Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Cucumber Salad

I found this recipe HERE while I was searching for HCG Diet recipes. I also found THIS recipe that made me think of adding the cucumber and making a salad. (I haven't tasted that recipe, but it looks good too.) The Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Cucumber Salad is so yummy I plan to enjoy it for years to come. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 Cucumber, julienned
• Small - medium shrimp, 15 - 20
• Coconut Oil, 2 Tbs
• Garlic, 2 cloves
• Ground Red Pepper, a dash or two
• Minced (dried) onion, a few shakes
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lemon, zested
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cilantro (chopped) to taste
• Green Onion (chopped) to taste 

Directions:

1. If shrimp is frozen, defrost it.
2. Julienne your cucumber. Toss your cucumber in a bowl with some sea salt, pepper, and dried minced onion, cilantro and green onion. (You could also add a little bit of lemon juice.) Set aside to "marinate."
3. Heat coconut oil in a skillet.
4. Add garlic (I use my garlic press) and ground red pepper, and a few shakes of the dried minced onion.
5. When the garlic and onion begin to brown, add the shrimp to your skillet. Cook the shrimp until golden, then flip those little buggers over and brown on the opposite side.
6. Now add your lemon zest and lemon juice. Let cook for a two or three minutes.
7. Optional: Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Put the warm shrimp over those flavorful cucumbers. Pour the rich "sauce" from the pan over your shrimp and cucumbers for an tasty dressing.
9. Toss and ENJOY!

**UPDATE - July 22, 2012: 

I found THIS way too cook shrimp.  I used all the same ingredients in the above recipe, but cooked it this way: 

1. Prehead oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with sides with foil.
2. Drizzle coconut oil on lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle the dry ingredients on top of the oil.  Lay SLICED lemons on top of the seasoning.  Lay the shrimp on top of everything.  
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Flip shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes, until light golden brown.

Cabbage Ramen Salad

For me, this salad was originally served as a meal at our sister Michelle's house. (She got the recipe from her friend, Erin Griffitts.) It's been one of my favorites ever sense! Every time I serve it or take it to a pot luck, everyone raves about it. Simple, easy, fast, and delicious. You can't beat that!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound Tri Color Cole Slaw Mix
• 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
• 1 cup Slivered Almonds, toasted if you like
• 1 cup Salted Sunflower Seeds
• 2 pkgs Ramen Noodles (Chicken) broken and toasted. (It's easiest if you break it up before you open the bag.) Reserve the seasoning packet

Dressing:

• ¾ cup Oil
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Cider Vinegar
• 2 Seasoning Packets From Ramen

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all the salad ingredients together in a bowl. Make dressing
separately. Pour dressing over salad up to 1 hour before serving,
chill.

NOTES: If I want to make this a meal you can add shredded chicken.

Lemon Ricotta Pie

I found this recipe HERE. I couldn't pin it in Pinterest so I decided to put it on this blog so I can use it later.

This is a low-carb, low-calorie version of a lemon ricotta Italian Easter pie. This is a crustless "pie", but is very similar in flavor and texture (minus the crust). Whole milk ricotta is preferred for this recipe. Part-skim can be used, but the pie comes out grainier and more crumbly.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb whole milk ricotta cheese (a 15-oz container works fine)
• 3 eggs
• Juice and grated zest of one medium lemon
• Sugar substitute to equal 2/3 cup of sugar - liquid preferred (see link below)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Separate the eggs, and beat the whites until soft peaks form.

2. Combine the egg yolks and the rest of the ingredients. Taste to see if it's lemony enough, as some lemons are "dryer" and have less juice (average is about 3 tablespoons of juice for a medium lemon). You can add half a teaspoon of lemon extract, or more lemon juice to taste.

3. Fold egg whites into the mixture and spread in a well-buttered pie pan.

Bake until barely set in the middle (a toothpick will come out clean or almost so) about 25 minutes. Chill completely before serving; about 90 minutes.

Serve plain, or with a berry topping such as this strawberry topping or this berry syrup. Sugar-Free Lemon Curd also makes a good topping.

Nutritional Information: Each of 8 servings has 2 grams effective carbohydrate plus 8 grams protein, and 123 calories.

Clean Crunchy Apple and Cabbage Salad with Sweet Curry Dressing

I originally got this recipe from THIS site. We've eaten it enough and I've made a few changes so I thought I would add it to our own little blog. The version I am posting is double the original recipe because (I think) it's easier. This salad is perfect for picnics and potlucks. *People won't even know it's super healthy because they'll be distracted by how YUMMY it tastes!* Because this version of the salad is so large I like to make and eat it all week long. I also send it with my husband for lunches. (He loves it!)

Salad:

1 bag of Tri-Color Slaw

2 medium apples, julienned (a tart and crunchy apple like Braeburn or Granny Smith works best)

2 handfuls (1-2 cups) dried unsweetened cherries (I used dried cranberries because it's what I already had.)

8 oz bag of chopped pecans, toasted

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

2-3 cups shredded chicken (Cubed would work too.)

Pile all the ingredients into a bowl and hand toss it to mix.

Dressing:

1/2 cup cider vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

8 tbsp honey or agave nectar (depending on the sweetness you prefer)

6 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix the dressing and reserve. (You may or may not want to add ALL the dressing. You decide.) Pour dressing over the salad just before serving. Clean and absolutely DELICIOUS!

Brown Rice (its SOOOO yummy!)

My husband (Deland) grew up eating rice EVERY DAY. (He is Iranian after all.) And let me tell you I LOVE Iranian Style Rice. It is so yummy, buttery, and the crispy rice on the bottom of the pot is amazing! The problem is that I'm allergic to large amounts of butter. (It makes my butt bigger.) Plus I know brown rice is much healthier. So I did some research and came up with an amazing brown rice "recipe" that tastes different from the Iranian rice my husband and I love, but is equally yummy. (Deland eats it by itself.)

Enjoy! (And let me know what you think!)

INGREDIENTS:

• Brown Rice
• Beef Broth - Low Sodium
• Olive Oil
  
• Fresh Garlic - 3 or 4 cloves
  
• Dried, Whole Bay Leaves - 3 or 4
  
• Sea Salt - a dash
• Pepper - a dash
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Read the instructions on the bag.
   
2. Substitute beef broth for the water.
3. Substitute olive oil for the butter.
4. Add bay leaves, garlic, salt and pepper to the broth.
5. When it comes to a boil, add the rice.
6. Just follow the directions on the bag from here.

Tomato Basil {Personal} Pizza

We eat this on nights when we would normally eat out. It's quick, easy and OH SO YUMMY! I make cheese ones for the kids, and tomato basil for Daddy and Mommy. I hope you like these as much as we do!

Makes aprox. 4 pizzas

INGREDIENTS:

• Plumb Tomatoes; 2 or 3 (Sliced into rounds.)
• Fresh Basil - chopped (We like a Tbsp or two on each pizza)
  
• Whole Wheat Pita Bread
• Olive Oil or Coconut Oil - 5 or 6 Tbsp
  
• Fresh Garlic - 4 or 5 cloves
• Low Moisture Mozzarella Cheese (Grated)
• Optional: Grilled chicken
  

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

"Sauce:" In a microwave safe bowl, poor in you choice of oil. (Maybe 2 Tbsp. per pizza.) Peal your garlic cloves. Crush them over your bowl of oil and add all the garlic to the bowl. Heat the oil in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. You just need it warm. Then remove it from the microwave and crush the garlic a little more with a fork. (You want as much flavor as possible.) I add a dash of salt and pepper at this point too. That's it! You have your sauce!

Spread the sauce on your pita bread. Add just a sprinkle of cheese. Then add your tomatoes and basil. *Again, we like a lot of basil. You decide how much you want.* (If you want a little protein in your meal, add chicken.) Then top with more cheese. Thats it!

Cook for 8 minutes. We make 4 pizzas at a time on Papered Chef baking stone. You just want the cheese golden and bubbly. Then it's done!

Eat-Clean Egg Salad

SERVINGS: 1 cup of egg salad

DETAILS:

Egg Salad is the perfect school lunch! It’s hearty, tasty and takes no time at all to prepare. Trade the fatty, mayonnaise-laden version for this Eat-Clean recipe from my latest book, The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids! Make sure to pack it in a cooler.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup / 60 ml fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml skim milk
• 1 tsp / 5 ml mustard
• 4 hardboiled egg whites, diced
• 1 hardboiled yolk
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped green onion
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chopped celery
• Dash curry powder
• 1/4 tsp / 1 ml sea salt

PREPERATION: 

1. Whip cottage cheese and milk until smooth in medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Blend remaining ingredients except egg whites with cottage cheese mixture.
3. Add diced egg whites to cottage cheese mixture. Mix well.

Yogurt Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 Quarts low-fat plain yogurt, dairy or soy based.

Method for yogurt cheese:

1. Place 4 layers of damp cheesecloth in a fine mesh sieve or colander. Place the colander over a bowl.

2. Add yogurt and let it drain overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Discard the water from the bowl.

What Next?

The result of the draining process will leave you with a soft, creamy cheese-like product. In fact, it is lower in calories than cream cheese but can be used in its place. It is also lower in lactose, highter in protein, and lower in sodium than cream cheese. The best part is that it is all nautral.

You now have a wonderful base into which you can mix just about anything, since yogurt cheese readily takes on the flavors of whatever you choose to mix it with. It is sinfully rich and makes you think you are eating something naughty – but you aren’t.

Turkey Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:

• ½ turkey breast, roasted and cooled, skin removed, cut into 1/2 “ cubes – aprox. 1 ½ lbs

• 4 Ribs celery, trimmed and chopped

• 1 cup cored and chopped red apple OR 1 cup nectarines

• 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and chopped

• ½ cup walnuts

• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1 cup yogurt cheese (you may need more depending on how big your turkey breast is)

• Juice of one fresh lemon

• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Place turkey, celery, apple, green onion, walnuts and cilantro in large salad bowl. Set aside.

2. In small mixing bowl, whisk yogurt cheese with lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad ingredients. Mix until dressing coats other ingredients. Chill.

Fabulous No Bake Protein Bars

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Oats

• 4 Scoops Protein Powder

• 2 Tbs Ground Flaxseed

• 1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter

• 1/2 Cup Water

• Optional: Almond Butter

• Optional: Ground Pecans

• Optional: Dark Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients together - Oats, Protein, and Flaxseed. (You can add about 1/2-1/3 of the chocolate chips to the patter at this point. Use your personal preference.)

2. Mix in Natural Peanut Butter, then Water

3. Mix well, will be clumpy and take awhile

4. Line 8x8 glass pan with aluminum foil, then use your hands to pack the mix into the pan.
   
   Optional:

5. Spread a light layer of almond butter over the top (I let mine set out a little while to be soft)

6. Sprinkle ground pecans over the top of the almond butter.

7. Melt about 1/3 of the (total) chocolate chips in the microwave. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of your bars.

Place into the freezer for 35 minutes
Cut into 3 sections of 3 - wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate.

Tips & Bonus Information

Ok, I totally played around with these until I found something that I preferred taste wise. I use BSN Banana Cream Protein Powder. You can use gluten free or pure whey, whatever works for you. I love the taste of banana with peanut butter, it gives it great flavor! Without the topping the nutritional value of mine (depends on your protein, etc) Calories - 192 Protein - 13.35g Sugar - 1.6g Total Fat - 8.6g Sat Fat - 1.6g

Yield: 9 Bars
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes chill time

P.S. I got the recipe from HERE.

Turkey Chili

This is a simple and Clean Eating worthy recipe. It also has only basic ingredients but still YUM!

Ingredients

• 1.2 lbs lean ground turkey (I used 7% lean beef for the extra iron boost)
  
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes, ( no salt added)
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp virgin olive oil

Instructions

Brown diced onion and diced garlic in olive oil with the cayenne and cumin powders. Add turkey, brown. Drain and rinse beans. Once the turkey is looking cooked add beans, diced tomatoes, water and tomato paste for the desired taste. Simmer and serve with your choice of topping.....i used either chopped fresh spinach or broccoli, Yum!

* You can add more or less cumin, cayenne and tomato paste depending on your needs.

*Tip: I cook in my cast iron Dutch Oven, or skillet when I can. I tend to need every extra iron boost I can get and this is proven to help.