Roasted Vegetable Salad with Shrimp

I LOVE vegetables, eat a ton of then everyday. I have come up with so many different ways to cook them but this is by far my favorite. I even order meals like this at restaurants, with vegetable (sauteed/grilled/steamed) on the side.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Asparagus diced
4 grape tomatoes
2 sliced fennel bulbs
1 cup of baby spinach
2 cups sliced mushrooms (baby bello, and white)
1 sliced beet
1-2 sliced figs
4 pieces of cooked shrimp
1 tsp crumbled goat cheese

Lemon Dressing:
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. On a baking tray lines with foil, place your tomato, fennel, asparagus, and mushrooms. Cook for about 20 minutes. On your dish place spinach, beets, and figs. Once the vegetables are complete, place them on your dish, top with shrimp, goat cheese, and dressing. This is the healthiest meal you can eat.

Tips:
This salad is endless, you can use tofu, chicken, beans..the sky's the limit. I eat a salad like this every night, it is my favorite meal of the day. So give it a try and make sure to have a glass of wine with it.

Vegetable and Turkey Saute with Jasmine Rice

This is a great any night go to dish, loaded with vegetables, and protein. Total prep time and cooking for this meal is 30 minutes. So get ready to feel great, with this easy 1 pot dish.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Jasmine Rice  (microwave or regular prep)
1 cup broccoli,
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup diced squash and zucchini
1 package of ground turkey
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup diced carrots
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp sliced sun dried tomato in oil
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable stock

Note:
If you are use microwave rice wait till the end of the cooking process to prepare it, if you are using regular Jasmine rice prepare it while the meal is cooking, it usually takes 25 minutes.

In a saute pan, heat your garlic, oil and ground turkey. Cooking till no longer pink. Then add your vegetables, seasoning, sun dried tomato, vegetable stock and simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Then stir in your rice, sprinkle with a little cheese and enjoy.

Eggplant Pomodoro with Whole Wheat Rotini

This weeks meal was vegan designed, my clients love eggplant, so I came up with this easy and simple dish that can be made any night of the week. If you are not a big fan of pasta, add rice or make this as a stew with garbanzo or white beans.

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic paste
1 jar or marinara sauce
1 can diced salt free tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 box whole wheat pasta

Boil water according to box. In a saute pan heat up your olive oil, and garlic paste. Then add your diced eggplant, and marinara sauce. Simmer on low heat until the vegetables are soft. Add your seasoning, and canned tomatoes. Simmer the entire dish for about 10 minutes. Drain your pasta, add to the eggplant mixture, stir and serve.

Ground Turkey with Broccoli and Tomato

This is Fit Cuisine's first meal with Rice Bran Oil, and it came out really clean tasting and delish. So lets get started on the recipe....if you don't have Rice Bran I have made this dish with olive oil.

Ingredients:

1 Package of ground turkey
1 Bag of Fresh broccoli
1 tbsp of Oil (rice or olive)
1 can on diced tomato with basil and garlic
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

In a saute pan, heat up your oil and garlic along with your ground turkey. Cooking till meat is no longer pink, add your broccoli and  tomatoes and seasoning. Let the whole dish simmer for about 15 minutes or until the broccoli is just shy of soft. Reduce heat, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Tips:
I prepared this dish with whole grain Penne, but you can use whatever grain you like. Either way you can't go wrong.

Rice Bran Oil-Just what is it?

This past week Fit Cuisine cooked with what is being called the new super oil. Rice Bran Oil is the oil extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice. It is known for its high smoke point, making it great for cooking things like a stir fry, one of the Asian staples (it is an Asian derived product). This oil is made of the following:

47% monounsaturated fat
33% polyunsaturated fat
20% saturated fat.

So as you can see it has many healthy benefits.

1) Lowers Cholesterol
2) Anti-Cancer Effect
3) Skin Protector
4) Antioxidant Packed

This oil is located in your Whole Foods Market or any specialty food store, just ask for it by name, and get cooking for better health.

Rigatoni with Escarole, Sun Dried Tomato, Artichokes and Chicken

Can't go wrong with an old Fit Cuisine favorite, here is last nights recipe made with a little more vegetable then the original.

Ingredients:

1 package of chicken tenders diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 head of escarole cleaned and chopped
2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes in oil
2 tbsp artichokes in oil
2 roasted red peppers chopped
Dash of red pepper
Dash of Parmesan cheese (grated)
1 box of Rigatoni

Boil water according to box. In a saute pan, heat up your oil, garlic, and chicken. Toss in your chopped escarole and cook until it is wilted. Add your sun dried tomatoes, artichoke, and roasted peppers. Toss together add your cooked pasta, red pepper flakes and grated cheese.

Tips: Pairs well with a great salad and makes for great leftovers the next day. If you don't want pasta add quinoa,or brown rice.

Baked Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Squash

Spaghetti seems to be a family favorite, so I decided to try something totally different from meatballs and marinara....welcome the bakes pasta dish...made with heart healthy whole grains, lean ground turkey and squash. The whole dish takes no time to prepare and you can add or omit whatever you want.

Ingredients:

1 package of lean ground turkey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp (better life butter)
1 box (13 oz) whole grain pasta
1 zucchini diced
1 squash diced
1/2 cup shredded low moisture mozzarella
3-4 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tsp Italian season
1 box of strained tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic

Preheat the oven to 350. Get your pot ready to boil water. Using a saute pan, heat up olive oil, garlic, and ground turkey, cooking the turkey till no longer pink. Then add your squash, Italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Let the entire pot simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Drain pasta, and add to the saute pan. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and mozzarella and stir together. Take your butter and place it into a baking dish, spreading all around. Turn off saute heat and pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle with more Parmesan and mozzarella. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes, remove and enjoy.

Linguini with Chicken, Sweet Potato, Zucchini, and Brussel Sprouts

This is a very interesting pasta combination and one that you may not think of trying. I came up with this dish from leftover vegetables in the fridge that I didn't want to spoil and 2 unused sweet potatoes. Who says you need to throw away unused fridge items?

Ingredients:
1 (13 oz) box of whole grain linguini
2 small sweet potatoes diced
1/2 cup sliced Brussel sprouts
1 zucchini sliced
1 can diced tomato in olive oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic
1 package of chicken diced
1/2 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Boil water for your pasta. In a sauté pan heat up your olive oil, garlic, and add the chicken, with potatoes. Let the 2 cook together for about 5 minutes. Then add your sprouts, zucchini, and Italian seasoning. Cover and let cook for another 10 minutes, till potatoes are a tad tender. Then add your vegetable stock, and can tomato, simmering the pot on medium low until all vegetables are soft. Drain pasta, and add to the pan. Toss together, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Tips
If you don't want to use pasta, use rice or no grain at all. Just add a few more potatoes. This dish is loaded with nutrients and fiber. A great way to satisfy the stomach. So go ahead impress your family and give this a try.