Gluten-free Shaved Zucchini Pasta Salad
PIN IT!I don’t often share “negative” comments on my blog posts because I don’t like to remind myself that they exist. However, guys, I had one comment a few months ago that is just too funny not to share. “You dont put avocados on brunswick stew you californian fu**.” This was posted in response to my chicken brunswick stew recipe.
I literally laughed out loud when I read that. For one, I’m not from California? I’m a Midwestern girl, through and through. And two, I live in Virginia? So I’m quite familiar with Brunswick stew. And three, it’s just a garnish, I never thought a simple garnish could cause such a ruckus? I’ve never seen such an adverse reaction to an avocado! Moving on from that, I am bursting at the seams to share today’s gluten-free shaved zucchini pasta salad recipe. And Mike, don’t worry, there are NO avocados anywhere in sight.
I’m utterly, completely, head over heels IN SWEET AMORE with this recipe. If I could pick up the phone and call each and every one of you right now to gush about this gluten-free shaved zucchini pasta salad, I would. I would dance with it, kiss it on the face, marry it in front of all to see! I’d take it on a romantic beach vacation, buy it a Ferrari, take it shopping on Rodeo Drive. If I could, I’d attach this salad to my side so it would NEVER EVER LEAVE ME.
Guys, it’s that freakin’ good. Not only that, it only has 5 grams of carbohydrates per serving and absolutely NO gluten! It’s the perfect Memorial Day side dish because it’s great for anyone, even those who are vegetarians, vegans and on a gluten-free diet!
In addition to traveling and packing, I’ve been knee deep in cookbook planning. This means I’m jotting down every demented, hair brain, CRAZY recipe I can think of in hopes it’ll turn out delicious (and under 300 calories) when I make it. As soon as this salad passed my lips, I knew it was going in the book. Of course, it’ll be slightly different, but this will be in there. I need everyone in the world to make this and then never make anything again.
Guys, IT’S REALLY THAT GOOD. Be sure to check out the AMAZING recipe here on Fabulous Foods!
Nutritional information per serving (about 1/2 cup):
Calories: 151.3
Fat: 13 grams
Carbohydrates: 5.8 grams
Fiber: >1 gram
Protein: 2.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Muffins
My husband and I are knee-deep in the moving process. Like, we move next week and my entire life is now being thrown into large boxes with the word “fragile” written on them. All of my clothes are on the floor, organized (I say that word loosely) in seasonal piles. My dishes are packed, my kitchen a wreck, my living room now bare with holes where my art once hung. Even though we’ll miss this little place, we’re looking forward to our new place right in the hustle and bustle of the city (well, small city) and can’t wait to save to buy our own house! Even if my life is packed, I’m still cooking and baking. Whipping up these sweet potato cinnamon muffins this morning gave me a glimpse of normal, and when I’m living out of suitcases and boxes, normal is such an incredible feeling.
Vegetables in muffins, it’s a strange thought, I know. But, I did put a salad in a cupcake so you can’t be too surprised by this. I really have no idea where/when/why I got this idea, but by golly gee whiz am I glad I did. One of these spicy, sweet, earthy muffins right out of the oven with a slab of butter is literally orgasmic. I stood over the oven with a hot, HOT muffin in my hands, butter dripping onto the floor, taking slow bites, savoring each bit. It was a rare moment of peace in an ever so hectic life.
Not only is moving stressful, but our landlord has decided it would be fun to come show the house whenever he feels like it. As in, he doesn’t call. He just shows up. Which is more to his detriment than mine because the house is a complete mess, the kitchen is piled high with dishes and oscar is growling and yelping at everyone. If I walked into a house wishing to rent it and it looked like mine does right now, I’d bolt the hell right out of there. Even if it did smell like cinnamon sugar muffins.
Speaking of, I hope the randoms who come by to see the house today don’t think the muffins are for them. Because I’ll fight them to the death if they try to touch them. Once you have one, you’ll see why.
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Muffins
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields 12 muffins. Slightly adapted from Taste of Home.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Cook time: About 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cold mashed sweet potato (no milk or butter added)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
- Dash of salt
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons egg beaters (or 1/2 egg)
- 1/3 cup cinnamon applesauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, soft
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cinnamon roll icing for the glaze
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
- Beat the butter, applesauce, egg beaters, vanilla and sweet potatoes together. Add sugar gradually, beating after each addition. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. Gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, beating after each addition, until batter is moistened.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill each liner about 2/3 the way full with batter. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. Let cool slightly on a wire cooling rack.
- Once cooled, top with icing and nuts. Enjoy immediately.
Nutritional information per muffin (with one tablespoon icing & sprinkle of nuts)
Calories: 141.67
Fat: 4.1 grams
Carbohydrates: 7.4 grams
Fiber: 0.5 grams
Protein: 1.16 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 2
Salmon & Kale Quinoa Salad
Life, it’s one funny SOB. Three days ago I was sitting on the streets of Cannes, sipping a French cafe, eating a flaky, buttery croissant. The sun was beaming down on my shoulders and I was so unbelievably happy I felt like I could explode. Then two days ago I was sitting first class on a flight back from Nice, right next to Sasha Baron Cohen, sipping free champagne, laughing about life.
And then flash forward to today. I’m eating $2 donuts from the store, crying because I can’t log into my stupid Twitter account, sitting amongst piles of boxes and clutter since we’re moving out in two weeks. Can I go back to my life just a few days ago? Because the one I’m in right now sort of…blows. But, that’s what keeps things exciting I suppose. If my life was all diamonds, trips and rose I guess I’d eventually get sick of it. (Or so I tell myself, I’m pretty sure I’d adjust just fine). The one thing I’m happy to be back to though is healthy food. I don’t know how the French stay so svelte because all they eat is steak, fries and croissants and drink ATON of red wine. I think I’ll need to eat one salmon & kale quinoa salad everyday until I move to Paris just so I can offset all of the weight I’ll gain living there.
I made an entire batch of this (enough to easily feed 6) and I’m sure I ate 4 servings myself. Fun of fiber, healthy fats and protein, this stuff is as healthy as it is freakin’ delicious.
Can we talk about France again? The one thing I noticed is that they don’t have a ton of grains, like quinoa, barley, rice, on their menus. Even when I was in Paris, all I saw were mostly pastas, breads, meats and salads. I’m sure they have quinoa hiding somewhere in their world, but it’s not very obvious to me. When the day comes that I move (notice I say WHEN and not IF), I’m going to have to beg Bob to send me boxes upon boxes just so I can satisfy my obsession with this superfood.
The great thing about this salad is that you can sub in whatever you want in place of what I have. If you don’t like salmon, add tuna or shrimp. Replace the kale with any other vegetable. It really doesn’t matter. No matter how you eat it, it’ll taste amazing.
It’s no croissant but it’ll do.
Salmon & Kale Quinoa Salad
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 6.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the salad:
- 8.5 ounces salmon filet, cooked and shredded
- About 4 cups kale leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) artichoke hearts, chopped
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- About 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Bring the four cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa. Lower heat and cover and cook for about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring sporadically, until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until slightly fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add kale leaves and cook until wilted, about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir into the quinoa. Add fish, chopped artichokes, pine nuts and cheese, stir to combine.
- To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, olive oil, honey and salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and mix to combine. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information per 1/2 cup:
Calories: 312
Fat: 12.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 30.1 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 16 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Claire
Tags:healthy quinoa recipes, low fat recipes, low fat salad recipes, quinoa recipes, quinoa salad recipes
Warm Crab & Artichoke Dip
Whenever I make dips, I break out into this song.
And I don’t just sing it along in my head when I’m mixing it up, I actually do the song. I dip, guys, I really dip. So, this morning, when this warm crab & artichoke dip was ready to bake, I sure did a little bend, wiggle and squat while I was sliding it into the oven. It’s Monday, if you don’t have a little sense of humor the day will eat your soul right out of your body.
BUT CRAB! My favorite crustaceon. As much as I love it, I’ve never made a recipe on here for you guys! For one, my husband is allergic to seafood. (Iknowright?!) Two, it’s often pretty expensive. Like $15 for a small 4 ounce tub expensive. If I’m going to pay that much for 4 ounces of something, it better get me buzzed and/or make me a sandwich.
The food god’s must have been smiling down on me last week though because crab was on major sale at the store so I stocked up. Before I even got home I knew I was going to make a warm, bubbly, gooey hot dip with it. It’s not exactly “summer” food, or super seasonal, or perfect for any upcoming holidays, it’s just what I wanted. But really, who needs an occasion to eat a few tablespoons of this extra cheesy warm crab & artichoke dip? Because I don’t.
To shave off some fat and calories, I used nonfat Chobani Greek yogurt in place of mayo, subbed in low-fat cream cheese for parmesan and added a few heart healthy pine nuts for some added crunch. Instead of regular chips or bread, I paired the dip with Lentil Crackers, which are gluten-free and pretty amazing.
To flavor it I added just a dash of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. If there’s one thing I learned from my cooking experience with Michelle Bernstein last week it’s this: keep it simple, but elegant. Make it taste like it took you 6x the amount of time it did. I won’t even tell you how long this dip took. I’ll just let you sit there thinking I spent hours getting it to bubble and brown like it did. I’m just SO talented, right? (I kid, I kid).
Warm Crab & Artichoke Dip
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 4.
Prep time: >5 minutes
Cook time: About 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup nonfat Chobani Greek yogurt
- 4 ounces shredded crabmeat (fresh, not imitation)
- 4 ounces chopped artichoke hearts
- 1 ounce low-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- About 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a bowl, mix the yogurt, crabmeat, artichokes, cream cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper and oregano. Stir to combine.
- Scoop dip into a mini cocotte or ramekin. Sprinkle the top with pine nuts and olive oil. Bake for about 13 – 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Nutritional information per serving (about 1 1/2 tablespoons):
Calories: 76
Fat: 3 grams
Carbohydrates: 4 grams
Fiber: 2.5 grams
Protein: 8 grams
Weight Watchers: 2
Prosciutto & Asparagus Canapés
If I could hang out with my Mom this Mother’s Day, these prosciutto & asparagus canapés would definitely be on our menu for the day. Like my mom, they aren’t complicated or flashy. They are fun, pretty, slightly fancy. They are full of colorful layers, each with their own complexity of flavor. Each with their own story. They instantly brighten up any room, any menu, any party. They are everyone’s favorite. Like my mom, these canapes are just freakin’ fabulous.
This is another year I won’t be able to spend Mother’s Day with my favorite life of the party. But that doesn’t mean I still won’t give thanks to the lovely lady who taught me all about food and dealt with my oh-so-dramatic teenage years. (Trust me, they weren’t pretty). The lady who spent the week with me in Paris and who is the most selfless person I’ve ever met. The one who supports every decision I make, even if it’s not one she agrees with or one that makes absolutely no sense at the time (move to attend college in Georgia where I didn’t know a soul). She’s always telling me how proud she is of me, never criticizes, never tells me what I’m doing is wrong. She’s always there, providing unconditional love. If I turn out to be half the person she is, I’ve succeeded in life.
This is exactly the kind of dish my mom would love, too. For one, she loves hearty apps, especially ones with a little depth. She loves prosciutto because it reminds her of our big family trip to Italy. And asparagus, really, who doesn’t love that? This is one she’d call to tell me she’s making because they sound just that good.
Mom, here’s to you. Here’s an appetizer that is as fun, as beautiful, as fancy and flavorful as you are. Wish we could be enjoying it porch side with a bottle of vino!
Prosciutto & Asparagus Canapés
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 6.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Cook time: >10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 pieces thinly-sliced Italian or French bread
- 6 pieces thinly-cut prosciutto
- 6 slices part skim white cheese (we used provolone)
- 24 pieces of roasted asparagus, stems cut
- Liberal dashes of salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the slices of bread on the foil. Put each slice of cheese on the slices of bread. Bake the cheese and bread for 12 minutes or until melted and gooey.
- Arrange four spears of asparagus over the cheese. Top with the prosciutto, salt and pepper. Serve warm and enjoy!
Nutritional information per canapé:
Calories: 232
Fat: 9.2 grams
Carbohydrates: 18.3 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Protein: 16.6 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 6
