Peak Performance Fitness

Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

physiologists

Recipe of the Week: Firecracker Vegan Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6 lettuce wraps

INGREDIENTS:

For the Firecracker Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chili paste (like sambal oelek)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • a small knob of fresh ginger, peeled
  • a clove of fresh garlic, peeled

For the Lettuce Wraps:

  • 1 container extra firm tofu
  • 4 ounces brown rice noodles
  • lettuce leaves, for wrapping
  • peanuts, cilantro, lime for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Noodle Prep: Soak your noodles in a bowl of lukewarm water for at least 30 minutes while prepping the rest of the recipe. You want the noodles to be soft and flexible.
  2. Sauce: Blend all the sauce ingredients together in a small blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
  3. Tofu: Press the tofu with a few paper towels to get some of the moisture out. Cut the tofu into small pieces. Heat a little oil in a nonstick skillet. Add your tofu. Stir-fry until golden brown, usually let it sauté for at least 15 minutes. Add about half of the sauce to the pan. Stir-fry for another 3-5 minutes. As the sauce browns, it will form small crispy pieces around the tofu. Transfer tofu to a bowl.
  4. Noodles: Drain and rinse your noodles. Add another swish of oil to the pan and plop the noodles in. Add about half of the remaining sauce. Stir fry for just a minute or two until coated. Add a splash of water if it’s too sticky. Remove from heat immediately and toss with the tofu.
  5. Lettuce Wrap It Up: Fill your butter lettuce leaves with the noodle/tofu mixture . Top with peanuts, cashews, cilantro, scallions, lime, and/or Sriracha if you want.

Protein Options: It’s super easy to swap out your protein here. You can try ground chicken or turkey.

Soaking the Noodles: If you don’t soak the noodles long enough they will require more liquid in the pan to cook, which makes them boil into a big glob. Be sure to soak them until they are very soft.

NUTRITION:

Serves: 6
Calories Per Serving: 397
Fat 27g, Carbohydrate 27.4g, Protein 13.1g, Sugars 8.3g

 

Original recipe from Pinch of Yum can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

Looking for a wholesome breakfast that will fill you up? Try these baked oats! Perfect to feed a crowd or make breakfast ahead of time.

Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 oatmeal piece and 2/3 cup berries

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 cups sweet apple, grated and unpeeled (such as Honeycrisp)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 2 cups strawberries, sliced
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1 cup blackberries

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, stir together oats, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir in almond milk, grated apple, syrup and vanilla. Pour mixture into an 11-by-7-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with walnuts.
  2. Bake until set, about 35 minutes. Let stand 5–10 minutes before cutting into six pieces.
  3. Combine strawberries, raspberries and blackberries in a bowl. Serve berry mixture over oatmeal.

Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 232
Total Fat: 11g; Carbohydrate: 31g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 12g; Protein 7g

 

Original recipe from MyFitnessPal can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: One Pot Chicken & Spring Veggies

This recipe comes from the kitchen of our own Exercise Physiologist, Corynne! All you need is 30 minutes and one pan to make this delicious meal. Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetables. Thanks for sharing!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 lb. Chicken breast, cubed
  • 1 cup Asparagus, halved
  • 1/2 cup Mushrooms, diced
  • 1/4 cup Sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp Garlic powder
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large pan on medium heat, cook olive oil with garlic and sun dried tomatoes, for about 5 minutes. Remove contents from pan and put in a bowl on the side.
  2. Cook the mushrooms in remaining olive oil (you can add more oil if needed) for about 5 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper as desired. Remove from pan and put in the bowl with the sun dried tomatoes.
  3. Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes or until tender. Set aside in same bowl as the sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. Then cook chicken breast for 5-7 min or until lightly browned with garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper as desired.
  4. Put everything back in the pan and mix together for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week: BUFFALO CHICKEN STUFFED SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Let’s talk about twice baked squash loaded with chicken, veggies, and savory buffalo sauce. Make it for the family or hide the leftovers for yourself!

PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 45 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR
YIELD: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 ¼ lbs chicken breast, cooked and shredded
  • 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved
  • 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced
  • ½ cup diced red bell pepper
  • ½ cup Mild Buffalo Sauce
  • Optional: ¼ cup Ranch Dressing or Homemade
  • Optional: ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:
TO ROAST THE SQUASH:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Slice both ends from squash and discard. Stand squash up on one of it’s cut ends and use a large knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop seeds and stringy insides out using a large spoon.
  3. Place squash cut-side down on the baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until squash is tender. Baking time will depend on the size of your squash, larger squash requiring a longer cook time. When squash is tender, allow to cool slightly before using a fork to gently scrape the squash into a large bowl. Reserve the squash shells.
  5. While squash is roasting, cook the chicken.

TO COOK THE CHICKEN:

Directions for Instant Pot: Insert rack into inner pot. Add 1 cup water or broth. Lay chicken on rack. Secure lid and select ‘Poultry’ setting and increase time to 17 minutes (19 if the breasts are really thick). At the end of the cooking time, allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes then flip the vent valve and release the remaining pressure. Move chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly before shredding with two forks.

Directions for Stovetop: Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. avocado or coconut oil and swirl pan to coat with the oil. Add chicken and ½ cup water. Once the water begins to simmer, reduce heat and cover. Cook chicken for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Move chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly before shredding with two forks.

TO ASSEMBLE THE STUFFED SQUASH:

  1. Place squash shreds, chicken, celery, onions, peppers and Buffalo sauce in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Spoon squash mixture into the squash shells.
  2. Return the stuffed shells back to the baking sheet and place in 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

NUTRITION:
SERVING SIZE: 1/4TH RECIPE
CALORIES: FAT: 14g, CARBOHYDRATES: 13g, PROTEIN: 36g

Louise’s Recipe Notes: Prepped the chicken breast ahead of time using my slow cooker with a layer of chicken broth on the bottom, then added a drop of olive oil, salt & pepper. I also used both a red & green pepper to add more vegetables. Since I’m not a fan of bleu cheese, I swapped that out for thinly sliced cheddar on top when it went back in the oven!

Original recipe from The Real Food RDs can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Chicken and Lentil Chili

Time to break out that slow cooker and make this hearty chili the whole family will enjoy! Loaded with beans, chicken and vegetables, it’s easy to prep in the morning and let it simmer all day while you work from home.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cups chopped carrots
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
  • 1 cup dried black beans, rinsed
  • 4 cups no-salt-added, chicken broth
  • 1 8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

  1. Coat slow cooker with cooking spray. Place onion, carrots and garlic in bottom. Top with chicken, lentils and black beans. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and salt.
  2. Cook on low for 8 hours. Stir before serving. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon cheese. Garnish evenly with cilantro.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 8
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups

Per serving: Calories: 282
Total Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 38mg; Sodium: 448mg; Carbohydrate: 39g; Dietary Fiber: 18g; Sugar: 6g; Protein: 28g

 

Original recipe from My Fitness Pal can be found here!