Cranberry-Orange Sauce

November 8, 2012Leave a comment

Please! I beg of you! If you don’t already make your own cranberry sauce, start NOW. It’s the easiest to make in the whole wide world and it tastes so fresh and flavorful that you will kick yourself for not making it sooner. Besides, then you know EXACTLY what’s in it, there’s no preservatives from the canned stuff, and well, it’s simply delicious!

It’s so easy to make because all you do it throw fresh cranberries in a saucepan, add water or juice, a little bit of sugar, and then you just simmer it until it thickens. Easy peasy!

This is my most favorite version of cranberry sauce. I LOVE the addition of orange and I have yet to find someone who doesn’t (however, if you are totally against the idea of adding orange . . . just substitute water in place of the juice). The orange juice and zest allow us to use less sugar, but then it also elevates the flavor. Win-Win! I love to throw a cinnamon stick in the pan while it simmers. You can’t REALLY taste much cinnamon flavor, but there is a slight hint. Maybe I mostly just like the fact that it makes me feel super festive. I admit it; I love the holidays and the smells of the holidays are DEFINITELY part of the love! And, so is this delicious cranberry sauce. I don’t let the holidays ever go by without it. I seriously don’t think you should either!

In fact, may you should pair it with this super delicious turkey! That’s what I did.

Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Adapted from Tyler Florence/Food Network

12 ounces cranberries, fresh
1 orange, zest, juiced and just into strips
1/3 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature or cool and refrigerate. Remove the cinnamon stick & orange slices before serving.

Makes just over 1 cup of sauce.
Serves 10.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 2 Tablespoons)
Calories: 46.5
Protein: 0.2g
Carbs: 11.9g
Fat: 0g
Fiber: 1.8g
Sugars: 8g

Stuffed Mexican Sweet Potato Skins

November 1, 2012November 1, 20122 Comments

Here’s a creative and delicious recipe for you! I had a good friend who turned me on to these and I had a blast making them over to suit a better macronutrient/nutritional balance. The result was absolutely delicious. The filling has just enough spice, just enough smokiness, and it tastes creamy and sweet too. The recipe calls for both corn and black beans, but you can totally use all corn or all black beans if that’s what you have on hand or if that’s what you prefer. I think next time (there is TOTALLY going to be a next time!) I’ll just use all black beans because I love black beans . . . especially when paired with sweet potatoes.

These delicious sweet potatoes are packed with nutrition and the filling is, well . . . filling! The serving size is just one of these babies, and it was enough for me. We ate these with a nice little side salad and it was a fabulous meal. If you like sweet potatoes and you like Mexican food, then you’re going to LOVE these!

P.S. These call for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You can find these on the Mexican isle in your grocery store. If you want other recipes to help use them up, you might want to try this, this, and this.

Stuffed Mexican Sweet Potato Skins
Adapted by Pinch of Yum

2 medium sweet potatoes
1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
1/3 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced or pureed
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese (I used 2%)
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, plain
1/2 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
10 ounces cooked & shredded chicken breast
4 tablespoons reduced fat shredded cheese (I used part skim Mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.

While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with no butter or oil. Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the black beans.

Sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside.

Remove sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh out of three of the halves of sweet potatoes, leaving the skins intact. Scrape the flesh out of the remaining sweet potato half, but reserve for another use (you won’t be using it here, so save it for your lunch tomorrow). Sometimes leaving a thin layer of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better.

Place the flesh of the three halves of sweet potatoes with the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, chipotle peppers, taco seasoning and salt in a food processor (or blender). Process until well-mixed and fairly smooth/creamy and then gently stir in the black beans, roasted corn, sautéed onions, chicken, and cilantro.

Scoop the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. (If your filling has cooled a bit, you may want to put the potatoes back in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees, then top with cheese and broil.)

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Filled Potato Skin)
Calories: 251.7
Protein: 24.8g
Carbs: 31.6g
Fat: 3.8g (2g = Sat.)
Fiber: 5.1g
Sugars: 10.1g

Green Enchilada Soup

October 23, 2012October 23, 20122 Comments

Well, surprise! Another soup option. Yep, we still love soup in our house and this is one of my go-to favorites. It’s full of flavor, fast, and easy! What else can we really ask for, right? I got a version of this soup from a friend and have adapted it a bit to make my happy in the nutritional information area. Plus, I think it tastes pretty darn awesome. I actually whipped this up for lunch (that’s saying something because I don’t really like to cook for lunch) and enjoyed EVERY bite!

Green Enchilada Soup

1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
3 cups chicken broth (99% fat free)
1 1/2 cups green salsa (such as La Victoria Salsa Verde)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
toppings, optional

Heat on high in slow cooker for 2 hours or until heated through or heat in pot on the stove. If desired (and if you can afford the calories) serve with toppings such as multi-grain tortilla chips, reduced fat grated cheese, light sour cream, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, avocado, and/or olives.

Serves 5.

Nutritional Information – (Per Serving/No Toppings = Approx. 1 Cup)
Calories: 198
Protein: 24.6g
Carbs: 22.1g
Fat: 2.3g (1.2g = Sat)
Fiber: 4.5g
Sugars: 4g

Fit Stuffed Peppers

October 10, 20121 Comment

I’m back, folks! Sorry I went missing for a couple of weeks. My sweet grandma passed away and I wanted to spend as much time with her before she left and then I spent a lot of time with my family as they all came into town for the funeral. Thus, that left little time for creating new recipes and blogging. That being said, it’s been an emotional and cherished past couple of week. I love my grandma and I will miss her, but I know I’ll get to see her again some day. I also love my family and enjoyed spending extra time with them. It felt like a huge unplanned family reunion.

Now I’m back to cooking and such and this is a fabulous dinner option! We grow bell peppers in our garden every year, but I think this year we turned out the best harvest yet! The peppers grew fast, got big, and the flavor has been super intense. They are delicious! We finally got our first overnight freeze/frost of the year so Beau went and picked all the peppers before bed. I figured that making stuffed peppers would be an awesome way to use some of them up.

Awesome, indeed! These are super simple. The only thing you have to remember is that the recipe calls for cooked brown rice. So, if you haven’t made that in advance then your prep time will increase by 45-60 minutes. I baked my rice earlier in the day (since baking it only requires about 1 minute worth of effort, but the rice turns out fluffy and fabulous). Then you just simply cook your ground beef, mixed with onion and garlic, in a skillet until browned. Mix in the cooked rice, tomato sauce and Worcestershire (this stuff somehow elevates the flavor of ground beef like crazy), and stuff your peppers, bake the peppers, and then eat them! Easy peasy!

The flavors of bell pepper, ground beef, and tomato just marry so well together. We found these to be very filling. I made a green salad to go with them because I was leery of how filling these would be. The green salad was tasty, but it wasn’t necessary to “fill us up” like I thought it would be.

Give these a try. Bell peppers are easy to find year-round and I found the dish to be fresh, but also comforting. Who doesn’t want a comforting dish around this time of year??

Fit Stuffed Peppers
Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 ½ cups brown rice, cooked
12 ounces lean (93%) ground beef (lean ground turkey is also good)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
4 bell peppers (any color – I used green from my garden)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons part skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir beef mixture until meat is evenly browned and onion is softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish (I used a round Corningware dish with tall sides and it worked perfectly) with the hollowed sides facing upward. (You may have to slice a little off the bottoms of the peppers to help them stand upright. Just don’t cut too far up the pepper that you end up with a hole in the bottom.)

Mix the browned beef, cooked rice, Worcertershire sauce, and 1 can tomato sauce (I did this right in the skillet). Add salt and pepper if needed. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining can of tomato sauce with the Italian seasoning in a small bowl (or right in the can if you’re careful not to spill everywhere) and pour over the stuffed peppers.

Bake in the preheated oven, basting with the sauce every 15-20 minutes, until the peppers are tender, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the peppers with grated mozzarella cheese after baking.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1 Stuffed Pepper)
Calories: 298
Protein: 23.2g
Carbs: 33.3g
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 4.4g
Sugars: 7.4g

Basic Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

September 25, 20122 Comments

Breakfast in the slow cooker is a pretty novel idea. I mean, you throw a few things in there before bed and then wake up to a hot breakfast . . . along with a home that smells warm and cozy. If you ask me, this is so perfect for fall as most of us yearn for warmer recipes and cozy smells.

If you enjoy oatmeal, you’ll enjoy eating steel cut oats from the slow cooker. They taste very similar to rolled oats, but seem to taste slightly heartier and also have a heartier texture. This is a very basic recipe on how to cook steel cut oats in the slow cooker. I’m hoping to make “fancier” versions this fall to share with you all. However, because it technically is fall, I added about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the oats when I put them in the slow cooker (this is totally optional). I think that cinnamon elevates the flavor of oats and makes them taste a little sweeter without adding sugar. The cinnamon also creates a wonderful aroma when mixed with the cooked oats. When I dish my portion out of the slow cooker I love to add a little drizzle of sugar-free maple syrup (it’s only about 10 calories, so why not!?) and a splash of milk.

This was definitely comforting and very filling (thanks to the heartiness). Stay tuned for “fancier” versions in the near future.

Basic Steel Cut Oats for the Slow Cooker

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

Mix oats and the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If desired, serve with a drizzle of sugar-free syrup and a splash of milk.

Serves 4-5.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 3/4 Cup, Cooked)
Calories: 124
Protein: 5.3g
Carbs: 24g
Fat: 2.2g (0.4g = Sat.)
Fiber: 3.6g
Sugars: 0g

*Note: Most sites claim that steel cut oats are gluten free. I know several people who are gluten intolerant that perform just fine after eating steel cut oats. However, if you have a strong gluten allergy, you may want to buy steel cut oats that are actually labeled gluten free.

Slow Cooker Chile Verde

September 20, 2012September 19, 20121 Comment

I’ve already confessed my love for tomatillos. We grow them in our garden because we love them so! Here’s another FABULOUS use for them. Of course, if you don’t grow your own, you can easily find them in your grocery store (which is what I do during the winter months).

I love chile verde! I always want to order it when I eat out at Mexican restaurants, but I hesitate to do so because I’m always worried about how they actually prepare it. Here is a great way to enjoy it at home without any of the worry. This is SUPER tasty and I’m so glad that my sister Becca shared the recipe with me. Becca is a wonderful cook and when she gave me this recipe I had no doubt the I would love it. It’s just what chile verde should taste like. The tomatillos combined with onion, garlic, green chiles, and cumin is unbeatable. The white beans add a nice dimension of flavor and texture as well. (You’ll just want to note that the beans count toward your carb count so don’t overdo it on your rice/tortilla portion.) Oh! It’ll make your house smell sooooo good too!

Here’s to a home-cooked chile verde that is as good (or better, I dare say) than what you would find at a restaurant!

Slow Cooker Chile Verde
Recipe Source: My Sister, Becca

1 lb. chicken (or turkey or pork)
4-6 cloves garlic
1 lb. tomatilloes, peeled and diced
14 oz. chicken broth, low sodium & 99% fat free (Swanson’s)
4 oz. green chiles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 large onion, diced
1 can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
cilantro, chopped (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and cook in slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. 15-20 minutes before serving, shred meat and add ½ cup fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve in tortillas or over rice.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)
Calories: 149.7
Protein: 20.2
Carbs: 14.9
Fat: 1.6g (0.2g = Sat.)
Fiber: 4.6g
Sugars: 3.1g

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

September 11, 2012September 11, 2012Leave a comment

This is definitely one of my most favorite salsas. Now that the tomatillos in our garden are finally starting to come on, I’m making this like crazy! I’ve tried several variations of tomatillo salsa and this has become my favorite. I usually prefer a green salsa over a red salsa. Perhaps it’s the extra tang that comes from a tomatillo. And, a roasted tomatillo . . . don’t even get me started. I love how this recipe instructs us to roast all the veggies. It definitely gives it a nice, roasted flavor and the roasting helps to bring out the sweetness of the tomatillos, garlic, and onion! SO GOOD!

Another great thing about the salsa (as with most salsas), it’s pretty darn low in calories and it’s made primarily of veggies. So, in my book . . . this stuff is “free” and we can eat as much as we want. Unfortunately the baked 9-grain chips (Tostito Brand) are another story! So, let’s focus on putting this delicious salsa on our eggs, potatoes, over chicken, alongside these Taquitos, or eating it by the spoonfuls out of it’s container. It’s really that yummy!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Adapted from Our Best Bites

1 lb. tomatillos, husks removed (about 6 medium)
3-4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and quartered
1 jalapeño pepper, cut in half lengthwise (remove seeds & membranes for less heat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1-2 limes (depending on how “juicy” you want your salsa)
1/4-1/3 cup chopped green onions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

After husking the tomatillos, rinse them well in cool water (they can be sticky). Cut the stems and hard portions (if any) off the tomatillos and cut any very large ones in half.

Combine the tomatillos, unpeeled garlic, onion, and the jalapeno on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss the ingredients with your hands to make sure they are all well-coated.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. If the vegetables have not charred, turn the broiler on to high and cook for 3-5 more minutes or until the skins of the peppers and tomatillos begin to turn black. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

When the vegetables have cooled, carefully squeeze the skin of the roasted garlic, releasing the soft, roasted garlic clove, into the jar of a blender or workbowl of a food processor. Add the remaining roasted vegetables and then add the salt, pepper, and lime juice. Process until the desired consistency is reached and then transfer to a serving dish. Stir in the chopped cilantro and green onions and serve with chips.

Makes Approximately 2 Cups.

Nutritional Information (Per Tablespoon)
Calories: 10
Protein: 0.2g
Carbs: 1.4g
Fat: 0.6g (0.1g – Sat.)
Fiber: 0.3g
Sugars: 0.7g

Grilled Steak with Roasted Pablano Sauce

September 6, 2012Leave a comment

Once in a while we love to change things up and have a little steak at our house. This variation of steak was a huge hit! I love the flavor of pablano peppers, but I love them even more when they’re roasted. These roasted peppers, when paired with other complimentary Mexican ingredients, were awesome on top of the steak. The sauce comes together nicely and, since it has a Mexican flare, we ate the Mexican Tomato & Corn Salad with it. Pretty darn awesome meal if you ask me!

Grilled Steak with Roasted Pablano Sauce
Adapted from The Chew

1 1/2 Lb sirloin steak
5-6 medium pablanos peppers
2 tablespoon red onion (finely diced)
1-2 lemons (juice and zest)
4 tablespoon cilantro (roughly chopped)
4 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper (to taste)

Place pablanos directly on stove burner (or under your broiler) to char peppers until completely black (you may have to use tongs to turn peppers to char all sides), remove and cool.

Cut peppers lengthwise and remove charred skin with the back of a knife, and remove seeds. Dice small and place half of the pepper in a blender with olive oil and half of the lemon juice and puree for 20 seconds and place in a bowl. Add remaining diced pablanos, red onion, lemon zest and remaining juice (if desired), cilantro and salt and pepper. Mix to combine and taste for seasoning. Set aside for finished plate.

Lightly coat steak with olive oil. Season each side with smoked paprika, cayenne, chili powder, salt and pepper. Sear on hot grill until there is good color on the meat, about 3-4 minutes per side. Once cooked remove from heat and let rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

To serve, top steak with pablano sauce and serve. Serves 8.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 3 oz. Steak & 1/8 of Sauce)
Calories: 258
Protein: 26.8
Carbs: 5.8g
Fat: 14.6g (3.6g = Sat.)
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 0.2g

Mexican Tomato & Corn Salad

September 4, 2012Leave a comment

This side dish is fresh, tangy, flavorful, and sweet! The sweet corn and cherry tomatoes are coated with a tangy dressing that leaves you wanting more! With fresh corn and cherry tomatoes in season, now is the PERFECT time to be making this salad. However, I think it’s so good that the salad will still be a home run in the winter too! You can cut corn kernels directly off the ear, or use frozen corn. Also, Queso Fresco cheese is a Mexican cheese that you can usually find in most grocery stores among the other cheeses. (If you can’t find it, feta cheese is most widely used as a substitute.) We loved the change-up that this salad gave us (as compared to usual carbohydrate side dishes like potatoes or rice . . . . although we love those too). I craved it for days after I made it (thank goodness I had leftovers)!

*Note: If you need/want to save some unnecessary calories, pull the cheese out of the recipe. That will save you 40 calories & 3 grams of fat per serving.

Mexican Tomato and Corn Salad
Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

For the salad:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
2 oz. crumbled queso fresco cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest (zest the lime(s) before juicing)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from about 3 garlic cloves)

In a large skillet, heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the corn and cook until soft (but not mushy), 3-5 minutes, stirring/tossing occasionally. Cool corn slightly and set aside.

Whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, cheese, cilantro and corn. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 (Makes Approximately 4 Cups).

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approximately 1 Cup)
Calories: 160
Protein: 5.9g
Carbs: 19g
Fat: 8.2g (2.7g = Sat.)
Fiber: 2.7g
Sugars: 4.5g

Balsamic Chicken Noodles

August 14, 20121 Comment

This dish is oh, so easy and oh, so delicious! Well, I guess I think it’s tasty because I am a sucker for just about anything with balsamic vinegar and basil and cheese. Oh, and I suppose I love pasta too. The dressing/sauce that goes over your pasta and chicken is punched with flavor thanks to the balsamic vinegar, garlic, and basil. YUM! And really, does it hurt to have two different kinds of cheeses sprinkled on top? Well, maybe it does increase the calories a little, but if you can afford theses calories . . . they are SO worth it. If you can’t, eliminate the cheeses (which still yields a delicious final dish) and you’ll save yourself 50 calories per serving.

I used soba noodles here. They are made with buckwheat (which makes them healthy, adds protein, and they are also gluten free). They are usually found on the Asian isle of your grocery store and are almost always sold in all health food stores (like Good Earth or Sunflower Market). If you haven’t cooked or eaten soba noodles, don’t let that deter you from this recipe. They are worth a try. They taste WAY better than they look and they cook up WAY faster than other pastas.

I hope you love this as much as I did. If you make it, will you call me over?

Balsamic Chicken Noodles
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
9 ounces soba noodles (dry)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (can substitute 1 cup fresh basil)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim)
1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and and cook until just tender according to package directions. Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. When combined, slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is completely combined.

While the pasta is boiling, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the bell pepper. Cook briefly until crisp-tender. Add the cooked chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

When the noodles have been drained, add the hot noodles to the skillet with the red pepper and chicken and toss. Add the shredded or cubed mozzarella and toss quickly to combine before the cheese melts. Pour the dressing over the top and toss with tongs to coat all the ingredients with the dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.