Pepper Scraps » Side Dishes http://PepperScraps.com Scraps of my Life Thu, 23 May 2013 15:37:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Protein Hummus http://PepperScraps.com/2013/05/protein-hummus/ http://PepperScraps.com/2013/05/protein-hummus/#comments Tue, 21 May 2013 17:15:16 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=6440 Protein Hummus

Hummus is hard for me, I love it but the protein and carb ratio is hard for me to eat it. I know it’s good carbs so every often I will have some. Then I had an epiphany why not add plain protein powder into the hummus and up the protein in this great snack.

Protein Hummus_6

I also just recently started using veggies to replace chips in my favorite dishes. You might remember the Baked Pepper Nachos I made recently. So now I can have a great dip to eat with pepper “chips” or now I’m loving snow pea “chips”.
Protein Hummus_7

This is a very basic recipe, but you could really spice it up. You could add roasted red peppers, more garlic, more spices, or anything else to make your own version. This recipe would be great for a lunch, side dish, or just a snack!

Print Recipe

Protein Hummus

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 3 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 scoop protein powder plain (I use Designer Whey)

Directions

  1. Drain garbanzo beans, reserve liquid
  2. Add garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, paprika and cumin into food processor
  3. Process till smooth add some of the reserved garbanzo liquid if needed
  4. Add protein powder and process till mixed in.
  5. Optional Toppings: cucumber, olives, feta cheese (not calculated in nutrition)

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 179 | Fat: 7 | Carbohydrate: 18 | Fiber: 6 | Protein: 13

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Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

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]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2013/05/protein-hummus/feed/ 2 Twice Baked Mashed “Potatoes” (Cauliflower) http://PepperScraps.com/2012/11/twice-baked-mashed-potatoes-cauliflower/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/11/twice-baked-mashed-potatoes-cauliflower/#comments Sun, 04 Nov 2012 00:33:47 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=5555 Faux Twice Baked "Potatoes" (Cauliflower)

No potatoes were harmed in the making of this dish! Actually this dish is low calorie and low carb by substituting potatoes with cauliflower.

I have used cauliflower to replace rice in my diet and I had heard of people using it to replace mashed potatoes. With thanksgiving coming right around the corner I wanted to try making a faux potato dish. I wanted something healthy and yummy for potlucks and Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Faux Twice Baked "Potatoes" (Cauliflower)

I promise you this is an amazing recipe! My first nibble of the “potatoes” and I was hooked. I hadn’t even gotten the cheese and bacon on the top yet!

Handi Foil pans made this recipe quick and easy. I just spread out the cauliflower and started spreading the toppings. I didn’t worry about the cheese sticking to the sides or what I needed to do to make clean up easier for me.

Faux Twice Baked "Potatoes" (Cauliflower)

What was also nice was because I was making this only for my family not for a potluck. I was able to use one of Handi Foil cake pans after we ate our fill I placed a lid on it and stored it in the fridge for the next meal.

Faux Twice Baked "Potatoes" (Cauliflower)

The next day I made roast beef rolls. I placed a spoonful of this awesome dish into a slice of roast beef lunch meat and rolled it up. I made about four of these and had a quick, healthy and yummy lunch.

Faux Twice Baked "Potatoes" (Cauliflower)

Print Recipe

Twice Baked Mashed “Potatoes” (Cauliflower)

Ingredients

  • 2 heads cauliflower cooked
  • 8 ounces low fat cream cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup low fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 6 slices bacon crumbled
  • salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
  2. Place cooked cauliflower, cream cheese, garlic,1/2 cup cheese, butter and salt & pepper in food processor (I had to do two batches for this large of a recipe), process till smooth
  3. Spread mashed cauliflower into a large baking dish
  4. Sprinkle with bacon and remaining cheese
  5. Cook for 20 minutes
  6. How to cook cauliflower in microwave:
  7. Pour ¼ cup of water in shallow dish.
  8. Core the cauliflower and place the head downwards.
  9. Cook in the microwave on full power for three minutes.
  10. Protect your hands with oven mitts, and flip the whole cauliflower over and cook another 3 minutes
  11. Repeat until the consistency you need

Servings: 16 | Calories: 93 | Fat: 6 | Carbohydrate: 5 | Fiber: 2 | Protein: 5

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This post was sponsored by Handi Foil, all opinions are my own.

Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

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]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2012/11/twice-baked-mashed-potatoes-cauliflower/feed/ 1 Cheesy Lemon Pepper Broccoli http://PepperScraps.com/2012/10/cheesy-lemon-pepper-broccoli/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/10/cheesy-lemon-pepper-broccoli/#comments Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:29:57 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=5550 DSCN7613_1

The last year or two I have made a point to always bring my own healthy options to our family potlucks. That way I know I will have a healthy option that I can fill my plate up if nothing else fits into my diet.

I have really enjoyed having the Handi Foil pans. If I need I can bake up my dish, take it to the potluck, and don’t have to worry about taking anything home. Or I can even give the food to someone else, like my neighbors who just had a baby and there are no worries about dishes, for them or for me.

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This broccoli dish is a healthy version of cheesy saucy broccoli. Plus I like it even more because the broccoli and the cheese have more of a crispy texture not a mushy texture! If you are not a fan of lemon pepper or don’t have any in your pantry, try another spice. I love chili powder and cumin, they have a bit more bite, but still amazing.

Print Recipe

Cheesy Lemon Pepper Broccoli

Ingredients

  • 4 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup low fat cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
  • baking spray

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Place broccoli in a freezer bag and lemon pepper. Toss well to coat.
  3. Spread broccoli on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.
  4. Spread cheese over broccoli and put back in oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Servings: 6 | Calories: 51 | Fat: 2 | Carbohydrate: 5 | Fiber: 2 | Protein: 4

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This post was sponsored by Handi Foil, all opinions are my own.

Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2012/10/cheesy-lemon-pepper-broccoli/feed/ 1 Buffalo Cauliflower http://PepperScraps.com/2012/10/buffalo-cauliflower/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/10/buffalo-cauliflower/#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:57:48 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=5513 Buffalo Cauliflower

If you like the heat this is a fun and tasty side dish or a light lunch. This would be a great side with a simple main course like hot dogs, brats, or fried chicken and it will give the meal a whole new twist. I enjoyed this as a light lunch with a few deli meat roll ups.

I personally love Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. I am not a huge hot sauce person but there are two hot things I love – buffalo wings and wasabi. When it comes to buffalo wings I only like them saucy and bright red orange!

I was surprised to find that you could get that sauce comes in a bottle! And it’s low calorie with lots of flavor!

Print Recipe

Buffalo Cauliflower

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese softened
  • 4 tablespoons light sour cream
  • 2-4 tablespoons Franks hot sauce
  • 1/2 head cauliflower
  • 1 ounces low fat blue cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl mix sour cream, Franks and cream cheese till smooth
  3. Toss Cauliflower in sour cream mixture
  4. Bake cauliflower in shallow dish for 15 to 20 minutes
  5. Sprinkle with blue cheese and serve

Servings: 1 | Calories: 233 | Fat: 13 | Carbohydrate: 15 | Fiber: 3 | Protein: 9

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Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2012/10/buffalo-cauliflower/feed/ 2 Asian Plum Quinoa Salad http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/asian-plum-quinoa-salad/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/asian-plum-quinoa-salad/#comments Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:45:13 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=5480 Asian Quinoa

I found I had quinoa in my pantry the other day while looking for some baking supplies. Score! I have plums I have quinoa that means it’s time to make a salad.

You can make this earlier in the day or even the day before if you like the longer you let it sit the more the flavors mingle.

I have the recipe calories figured out as a side dish, but this would also be a great lunch with a chicken breast. For lunch I would use two servings so double the nutritional facts.

Print Recipe

Asian Plum Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 cup plums dice

Directions

  1. Heat sesame oil in pan, stir in the quinoa, onion, and garlic cook 2 minutes until toasted.
  2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
  3. Cover with a tight fitting lid and turn the heat down to simmer cook for 10 minutes.
  4. Chill quinoa in fridge for 1/2 an hour
  5. Toss with plums and vinegar. Serve chilled

Servings 4 | Calories: 82 | Fat: 2 | Carbohydrate: 14 | Fiber: 1 | Protein: 3

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Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/asian-plum-quinoa-salad/feed/ 1 Low Carb Rice: Cauliflower Rice http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/low-carb-rice-cauliflower-rice/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/low-carb-rice-cauliflower-rice/#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:08:10 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=5405 DSCN6577_1

I have cut out all rice from my diet. One of the things I struggled with was find a good alternative for recipes like stir fry. Or having a side dish for my Mexican dishes. But then I found cauliflower rice.

Cauliflower rice has very little of the cauliflower rice flavor and is textured just like al dente rice.

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All you need is a food processor, microwave and a head of cauliflower. Clean and break up the head of cauliflower.

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Start feeding the cauliflower through the shredding blade on your food processor.

Microwave it in a covered dish, do not add water! Cook on high for about 4 minutes and then let sit for about 5 minutes. You can play with the timing to get your perfect texture.

You can change up the flavor by adding seasoning, olive oil, sesame oil, butter, and more. I like serving cauliflower rice with:

Have you tried cauliflower rice before? 

Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/low-carb-rice-cauliflower-rice/feed/ 1 Light Blueberry Waldorf Salad http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/light-blueberry-waldorf-salad/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/light-blueberry-waldorf-salad/#comments Mon, 03 Sep 2012 23:34:33 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=5389 Light Blueberry Waldorf Salad

Happy Labor Day – I hope your day is going well and you are enjoying a barbecue right now. We had our barbecue yesterday and it was just perfect. Today we are just resting and preparing to go to school!

Light Blueberry Waldorf Salad

I created this salad for a barbecue and I loved it. I had just picked up a half flat of blueberries at a local farm and I knew I had to make something with them right away! This is a lighter and sweeter version of a Waldorf Salad. I hope you get a chance to try it for your next barbecue and I hope you enjoy it!

Print Recipe

Light Blueberry Waldorf Salad

Ingredients

  • 3 cups granny smith apples diced
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 1 cup grapes cut in half
  • 1 cup celery chopped
  • 1/4 cup walnuts chopped (optional)
  • 6 ounces light vanilla yogurt (I used Tillamook Light Yogurt)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon
  • 4 tablespoons light mayonnaise

Directions

  1. Toss 1 cup blueberries, apples, grapes, celery and walnuts
  2. Mix 1 cup blueberries, yogurt, mayo and lemon juice together and blend smooth with blender or hand blender
  3. Fold yogurt mixture and fruit together
  4. Serve right away

Servings: 1 | Calories: 101 | Fat: 4 | Carbohydrate: 18 | Fiber: 2 | Protein: 2

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This post was sponsored by Tillamook Cheese, all opinions are my own.

Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2012/09/light-blueberry-waldorf-salad/feed/ 0 Zucchini Black Bean Salad http://PepperScraps.com/2012/08/zucchini-salad/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/08/zucchini-salad/#comments Mon, 20 Aug 2012 22:30:04 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=5353 DSCN7082_1

I was reading a recipe with chopped zucchini, corn and black beans and thought it sounded divine. Until I start reading the directions, you were supposed to saute everything. But right now I am in love with fresh raw zucchini.

One of my favorite treats is hummus and raw zucchini chips, so good!

When I first made this for a pot luck barbecue I made a big mistake I forgot to add the black beans. It was actually really good so if you want just a veggie side skip the black beans!

Print Recipe

Zucchini Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 medium zucchini diced
  • 2 ears of corn cut off the cob
  • 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 lemon zest & juice

Directions

  1. Toast corn in skillet
  2. Combine zucchini, corn onion and black beans
  3. Mix lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and garlic and poor over zucchini mixture.
  4. Toss till covered
  5. Let sit for at least one hour to let flavors mingle

Servings: 10 | Calories: 65 | Fat: 1 | Carbohydrate: 13 | Fiber: 4 | Protein: 4

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Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

]]> http://PepperScraps.com/2012/08/zucchini-salad/feed/ 0 Zucchini Pizza Boats http://PepperScraps.com/2012/07/zucchini-pizza-boats/ http://PepperScraps.com/2012/07/zucchini-pizza-boats/#comments Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:56:14 +0000 Pepper Ferguson http://PepperScraps.com/?p=4994 Zucchini Pizza Boats

I think I have found my all time favorite lunch! These are so amazing and the calories, I’ve double checked them twice!! Can you believe these little yummies sit at 110 calories! You can actually have both for lunch and still have a side salad and stay underneath 300 calories!

Print Recipe

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Ingredients

  • 1 Zucchini medium
  • 1 oz turkey pepperoni
  • 2 tablepoons spaghetti sauce
  • 1/4 cup low fat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan
  • salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut zucchini in half, trim ends off, and spoon out the seeds

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Spread spaghetti sauce in boats

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Sprinkle cheese into the boats

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Place your pepperoni all over the zucchini

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Sprinkle parmesan on top of pepperoni

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Cook for 25 minutes

Zucchini Pizza Boats

Servings: 2 | Calories: 110 | Fat: 5 | Carbohydrate: 6 | Fiber: 2 | Protein: 11

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Pepper Ferguson

Healthy Mom = Healthy Family - That is my life motto and I hope to encourage it to be yours too. January 2011 I made the decision to lose weight and lost 80+ pounds. I saw my boys start getting active with me and I realized I wasn't only changing my life but also my boys.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

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