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Have you ever stood in your kitchen and stared at the fridge racking your brain trying to decided what to serve along side dinner. I love my steamed veggies; they're nutritious and I really enjoy them. But there's some days when I just want to jump out of the plain old routine and spice things up.

So here's a simple classic side dish that is reminiscent of Thai take-out.

I'm a huge of of going out to dinner for Thai food. It doesn't get to happen all that often...(sad face)...but it's so good when it does. It's also happens to be one of the few restaurants where you can make some healthier menu choices.

Feeling inspired for my love of Thai food, I came up with this great little side dish. The best part is it only takes five minutes to cook and and a couple minutes to throw together this tasty little sesame dressing.

First I steamed the broccoli with freshly minced garlic. Three to five minutes is just enough to turn the broccoli bright green, tender crisp and bring out all those precious nutrients. Then I whisked together a few choice ingredients that compliment each other. Soy sauce, sesame oil, a pinch of hot red pepper flakes, and of course toasted sesame seeds. Nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary. I wouldn't add much of anything else or the flavours could risk getting confused. Except maybe for a pinch of ginger. That would go quite nicely!

You can serve this with any choice of protein you like. I'd recommend topping some steaming hot brown rice with it. Heck, why not make it a brown rice bowl and add some bell peppers, snap peas and stir-fried chicken.

Is it dinner time yet?

Sesame Steamed Broccoli (serves 4)

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Ingredients:

• 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 clove of garlic, minced 
• 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

 Directions:

1. Place the broccoli and minced garlic in a small sauce pot and cover with about 1/4 inch of water. (you can also use a steaming basket if you prefer). Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.
2. Steam until the broccoli is tender and bright green, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Transfer the broccoli to the bowl and give it a really good toss to coat.
4. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:

For 1 serving: Calories: 38g  Fat: 1g  Carbohydrates: 4g  Sugar: 0g  Sodium: 165mg  Fiber: 1.5g  Protein: 2g

This tastes like a milkshake!

It has the perfect consistency and thickness, and just the right amount of sweetness from the fruit.

The almond butter and chocolate protein powder work really well together in this shake to make it nice and creamy...just like a milkshake.

I love that the protein powder leaves no trace of chalkiness in the smoothie. Some powders are unfortunately like that.

This is the first time I've added matcha green tea powder to a smoothie. You really can't taste it and it adds a very healthy punch to the mix. Green tea in any form is a source of antioxidants, but matcha is one of the most powerful sources of antioxidants, minerals (calcium), and vitamins. There's more antioxidants in matcha green tea than there are in blueberries, it's 100 times more potent than Vitamin C, and has over 9 times the beta carotene of spinach. I really enjoyed using this as a supplement in my smoothie. It gives a whole new meaning to the name green smoothie!

If you're not used to the matcha green tea you may want to start with a 1/4 tsp instead of a 1/2 or more. It has some pretty powerful detoxing qualities.

This really is a simple fast breakfast shake that can be ready in minutes. With lot's of fiber and healthy fats to keep you satisfied and energized. Of course there's nothing wrong with enjoying it for lunch instead.

I have missed you summer! 

...Now where's the coffee!

Rise n' Shine Smoothie (serves 1) Gluten Free, Vegan

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 large banana, frozen
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 tsp matcha green tea powder
• 1/2 scoop chocolate Sunwarrior Protein
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)

Directions:

1. Place the frozen fruit, green tea, protein powder and almond butter into the blender. Pour the almond milk over everything. 
2. Blend and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 342 Fat: 21g  Sat Fat:2 g  Carbohydrates: 29g  Sugar: 12g  Sodium: 176mg  Fiber:7g Protein: 15g

Confession #1: I have never made quiche.

Confession #2: I have never eaten quiche.

...until now!

It's not that I never wanted to try quiche. It's just that I always assumed it was one of those things that could never be healthy and still taste good. I never indulged in this savory treat before because of the copious amounts of eggs, butter and heavy cream. Eeek! That's a lot of fat. And besides the fact I'm one of those people that would rather save up their treat calories for a sweet dessert ;)

With a bit of experimentation and researching I was able to create this health-ed up recipe. I'm happy to say that a slice of this quiche will not go straight to your hips...and the smell of it in the oven while cooking is intoxicating!

Okay, okay. So how did I do it?

Well the first step was the crust. At first I was stumped. I'm usually good with making pastry but this isn't  pastry, it's more of a short crust, and anyway it needs to be healthy. Instead of all-purpose flour I used whole grain unrefined red fife flour, which works top notch in pie crusts. I used about 4 tbsp of unsalted butter (that's not very much fat when it comes down to a serving size) and my little secret, a pinch of nutmeg.

After making the pastry I put it in the fridge to set. Well I thought I mucked it up because it wouldn't roll out and it kept falling apart. While muttering a few expletives...ahem...I pieced the dough backed together in the dish and it turned out just fine! I realized this was to be expected with the type of crust it was, without all that fat to hold it together. Don't worry if this happens to you while rolling out the dough. If it splits just pinch the seams back together.

You should end up with it looking something like this:

Also note how I perforated the dough with a fork (or "docked" it). Can you see all the little holes? That's because we're going to be backing this crust before we add the filling. 

Now if you can believe it the filling only uses 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, 1 cup of skim milk, and creamy goat cheese for its lower fat content.

Asparagus, onions, and spinach are sautéd and caramelized in a bit of olive oil for extra flavour.

Fill-er-up and bake!

Asparagus & Goat Cheese Quiche with Caramelized Onions (serves 8)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup of red fife flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling:

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1 cup asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups of spinach
• 1/2 cup brussels sprouts, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• Goat cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chopped chives

Directions:

1. Begin by combining the flour, salt and nutmeg in a food processor or mixing bowl. Mix the butter into the flour mixture until there are pea-sized (or smaller) pieces of butter. Gradually pour the water in, one tablespoon at a time while stirring the mixture. Grasp the dough (still in the bowl) and mix with your hands, gently. Place dough on heavily floured countertop, and flour your rolling pin. Roll it out gently until it's about 1/4 inch thick and large enough for you pie pan. I used a fluted dish and pressed the dough into the flutes. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork to prevent it from bubbling up while it's cooking. Bake in a 400*F oven for 10 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and season with a pinch of pepper. Stir and spread out to cook until they start to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add the brussels sprouts, stir to combine and cook for about another 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and asparagus and cook over medium heat until the asparagus is fork tender.
3. Whisk together egg, egg whites, milk, chives and nutmeg. Spread the vegetable mixture in the bottom of the prepared crust. Sprinkle goat cheese to taste. Pour egg mixture over top.
4. Bake at 350*F, uncovered until set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let quiche rest at room temperature for 10 minutes to settle and serve.

Healthy, simple, and low in fat.

We enjoyed this for dinner with steamed broccoli on the side. It reheats really well for leftovers too!