The girls and I went to the Farmers Market this morning and got all sorts of yummy things.  Thankfully the Amish pretzel people were not there today so I wasn’t as tempted as I normally am!  I did discover something totally yummy and totally South Beach approved…Almond Butter. MMMMM.  Fresh organic almond butter.

We came home with two delicious looking cucumbers and I decided to make myself some Cucumber Salad for lunch.  The version that is normally made in my family requires sugar and mayonnaise, so I decided to make mine South Beach friendly.  Enjoy the yummy goodness!

South Beach Fresh Cucumber Salad

• 2 Cucumbers, seeded and chopped into 1inch chunks
• 1 TBSP Salt
• 1/2 Red Onion, very finely chopped
• 1 big Clove of garlic
• 10 or so mint leaves, ripped into pieces
• 1 1/2 Cups of so, nonfat, plain yogurt
• and the secret ingredient….a good sized pinch of red pepper flakes.

Chop Cucumbers, place in strainer and toss with salt.

Put garlic, red pepper flakes and mint in the food processor and take it for a spin.  Add the yogurt.

Mix together the yogurt sauce, cucumbers and red onions.  Cover, and let stand at room temperature for about 15minutes.  Eat.

Incidentally, the Farmers Market is the best deal in town.  For just about $9 we got, 2 cucumbers, 2 large zucchini, a zucchini plant for our garden, a bunch of green onions, 1/2 pound of almond butter and about 3/4 pound yogurt cheese.  And, being Tuesday instead of Saturday morning, it wasn’t too terribly crowded!

for Emily C….

• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pkg (6oz) Stuffing Mix for Chicken
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pices
• 1 t basil
• 1 t oregano
• 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese

Place tomatoes with liquid in medium bowl. Add garlic and stuffing mix and 1/2 C
water. Stir until stuffing is moistened.

Place chicken in 13×9 dish, sprinkle with herbs and cheese. Top with Stuffing mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees (uncovered) for 30 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

This is super quick and easy and you can totally make this ahead, refrigerate it and pop it in the oven when you get home at the end of the day.

I made this for myself for lunch and it was sooooooo yummy.

Ingrediants:

2 whole wheat tortillas (small)

Steamed Baby Carrots, halved

Leftover Hummus

Black Beans

Coat tortillas in hummus.  Sprinkle on black beans (try not to feed too many to baby).  Top with baby carrots.  Nuke for 20 seconds.  Basque in the delicious thing you created before you gobbled it down.

Nutrition:

Well…on the WW side….Tortillas are 1 point each, hummus is 2 points for the 2 tbsp I used (since it was my homemade recipe I could control the oil/tahini in it), carrots = free.  Black beans, less than 1 point total since I used about 10 on each thing.

4 points for the whole thing and soo filling.  Way better than a quesadilla.

Try it - it’s incredible.

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The Ingredients

Chicken Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground red pepper
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 piece ginger, minced (1/2-inch long) or 1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

Sauce:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

The Method

Mariande:

1. Combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, salt and ginger in a zip lock plastic bag - shake and let sit for 15 - 30 mins.
2. Stir in chicken, marinate in refrigerator 1 hour or more.
3. Thread chicken onto skewers and grill (charcoal, gas grill, grill pan, broiler)until done.

Sauce:

1. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, add garlic and jalapeno; cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt.
3. Stir in tomato sauce, simmer 15 minutes, stir in cream; simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
4. Add grilled chicken to sauce and simmer until chicken is heated.
5. Serve over basmati rice or naan (or roti, or chapati, or tortilla, or other flatbread).

post the occasional recipe up here - they’ll be ones I’ve either made up myself or really enjoy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Watson’s Chunky Keema

The Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (not olive, though!)
• 2 cups finely chopped onions (or 1 large onion)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (black or yellow)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1″ ginger, minced
• 1 chili, your favorite variety, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 lb ground meat (chicken, turkey, beef)
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked, hot, or normal)

The Method

1. Brown fry onions in oil (See here: htp://anthonyskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/10/fry-onions-till-golden-brown.html)
2. Add in mustard seeds, garlic, ginger, chili, bay leaves - stir constantly and fry until you hear the mustard seeds popping.
3. Add in coriander, cumin, and cinnamon powders, stir quickly for 15 seconds.
4. Add in tomatoes with juice. Cook for 10 - 15 mins to reduce.
5. Add in peas and meat. Stir until combined, then add in 2 cups water. Simmer uncovered until reduced by half.
6. Stir in garam masala and paprika and salt to taste. Enjoy!