cilantro, green chiles, garlic powder, hemp hearts
Toppings of choice: guacamole (yum!), salsa, hot sauce, etc.

Directions
Cook quinoa according to package directions with 1 1/2 cups water/broth. (I often use vegetable broth in place of water for more flavor.)
Meanwhile, halve bell peppers and remove stems, seeds and ribs.
Rinse and drain black beans, thaw corn, and slice green onions.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked quinoa and all other ingredients except bell peppers. Stir to combine, and adjust taste if necessary (salt, more seasonings, nutritional yeast).
Preheat oven to 350.
In a lightly sprayed 9x13" baking dish, place pepper halves, and generously stuff them with the quinoa filling. Lightly press down to compact and fill all the crevices.
Cover with tin foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 10 minutes more.
Serve with any desired toppings.

(Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Recipe found on: thegardengrazer.com