Lj's Mediterranean Quinoa

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of uncooked Quinoa

1 Large piece of Pumpkin peeled and cubed

1/2 Bunch Snake Beans Sliced

Sundried Tomatoes x 10 diced

(I have used my homemade skinny version with the tomatoes that were completely dried and soaked in boiling water for  a few minutes)

http://ljsgourmetkitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/semi-dried-roma-tomatoes-with-fresh.html

100g of Low Fat Fetta crumbled

Handful of Kalamata Olives sliced

1/2 Red Onion Finely Diced

Juice of one fresh lime and the zest

What to do

Cook the Quinoa according to packet directions and let it cool. Blanch the snake beans in boiling water for a few minutes, drain and cool. Roast the pumpkin with a splash of herb infused olive oil, Cracked Pepper and Himalayan salt and let it cool. Add all of the ingredients to a big Salad bowl and give it a mix to combine. Pop into the fridge to let it cool before serving. 

Lj's Avo and Basil Dressing

1 Avocado
1/4 Cup of fresh Lemon Juice
1 cup of basil leaves (I've used a mix of varieties from my garden)

4 Tablespoons of No Fat Greek Yoghurt ( I use Black Swan)
salt and pepper

Throw everything into the blender until smooth.

Lj's Roasted Potato Salad

Throw chopped Washed potatoes into a snap lock bag with some dried Italian herbs and enough herb infused olive oil, just enough to coat. Put into a preheated oven at 180-200 degrees until golden and tender. Let them cool and toss with a splash of balsamic vinegar, finely chopped capsicum and shallots. 

Lj's Skinny Oven Baked Chicken & Chips

Just getting around to sharing my dinner recipe from last night, although it would be lovely to be able to sleep in past 5 am on a Sunday! Mini Me said she like this version more than deep fried but I'm wondering if that was because she was on fries for 3 hours last night at McDonalds and being McHappy Day it was pretty busy!!... she is loving her first job by the way! Well it's really her 2nd Job if you counting giving Private Lessons in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu being her first job :-)

Here's the is the recipe....

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts

1 Cup of Homemade Breadcrumbs

1 Tablespoon of Dried Italian Herbs

1/2 Cup of Freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 - 3/4 Cup of No Fat Yoghurt ( I prefer Black Swan)

What to  do:

Firstly if you can... slice the Chicken into pieces how ever you like them. I usually slice them down the center longways then diagonally into 2 or 3 depending on how big they are. I prefer to do this as it cuts down the cooking time and also because it cooks evenly with some parts of the chicken being thicker than others. Add the Chicken and the Yoghurt to a snap lock bag, seal and toss to coat. Sometimes I add freshly sliced Garlic which can be disgarded later. I like to do this first thing in the morning and let it marinate all day in the fridge. In my experience the longer you marinate it the juicier and tender the Chicken is. A few hours is also fine if you are short on time. 

When you are ready to coat your Chicken prepare your oven tray by lining it with baking paper and preheating the oven to 200 degrees C.  In a bowl, add the Breadcrumbs, Herbs and Parmesan. Mix together.

Coat the Chicken in the crumbs and place onto your baking tray.

Place into your  preheated oven for approx 25 - 30 mins depending in the size you have made your chicken. I'm serving with healthy oven chips tonight, low fat sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. This is our Saturday night treat after being extra healthy all week!

Here is how I do my oven chips... these will take a bit longer to cook than the Chicken unless you precook them. Occasionally I cook the potatoes in the microwave first them pop into the oven. I only do this though when I am running really short on time. I slice them and pop them onto a baking tray that I have lined with baking paper and a spray of cooking spray. I season them with Cracked Sea Salt and Pepper and a sprinkle of Herb & Garlic Season All Spice. Give them another quick spray with cooking spray before putting into the oven. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is a much healthier alternative to deep or shallow fried Chicken. 

Pink Salmon, Cottage Cheese and Ranch Quinoa Ricecakes

I've no idea what attracts me to Pink Salmon but I've always loved it! Here I have mixed a small tin with a few tablespoons of Low Fat Cottage Cheese and 1 tablespoon of Dry Ranch Dressing Mix.

You will find the dry ingredients mix here...

http://ljsgourmetkitchen.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/ljs-skinny-ranch-dressing.html

Lj's Skinny Ranch Dressing

Yum! Just made some ranch dressing.. Very healthy and much nicer than store bought. 

Add 1 Tbs Ranch Seasoning Mix (recipe mix below) to

1/2 cup low fat Mayo

2/3 cup of Skim Milk

2/3 cup of No Fat Yoghurt

Mix together well.. That's it!

Ranch Seasoning Mix.. 

1 Tsp dried Chives

2 Tbs dried Parsley

1 1/2 Tsp Dried Dill

2 Tsp Garlic Powder

4 Tsp Onion Flakes

1 Tsp each of Salt & Ground Black Pepper

I used this mix as is but you could process it or use pestle and mortar if you want a finer mix for your dressing

Mushroom, Ham & Herb Breakfast Wrap

Ingredients:

60g Lean Diced Ham

60g Button Swiss Brown Mushrooms

1 Large Free Range Egg

1 Heaped Tablespoon of 97% Fat Free Cottage Cheese

Fresh Thyme and Parsley chopped

1 Rye Mountain Bread Wrap

What to do:

Heat a non stick frypan and spray with cooking Spray and add the Ham & Mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes until golden. 

Mix together the Egg, the Cottage Cheese & Herbs and pour over the top. Mix quickly to scramble the eggs.

Pile into a Rye Mountain Bread Wrap and roll it into a log. Pop into the sandwich toaster for a few minutes.

Delicious, Fast Breakfast for those like me always on the run!

Lj's Dukan Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry

Really felt like a stir fry for dinner tonight... Based on ingredients that are on the Dukan Diet list.

Ingredients:

 125 Lean Rump Steak (all fat removed) sliced thin

1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Fresh Garlic Clove Sliced

Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

2 Swiss Brown Button Mushrooms sliced

1/2 Carrot sliced

1/2 Small Zucchini Sliced

1 Shallot Sliced

3 Fresh Green Beans Sliced

1/4 Small Capsicum Sliced

What to do:

Start by slicing the steak and popping into a snap lock bag and adding the garlic, olive oil, soy sauce and cracked pepper and salt.

Heat a non stick pan and add a splash of olive oil. Saute the vegetables until they are as tender as you like, I prefer them with a little bit of crunch. Remove from the pan and set aside. Get your pan really hot again and cook the rump. It will take only a few minutes depending on how thin you sliced it. Add the vegetables back to the pan and combine with the veges.

Lj's Chicken Chow Mien w' Slendier Rice

Ingredients:

500 Grams of Lean Chicken Mince

1/2 Red Capsicum diced

1 Medium Carrot diced

2 Shallots finely sliced

1 Cup of Frozen Peas

1/4 Cup of ABC Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup of Oyster Sauce

3 Teaspoons of Vegeta Chicken Stock Powder

1 1/2 Cups of Water

1 Packet of Slendier Rice

What to do:

Heat a non stick fry pan. Add the Chicken Mince and stir while it is browning. Add the Capsicum, Carrot and Shallots and mix it all together. Add the Chicken Stock and the water and bring to a simmer, then the frozen Peas. When the stock has reduced add the Soy and Oyster Sauce. Let it simmer until the Chicken and vegetables are tender and the sauce is a good consistency. Prepare the Rice to packet instructions. (Drain and rinse, add boiling water. Leave for a few minutes and then drain) Add the rice to the dish and simmer for another 5 mins to infuse all of the flavours. Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad w' Roasted Sweet Potato, Fetta, Olives, Sun Dried Tomatoes & Green Beans

This is a Serving for one...

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup of Dry Quinoa cooked to packet directions

4 Fresh Green Beans blanched in boiling water for a few minutes and then drained

6 Sun dried Tomatoes (I make my own in the dehydrator with dried herbs and Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt until really dry and rehydrate when I want to use them in hot water so they are virtually fat free)

50 Grams of Low Fat Lemnos Fetta Cheese

1 Small Sweet Potato roasted (see below)

6 Kalamata Olives Sliced

Balsamic Vinegar or Fat free Balsamic Dressing

What to do:

Toss it all together! That's it :-)

Slice your Sweet Potato in 1 cm slices. Throw into a snap lock bag with a small splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some dried herbs of your choice. Toss them around in the bag to coat and place onto an oven tray lined with baking paper for easy clean up. Bake at 180 degrees until tender and a little crispy, approx 25 minutes depending in how much Sweet Potato you are baking.

Lj's Chicken Burrito with a Twist and Side Salad

Make my Burrito's a little different tonight. I've used Sundried Tomato Torilla's, the same recipe for the Chicken mixture...

http://ljsgourmetkitchen.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/ljs-healthy-version-of-chicken-burritos.html

Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees

I've used homemade Tomato Chutney instead of Salsa, topped with the Chicken and then some Black Swan No Fat Greek Yoghurt (My fave, the best I've used in recipes) A sprinkle of law fat Tasty grated Cheese. Roll them up and pop onto an oven tray lined with baking paper. Add a little more Cheese and top into the oven at about 200 degrees. Serve with a little side Salad with a splash of French Dressing.

Lj's Skinny Garlic Prawn Pasta

Ingredients:

10 Medium Green Prawns (Peeled & Cleaned) 

1 Packet of Slendier Slim Spaghetti

1 Tin of Light and Creamy Carnation Milk

1 Tablespoon of Cornflour

1 Thick slice of Fresh Lemon plus a squeeze more of the juice

2 Fresh Garlic Cloves finely chopped

Fresh Chopped Parsley

Sprinkle of Parmesan if you wish to serve.

What to do:

Heat a non stick pan and add the Garlic and Lemon. Prepare the spaghetti as per the packet instructions (takes about 2 minutes, it is basically drain, rinse, throw in boiling water for a minute then drain again)

Add the prawns cooking on one side until you can just see them starting to change colour then flip them over. Add half of the carnation milk, extra squeeze of Lemon and bring to a simmer. Mix the cornflour well into the other half of the Carnation milk and add to the pan. Stir while simmering until the sauce is thick and add the parsley right at the end. Season with Cracked Pepper and Seas Salt. I like to use Murray River Salt Flakes. Turn off the heat and mix through the pasta.. Sprinkle with Parmesan if you wish.  That's it! Pretty much healthy dinner in under 15 minutes if that including prep time. 

Slendier is not for everyone, if you don't like it cook regular pasta before you start cooking the prawns. Rice spaghetti is also a nice alternative. Either way it is still a much healthier alternative to traditional creamy pasta :-)

Lj's Healthy Fried Rice with Chicken wrapped in Streaky Bacon

Dinner is served!

I've used some Free Range Chicken thigh fillets with all of the fat removed. Wrapped them in streaky bacon and cooked in a preheated oven on baking paper for approx 45 minutes on 180 degrees. Depending on the size of the chicken thighs you may need to secure them with a toothpick.

I've used a mixture of Basmati, Brown and Wild Rice. I cook this in a microwave container that has a lid. 1 Cup of rice to 2 1/2 cups of boiling water uncovered for 12 minutes. Added some Vegeta powdered Veggie Stock to the water (about a tablespoon) before cooking. After the 12 minutes remove from the microwave and pop on the lid.

In a hot non stick frying pan sprayed with cooking spray I've sauteed whatever veggies I had in the fridge to use up. Carrots, Mushrooms, Onion, Baby English Spinach & Shallots today. You can add whatever veggies you like here. I've also added some frozen peas and corn. Once cooked add the rice and combine in the pan. Add some soy sauce to taste to your liking and cracked pepper and sea salt.

Lj's Swiss Brown Mushroom Breakfast

Always make time for a healthy breakfast to keep you energised until lunch time. 

This morning I've cracked a free range egg into a lovely Swiss brown and topped with homegrown shallots and a small sprinkle of Parmesan. Popped that onto some GF grain toast with no butter..Splash of homemade worstershire sauce and bam there's breakfast 

Lj's Lamb & Baby Spinach Rissoles

um! Lamb, baby spinach and toasted pine nut rissoles... Going to make awesome hamburgers!

Really simple, quick and healthy if cooked in a non stick frying pan..

Ingredients:
500g Lean Lamb Mince
1 Bag Baby Spinach (I think it's 500g.. the large one)
1 Sm bag of Pinenuts toasted
1 Finely diced Onion (Saute first and let it cool)
1 Free Range Egg
Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt

Put everything in a bowl besides the spinach and mix well to combine. Pour boiling water over the spinach to wilt and squeeze out the excess water, then give it a good chop and add to the mix. Roll and cook until golden in a preheated non stick frying pan sprayed with cooking spray. Serve with fresh garden salad :-)

Lj's Vegetarian Potato Salad with Basil, Rocket & Pinenuts

Had to make something a little different while catering for a clients dinner party..... she specified she wanted Peas in her Potato Salad and also that is had to be vegetarian.. I made the dressing using extra light sour cream, not fat natural yoghurt and a dash of extra light cream, fresh basil varieties from my garden and some rocket.. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a food processor leaving some of the Rocket & Basil to stir through when serving.

Lj's Skinny Veal Individual Meatloaves

Ingredients:

2 kg Heart Smart Veal Mince

250g of your Favourite Fruit Chutney 

( I like to use my own homemade Chutney, but store bought is fine)

2 Onions finely diced

2 Carrots Grated

2 Tbs of Dried Italian Herbs

2 Free Range Eggs

2 Shallots finely sliced

2 Cloves of fresh garlic crushed

1 Cup of Extra Sharp Parmesan

Cherry Tomatoes to decorate the top

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  Put all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Using your hands mix it all together until well combined. Roll into large balls and place into a muffin tin that has been greased with cooking spray. Cook for approx 15 mins or until they will hold there shape well. Take them out of the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes until cool enough to pop into an oven tray. Pop back into the oven to continue cook for a further 15 minutes or until meat is cook. If you ever unsure with meat use a meat thermometer. These are great warm or cold. I'm sending these ones out with some salad and wholemeal bread rolls for a picnic.

Lj's Mini Gnocchi Bolognaise Bake

This has been my Mini Me's fave dish for years! Haven't made it in awhile and

 I can't even remember where I got the idea to create it. 

Ingredients:

500g Beef Heart Smart Mince

1 Large Onion 

2 Cloves of freshly crushed Garlic

2 Tins of Crushed Tomatoes

2 heaped old school Tablespoons of Tomato Paste 

250ml of a nice Sauc Blanc 

Fresh herbs of choice, I've used Basil, Oregano and Parsley from my garden

500g of Mini Potato Gnocchi

Grated tasty cheese and extra sharp Parmesan for the topping

Cracked pepper and sea salt to season

What to do:

Heat a large no stick pan and brown the onions and garlic in a splash of extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add the mince and brown while stirring. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and wine. Simmer until the mince is cooked and add the herbs. 

Meanwhile bring a saucepan of water to the boil and season with cracked sea salt. When the water is boiling add the Gnocchi and cook until it floats. This only takes a few minutes. Drain and rinse with hot water. Add to the Bolognaise and then into a baking dish. Top with some grated cheese and Parmesan and bake until the cheese is golden. 

Lj's Raw Date & Agave Balls

After a little more researching into Raw Food recipes I decided it was time to start experimenting  and  making up some of my own creations.

Ingredients

1 Cup of Dates

1/2 Cup Sultanas

1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds

1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 Cup of Coconut

4 Tablespoons of Agave Syrup

Extra Coconut for rolling

What to do

Pop the Sunflower seeds & Pumpkin Seeds into the food processor.

Process until fine but not powder...

Add the Coconut, Dates & Sultanas and process until combined.

Add the Agave Syrup and process until the mixture comes together like you can see

in the picture below. Using a teaspoon roll into balls and roll in coconut. Pop into the fridge!

Savoury Pancakes!

1 Small Grated zucchini

1 Spring onion finely sliced 

1/2 Medium Red Capsicum finely diced

2 Tbs Creamed corn

1/2 small tub of low fat Cottage cheese

150ml Extra light cream

6 Tbs Plain flour

1 teas baking powder

150g finely diced ham

Cracked pepper and sea salt

Mix everything together and cook in a hot non stick frypan!