Iron Chef West Hollywood, Part 4

I can't believe how many recipes I have yet to post! There are still some from The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad plus at least one picnic! Today's post was a recent dinner Katie and I made. It was not completely Iron Chef style like we've done in the past but we did still somewhat throw it together.

Meatless Meatballs and Vegetable Saute

8 meatless meatballs

10 baby zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup frozen leeks

1/4 cup white onion

1/4 cup red onion

1 tablespoon garlic

dried rosemary

coarse sea salt

Trader Joe's Flower Pepper

garlic olive oil

parmesan cheese

cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta

1. Saute onion and leeks in a bit of water to help soften.

2. When onions start to look clear, add baby zucchini and garlic and continue to saute until zucchini softens. Add more water if needed.

3. Microwave meatless meatballs per package instructions.

4. Add rosemary, salt and flower pepper to vegetable mixture to taste.

5. Add meatless meatballs to vegetable mixture.

6. Top brown rice or whole wheat pasta (we used rice) with meatballs and vegetable mixture.

7. Drizzle with garlic olive oil and top with parmesan cheese.

Trader Joe's Kale Salad Knock Off

Note - This is a knock off of a new salad that Trader Joe's is carrying. It sounded so good but the dressing had so many calories that I figured I should just try to make it myself! The original doesn't include avocado and does include almonds but I made the substitutions based on what I had at my house. I have made it again with wasabi almonds and it was also delish!

4 cups of kale

1/2 cup edamame, shelled

1/2 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon garlic olive oil

1/8 cup fresh lemon juice

coarse sea salt, to taste

1. Combine kale, edamame, avocado, cranberries, (& almonds if you desire).

2. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, garlic olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

3. Top kale salad with dressing and mix well to coat the entire salad. The dressing is really thick so it will take a minute or so to combine properly.

The Bachelorette Dinner, Part 5

Yes, the most recent season of The Bachelorette is over (thank goodness) but there are still some delightful dishes to share! This particular week we supplemented our homemade dishes with Trader Joe's Balsamic Rosemary Chicken. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it for a quick and delicious dinner.

Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

3 cups kale, chopped

1/2 cup edamame, shelled

1/2 cup garbanzo beans

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced & pitted

1 green onion sliced

1/4 cup fennel seed

handful parsley, chopped

Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, roasted

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.

2. Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Just prior to serving, add a little water to dressing while stirring constantly to thin out.

3. Top with dressing and mix well.

Caprese Style Couscous

1 cup whole wheat couscous

20 mini heirloom tomatoes

1/3 cup fat free feta

6 large basil leaves, chiffonade

splash olive oil

sea salt

ground pepper

1. Cook couscous according to package instructions. Allow to cool.

2. Cut up heirloom tomatoes into small pieces.

3. Combine couscous, tomatoes, feta and basil.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stir and serve.