dinner

truffle quinoa

This delicious and decadent rendition on skinny super food quinoa is a great on the go snack or lunch during the week as well as a wonderful side dish for any dinner. I personally love putting this under a piece of balsamic glazed salmon! Yummm! Quinoa is SOOO good for you that you could eat it every day and with a little creativity, not get too tired of it. This recipe is so simple, it’s great when you want to make a large batch and take some to work with you during the week or if you just don’t want to be slaving over the oven for hours to make dinner.

WHITE TRUFFLE OIL QUINOA

1/2 bag of baby spinach
1/4 cup of quinoa
1/2 cup of water
2 tbsp of White Truffle Oil
5 or 6 of your favorite mushroom (I used baby bella)

Put your quinoa and water in a saucepan on the stove and boil. Keep mixing around the quinoa till the water eventually dissolves, once your pan is pretty much just quinoa, turn off the burner. In a separate frying pan, drizzle 1 tbsp of white truffle oil and add in your baby spinach and chopped mushrooms. Sautee for a little till spinach has wilted a bit. Now, mix in your cooked quinoa and let it cook for a few more minutes before adding a final tbsp of White Truffle oil to the mix and then serving. Simple and delicious! Enjoy!

summeravocadosalad

                Nothing says summer quite like colorful, light salads and this Summer Avocado Salad certainly fits the bill! I have been having some fun lately trying out various recipes for upcoming projects and I fell in love with this one! It’s perfect on it’s own as a light starter for your summer backyard dinner party or you can serve it with whole pita chips as an appetizer. Enjoy!

Summer Avocado Salad

2 Avocados (or one avocado per person)

3/4 of a mango chopped

1/4 of red pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, sliced

1/4 of a cucumber, skinned and chopped

1/4 of a red onion, chopped

“Dressing”

juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 a lime, 1 tbsp of Olive Oil and a pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in one bowl, cutting and slicing your avocados last (so that they don’t brown prematurely), mix up your “dressing” in a separate bowl and then toss it in with all the veggies and fruits. Serve either as a dip with whole wheat pita chips or in a fun glass (like I did) as a creative, light starter for your festive summer dinner party! Tastes so fresh and so summery, you’re going to love it!

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan, vegetarian and low fat recipes, and dieting advice. Let me know if there’s a healthy recipe you want to see and feel free to ask me questions. I’m here to help!

It’s that time of the week again where you try to skip your favorite carnivorous meals and live a day in the life of a vegetarian! Once again, I’m here to show you just how easy and delicious it is! So even if you haven’t been meat free all day, why not try a meat free dinner? These three simple recipes I discovered in fitness magazine are mouth watering good any day of the week! Give them a try!

COCONUT CURRY CHICKPEAS AND SPINACH
Combine 1/4 cup coconut milk, 2 cups of frozen spinach, thawed with 3/4 cup chickpeas and a half teaspoon of curry powder in a sauce pan on your stove, stir and cook it through. Serve with 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice!

PUMPKIN QUINOA RISOTTO
In a saucepan on your stove add 1 cup cooked quinoa, 1/4 cup canned pumpkin and 1/3 cup of thawed frozen peas. Stir in two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, one teaspoon olive oil and one tablespoon of toasted walnut pieces. Keep stirring till everything’s warmed and enjoy!

FETTUCCINE AVOCADO
Cook up 1 1/4 cup of whole wheat fettuccine. In a separate pan mix together half mashed avocado, one teaspoon EVOO, one tablespoon chopped basil, 1/2 cup steamed cauliflower florets and 2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts. Toss with the fettuccine and Bon apetit!

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan, vegetarian and low fat recipes and diet advice. Let me know what healthy recipes you want to see on the site and ask any questions your may have. I’m here to help!

Have you been tossing around the idea of going meatless this Monday?! Even if you haven’t till you read this post, I hope now you are. I understand the overwhelmingness of giving up meat for a lifetime or maybe even a couple months but how about for just one day a week? I’ve already written a post about why this is a fabulous idea and all the benefits you’ll reap from just one day off meat, so if you haven’t read that, check it out here.

Alright, so now you know why going meatless one day is a great start (or you skipped the article and are taking my word for it)! The great thing about going vegetarian for one day a week is that it allows you to experiment with all sorts of different food choices you might normally pass over for some chicken or steak! However, I often find my carnivorous friends struggling to eat anything more than carbs when they first try this out and that’s no bueno! So to make your meatless Mondays even easier, every Monday I’ll be posting a meat free meal plan full of easy practical options for you to indulge in and start your week off right! Of course you needn’t follow it exactly if you have some yummy meat free ideas of your own add them in! And please comment below and let me know some great things you’ve been eating!

Meatless Monday Meal Plan #1

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with almond milk, fresh berries and sprinkled with chia seeds
OR
Fresh green juice (if your one of hose people who aren’t very hungry in the morning)

Lunch:
A nice big bowl of lentil soup
OR
A make-it-yourself salad (but what about protein?! Lentils, kidney beans, black beans, quinoa, edamame or grilled tofu are all great protein packed salad add ons!)

Dinner:
Feeling decadent? Try my skinny eggplant parmigiana recipe
OR
Quinoa with sautéed spinach, onions, asparagus, zucchini, whatever veggies your heart desires..

Snacks:
Almond butter with sliced apples
Carrots or broccoli with hummus
Kale chips

Yay!! Your going to make it through this meatless Monday and maybe even find you enjoy some of these meat free options more than you’d ever imagine!

 

 
 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

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I literally just finished chowing down on this vegan mexican mountain of deliciousness! I’m so stuffed but so pumped to tell you about how you can easily make this little vegan dinner (or lunch) in your own home! I also want to say that EVERYTHING I used in this recipe was okay to eat during my detox, so you could even say this was a vegan DETOX dinner! I know, I’m blowing your mind right now, right? Anyway, I’ve got a wicked weakness for all things Mexican, with guacamole being at the very top of the list so I just knew I had to come up with some way of eating it without those greasy fried chips it always comes with! The quinoa, black beans and tofu provide you with a triple protein punch making this meal satisfying and good for you! You are going to LOVE this dinner whether your vegan, vegetarian or just had a cheeseburger for lunch, trust me.

VEGAN MEXICAN DELIGHT (DINNER)

1/4 cup of quinoa
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup black beans
tofu (I used a slice about the size of a chalkboard eraser and 1/4 inch thick)
adobo seasoning
2tbsp of Olive Oil
2 tbsp of chopped garlic

for the guacamole:
1 avocado
1/2 lime (for juice)
1 tbsp of chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp of chopped onions
two pinches of salt

It’s pretty self explanatory, put the water and quinoa in a pot and boil it till all the water evaporates and your just mixing quinoa. Then, add your black beans and fold them into the quinoa till they’re heated up. In a separate frying pan add your olive oil and garlic on low heat. Add chopped tofu to the pan and sprinkle with the adobo seasoning. I like to cook my tofu till it’s pretty golden brown but you can do it however you like. Now for the guacamole, in a separate bowl cut the avocado in half and then cut it down and across a few times, take your knife around the skin till all the avocado falls out into your bowl. Add your chopped tomatoes and onions, sprinkle with salt and squeeze your lime. Now just finish it up by folding all the ingredients together! I then take the quinoa and beans and place it down on the plate first, topping it with my sautéed tofu and finishing it off with a nice scoop of the guacamole! It is a vegan mexican masterpiece! (The portions here are for one person, so if your cooking for two just double everything and so on)

 

 

 

 

 


Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

eggplantEggplant parmigiana is one of my favorite earthly delights. It’s such a rich, decadent vegetarian comfort food so naturally I was craving some this past week when temperatures in NY made it feel more like Alaska. Still, I had to find a way to make it  skinny style with out losing any of it’s amazingness.

SKINNY EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA 

2 mini eggplants or 1 lg if you prefer

1 cup of panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup of olive oil

3 tbsps of minced garlic

1 bag of low fat shredded mozzarella or veggie mozzarella (vegan substitute)

1 jar of low sodium, natural, organic tomato sauce (or if you make your own – even better!)

eggplant2

Preheat your oven to 375, get out a bake sheet or two and your pyrex and lay out two lines of paper towels on your table. Slice your eggplant as thinly as possibly without it falling apart (or you hurting yourself) and lay it out on your paper towel. Place another paper towel over your finished slices and let the paper towels absorb the excess moisture of the eggplant, you’ll notice there’s a lot! Now I personally  LOVE garlic and olive oil, but if you don’t and your not vegan, you can replace this with an egg like you would when normally breading stuff. So in one bowl I put my panko bread crumbs (which are lighter, fluffier and better for you than normal bread crumbs) and in a second bowl I mix my olive oil and minced garlic. I lightly dip the eggplant slice in the oil mix and then the breadcrumbs and then place on a bake sheet. If your doing this with the oil instead of the egg, do not worry, all the breadcrumbs do NOT stick, it’s not you and it’s fine! Place them all on your sheet and stick it in the oven for a couple minutes to soften the eggplant.

While that’s in the oven, spread your sauce on the bottom of the pyrex dish (or whatever dish your using). Once your eggplant’s been in the oven for 5 minutes you can take it out and make a layer on top of the sauce. Now sprinkle some shredded mozzarella, layer with eggplant, sauce then mozzarella and onwards till you run out of dish or eggplant! I like to top it off with sauce, a sprinkle of whatever breadcrumbs might be left from dipping and a sprinkle of cheese. I know it can seem like a bit of an undertaking but trust me it’s delicious and so much better for you than classic eggplant parmigiana – you’ll never want to go back! Plus if you live alone like me, it’ll feed you for a week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<em>Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you! :)</em>

 

 

 

This easy to make South American pesto can add a new flavor to an old stand by (grilled salmon). It’s also great if you want something fresh and homemade for entertaining with out going to too much trouble on your end. Give it a try because it can be a great low carb and low calorie alternative to sneaky sauces that can ruin a perfectly healthy piece of fish!

SALMON CHIMICHURRI

4 salmon filets
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Grill your salmon with the extra virgin olive oil as usual, I trust this isn’t your first go round with salmon. Now place the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processer. Blend till smooth and all one color. Voila! Simply spoon evenly over your four grilled fillets! How easy was that?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)


There is nothing I love more than a good homemade veggie burger, if you read my article on The Diner you know that I have a penchant for seeking out killer veggie burgers. So when I saw this recipe while flipping through the pages of fitness magazine, I knew I had to try it! Can you believe I had never even attempted to make my own homemade veggie burger before? Blasphemy! I know! Well this burger combines my beloved veggie burger with a splash of Mexican flair for a tastebud knock out. Eat up kiddies!

Black Bean Fiesta Burger
Makes four burgers

1 15 ounce can of black beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of finely crushed blue corn tortilla chips
1/3 cup salsa
1/2 cup of reduced fat grated cheddar
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 scallion finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 large hamburger buns (optional)
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 butter lettuce leaves (optional)

First, blend or mash your black beans till they’re a chunky puree. Now stir in your crushed chips, salsa, black pepper, cheddar, egg and scallions. Set the mixture aside for 10 minutes then shape into four patties. Next, place the patties on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. When your ready to eat up your delicious creation simply put a teaspoon of oil in a large non stick skillet on your stove top. Cook each side till golden brown just like a regular burger and then remove from the heat. You can serve them however you like, on a toasted bun or whole wheat pita, I would probably just keep it on the butter lettuce and top with salsa and maybe a little more cheese if I was feeling naughty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

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Not that you have to wait till fall to enjoy this scrumptous soup but nothing makes me happier than a warm bowl of homemade soup on a brisk October day. However, when it comes to soups you can never be too careful, the canned stuff can come with an extra helping of sodium and preservatives, yuck! So here’s an awesome and quick recipe for a soul warming carrot ginger squash soup I found in Health magazine! It’s veggie and vegan friendly but mainly just a great healthy choice. You can also make a large batch and keep it in the fridge for a quick healthy afternoon snack .

Carrot Ginger Squash Soup

Saute 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1 tbsp fresh ginger and 1 clove minced garlic in 1 tsp olive oil for 3 minutes in medium pot. Add 1 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth, 1 cup frozen butternut squash cubes and 1 cup of carrot slices. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. With a hand blender, puree until smooth; if desired add broth for thinner texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)

So I hope you’ve all checked out my “Tuesday Tip” video about how to make this delicious summer salad but I figured I’d also post the recipe in case you don’t want to re-watch the video 20x as you make the salad and dressing (although be my guest if you do! ). I can not tell you enough how light and yummy this fresh blueberry and walnut salad is, I even made some grilled shrimp with garlic and olive oil tonight for dinner to mix in with the left over salad I had from making the clip. Total win for me! Folks, try this at home! 😉

BLUEBERRY SUMMER SALAD and DRESSING

For the salad combine the following ingredients in a large bowl and toss!

10 cups of baby spinach

2 cups of blueberries( or your favorite seasonal fruit)

1/2- 3/4 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese

For your dressing combine the following in a small pyrex or pouring cup and whisk away!

2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp of blueberry preserves (or whichever seasonal fruit you’d like to use!)

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

2 tbsp of chopped up chives

a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper

2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! I love that Go Sweet and Skinny is your go-to website for healthy living tips, vegan and vegetarian recipes (from everything from appetizers to cupcakes!) and diet advice. I”m committed to helping you get skinny and live the sweet life! Please follow @gosweetnskinny on twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/gosweetandskinny) to keep yourself sweet and skinny 24/7. And as always, feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and let me know what low fat, healthy recipes you want to see on the site, what diet books your trying and ask any diet questions your little heart desires! I’m here to help you!:)