Roasted Quail On Sweet Potato-Ricotta Gnocchi

March is Battle Sweet Potato with Leela of She Simmers and Mel of Gourmet Fury! If you're not familiar with their monthly Beet'n'Squash You challenge, you should be. I've only participated once so far, and I'm back hoping to win this sweet challenge. (Get it? Sweet potato? Ok, I'll cut it out.)





I'm trying to bring sweet potatoes in style. There's no need to cover them in layers of sugar - they're sweet enough already. Easy to prepare in countless ways, they marry well with anything from seafood to game and can be found in soups, pastas, desserts, and drinks. They also just happen to be the best darn vegetable you can eat. Don't believe me? Check my sources!

These brightly colored pillows are made from fluffy, low-fat homemade ricotta mixed with roasted sweet potato flesh, creating a perfect balance between sugary warmth and light-as-air texture. I wanted the gnocchi to be center-plate, with a touch of game accenting their natural beauty. Tiny roasted quail worked flawlessly, providing a salty counterpoint without overwhelming the dish. We were lucky to pick up the last of the bunashimeji mushrooms at the farmer's market last Saturday and a hearty helping of fresh peas. Shelling fresh peas only takes moments, but trumps the flavor of frozen every time.

This recipe makes extra gnocchi; freeze them for future use! Simply roll and cut the gnocchi, allow to freeze separated on a parchment-lined baking sheet and then seal in a freezer-safe bag for later.

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 small quail* (ours served 2 per person)
• about 12 oz homemade ricotta*
• 2 lb red skinned (orange flesh) sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
• salt & pepper (about 1/2 tsp each)
• about 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 stick butter
• 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped, finely
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 slices prosciutto, sliced in half legnthwise
• 2-3 large handfuls fresh peas in pods
• 1 fist sized block bunashimeji mushrooms*, or about 30 small mushrooms

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare quail by making sure they are clean and pat dry. Place in ziplock bag with 5 minced sage leaves, 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in refrigerator to marinate while doing everything else.
2. Prepare sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 375'. Prick sweet potatoes all over with fork. Wrap in foil. Place in oven directly on rack and bake for 1 hour or until very tender. Remove from foil, cool to touch. Remove flesh from skin and mash in bowl with fork.
3. Stir in fresh ricotta, nutmeg, Parmesan, salt & pepper.
4. Begin adding flour, 1/2 cup at a time, gently mixing it in with fork (or hands).
5. Continue adding flour until it becomes a dough that can be rolled out into logs. You want to incorporate just enough flour to make it a touchable dough without adding too much floury weight.
6. Grab a small hunk, roll out into a 1/2" thick log on a floured surface. Cut with a sharp knife into 1" lengths. Roll each gnocchi across the back of a fork tines and set on a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Once all are made, set in freezer until ready to use.
8. Preheat oven to 400' and bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
9. Remove quail from marinade and pat dry. Wrap each piece of prosciutto around quail and tie quails with kitchen twine (optional). Place on foil lined baking sheet. Rub each quail with a touch more olive oil.
10. Bake in oven for approximately 20 minutes, turning once while you do the following:
11. Boil gnocchi that you plan on using for dinner for approximately 3-5 minutes or until they float to the surface. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon and set on parchment lined surface to cool slightly.
12. Heat butter in pan over medium-high until browned and toasty, about 5 minutes.
13. Add remaining chopped sage, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, add salt & pepper.
14. Remove birds from oven and tent with foil to rest.
15. Ladle half of butter into large skillet. Heat over medium-high. Add gnocchi and pan fry until exteriors are crisp and golden. Remove to plates.
16. Add more butter if necessary and quickly saute peas and mushrooms until bright and lightly cooked 1-2 minutes.
17. Arrange quail atop gnocchi and surround with peas and mushrooms.

*Quail: Can be found frozen at many butcher shops, or fresh at Asian or ethnic markets. Feel free to use any bird though. I wanted something tiny and slightly wild tasting. Be creative!
*Homemade Ricotta: While I highly recommend you make your own, here's what to do if you buy it. Buy FRESH if possible. If not, make sure you drain ricotta in cheesecloth for at least 12 hours. It should be all fluffy lightness and no liquid.
*Bunashimeji: Slightly crisp, nutty and exceptionally beautiful mushroom that lends a delicate flavor and visual appeal. Usually available at Asian markets or farmer's markets.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie!

We have gotten many requests from vege-vegan friends and fans for healthy and satisfying vegetarian fare. To demonstrate how you can alter any recipe to suit your dietary requirements, we chose a dish that is traditionally hearty, fattening, and very meaty - Shepherd's Pie. We set out to slash excess calories and fat, increasing protein and nutrients, and we ended up making it completely vegan! Read this scorecard:

• No dairy
• No meat
• No potatoes (WHAT?!)
• Per Serving: Calories: 350 Fat: 7g Protein: 44g

This is the best shepherd's pie I've ever had, not to mention the best vegan dish I've ever tasted. We thought it might work, but were amazed at how satisfying it tasted! The hardest thing about this meal is waiting for it to cool to a temperature lower than the surface of the sun, so you can start shoveling it in your face. Dig in!





* note: recipe edited to add missing instruction on 3/9/10
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large head cauliflower, broken into large florets
• about 1/4 cup rice milk (can use soy or almond milk too)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 - 12oz package Light Life Smart Ground original (or other vegan ground meat substitute)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 3 cups vegetable broth (we love Imagine-Organic No-Chicken Broth)
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 10 pearl onions, blanched and peeled
• 1 large carrot, halved and sliced
• 1 large celery stalk with leafy top, diced
• 7 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large portabello, diced finely
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 15 cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered if really large
• 1/2 cup wheat berries (essential!!!) or if you are gluten-free try short grain brown rice!
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small pan, combine 1 cup vegetable broth and 1/2 cup wheat berries. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until tender.
2. Steam cauliflower until very, very tender. Allow to cool slightly. Place in food processor or blender (or you can mash by hand if you're diligent enough), and whip. Add rice milk and continue to blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large fry pan. Add vegetables and saute until golden brown about 8 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and 1 Tbsp olive oil, saute until mushrooms are reduced in size and browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Deglaze pan with red wine. (Add wine, scrape up browned bits as you bring mix to a boil).
6. Add chicken broth, tomato paste, cooked wheatberries and spices, heat through, stirring occasionally about 3 minutes.
7. Add (crumbled) meat substitute and peas and mix thoroughly.
8. Preheat the oven to 450'
9. You can use ANY size baking dish you'd like. We suggest the following: a square baking pan with 2" or higher sides or individual serving ramekins.
10. Add your stew to the baking dish (or divide among four). Top evenly with pureed cauliflower. Sprinkle with paprika.
11. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. (You can also broil until the crust is browned about 5-10 minutes)/

Easily serves 4, makes wonderful leftovers and can be doubled or tripled to serve more! Don't have cute little soup bowls like us? We bought ours here but you can use ANY serving dish, casserole dish, glass baking pan, etc...

Grilled Shellfish with Pineapple-Tomatillo Salsa

EDITED TO ADD: WE DID NOT USE A BBQ! THIS WAS DONE ON A GRILL PAN INSIDE!

Do those grill-marks inspire bitter jealousy? I probably shouldn't tell you last weekend was 75° and sunny; I can feel your bitterness from across the Internet. Not to worry, if I told you what our monthly rent was, you'd likely take your weather-envy right back.

Living in Southern California means year-round fresh produce, summery days sprinkled over "winter", and being able to snowboard in the morning, drive home, throw on a sundress, and head out for afternoon cocktails. It's pricey out here, but it sure is nice having all these options.

We could have grilled outdoors, but we wanted to see how this would work on our new cast-iron grill pans. Our temperate-climate readers are stuck indoors with their grills either garaged, or buried in snow. Either way, grilling outside at low temperatures is impossible, and a grill pan presents the perfect way to get that summer-grilled taste when the weather just won't allow. Added bonus: flip it over and use the smooth side for the perfect cooktop!

We sprinkled our tender scallops and handful of prawns with a touch of home-ground chili and served them over a bright citrusy rice, then finished it off with the smoky sweetness of a rough-chopped roasted pineapple-tomatillo salsa. If you haven't tried grilled avocado, it's a delightful way to bring out its buttery flavor and add a dose of heart-healthy fat. Grilled pineapple really pushes this dish over the edge. Really. Is there a better flavor? Anything sweeter? Sunnier? I didn't think so. Put a little summer on your plate and a smile on your face.

Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:

• 4 dry large diver scallops
• 8 shrimp, split down the middle, deveined, shell in tact
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted (skin left on!)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 5 tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed
• 2 thick wedges or rounds pinneapple
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and halved
• 1/2 cup jasmine rice
• 3/4 cup water
• juice of 2 limes
• handful cilantro, minced
• chili powder or ground chili*
• cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker or pot (check your rice package for instructions)
2. Toss rice with 1 lime's juice and minced cilantro, keep warm
3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add tomatillos to pan (whole). Cover and roast in pan, shaking occasionally, about 5-7 minutes or until lightly blackened. Remove and dice.
4. Sprinkle seafood with chili, set aside.
5. Heat griddle pan or outdoor grill (or regular cast iron or nonstick pan) over medium high
6. Coat pan with spray oil or cooking spray.
7. Arrange garlic, jalapeno (cut side down), avocado halves (cut side down), and pinneapple on grill pan and cook, turning everything but avocado occassionally. (Keep avo cut side down). When grill marks appear on all sides, remove items and set aside.
8. Mince garlic and jalapeno. Toss with tomatillos and lime juice.
9. Plate rice, top with shrimp, scallops, salsa and serve with avocado and pineapple alongside.

Ground Chilis: We like to make a small batch of scorching hot ground chilis for times when chili powder just doesn't cut it. It's super easy! Grab a handful of dried chilis at your market and blitz them in a spice grinder, coffee grinder (that's what we use), or food processor and voila - dangerously hot chili powder!

Lighter Chicken Pot Pie

It was Valentine's week, and all I could think of were three little words.

Chicken. Pot. Pie.

The first six weeks of 2010 are showing signs of a Comfort Food Renaissance here at the Bite Me Kitchen: Hearty soups, savory pastas, a sandwich, fish tacos... so it was only natural to continue the trend.

Rose and I both admit our comfort food addiction, but we remain wary of the sky-high fat and calorie count of our favorite buttery-bready-cheesy treats. Check out Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie, weighing in at a whopping 550 calories per serving!

Wait a second, that doesn't sound like much... Ohhhhhh... There are TWO servings in ONE pie?!

Right there in black and white: 1,100 calories for the whole pie. Who's this mysterious half-pie eater, you ask? We shared a chair lift once when I was snowboarding with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, and I never saw him again. Those of us who live in reality know that whole pie gets cooked and eaten by a party of ONE. There will be no, repeat, NO SHARING.

To make a long story short, the US RDA nutritional info for any item is based on a 2,000 calorie-per-day diet. The offending pot pie consumes half that, and tips the scales at 105% of your daily fat allowance. I just can't justify that kind of splurge for what's basically a TV dinner. Our re-imagined Lighter Chicken Pot Pie explodes with pan-roasted vegetable flavor and sports a flaky phyllo crust that satisfies without breaking the calorie bank. A sneaky blend of low-fat ricotta and non-fat yogurt stands in for blubberizing heavy cream, and a hearty serving of nutrient-rich vegetables bring you comfort food that won't leave you feeling guilty.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 medium carrot, sliced into rounds
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup celery diced
• 16 pearl onions, blanched and peeled
• 1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 1/2 cup mushrooms, quartered
• 2 Tbsp parsley, minced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• salt and cracked pepper
• 1/2 cup sherry (we used Amontillado that was on-hand. Marsala will also work for a sweeter touch)
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• Cream Substitute: 1/2 cup non fat ricotta blended with 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt (whisk until smooth, let stand a few hours for best results)
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 1 cup poached chicken, shredded (about 1 large breast)
• egg white, lightly beaten
• thyme, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400'
2. Heat 1 tbsp butter over medium heat, saute garlic and shallot until translucent, about 2 minutes.
3. Add all vegetables (except peas) and 1 Tbsp olive oil if needed.
4. Pan-roast vegetables, covered with lid, tossing occasionally until golden browned
5. Add 1/2 cup sherry and deglaze pan until most liquid is gone.
6. Sprinkle in 2 tbsp flour, stirring continuously to coat vegetables.
7. Add chicken broth, thyme, salt and pepper (to taste).
8. Simmer and reduce 10 minutes.
9. Add chicken, fold in peas and parsley and remove from heat.
10. Stir in lemon zest, cream substitute and Gruyere cheese.
11. Divide filling between 4 - 8oz ramekins or oven proof casserole dishes (or mugs, bowls, whatever, as long as they're oven safe!).
12. Lay out puff pastry and divide into 4 equal squares. Dock pastry all over (poke holes with fork) so that the pastry doesn't inflate too much.
13. Top each ramekin with 1 square puff pastry, stretching to cover and crimping the sides down with fingers.
14. Brush top of pastry with lightly beaten egg white.
15. Bake, rotating if necessary for even baking, until puff pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
16. Sprinkle with thyme & serve!

LEFOTVERS: These were awesome the next day. We baked all 4, then allowed 2 to cool to room temperature and placed them in the refrigerator uncovered. We reheated in a 300' oven for 15 minutes the next day and they were PERFECT!

Osso Buco: An Elegant Dinner for Two

Osso bucco.

In a word? Tender.

Yes, I know why it's so tender. No, the little itty-bitty baby cow bit doesn't bother me, because those little guys taste good.

You're probably wondering what the heck happened to our veal shank above; I was too. Adam proudly brought home his butcher-paper-wrapped package to a semi-confused and near tears look on my face.

Me: "Whatthefuuuuuuuuisthis?"

Adam: "Veal shanks! I got three!"

Me: "Why are they so smaaaaaaaaaalllllll?"

Adam: "Because you said blah blah blah blah....."

Misunderstandings. Sigh. I had specified total weight and cross-cut shanks. Adam loves osso bucco, so I assumed he knew how the veal should look. He later reminded me that the first, last, and only time he'd eaten osso bucco, we had finished most of an expensive (and seriously intoxicating) bottle of wine. After a martini. Needless to say, he forgot the veal shank should be closer to two inches thick than one!

These things happen. You pick up the wrong thing. The market doesn't have exactly what you need. You get beef instead of buffalo; kale instead of chard; parsnips instead of carrots. An able chef doesn't miss a beat. An able chef improvises.

I reduced the overall cooking time and forged ahead. You know what? They were fall-off-the-bone fantastic! Who cares if they were smaller than I expected!? Briny olives contrast the savory veal, and a simple gremolata of parsley, garlic, and lemon zest balances it all with a fresh, citrusy zing. On the pasta side, gnocchi was the perfect compliment and I was again reminded that I need to set aside some weekend time to make and freeze some to have on-hand.

Who knew osso bucco was so easy? Chop a few things, saute a few things, brown a few things, chuck it all in a pot and cook on low for a few hours. Boil gnocchi for 3-5 minutes and you're done! For those of you who celebrate Valentine's Day this is a PERFECT meal for your carnivorous lover.

WARNING: Attempting to feed this dish to a vegetarian will completely ruin your chances of getting some. Forever.

Buon Appetito!

Serves 2, Inspired by this Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (10-oz) meaty cross-cut veal shanks (each about 2" thick), tied with kitchen string
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 (28oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed in hands (with juice)
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp fresh lemon zest (finely grated)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 package shelf stable gnocchi
• shaved parmesan (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Pat shanks dry and season with salt and pepper. Combine shanks and flour in a large sealable plastic bag and shake to coat, then remove shanks from bag, shaking off excess flour.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil and butter in ovenproof pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown shanks well, 5-6 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.
4. Reduce heat to moderate and add remaining tablespoon oil to pot along with onions, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes.
5. Add remaining stew ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring.
6. Arrange shanks in pot in 1 layer and return to a simmer.
7. Cover pot and braise shanks in middle of oven until very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
8. Remove strings from osso buco and discard along with parsley sprigs and bay leaf.
9. Stir together gremolata ingredients in a small bowl
10. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water. Cook gnocchi per directions. Toss with a little bit of osso buco sauce.
11. Plate: Arrange gnocchi on plate, top with shank and sauce, garnish with gremolata and shaved parmesan.

NOTE: You can use an all steel pot (we use this one) or a cast-iron pot, or if you have none of the above, you can transfer the shanks and sauce to a baking dish and very tightly cover while cooking in the oven.

Scallop Crudo & 1 Year Blogoversary!

One year ago, I opened The Bite Me Kitchen on a whim when my friend Leah mentioned she was starting a cooking blog. I never thought it would become anything more than an online recipe catalog for my friends and family. In 365 days, my humble little webspace has grown into a buzzing hive of activity and a kitchen run by a party of two.

Thanks to all our visitors, whether you scroll through on your reader with your morning coffee, or actively comment and inquire about our recipes. Thank you to all the businesses and advertisers that we've been fortunate to work with. Thank you to our friends and family that support and promote our culinary obsession. Thank you, as well, to Adam who not only puts up with my insane passion for cooking, but matches it with his own desire to craft food of the highest caliber and willingness to edit my oft-tangled prose.

We still don't know where we're headed, but we're happy to be here, and very glad to have you with us! Now, on to the food!!!!!!!!

When people think of raw seafood, they usually think sushi, but the Japanese aren't alone in their appetite for undercooked marine fare. Tangy ceviche hails from Peru, and Italy's crudo is made from raw shellfish dressed with olive oil, citrus juice, and sea salt. I can't think of a better way to accent a diver scallop's natural sweetness. Simple and elegant, slices of scallop are paired here with blood orange olive oil, freshly squeezed tangerine juice, honey-sweet diced mangos and himalayan pink salt.

Buon appetito!

Serves 4 as appetizer

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large dry scallops (large), sushi grade, each sliced in 3 rounds
• juice from 1 honey tangerine
• 1 mango, peeled and diced finely
• 4 radishes, shaved with peeler or mandoline - (watermelon radishes if you can find them!)
• 2 Tbsp blood orange olive oil
• a pinch of microgreens
• a few grinds of pink himalayan salt or sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. On plate, arrange radishes forming 3 flower patterns. Mound mango atop the radishes.
2. Place one slice sea scallop atop each mango round.
3. Garnish with microgreens and an additional mango piece.
4. Drizzle each plate with olive oil and tangerine juice.
5. Finish by grinding salt atop each plate as you serve.

Jerked Fish Tacos

Sandwich?! Clearly, those are fish tacos! What am I talking about? We made tonight's dinner from almost the exact same ingredients as last night's Cajun Fish Sandwich.

People give me a lot of reasons why they don't cook more often: Not enough time; Too much effort for just one or two; Too much food left over; Throwing excess groceries away. Madness, I say! By creating multiple meals from similar ingredients you can use up your entire grocery inventory, ensure you get a healthy dinner, and save yourself money.

With a little creativity, you can transform the ingredients from one dinner into a completely different meal the next day. Corn tortillas are cheap, versatile wrappers for many dishes, so we almost always have them on-hand. Yesterday's goat cheese-yogurt remoulade became a faux-buttermilk dressing once thinned by whisking with a touch of water. We changed the fish seasoning to Jamaican Jerk and made a quick salsa of leftover tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, avocado, lime juice, and cilantro. Everything we had was leftover from other meals. Proof: The salsa's jalapeno, lime, and cilantro, and the red cabbage came from the Citrus-Sesame Scallops on Soba a few nights ago!

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/2 lb tilapia filets
• blackened or jerk seasoning
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 slice onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
• cooking spray-oil

• 1 cup chopped romaine
• 1 large carrot julienned
• 1 slice onion, minced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 oz goat cheese
• 3 Tbsp plain non-fat greek yogurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cracked pepper +/-
• 1 Tbsp water +/-
• 1 Tbsp cucumber, minced
• 2 Tbsp carrot, minced

DIRECTIONS:

• Prepare salad first by combining romaine, carrot, onion and tomato in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients (goat cheese through carrot). Add more water if necessary. Mix dressing into the salad and set aside in refrigerator.
• Prepare salsa ingredients by gently mixing avocado, tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and onion. Set aside.
• Coat fish with seasoning. Preheat skillet or pan to medium high and coat with cooking spray.
• Add fish and cook about 5 minutes per side until flaky.
• Add tortillas to skillet and warm until pliable.
• Fill tortillas and serve with salad!

Cajun Fish Sandwich

Repeat after me:

We do not diet. Not the Atkins diet, the grapefruit diet, nor crazy cleanses that have us living on nothing but honey, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper for days. We believe a healthy body is the first and most important step towards happiness.


(Phew! All done!)

I'm not talking about having a certain body type, but rather having a healthy body inside and out. Commercial media bombards us daily with new get-slim-quick tricks and new fat-loss miracles. Today's fad diet flatly contradicts yesterday's, and none of them seem to actually work. Want to know what diet works wonders? The Common Sense Diet.

Eat natural foods without preservatives. Portion appropriately. Eat small, well-balanced meals every few hours. Cut out white flour, refined sugar, and wasted calories. Shocking, right?

We don't eat perfectly all the time, but the majority of our meals are relatively clean. From a breakfast of real oatmeal with fresh berries and soy milk, to a snack of non-fat greek yogurt with a swirl of low-sugar jam, we keep our bodies fueled as they want to be - with real food.

Not only was this sandwich delightful, but it's good for you - high protein, low carbohydrate, non-processed, fresh food that's easy to make! Flaky and spicy hot tilapia is cooled off by a refreshingly unique goat cheese and yogurt dressing that trumps any mayo on the planet!

Inspired by a recipe in Clean Eating Magazine March/April 2010

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Orowheat whole wheat sandwich thins
• 2 filets of Tilapia
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• cajun spice mix (or blackening seasoning)
• 2 romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 2 slices red onion

• 1 oz goat cheese
• 3 Tbsp greek non-fat yogurt (plain)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp cucumber, diced
• 1 Tbsp carrot, shredded
• cracked pepper
• 2 Tbsp minced parsley

• 10 grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup cucumbers, halved and sliced
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• handful romaine, chopped
• cracked pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare side salad: mix all ingredients in large bowl. Set in fridge while you do everything else.
2. Prepare goat cheese and yogurt dressing: Mix all ingredients in small bowl.
3. Heat pan over medium high with 1 Tbsp olive oil.
4. Coat fish in blackening seasoning.
5. Add fish to pan and cook about 5 minutes per side. When fish flakes easily, it is done.
6. Assemble: Top warmed bun with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, fish and the delicious goat cheese dressing.
7. Serve with the fresh side salad!

Citrus-Sesame Scallops on Soba

Looking for a clean meal packed full of nutrition and flavor? Look no further! This meal suits a weekday perfectly with a healthy blend of ingredients and only a few steps. Even better, the leftovers' flavor intensifies overnight and makes an outstandingly refreshing cold soba noodle salad for lunch the next day!

Nothing makes an average work day better like knowing you have a delicious, healthy meal to look forward to at lunchtime. This recipe serves 4 for dinner, or 2 dinners and 2 lunches. The vegetables are tossed raw with the sauce and hot noodles to retain their crunch and bright color. A sprinkle of furikake, squeeze of fresh lime, and a few cilantro sprigs finish it off with an ultra fresh zing of flavor.

For beautiful, perfectly cooked scallops, keep a lookout for dry scallops. We prefer to buy the absolute freshest scallops available for dishes where they're center-stage, and use frozen for mixed seafood dishes and soups. These beauties came from Santa Monica Seafood and were well worth the fishmonger's bill! Remove the foot (the small piece of meat attached to scallop's edge) and discard (or, like us, feed to your spoiled cats!). Pat the scallops nicely dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once in the pan, only touch the scallops once to flip them and once to remove them. Not messing with them is crucial to getting that delicious golden crust! We can't stress this enough!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 large Dry Scallops, fresh (see above for prep instructions)
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 bundle buckwheat soba noodles
• 3 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1 large carrot, julienned (we use on like this)
• 1/4 head of purple cabbage sliced
• 1/2 cup Napa cabbage, sliced
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, shaved
• 1/2 cup minced cilantro
• lime wedges for garnish
• furikake (optional)

• 1 cup tangerine or orange juice (fresh squeezed)
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 2 Tbsp ginger, grated
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 4 Tbsp ponzu sauce
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp jalapeno, minced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Using immersion blender or food processor, blend tangerine juice through jalapeno and taste. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Set aside.
2. Bring large pot of water to boil.
3. Prepare vegetables (above), set aside.
4. Boil soba for 5 minutes or until tender. Do not overcook.
5. Drain and return soba to same pot. Add sauce to taste. Toss. Keep warm over low heat.
6. Heat 1 Tbsp sesame oil in skillet over high heat.
7. Add scallops to pan, swirling each scallop lightly in oil and moving to the outside of the pan, so that you can continue adding scallops.
8. Cook 3-5 minutes, watching carefully as the bottoms turn golden and the bottom third of the scallop turns opaque (from translucent).
9. Add last 1 Tbsp sesame oil to pan. Flip each scallop with spatula. Set again for 3-5 minutes until golden crust forms.
10. Toss vegetables with hot soba and arrange on plate. Top with scallops, cilantro, a few lime wedges and a few shakes of furikake.
11. Enjoy!