Chili with Sweet Potatoes

I decided that today would be a great day to make chili. There are lots of recipes out there that use canned pumpkin. However, I'm using canned sweet potatoes in the recipe, mainly because I need to use it up. Canned food does go bad. I try to rotate my food storage every year, especially the canned items. The great thing about chili is that it is so easy. I just get my crock pot out, and start dumping the canned items in. I do add diced onion, garlic and seasonings. Today I added some things from my freezer as well. Here is what I added. You can add cooked ground beef if desired. We're not big meat eaters, so this will work fine for us.

15 oz. can kidney beans (rinsed)
15 oz. can small white beans
2 c. pinto beans (from freezer)
2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes with green chili
1 large can sweet potatoes (rinsed)
2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. cooked whole grain cereal (from freezer)

It's cooking away on low. I'll make some cornbread in my cast iron frying pan and serve them with some cheese, chopped green onions and sour cream.

Portobello Mushrooms with Chicken and Spinach

Portobello Mushrooms with Chicken and Spinach

Looking for a delicious dish that you can indulge yourself with that will not ruin your healthy eating habits? I created this recipe using ingredients that were in my refrigerator, and now it is one of my favorites! It is easy to prepare and so nutritious.

First, here are the ingredients that I used:

Grated carrots, diced cooked chicken, diced mini portobello mushrooms (Costco purchase), baby spinach......

and Tomato Basil  Dressing from Whole Foods. You can find it in the refrigerator section of the store. 

I used about 8 oz. of mushrooms and diced them. I put 1 tsp of olive oil in the pan to saute them and then added the grated carrot.

Next, add the chicken. Since this is one serving I'm making, I measured out 2 ounces of chicken...and yes, I used a kitchen scale!

Once the chicken has been in the pan and is heated up, I put in the spinach. I put my cast iron skillet on the pan as a cover, and let the spinach steam for a minute or so.

Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. It not only tastes great, but it looks yummy as well!

Close up!  I have tried other no oil dressings such as the Fig Balsamic Dressing, but I really like the Tomato Basil Dressing the best. You could use fresh basil and a little tomato paste from a tube and a few other herbs if you don't have the Tomato Basil Dressing. Enjoy!

Calorie Count:  375 calories and no regrets!

Portobello mushrooms, 8 oz           60 calories
1 Tsp. Olive Oil                              40 calories
1  carrot, grated                               25  calories
2  oz. chicken, cubed                      110 calories 
1/3 c. mozzarella cheese, grated      110 calories
1 c. baby spinach                             10 calories
Tomato Basil Dressing, 2 TB          20 calories

Healthy Turkey Chili

I decided to try another one of Dr. Amen's recipes from the "The Daniel Plan."  You can find the main dish recipes here.  For the Healthy Turkey Chili recipe, scroll down the page a bit.

First of all, just know that browning lean ground turkey is nearly impossible without a bunch of oil.  I went ahead and did the best I could(with a spray of oil) before just adding the remaining ingredients. After all, it will cook while simmering in the tomatoes. This recipe calls for pureeing part of the vegetables, but I decided to just add everything diced.  The flavor was very good.

Here is a picture of the finished product:

This is a cross between a soup and a stew, or as Rachel Ray calls it, a stoop.  Very delicious!

I think that the next time around I will go ahead and puree part of the vegetables. I have a red pepper soup recipe I enjoy that purees the veges, and it tastes great.

By the way, I used canned tomatoes in the recipe. I had a can of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes and a can of Hunts diced tomatoes, and it turned out fine. I also used 1 can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed) and a can of black beans (drained and rinsed). It called for 2 c. of kidney beans and 1 c. of black beans, which is 3 cups total. I think that is about what you get from 2 cans of beans.

Pinto Beans with Garlic

I had some pinto beans in the freezer, left over from a batch I made earlier this year. A last minute dinner dish was in order, so I did a quick google search, and came up with this recipe for Pinto Beans and Garlic from About.com. I made the following changes to the recipe:

• I added 1 extra chopped celery stalk


• Used canned diced tomatoes instead of paste


• 1 tsp of chili powder. The chili powder I have is from The Spice House, and it has a nice kick to it. We like our chili mild, so a teaspoon did the trick.


• I also added 3/4 c. water.

The result was a nice chunky bean dip! I served it with rice, scoopable tortilla chips and grated cheese. The verdict: a delicious, easy meal to prepare. It is a great vegetarian recipe, and a good way to use those beans in your food storage!

Here is the recipe the way I made it:

3-4 cups of cooked pinto beans

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 carrots, grated

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 tsp basil

3 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp celery seed

1 tsp chili powder

1 can diced tomatoes

olive oil

dash pepper

Begin by adding a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a large pot. Saute the onion, pepper, and celery until onions are translucent. Add the the remaining ingredients, and simmer. Stir frequently on medium-low heat until beans are soft and beginning to break down. Serve with rice. Chips and cheese optional, but they really add to the meal.

Asian Grilled Salmon and Red Pepper Soup

This month, I helped put together an article for Alive! Utah South Area, online magazine. You'll love the red pepper soup recipe. It is really delicious and so easy to make, not to mention low calorie. The salmon recipe is wonderful as well. Go check it out the original post here .

picture courtesy of Alive! Utah

Asian Grilled Salmon

1 side fresh salmon, boned but skin on (about 3 pounds)

2 TBSP Dijon mustard

3 TBSP soy sauce

6 TBSP good olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

Light charcoal briquettes in a grill and brush the grilling rack with oil to keep the salmon from sticking.

While the grill is heating, lay the salmon skin side down on a cutting board and cut it crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the marinade onto the salmon and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Place the salmon skin side down on the hot grill; discard the marinade the fish was sitting in. Grill for 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and grill for another 4-5 minutes. The salmon will be slightly raw in the center, but don't worry; it will keep cooking as it sits. Transfer the fish to a flat plate, skin side down, and spoon the reserved marinade on top. Allow the fish to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

picture courtesy of Alive! Utah

Red Pepper Soup (Kitchen Close-up by Diedre Hall)

1 yellow onion

2-3 large red or orange peppers, cut into chunks

1 clove garlic

1 c. or more chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 Carrots or zucchini chunks, optional

1 tsp olive oil

salt

Cook the vegetable chunks in the broth until tender, then transfer to blender. Blend with other ingredients and season to taste.

Country Pot Roast

I've told you about my favorite go to cook book, The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. The recipes are fantastic, and no fail. I received the cookbook as a wedding gift nearly 28 years ago. We love the recipe for Country Pot Roast. I understand that the older version is better than the newer version.

We are not big meat eaters, but I do have a side of beef in my freezer that needs to be used up by June. Therefore, we eat meat about 1-2 times a week.

I have about 4 chuck roasts left to use, so I knew that we'd be having Country Pot Roast for Sunday dinner. It is so easy to make. Rub seasoning and flour into the meat surfaces, brown in some olive oil on all sides, and slip it into a crock pot.

Well, there is a bit more to it, but not much. Here is the link to the recipe. In the cookbook, it does not call for the broth, so I didn't add any. Serve it with mashed potatoes. All of that pureed vegetable/broth makes for a wonderful gravy!

Lentil Chili from Whole Foods

I got this recipe from Whole Foods. You can find the recipe originally posted here.

picture courtesy of Whole Foods.com



Serves 8

This simple vegetarian chili recipe uses lentils instead of beans. Brown lentils work best as they will hold their shape even when tender after cooking. Serve over brown rice or with whole-grain hearth bread.

Ingredients

8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 teaspoons salt-free chili powder
1 (16-ounce) package brown lentils (about 2 1/4 cups lentils)
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method

Bring 3/4 cup broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook about 8 minutes or until onion is translucent and pepper is tender. Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lentils, tomatoes and remaining 7 1/4 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Results

This was really good. We had nothing in the way of leftovers. None. It was that good. I did make some substitutions. Since I had already cooked up a bunch of lentils for another recipe, I used about 4 cups of pre-cooked lentils, and some chicken broth to make the correct consistency. I added the other ingredients, but only added 2 tsp of chili powder. I think it is better to start with a little, test for taste, then add a little more when it comes to chili powder. I bought my chili powder from The Spice House, along with many of my other spices. They are fantastic spices! My sister-in-law had given us a gift certificate for Christmas 2009.

I served this with some corn bread, and shrimp sauteed in olive oil, garlic and spices. A delicious dinner that everyone enjoyed.

Grilled Ono with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce and Butternut Squash

Here is what we had for dinner last week .......
I made grilled Ono for dinner on Monday and served it with some oven roasted butternut squash and sauteed greens (not pictured 'cause we ate them all up!) Everyone raved about how good this tasted. Ono (Wahoo) is a fish found near Hawaii, and is perfect for grilling. We bought our Ono at Costco. It is sold in IQF portions that are individually wrapped. Perfect if you just want to grill one or two pieces of fish.

I got the recipe for Grilled Ono with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce at great-grilling.com.

_________________________________

Four Portions
4 Six to 8 ounce Ono/Wahoo Filets
A mild fish rub or paprika
Salt and Pepper

Prepare your Ono for the grill, rinse, salt and sprinkle a little paprika for the color. Coat your filets with some olive oil. 
Grill your Ono making nice grill marks on the hot grill. For timing figure something like six to 8 minute per inch of thickness of the filet. As mentioned previously do not overcook your Ono.
Top with the Lemon Caper sauce.

Lemon Caper Butter Sauce
This is a great sauce for just about anything, grilled fish, shellfish, chicken breasts or event thinly pounded pork tenderloin.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter
1/2 Lemon juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon capers (if using dry salted capers rinse)
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley or other herbs if you like.

After your fish is grilled and ready heat a saute pan on medium high heat, add the olive oil and the butter. Reduce heat to medium. As the butter melts completely add the capers. Saute for a minute, add the lemon. Watch out for the sizzle! Pour the sauce over your grilled delicacies.

__________________________________

The greens, spinach and 2 varieties of Swiss Chard, I cut fresh from my garden. I sauteed them in a little olive oil with some garlic.

The butternut squash was pre-cubed and ready to cook. My parents brought it over for me to prepare. I just put some olive oil in a bowl, added some spices and some sliced onions, and the butternut squash, then made sure everything was mixed/coated well. I baked it on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes at 350*F. It was fantastic!

Cooking a Whole Turkey in a Pressure Cooker

I've had my pressure canner now for a few months, and have only used it a few times. I have a small pressure cooker, but it isn't large enough to cook a turkey in. Since I've been wanting to try pressure cooking a whole turkey, I defrosted one I had in the deep freeze and got it ready for cooking. I must say, that this is the easiest way to prepare a turkey, with the best results as well. After taking all of the organs and pieces out of the cavity, and rinsing the entire bird, I put it in the pressure canner, filled the cavity with carrots and onion and put about 2 cups of chicken broth in. Put the lid on, got it cooking, put the pressure value on and got it up to 15 pounds of pressure. It cooked for 40 minutes. I couldn't believe how the meat just fell off of the bone! Pug and Luigi were very excited when I got to the point of taking the lid off. The aroma was amazing. I put on a plastic glove, and just picked the turkey off, discarded the bones, and fed pieces of turkey to the dogs here and there. I took my first bite and couldn't believe how tasty it was! Below, see what one 15 pound turkey yielded. I got 8 cups of broth, and plenty of turkey to last us for sandwiches and to serve with the carrots from the pot, left over green beans and mashed potatoes. I am going to stock up on turkeys on sale this fall. This one cost me $5 last December. I might pressure cook the meat, then put the meat into jars and pressure can them. Same with the broth. Try this method of cooking a turkey. I think you'll find this easy to prepare and the clean up was very quick and easy.

White Bean and Chicken Chili with Italian Cheese Bread

My computer is officially incompatible with my cameras and flip video. Now how's that for the worst thing that can happen to a blogger? Old camera technology with new computer is a recipe for disaster. Bummer. Anyway, my son took pictures for me last night, so, I'm happy about that!

And then, while blog hopping, I came across this recipe for easy Italian Cheese Bread. It was the perfect complement to the chili.

Last night we ate White Bean and Chicken Chili , recipe from Giada. We love this recipe, because it is so versatile. I use canned chicken chunks (because I have a huge stockpile of them in the basement pantry).

Here is the link for Italian Cheese Bread. This is comfort style food, which works well with my 4 young adult sons.

Teriyaki Chicken in Slow Cooker

Even though you plan a menu for the week, sometimes you need to make a change. My friend, Char, gave me a lot of bok choy from her garden, so I decided I better use it before I pick up my Bountiful Baskets produce this Saturday ( I ordered the Asian selection along with a regular basket, which includes bok choy) . After google searching, I found this Teriyaki Chicken in Slow Cooker recipe. The great thing about it is that it calls for 6 cups of bok choy! This really tasted fantastic.

Teriyaki Chicken cooking in Crockpot

TERIYAKI CHICKEN IN SLOW COOKER  from Cooks.com

3 1/2 pounds skinless chicken pieces

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,231,154176-234200,00.html
Content Copyright © 2012 Cooks.com - All rights reserved331/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger, or 1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 minced cloves garlic
6 cups sliced bok choy
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Put  chicken in a 3-1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce broth, water, sesame oil, ginger, vinegar, and garlic. Pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Transfer chicken to a serving platter, reserving cooking liquid in cooker. Cover chicken with foil, keep warm.

Stir bok-choy into liquid in cooker. Cover, let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer bok choy to platter with chicken. Sprinkle chicken and bok choy with sesame seeds if desired. Spoon a little of the liquid from cooker over chicken and rice.

Turkey Cutlets with Peach-Vinegar Glaze

I was in Smith's a couple of days ago and was trolling the meat counter for marked-down meat. I saw several packages of Jennie-O meat products, and the price looked good to me. I bought 3 packages of Turkey Burger Patties (4/pack) and one package of Turkey Tenders (or something like that) for $2.29/package.
I have a great recipe for Turkey Cutlets with Peach-Vinegar Glaze. You should give it a try. It is very yummy!

6 Turkey breast cutlets 3/4" thick (I used the burger patties....they work fine)
3 tsp seasoned pepper (garlic, lemon or blend....I use lemon)
3 tsp olive oil
3/4 c. red onion
3/4 c. chicken broth
3/4 c. peach jam (I just pureed a pint of apricots, added 1/4 c. sugar and simmered it)
3 TBSP balsamic vinegar

Rub turkey on both sides with seasoned pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat and cook turkey until browned on one die; turn and add onion to the pan. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onion is tender, about a minute. Add broth, jam and vinegar to the pan; cover, lower heat and simmer 8-10 minutes. Serve turkey with pan sauce over rice or pasta.

Above, the patties have been browned and the red onion added. Below, the apricot puree cooked with some sugar. I know, I'm creative in the kitchen. But really, who wants to keep running to the store? Not me.

Here is the delicious dish below, served over mini Farfalle pasta! It was so good. Everyone raved!

I enjoyed a glass of OJ with mine. It is a nice comfort food meal without a ton of calories.

Check out my impromptu center-piece for the table...mini roses in a yellow ware bowl.

Tilapia with Ritz Cracker Crust

I made this tasty fish for Easter Dinner (we aren't big on ham). It is a great recipe, and the entire family raved about it.


The above picture is of the Ritz crackers I used. It is their "toasted chips" variety, and is supposed to be healthier than potato chips.

Here is the recipe:

Ritzy Tilapia

4-6 tilapia fillet, 6 oz each (I got mine from from Costco in the frozen fish section)
40 crackers (more if you want)
2 TBSP butter

• defrost fish if frozen (I put mine in the microwave, 5 minutes at 50% power)


• melt butter


• grease bottom of 9x13" pan


• put defrosted fish in pan


• put crackers in zip lock bag, run over with rolling pin to crush


• brush butter on top of fish


• sprinkle crushed crackers on fish and pat down


• bake at 350* for about 10 minutes

I served the tilapia with rice, corn, and steamed green beans. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, and how you liked it.

Polynesian Chicken and Rice

Tonight I decided to try a recipe from the Complete Cooking Light Cookbook, that I won in an online contest last year. It is a great cookbook, and I've been pleased with the recipes I've tried.

I had all of the ingredients on hand, so I decided to give this one a go. It tasted great! DH and DS agreed that it is a keeper!

I'm going to be out of town next week for spring break, so, while I'm trying to get back into the cooking/blogging mode, you won't see any posts next week.

Polynesian Chicken and Rice

Prep time: 14 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes

1 1/4 c. chicken broth, fat free, less sodium

3 TBSP sugar (I used 1 TBSP and 2 TBSP sugar free orange marmalade)

3 TBSP ketchup

2 TBSP white vinegar

1 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce

6 oz. pineapple juice

1 TBSP butter

5 skinned chicken breast halves (I used 5 boneless, skinless chicken legs)

1 c. uncooked long grain rice (I used brown rice)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. sliced green onions

1 c. chopped red bell pepper

1 (8oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained

chopped cashews

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add rice and garlic to pan; saute 3 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add broth mixture, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Stir in green onions, bell pepper, and pineapple. Cook, uncovered 8 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with chopped cashews. Yields 5 servings.

I didn't add the pepper or green onion because I didn't have them. I think that it would be even better with both of those ingredients. Do give this a try!

Chalupas using pinto beans from your food storage

I got this recipe for Chalupas from my wonderful neighbor and friend, Marty. This is a delicious recipe. I served it last Sunday with fry bread and my young adult sons really enjoyed it! You could serve it with tortillas or even with corn bread. The two main ingredients for this recipe are pinto beans, and a small, boneless pork roast. I cooked this in my crock pot for 8 hours (low-med setting) and it was terrific. I got the Hormel boneless pork roasts on sale and used coupons to get the price down to $4. This is definitely an under $5 dinner meal, and served 6 adults with plenty of leftovers. I also liked how quick and easy it is to get it in the crock pot.

Don't forget to sort out your pinto beans on a white plate or other light surface. You can see the rocks in the middle of the picture....pick those out and put them in the trash (unless you like to see the dentist for dental work!). I also rinse the beans before using them in the recipe.

Here is the recipe:

Chalupas

1.5 pound boneless pork roast (I used Hormel)

1 1/2 c. pinto beans, sorted and washed

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp cumin

4 oz chopped green chilies (canned)

1 T. chili powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and pour water in to cover meat. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer 6-8 hours. Break up roast and cook uncovered until thick. Serve with tortillas, grated cheese, chopped onion, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Sorry, I forgot to get a picture before it was eaten!

Turkey Zucchini Cheeseburgers

This recipe came from February 2009 Family Circle magazine. It looked like a good recipe to try, and my intuition was right! These were really good! We started eating before I could get a picture, but I had 2 patties left, so at least I have something to show.

Turkey Cheeseburgers

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey
1 medium sized zucchini, grated (about 1 cup)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper

whole wheat or multigrain rolls
lettuce leaves
sliced tomato

Mix ingredients well. You can pan fry these, broil them, or cook them on the grill. Serve on whole wheat rolls with sliced tomato and lettuce. We put some thin slices of monterey jack cheese on ours while the burger was still hot.

Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs by Rachael Ray

I found this recipe in Every"Day with Rachael Ray. It is fully titled "Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Pecans and Sage Butter Pasta", but I just made the Orange-Balsamic Chicken Thighs.


First, pour some olive oil into a large frying pan, and put the chicken thighs in to cook once the oil is hot. Salt and pepper the chicken. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary on top (about 2 sprigs minced fine), and cook the chicken until crispy and brown, 8-10 minutes.



Transfer the cooked chicken to a platter. Whisk 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar and 1/4 c. orange marmalade into the skillet, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce.

You need to add 3 c. of arugula or baby spinach to the chicken at this point.

Stir it all in to with the chicken.

Looking yummy!

Serve this with pasta or rice. I had some leftover rice, so I served it along with some carrot coins I steamed in the microwave. It was a delicious meal!