Saucy Pepper Steak

 This is definitely a favorite dish that I have made many times.  I like that it has carbs, veggies, and protein all in one shot.  It’s pretty healthy too – low on calories and high in carbs and protein (high in the sodium area too, though).  The different bell peppers give the dish a nice pop of color.  Also, I love BBQ sauce and like the unique taste of mixing it with soy sauce, garlic, and pepper. 


The only thing that I sub in this dish is Trader Joe’s Steak-less Strips – they work very well as a replacement.  This is a very easy dish to make and presents well ;-)

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/saucy-pepper-steak-109636.aspx

Carrot Burgers with Fries

I’ll tell you a secret – I’ve never made my own veggie burgers, even though I’ve been a vegetarian for 14 years!  I finally decided to try and this Carrot Burger recipe looked really interesting.  The only changes I made was using 2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs instead of cornflakes and adding 1 egg.  I will definitely either use less breadcrumbs next time or another egg – they were a little dry.  Despite the dryness, though, they were tasty – not as carroty as you would expect.  Pretty low on protein, though, but once in awhile, that’s OK.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-burgers-2/detail.aspx

Of course, to go along with burgers, you need fries.  I wanted to do something a little healthy, so I just tossed Russet potato wedges with salt, pepper, and cooking spray.  I baked them for 12 minutes (each side) at 425 degrees – next time, I’ll bake them longer or at a higher temp, they were slightly underdone.  Still tasty with Heinz ketchup though!

Mac & Cheese with Hot Dogs

My mom made a cheese sauce a few years ago that I absolutely loved – velveeta, sour cream, and ranch dressing (or dry ranch dip mix).  I have been making it ever since and love to toss with pasta to make some Mac and Cheese.  You take about 8 oz. of velveeta, mix with about 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream and about 3-4 T ranch dressing (or 1/2 packet dry ranch dip mix).


I chopped some green peppers and added them to the boiling water for about one minute while cooking the pasta.  To up the protein, I added in a Smart Ones hot dog.  Yummy!  The cheesy/ranch sauce gives it a new twist – the only issue is that velveeta congeals pretty quickly, so you have to eat it fast J

“Chili” Cheese “Dog”

I must tell you  – I have never had a Chili Cheese Dog.  Alas, when I was a kid, I liked my hot dogs with a slice of American cheese, ketchup, and mustard.  No chili.  I was walking through Trader Joe’s and saw that they had a can of Vegetarian Chili (organic too) – so I started thinking about it.  Could I?  Should I?  The answer – YES!  Well, this chili is probably not the best for hot dogs – what with all the beans, but that’s okay.  It was nice to try something new.  I used a Martin’s Long Roll (love Martin’s – plus it’s made in my hometown) and topped the dog and chili with shredded Mexican cheese.  Overall, tasty and I’ll probably do it again J