Chickpea Romaine Wraps

1 handful green beans 

1 small cube tofu

1 can chickpeas 

1 portabello mushroom cap 

1 lime

4 cloves roasted garlic 

Paprika 

Dash of Worcestershire 

Romaine hearts

Sauté off green beans and portabello with some olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside. Cube tofu into small dice and toss in 1/8 teaspoon olive oil. Add dash of Worcestershire to add a meaty taste. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. 

Purée chickpeas with roasted garlic and lime. Add olive oil until creamy and smooth. I personally like mine with a few chunks in it, as shown below. Dust some paprika in for coloring and season with salt and pepper. 

Assemble your wrap by coating the leaves with chickpea purée. - the only reason I am not calling it hummus is because there is no tahini in it. Add your green beans and mushrooms and sprinkle on your toasty tofu. Enjoy as many of these protein packed wraps as you'd like, without feeling guilty about doing so! 

Spanicopita

Okay, before you talk yourself of making this: there may be a bunch of steps, but I promise it is as easy as any other dish on here. And yes: there is a lot of butter involved, but most of it melts off as we cook the puff pastry. 

1 package of philo dough 

1/2 pound butter 

1 small onion, minced 

4 cloves roasted garlic, chopped roughly 

1 bag spinach 

1/2 tofu square, small dice 

1 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled 

2 large leaves kale, minced

Melt butter and season with salt and pepper. Take onion and sauté in a pan with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss your tofu in olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes - just to remove the excess water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop all of the spinach. Cook for 2 minutes and rinse in cold water. Squeeze excess water from the spinach so your mixture isn't watery. Chop spinach roughly and toss with roasted garlic, feta, cream cheese, tofu, onions, kale, salt&pepper.  Taste and make sure your seasoning is good. 

Take a layer of philo dough and brush with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter. Do this until you have three sheets, all layered with butter. Cut the sheet in three length-wise. Place a triangle of spinach on the corner of the sheet (see photo). Flagfold them until they are totally wrapped. Coat in butter. 

I make a lot of them at a time and place them on a sheet tray. I freeze them and put them in a bag after they are frozen. I pull them out one at a time to cook in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Chicken and Egg Salad Sandwich

1 hard boiled egg

2 tablespoons chickpeas 

1 kale leaf 

1/2 small grilled chicken breast 

1/4 teaspoon garlic paste

Salt and pepper to taste 

English muffin

Grate the hard boiled egg using a small grater. Take a small piece of grilled chicken and shred into small pieces using a fork. Mix together chicken and eggs and toss in some chickpeas. Mash in the roasted garlic purée. Chiffonade kale and mix into the salad. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on a toasted English muffin or hard roll. 

Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash 

2 cups beef broth

12 grapes 

Water - as needed

First cut the squash into pieces. Remove the seeds. Place in pot with beef broth and water - enough to cover it. Simmer until the squash is tender (about 10-15 minutes) remove the squash and use a spoon to peel it away from the skin. Try and remove it carefully, so that it keeps it's spaghetti appearance. Cut the grapes in half and add them to the liquid. Reduce until you only have about 1/4 cup left of the liquid. Pour the juice over the squash and serve warm!

Spaghetti squash is one of my favorite vegetables. Bland as it might be on its own - it soaks up flavors like a sponge. Cook it in any flavor of liquid and it will taste like that. I once had a chef cook this squash in cinnamon sugar water and he ended up making a fabulous dessert with it! I used liquid that I had on hand from braising short ribs, which made my stock creamy and thick. 

Steel-Cut Oatmeal

This is a delicious, but massive breakfast. I could only eat about half of it, but if you are working out hard after breakfast than this is what you want to eat.

1/2 cup steel cut oats

1 cup water

1 teaspoon honey 

1/2 cup halved grapes 

Be patient with the steel cut oats, they take much longer to cook than rolled oats. Keep the heat on medium - if you have it on high it will boil over. Add water, honey and oats to the stove and cook until most of the water has evaporated (10-20 minutes). Garnish with grapes and enjoy!

Steel-cut oats are less processed than rolled oats. They are pretty much the same as rolled oats in nutritional information, but they have a higher fiber and lower glucose level. 

Vegetable Medley

Green vegetables are always a must for dinner! Green beans mixed with sautéed mushrooms and roasted garlic makes for a tasty side dish. Make sure you sauté each vegetable separately because they all cook at different rates. 

Roast your garlic exactly as in your roasted garlic purée, except no puréeing !

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables to cook. It's so simple and takes very little effort. First you separate the head into pieces. Toss in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, papricka, garlic power, and a dash of cayenne. Roast for 20-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven until golden brown. 

In addition to having a bunch of vitamin B's, cauliflower is full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin K, vitamin C,  manganese, protein, phosphorous, and potassium. Powerful antioxidants are always good to add to your diet. This vegetable has been proven to assist your liver remove toxins from your bloodstream. Additionally, it is a natural anti-inflammatory, which is always helpful.