Wasabi Salmon Sandwich with Ginger Garlic Mayo

I used to make this sandwich all the time. So full of flavor! The original recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine, but it magically disappeared from their archives :(. I've modified their version, and it still came out amazing!

Wasabi Salmon Sandwich with Ginger Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

For the Fish: 

1 (6 oz) salmon fillet
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 packet stevia

Ginger Garlic Mayonnaise:

2 teaspoons low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of garlic powder

Other:

Small handful spinach
Whole wheat ciabatta roll

Directions:

1. Combine the rice vinegar through the stevia. Place 3/4 of the mixture in a plastic bag. Set the rest aside (in fridge). Place the salmon in the plastic bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Combine the ginger garlic mayonnaise ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Preheat broiler. Coat a baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cook salmon for about 10 minutes, or until it easily flakes with a fork.  

4. Mix together the leftover 1/4 of the marinade mixture with the handful of spinach.

5. Scoop out the inside of the ciabatta roll (to fit all the good stuff inside!). Spread the ginger garlic mayonnaise on both sides of the roll. Add spinach and salmon and eat like a sandwich!

I've always eaten this with cucumber salad. Just goes together so well:

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
Rice vinegar
Ground ginger
Garlic powder 

Directions:

1. Combine the cucumber and red onion with a few splashes (3 T?) of rice vinegar. Add a dash of ginger and a dash of garlic powder. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold. 

Coconut Flaxseed Pancakes

I had been sticking to my usual pancake recipe all week, but decided to switch it up this morning and use some ground flaxseed in the batter. These came out so delicious and fluffy- I could've had 3 more stacks.

Ingredient note: I buy my flour, flaxseed, stevia, oatmeal, psyllium husk and more from Vitacost. They have the best prices and deliver right to your door. Click the link for a discount off your first order!

Coconut Flaxseed Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup riced cauliflower (I used my Ninja to finely chop it)
1/4 cup egg whites
2 tablespoons Cellucor Cinnamon Swirl Whey Protein
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1 tablespoon flaxseed
1 teaspoon psyllium husk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Stevia to taste
Almond milk

1. Microwave the riced cauliflower for 45 seconds (you do NOT taste it- it makes the pancakes moist).
2. Combine all ingredients together in a food processor, except the almond milk. Slowly add almond milk until the batter has a slightly pudding-like consistency.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Once hot, add pancake batter by the spoonful. Cook like regular pancakes (be patient- they take longer to cook than regular pancakes- you don't want to flip too soon!). 

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Bacon. Enough said.

Yes, this is turkey bacon, but it crisped up and caramelized in the oven and was absolutely delicious.

I was looking for a good recipe for bacon wrapped chicken, and a lot of them included brown sugar and chili powder. I didn't have any brown sugar, so I substituted honey. I wound up using way less sweetener than other recipes called for, and this still came out delicious!

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Chicken 

Ingredients:

3/4 lbs chicken breast, cut into 4 tenders (my tenders were 3 ounces each)
4 slices turkey bacon
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon chili powder
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Mix the honey, water, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl (until honey has dissolved).

3. Wrap each chicken tender with a piece of bacon. Dip them in the honey mixture (get it all in there!) then place on the baking pan.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through. 

Dark Chocolate Protein Cookies

I woke up this morning at 3:30 a.m. and could NOT go back to sleep. Whenever this happens I usually find something to clean, bake, or cook until the rest of the world wakes up. This morning I decided to stalk Anna's blog for some baking inspiration. Most of my protein cookies have been fails, and I wanted to step up my game. So after reading through some of her recipes and tips for protein cookies, Dark Chocolate Protein Cookies were born! Finally, a protein cookie that's moist, perfectly chewy, and doesn't taste like rubber :)

                         

Dark Chocolate Protein Cookies

1/4 cup chocolate whey protein (I use Cellucor)
1/4 cup quinoa flour (could probably sub oat flour)
2 tablespoons almond flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon butter extract (optional, but adds some flavor)
10-20 drops liquid stevia (depending on how sweet you like it!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat egg. Combine egg with all remaining ingredients (I mixed it in a large bowl).
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drop cookie batter by the tablespoon onto the paper. Flatten the tops slightly with the back of a spoon for a better shape (don't get too crazy- the batter is sticky!).
4. Bake 10 minutes or until done.

Beefed-Up Veggie Lentil Stew

Perfect comfort food for the snow storm that's about to hit NYC (whomp, whomp). I used lean ground sirloin, lots of veggies, and fiber-packed lentils for hearty, filling, and nutritious stew.

Beefed-Up Veggie Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked lentils (1 cup dry)
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 handfuls chopped kale
1 lb 90% lean ground sirloin (can use ground turkey too)
1 cup tomato sauce (I used Hunt's)
2 cups water
Dash of salt
Tumeric
Cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large non-stick pot over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add ground sirloin to the pot. Cook until brown on all sides. Next, add lentils, tomato sauce, water, salt, tumeric, and cayenne (I didn't measure, just sprinkle a little and taste test to your liking). Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add kale to the pot. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Turn off heat and serve!

Makes 6 cups (4-6 servings)

Nutrition Information (1 cup): 216 Calories, 4 grams Fat, 21 grams Carbohydrates, 7 grams Fiber, 24 grams Protein