this was my first time ever making baby back ribs... i rarely eat pork... but the other day when we were watching disney junior, helen cavallo from "that's fresh" showed how to make her "tuscan baby back ribs"... it looked so good that i was inspired to make it for dinner! :) as you know i love to add an asian twist  when i cook so i renamed it "tuscasian baby back ribs"...

it was so good.. super tender and definitely fall off the bone... i topped it off with my usual green onions and sesame seeds.. served it with steamed broccoli and veggie baked beans... 

enjoy! 

serves 3 

ingredients
-1 rack baby back ribs
-1 tsp garlic salt
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp sugar
-1 tsp fennel seeds
-1 tsp chili pepper paste
-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 jalapeno (thinly sliced)
-foil
-green onions
-sesame seeds

bbq sauce
-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
-3 tbsp ketchup
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp sweet chili sauce

preparation
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees..

2. mix all the seasonings (except for garlic salt and black pepper) to make a paste.. 

3. place ribs on foil… sprinkle garlic salt and black pepper all over the ribs then rub paste over entire rack of ribs on both sides..

4. wrap ribs in foil and seal tightly… bake for 2 hours…

5. while that's cooking you can make the bbq sauce… heat pan… add balsamic vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce… let mixture reduce until it becomes thick and begins to get a dark rich color..

6. take ribs out of the oven.. remove from foil… add bbq sauce and sliced jalapenos.. place ribs on baking sheet and broil for 1-2 minutes until you see the ribs starting to caramelize from the bbq sauce..

again if you are trying to go the healthy way using ground turkey or chicken is better than ground beef or pork... it was my first time cooking with orzo... it was pretty good! but if you are trying to cut down on carbs you can just remove the orzo from the recipe.. i always try to put in as much veggies as i can in a lot of my cooking...

i topped it off with japanese miso dressing, sriracha, green onions, sesame seeds (a few of my fave ingredients)... 

enjoy! 

serves 3 (plus leftovers of the ground turkey mixture)

ingredients
-1 lb ground turkey (or ground chicken)
-1/4 of white onion
-3 bell peppers (your choice of color)
-2 cups of cooked orzo
-white squash (or spinach)
-tomato
-1 cup mushrooms
-1 tsp minced garlic
-jalapeno
-green onions
-2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
-olive oil
-2 tbsp soy sauce
-sriracha
-japanese miso dressing
-black pepper
-garlic salt
-sesame seeds

preparation
1. preheat oven to 375 degrees…

2. cook the orzo as directed on the package.. drain then set aside..

3. dice the onions, white squash, tomato, mushrooms, jalapeño, and green onions..

4. heat pan with olive oil.. cook the onions and tomatoes for 3 minutes.. add mushrooms and white squash.. add 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce and 2 tbsp soy sauce.. cook for like 5 minutes.. remove from heat and set aside..

5. heat pan and brown the ground turkey… remove from heat and set aside..

6. in a big bowl add the veggie mixture, cooked ground turkey, green onions, and jalapenos… season with garlic salt and pepper.. mix well…

7. cut the tops of the bell peppers and clean out… 

8. fill the bell peppers full of the mixture.. place on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.. 

if you wanna eat healthy, chicken is typically the way to go... boneless skinless chicken breasts to be specific.. what i hate most about chicken is that it gets so dry when cooked! last night i made baby back ribs wrapped in foil and it was totally moist and tender... so i figured that if i wrap chicken in foil and baked it then it would come out just as good as the ribs.. i was totally right! :)

this is my first time making this chicken in foil dish.. i've had it before at chinese restaurants in the past but they usually only put chicken in it and that's it... borrriinnnggg! :) of course i had to add all my fave ingredients and toss in some veggies... 

i topped it off with guacamole, chili pepper aioli (super easy to make.. see below), green onions, sesame seeds, and cashews.. i just ate it by itself, but you can also serve it with veggies and/or brown rice..

chili pepper aioli
 -1/4 cup light sour cream
-2 tbsp tbsp light mayo
-1/2 tsp garlic salt
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp chili pepper paste
-1/2 tsp crush red pepper

mix all ingredients together..

enjoy!

serves 3

ingredients
-1 lb chicken breasts
-olive oil
-spinach
-mushrooms
-green onions
-1 cup unsalted cashews
-1 jalapeno
-sesame seeds
-soy sauce
-garlic salt
-black pepper
-1 tsp sugar
-chili pepper paste (or crush red peppers)
-5" foil squares

preparation
1. preheat oven to 400 degrees..

2. chop spinach, mushrooms, jalapeños, and green onions…

3. heat pan with olive oil and cook spinach and mushrooms for a couple minutes… add 1 tbsp of chili pepper paste and 2 tbsp of soy sauce.. remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes..

4. dice chicken into 1" pieces.. place in a bowl.. add 1 tsp of sugar.. sprinkle garlic salt and black pepper all over chicken… add cooked veggies, jalapeno, cashews, and green onions.. mix well..

5. put 3 tbsp of the chicken/ veggie mixture in a piece of foil.. fold into a triangle.. and fold sides in and make sure it's really sealed tight.. repeat this step until all the mixture is gone.. (i made 12 pieces with 1 lb of chicken breast)..

6. place all the pieces on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes (or until the chicken is no longer pink)…