Get Your Greens!

What a great week of cooking! Three easy, healthy recipes really hit it out of the park for me. I'll definitely be stealing a few of these techniques and flavors for more weeknight menus.

And I have to give the credit to Real Simple and their "Green is Good" Feb. 2013 feature. I had forgotten how much I LOVE sauteed spinach, kale, all those leafy greens! And if you're not usually a cauliflower fan, try roasting it for 20 minutes, it releases a meaty, slightly buttery flavor when toasted.

Here's what you'll need:
1/4 c. pine nuts
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets (you can also buy pre-cut florets, if you're really crunched on time)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 T olive oil
1/4 c tahini (sesame seed paste; I couldn't find tahini, so I actually used a teriyaki marinade in my dressing, and added less water)
3 T fresh lemon juice (I ended up using a bit more than 3T)
10 c. stemmed and chopped kale or torn escarole
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c raisins

Heat over to 350 and toast the pine nuts on a baking sheet until golden, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Increase heat to 450. On the baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the cayenne, 2 T of oil, 1/2 t. salt, and 1/4 t. black pepper. Roast, tossing half way, until golden, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together tahini (or marinade of choice), lemon juice, 2 T oil, 1/2 c. water, and 1/4 t each salt and black pepper. You can add more water until you achieve a creamy consistency, if using thicker tahini. Add the kale, onions, raisins, pine nuts, and cauliflower and toss to combine.

This salad was super healthy and surprisingly filling. It also held up for lunch the next day. Boyfriend was a BIG fan, too. Always an important critique from him ;) Enjoy!

Recipe HiLite: Veggie Tacos

This past week, the first full week of the new year, got me back on my cooking schedule, and thank god, because eating out for lunch and dinner all last week was making me feel blah...

I usually try to cook at least three nights during the week, and both nights of the weekend, unless we're going out for dinner. Cooking three nights per week is usually enough to provide me and boyfriend with food for lunch and dinner of leftovers when we work late.

This past week's menu included:

• Rotisserie Chicken and brussel sprouts w/ bacon and apple
• Portobello and zucchini tacos
• Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

And the winner of the week, hands down, are Martha Stewart's Portobello and Zucchini Tacos. Quick, easy, delicious, and most importantly for the new year, healthy!

Just a few minutes chopping up some onion, portobello mushrooms, and zucchinis is all you need.

I straightened up the kitchen while the veggies roasted, and then tossed them all in soft taco shells. I topped our tacos with some cheese and a bit of Greek yogurt, but that wasn't even needed, they would have been tasty without the add-ons. And if we get bored with leftover tacos, we can always used the roasted zucchini and mushrooms in a salad, on a sandwich, or tossed with eggs for breakfast.

These veggie tacos were super quick and easy for a week night meal and were surprisingly filling. I planned on both of us eating two tacos, but they we only needed one each. 

Enjoy!