The "S" Squad Chronicles

Southwestern Eggrolls

Since everyone thinks I'm Mexican, but I'm really Asian, I decided to mix the two and make these awesome Southwestern Eggrolls.  Think Chili's but homemade and maybe a tiny bit healthier (it's still deep fried!).  We even came up with this great Chipotle Ranch dipping sauce!  You can use regular ranch if you can't handle the heat.  Anyways, try this at home and let me know what you think!

Southwestern Eggrolls

Ingredients:
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup EVOO
8 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup frozen corn
1 15oz. can black beans, drained
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
6 oz Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Egg Roll wrappers (I used Dynasty brand)
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
Saute onions in EVOO until tender.  Add next 6 ingredients and cook until spinach wilts.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese.  Place 1/4 cup of mixture on each egg roll wrapper, fold in sides and dampen edges with a small amount of water so they stick together.  Put enough oil in a wok to cover egg rolls and heat to a high temperature.  You can also use a deep fryer set at 375 degrees.  Cook rolls until golden brown and allow to drain on paper towels.  Serve with Chipotle Ranch or Ranch dressing.

Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce:

Mix 1 tsp. of Chipotle powder to your favorite Ranch dressing.  Add more or less powder to suit your desired heat likes.

Goat Cheese, Chives, and Tomato Tart

Last week I bought a tart pan and have been dying to use it.  I have a plan to make a delicious egg dish for Easter brunch this weekend, but wanted to do something before then.  I came across a goat cheese and tomato tart and modified it to my liking.  I really wanted to use my fresh herbs from my Herb Table (remember the one Todd built me for my birthday last year) so I came up with this.  I bought some awesome small cocktail tomatoes from the farmers market this weekend so I used those instead of the cherry tomatoes, but either one will work.  It's great with a salad for a light lunch.  ENJOY!

Goat Cheese, Chives, and Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ice water
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives and green onions
7 ounces room temp. goat cheese
6 tablespoons room temp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 lb cherry tomatoes or yellow cherry tomato, cut in half

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  For crust, cut butter into small pieces.  In a food processor, pulse together flour, cornmeal, and salt.  Add butter and pulse until mixture looks like coarse meal.  Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition.  The dough should start to form.  Press the dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a standard tart pan with removable sides.  If necessary, trim dough flush with the top of the tart pan.  Chill crust for 15 minutes, then cover with foil and weights (I used dried beans instead) and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove weights and foil and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove and place on a rake to cool while preparing filling.  In a large bowl whisk together the cheese, butter, sour cream, eggs and pepper.  Fold in chives and green onions.  Pour into the prepared crust and arrange the halved tomatoes, cut side up over the custard.  Lightly press tomatoes into custard.  Lightly season with salt and white pepper.  Bake in lower third of your oven for 25 minutes.  Garnish with sprigs of fresh chives.  Serve warm (not hot).

Small Calorie Breakfast, Big Taste!

You may have noticed that I've added a new link to the S Squad Comrades section, the My Fitness Pal link.  I have been using this site for about a year now to help log my calories consumed and the exercise I've done.  I love how easy it is to find and log any type of food I eat and if it's not in the database, I just add to it!  Try it out, you'll love it!  One of the many topics of discussion on the forums there are what is good to eat that's ow calorie for breakfast.  I thought I'd share one of the many breakfasts that I eat regularly.  It's quick and easy to make, plus it's full of vitamins, nutrients, and taste!  The following information was found on various websites:

HealthMad.com
Vegetarian Nutrition
The World's Healthiest Foods

Asparagus ~

• It is high in vitamin K and Folate
• Eat asparagus when you are pregnant or thinking about conceiving – because of it being high in folic acid it helps prevent birth defects such as spina bifida
• Great for your heart
• Helps w*Helps menstrual cramps with fertility problems         
• Great for your gastrointestinal tract and your colon
• Helps menstrual cramps
• Great food to help treat depression
• Has been known to increase the success rate of chemo therapy
• Is considered a diuretic which means it is a good anti-inflammatory – best for arthritis, asthma rheumatism, and even water retention…PMS
• Help get rid of warts
• Helps detoxify your body
• Add more asparagus to your diet to lover cholesterol
• Great for nursing mothers stimulating milk production
• Has antioxidant agents – prevents the effects of aging
• Has antifungal and antiviral qualities
• Great for your kidneys – cleansing your body by stimulating urination and preventing kidney stones
• Helps prevent bladder and urinary tract infections
• Use to be used as an a aphrodisiac – increase sexual and comforting feelings
• Helps with treating HIV
• Helps prevent multiple sclerosis
• Helps prevent scurvy
• Asparagus has anti-cancer agents – especially lung cancer
• Helps fight chronic fatigue syndrome
• Helps fight off high blood pressure
• If you bruise easily – eat more asparagus
• Is considered a laxative – eat an asparagus if you have diarrhea and constipation
• Great for your capillaries – eat more asparagus to avoid varicose veins
• Great for your eyes preventing cataracts
• If you are experiencing hair loss- eat more asparagus
• Helps treat toothaches

Eggs ~

    Eggs contain lecithin, which in our body is converted into choline, and he in turn participates in the brain and is essential for good memory. In addition, eggs – very satisfying and simultaneously low-calorie food (in one chicken egg, only about 70-80 cal).  You can even get omega 3 engineered eggs!  Chickens are fed flaxseed, marine algae, and fish oil, with the intent to increase the egg content of omega 3 fatty acids.

Papaya ~

• Promotes digestive health
• Anti inflammatory effects
• Immune support
• Protection against Macular Degeneration: Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily. In this study, which involved over 110,000 women and men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss.
• Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Promote lung health
• Papaya and Green tea team up to prevent Prostate Cancer: Choosing to regularly eat lycopene-rich fruits, such as papaya, and drink green tea may greatly reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.)

Chives ~

Population studies have shown that a higher intake of allium vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of several types of cancers. The organosulfur compounds they contain inhibit tumor growth and cell proliferation, and arrest the cell cycle in tumor cells. Allium vegetables, including chives, especially have a protective effect against both esophageal and stomach cancer as well as prostate cancer. The highest antioxidant activity in chives is observed in the leaves, which are also rich in flavonoids. 

Now that you know how healthy it is, here's the make up and nutritional information on my yummy breakfast:

1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 Laughing Cow light Swiss Cheese wedge
1 tbsp. fresh chives
6 spears of Asparagus
sea salt
pepper

Scramble egg and egg whites with Laughing cow mixed in.  Blanch asparagus for 2 minutes in boiling water, quickly removing them and dunking into ice water.  Add salt and pepper and DONE!  For papaya, just cut in half and scoop seeds out with a spoon.  ENJOY!

Calories: 266
Carbs: 26
Fat: 9
Protein: 26
Sodium: 763
Sugar: 14

Halibut with White Beans in Tomato-Rosemary Broth

I made this great fish meal this afternoon for lunch and thought I'd share it with you all!  Plus, as a bonus it's from Cooking Light so it's low in calories!  It's quick and easy to make so try it out today!

Flavor Tip from Cooking Light: If the fresh tomatoes at your market aren't at their best, substitute 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained.  I used Muir Glen's no salt added fire roasted diced tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6 ounce) halibut fillets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 4) OR diced tomatoes (see note above)
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (16 ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper.  Add fish to pan, cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.  Remove fish from pan, keep warm.  Add garlic to pan, cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Stir in tomato, broth, wine, and beans; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in rosemary.  Serve immediately with fish.  Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and about 3/4 cup bean mixture).

Calories: 299
Fat: 7.9g
Protein: 39.8g
Carb: 14.9g
Fiber: 4g
Chol: 54mg
Iron: 3.2mg
Sodium: 535mg
Calc:117mg

Kitty Litter Cake

THIS IS NOT A REAL KITTY LITTER BOX!!! ITS A CAKE!! I came across this cake years ago at a Halloween party and have been dying to make it myself since.  It looks so real and disgusting...Perfect for Halloween!  Little Todd made the "turds" and they look so real!  Some people were afraid to eat it because it looked so real.  The key is to make sure you by a NEW kitty litter box and scooper...Yummo!

Kitty Litter Cake

• 1 (18 ounce) box spice cake mix or German chocolate cake mix

• 1 (18 ounce) box white cake mix
• 1 (6 ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 package white sandwich cookies
• green food coloring
• 12 small Tootsie Rolls
• 1 new kitty litter box
• 1 Pooper Scooper
  
  Directions:
  
  Prepare cake mixes and bake according to box directions (any size pan). Prepare pudding, chill until ready to assemble. Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in food processor, scraping often.  Set aside all but 1/4 cup.  To the 1/4 cup of crumbs, add a few drops of green food coloring and mix using fork or shake in a jar.  When cakes are cooled to room temp, crumble into a large bowl.  Toss with half the remaining cookie crumbs and chilled pudding.  You probably won't need all the pudding, mix the cake and "feel" it, you don't want it soggy, just moist; gently combine.  Put mixture into box.  Put 3 unwrapped tootsie rolls in microwave safe dish and heat until softened.  Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly.Repeat with 3 more tootsie rolls and bury in cake mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top.  Scatter green crumbles lightly over top (chlorophyll in cat litter).  Spread remaining tootsie rolls over top; take one and heat until pliable, hang over side of litter box, sprinkle with cookie crumbs. ENJOY!