Kelli's Kitchen

Protein Pancakes

Lighter Egg Salad

Well, summer is coming to a close, with school starting right around the corner.  This means the end of vacations, and vacation eating.  Yes, over the summer I do indulge. Visiting family all over the country allows me to justify the overindulgence of food and drinks.  It's time for all those extra summer pounds to come off and it's time to start paying attention to what I eat.  Now I have to listen to the skinny girl that lives in my head, that I dream of being one day, screaming at me while I try to get back to the gym and take off my summer indulgence.  I really dislike her!

This is a quick and easy light lunch with lots of protein.  You can always substitute the mayo for plain yogurt but be prepared for a tangy zip.




Ingredients:
2 whole hard boiled eggs, crumbled
4 hard boiled egg whites, crumbled
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped stuffed Manzanilla Olives
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Mix all ingredients and Enjoy!

How to make Hard Boiled Eggs:
Put eggs in a large pot and cover with water.  Put on stove top over high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes and then turn the heat off and let the eggs cool in the water.  This will allow them to continue to cook while cooling.

Zucchini Gratin

One word, CHEESE! Honestly who doesn't like cheese, and what's better then veggies buried in
cheese. This time of year I am over run with zucchini and squash. Though zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables I find myself getting tired of the same old recipes. This is so yummy and easy.  The kids even are inclined to taste it, since it is covered in cheese!

Ingredients
1 onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 or 3 large zucchini and/or yellow squash thinly sliced
8 oz grated smoked gouda


Directions
Pre-heat oven 450'
Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat. Place onions in oil and saute until soft and translucent. 
While onions are cooking, place zucchini in a baking dish. I arranged mine along the bottom with them slightly overlapping. 
Once the onions are done pour them over the zucchini.
Then spread cheese over top.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and continue baking until cheese is golden brown.

Couscous Salad

School is out, the first of two big trips this summer is now behind us and I am back getting ready for the 4th of July! We will be doing what most Americans have planned.  Spending time outside, with friends and family, of course eating, all while enjoying fireworks.  This recipe is quick and goes with everything. It's perfect for a crowd and you won't have to worry about it spoiling in the sun. I put the salad in the endive leaves this time so it was easier for people to eat while standing around, you could also do this with chips or just serve as a side dish.


Ingredients
1 box roasted garlic and olive oil couscous
1 tomato chopped
1 cucumber chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
1 small can of sliced black olives
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup feta cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions
Cook couscous according to box instructions. Mix all ingredients well and serve. Seriously that easy!



 

Fathers Day Antipasto

Like most men, my husband loves meat and potatoes.  He has been a great sport with how I have changed our eating habits and rarely ever complains about dinner.  His favorite type of food is anything Italian, and when we were first married, I made pasta all the time.  I have since cut pasta dishes down to about once a week and it's usually whole wheat pasta.  Again, he never complains but on the occasion when I make something from the old days, his face is priceless.  This fathers day I am going to share some of his favorite dishes.  These little antipasto appetizers are great.  They are easy to make, great at a party or just to eat as dinner. This is a man-favorite in my house.

Ingredients:
Sliced salami
Cherry tomatoes
Marinated artichokes hearts
Fresh mozzarella pearls
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350'.  Using a greased muffin pan, place salami in the pan, making a cup shape. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10  minutes or until crispy.  Let the salami cups cool. Mix the other ingredients in a small bowl. Place mixture in each cup. 
 

Not exactly stuffed Tilapia

Well, this recipe started out as stuffed tilapia but very quickly turned into something different.  This happens a lot when I start a recipe from scratch.  It all started with wanting to make fish for dinner but I also needed to use up some greens I had in the fridge, so the idea of stuffed fish was born.  I thought I would use a similar stuffing as in stuffed chicken. Unfortunately once I got the stuffing done and was ready to roll the fish, I realized my fish were too small and cut up the middle. This made rolling them impossible.  So, I decided to dump all the stuffing on top and this recipe was born.  I completed the dish with some couscous, YUM!  Not the prettiest picture I know, but it honestly tasted great!


Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup fresh kale
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup panko bread crmbs
2 tablespoons kalamata olives chopped (can omit or add another kind of olive)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat.  Add spinach and kale and season with salt and pepper.  Cook the greens down until they are wilted and have decreased by half.  Add the garlic, feta, bread crumbs and olives, cook for another minute.   Turn heat off.

Prepare your fillets in a small baking dish, place them very close together so that they are touching. Salt and Pepper your fillets.  Place the greens mixture on top of the fillets.  Spread it evenly over all the fillets.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Lemon Pasta

Lemons always remind me of my parents and the first year their lemon tree produced an abundance of lemons.  They were so proud, and at least once a week by skype they would show me their lemons.  Though I was impressed, I did begin to tease them about their lemons.  Actually, everyone started to tease them.  Since then I always chuckle at the site of a lemon.  This is one of our favorite lemon recipe.  It's just a great light spring time recipe.

Ingredients
1 box angel hair pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 3 lemons
1 tablespoon basil leaves chopped



Cook pasta according to box instructions.  Heat a sauce pan on low, heat olive oil and butter until butter is melted.  Add garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes.  Heat until garlic becomes fragrant. Depending on your stove this can take 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit until pasta is done.  Drain pasta.

In a large bowl add pasta,olive oil and butter sauce, lemon juice, and basil.  Toss and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.