Baked Mozzarella Sticks without Egg

I have several friends that have kids with allergies to eggs. I love finding new ways of making healthy fun foods without eggs and gluten whenever possible. In this recipe I used panko bread crumbs but you can easily use gluten free bread crumbs witch are available at just about any store. These mozzarella sticks are surprisingly light and delicious.

Ingredients:

5 sting cheese sticks cut in half to equal 10 sticks total

1/4 cup tahini paste

1/4 cup water

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tbs dried oregano

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce for dipping

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

Start by mixing 1/4 cup tahini paste with 1/4 cup water in a bowl. Use a wire wisk and mix together well then set the bowl aside. In another bowl add bread crumbs and sprinkle in salt, pepper and dried oregano. Use your hand to mix all the dried ingredients together then get ready to assemble. 

To assemble you may want to line up your ingredients from left to right. Start with the string cheese sticks, then the bowl of tahini paste, followed by the bread crumbs mix and lastly a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Take one string cheese stick and dip it the tahini paste until it is coated, then dip it in the bread crumbs till coated and place it on your baking sheet. Continue this process till all 10 string cheese sticks are coated. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over each stick to help the bread crumbs brown. Place in the oven at 400 degrees for 4 minutes no longer then 5 minutes. Keep an eye on your sticks to make sure they don’t melt. Once baked then they are ready to serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

Yield: 10 mozzarella sticks

Lemony, Garlicy, Cheesy Grilled Artichoke

As I’ve said before Artichokes are a great source of protein and fiber. We eat artichokes once a week in our house and everyone loves them. They are filling, healthy and tasty. Because we eat them so often I am always trying to cook them in a different way. This recipe is easy and extremely tasty, I will definitely be dong this again!

Ingredients:

1 artichoke cut in half

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

3 cloves of garlic minced

the juice of one lemon

a pinch of salt and pepper

Boil the artichoke halves until fully cooked. May take about 45 minutes. Once they are cooked let them cool slightly so you can handle them. Once you can handle them cut out the fuzzy beard in the middle of both halves.

In a bowl combine parmesan cheese, minced garlic, the juice of one lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Stuff about half of the mixture in between the leaves of the artichoke. (Do not fill the middle space where you removed the beard until you flip the artichokes over on the grill.) Brush the cut side of the artichoke with olive oil and place them cut side down on your grill. Let them grill for about 5-10 minutes till you have nice grill marks then turn them over.

Fill the middle with the rest of your cheese and leave artichokes to continue grilling until cheese has melted. May take 15-20 minutes. Then they are ready to serve.

Yield 2 servings

Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes over Quinoa Pasta

This rustic summertime pasts dish is a great substitute for spaghetti and marinara. Just throw some baby heirloom tomatoes onto a baking sheet and coat with olive oil and salt and pepper and voila! You have a delicious light and healthy pasta meal!

Ingredients:

3 cups baby heirloom tomatoes

2 shallots chopped

8 cloves of garlic roughly chopped

3 tbs olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp dried oregano

I package of Quinoa Pasta

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare quinoa pasta. Follow package directions

Put heirloom tomatoes, shallots and garlic into your baking sheet. Cover with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Use our hands to make sure everything is evenly coated. Place in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. When they are finished mix them with your cooked quinoa pasta and it is ready to serve.

Yields 2-4 servings

Yellow Summer Squash Chips

I have noticed that kale chips are becoming quite popular and I thought I would apply this brilliant idea to yellow squash since it is season right now. I love summer for it’s delicious produce which lends itself to my creativity in the kitchen. This recipe is so simple, so delicious and so addicting. 

Ingredients:

2 yellow summer squash cut into 1/8inch thick discs

1-2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

Slice the yellow squash evenly to about 1/8 inch thick. Place them on your non-stick baking sheet. Drizzle over 1-2 tbs of olive oil. You don’t need too much olive oil, just enough to coat. Then sprinkle over salt and paprika. Use your hands to make sure the seasonings are evenly distributed. Before baking make sure that each yellow squash disc does not overlap on your baking dish. Place in the oven at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. You will need to keep an eye on your chips at around 35 minutes to make sure you don’t burn them. Then they are ready to serve.

Yields 2 cups of chips 

Watermelon Salsa

Watermelon season is here! In my house we go through at least one watermelon a week in the summertime. I love eating it plain or with feta cheese in a salad, but this salsa recipe might be my new favorite way to eat watermelon. My husband loved it so much he didn’t want me to share the recipe with all of you. But I love sharing recipes, so here you go!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups watermelon chopped into small pieces

3/4 cup roma tomatoes chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup white onion chopped into small pieces

1/4 jalapeno chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of pepper

the juice if one lime

Chop your watermelon, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and cilantro and add to a bowl Sprinkle over salt and pepper. Drizzle over lime juice and mix together. (I found that letting the salsa sit for about an hour in the refrigerator before serving made it taste even better.) Then it is ready to serve.

Yields about 2 1/2 cups of salsa

Gazpacho

Cold refreshing soup made from blended or roughly chopped vegetables is not only super healthy but it is also one of the cleanest meals out there. There are several variations of this soup made by other chef's and that is because it is so versatile. You can add or substitute almost any kind of vegetable or fruit that suits you. This recipe is my tried and true favorite. I crave it every summer and it always amazing me how delicious it is. Here you go:

Ingredients:

1/2 english cucumber peeled and roughly chopped 

1 red or orange bell pepper seeded and roughly chopped

2 tomatoes roughly chopped

1/2 cup red onion roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped in half

1/2 of a jalapeno seeded 

1/2 cup cilantro

1 1/2 cups organic tomato juice

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

3 tbs red wine vinegar

2 tbs olive oil

Use a blender or food processor to make this soup. Start by blended the cucumber and bell pepper. (Don’t over blend, it is good to have chucks of vegetables). Pour this into a bowl and add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to the blender. Blend to the same size as the cucumber and pepper. Then pour into the bowl. Add tomato juice, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Mix all ingredients together with a spoon and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours. The longer it site the better it tastes. Then it is ready to serve.

Yields: 4-6 servings

Grilled Peaches, Kale and Goat Cheese Toast

I have been patiently scoping out the local farmers market waiting for the peaches to come into season and they are finally here.  I love peaches for their obvious sweetness but they are also a potassium and vitamin rich fruit. This recipe has some amazing flavors working with these peaches. The sourdough bread and goat cheese provide a tang while the kale adds a freshness and finally the honey drizzled on top works wonderfully with the sweet grilled peaches. If you want an even lower calorie recipe you can swap goat cheese for cottage cheese. I have a picture below.

Ingredients:

1 large slice of sourdough bread

1 peach peeled and chopped into quarters

1/4 cup of chopped kale (stems removed)

2-3 tbs of goat cheese or cottage cheese

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2-1 tbs honey

Start by heating your grill to about medium heat. Brush both side of the bread with olive oil and lay on the heat for about 2 minutes. Then place the peeled peach quarters on the grill and let cook for about 1 minute on each side. Once peaches are ready remove the heat and chop into smaller pieces. Turn over your bread and lay some kale down, followed by your peaches and top with goat cheese. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the toast grill up for about 5 minute or until cheese starts to melt. Then remove from the heat and plate. Drizzle over desired amount of honey and it is ready to serve.

Yield 1 serving

Lighter Cottage Cheese Version