Clean & Delicious with Dani Spies
Fuel your body. Feed your life!
Scroll down to watch the step-by-step video.
The next time you get your hands on some juicy, delicious, seasonal tomatoes, do yourself a favor and make this simple quinoa salad.
It’s light, bright and loaded with garden fresh flavors!
Oh! And if you like simple salads like this one, be sure to check out my Mango + Black Bean Quinoa Salad and Minty Pea Quinoa Salad.
Scroll down to watch the step-by-step video.
Who wouldn’t love a fun, little appetizer that screams summer and comes on a stick?
These super simple, caprese skewers couldn’t be any easier to make and they make a great appetizer for bbq’s, cookouts, and picnics.
Watch the step-by-step in the video below and let m know if you get give this one a try. Enjoy!
Scroll down to watch the video!
It’s official. Pico De Gallo is now my new favorite go-to salsa.
It is so simple, so fresh, and insanely delicious. Oh! And did I mention you only need 5 ingredients?
Yep. Tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeño, and some lime juice. That is all it takes to make a salsa good enough to bring tears to your eyes and smiles to your belly.
It’s simple recipes like this that will remind you that healthy, nutritious food does not deprive. It delivers amazing flavor time and time again when you simply focus on real, whole foods that the seasons naturally provide. It’s a beautiful thing, no?
I’ll be back later in the week with a simple fish taco that is a perfect pair for this salsa, so stay tuned for some more Clean & Deliciousness coming your way!
Scroll down to watch the video.
We are in high gear, full time packing mode around here. Three more days and my family and I are headed back east to kick off the next chapter of our lives back where we grew up… Jersey! After 11 years in LA, it’s just time.
In the meantime, I wanted to get this recipe up before the holiday weekend starts. It’s just the kind of salad you’ll be looking for this weekend. So check it out and let me know what you think.
The next time we chat, I’ll be a Jersey girl again;).
Weeknight dinners can be tough.
Trying to come up with ideas, day after day, week after week is no easy task AND I know that you guys know exactly what I’m talking about.
So whenever I stumble across a technique that simplifies and speeds up what can sometimes be the toughest task of the day, I’m one happy camper.
Foil pouches do exactly that.
They’re quick. They’re simple. And they require very little planning.
The one secret that you have to keep in mind is that the foil has to be sealed all the way around. If it’s not completely sealed, all the heat/steam sneaks out and your ingredients take forever to cook (yes, I’ve learned from experience).
I made this particular combo with canned tomatoes because that’s all I had but they would probably be even better with fresh tomatoes.
Bottom line = use what you have and make it work for you.
At the end of the day, as long as my weeknight dinners are quick, simple, healthy and tasty I’m satisfied.
This meal met all my weeknight requirements.
What about you? What are your requirements for a weeknight meal? What’s most important to you? I’m curious…
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Tear off 4-big squares of foil. The foil should be a few inches longer than the fillet.
Combine the garlic, tomatoes, thyme and some salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Place about 6-8 sliced of zucchini rounds on each piece of foil and lay the fish on top.
Top each fillet with ¼ of the tomato mixture. Pull up sided of foil and seal shut. Be sure the foil is sealed or your fish will not cook.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve over some quinoa or brown rice and enjoy!!
Makes 4 servings.
Calories: 186; Total Fat: 3.8g; Saturated Fat: 0.7g; Cholesterol: 75mg; Carbohydrate: 5.8g; Dietary Fiber: 0.7g; Sugars: 1.9; Protein: 32.3g
<p></p>
Those of you who follow me on FaceBook and/or Twitter already know that today marks day one of a 21-day cleanse I have embarked upon.
In a nutshell I’ll avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugar, gluten, and all animal products for the next three weeks.
This is my effort to balance out the over indulging (think bagels, pizza, pasta, and LOTS of margaritas) that I did while in Jersey for the past three weeks. My goal is to both give my body a break and attempt to feel like a million bucks before my 37th birthday rolls in at the end of the month!
I don’t expect this to be easy. It’s only the end of day one and I am CRANKY.
According to the book that I am using as my guide, this is to be expected in the first few days and then I’ll start feeling like a rock star. I’ll be sure to keep you all posted!
In the meantime I wanted to share my latest video; Ratatouille.
This is a meal I grew up with. Both my Mom and Dad made it often and it was always one of my favorites.
Ratatouille has a lot of wiggle room. The idea is to take all of those end of the summer veggies and make a big one pot veggie stew. We always topped it with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese which I would highly recommend, but if you are vegan (like my next 3-week self) you can skip the cheese and simply enjoy the flavor explosion of the fresh basil and tarragon that finishes this dish off.
But enough about this weeks video! Have you ever done a cleanse? Ever given up caffeine, alcohol, gluten, sugar, and/or animal products for a period of time? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences? Did you get a headache? Were you cranky? Did it get easier? Talk to me…
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
In a large non-stick Dutch oven (sauté pan w/ high sides) heat one tsp. of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the eggplant along with a pinch of salt and cook for about eight minutes, stirring occasionally. You are looking for the eggplant to brown on the edges and become nice and tender. Once the eggplant is done, remove from the pan and set aside.
Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan along with the onions, garlic and another pinch of salt and sauté for another two or three minutes before adding in your peppers and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Allow veggies to cook for another five minutes or so. You want your onions to become translucent (if they are browning, turn the heat down).
Add squash, tomatoes, and veggie broth to the pan and allow to simmer for about fifteen to twenty mints. Toss eggplant back in with the veggies and cook another five minutes.
Adjust seasonings and finish with fresh chopped bail and tarragon.
Serves 4.
Serving Size = 1.5 cups Calories: 150 Total Fat: 3.2g; Saturated Fat: 0.5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 107mg; Carbohydrate: 29.8g; Dietary Fiber: 9.1g; Sugars: 13.1g; Protein: 5.7g
The best thing about working with fresh, seasonal produce is that you always know whatever ingredients you have on hand are going to taste great together! It’s simply the way Mother Nature intended it and it’s an easy way to learn how to pair foods together.
My favorite way of remembering this is:
What grows together, goes together.
So simple yet so true! So when I saw my little zucchinis, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil sitting on the counter after visiting the farmer’s market this week, I knew they’d all work well in a simple, clean & delish dish. Now all I had to do was decide what type of dish I wanted to make – and that’s when it hit me!
I remembered a reader leaving me a tip in the comments a few months back. She said that she liked to make a salad using raw zucchini and feta cheese!
Now this was an eye-opening tip for me b/c I had never eaten summer squash raw before, I usually cook it up, so naturally I was intrigued and this was my chance to give it a go.
Here’s what I learned about working with raw Summer Squash:
Needless to say, this salad was light, refreshing and full of flavor. I’ve actually made it several times in the past couple weeks and am so excited to be working with Summer Squash in a whole new way!
So tell me… have you eaten raw squash before? If so, what do you like to do with it? Do you have any tips or recipe ideas you can share?
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Be sure to choose young, tender, seasonal squash because it will make or break this salad!
Make sure to slice your Squash as thin as you possibly can. If you have mandolin, this would be a great time to use it.
Combine the squash, tomatoes, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice and olive oil.
Gently mix in the feta and basil and finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil right before serving.
Makes 6 side servings (about ¾ cup each)
Nutrients per 3/4-cup: Calories: 90; Total Fat: 5.8g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 10mg; Carbohydrate: 8g; Dietary Fiber: 2.2; Sugars: 3.7g; Protein: 3.3g
While 80 degrees has been the SoCal high this past weekend I KNOW that many of you have been dealing with temperatures much hotter!
I also know that no one wants to deal with hot ovens or grills when it’s so hot outside which is exactly why this recipe should have you smiling at your computer right now!
This my friends is a fresh, seasonal sauce that requires only five ingredients and there’s absolutely NO cooking involved! A few pulses in the food processor and your work is done.
It’s important to remember that whenever you make a recipe that uses so few ingredients it’s an absolute must that the ingredients are top-notch. This is non-negotiable! So for this sauce be sure to choose fresh, ripe summer tomatoes and a nice, fruity olive oil. As for the basil, it’s got to be fresh, dried basil won’t make the cut.
This recipe was inspired by Giada but I lightened it up by skipping the cheese, cutting back on the oil and serving it over spaghetti squash instead of pasta. And don’t worry… you can easily avoid the oven by cooking your spaghetti squash in the microwave (demonstrated at the end of this video).
It’s amazing how much flavor this sauce packs for such a simple recipe but again that is largely due the quality if the ingredients;).
Not in the mood for squash or pasta?! No worries… this sauce would be absolutely delicious served over some grilled chicken, steak or fish or simply spooned on some toasty bread!
How are you keeping your kitchens cool and your bellies happy in this heat? Do you have any no-cook tips you can share with us?!
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse just until everything is roughly chopped. Be careful not to puree the mixture!
Adjust seasonings and enjoy!
Makes 4 servings (about 1/3 cup each).
Calories: 88g; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 16mg; Carbohydrate: 8.1g; Dietary Fiber: 1.5g; Sugars: 4.4g; Protein: 1.4g
I’ve never roasted tomatoes before. But after reading this post on Smitten Kitchen who could resist? Deb made we want to make roasted tomatoes over apple pie (because apples were the other ingredient I loaded up on at the Farmers Market last week!). No joke!
So I grabbed my knife and began slicing my tomatoes in half.
Slowly.
One at a time.
Truth be told I was a little stressed out before I began and decided to take a meditative approach to slicing my tomatoes. I pulled over my big wooden chopping board, grabbed my knife and sat at the island in my kitchen as I began to slice through each tomato.
I’m not so good at sitting down quietly and meditating in the corner for hours (or minutes) on end BUT I do enjoy me some active meditation (like slicing tomatoes or going for a hike). Am alone here? Am I the only one who can find peace and clarity while peeling beets or trimming an artichoke?
But I digress…
Once I had all my tomatoes sliced up, I laid them out on my parchment lined baking sheets, tossed in my garlic, and thyme, drizzled them with olive oil and then kissed them with some salt and pepper.
Then into the oven they went for three hours.
Oh yes!
Three sexy, slow-roasted hours.
Hey that’s what Deb said to do, so that’s what I did!
And oh, my my…. were they worth the glorious time. They were sweet, tangy, succulent…. and did I even mention how great my kitchen smelled?!
Once you’ve got them cooked up you can use them in about 101 different ways.
I can’t stop myself from making a little goat cheese, garlic, and roasted tomato crostini!
Deelicious!
But still, I am curious… how do YOU like to use your roasted tomatoes? Have any yummy ideas that I NEED to know?!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 head of garlic
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Pre heat oven to 225.
Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice tomatoes in half crosswise and lay out on baking sheets.
Separate, but do not peel, cloves of garlic and lay them out on the sheet as well.Drizzle tomatoes with the olive oil, toss on the sprigs of thyme and season with some salt and pepper.
Pop in the oven for three hours or until the tomatoes have wilted and dried out on the outside but are still al little juicy on the inside.
Enjoy!
Nutrients for the entire recipe: Calories: 366; Total Fat: 13.5g; Saturated Fat: 1.8g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 55g; Dietary Fiber: 8g; Sugars: 24g; Protein: 8g
There is a restaurant a few blocks away from where I live that Beng and I used to go to all the time before the little one came along (now when we want wine with dinner, the date is on the balcony!) and they served a side dish that I fell in love with.
It was corn with cilantro, jalapeno and white beans (and I’m sure LOTS of butter) and they called it Indian Corn – it is SO GOOD!
So that is where the original inspiration comes from. But the Jersey girl in me can’t help but think corn and tomatoes when it comes to fresh summer produce so I really wanted to bring them together in this dish!
As for the fish… a quick pan seared tilapia, one of my favorite ways to eat fish on a action packed weeknight.
I hope you guys like this video, we shot it the same day we shot the Roasted Apricots w/ Vanilla Yogurt Cream.”
Enjoy!
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add about 1 tsp of olive oil. Add in the onions, garlic, and jalapeno and cook for about five minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Stir in corn, cumin, and about a half a cup of water. Season with salt and pepper and pop a lid on. Cook for about three minutes.
Remove the lid and stir in the beans and tomatoes. Cook just until the beans and tomatoes are heated through.
Shut off the heat and stir in the butter and cilantro. Adjust seasonings.
In the meantime, season each side of the tilapia with salt, pepper, and paprika. Use your fingertips to rub in the spices.
Heat a separate sauté pan over a medium high heat and add the rest of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the tilapia to the pan. Cook for about two minutes on each side or until the fish is opaque and is just cooked through.
Serve your tilapia over a bed of the corn and bean mixture and enjoy!
Serves 4.
Calories: 314; Total Fat: 2.5g; Saturated Fat: 2.5g; Cholesterol: 58mg; Sodium: 116mg; Carbohydrate: 31.5g; Dietary Fiber: 6.4g; Sugars: 3.4g; Protein: 27.7g
Even though I’m using summer flavors in this video, I urge you to just take the basic technique of making the frittata and then add whatever veggies and herbs you have on hand. By doing this you can make this recipe idea work no matter what time of year it is.
For example, to capture some real fall flavors you could try butternut squash and sage, or sweet potato and rosemary. Actually, you could even try zucchini with some thyme and carrots if you wanted to keep with the squash theme.
Whatever flavor combo you choose, frittatas are a great make-ahead-meal because they work well hot, cold, and at room temperature, so you can always make one and leave it in the fridge for a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner (so flexible is the frittata, no?).
Yield: Seres 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine eggs, egg whites, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add mint and feta cheese to egg mixture and gently stir. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Give it all a stir and shut off the heat.
Pour the egg, herb, and cheese mixture over your veggies and pop the pan into the oven for 20 minutes or until the eggs are set. Enjoy!
Serves 4.
Nutrients per Serving: Calories: 131; Total Fat: 5.8g; Saturated Fat: 2.2g; Cholesterol: 116mg; Sodium: 354mg; Carbohydrate: 6.1g; Dietary Fiber: 1.3g; Sugars: 2.4g; Protein: 13g
Okay, so I’ve been fairly addicted to these “skillet” meals lately, but I’m telling you, once you make one you’ll see why. It’s just one of the easiest ways to get good food on the table fast and this Turkey and Zucchini Skillet video will show you just what I mean.
This was one of those, “hungry-for-dinner-with-no-plans-in-mind” meals. I came home on a Tuesday, opened the fridge and just pulled out what I had on hand.
I love this meal because really you are sitting down to a bowl of veggies mixed with a little lean protein but somehow it feels like a much heartier meal. This is a good one to make when you feel like having a big bowl of comfort food but don’t want to break the “calorie” bank.
As always, use this recipe as a guide and adapt it to whatever you have hanging around in your fridge. You could take this one a lot of different ways!
Yield: Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Once the olive oil is hot, stir in your onions and garlic along with a pinch of salt. Let them go for about five minutes or so or until your onions are beginning to look translucent.
Using a rubber spatula, stir in your ground turkey be suring to break it up into small pieces. You want to combine the ground turkey with the onions and garlic. Let the turkey cook for five minutes or so before adding in your zucchini, tomatoes, oregano, and another pinch of salt and pepper. Pop a lid on and allow to cook another five minutes or until your veggies are cooked to your desired tenderness!
Serve over a bed of spaghetti squash and top with some red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!!
Half of the recipe over one and a half cups of Spaghetti Squash:
Calories per serving: 256; Total Fat: 5.4g; Saturated Fat: 0.8g; Cholesterol: 55mg; Sodium: 108mg; Carbohydrate: 24.8g; Dietary Fiber: 5.3g; Sugars: 14.5g; Protein: 31.8g
I know I left you guys high and dry this Labor Day weekend, but the truth is I didn’t do much cooking. I’m headed to Jersey later this week to spend a week down the shore with my family so I was laying pretty low this weekend. But I did get to make this Whole Wheat Penne w/ No-Cook Tomato Sauce and White Beans.
This was a very last minute meal. A decision made based upon having a pile of tomaotes on the counter and no plans for dinner. I remember seeing someone (it was either Giada or Rachael Ray) on the Food Network make a No-Cook Tomato Sauce awhile back, so I thought I would give it a go.
I’ll tell you this much… it was easy! Super, super easy and quick. It had a very fresh, light flavor and the beans added some extra protein and a good texture. I will definitely be making this again!
Quick Tip: Whenever I cook with canned beans, I always rinse them under cold water first. This rinses off about 60% of the sodium.
*Oh, and stay tuned because I have a great video coming this week that will definitely kick off your football season with a clean, simple, and delicious dish!
Yield: Serves 6
Cook penne according to package.
*Be sure not to overcook your pasta. I always cook whole wheat pastas al dente because once they get past al dente they tend to get mushy or may even begin to fall apart.
Pulse garlic in a food processor until finely minced. Add tomatoes, olive oil, and salt and pepper and blend together. Once everything is well combined pour over cooked pasta.
Stir in White beans and basil. Top with some Parmesan cheese and enjoy!!
Calories per serving: 332; Total Fat: 6.6g; Saturated Fat: 0.7g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 36mg; Carbohydrate: 63.8g; Dietary Fiber: 10.9g; Sugars: 3.5g; Protein: 11.8g
