Breakfast: Picked up gorgeous raspberries and strawberries at the Farmer's Market this weekend. I used the last of the raspberries this morning for breakfast with a big dollop of ricotta cheese sweetened with a squirt of Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Almond and it tasted like Sicilian Cannoli filling) and a spray of Homemade No Sugar Added SF Raspberry Whipped Cream.
Shelly's Homemade No Sugar Added Whipped Cream
1 cup Whipping Cream
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (any flavor will do)
Whisk till well combined. Every batch I make a new flavor: SF Vanilla, SF Coconut, SF Almond, if you want pink cream like this Sugar Free Raspberry is great. Fill whipping cream to the fill line of the whipper. Screw on the top. Insert the CO2 cartridge till it empties, unscrew that. Put the nozzle on, shake a few times and squirt away. It makes a ton, store it in the fridge for up to 10 days just give it another few shakes before squirting. Great on berries, shakes and smoothies, crepes.
You can make chocolate too... I add unsweetened cocoa powder 2 Tablespoons to recipe above and into the whipper... on strawberries... OMG... so good.
Lunch: A roast beef roll-up, avocado, a few pieces of cheese and because I dip pretty much everything. I mixed up a dollop of Greek yogurt and a little fresh Horseradish (Trader Joe's refrigerator case kind is what I used.) Yum and if you can't breath I recommend it. Clears the sinuses.
5 Things to Do With Cold Cuts
Dinner: Chicken Caesar Lettuce Tacos. This was delicious, a sort of deconstructed Caesar salad. I marinated some chicken breast tenders. I wanted to BBQ them but realized I was out of propane. So baked it was. Still yummy but I think they would be even better with some BBQ char on them. I made a Caesar dressing sort of marinade for the chicken. I'll put the recipe down but I know they may scare some of you so really... a swipe of olive oil and a sprinkle of your favorite seasoning would be delicious. I used Lemon's from my tree. It's a VERY good year. They are falling off I can't use them quick enough.
Shelly's Chicken Caesar Lettuce Tacos
1 Heaping Tablespoon Dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 a Lemon
2 Anchovies
1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 - 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenders
Smash the anchovies, salt and garlic together to make a paste and mix into mustard and lemon juice. Place marinade and chicken in a gallon Ziploc, seal. Shake it around a bit to evenly distribute. Refrigerate several hours. Place chicken strips on a non-stick baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes turning once (or BBQ.) Place a tender in a romaine lettuce leaf, top with Greek yogurt dip and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Eat like a taco.
Shelly's Parmesan Yogurt Dip
4 oz. Greek Yogurt, plain 2%
1-2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
a little Lemon Zest
squeeze of Lemon Juice
dash salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Blend together. Use as a dressing for Chicken Caesar Lettuce Tacos or as a dip for veggies.
I had one and served it with this quick casserole side dish. This would be a great meal in itself, vegetarian friends would love it, maybe toss some peas in for some color. I think I might do it next time as a main dish and add some leftover chicken or sausage in the mixture.
Shelly's Indian Cauliflower and Lentil Casserole
1 small head of Cauliflower
1 (10 oz.) package Tasty Bite Jodhpur Lentils
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Crispy Onions (the green bean casserole kind)
a dash of Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Break-up into florets, cook in salted boiling water till knife inserts easily but still firm. Drain. I poured over a package of Tasty Bite Jodhpur Lentils. Mix till well incorporated. Pour into a Pyrex casserole dish.
In a snack sized Ziploc baggie I blended (smoosh them a bit how's that for technical cooking terminology... you want fine crumbs) the cheese, onions and seasoning. Sprinkle on top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
I found the lentils at my local Albertson's. I have seen them at Cost Plus World Market too. The link in the recipe is to the companies web site and they have a product finder. If you want an online source here you go, but it's a box of 6. I would use them all... I could see thinning a package out with chicken stock and making lentil soup. Ohh now that needs to happen next chilly day.
Tasty Bite Madras Lentils are a staple in my pantry already.
Snacks: Too much coffee and one of those Pineapple Cottage Cheese Doubles with some of my Spiced Chai Protein Granola crumbled on top. Favorite snack lately.
More Days in my pouch