Clean & Delicious with Dani Spies

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Buffalo Chicken Butter Lettuce Cups (Video)

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With football season kicking off this weekend I wanted to give you guys a little game time meal that you could feel good about eating!  These Buffalo Chicken Butter Lettuce Cups are the perfect dish!

I’m a huge fan of buffalo wings (I absolutely love them) but they are not exactly a lite choice (although my Baked Buffalo Wings make a great alternative to the traditional fried wings).

So my goal was to take all of the things that I love about buffalo wings  and create a lighter, more nutritious option.  And I gotta tell you guys, I think I knocked this one out of the ball park! I have literally made this dish about four times since shooting this video… it’s so good, I’m addicted!

This dish is not rocket science.  It seriously couldn’t be any easier (or faster for that matter).   I basically just took all the ingredients used to make buffalo wings and did a nice light saute in a large saute pan.  Wrap it all in some butter lettuce and you’ve got some C&D Buffalo Chicken Butter Lettuce Cups.  Easy peasy.

You could wrap the buffalo chicken mixture in a tortilla or some pita bread, but wouldn’t you rather save it for a nice cold beer;)?!

Will you be watching the game?  What are some of your favorite game time snacks or meals?

Print Recipe

Buffalo Butter Lettuce Cups

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 carrots, chopped up
4 celery stalks, chopped up
2 cloves of garlic
2 chicken breasts cut into small bite size pieces (1lb)
¼ cup of hot wing sauce
1 tbsp onion powder
A little cayenne pepper
3 tbsp of lite blue cheese crumbles
1 tspof olive oil
Butter lettuce
Chopped scallions

Directions:

Heat one tsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan and add carrots, celery and garlic.  Give it a pinch of salt and let it cook for four to five minutes.

Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, onion powder and cayenne powder.  Stir everything together and allow to cook for about three minutes (the chicken is small and will cook fast… do not let it over cook or else it will get tough!).

Once the chicken is almost cooked through, add the hot sauce and cook for another two minutes or until the sauce is hot and the chicken is cooked through.

Shut the heat off, stir in the blue cheese and chopped scallions.

Scoop into butter lettuce cups and enjoy!!

Serves 4.

Calories: 200; Total Fat: 4.2g; Saturated Fat: 1.3g; Cholesterol: 71mg; Sodium: 725mg; Carbohydrate: 11.8g; Dietary Fiber: 2.8g; Sugars: 5.2g; Protein: 29.4g

Lentil Veggie Soup W/ Collards

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Lentil Veggie Soup w/ Chard
Lentil Soup – Clean & Delicious

Other than being absolutely delicious, lentils offer a ton of nutritional benefits including lots of fiber, plenty of protein, and a good dose of folic acid (making them a great choice for us pregnant mamas).

This Lentil Veggie Soup w/ Collards recipe is one of the simplest, most flavorful lentil soups you can make and it is packed with flavor!

I was initially inspired by this recipe from Ina Gartner (aka The Barefoot Contessa) and made some slight changes based on what I had on hand.  Ina’s recipe calls for both onions and leeks which I think is part of the reason this soup is so flavorful.  I love the combination of the mild, fresh leeks with the depth of flavor from the more aggressive yet sweet onions.

I also couldn’t help but add greens to this soup.  They just seem to fit right in and give another layer of texture and flavor that make this soup so good.

I used collard greens (because it’s what I had on hand) and added them early in the cooking process so they would have enough time to become tender but if you are using a lighter green, like spinach or dandelions, I would wait and add them in right at the end.

This recipe makes a whole lot of soup that just so happens to freeze really well but if you aren’t looking to have 16 cups of lentil soup in your life you can easily cut the recipe in half.

And remember, if you want to keep this soup vegan or vegetarian simply swap the chicken broth for veggie broth or even more water.

Quick Question: Am I allowed to say that this is one of the best lentil soups I’ve ever had even if I made the recipe?  Or is that too much like swearing that you have the cutest kid?  Either way, I highly recommend you give it try!!

Print Recipe

Lentil Veggie Soup W/ Collards

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound green lentils
  • 2 onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 2 leeks, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 6 cloves of chopped garlic1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 8 stalks of chopped celery (about 3 cups)
  • 6 carrots, chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 1 bunch of collard greens, stemmed and cut into ribbons
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 8 cups water
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water for 15 minutes and then drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery, carrots and collards and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, water, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Adjust the seasonings and finish with the sherry vinegar. Enjoy hot!

Makes 16-1cup servings

Nutrients per 1-cup of soup: Calories: 179g; Total Fat: 4.3g; Saturated Fat: 0.7g; Cholesterol: 2mg; Sodium: 138mg; Carbohydrate: 25.9g; Dietary Fiber: 5.4g; Sugars: 5.8g; Protein: 10.1g

Wild Salmon Salad

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Wild Salmon Salad
Wild Salmon Salad – Clean & Delicious®

Whenever salmon is on the menu for dinner I ‘m always sure to make extra since leftover salmon is so versatile. It’s good hot, cold, or at room temperature and works for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Even 18 month old Katie loves it (I can’t get her to touch chicken but you better lookout when salmon hits her high chair!).

But if you don’t have leftover salmon sitting in your fridge, no worries, this salad would work just as well with canned salmon (one of the best deals at the grocery store!).

Because of the benefits of wild salmon vs farmed salmon (you can hear more about this in my salmon 101 video) I always opt for wild salmon at home.  It’s richer in omega-3’s yet leaner in over all fat content and guaranteed not be shot up with artificial colors and flavorings.  Remember, most canned salmons are wild too so it’s a great way to include this super food into your diet while staying on your budget!

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, I love mayo!  So although I like to use rich and creamy Greek yogurt as the base to my creamy salads and dressings I still feel the need to balance it out with a little bit of the real deal.  SO the base of the dressing for this salad is 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt, some fresh lemon juice, and one tablespoon of my beloved mayo.  I find when it comes to rich full fat ingredients, a little can go a long way!

This salad would be delicious on a sandwich or served with crackers but since I’m still recovering from my holiday sugar-fest I decided to serve over a ed of red lettuce topped with lemon juice.

Do you guys have a favorite way to use leftover salmon? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Print Recipe

Wild Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz of cooked wild salmon (you can also use canned)
  • ¼ cup red onion, diced
  • ½ cup celery stalk and leaves, chopped up
  • 2 small Persian cucumbers, chopped
  • 1/3 cup of plain non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp mayo
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Break salmon into small pieces and combine with onion, celery and cucumbers in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together yogurt, mayo, and lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.

Pour yogurt mixture over the salmon and serve over a bed of lettuce along with some fresh lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Makes 3- ¾ cup servings.

Nutrients per 3/4-cup salad: Calories: 205; Total Fat: 9.6g; Saturated Fat: 1.5g; Cholesterol: 55mg; Carbohydrate: 7.4g; Dietary Fiber: 0.9g; Sugars: 3.9g; Protein: 22.3g

“Rachada” Mushroom Salad

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Mushroom Salad
Mushroom Salad – Clean & Delicious®

Who would ever think to use raw mushrooms as the main ingredient in a cold salad?

Not me, but Rachael Ray and Giada did.

I’ve been watching a lot of Food Network lately (what else is a new Mom to do while she’s feeding her baby?) and this salad seems to be rather popular right now.

First I saw Rachael Ray make a version of this salad using Portobella mushrooms and then Giada made something very similar using white mushrooms (do you think they watch the FN and then steal ideas from each other? – hmmm… I wonder who really made it first)

The salad intrigued me both times because it’s so simple, super fresh and healthy, AND I would have never thought of it myself!  Not in a million years.  But it’s one of those recipes that sounds so good and easy you just can’t help but think, “Why didn’t I think of that?!”

I didn’t write the recipes down but the basic idea was mushrooms and celery with lemon juice and olive oil and then the details varied a bit.  So this is my spin on the “Rachada (Rachael Ray and Giada [duh!]) Mushroom Salad.”  Hope you guys love it – we did!

OH!  And if you’ve got any interesting (or not so interesting) ways you like to use mushrooms, do share in the comments below – I always love to hear from you guys!

Print Recipe

"Rachada" Mushroom Salad

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint of white or cremini mushrooms
  • 2 stalks of celery, sliced
  • A couple of handfuls of arugula
  • The juice of one lemon (about 2 tbsp)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Fresh shaved Parmesan cheese (about a ¼ cup)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Wipe mushrooms down with a damp cloth to remove any dirt.  Cut off the tough end of the stem and thinly slice each mushroom.

Combine mushrooms, celery, and arugula in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and top the salad off with some fresh shaved Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Serves 4.

Nutrients per 1/4 of recipe: Calories: 75; Total Fat: 4.8g; Saturated Fat: 1.2g; Cholesterol: 3mg; Sodium: 94mg; Carbohydrate: 5.7g; Dietary Fiber: 1.6g; Sugars: 3.2g; Protein: 4.7g