Egg Salad

With all these leftover Easter eggs, I knew salads would be in the future. So I located a low calorie egg salad recipe and tweaked it up a bit. It only came down to about 210 calories a serving.

Enlightened Egg Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 large hard boiled eggs (pealed and cubed)
• 2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices pumpernickel bread

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients, except for the bread and egg in a bowl. 
2. Once the dressing is mixed, add in the chopped eggs and mix to coat.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add salad to bread and serve.

Note: Add an additional tablespoon of mayonnaise if it tastes too yogurt, but just adjust the calories for it. 

Zesty Pork Chop and Cucumber Salad Wraps

Zesty Pork Chop and Cucumber Salad Wraps
Serves 5-6

We wanted a fresh and new recipe that was quick and easy to make for dinner. For some reason, we thought pork chop and cucumber salad in a wrap. Go figure! It was delicious! These might be great on the grill. Will definitely try it when it's not raining.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork chops
• 1 bottle zesty Italian Dressing
• 1 large cucumber
• 1 large red onion
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 3 large tomatoes
• preferred wrap or tortilla shell (Flat Out Healthy Grain Harvest Wheat)

Instructions

1. Heat a skillet. Marinate the Pork Chops in a bowl of ziploc bag for 30 minutes in the Italian Dressing, saving 1 cup for the salad.
2. Peal and slice the cucumbers in half and then slice them into thin strips. 
3. De-seed and slice the tomatoes into chunks.
4. Slice the red onion in half and then into 1mm strips.
5. Mix the cucumber, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add the Italian Dressing and pepper to taste. 
6. Now cook the marinated pork chops in the skillet until cooked through. Let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
7. Next, take a wrap and put down a layer of spinach. Make sure it has been rinsed and dried, first.
8. After putting down a layer of spinach leaves, put some pork chop strips in the middle and then a spoonful or two or cucumber salad. 
9. Wrap and enjoy!

Spicy Ham, Egg, Cheese, and Spinach Sandwiches

Spicy Ham, Egg, Cheese, and Spinach Sandwiches
 Inspired by a recipe from Food Network.

Ingredients

• 4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 4 English muffins, split
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 Ham Steak or 1/4 pound of Canadian Bacon
• 8 cups baby spinach (about 8 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon Siracha Chile Sauce
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Put the oven on Lo-Broil.
2. Place the tomatoes skin-side down on a baking tray. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the tomatoes.
3. Take the ham and put 4 pieces on the pan with the tomatoes. Place in the oven until cheese is melted and ham is to your preferred texture.
4. Toast the English Muffins in the toaster (or your preferred toasting method).
5. In a large pan over medium-high heat, put the 8 cups of baby spinach and 1 teaspoon of Siracha Chile Sauce. Cook down until wilted.
6. When the Spinach is done, wipe out the pan with a damp paper towel and return to the heat.
7. Heat one tablespoon of butter and put in two eggs. Cook evenly on both sides, allow for the middle to stay gooey. 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on how cooked you want the middle.
8. When the muffins have been toasted, take out and put a little bit of butter on the muffin, then sprinkle cheddar cheese on the bottom.
9. Check the tomatoes and ham.
10. When the ham is finished, put a slice on the muffin. Then put the egg on the muffin. Then put some of the spinach mixture on top. Salt and pepper to taste.
11. Repeat for each sandwich that is made.
12. Put the tomatoes on the side and serve.

Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwich

Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwich
Inspired by Rachael Ray's Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwich.

Ingredients

• 2 large onion, sliced thin
•  3 cups ketchup
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into two large pieces
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1 pound container  prepared coleslaw (we used Sendiks')
• 6 hamburger buns or favorite roles

Instructions

1. In a large slow cooker, combine the onion, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, cider vinegar, and paprika. Whisk together.
2. Add the chuck roast and coat with the sauce. Cover and cook on low heat until tender, 7 to 8 hours. Start the night before and let cook for longer.
3. Using tongs, remove the beef from the sauce; shred. 
4. Skim off and discard the fat from the sauce, stir in the shredded beef and season with salt and pepper. 
5. Sandwich the meat, topped with some coleslaw, on the buns.

Refreshing Shrimp Salad

Refreshing Shrimp Salad
Serves 2-4 (depending on how you serve it)

This recipe was inspired by one I saw for a Shrimp Salad from Ina Garten. Her recipe is for an enormous amount of shrimp, so I tried to make adjustments. It was great on a roll  for lunch and could easily make 3-4 sandwiches. As a salad topping or alone, I'd say it would feed closer to two people. Depends on how you want to use it. It turned out to be incredibly refreshing and would do 

Ingredients
Boiled Shrimp

• 2 cups water
• 1.5 cups white wine vinegar
• 4 TBSP Old Bay with Lemon and Herb Seasoning
• 1/2 - 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon juiced)
• 1 lbs uncooked medium-large shrimp in shell

Dressing

• 1/3 cup red onion minced
• 1 cup minced celery
• 1 TBSP fresh dill minced
• 2 TBSP pepper
• 1 TBSP horseradish
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 TBSP ground stone mustard
• 1 TBSP white wine vinegar

Instructions

1. In a large pot, bring the water, white vinegar, lemon juice, and Old Bay Seasoning to boil. Add in shrimp. Cook them for 3-5 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from pot and put aside to cool.
2. Combine the Dressing ingredients and stir.
3. In a separate bowl, put the peeled shrimp after cutting them in halves or thirds depending on size.
4. When shrimp are cooled and ready in the separate bowl, spoon your preferred amount of dressing over the shrimp. Mix one spoonful in before adding another to make sure the shrimp are thoroughly coated. 
5. Refrigerate, covered or in a tupperware container, for 30 minutes or more.
6. Serve over lettuce, as a sandwich or by itself.

Tequila Chicken Sub Sandwiches

Tequila Chicken Sub Sandwiches
Serves: 8
Great for sports parties!

Ingredients

• 4 9.75oz cans Swanson White Chicken Breast
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup tequila
• 2 fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 1/4 cup lime juice)
• 2 bell peppers diced (yellow and orange)
• 1 large red onion diced (or 2 medium)
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup diced jalapenos
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup fresh diced tomatoes (let sit on a paper towel to absorb liquid.)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 TBSP ground pepper
• 1 TBSP sea salt
• 8 sub rolls

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250.
2. In a large/deep baking dish, combine the 4 ozs of cream cheese with the tequila and lime juice. Mix until well combined. Then add the chicken, bell peppers, onion, minced garlic, jalapenos, salt and pepper, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
3. Mix well so that everything is coated relatively evenly.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour, pull out of the oven and turn the oven up to 350.
6. Mix the mixture and then layer the top with the grated Parmesan cheese, then the diced fresh tomatoes, then top with the cilantro.
7. Recover with foil and cook for another hour.
8. Slice a V in the tops of the subs and fill from the top to reduce spill.

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 1

Night one of the experiment will be the Thai burgers and since it was just the burgers, we decided to add a soup. Our Damhead order came this afternoon, so we decided to make a parsnip and leek soup. I'm not really sure how the two will go together, but I'm thinking the playful flavors of the two will pair well.

Thai burgers (would cook again)
Per Serving: 376kcal, 41.3g protein, 11.4g fat, of which 2.8g saturated fat, 28.9g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 1.6g fiber and 1.2g salt

Ingredients
500g Turkey mince
1 bunch Spring onions, finely sliced
1½ tbsp Thai green or red curry paste (we used green)
½ x 25g pack Coriander, chopped
a little Sunflower oil, for frying
4 Crusty white round rolls
½ Round lettuce



Method
In a bowl, mix the turkey mince, spring onions, curry paste and coriander together until well combined.
Season and shape into 4 burgers, about 2cm thick.

Heat a little oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and cook the burgers over a medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Halve the rolls and fill with lettuce leaves and a burger.

Note: We used an ale whole grain mustard, as well as ketchup and fresh tomatoes, which worked wonderfully with the burger.



Recipe for Parsnip and leek soup
3 parsnips
2 large leeks
Knob of butter
Olive oil
500ml vegetable stock
Bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic
250ml milk
4 tbsps crème fraiche

Heat a dash of olive oil and the knob of butter in a large, lidded, heavy-bottomed pan. Wash the leeks and slice thinly then add to the pan when the fat starts to bubble. Stir thoroughly until the leeks are covered and then cook on a medium heat until the leeks are soft and translucent, then crush and add the garlic and cook for five more minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the parsnips, then add to the leeks and garlic, stir to combine well, then cover and sweat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After 10 minutes the parsnips should be soft. Turn the heat up a little and add the stock and bay leaf, plus salt and pepper, then cover and leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until it has a soft and mushy consistency. Remove the bay leaf, then add the milk, stir to combine then remove from the heat. Then blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth, return to the heat, and finally, add the creme fraiche for a special creamy finish.

Serve immediately with crusty bread and a bit of grated cheddar. The soup can also be frozen in separate portions. It can be reheated in the microwave, but it’s best heated up in a pan with a little milk.


Note: Next time I would rather cook the parsnips, garlic, bay leaf and leeks in the vegetable stock until tender. Then strain the stock and put the vegetables (minus bay leaf) into a food processor and slowly add back in the stock, which would mean adding a bit more stock than this recipe calls for, since some will boil off when cooking. Then after getting a good texture, but not too thin, add back to the pot and add the milk or double cream. We did not use creme fraische.


Overall, Sainsbury's Experiment Night 1 was a great experience and everything is off to a great start. That is not to say that there won't be some not-super recipes, but at least tonight makes me hopeful.

2-Bite Ham Sandwiches

2-Bite Ham Sandwiches
(Serves 5-6)

1 baguette (about 18in long)
4 eggs
½ TBSP Coriander
1 tsp salt
½ TBSP pepper
1-2 packages of thinly sliced ham (one large package should do the trick)
4-6 small tomatoes (should fit on a baguette slice)
Whole gain mustard
Low-fat shredded cheese of your choice (recommended Monterey Jack)


Mix the eggs with the coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl or container where you can immerse the baguette slices. Beat until the mixture is consistently the same color. Add a little Tabasco sauce for some kick if you’d like to spice up the flavor.

Slice baguette at an angle into 1 inch pieces. Soak the pieces in the egg mixture. Then place in a frying pan to cook briefly on each side.

On a cookie sheet or a baking pan, arrange the cooked slices of baguette. On each slice spread a thin layer of whole grain mustard. Then add a slice of tomato. Then allow for two thinly sliced pieces of ham to fall on the baguette.

Once arranged, put them under the broiler for a 5-10 minutes (depending on your broiler), so that the ham gets a little crispy. Pull them out and sprinkle a little of your favorite shredded cheese (a low-fat Monterey Jack cheese might be good) on top. Put them back under the broiler for a few seconds while the cheese melts a tad.

Let cool and enjoy.

Note: a bowl of tomato soup would be a delicious match for this nummy meal.

Sarah's Flavorful Burgers

Sarah's Flavorful Burgers
(Serves 6-8 depending on burger size)

2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mayo (or 2 eggs)
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP coriander
2 TBSP minced garlic
1 diced green chili (remove seeds to reduce heat and emphasize flavor)
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP pepper


Mix all ingredients VERY WELL in a large bowl. Then make your preferred sized patties. The larger/thinner the patty, the more flimsy it might be. Grill or use your oven. Cook as desired on each side. Don't flip back and forth frequently, because the patties might be tender. The grill might not be the best way to do it, if you feel the mixture isn't staying together. A double layered drainable cooking pan might be best. (we aren't allowed to grill in the backyard, so we have to cook inside)

Prepare other ingredients as desired (buns, ketchup, etc.).

For a more fun flavor, sauté mushrooms and put them on the bottom of the bun. Then mix curry (1 TBSP) with ketchup (1 cup). Add this ratio for however much you need to make. Put the ketchup on top with the rest of your cold desired additives. Onions can go on the bottom with the mushrooms. If you want to add cheese, add your desired cheese on top.