I am on location in sunny Florida, enjoying spring break. I’ll still be sharing my cooking experiences, starting with this incredible Chicken Marsala. To be fair, I played the role of observer and photographer while my Mom did most of the cooking. First, she coated the chicken breasts in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, and pan fried them in some oil. Then she removed them from the pan and set them aside.

Then, she sliced up some mushrooms, and cooked those in a mix of melted butter and Marsala wine:

She added some fresh spinach to the pan, and she might have thrown in a little more wine as the spinach wilted. The chicken breasts were placed back in the pan with the lid on to finish cooking. Here is the final product, which was amazing.

But the best part is the fantastic view we enjoyed while eating on the lanai.

Wow! This lentil patty had so much flavor and while it was much softer than a more conventional burger, I loved the texture. I took the photo plain, but you could certainly dress this up with lettuce, tomato, and pickles, or maybe sour cream and avocado. While the recipe requires minimal effort, it takes over 2 hours between the start and finish, so plan ahead. They are worth it though!

1 c. lentils
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. bulgur
1 T ketchup
1 T mustard
1 T Heinz 57 sauce

Bring lentils, carrot, celery, and vegetable broth to a boil, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Add bulgur, ketchup, mustard, and sauce and continue cooking on low for 15 minutes. The mixture will be very thick. Remove from heat and let stand until cool to the touch.

Form into patties, and place on cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

The moment I saw this recipe for Mushroom Mac & Cheese, I knew I wanted to give it a try! I made a few changes, and used 8 oz. each of baby bella and crimini mushrooms, and reduced the amount of pasta to 6 oz. I used regular mustard, and of course, I wimped out on the red pepper flakes. I did add black pepper to the top though. Overall, this was very easy to make, and so much tastier and healthier than anything that comes out of a blue box.

There are a lot of complex stir fry recipes, many of which suggest using separate pans for the meat and vegetables. I understand that this method prevents overcooking the vegetables, but really, I am too lazy to wash all those dishes. So I kept this as simple as possible, and steamed the sugar snap peas separately in the microwave. I thought it turned out great! Here it is, served over brown rice:

12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into small pieces
1 (10 oz.) package sugar snap peas, steamed
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice cooking wine
1 t minced garlic
1 t corn starch
Dash ground ginger
Dash ground red pepper

Spray large frying pan with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in pan, and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked on the outside. Whisk soy sauce through red pepper in a small bowl, and add to the pan with chicken. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through. Add vegetables and toss to coat, cooking for 1 minute.

My friend Susan sent me this recipe for Turkey Mini Meatloaves, and I finally got a chance to make them myself. I made a few changes to suit both my tastes and the fact that I had purchased ground chicken. The muffin concept makes them easily portable, and I can also put some in the freezer. They taste great, although I admit I still ate them with ketchup, just like regular meatloaf!

1 lb. ground chicken
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 c. finely chopped onion
1/3 c. uncooked bulgur
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 t soy sauce
1 T Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously spray a nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray. Gently mix chicken, zucchini, onion, bulgur, egg, soy sauce, and mustard in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Equally divide the mixture among the muffin cups.

Bake until the meatloaves are cooked through or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes. Let the loaves stand in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

-Adapted from Eating Well

I found this recipe on the website fatfreevegan.com. I followed it exactly, except for the turmeric, which I didn’t have in the house. I was nervous about the amount of cayenne pepper, but I was brave and went ahead with the whole 1/4 teaspoon. I know, I am a spice wimp!

Overall, this came out well and was not too spicy, even for me. Perhaps it was too thick, but easily thinned out with vegetable broth.

Sandwiches and wraps are ideal when you need a meal that is portable and doesn’t require a microwave. But I am easily bored by traditional sandwiches, so I decided to try something a little different. My sandwich wrap was a Joseph’s brand lavash. I took eggplant slices, and grilled them on the George Foreman and placed them on the wrap. Then I mixed 1 T reduced calorie mayonnaise and 1 T balsamic vinegar to make a sauce, which I spread on the eggplant slices. I added some sauteed mushrooms that I had handy, and topped it with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Then I rolled it up, and put it in a container to go! Since the wrap was a bit delicate, I wanted to protect it during my travels.

The verdict: The balsamic vinegar flavor was dominant, but luckily it didn’t make the sandwich soggy. It was a very filling meal, but would have been so much better if it was served warm.

Here’s my version of Shepherd’s Pie, and although it is lightened up, it still reminds me of the recipe that my Mom used to make. I used real ground beef, but packed in a few more vegetables to balance it out. The middle layer of corn and spinach got a bit lost in the large bottom layer, although I didn’t mind. The first picture is the casserole just out of the oven, and the second picture is a serving in my dish. I love the white and orange color variation!

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 c. mushrooms, diced
1 (14 oz) can creamed corn
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 large potato
1 large sweet potato
3 T skim milk
Salt
Pepper

Brown beef in a large frying pan and drain. Add onion, carrots, and mushrooms to the pan and saute until vegetables are tender. Place mixture in a 2.5 quart casserole dish. Mix corn and spinach, and place on top of beef mixture in dish. Peel and cut potatoes into large chunks, and boil until tender. Drain and mash, adding milk and salt and pepper to taste. Place potatoes on top of the casserole. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.