Tempeh Stir-Fry with Almond Sauce

Once upon a time, Rachel Ray swept the world with her 30 minute meals. Lately, I've noticed that people are trying to break that record with now 20 or even 15 minute meals. It kind of makes me laugh a little.

Okay, enough of my thoughts on time in the kitchen. This little recipe uses an ingredient I have been afraid to use for a long time- tempeh. After having some kitchen losses and never quite grasping how to work with tofu, I didn't even want to mess with its cousin tempeh. Well, I was wrong in thinking this. Tempeh is soooo much easier to work with. Being it is firmer, it does not crumble or fall apart as easily as tofu. The texture is amazing too! I almost had Justin fooled until he looked at the menu on the fridge and asked, "What the heck is tempeh? You're not trying to mess with tofu again are you?" To that I said, "It's just tempeh. Not tofu and don't worry about it." Ha ha ha!!

You can expect more tempeh recipes to come my friends. I heart tempeh. And back to my earlier rant, this meal only took me between 15-20 minutes to make. How's that for a meatless Monday?

Tempeh Stir-Fry with Almond Sauce
inspired by Weight Watchers

Nonstick cooking spray
1 16 oz. bag frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 8 oz. package tempeh, cut into cubes
3 tablespoon gluten-free, reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon smooth almond butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until thawed. Add the tempeh. Cook another 5 minutes or until heated through. Meanwhile, in a small dish whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, almond butter, brown sugar, sriracha sauce, garlic and ginger until smooth. Pour over the vegetables and tempeh. Cook for another 3 minutes or until the sauce begins to slightly thicken. This would be great over rice noodles or hot brown rice.

Lemon Chicken Artichoke Soup

My poor mother has been sick with pneumonia for well over a month now. She called me last week on Wednesday informing me that she might not be able to make it to super sister weekend if she was still under the weather. We were all super disappointed and worried that she might have to go to the hospital. Today, she sent us all a little text that she had been to the doctor and is finally on the mend! I hope she stays well as she has really been through it this winter. It is so hard when your family is away and you can't be there to help out. While I love living here in Kansas City, it is difficult to be away from family and friends. Especially when someone is not feeling well.

They say chicken soup really has no major medicinal purposes. When I saw this soup at Whole Foods, I began to think the contrary. With lemon, veggies, and herbs, I cannot see why this chicken soup version would be anything but medicinal if you were feeling under the weather. I gave my version an even healthier dose by switching out spinach for kale.

I froze some leftovers to send with my mother in hopes that she remains well and can make it this coming weekend for our birthday extravaganza. You know, just to keep her healthy and let her know how much I love her:). Whether you are feeling a cold coming on or just need a little reminder that spring is just around the corner, the lemon and artichokes give this traditional chicken soup a little pick-me-up. It is the perfect soul satisfying soup on a chilly winter night.

Lemon Chicken Artichoke Soup
inspired by Whole Foods

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Zest of one lemon
1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1 clove minced garlic
Juice of one lemon
2 cups kale, finely chopped
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
4 cups reduced sodium, gluten-free chicken broth
1 tablespoon gluten-free chicken base (I used Better Than Bouillon)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons corn starch

Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a large non-stick skillet. Heat to medium-high. While the skillet is heating, season both sides of the chicken breast with the salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Place in the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Using tongs, turn the chicken and cook the other side of the chicken breasts for another 5 minutes or until browned. It is okay if they are not cooked all the way through. They will finish cooking in the soup. Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and set on a plate. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally to pick up any brown bits for 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Add the lemon juice. Stir to pick up any more browned bits and remove from heat.

Place the chicken, vegetables, kale, artichoke hearts, herbes de Provence, and chicken broth into a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cover and set on low. Cook for 5-6 hours. Uncover, shred the chicken using two forks. In a small dish, whisk together the chicken base, water, and corn starch until smooth and combine. Add to the soup mixture. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the soup begins to slightly thicken and serve.

Fun Foods Menu Post

I must say it feels good to be caught up on the blog. If I could I could blog full time, I totally would. Blogging, however, does not currently pay me enough to do so. Maybe someday it will. As I was catching up from last week and shopping for the Bear's Valentine's Day gift Friday, I took a trip to Whole Foods. I absolutely love going to Whole Foods. There are so many things to look at. I didn't have much of an agenda or grocery list. I was looking for inspiration. I knew Saturday, my normal menu planning day, was totally out since the Bear talked me into volunteering for the engineering society's Math Counts event. So, the planning had to get done Friday.

Whole Foods did not disappoint in the inspiration department. I got ideas for an awesome soup that is simmering away in my Crock Pot as we speak. Meatless Monday is planned with a new ingredient I picked up- tempeh. And, I came up with another fun meatball recipe for a great midweek meal. The only problem, I almost came up with too many ideas! I have yet to plan Friday night's meal for my super sister weekend. So, there will be lots more to come this week on A Nickel's Worth of News. Here is the rundown:

Sunday 2/16            Lemon Chicken Artichoke Soup with Parmesan Toast

Monday 2/17          Tempeh Stir-Fry with Almond Sauce

Tuesday 2/18          Leftovers

Wednesday 2/19     Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli

Thursday 2/20         Leftovers

A few of the items you will need:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 lb. ground chicken breast or lean ground turkey breast

1 package center cut bacon

1 8 oz. package tempeh

1 package baby carrots

1 bunch celery

2 yellow or white onions

1 bulb garlic

1 lemon

1 bunch kale

1 bunch green onions

1 bag baby potatoes

1 can quartered artichoke hearts

1 bottle gluten-free buffalo wing sauce (I love Cookies')

1 package gluten-free ranch dressing mix

1 box reduced sodium gluten-free chicken broth

1 jar gluten-free chicken base (I like Better Than Bouillon)

1 bag frozen stir-fry vegetables

1 bag frozen broccoli

Pantry items you will need:

Extra virgin olive oil

Almond butter

Gluten-free soy sauce

Brown sugar
Corn starch

Rice vinegar

Srircha sauce

Ground ginger

Herbes de Provence

Salt

Pepper

Have a great rest of your weekend! I look forward to posting and sharing throughout the week!

Gluten-Free Double Decker Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza

Wow! That was a mouthful to say. Gluten-Free Double Decker Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza. Try saying that five times fast. This was our Valentine's Day meal. With Valentine's Day falling on a Friday, we just didn't feel like fighting the crowd. We did celebrate last night though, with an awesome date night at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Dos Reales is close, reliable, and we can usually drop in and get seating immediately. My kind of place.

Anyway, back to this fabulous pizza. This dish was inspired by Olympic speed skater Shani Davis, a Chicago native. Like Shani, I love deep dish pizza. Believe it or not it is so easy to make your own at home. The trick to making deep dish pizza? A well seasoned cast iron skillet. Something about the cast iron allows the pizza crust to get perfectly golden brown all around the edges while at the same time evenly heating the toppings. If you do not have one, I highly suggest you go and get one now I say!

Ahh...shear decadence! This pizza is loaded with cheese, turkey pepperoni, and more cheese. To cut some of the calories a little, I used fat-free mozzarella and shredded Parmesan. Harder cheeses such as Parmesan pack a ton of flavor for fewer calories. If you are looking for a taste of the windy city at home, you will want to make this pizza.

Gluten-Free Double Decker Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza

1 tablespoon olive oil
Really Good Gluten-Free Pizza crust dough
1 package turkey pepperoni
1 package fat-free mozzarella cheese
1 package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup jarred spaghetti sauce

Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle the olive oil in a 10-inch seasoned cast iron skillet. Using a paper towel, wipe oil all around the bottom of the skillet and up around the edges. Press pizza dough into the bottom of the skillet and one inch up around the edges to form the crust. Layer 1/2 of the pepperoni on the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle 1/2 cup each of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Place the remaining 1/2 of the pepperoni on top of the cheese. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup each of the cheeses over the pepperoni. Ladle the sauce over the cheese. Sprinkle remaining packages of cheese over the sauce. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Spinach-Chicken Alfredo Bake

I swear I have not forgotten about you dear readers. After putting in two 12 hour days for parent-teacher conferences and conducting six IEP meetings, I was spent! I think six IEPs might be a new record for me. I utilized every free minute. In all honesty, I didn't really even celebrate my birthday just because there was not time. Fortunately, next weekend my sisters and I will be getting together for another super sister weekend. I think then I will feel more like I had a birthday:).

When the going gets crazy, there is nothing like feeling prepared in the kitchen. This Spinach-Chicken Alfredo Bake was inspired by the many comments I saw while researching team USA's Olympic stars. Erin Hamlin, J.R. Celski, and several others stated that they eat a lot of spinach and chicken. While spinach and chicken are great on their own, I thought it would be the perfect addition to one of my many make ahead pasta bakes.

This dish is actually better and bakes faster if you make it a day or two ahead of time. There is no need to boil your noodles because they soak up and bake right in the sauce. I find gluten-free pastas actually taste better and hold their shape when prepared in this manner. If you are short on time like myself, this is the perfect comforting dish you can pop in the oven for a great weeknight meal.

Spinach-Chicken Alfredo Bake

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups dried gluten-free penne noodles
2 cups skim milk
4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup shredded or chopped cooked chicken (I used leftovers)
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Spray an 8-inch by 12-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Place pasta in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, cream cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper until the ingredients are combined and the mixture is smooth. Pour the milk mixture over the noodles. Add the spinach and chicken. Toss together until everything is coated. Spread the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to two days until you are ready to bake. When you are ready to bake. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Uncover the dish and let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Give the pasta a little stir. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded Parmesan and place in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Power Quinoa Salad

I am so tickled about this picture! The days are finally getting a little bit longer. Long enough to get some natural light for pictures anyway. This meal is the first on my Olympic themed menu for the week. I hope to get meal two, my Spinach and Chicken Alfredo Bake, posted by Friday after parent-teacher conferences are over. For now, I am happy to share this amazing Power Quinoa Salad. I took some leftovers for lunch today. It has kept me energized and full all afternoon!

As I said in my previous post, the diet of an Olympic athlete is lean, mean, and clean, but also a little mundane in its ingredients (i.e. spinach, chicken, and protein shakes). Aside from the deep dish pizza, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with healthy yet interesting ideas. I was pretty excited when I came across Gretchen Bleiler's favorite snacks while training. According to an interview in Women's Health magazine, she munches on a mix of walnuts, dried mango, and dried goji berries. I can work with this. 

  

To turn Gretchen's trailmix into a meal, I turned it all into a beautiful salad. This colorful salad is packed with Olympian worthy nutrients- protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, and a healthy dose of vitamin C. If you cannot find dried goji berries, cranberries would be another great substitute. I served mine over a bed of spinach with chicken, but it could easily serve as a vegetarian main dish. Simple to throw together, it will keep you fueled for the day!

Power Quinoa Salad

4 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dried mango, diced

1/4 cup dried goji berries

4 oz. crumbled goat cheese

4 tablespoons of your favorite light vinaigrette

In a large mixing bowl, toss all ingredients together until combined. Serve as a side with poultry or over mixed greens for a vegetarian main dish. 

Olympian Worthy Menu Post

Normally, I don't get that jacked up about the Olympics. This year, however, I'm pretty excited. It all started over the last few snow days when I ran out of reading material and started reading Justin's Sports Illustrated magazine. The hype got me thinking, "Hey! Why not have an Olympics theme for the menu this week?" It has been ages since I've done a menu post. After more leisurely research on the internet about some of the USA athletes' favorite foods, I got a pretty stellar menu planned.

The normal diet for an Olympic athlete is pretty lean and clean. Many stated they ate multiple small meals consisting of  nuts, berries, chicken, protein shakes, and spinach. Have no fear! There are no protein shake meals in this week's menu. Yes, there will be chicken, but some of these dishes might actually surprise you. After all, everybody has to splurge sometimes. For example, speed skater Shani Davis loves his native Chicago deep dish pizza. So, I had to put my gluten-free recipe on the menu. This menu is simple, short, and sweet since I will be putting in two 12 hour days for parent-teacher conferences. The beauty of it all? Almost everything will be prepped ahead and I plan on using leftover chicken from Sunday in the Alfredo bake. In honor of team USA, let the winter games in my kitchen begin!

Sunday 2/9            Roasted Chicken with Power Quinoa Salad

Monday 2/10        Leftovers

Tuesday 2/11        Spinach and Chicken Alfredo Bake

Wednesday 2/12   Leftovers

Thursday 2/13       On your own night for the Bear

Friday 2/14 or       GF Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza
Saturday 2/15

A few of the items you will need to make this all happen:

1 whole chicken
1 package turkey pepperoni
1 shallot
1 bulb garlic
2 lemons
1 bag spinach
1 bag dried mango
1 bag dried goji berries (if you cannot find goji berries, cranberries will do)
1 small bag chopped walnuts (about 1/2 cup)
1 box dried quinoa (or 1 cup from the bulk section of your store)
1 box dried gluten-free penne pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 container grated Parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded Parmesan cheese
4 oz. goat cheese
1 8 oz. box 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 quart skim milk

Pantry items you will need:

Extra virgin olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
1 package dried instant yeast
Gluten-free flour
Oats
Herbs de Provence or dried Italian herbs
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper