Green Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Fruit and yogurt is one of my all-time favorite treats. While this is a healthy snack, I usually feel a bit of guilt for not including something green in the mix. This smoothie is the perfect solution! I prefer plain non-fat yogurt + agave nectar for a little sweetness. If you hate plain yogurt, use a flavored version and skip the sweetener.

Trust me on this one....you will not taste the spinach. For best results, make sure to add the spinach first if you are using a traditional blender (or last if you are using a Magic Bullet).

Green Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie Snack
Ingredients

1 Banana, frozen (see note)
½ cup Plain Fat-Free Yogurt, (see note)
¼-½ cups Unsweetened Almond Milk, (or whatever milk you like)
1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
1 handful Fresh Spinach, kale or arugula would also work
1 pinch Cinnamon (Optional)
Agave Nectar, Maple Syrup, Or Honey, to taste 

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more agave nectar, honey, syrup if the drink needs a little more sweetness.

**Notes:
1. I recommend putting the spinach in LAST if you are using a magic bullet (so that it gets blended first). If you are using a traditional blender, put the spinach in first.
2. If you don't have any frozen bananas, use an unfrozen banana and add a few ice cubes.
3. I have also made this with frozen mixed berries--delish!
4. The measurements in this recipe make a snack size smoothie, increase the amount of all ingredients for a yummy breakfast
5. If you don't have (or don't like) plain yogurt, use flavored and skip the agave nectar, syrup or honey.


Kristen

Skinny Reuben's

I love Reuben's but hate when they are piled high with super salty meat and mayo-based dressing. These sandwiches, adapted from Cooking Light, have my favorite parts of a Reuben--just enough high quality, thinly sliced beef, melty swiss cheese, organic sauerkraut, and a nice creamy dressing. Piled high on fresh pumpernickel rye bread these turned out really well. Serve with sautéed spinach and sweet potato fries. 

Ingredients: 
Dressing:
¼ cup Plain, Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
1 Tbp Mayo
1 Tbsp Ketchup
2 tsp Finely Minced Dill Pickle
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
½ tsp Finely Chopped Onion
Sandwiches:
8 (¾-ounce) Slices Rye Bread
4 ounces Organic Swiss Cheese (4-1 oz. slices)
3 ounces Corned Beef, thinly sliced (organic and low-sodium if possible)
1 cup Organic Sauerkraut, drained well (I used Eden Organic)


Directions:
1. Preheat broiler to high.

2. To prepare dressing, combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.

3. To prepare sandwiches, toast all 8 slices of bread. Divide cheese evenly among 4 slices of bread and place all 8 slices of bread  on a baking sheet. Broil 1 minute or until cheese melts. Spread about 1 ½ tablespoons dressing over the cheese-coated side of each bread slice; top each serving with .75 ounces corned beef, ¼ cup sauerkraut, and remaining bread slices. Serve immediately.

Adapted from: Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
Makes 4 sandwiches


Kristen

Leftover dungeness crab, a good problem to have.

Yesterday's trip to Whole Foods resulted in lots of yummy fish, including bay shrimp, dungeness crab, and catfish. Last night, I sautéed the shrimp and used it, along with the crab and some delicious white cheddar cheese to make quesadillas. I overbought for dinner last night, so I needed to find a way to finish the crab today. I know, rough ingredient to work with.

Googling for ideas, I was reminded of my favorite fresh salad- a combination of citrus fruit, avocado and crab. Mark was pretty impressed with our fancy lunch today (I'm trying to make up for the incessant eating out that's been going on...).

Dungeness Citrus Salad
1/3 of an avocado
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp tabasco sauce
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1/4 lb. crab meat (roughly)
2 tsp olive oil
1 grapefruit
1 mango
Salt
White pepper (or black if you don't have it)

Start by adding the avocado, lime juice and tabasco sauce to a small blender or food process. (You could whip by hand if you don't have one). Once relatively smooth, add to a bowl, and fold in the tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.





In a separate bowl, combine the crab, olive oil, salt and pepper.





Peel the grapefruit and remove all of the membranes (the peel around each section that you would typically eat). Cube the grapefruit and peeled mango.





Evenly spoon the grapefruit and mango onto plates. Add the avocado mousse on top of the fruit. Top the mousse with crab.





I adapted this recipe from SF Gate. In the original recipe, you catch the citrus juices and simmer/reduce to pour over top of the salad. Since this was just lunch for the two of us, I skipped this step (and cut down on ingredient amount to serve only two). With a few substitutions, this salad was really quick and so easy! It looked fancy and I'd definitely make it again!

Mock-A-Mole

If you haven't noticed, there are a LOT of Mexican-style recipes created in my kitchen! While I love a traditional avocado guacamole, this lima bean based dip tastes much like the real thing. Try this Mock-A-Mole dip if you don't have any avocados on hand or just want to try something new. 


Mock-A-Mole!

Ingredients: 
1 cup Lima Beans (Frozen)
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup Cilantro, loosely packed
Evoo
Zest Of One Lemon (or lime)
Juice Of ½ A Lemon (or lime)
1 tsp Cumin
¼-½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, to taste
¼-½ tsp Salt
2 spoonfuls Plain Fat-Free Yogurt
2 spoonfuls Prepared Salsa


Directions:
1. Bring a medium sauce pan full of water to a rolling boil. Add lima beans and garlic and return water to a boil. Boil beans for about 5-7 minutes, or until soft.
2. Strain beans and let cool. Discard garlic.
3. Combine beans, cilantro, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, and salt in a food processor.
4. Pulse a few times and then slowly add EVOO until the mixture comes together. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and refrigerate until chilled. Stir in yogurt and salsa.
6. Enjoy!


**Note: If you are looking for more of a hummus-y dip, skip the yogurt and salsa!

Grilled Veggie Sandwiches with Pesto and Cheese

Grilling out is one of my favorite parts of spring and summer. While I love a good burger from the grill as much as any other meat-eater, this veggie packed sandwich is delicious. Add a smear of homemade (or store bought) pesto and melty mozzarella cheese and you won't even realize that this is a super healthy (and meat-free) meal.

At the end of last summer, my mom and I made a TON of pesto from scratch which I froze in ice cube trays. I simply thawed a few pesto ice cubes in a bowl overnight and heated it in the microwave before slathering on these sandwiches. Check out this website for a fabulous pesto recipe. One last thing, use whatever dried (or fresh) herbs you have on hand for this recipe!

Ingredients: 
1 Eggplant, sliced into ½ inch slices1 Zucchini, sliced into ½ inch slices2 Red Bell Peppers, sliced into thick strips1 Red Onion, sliced into ½ inch slicesEvoo1 tsp White Wine VinegarSalt/PepprDried OreganoDried BasilDried ThymeCrusty Rolls Or BreadPesto Mozzarella Cheese, optional


Directions1. Preheat grill. Combine eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and red onion in a large bowl.
2. Add EVOO, vinegar, and herbs to the vegetables. Toss to combine.
3. Working in batches, add vegetables to grill basket and cook until tender.
4. Place cooked veggies in another bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat step 3 until all the vegetables are cooked.
5. Cut rolls in half and grill until crispy. Spread pesto onto one side of bread, top with veggies and mozzarella cheese (if using).
6. Enjoy!



Metrics: 

Yield: 3-4 servings

Adapted from Delish.com