The Bachelor Dinner, Part 8

I know it has been well over a month since The Bachelor wrapped and I still have yet to share all of our dinner recipes. I figured I had better get with it since The Bachelorette starts on Monday! Also, since these meals took place in January, my memory is starting to slip. For the sake of time and interest level, I will include all of the missing items (that I can remember) in one post. Please note that while we are giant pigs, we did not eat everything in one sitting. These are probably some of the easiest items we made all season and guess where I did nearly all of the shopping - that's right - Trader Joe's.

Roasted Chicken Patties with Onions & Feta

1 Package/2 Trader Joe's Roasted Chicken Patties

1/2 Cup Trader Joe's Balsamic Glazed Grilled Sweet Onions (approximate amount) - alternate recipe available here.

1/4 Cup Trader Joe's Fat Free Feta

Chives - optional garnish

1. Heat chicken patties per instructions. If using fresh ground chicken, prepare as desired.

2. Heat balsamic onions in microwave per instructions. If making from scratch, prepare according to directions available here.

3. Top chicken patties with onions. Sprinkle feta on top.

4. Garnish with chopped chives if desired.

We enjoyed our chicken patties on a plate but I think this would be equally good on a roll. Our sides this evening included a salad and Trader Joe's Sun-dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Basil Olive Oil.

Turkey Bolognese with Meatballs

1 Package Trader Joe's Turkey Bolognese "Just Sauce"

4-6 Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs

Whole Wheat Pasta (You choose the shape and amount. I tend to use fettuccine or fusilli and no more than 3/4 cup cooked per person.)

Shaved Parmesan Cheese - optional garnish

1. Cook pasta to desired level of doneness. Drain and set aside.

2. When pasta is nearly done cooking, begin heating bolognese sauce. I use the microwave instructions and find that it takes a bit longer than stated on the box. Be prepared to adjust to work with your microwave.

3. Once the bolognese sauce is heated, heat the desired number of turkey meatballs. Again, I use the microwave for both items but the stove top is also an option.

4. Place pasta on plate, top with meatballs and finish with bolognese sauce.

5. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.

This very filling (and quite possibly the easiest) meal with accompanied by an arugula salad and homemade garlic bread made with roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese.

So there probably will not be a menu for the premiere of The Bachelorette next week due to some scheduling challenges but new Monday dinner recipes will be back soon! If you have ideas or suggestions of things you would like us to try and make simple & healthy, let me know!

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 7

The Bachelor may be over for the season but that doesn't mean that the fabulous and easy meals need to stop! I have a few menus from earlier in the season to share until The Bachelorette starts in May.

Open Face Chicken BLT

Ciabatta Rolls

Chicken Breast

Bacon

Arugula

Tomato

Olive Oil

Garlic Spread (This was from the farmers market so if not available use a garlic aioli instead.)

1. Cook chicken and bacon in your preferred style. We cooked the chicken in a grill pan and the bacon on a baking sheet in the oven.

2. As the meats finish cooking, place ciabatta rolls in the oven to warm and lightly toast. Note: You are only using half a roll per person as this is an open face sandwich.

3. Spread rolls with garlic spread and begin assembling the sandwich. Chicken, bacon, tomato, and arugula.

4. Top with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bruschetta Quinoa Salad

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Chicken Broth (Vegetable Broth or Water can be substituted)

1/2 Container Bruschetta Sauce from Trader Joe's (Diced tomatoes, garlic, basil & olive oil can be substituted)

Mini Sweet Bell Peppers

Cucumber

1. Prepare quinoa with chicken broth in either a rice cooker or on the stove according to package directions. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Dice mini sweet bell peppers and cucumber. Quantities will vary based on size and desired taste. It is better to start out with less and add more to taste. We used approximately 3 peppers and 2/3 a cucumber. Add to cooled quinoa.

3. Using a slotted spoon, add bruschetta sauce to cooled quinoa. Stir.

4. Taste and adjust quantities of add-ins as needed.

Makes approximately 8 side servings.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of these dishes but they are pretty simple. The great thing about the quinoa salad is that it keeps for days. You can make it at the beginning of the week and enjoy it as a side with a variety of other meals.

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 6

So this week was the finale of this season of The Bachelor so we decided to go all out for our last dinner of the season. What we came up with was a healthy menu with strong herbal and Asian influences.

Thai Basil Crusted Chicken

Thai Basil Sea Salt

Chicken Breast (single cut breasts are better than the double cut as they will cook more quickly without getting too browned)

1. Cover each side of the each chicken breast with a light coating of the Thai Basil Sea Salt.

2. Let sit at least 20 minutes.

3. Grill until done or if cooking inside use a grill pan for best results.

The Thai Basil Sea Salt was amazing and we plan to experiment with it and other meats too. I think it would also be great on tofu.

Quinoa Salad

2 Cups Chicken Broth (Vegetable Broth or Water can be substituted)

1 Cup Quinoa

1 Clove Garlic, chopped

1 Carrot

2 Celery Stalks

2 Sprigs of Green Onion

1/2 Red Pepper

Handful of Baby Heirloom Tomatoes (Cherry Tomatoes can be substituted)

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1.5 Limes, juice only

Cilantro, Basil, Mint, Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Prepare quinoa with chicken broth and garlic in either a rice cooker or on the stove according to package directions. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Dice carrot, celery, green onion, and red pepper. Add to cooled quinoa.

3. Thinly slice tomatoes. Add to cooled quinoa.

4. Finely cut up cilantro, basil and mint. Add to cooled quinoa.

5. Add olive oil and lime juice to quinoa and vegetable mixture. Stir.

6. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Makes at least 8 side servings.

Sauteed Bok Choy, Broccolini & Green Cabbage

Equal amounts of Bok Choy, Broccolini, & Green Cabbage

12 Cloves Garlic

Grapeseed Oil (another oil can be substituted if need be)

Toasted Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds

1. Saute bok choy, broccolini, green cabbage and garlic in an appropriate amount of grapeseed oil.

2. When vegetables are nearly done, add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and the sesame seeds.

Very Herby Salad

1 Bag of Herb Salad from Trader Joe's (If this salad is not available, use regular mixed greens and add cilantro, parsley and dill)

5-7 Basil leaves, finely chopped

4-6 Chives, finely chopped

Lavender Herb Dressing

Fresh shaved Parmesan, optional

1. Empty Herb Salad into a large bowl.

2. Add basil and chives.

3. Add parmesan if you wish.

4. Add dressing and toss.

Makes approximately 4 side servings.

We also enjoyed a cheese plate as a pre/post dinner snack as well as the Mango on Sticky Rice for dessert from Trader Joe's. The Mango on Sticky Rice is a large dessert and very filling due to the large amount of rice. We shared a piece and probably could have shared with another person too.

As for wine, we started with a glass of The Prisoner, followed by a Riesling from Silverlake Wine, and finished the evening with Pierre Sparr Cremant Brut Rose from BottleRock LA.

Even though The Bachelor is over for the season you won't have to wait until The Bachelorette starts up again for new recipes! I still have three weeks from earlier this season to share! Don't forget to comment if you try any of the recipes. Cooking isn't a perfect science so I would love to hear what works and what doesn't work for you.

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 5

So as you can see, I'm not really one for recipes. I like to think of them as jumping off points. Well this week I made on of the dishes from an actual recipe! Ok, I made a few small adjustments but more or less followed the recipe. This week we enjoyed Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Arugula, Lemon Chicken, and Green Beans with Red Onion and Creamy Feta Dressing.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

I didn't follow a recipe when I made this particular dish. I looked at a number of similar recipes online and they all included extra oil, butter or cream. I wanted to keep it light and healthy. This is the closest recipe I could find online after the fact - Lemon Ricotta Pasta for those of you that would prefer a standard recipe. Here is the Gretchen version:

1/2 lb Whole Wheat Rotelle Pasta (Penne, Fusilli, or other similar pasta would be a good substitute)

15 oz Fat Free Ricotta Cheese (I used slightly less because I already ate part of it. :) )

1 Lemon - Zest & Juice (I only used juice from 1/2 the lemon but it could have used a bit more. Adjust to your taste.)

1 Bag of Arugula - rinsed and chopped

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

1. Cook the pasta until it is al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest (do yourself a favor and buy a microplane instead of a standard zester. So much easier!), lemon juice (squeeze through your fingers to catch seeds), garlic (to taste), salt (to taste) and pepper (to taste).

3. When the pasta is done, first scoop out 1/3 cup of the pasta water.

4. Place desired amount of arugula into pasta strainer. The heat of the pasta will wilt the arugula. You may not choose to use the entire bag but I would recommend at least half a bag because it shrinks up a lot.

5. Dump pasta into strainer.

6. Mix reserved pasta water into ricotta mixture until desired consistency is reached. The recipe I linked to above says to use the entire 1/3 cup but I didn't even use half that much. It is up to you how thin you want your sauce to be.

7. Throw pasta and arugula back into pot and top with ricotta mixture.

8. Stir all items together and serve!

Servings - 4 to 6 healthy sides

Lemon Chicken

This was not made from scratch but purchased from Trader Joe's. If you choose to make your own lemon chicken, I recommend using real lemons and not lemon juice from a bottle no matter what the recipe says. I have horrible memories of that flavor from when I was a kid. (Sorry Mom. I know you were just trying to expand our menu options. I will share your amazing Blueberry Muffins in a future entry!) When enjoying pasta leftovers, I made some turkey meatballs and they were also pretty good with the pasta. I nice chicken sausage would probably also be quite good.

Green Beans with Red Onion and Creamy Feta Dressing

As I mentioned, I basically followed the recipe on this on. This recipe is from the I Heart Trader Joe's Cookbook but it is easy to make even if you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby. I'll note my substitutions in parenthesis. Also, I only made about 1/2 the dressing as I wasn't sure how long it would keep and there were only two of us for dinner. It still turned out great!

1 16 oz Package Fresh Green Beans, trimmed & steamed (12 oz Haricot Vert Steam in Bag)

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

Dressing

1/2 cup Plain Yogurt (Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt)

3/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled (Fat Free Feta Cheese)

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice or Red Wine Vinegar (I used the vinegar)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Chopped Basil, for garnish

1. Arrange green beans on a serving plate and scatter most of the red onion slices over the surface, reserving a few.

2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Note: The dressing will be thick with pieces of feta throughout.

3. Dollop the dressing over the salad and garnish with reserved red onion slices and basil.

I mixed the onion into the dressing as I was plating up individual portions and it worked just fine.

Servings - 4 to 6

We enjoyed a rose wine with our meal though I think I crisp white would also be good.

This meal was SO easy and pretty healthy. I hope you'll try it out soon. Please let me know what you think!

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 4

For this past week's Bachelor Dinner, we went classic with a twist. Hamburgers & Tater Tots with freshened up with gourmet toppings for an adult taste. This meal is perfect for those that have children as you can prepare both to your and their palate.

Hamburgers with Balsamic Sweet Onions and Mushrooms in a Red Wine Reduction

Ground Beef (the leaner the better and proportioned for the quantity of burgers needed)

Suggested Gourmet Toppings

Aged Gouda Cheese

Fresh Spinach

Fresh Avocado

Balsamic Sweet Onions (either from Trader Joe's or recipe below)

Mushrooms in Red Wine Reduction (see recipe below)

1. Cook ground beef to desired temperature either in a skillet, grill pan or on your preferred grill.

2. Place burgers on a paper towel to absorb any excess grease.

3. Burgers can be served with or without buns.

4. Top with desired toppings. We used all of the above.

Balsamic Sweet Onions

Sweet Onions

Olive Oil

Balsamic Reduction (See instructions below)

1. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in your skillet to stop the onions from sticking. It's key to use as little as possible.

2. Add your sliced sweet onions and begin sauteing them.

3. Once the onions are 3/4 done, add a healthy pour of balsamic reduction. Make sure the onions are throughly coated.

4. Complete cooking and serve.

Balsamic Reduction

Definition of Reduce: Culinarily, to boil a liquid (usually stock, wine or a sauce mixture) rapidly until the volume is reduced by evaporation, thereby thickening the consistency and intensifying the flavor. Such a mixture is sometimes referred to as a reduction.

Making a Balsamic Reduction (or any reduction) is pretty simple. Depending on how much of the reduction you ultimately need, start with about double that amount of balsamic vinegar. Continue to boil until it reaches the consistency you are looking for. Keep your eye on your reduction and stir regularly. If you aren't careful, a wonderful reduction can tip over the edge quickly and create as one friend called it "balsamic candy".

Mushrooms in Red Wine Reduction

Sliced Mushrooms

Red Wine

Olive Oil

1. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in your skillet to stop the mushrooms from sticking. Again it's key to use as little as possible.

2. Add your sliced mushrooms and begin sauteing them.

3. Add red wine and continue to saute the mushrooms will the red wine reduces. This will infuse the mushrooms with red wine flavor.

4. Separate mushrooms from red wine reduction and serve. (Reduction can be pitched or saved to top burgers or another meat dish later in the week. Store in refridgerator.)

Black Truffle Tater Tots

Frozen Tater Tots

Black Truffle Salt

1. Cook tater tots according to package. I prefer oven preparation to avoid adding extra calories from oil.

2. Drain/blot tater tots on a paper towel as needed.

3. Toss with Black Truffle Salt.

4. Serve and enjoy.

The Black Truffle Tater Tots are inspired by the O Hotel's amazing Parmesan Truffle Tots (known as "crack tots") and are an excellent replica. You will want to eat an entire bag of them!

Served along with the burgers and tots were sliced tomatoes and leftover roasted curry cauliflower. We enjoyed a bottle of wine from Silverlake Wine and some leftover Oscar cookies (more on the cookies in a later post).

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The Bachelor Dinner, Part 3

So this week we didn't go all out with the cooking. Amie brought over some delicious tamales and sides from Heirloom LA and we just added to that already delightful feast. The item of choice was Trader Joe's Latin Style Black Bean Soup. While it is already pretty flavorful, we turned it up a notch with Tapatio spiked non-fat Greek style yogurt and chives.

Speaking of non-fat Greek style yogurt, this is a staple I highly recommend keeping in your refrigerator. Besides eating it as is (boring), you can do so many things with it and keep your calories low. Examples:

Sauces/Spreads

Besides the Tapatio version above, I've also done the following:

• Garlic & Red Wine Vinegar to make a healthy aioli spread
• Olive Tapenade to try to mimic the delicious fry dipping sauce from Nordstrom Cafe at Westfield Topanga. (Still needs work but was pretty good.)

Desserts

Frozen yogurt popsicles - yogurt, berries (I used frozen berries that had been thawed.) and a little sweetener (I use artificial sweetener.) in the blender. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze!

I plan to keep experimenting but would love to hear if you have created a great substitution or recipe with this style of yogurt.

While I'd love you all to be registered users and followers of my blog, I have changed the settings so you can comment even if you choose not to register. I'd love to hear your feedback on this and any other topics!

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 2

A little late but here is last week's dinner from "Bachelor Monday" using some new and classic Trader Joe's items.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter & Sage

This is a new frozen item from Trader Joe's. The package offers two cooking suggestions - microwave or stove top. We went with stove top to get a bit of browning on the gnocchi. Unfortunately these gnocchi are extremely fragile and the stirring it took to break them up resulted in more of a mashed potato consistency than we were going for. My recommendation would be to prepare in the microwave or to at least start them in the microwave and finish them on the stove top. Regardless of their appearance when we were done, they were delicious.

Smoked Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage

These were prepared according the the package on the stove top however we butterflied them towards the end of cooking to make sure they were cooked throughly and because we were hungry. If you wanted to decrease your cooking time, you could always do this from the start or even cut into smaller pieces.

Arugula Salad

Arugula

Yellow Pepper

Red Onion

Cucumber

Herbs de Provence (We used Herbs de Provence that were purchased in France but the Spice Station is a great place for items like this.)

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Arugula and vegetables were combined with herbs de provence (portion should be based on number of people and quantity desired). Vegetables were chopped finely and not used in overwhelming amounts. Top with Balsamic Vinaigrette and serve.

Dinner served with a smile!

We enjoyed this meal with a red blend from Mission Point Winery purchased at Whole Foods.

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 1

For the past year my friend Amie and I have made a routine out of "Bachelor Monday". Usually this place at her house with Amie making somesort of delicious meal and me supplying the wine. With this most recent season of The Bachelor and a change in my schedule, we are splitting the cooking and trying to get a little more creative in the process. I promise to post previous weeks as time permits but below please find last night's amazing meal.

Please note: We usually shop at Trader Joe's which helps make meal prep easy. If you find yourself in a part of the country that does not have a Trader Joe's, just substitute as needed (and also write them to request one in your neighborhood!).

Pulled Chicken Tacos (Makes Approximately 6 Tacos)

1 package Pulled Chicken Breast in Smokey BBQ Sauce

Blue Corn Tortillas (or your favorite)

Toppings

Purple Cabbage with Red Onions soaked in Rice Vinegar, Beets & Apple Juice (Note: This was a combo of items I picked up off of the Whole Food salad bar and mixed together. It could easily be recreated but I would recommend making in the morning or the night before so that the vinegar can do it's job. The onions had been soaking for awhile so they had that sweet yet tart flavor and the addition of the cabbage added the crunch.)

Peach Salsa

Blue Cheese

1. Prepare Pulled Chicken Breast per instructions on package.

2. Heat tortillas in skillet to warm but not crisp.

3. Top with cabbage mixture.

4. Add additional toppings from list above if desired.

Brussel Sprouts with Turkey Bacon

1 Package Steam In Pack Brussel Sprouts

4 Slices of Peppered Turkey Bacon

Parmesan, Romano, Asiago Cheese

1. Prepare Brussel Sprouts per instructions on package.

2. Cook 4 slices of Peppered Turkey Bacon in skillet.

3. Remove cooked turkey bacon and cut into bite-sized pieces.

4. Add brussel sprouts and bacon back to the skillet and toss until the brussel sprouts are a bit

browned and wilted from the bacon grease.

5. Sprinkle with cheese to taste.

Reduced Guilt Brownies

1 Package Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix (No-Pudge Brownies are the same and available in stores and online)

2/3 Cup Non-Fat Vanilla Yogurt

Toppings

Low-fat Whipped Cream

Blueberries

1. Combine brownie mix and yogurt per instructions on package.

2. Bake per instructions on package.

3. Once cooled and sliced, garnish brownies with whipped cream and blueberries.

Note: Brownies were made the day before which made for easy preparation. There is also a recipe on the box for single serving if you are like me and cannot be trusted with an entire pan of brownies.

We enjoyed a bottle of Vinho Verde though I have also had a Spanish Granacha with the chicken before and it was amazing.