Category Archives: Healthy

Favorite Chili

19 Thursday Feb 2015

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Favorite Chili

Is there anything cozier than curling up with a big bowl of steamy chili on a cold night?  With this arctic chill that’s moved in, we need recipes like these to keep our bones warm!  You’ll especially love it because you can prep everything the night before, and just toss the ingredients into your crock pot before heading off to work in the morning.  Dinner will be ready and waiting to greet you when you come home… worn out, cold, and hungry!

Like any great chili recipe, this one has evolved over the years.  My mom made an incredible vegetarian chili chock full of beans and edamame when I was growing up.  It was always one of my favorite dinners, and the base of this recipe comes from her.  My husband’s chili is comprised almost entirely of meat (various cuts of pork and beef) with some onions and garlic, and his signature splash of cognac.  I’ve adopted his use of cognac, and I include ground turkey to give this chili a heartier quality.  I hope you take this recipe and morph it into your own creation over time, adding in and removing ingredients to your liking, to make your “Favorite Chili”!

Favorite Chili
Yield:  8 dinner servings
Time:  20 minutes active; 2-8 hours total (in crock pot)

For the chili:
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
3 white onions, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
30 oz. sliced stewed tomatoes (no salt added, preferably)
30 oz. dark red kidney beans
30 oz. pink beans
15 oz. small red beans
15 oz. small white beans
6 oz. tomato paste
28 oz. tomato sauce
4 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. smoked paprika (or paprika)
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cumin
3 tbsp. cognac
4 links chicken and/or turkey sausage (photo at end)
1½ lbs. ground turkey
14 oz. frozen shelled edamame, thawed

For serving/garnish (if desired):
4 to 8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 large bunches scallions and/or chives, chopped
½ red onion, finely diced
sour cream

1.  Place the garlic, peppers, onions, and 1 tbsp. olive oil in a sauté pan.  Cook over medium heat until softened, about 5-8 minutes.  Transfer to a crock pot.

2.  Place the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil and the ground turkey into the sauté pan.  Cook over medium heat until fully cooked, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes total.  Transfer to the crock pot.

3.  Meanwhile, chop the sausages into bite-sized pieces.  Add to the crock pot.

4.  Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the edamame to the crock pot.  Mix well, then set on high and leave for 2-4 hours.  (Or you could set the crock pot to cook on the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.)

5.  About 30 minutes to one hour prior to serving, toss the edamame in and stir.  (I find that if I add them too early they get a bit mushy.  I prefer if they’re a little crunchy.)

6.  Transfer to serving bowls and top with any garnishes you like.  Enjoy!

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Here’s a photo of the Applegate Fire Roasted Red Pepper Chicken and Turkey Sausages that I love using in this recipe:

Favorite ChiliFavorite Chili

Curried Carrot Soup

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Appetizers, Dinner, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Soup, Vegetarian

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Curried Carrot Soup

What’s better than a bowl of creamy, hot soup on a cold winter night?  How about one that doesn’t contain a drop of cream, packs a ton of flavor, is under 200 calories per serving and will fill you up?  Now we’re talking!

Curried Carrot Soup
Yield:  8 servings
Time:  20 minutes hands-on;  45 minutes total

3 tbsp. butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces
2 onions, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground pepper
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if making vegetarian)
5 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Place the butter in a very large stock pot or Dutch oven (8-12 quart).  Melt over medium heat.  Once the butter begins to foam, add the onions and pepper.  Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, until onions and peppers begin to soften.  Stir in the curry, ginger, salt and pepper.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Add the carrots.  Pour in the broth.  Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling for one minute, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.  Simmer for 25 minutes until the carrots are tender.  Stir in lemon juice.

3.  Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender, filling the blender no more than half full each time.  Puree until smooth.  (Be sure not to overfill the blender, as the hot soup will expand as it is blended.  Also, to allow steam to escape vent the lid and cover with a dish towel while blending.)

4.  Serve hot and garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.

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Recipe adapted from Great Food Fast, Everyday Food from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

Crunchy Granola

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian

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Crunchy Granola

According to Urban Dictionary, crunchy granola refers to “a person who is into all that natural crap and eats tofu and does yoga and hugs trees”.  I don’t mind tofu if it’s well disguised (it actually adds unparalleled moisture to cakes!), I have come to really love yoga, but I’ve never hugged a tree and don’t intend to!  I don’t think I’m particularly crunchy, but I am a sucker for this homemade granola!  Since I’m very allergic to nuts, granola is one of those foods that I never get to eat unless it’s homemade, since most packaged granolas contains at least one variety of nuts.  I’ve tried making it many times, and I’m usually disappointed because it’s a little soft, not super crunchy how I love it.  I finally hit the nail on the head with this recipe!  I hope you love it as much as I do!  It’s a great snack to munch on dry handfuls, or enjoy it mixed into yogurt with fresh berries for a filling and healthy breakfast or dessert parfait.

Crunchy Granola
Yield:  3 cups
Time:  10 minutes hands-on;  60 minutes total

2 cups oats (use the old fashioned type, not quick cooking)
1/3 cup oat bran*
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup total dried fruit (I like using a combination of raisins, golden raisins, dried cherries, and dried blueberries.  Dried mango, papaya, pineapple, or cranberries could also work!)

1.  Preheat the oven to 325ºF.  Lightly grease a 9×13″ glass baking dish and set aside.

2.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the oats, oat bran, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

3.  In a small saucepan, combine the honey, orange juice, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Add the butter and mix until completely melted.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Pour over the oat mixture, tossing to coat.  Spread into the prepared baking dish.  Bake at 325ºF for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  At the end of the 45-minute baking time, remove from the oven and allow to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until fully cooled.  Gently break apart the pieces and stir in the dried fruit.

 

*For those of you not familiar with oat bran, it has a flour-like consistency and is usually sold in the same aisle with hot cereals such as Farina, Cream of Wheat,…  I often mix some into homemade pancake batter for more wholesome pancakes.  In this recipe, you could swap the oat bran for ground flax seeds if you prefer.

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Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad

06 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Salad

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Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad

Happy 2015!!  I can’t believe we’re already into a new year.  I’m sure many of you are vowing to be healthier this year, whether that involves more exercise, healthier meals, or a combination of the two.  I hope that some of my healthy recipes like this one will help encourage you to keep going with the health kick, inspiring you to realize that healthy food is actually quite delicious and you don’t need to feel like you’re sacrificing flavor or constantly hearing your stomach grumble for more food!  My husband and I jump-started our resolution this year and made a commitment to end December weighing less and being more toned than we started it.  It’s the first December in our lives that we LOST weight instead of GAINED and it feels fantastic!  I feel like we’re already starting 2015 off on the right foot and salads like this have helped us get here.  This truly is one awesome salad!  It’s healthy and light but will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied thanks to the barley and lentils, making it perfect for either lunch or dinner.

Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken Salad
Time:  20 minutes total
Yield:  4 dinner-sized servings

For the chicken:
4 fully cooked chicken breasts*
6 tbsp. Dijon mustard
6 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. agave nectar

For the salad:
8 cups mixed greens
about 30 cherry tomatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 cucumber, diced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1½ cup cooked green lentils
¾ cup cooked barley

For the dressing:
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
¼ cup canola oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. lemon juice
6 tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
salt and pepper

1.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 6 tbsp Dijon mustard, 6 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp agave nectar.  Dice up the cooked chicken breast and toss in the honey mustard sauce.  Transfer to a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat as you prepare the salads, stirring occasionally.

2.  Toss all salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

3.  Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.

4.  Plate the salad onto four serving plates.  Top with honey mustard glazed chicken and drizzle with dressing.  Enjoy!

*My preferred method of cooking chicken breasts for recipes such as this one is to: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.  Drop in the raw chicken breasts, and allow to boil for 15 minutes.  Remove cooked chicken from the hot water using tongs and allow to cool before storing in your refrigerator for up to five days.

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Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by in Dinner, Healthy

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Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese

I love spaghetti squash for its flavor and nutritional benefits over regular spaghetti.  (Did you know per cup spaghetti squash has only 31 calories and 7 grams of carbs, compared to 221 calories and 43 grams of carbs in pasta spaghetti??!  Plus, it makes for a nice alternative to a traditional pasta dish for those of you who need to follow a gluten-free diet.)  But I think in order for spaghetti squash to really shine as a dinnertime star, it needs a hearty bolognese sauce to accompany it.  Try this chunky turkey bolognese, and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese
Time:  30 minutes active;  1 hour 30 minutes total
Yield:  Six dinner-sized servings

2 spaghetti squash
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 to 1½ lbs. ground turkey
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¾ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. salt, plus a bit more to sprinkle on squash
¼ tsp. pepper, plus a bit more to sprinkle on squash
4 carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds roughly 1/8 inch thick
2 onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 celery stalks, chopped
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
6 oz. tomato paste
20 oz. tomato sauce or marinara sauce
¼ cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1 cup shredded fresh Parmesan or Asiago cheese

1.  Cut each squash in half lengthwise.  (Be careful!  The skin is fairly thick and can be tough.)  Scoop out and discard seeds.  Drizzle with EVOO.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet.  Roast at 425°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, place the chopped carrots in a large microwave-safe bowl.  Cover with water.  Microwave for 5-8 minutes, until they’re a bit softened.

3.  Place the ground turkey in a medium sauté pan with the crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until the turkey is cooked through (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally.

4.  In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the onions, bell pepper, and minced garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the celery, softened carrots, and cooked turkey.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and marinara sauce.

5.  Once the squash is fully roasted, allow it to cool enough so that you can handle it.  Transfer each half to a cutting board (I lift it with forks because I’m not patient enough to wait until it’s cool!) and scrape the squash with a fork, loosening the long spaghetti-like strands.  Top with bolognese sauce, fresh Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.  Enjoy!
Note:  For a fancy presentation, serve this dish right from the hollowed out squash!

spaghetti squash 5 Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese

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