Avocado Wasabi Salad

Simon and I tried this recipe and it's a winner! The wasabi adds depth of flavor without being too spicy. I love the flavor and texture contrasts.



Avocado Wasabi Salad

While you're at the site, check out veganyumyum's other great ideas! Vegans have to get really creative with fruits and veggies to keep things interesting, and I'm happy to benefit!

Aromatic Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

from So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound stew beef, cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 can (14.5 oz) no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked whole-wheat couscous
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, 2 minutes
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

Heat oil in a 4-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate, leaving juices in saucepan. Add onion; cook, stirring, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Return beef to pot; stir in squash, tomatoes, sauce, broth, cumin, cinnamon and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer until beef is tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Divide couscous and stew among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with almonds and parsley.

480 calories per bowl, and the recipe makes 4 servings (I got about 6 servings out of it)

Cook's notes: I loved this stew. It was hearty, flavorful, and satisfying. The flavors and textures were amazing together. It was easy to make a small batch of couscous and toast a few almonds when I wanted a single serving. I can't wait to make this again!

Peach Pie Smoothie

from So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week


1 C milk
1 C yogurt
2 C frozen sliced peaches (unsweetened)
1 T honey, plus more to taste
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/8 t ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of ground ginger
1 C ice



I really enjoyed this as a change of pace from my typical smoothie. I ended up almost doubling the amount of peaches because I thought it wasn't thick enough. Adding a banana might do the same thing. I also tweaked the spices until it was flavored to my liking. The leftovers kept well in the fridge, and I got about 4 servings out of it.

Scott taught me something he learned at Lifetime Group Fitness: greek yogurt is better for you than most kinds of yogurt. It has more protein and less sugar. It has a slightly sour taste like sour cream or creme fraiche and can also be substituted in a recipe that calls for sour cream. I can't tell the difference once it's mixed into a smoothie.

Sandwich Rolls

These are technically called "egg bread knots" but that's a little too close to egg rolls, so I'll simplify and call them sandwich rolls. They have a lot of egg in them, which makes them a good source of protein. I've made these several times and Simon and I love to make sandwiches with them. They make particularly good breakfast sandwiches with egg, cheese, tomato, and/or ham. They also work well for hamburgers or as a pizza base.

Each roll has 260 calories, roughly 3 points each, and the recipe makes 16 rolls.

Click to see the recipe.

The purpose of this blog is for 4 friends, all of whom received So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week for Christmas '09, to share their experiences with those recipes and other healthy recipes we try and love.