Asparagus and Mushroom Stir-Fry

Here is the recipe for last night's healthy side dish:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb asparagus
• 1 package mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Cut the ends off of the asparagus. Asparagus should be 2-3 inches long.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add garlic, salt and soy sauce to skillet.  Heat for about 30 seconds.
3. Add vegetable broth  and optional cornstarch to mixture. Stir until sauce thickens.
4. Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Add asparagus to skillet. Cook for 5 more minutes or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.
6. Remove vegetables from skillet and serve immediately. Pour any extra sauce over vegetables.
7. Enjoy!

Easy Ways to Cut Calories Throughout the Day

Don't have time to invest in a complicated diet plan like Atkins or Weight Watchers? Losing weight doesn't have to be hard! Try following these easy tips to make small changes in your daily diet. You will lose weight without the added stress of changing your whole lifestyle. You'll also be more likely to keep the weight off long-term as these changes become routine for you.

1. Use skim milk instead of half-and-half or Coffeemate in your morning coffee.
2. Eat a bowl of Kashi cereal instead of a fast-food breakfast. This high-fiber cereal will make you eat less throughout the day.
3. Whatever you do, just make sure you eat breakfast! This super easy trick will ensure you don't pig out later on.
4. Use Smart Balance instead of butter or margarine.
5. Ask for a child-size soda instead of a medium-sized one if you find yourself at the drive-thru.
6. Skip the croutons on your salad.
7. Toss your salad with one tablespoon of low-fat salad dressing until every lettuce leaf is coated. You will get away with using half of the usual serving size. This is much more efficient than simply pouring a ton of fatty dressing on the top of your salad.
8. Add hot sauce to your food whenever possible. The spiciness will up your metabolism while adding flavor to bland foods.
9. Freeze a can of Donald Duck orange juice and enjoy as a dessert. It tastes like ice cream but has fewer calories.
10. Replace half the butter in cake or brownie recipes with mashed bananas. Surprisingly, the final product is pretty much the same.
11. If you think you are hungry, try drinking water before eating a snack. Our brains often confuse thirst for hunger. If you are still hungry after a glass of water, go for the snack.

Have any more tips for this list? Leave a comment below!

Low-Cal Baked Eggplant Parmesan

I started a new diet a few days after I realized I had gained a whopping ten pounds in only two months. I find it harder to lose weight in the winter when I am craving comfort food such as mac n' cheese, heart soups and of course my favorite pasta dishes. Eggplant parm is one of my favorite dishes, so I decided to see if I could make it as low-calorie as possible. It took only a few simple changes to make this healthier recipe. My boyfriend and I both really enjoyed it. Let me know what you think! Feel free to post your opinions to my Facebook page.

Ingredients:

• Two medium-sized eggplants
• 1 1/2 cups Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
• 4 egg whites
• One teaspoon salt
• One teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 1 jar Classico Spicy Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce
• 2 teaspoons chopped red peppers
• 1 cup low-fat parmesan cheese
• 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup basil

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel eggplant. Slice into 1/2-inch thick slices.
3. Place parchment paper on two baking sheets. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
5. In another small bowl, whisk together egg whites.
6. Dip both sides of eggplant slice into egg whites and then immediately dip into breadcrumb mixture until the slice is completely coated. Place slice on baking sheet and continue this process with the rest of the eggplant slices. Space them evenly on baking sheet.
7. Drizzle olive oil on top of the eggplant slices on the baking sheet.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Eggplant slices should be slightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
9. Spread 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a medium-sized lasagna pan.
10. Place half of the eggplant on top of the pasta sauce.
11. Spread another 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce on top of the eggplant slices.
12. Then add parmesan cheese, followed by mozzarella cheese. Finish with a sprinkling of basil.
13. Repeat with another layer of the remaining eggplant, then pasta sauce, then parmesan and finally mozzarella.
14. Bake for 20 minutes until chese is melted and edges are golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil and chopped red peppers. Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

Homemade Cheesy Potato Soup

This is the perfect meal for a cold winter day.

Ingredients:

• 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin pieces
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups milk
• 5 cups water
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 cup croutons
• 2 cups mozzarella or parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter on medium-high heat. Add onions to saucepan and saute for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and continue simmering for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, add cream of chicken soup, garlic salt, cheese and milk to another saucepan on medium-low heat. Stir well and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Once the potatoes are tender, add milk/soup/cheese mixture to the potatoes and stir.
5. Put mixture into a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. You can also use a food processor for this.
6. Add soup back to saucepan and heat for several more minutes until soup reaches desired temperature. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve soup with croutons and parsley on top. Enjoy!

Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs (Slow-Cooker)

I love my Crockpot and am always looking for new recipes to try out with it. I decided to take one of my favorite entrees, beef short ribs, and concoct an easy recipe for the slow-cooker. This dish is delicious and takes minimal effort. If you try this recipe, tweet me at @kitchen_sams with the hashtag #samskitchen and I will feature your creation on my blog! Happy cooking (and eating)!

Ingredients:

• 
  
• 3 lbs of bone-in beef short ribs
• 1 package mushrooms
• 2 onions
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary and sage.
2. Rub spice mixture into both sides of beef short ribs
3. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet.
4. Add short ribs to skillet. Sear for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned. Then remove from heat.
5. Add tomato juice, balsamic vinegar and smashed garlic cloves to slow-cooker.
6. Put the short ribs, mushrooms and onions in the slow-cooker. Coat short ribs with sauce mixture using a spatula.
7. Cook for 4-6 hours on low heat or until tender.

I served this dish with roasted cauliflower (recipe coming soon!) and a rice pilaf blend. Enjoy!

Shrimp, Mushroom and Broccoli Fettucine Alfredo

So after I made the previous recipe (beef tenderloin with shrimp), I had lots of extra shrimp. I came up with this recipe which was exactly what I was craving that day. Try it out and let me know what you think! Side note: I did not have fettucine on hand, so I made this with linguine. I suggest using fettucine though for a more authentic taste.

Ingredients:

*1 package fettucine
*1 stick butter
*1 cup sliced mushrooms
*1/2 pound cooked shrimp
*1 tablespoon ground pepper
*1 teaspoon kosher salt
*2 cloves garlic (minced)
*2 cups broccoli
*1/2 pint heavy cream
*1/4 cup parmesan cheese
*2 tablespoons flour
*1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions:

1. Prepare fettucine according to package instructions
2. Melt butter in a large skillet on medium-low heat
3. Add mushrooms, broccoli and garlic to skillet.  Saute until browned
4. Add flour and coat broccoli and mushrooms
5. Slowly stir in cream to mixture
6. Add salt, pepper, paprika and parmesan cheese
7. Add shrimp to mixture and simmer for about 15 minutes.
8. Add noodles to mixture and serve. Enjoy!

Beef Tenderloin with Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce Instructional Video

Beef Tenderloin with Shrimp and Mushroom Sauce

This dish has won rave reviews from my family and friends. It's great for a cold winter night in like tonight!

Ingredients:

• 2 four-once beef tenderloins
• 1/2 lb raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 4 tsp butter (separated)
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 green onions, diced
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or vegetable broth)
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or 2 tablespoons flour)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 package fresh sliced mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

1. Turn on broiler. Place steaks on broiler pan. Place one teaspoon of butter on top of each steak and put in oven. Cook for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on how well-done you want the steak. I cooked them for six minutes and got a nice medium-rare steak
2. Meanwhile, heat wine and one tablespoon of unsalted butter in a medium skillet.
3. Add the raw shrimp and cook until pink.
4. Place a colander in a large bowl in your sink. Drain shrimp. Save the wine for the sauce.
5. Melt one tablespoon of butter in skillet. Add green onions, garlic and mushrooms to skillet. Saute for about five minutes.
6. Add salt, pepper, and paprika to sauce mixture.
7. Whisk cornstarch into sauce mixture. Stir mixture until there are no cornstarch clumps.
8. Add reserved wine to sauce and simmer for a few minutes until smooth. Once sauce is smooth, add the shrimp to the pan and continue to simmer on low heat.
9. Remove steaks from oven. Flip steaks over and place another teaspoon of butter on each steak. Return to oven and continue broiling for another 6 to 10 minutes.
10. Add heavy cream, lemon juice and parsley to sauce. Add more salt, pepper, and/or paprika to sauce if desired.
11. Remove steaks from oven. Pour sauce over steaks. Sprinkle parsley on top.
12. Serve and enjoy!

Lemon Roast Chicken (The Best Chicken Recipe EVER!)

This recipe has won rave reviews from everyone that has tried it. This is my go-to meal when I am looking to make something simple that is also crowd-pleasing. Let's get started!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 tablespoon ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon Kosher sea salt
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 whole lemons
• 2 sliced lemons garnish
• 4 rosemary sprigs
• 4 sage sprigs
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Remove giblets from chicken. Wash chicken inside and out. Place chicken in colander cavity-side down to rinse for several minutes.
3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels
4. Place chicken in roasting pan breast-side down. Rub chicken with olive oil and then lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Prick each whole lemon with a fork in about 4-5 separate places. Place them deep inside the cavity. If one of the lemons is sticking out of the chicken, that is fine (just check out my pic! :p)
6. Lower oven temperature to around 350 degrees F and put the chicken inside the oven. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes.
7. Remove roasting pan from oven. Flip chicken so it is breast-side up. Stick a meat thermometer in the thigh. Put the chicken back in the oven and roast for about an hour and 15 minutes or until the thermometer reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. When the chicken is fully roasted, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for about ten minutes. Carve the chicken and then add the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken. This juice is the stuff that makes this recipe SO AMAZING!
9. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.
10. Enjoy!

Honey Garlic Baked Chicken

This simple chicken recipe is great for a weekday night when you don't have much time to cook.

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time:  40 minutes

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup honey

1 onion, diced

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken breasts.
3. Spread flour on a plate. Dip chicken breasts in flour until covered.
4. Prepare glaze: melt butter. Add cook and cook for 30-60 seconds. Do not brown the garlic. Then add the honey, ketchup, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to blend an dsimmer over medium heat for one to two minutes.
5. Place chicken breasts on an aluminum foil-lined 8x8 baking pan. Pour the hot glaze evenly over the chicken.
6. Bake chicken for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and baste the chicken with the glaze in the bottom of the pan. Return to oven for 25 minutes or until meat thermometer dipped in thickest part of the chicken read 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

Delicious Vacation Food

Here is just a peek of what we ate during our stay at the all-inclusive resort in Cancun, the Grand Royal Park Caribe! And also the first-class meal on the flight home.

Eggplant Parmesan Bites

Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite dishes. However, it is not typically a lunch or snack food. This afternoon, I was craving eggplant parmesan but did not want to eat a heavy meal in the early afternoon. So I came up with this simple appetizer. Pieces of eggplant coated in Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese with a spicy marinara sauce on the side. Perfect for snacking and sharing with friends.  It's super easy and takes only a few minutes to make. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!

Ingedients

• Two medium-sized eggplants
• 2 teaspoons of parsley
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs or panko
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped red peppers
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Wash and peel eggplants. Dice eggplant into medium-sized squares. Season eggplant with pepper and salt to taste.   Put eggplant pieces into colander and drain
2. Add flour into a bowl. Add eggs into another bowl and mix well. Add parmesan cheese and panko into a third bowl and mix well.
3. Dip eggplant squares into the flour, then the eggs, and finally the parmesan/panko mix.
4. Put vegetable oil into a saucepan and heat until about 375 degrees Fahrenheit,
5. Put eggplant squares into oil and fry. Remove eggplant squares from oil when they appear brown on all sides.
6. Put fried eggplant pieces aside and continue with the next batch until finished. Sprinkle extra parmesan cheese on the finished eggplant bites.
7. Heat marinara sauce and serve on the side as a dipping sauce.
8. Add chopped red peppers and parsley to sauce if desired.
9. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon French Toast

The perfect winter breakfast! Also I love how my apartment still smells like cinnamon a few hours later.

Ingredients

• 1 bag of pre-cut apples
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Add butter to medium frying pan. Heat until melted.

2. Add apple slices and half of brown sugar. Cook until brown sugar has dissolved.

3. Add half of cinnamon and all of the vanilla to the apples.

4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to thicken while you prepare toast.

5. In a large bowl, mix milk and eggs. Whisk until completely mixed.

6. On a large plate, mix the other half of the brown sugar and cinnamon.

7. Dip bread slices in milk/eggs mixture for a few seconds. Then press both sides of the bread slices into the brown sugar/cinnamon mix.

8. Cook toast in large frying pan on medium high heat until browned. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Then flip toast and cook the other side for the same amount of time.

9. Remove the toast from heat and add to serving plate. Add the apples on top.

10. Coat the French toast with powdered sugar. You can also add whipped cream and maple syrup.

11. Enjoy!

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

Did I ever mention that beef stroganoff is my FAVORITE MEAL OF ALL TIME? Well, it is. I love egg noodles and Worcestershire sauce and beef nuggets and sour cream and just everything about it!

Recently, I've been experimenting with my Crockpot. I've always had the idea that only people like Mama June use Crockpots. However, that could not be further from the truth. You can actually cook straight-up gourmet dishes using a Crockpot!

I had an incredibly long day at work today, so naturally it felt like a Crockpot night. I came up with this easy recipe for beef stroganoff, my all-time favorite comfort food. Making it in the Crockpot turned out to be SO much easier than the traditional way.

Try this recipe out for yourself and let me know what you think! Either leave a comment or shoot me an email at samskitchenpage@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you guys.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 package of beef stew meat (1 lb)
• 1 package of mushrooms
• 1 large onion
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 8 oz package of cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 package egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Add olive oil to large frying pan.  Turn heat on low.
2. Chop onion. Add onions and beef stew meat to the frying pan.
   

   

   
   
3. Season with garlic salt, salt and pepper.
4. Cook until meat is browned--but not cooked completely. 
   

   
5. Put beef and onion mixture into crock pot when done.
6. Mix mushroom soup, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, cream cheese, mushrooms, sour cream and milk. Stir well.
   

   
7. Add sauce mixture to crock pot.
8. Stir beef/onion mix with sauce mixture until well blended. Add thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. 
   

   
9.  Put the lid of the crockpot on, and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
10. About fifteen minutes before finished, boil water and cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles. Add butter and/or salt if desired.
11. Now you can either stir the noodles into the crock pot, or serve the noodles and then add the beef stroganoff on top of them. I personally prefer the latter.
12. Enjoy!