While a term like "Baked Ziti" sounds sexier, we started calling it "Pasta Bake" because it played well with several types of ingredients. Rotini, farfalle, campanelli, and, yes... ziti, all made wonderful Pasta Bakes. It works if you add things like mushrooms or pepperoni (put those on top). Or if you subtract stuff like spinach...

It's time to force your ovens to make your dinner. Just get hot? Not enough. Tonight it makes you curry. 

Well... It does the cooking part. 

1 cup "lite" coconut milk

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp curry powder*

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup diced tomatoes (drained)**

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

2-3 zucchini, cut into 1" cubes

10-15 button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered, 

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1" cubes

* Yes, I know there are a million different types of curry powder. And yes, I know there is no such thing as "curry powder," or even "curry" in India. Peronally, I use the "Hot Madras" variety.

"But I want my eyes to water and my sinuses to clear from this!"

Well in that case, add one to two Serrano peppers (stemmed and seeded) or Thai chiles (stemmed and seeded) to the sauce when blending. It will give you the requested sense of "fire-based" enlightenment... 

** I used a canned fire-roasted variety, but a regular will work just fine also. 

Add the first six ingredients to a blender or food processor, and pulse until smooth. Should you not own either a food processor or blender, just chop it as fine as is possible. Like to a pulp. Like keep chopping. Did you stop? Keep going. Ok. Almost there... And done. Salt and pepper to taste,

By the way, or "BTW" as the kids says, the sauce you just made can be made one to two days ahead and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I say airtight because you don't want everything in the fridge to have a subtle hint of curry...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the chicken and vegetables into a 

It's quick. It's easy. It's like a salad you eat with your hands. 

Depending on chopping skills, this might take you 15-30 minutes to make. 

Things you need:

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 lb ground turkey (I used 99% fat free)

2-4 chiles*, minced

2 carrots, grated

1 tsp honey

1 Tbsp Hoison (optional)

1 Tbsp low sodium Soy Sauce

12-16 Thai basil leaves, chiifonade (sliced into little strips)

1/4 tsp white pepper

8-10 lettuce leaves, washed and dried (I prefer butter lettuce, but anything that can hold some filling will work)

*This is your decision. Want to create a pain inducing dish, add 4-6 tiny Thai chiles. Me? I used 2 jalapeños, seeded. It was medium (again this is subjective), but we could have easily dealt with more.

Get ready! This goes quickly if your ingredients are prepped!

In a large skillet or cast iron pan (or wok if so inclined), heat 2 tsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot 

and oil shimmers, add ginger and garlic. 

Sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant, then add ground turkey. Break up the turkey as it browns into small pieces. 

Now add the chiles, carrots, honey, Hoison, and soy sauce. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. 

Get ready for magic! Add the Thai basil leaves and cook 1-2 minutes till fragrant. Remove pan from heat and add white pepper.

Now go eat and proclaim the awesomeness of Thai basil!

"HEY!!! I don't see no recipe for no dippin' sauce. Add I DO see dippin' sauce in the picture!" you exclaim. 

Well, ok. Maybe a "dippin' sauce" was created... Get ready… 

Dippin' Sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Siracha

1 tsp honey

Mix. There you have it. Dippin' sauce. Dip it, spoon it over, use it as a palate cleanser… it is your decision. 

Diet-ish type stuff...

Step one for any diet: avoid too much dippin' sauce. I suggest spooning it over the wraps so you know how much you get or avoiding it all together.

Paleo: The Hoison and honey are optional. You could substitute

 salt for the soy. Just depends on how many of the ingredients are not on your approved list.

21 Day Fix: Mixture is mostly a red container, but meal could be a red and green combo with the right lettuce. Also, avoid too much soy or Hoison. 

Gluten Free: Make sure your Hoison and soy sauce are gluten free, then chow down.

Yes, that does look like rice. Did I mention how fluffy it is?Light. As. A. Cloud. Oh, and laced with lime, thyme, and garlic… It could be a song. Or a carb. But it is neither.

You say, "Tell me about that jerk chicken. It looks mighty tasty."

We will get to that. First, the cauliflower rice…

Things you need:

One head of Cauliflower

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 small limes (cut into pieces)

1/2 cup diced onion

3-4 springs of thyme

1/3 cup water

For those who have a different name for it, or wonder what this device is that came with their food processor, the picture to your right is the shredding blade. BTW it also makes slices… If you do not own a food processor, just run a knife across the outside of the florets and, while it happen very slow, you will eventually get a rice like consistency.






"Hold on here. You have more pictures of the chicken. Do I see a wing?!? Let's talk about the jerk. Is it a marinade or a sauce or both? How long did it sit? Were you able to…"

STOP. We are almost done with the rice. This is the exciting part! Rice, but no carbs AND it's really a vegetable! How cool is that?

(murmuring something about a chicken and a jerk…)

Now, let it cook, stirring occasionally. When the water has evaporated and the "rice" is tender, remove from heat. Now fish out the sprigs of thyme and lime wedges.

Just prior to serving, squeeze the other lime wedges over the top of the rice or serve on the side.


"STOP SHOWIN' ME PICTURES OF THE CHICKEN YOU WON'T TELL ME ABOUT! Sure. It may be part of the background of an image, but I want the JERK CHICKEN!!!"

You didn't have to shout. I was just about to tell you.

Jerk Chicken:
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

By the way… This is will falls more towards the "Indulgent" heading.

It is not really "bad" for you. It just doesn't take into consideration things like, being a low-fat marinade or using skin-on chicken. But on the other hand, it's not like we are eating deep fried chicken or something swimming in ranch dressing. So all-in-all, it is good food. Not low in calories, but high in flavor. If on a diet, just watch your portions.

You will need:

6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, or 4 serrano chiles (adjust for heat as needed)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 scallions
1/4 of a medium onion, sweet onion or Vidalia preferred
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1.5 tsp ground allspice
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or a couple of breasts and wings… or, if you don't know how but want to learn, click here and Gordon Ramsay can teach you how.)

Mix everything in a blender or food processor until it is chopped finely, combined, and emulsified. The consistency should be that of a thin milkshake… Whatever that means.

Place all chicken pieces into a gallon Ziplock bag and cover with the mixture from the blender. Seal the bag and place into a bowl to prevent any leaks. Let sit 1-2 days in the refrigerator.

When it is time to cook, grill over medium-high flames until golden all on both sides, then transfer to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking.

If NOT grilling, sear each piece of chicken in a skillet then transfer to a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven until cooked through.

Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165*.

"HEY! I spent all that time making a marinade and now we are just throwing it AWAY?!?"

Well. I don't suppose we have to toss it out. I mean you could pour the used marinate into a shallow saucepan, then add 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer (reaching a temperature of at least 190*). Then, you could pour this now slightly thickened marinade/sauce over the top of said cooked chicken while it is cooling… Then DEVOUR it.

Roll your dough into a cylinder. Cut in half and then cut each piece into 3 pieces (you end up with 6).

Stop having "just another" Taco Tuesday!

Jarred salsa? 

Please, we are not animals!  It's time to rise up and reclaim you tortilla! Say no the goopy, slimy stuff that get a whole section of the supermarket aisle. It's time to plant your "I'm worth it!" flag into mount Tuesday and not ruin your diet because of alliteration with tex-mex.

(Individual diet info at the bottom of page)

It has arrived. For most of you, summer is here. Yes, according to the calendar summer begins the 22nd, and we are several days away from that… BUT, for most, school is out. Pools are opening up. Yards are being mown. Vacations are well underway, or at least planned, or at least daydreamed about. 

Summer. 

And what better time have a light, refreshing lunch. Something where you don't need a fork. Maybe something you can slam into some dipping sauce. Or daintily dip. Or playfully dredge. (I am not one to judge how you dip. That is your business. Unless you take all the dip. Then it has become everyone's business. Long side-note short - make plenty of dip.)

Things you will need:

Chicken (let's go into this later)
Nob of Ginger (enough for 1 Tbsp chopped)
4-5 Limes (depending on size)
Thai Basil (enough for 1 Tbsp chopped, 12-15 leaves)
Garlic (enough for 1 Tbsp chopped)
1-2 Carrots 
1 Cucumber (I prefer hothouse or English cucumbers, the kind sealed in plastic)
Rice paper
Cellophane Bean noodles (that is what the wrapper says…)
20-25 mint leaves (depending on size)
Butter lettuce or spinach, washed, dried, and torn into pieces

Crushed peanuts, 1 Tbsp (optional)

"Hold on there, fella! Where do I find some of these ingredients? Thai basil? Cellophane noodles? Paper made outta rice?"

Well, most major supermarkets have started to carry the rice paper and cellophane noodles in their asian foods section. If not, the internet is full of wonderful places that will literally bring it to your door. I have found one grocery chain in my town that carries both, but several other stores don't stock either. Get out there and look at several grocery stores (if possible) because one might have everything. 

This would make a great still life painting…

Now, about Thai basil. That will be a little harder to find. Again, if your local grocer doesn't carry it, you could ask them to stock it, or try the internet. OR…

You could grow it! It is right beside the sweet basil in my garden. And yes, you could use sweet or some other form of basil, but Thai basil has a very distinct, heavenly flavor that you will be missing… 

Preheat oven to 375.

Let us now deal with this wonderful pile of goodies: the garlic, ginger, lime, and Thai basil. 

Get out a fine grater and remover all the zest off a lime. Be careful not to get the white pith mixed in. (It tastes bitter.)



Ginger: peel off the outer skin by rubbing it with the edge of a spoon or a knife. It is very thin and come right off. See, you did it! 

Then, peel your garlic. 

Now, you could use a knife and show us all how majestically, quickly, and finely you are able to mince up the garlic and ginger… OR…

Use the grater you used for the lime zest to make them small very quickly and easily. By the way, watch those fingers! Or at least keep bandages handy. Then, slice, or tear, or julienne the Thai basil into tiny pieces. 

Combine the ginger, basil, lime, and into a bowl with the juice from half of a lime (use the one you
zested). 

Next, we move to the chicken part. Yes, I used bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. I know, I know… I can hear you screaming, "Hey, this here was supposed to be a LIGHT dish!?! What do you think you're doin' with all that there skin?!?"

Time to relax in a 375* sauna...

Well. If you are looking for a lighter version, use boneless, skinless chicken breast… or just take the skin off the bone-in type. Or maybe you could just not worry about a tiny bit of fat. After all, we aren't eating the skin in this dish… Just saying… Now, back to our 375 degree oven (let's hope you preheated).

Rub your chicken with a very light coat of olive oil and then sprinkle salt on all sides. Place chicken in an oven safe dish (or a cast iron skillet). Then, (I use disposable gloves for this part) massage the lime/basil/garlic/ginger mixture into the chicken. 

Crimp some aluminum foil around the top and carefully place in your oven. After cooking for 20 min or so, remove foil so chicken has a chance to brown. Remove once chicken has cooked through and reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 

Remove to a plate, tent with a foil, and allow to rest for 10 mins. Then, shred and chill in the fridge for what happens next. OR… slice off the bone and have this as a main dish… Maybe served with some lime cauliflower rice… but that is another post. 


Also, now would be a great time to prepare your cellophane noodles according to the directions on the package and cool.

Once the chicken and noodles have chilled, let's make some spring rolls!

Next, prepare your carrot. Scrub or peel your carrot. Then, starting in the middle, make some vertical cuts. Then use a vegetable peeler to make thin little strips. 


See, doesn't that look fancy. 

 Now, prepare your cucumber. First cut off the ends, then cut in half, then cut that half lengthwise down the middle. (Pictures are probably better than me trying to describe it…) Now use a spoon to remove the center seeds and pulp. 

Using your peeler remove the tough outer skin and then slice them into thin strips. Or you could even use your vegetable peeler again to make the thin strips…

Now… rice paper. I will never claim to know all on rice paper. In fact, I plan on having to discard a couple of pieces of rice paper every time I make them. It is why they put so many in the package. They know they are difficult to use the first couple of times. Best way I have found. Dip them in warm water. And I mean dip. Leave them in until they are loose and pliable and you will have a mess on your hands. Like dip one side, dip another side. DONE. 

Again, NO ONE has a Jedi-like rice paper mastery their first time. Or their second time. Or their third time. If you mess up, guess what? It's no big deal, just get your stuff out of the paper in question and start on another. Now, back to building lunch. 

Now then, just north of center make a line of mint leaves, then a line of carrots underneath. 


Then add your noodles and cucumber. Followed by your chicken,  lettuce, and peanuts (if using them).  

After realizing something you exclaim, "Whoa! You didn't tell me exactly how much to add!?!? What am I supposed to do, guess?" 

I suppose guessing could work, but because these are made to your liking, you can build them as you wish. Really like chicken? Add more chicken. Really like cucumber and lettuce? Go crazy. The only rule is, the more volume you try to add, the harder it is to roll. Also, for some reason the cucumber always wants to poke holes, so try to keep it in the center. 

Now find a pool, or a backyard, or maybe you need some "you time" but the kids are going crazy, so you make a plate of these and eat them in a closet. It's your choice! Either way, go eat some spring rolls!

What? Oh, I didn't tell you about a dipping sauce? Ok fine...

Lime-Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce

1 Tbsp Asian Sweet Chili sauce
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 1/2 tsp Rice Vinegar

Mix. 

What? That's too easy? I assure you. It is all. While straight Asian sweet chile sauce may not be good for the diet, cutting it with lime juice and vinegar is a great way to keep the same flavors, but basically make it lower in calories and reduce the amount of sugar. 

Um, Diet-ish info?

Gluten-free: check labels, but it should be ok. 

21 Day Fix: measure your veggies and chicken. Remember to use appropriate container for dipping sauce… and 3 rice skins w/ cellophane noodles will equal about 1-1.5 yellows. 

Paleo: Rice paper may be out, but using the same ingredients, this could be a killer salad or even great as lettuce wraps. Some will say the noodles are out, others may want to switch to soba (buckwheat) noodles. It is all based on how you are interpreting your Paleo diet.  (I am not a Paleo expert so don't flame me.)