Toasted Pita & Bean Salad

I've been trying to eat clean since starting to work out.  This salad is the perfect fit for my new lifestyle.  I hope you enjoy it too.

2 6-inch whole-wheat pita breads, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups cooked pinto beans, well drained and slightly warmed (see Tip)
1 cup diced plum tomatoes or 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley*
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint*

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Spread pita pieces out on a large baking sheet. Bake until crisp and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on the pan.

3. Mash garlic and salt with the back of a chef’s knife to form a paste. Transfer to a bowl, add lemon juice and ground cumin and whisk to blend. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking continually. Season with pepper.

4. Place beans, tomatoes and cucumber in a serving bowl. Add the toasted pita, lettuce, feta, parsley, mint and the dressing; toss to mix. Season with more pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving: 442 calories; 21 g fat (7 g sat, 10 g mono); 33 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrates; 18 g protein; 13 g fiber; 697 mg sodium; 658 mg potassium.

*I sometimes forget to put the parsley and mint on the salad and it still tastes just as good..

Stir Fry

I've tried a lot of different recipes for stir-fry before finding this one.
In fact, Granny introduced me to this recipe. She used a "secret" ingredient that she wouldn't tell me about, (but it was only because she thought I wouldn't eat it if she did)

The secret to this yummy stir-fry is Oyster sauce.
Now all you non-seafood eaters like me, do not fret. It is so yummy and you can't even tell it's in there except to make it delicious.

Now the quantities will vary depending on how many you are feeding.

  I just make enough for the 4 of us so if you want more, just double the amounts :) 

Stir- Fry

2 Chicken Breasts (cut into bite size pieces)

Stir-fry vegetables (cut into bite size pieces) (use whatever you have on hand or your favorites)

  red & green peppers

  broccoli

  carrots

  snow peas

   green onions

  zucchini

  water chestnuts

   etc... (really anything goes here)

Chicken broth

corn starch

soy sauce

Oyster sauce

Start by cooking the chicken pieces in olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add in about 1/2 cup chicken broth to pan and all vegetables (ok, so granny never gave me exact measurements so I'm just making this up as I go along :)
Cover pan and simmer until vegies are almost finished stirring occasionally
Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup chicken broth in small bowl, add 3 Tbs (or so) of corn starch and a lot of shakes of soy sauce and 2 Tbs of oyster sauce (again, not exact measurements, just guessing)

Stir cornstarch mix in with vegies and simmer until thickens.
mix chicken back in with vegies to re-reat.
Serve over rice.

See, super easy and soooo yummy!