Chinese Chicken Salad

Who doesn't love a good Chinese chicken salad!? Unfortunately more often than not, a Chinese chicken salad also means creamy dressing and fried wonton strips, AKA, unnecessary calories from unhealthy foods. Here is the Tovita solution to this salad dilemma! Flavorful and easy to make, this salad is a year round favorite! 

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1/2 head iceburg lettuce, shredded
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
• 2 large carrots, julienned (can use spiralizer or vegetable peeler)
• 2 cups snow or snap peas, chopped roughly
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, toasted or sautéed until browned
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 zucchini, spiralized and lightly sautéed
• 1/4th cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups pulled rotisserie chicken
• 1 lime, halved

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon peanut butter
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1.5 teaspoons chili sauce

*If you want to save yourself some time/ingredients, we recommend using Annie's organic Asian sesame dressing or San-J thai peanut dressing (also GF!)

Directions:

1. Chop, shred, spiralize, or dice all ingredients besides the peanuts and add to a large bowl
2. Sauté the peanuts in light oil until browned. Can also put them in the toaster until brown. 
3. Slice lime in half and sauté one half face down to add as a garnish
4. In a separate bowl, mix together dressing ingredients
5. Add dressing lightly before serving and mix.  Squeeze unused half of the lime over the salad to add a citrus flavor. Garnish with mint and lime.

Pistachio Crusted Salmon

Did you know that pistachios are the highest fiber, lowest calorie nut? If you've gotten a little bored of plain baked salmon, this pistachio crust adds a boost of fiber, crunch, and pop of color to reinvent your salmon dinner.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

pistachio crusted salmon

• 2 wild salmon filets
• 1/2 cup raw pistachios, ground in blender or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Option: fresh dill 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients besides the salmon
3. Spread mixture on top of each filet, pressing the pistachio crust to make it stick
4. Bake on baking sheet for 15 minutes and serve!

Protein Packed Veggie Burgers

We may have created the simplest veggie burger recipe to ever exist (you're welcome)! Often, veggie burgers are grain-based, meaning they lack protein, which otherwise helps to keep you feeling full and satiated. These patties, however, provide sufficient protein via the black beans, egg, and ground flax, so you will actually feel full! We recommend making a big batch and freezing them, as these are always a good option when you're tight on time. Get creative with toppings: sliced avocado, hummus, dijon mustard, or a slice of cheese. They are great on a bed of greens or with a whole grain english muffin. Say goodbye to freezer aisle veggie burgers!

Ingredients (makes 4 patties):

Patties before being cooked

• 1 cup shredded zucchini (we used a vegetable peeler and chopped into smaller pieces)
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon all purpose meat seasoning (we used a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion, and paprika)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and mash together with a fork. The egg should make it easier to gel together 
2.  Add 1 tbsp of oil to grill or saute pan and cook until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side
3. Serve however you please!

Not Your Average Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce...

If you haven't noticed we love a good bowl of noodles. Just not the refined carb noodles that do nothing for your summer bod. This is one of our favorite go-to week night dinner recipes. If you haven't heard of shirataki noodles (also known as miracle noodles), you're not alone. These are the weird noodles in a bag that you find in the tofu section of the grocery store. Trust us on this one, with only 20 calories PER BAG, these are a great way to satisfy that pasta craving. 

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 bag of shirataki noodles
• About 7 cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 zucchini
• Fresh mozzarella (1 oz)
• Fresh basil (2 leaves shredded, 1 leaf for garnish)
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (we used Ragu light, no sugar added)

Directions:

1. Cut open the shirataki noodle bag and drain the water. Rinse the noodles under water for about 2 minutes. Once rinsed, drained, and patted dry, microwave the noodles in a bowl for 2 minutes. That funky smell you got when you opened the bag will be gone after microwaving!
2. Spiralize one zucchini into zoodles and sprinkle with sea salt
3. Place the tomatoes in a pan under medium heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil
4. When the tomatoes start to soften, add the zucchini. Slowly add one tablespoon of tomato sauce at a time to sauté the vegetables together for about 2 minutes
5. In a separate bowl, mix together the zucchini and tomato with the shirataki noodles. Add enough tomato sauce to spread evenly
6. Add 1 ounce of mozzarella cheese and finally add the basil

The Only Summer Salad You Need

This is the ultimate bright, colorful, delicious summer salad that you have been looking for! It is so simple yet offers the perfect mix of sweet and savory. If you need a pop of color with your summer BBQ spread, this is the way to do it. With all hues of red, this salad delivers a ton of lycopene - the antioxidant carotenoid that gives tomatoes and strawberries their bright red color. Studies suggest that lycopene may help prevent against prostate, lung, and stomach cancers. So all the more reason to feel great while enjoying this dish!

Red Hot Summer Salad:

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side):

• 1 container strawberries
• 1 container cherry or grape tomatoes
• Fresh basil
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons balsamic reduction

Directions:

1.  Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise
2. Trim the stems off of the strawberries and cut into quarters
3. Add tomatoes and strawberries into the serving bowl and mix with the balsamic reduction and balsamic vinaigrette until evenly spread
4. Tear the mozzarella and add to the bowl
5. Tear basil into pieces and add to bowl
6. Mix and serve

Spicy Peanut Buckwheat Noodles

The days when pasta was a diet detour are over! These days, we have all sorts of new and healthy pasta-like varieties to choose from: black bean, quinoa, shirataki, brown rice and of course, buckwheat noodles. 

Buckwheat noodles are also known as soba noodles, a type of noodle popular in Japan. Buckwheat is gluten, fat, and cholesterol-free AND it is the highest protein-containing grain (other than oats), offering about 6 grams of protein per cup. It is also a good source of manganese, a nutrient important for energy metabolism, and thiamin, a nutrient important for synthesizing the body's main source of energy (ATP, for those of you that vaguely remember science class). 

Along with the buckwheat noodles, we added spiralized veggie noodles to lighten up the carb load while adding a pop of color, fiber, and crunch. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (serves 4 side servings)

• 8 oz buckwheat soba noodles
• 1 zucchini, spiralized
• 4 large carrots (we used rainbow carrots to add color), spiralized or peeled using vegetable peeler
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 5 mint leaves
• 4 tablespoons spicy Thai peanut marinade (we used San-J brand)

Directions:

1. Cook the buckwheat noodles in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside in a bowl
2. Use a spiralizer or vegetable peeler to create noodles out of the zucchini and carrots
3. Sautée the vegetable noodles and peanuts in light oil on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Avoid overcooking, you want the veggies tender but still crunchy
4. Add the vegetable noodles and peanuts to the buckwheat noodles and add about 4 tablespoons of the spicy peanut marinade
5. Tear the mint leaves and mix in, leaving one mint leave to garnish on top
6. Great served hot or cold!

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Cauliflower has recently taken the cake for most versatile veggie. We've seen cauliflower pizza, cauliflower "mash", buffalo cauli and even a cauliflower rendition of General Tso's chicken. Today we're serving cauliflower fried rice! This dish is a great way to satisfy that fried rice craving without the sodium, MSG, and refined carb fest. Pair it with a protein of choice: fried egg, tofu, shrimp, or chicken and enjoy!

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 large carrot, diced
• frozen edamame
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 eggs, scrambled (option to add another fried egg on top!)
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos

Directions:

1. Shred the cauliflower using a grater or food processor until it resembles rice shape
2. Heat one tablespoon sesame oil in a skillet over medium low heat and add the carrots and garlic until tender and browning. Add the shredded cauliflower, edamame and remaining tablespoon of sesame oil. Stir fry until cauliflower is soft but not too mushy
3. Create space in the middle and turn the heat down. Add the eggs and scrambled until fully cooked. Stir in the soy sauce and onions just before serving
4. Option to top with a fried egg or protein of choice