Nut-Free Vegan Pesto Sauce

I happened across nutritional yeast at the grocery store over the weekend and remembered seeing it featured in a recent Women’s Health Magazine article. So I grabbed it, did a quick Wikipedia search and decided to give it a whirl as a parmesan and pine nut substitue in pesto sauce! I absolutely love pesto sauce and though it is nutritious it is quite high in calories. Nutritional yeast sports a cheesy and nutty flavour making it the perfect substituting for parmesan and pine nuts, slashing the pesto’s calories and fat.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.
• Throw it over pasta, pizza dough or on a sandwich and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 1 cup.

Per tbsp: 37 calories, 1 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 3 g fat, 1 g protein, 0 g fibre

Orange-Ginger Broiled Salmon with Massaged Kale & Edamame Salad

Yum yum yum, this dinner was a total winner. I’m not sure it gets much healthier or nutrient-packed than salmon, kale and edamame.

Orange-Ginger Salmon

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 hoisin sauce (look for an MSG-free variety)
• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 4 boneless skinless salmon fillets

DIRECTIONS

• Whisk together orange juice, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, orange zest and pepper flakes in a small bowl.
• Place salmon and marinade in a large ziplock bag, seal and turn to coat salmon in marinade.
• Refrigerate salmon for at least 30 minutes.
• Prepare salad (below) while fish marinates.
• Remove salmon from refrigerator and arrange on baking sheet sprayed in oil. Broil fish on high for 8 minutes.
• Serve over salad and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving (salmon only): 253 calories, 11 g carbs, 9 g fat, 29 g protein, 1 g fibre

Massaged Kale & Edamame Salad

I won’t post the recipe for this salad on my blog as it is courteous of The Taste Space. Please visit the post here to see this awesome accompaniment to the orange-ginger salmon.

I will add though that I forgot to add the 1 tbsp of sweetener (agave) and found the dressing really didn’t need it, which is perfect in my opinion, as I’m not a fan of agave for health reasons – it being hard on the liver and linked to cardiovascular disease.

Chili Lime Tofu Stir-Fry

Yesterday was National Pita Day according to Extreme Pita (half price pitas all day with proceeds going towards the Heart & Stroke Foundation) so Dave and I resolved to eat pitas for all three of our meals. Sadly our plan was foiled as upon arrival for the final pita of the day we are greeted by a glowing neon “CLOSED” sign. Still hungry and not willing to sink to Subway for dinner, I had to improvise with what little was left in the fridge at home… and it turned out great!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 inch ginger, thinly sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 cups sliced white mushrooms
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced
• 1/2 head red cabbage, sliced
• 1 package (350 g) extra firm tofu, cubed
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic, ginger, onion for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, peppers and cabbage and cook until peppers and cabbage soften.
• Add tofu, quinoa, chili flakes, lime juice and soy sauce and stir for 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving:

Calories 245

Carbs 25 g

Sugars 6 g

Fat 11 g

Protein 16 g

Fibre 5 g

Crustless Roasted Pepper Potato Quiche and Baked Asparagus

Though I absolutely adore eggs, I never make them in the morning as Dave and I make the most amazing steel cut oats breakfast EVER (so good we can’t go a day without them – I’ll post the recipe some day), so I’ve had to incorporate quiches and frittatas into the dinner menu instead!

This one was a bit of work dealing with the peppers, but so worth it in the end!

INGREDIENTS

For the quiche:

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and halved
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and halved
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp mined garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium potatoes, sliced 1/4″ thick
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup 2% evaporated milk
• 1 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese

For the asparagus:

• 1 bunch asparagus spears
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Quiche:

• Place peppers inside down on baking sheet sprayed in cooking oil. Toss onions and garlic in olive oil and distribute over another baking sheet sprayed in cooking oil.
• Broil on high (onions for 5 minutes, peppers until charred and blistered – careful with this: I set off my smoke detector! Open some windows I guess…). Remove onions from oven and set aside in medium bowl.
• Set oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Removed peppers from oven and let cool until safe to touch. Peel off skin with parring knife and slice peppers into thin strips. Mix peppers in with onions.
• Steam potatoes for 10-12 minutes until cooked through.
• Assemble quiche: layer half the potatoes on bottom of quiche pan sprayed in cooking oil, followed by half onion pepper mixture and half cheese. Repeat.
• Whisk eggs and milk together and pour over quiche.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Asparagus:

• While quiche is cooking, toss asparagus, oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper together and arrange on baking sheet.
• With 10 minutes left on quiche cooktime add asparagus to oven. Flip asparagus after 10 minutes when removing quiche. Let cook for 10 more minutes while quiche cools. Serve quiche and asparagus together and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 4 servings of quiche.

Per serving:

Calories 289

Carbs 30 g

Sugars 8 g

Fat 11 g

Protein 19 g

Fiber 4 g

Chicken en Papillote with Garden Vegetables

Flipping through a recent edition of Women’s Health Magazine I decided to try this recipe out for the simple reason that it’s a whole meal cooked in one clean convenient package.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lemon, sliced thinly
• 1 medium zucchini, halved and cut into 1 inch segments
• 16 baby carrots
• 16 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 16 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 16 slices of white mushrooms
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place each chicken breast in the centre of a 14-inch square piece of parchment paper. Layer lemon, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms and basil evenly over each breast. Sprinkle each breast with wine and olive oil.
• Fold parchment paper to close and arrange packages on baking sheet. Bake 14 to 16 minutes (or longer depending on size of breasts).
• Place each package on dinner plate and serve closed.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving:

Calories 360

Carbs 13 g

Fat 12 g

Protein 41 g

Fiber 5 g

Turkey Tacos

Turkey tacos are a definite go-to meal for me when I don’t have a ton of time or I’m exhausted from a long day. Super quick to whip up and insanely delicious for the effort.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 package ground turkey (about 200 g)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup medium salsa

DIRECTIONS

• Warm olive oil over medium heat in medium frying pan.
• Saute onions for 2 minutes. Add ground turkey and chili powder, and cook until no longer pink, breaking up large chunks.
• Add black beans and medium salsa, cook for 2 minutes.
• Serve over whole wheat tortillas, topped with greek yogurt, sliced red peppers, sliced avocado, cheddar cheese, tobasco, or anything you like!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 2 large servings.

Per serving (excluding tortilla and garnishes):

Calories 300

Carbs 24g

Sugar 8g

Fat 13g

Protein 26 g

Fiber 6g

Veggie Feta Frittata

My mother recently gave me The Looneyspoons Collection for my birthday and I’ve been absolutely LOVING it! Expect most of my upcoming posts to come from Janet and Greta.

Eggs for dinner!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced red onions
• 1 tsp mined garlic
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped mushroom
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 8 large eggs lightly beaten (feel free to use egg whites)
• 1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese (57g)
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 10-inch non-stick frying pan (make sure you have a cover to fit it). Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions soften (about 2 mintes). Add red bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in oregano and thyme and cook for another minute.
• Reduce heat to low and pour in beaten eggs. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle feta cheese evenly over the top. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. Make sure you check the progress part way through – I didn’t have my heat up high enough to start so it didn’t cook after 10 minutes.
• After cooked through, remove from heat and serve hot.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Makes 4 servings. Per serving:

Calories 219

Carbs 5g

Sugar 2g

Fat 16g

Protein 15 g

Fiber 1g