Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, halved horizontally and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
12-16 Boston lettuce leaves (about 2 heads)

Directions:
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Add half the chicken; cook, stirring constantly, until opaque throughout, 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the onion is tender and golden, about 4 minutes. (Reduce the heat if browning too quickly)
3. Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the pan; cook, stirring , until fragrant. 30-60 seconds.
4. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch mixture; remove from the heat. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices; toss to coat. Serve in lettuce cups.

Nutrition Information
serves 4
Per Serving
Calories: 298
Fat: 9.1 g
Carbohydrates: 11.3 g
Protein: 41.6 g
Fiber: 1.7 g

Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Living, Everyday Food

Hummus and Vegetable Wrap

Ingredients:
2 flour tortillas (10 inch)
1/2 cup hummus
1 yellow bell pepper(ribs & seeds removed), thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded & thinly sliced
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 avocado, pitted & thinly sliced
coarse salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Lay tortillas on a work surface. Dividing evenly, spread each one with hummus, leaving a 1 inch border all around. In center of each tortilla, mound bell pepper, tomatoes, sprouts, and avocado; season with salt and pepper.
2. Fold side of tortilla closest to you over filling. Fold right and left sides in toward center, and tightly roll up tortillas. (to store, refrigerate, wrapped in plastic or waxed paper, up to 1 day)

Nutrition Facts
2 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 430.7
Total Fat 22.8 g
Saturated Fat 3.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 11.0 g

Restaurant-style Hummus

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons tahini, stirred well*
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley leaves

Directions:
1. Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together tahini and 2 tablespoons oil in second small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside 2 tablespoons chickpeas for garnish.
2. Process remaining chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in food processor until almost fully ground, about 15 seconds. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, add lemon juice-water mixture in steady stream through feed tube. Scrape down bowl and continue to process for 1 minute. With machine running, add oil-tahini mixture in steady stream through feed tube; continue to process until hummus is smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
3. Transfer hummus to serving bowl, sprinkle reserved chickpeas and cilantro over surface, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

I love this hummus and use it on sandwiches, vegetable wraps, pita chips and as a vegetable dip.
You can always use 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked instead of the canned version.

*Tahini is a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds.

Serves 8
1/4 cup servings

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 158.0
Total Fat 10.0 g
Saturated Fat 1.4 g

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 (3-4lb.) Lean roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3-4 whole peppercorns
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. garlic pwder
1 loaf french bread or hard rolls.

Remove and discard any excess fat from roast. Place in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, bouillon and spices, pour over roast. Cover and cook over low heat 10-12 hours or until meat is very tender. Shred meat with a fork and serve on hard rolls or french bread. Dip sandwiches in broth as you eat them.

*I add about 1/2 cup of water to the broth when I put the meat in the slow cooker. The broth is super flavorful and sometimes needs a little bit of dilluting before you use it for your dip. It all depends on how you like it!

Also, we love to toast our bread and melt swiss cheese on it before making it into yummy sandwiches.
Go make it today. You'll love it!

Classic Minestrone Soup

Serves 6
Ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 large celery stalk, diced
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 can(14.5 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1/4 head Savoy or green cabbage (1/2 lb), cored and thinly sliced
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, plus more for garnish
grated parmesan cheese (for serving)

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, red-pepper flakes, rosemary, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden, 5-8 minutes.
2. Add tomotoes; cook until some of the liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Add potato, cabbage, cannellini beans, and 7 cups water; bring to a boil. Stir in green beans and tomato paste.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; stir in garlic and basil.

Serve sprinkled with parmesan and basil.

What I love most about this recipe is it's wholesome goodness. The calorie content is only around 150 calories a serving and it's really filling and full of flavor! I like to serve it with a nice crusty sourdough bread. Yum!

Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 145.2
Total Fat 0.8 g
Saturated Fat 0.1 g

Recipe curtesy of Martha Stewart Living(with slight variations by me)

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Add bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients together and add. Bake in well greased loaf pan for 1 hour(or until toothpick stuck in center comes out clean) at 350 degrees.
I really like to coat my pan with sugar and sprinkle a dusting of sugar on top right before I put it in the oven to bake. It makes the edges a yummy sweet surprise! Who wants the end?! I do, I do.

Grilled Steak Salad

Ingredients:
-Lettuce (I like to use romaine in this recipe)
-Steak, cooked perfectly to a medium rare and sliced against the grain. (Ryan always does this for me, so I don't know how to tell you to do it. How spoiled am I?)
-Toasted pecans
-Strawberries
-Feta or Bleu cheese (we prefer the stronger bleu cheese ourselves)

Plate this salad up in individual portions. Top with Purple Onion Dressing and you won't be dissappointed! My favorite salad- ever!