Day #278 - Mediterranean Wrap

It's Friday!  And I didn't feel like cooking!!    So I ran into Tommy's Good Eats on my way home from work, and bought a Mediterranean Wrap.   Grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, olives, Greek dressing, Feta cheese, and hummus spread on a tortilla wrap.  
(I did forgo the potato chips this time, and had fruit for dessert!)

Day #277 - Strip Steak and Sauteed Vegetables

Tonight I made a pan-seared strip steak with sauteed vegetables, served over a bed of brown rice.

I found a nice piece of strip steak on special at the grocery store tonight.  I coated the steak with Espresso Steak Rub, and let it come to room temperature on the counter for a mini-marinate as I waited for my saute pan to preheat.   Once the pan was nice and hot, I added the steak and seared it for about 6 minutes on each side.   I removed the steak from the pan to rest, added a little olive oil to the pan, and then sauteed my vegetables (frozen snap peas and yellow squash strips).

After the vegetables were cooked, I sliced my steak into strips, and then piled the vegetables and steak atop a serving of brown rice.

Day #276 - Autumn Grilled Cheese

As you may have noticed, I've been sneaking canned pumpkin into a few dishes lately.   That's because even the smallest can of pumpkin (which I bought when I had a craving for pumpkin dessert) will last quite a while when you aren't actually baking with it.

Tonight I took a little of that canned pumpkin, smeared it on two slices of multigrain bread, topped it with layers of deli turkey and cheddar cheese, and grilled it to perfection.    It was a nice little accent to what otherwise would be a boring sandwich.

Day #275 - "Healthy" Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Chicken Broccoli Casserole is one of those fall/winter comfort foods that my mom would make for us growing up.  I wanted to find a way to make a lighter version of it.  And this is what I came up with...

I started by chopping two large chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks, and browning them in a large skillet.   I then chopped up a large head of broccoli (discarding the main stem/stalk), and added it to the skillet

For the sauce, I whisked together 1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 1/4 cup skim milk, and 3/4 cup chicken stock. 

Once the broccoli had begun to tenderize, I poured in the sauce, seasoned with crushed black pepper and a little salt, and cooked, covered, over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.   I then stirred in 2 cups of leftover brown rice (I made a huge portion of it last night, and kept the leftovers in the fridge), a generous handful of shredded cheddar cheese, and cooked over low heat for another 5-10 minutes, until the rice was fully reheated and the cheese had melted.

The casserole turned out as well as I had hoped.  The combination of ricotta and cheddar cheeses helped mask some of  the pumpkin flavor.   It was cheesy and creamy and comforting!

Day #274 - Quick Pork "Ragu"

I'm calling this dish a "Quick Pork Ragout," mostly because "Leftover chopped pork mixed with tomatoes" doesn't have the best ring to it.  But that's what it is.

Traditional Italian Pork Ragu (Ragout?) is a long, slow-cooked, Sunday-supper dish. 

For my imitation dish, I took the last few Autumn Harvest Pork Roll-ups from my fridge, diced them finely, threw it in a saucepan with a can of diced stewed tomatoes, and let this whole mixture simmer on the stove until heated through.   I served it over a bed of brown rice, with a side of steamed broccoli.



And since we are talking about Autumn... one of the flavors that comes to mind is pumpkin.   Pumpkin is everywhere at this time of year.   So I whipped up this light dessert for myself:

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a few dashes of pumpkin pie spices, blended together fully.  Enjoyed with a sprinkle of chopped pecans on top.    All the flavors of pumpkin pie, just with a healthier twist.

Day #273 - Weekend Getaway, Part 3

My last day in Kansas City.

Our group met up one last time in the morning for breakfast, before everyone started getting on the road and heading home.   By lunchtime, there were only four of us remaining.    We decided to head to Ruby Tuesday for their Sunday Brunch.

My brunch began with a delicious Berry Good Yogurt Parfait (vanilla yogurt, mixed berries, and crunchy granola), served in a martini glass:

For my main course, I ordered the Mini Steak Benedicts - Seared petite sirloin served on toasted buns with fresh lettuce, tomato, cheesy scrambled eggs, and topped with Hollandaise sauce.    It was served with crispy brunch potatoes on the side. 

It was something different, but very good!   I wasn't sure if the combination of traditional Eggs Benedict would pair with the steak, lettuce, and tomato, but I was pleasantly surprised.  


 I had an afternoon flight home from KC, and was pretty worn out by the time I got back to my apartment.  So dinner was a quick simple one - PB&J on a whole grain sandwich round, and a serving of cottage cheese:

What a weekend!    Back to normal food postings tomorrow. 

Day #272 - Weekend Getaway, Part 2

Today I'm still in Kansas City for my scrapbooking weekend.  We spent most of the day just hanging out and playing with our laptops. For lunch, we all walked next door to Wendy's and grabbed some food to bring back to the hotel.  I ordered half of an Apple Pecan Chicken Salad, and a small value order of Chicken Nuggets.   But no photo of that for you today.


This evening, our group headed over to the Zona Rosa Shopping Center for a photo walk / scavenger hunt.   We were given eight photography tasks, and had to find situations/photos for each one.   After walking for an hour or so, we had all worked up quite an appetite.   For dinner, we dined at Smokehouse Bar-B-Que.

I ordered the Porker Sandwich - a giant serving of tender pulled pork served on a toasted, corn-dusted bun.
I also substituted a small garden salad with balsamic dressing in place of the french fries.     The sandwich was loaded with pulled pork!  Loaded!! About halfway through the sandwich, I abandoned the bun entirely and just ate the pork with my fork.  Even still, I couldn't finish it all.