Saturday, January 25, 2014

Staying healthy and happy all winter with easy, brightly colored veggies and a secret weapon!


This post is brought to you by Victoria Abbott (Victoria Maffini and Mary Jane Maffini).





What a winter! After a busy holiday season we were sandbagged by some brutal weather. The temptation is to eat comfort food (lots of starch and sugar), but when we give in to that we feel sluggish and miserable (after we've eaten it all). 










Plus when we are rushing around we often short-change ourselves, forgetting to eat enough vegetables and other healthy food, such as lemon -  the secret ingredient that adds tang and zip so many recipes without adding calories. 








We are busy on the edits of The Wolfe Wido, our third collector mystery and still busy talking up  The Sayers Swindle.  We need to make sure we stay healthy and energetic, but we're surrounded by take-out food opportunities and other pitfalls. So here's a quick and tasty recipe that helps us stay on top of the season.


This quick veggie side started out as dinner party food for us when we first found the recipe, but it has migrated to a busy day dinner. It's savory and delicious and takes a couple of minutes to chop and then ten minutes to cook. It reheats well too, if there's any left over. 

You can saute a chicken breast or put on a piece of fish to bake just as you start to chop the veggies and it will all come out at the same time,

We love the bright colors - Christmas red and green and the gold of yellow peppers for glamor.







All you need is:

2 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp prepared garlic)
2 tbsp olive oil (give or take)
Juice of half a lemon (or more)
S & P




Cut the zucchini into thin strips















Cut the peppers into thin strips















Heat the oil in a large skillet















Saute the garlic and the pepper on medium heat for about five minutes














 Add the zucchini - and cook for another five minutes.
Stir every now and then.
Add two tablespoons of lemon and you're good to go. 











 If you are the person who has kidnapped the picture of our finished dish, please return it and we'll pay the ransom. If not, trust us, it looked good.


This is great with baked chicken or sauteed shrimp.  We served it with baked salmon and a green salad.  Dinner in less than twenty minutes!

If you need carbs, you could cook up some arborio rice while everything else is getting ready.








Here's a little bit more about Victoria Abbott, author of the book collector mysteries. 

Victoria is an artist and photographer and MJ is the author of 13 books in three other series, as Mary Jane Maffini. They love their book collector mysteries and are happily at work on The Wolfe Widow, third in the series.   They're very excited about the The Sayers Swindle which is still fresh and new.



  
The Sayers Swindle, the second in the book collector mysteries hit the shelves and e-readers on December 3!

You can click here to order The Sayers Swindle!

Or here for the Kindle version!

Or order through your favorite bookstore - in person or online.

And don't forget to ....

Watch the trailer for The Sayers Swindle!









  

The Christie Curse, the first book collector mystery, launched in March 2013 to great reviews.








 
The Christie Curse is also available in Large Print! Tell your local librarian!


















 Walter, the pug in the series is a dead ringer for Peachy, Victoria's new best friend. 


 Come over and friend Victoria on Facebook

www.facebook.com/BookCollectorMysteries   www.facebook.com/maryjane.maffini

Tell  her  you love the pug!
www.twitter.com/AbbottMysteries
www.pinterest.com/jbinghamkelly












18 comments:

  1. Looks so lovely--what a smart pair of women you are! I swear I did not take the picture...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope your alibi is good, Roberta! We have a ton of veggie recipes and oddly enough we're trimming down. Coincidence?

      Thanks for your comment!

      XO

      MJ and Victoria

      Delete
  2. For color and taste, fresh peppers can't be beat. We eat them year round (and have some ready to go in our pantry right now). Nice trick with the lemon, a great way to brighten all kinds of dishes. Have a healthy, happy weekend!

    ~ Cleo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cleo! I know you know your way around great veggie dishes.

      Hugs!

      MJ

      Delete
  3. Looks delicious AND healthy! Just what we all need and want post-holidays. Easy to whip up after work, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's all about 'the easy'. Peg. Even for those who work at home.

      Thanks for popping in.,

      Hugs.

      MJ

      Delete
  4. What could you use instead of zucchini? Can't stand the stuff. I do peppers and onions a lot. One of my faves.
    Oh, and why would I take the pic if I don't like zucchini?? ;)


    Pen M
    pmettert@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you could do broccoli too, if you just cook it a bit.

      I guess you didn't 'nap'; the pic!

      Hugs.

      MJ and Victoria

      Delete
  5. YUM!! One of my favorite ways to fix veggies. And it always looks so pretty too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jane! Pretty helps with veggies, for sure.

      Hugs

      MJ and Victoria

      Delete
  6. I didn't kidnap the picture. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Fun, colorful dish! Nice. Love the title of your next one.

    Daryl / Avery

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Daryl! I guess you are innocent and now off the list of suspects.

      Wolfishly,

      MJ and Victoria

      Delete
  7. Hello my name is Francesca and I'm Italian. I discovered your blog by accident and I immediately liked, because there are so many interesting things. I have joined your followers. If you go too foul. Thank you. Francesca.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grazie, Francesca! In two weeks I will talk a bit about Tuscany and chicken.

      Ciao!

      MJ and Victoria

      Delete
  8. This looks delicious. I think it's the lemon juice that will make it sing. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lemon juice is the secret weapon in our kitchens, Nancy, and yes, it makes things sing.

      Hugs,

      MJ and Victoria

      Delete
  9. I deny any involvement with the missing picture. But how did you know that I want to crawl into a big bowl of comfort food? The wind is howling, the snow is blowing and the temperature is worthy of the North Pole. I do love red peppers, though . . .

    ~Krista

    ReplyDelete
  10. Come on in, the peppers are fine! Winter will pass, Krista. I just heard that there were 1600 collisions reported yesterday on Ontario highways. I am staying put.

    I guess you are innocent. Sigh.

    Hugs,

    MJ

    ReplyDelete