Recipe - Italian Stuffed Peppers

Hello!  So last Thursday I decided to mix a bunch of stuff together and put it into a pepper and eat it.  When I told my sister what I did she said "oh that's stuffed peppers."  We didn't eat stuffed peppers in my house growing up, so I never knew what was in them.  Yes, I had heard of them, even did a recipe for them with quinoa, but I did not know what the exact criteria were for stuffed peppers.  Apparently my subconscious did though, because I found that what I made on Thursday was almost exactly what the traditional stuffed pepper recipe would be.  So no culinary genius here, but nonetheless I am sharing my recipe because it tasted really good.  And I may be helping anyone out there who was as clueless as me when it came to stuffed peppers!

Ingredients -

Olive Oil Misto Spray
4 Bell Peppers (whatever color you would like)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb of extra lean ground beef, grass-fed ground beef, or organic ground beef
2/3 can organic tomato sauce
1 cup brown rice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 cup mozzarella
Salt and pepper

Directions -
Preheat over to 400 degrees.  I slice my peppers in half,  lengthwise and remove seeds.  Spray with olive oil spray and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

While the peppers are in the oven, spray olive oil spray into skillet and saute onions over med-high heat.  Once onions are translucent add beef and brown.  Once beef is browned, add tomato sauce, all spices, salt and pepper, and rice and mix well.

Remove peppers from oven and let cool slightly (enough to handle).  Fill peppers with beef mixture, top with mozzarella cheese and cook in 400 degree overn for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe - Chicken Sausage with potatoes and summer vegetables!

Hey guys, I know I haven't blogged in over a week, but I have been adjusting to an increase in my thyroid medication, and lets just say it was not easy.  I felt horrible!!!  Lethargic, massive headaches.  Didn't feel like cooking (say what???!!!!!????).  But I seem to be on the upswing, so instead of uninspired meals and boring lunches, I got back to the kitchen last night for something tasty.
Many have asked what is in the profile picture on my Facebook page, and this is it.  The recipe was inspired by Skinnytaste.com, and it was basically already a clean dish, so I didn't have to clean it up.  The only think I did differently was my sausage .  I used Al Fresco Chicken Sausage with Red Pepper and Asiago.  While pre-cooked and packaged, the ingredients were all pronouncable and real.  I prefer the taste of this sausage, but if you want to cook your own that is absolutely perfect (some like sweet italian, some like hot italian, I prefer a flavorful mild).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb baby red potatoes, cut in half or quartered
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• 12 oz Al Fresco Red Pepper and Asiago chicken sausage, sliced 1-inch thick
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of the knife or 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary (or other fresh herb such as thyme)
• 2 cups zucchini, 1/2 inch thick and quartered

Directions:
Place oil and potatoes in a large, deep non-stick skillet with a tight fitting lid on high heat; season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. When the skillet gets hot and starts to sizzle, reduce heat to low and cook with a tight lid on for about 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent the potatoes from burning. Remove from heat and let them sit 5 minutes without removing the lid.  Set potatoes aside on a dish.


Add the sausage to the skillet and saute on medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until browned but not quite cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season chopped vegetables with salt and pepper. Add onions, peppers, garlic and rosemary to the skillet and mix. Continue cooking stirring occasionally until onions and peppers become slightly browned. Add zucchini and cook an additional 5 minutes, mixing as it cooks until cooked through.


Return the potatoes back to the skillet and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper as needed; cover and cook 5 more minutes.

Delicious!!!  It's one of my favorite dishes, because the veggies make it light, but the potatoes are filling.

Super Easy Chicken Recipe

Hey gang, so I had chicken cutlets defrosted, but no idea what to do with them.  I looked in my pantry and found some dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, which led me to thinking about rehydrating them in chicken stock.  I knew I was making quinoa, so wanted to make the chicken flavorful, so went to my spice rack...oregano and rosemary!  Of course with those seasonings I wanted to also add some garlic.  Wanted the chicken stock to be saucy, so a little whole wheat flour and boom, this came together! 
Mind you, if you don't like sun-dried tomatoes, or have everything else on hand but them, you can still make this.  You can even add whatever veggie you do have on hand, broccoli, onion, mushrooms, you decide.  But it's something different and healthy to do with chicken!

Ingredients -
1 pound chicken cutlets, or chicken breasts pounded out a bit
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (you won't use all over it, but you want to dredge the chicken)
1 and 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves minced)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
12 sundried tomatoes
salt and pepper

Directions -
Put flour, salt and pepper into a quart side ziploc bag.  Add chicken cutlets one at a time and shake until coated.  Use either EVOO or your Olive Oil Sprayer to lightly coat a pan.  Add chicken and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side until browned (if using full breasts, cook a little longer).  Meanwhile add the rosemary, oregano and garlic to 3/4 cup of broth and pour over the chicken.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes (or veggie of your preference) and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup of broth, reduce the heat to med-low, cover and cook another 5-7 minutes.  If the sauce is too thin after 5 min, add 2 tsp of flour and whisk and cook 2 more minutes.

Serve with a grain and veggie!  I put mine over quinoa :)

Super Easy Chicken Fajitas (and easy guacamole)

I love fajitas!!  What's better than Chicken with sauteed onions and peppers in a smoking seasoning?  Adding easy guacamole to it, that's what!!!!  This is a super easy, clean eating meal that the whole family can enjoy.  Feel free to add tortilla shells (I don't because I prefer to just eat the extra filling), also, it's very difficult to find clean eating flour tortillas, but I know Trader Joe's has clean eating corn tortillas.  You can also add toppings like tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, cheese.  Be creative.  For me, I so love the onions and peppers with the guacamole that I don't even add anything else!
The other night I just paired a few Garden of Eatin clean tortilla chips for some crunch and I was full and happy!!

Ingredients -
1 lb chicken breast (fat removed and cut into slices while still raw)
2 tbsp coconut oil (divided)
2 large onions
2 large bell peppers (use whatever color you like, you may notice I never use green, and it's not that they are not as delicious as red or yellow or orange, but green peppers don't like me and I end up burping them for 2 days!)
3 tsp cumin (divided)
dash of garlic powder
dash of onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions -
In a large skillet heat 1 tsbp of coconut oil over med-high heat.  Season your chicken with salt, pepper and 2 tsp of cumin.  Brown chicken until cooked through.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  Add the remaining tbsp of coconut oil.  Add onions and peppers.  Season with salt and pepper and the remaining tsp of cumin, along with some garlic and onion powders.  Reduce heat to medium and cover skillet.  Keep skillet covered for 10-15 minutes depending on how soft you like your veggies (stir occasionally).  Remove cover, add chicken and stir.  Heat for about another 2 minutes and you are done!!

Top with Easy Guacamole
2 ripe avocados, mashed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together!  Remember, this is just an easy version, you can add onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, etc

Product Find - Olive Oil Sprayer

I mentioned in my recipe for the eggplant pizzas that I use an olive oil sprayer.  It is a little miracle bottle, because it cuts down on the amount of olive oil I use, saving me money, and keeps me from having to use a store bought bottle full of harmful chemicals.  You fill it half way with olive oil, pump it and spray.  Olive oil is very good for you, but sometimes we use too much in recipes, it's wasteful.  I like it for making eggs and especially my roasted veggies.  I spray them liberally, rather than dumping a lot on the veggies to make sure I cover them.  It's perfect.  Don't fall for the "calorie-free," "low-fat" sprays they sell in the store, they are nothing but chemicals!  Also, while a large jar of olive oil may be $10, and the can $1, you will get FAR more use out of that jar when using the misto!! 

These are the two brands I recommend:

I am currently using the first brand, and it works great.  I originally had the other brand, but lost it somehow in my move into my new house (???) 

http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-646526/food-network-oil-sprayer.jsp

http://www.amazon.com/kitchen-dining/dp/B00004SPZV

Recipe - Eggplant Pizzas

These did not look like a culinary masterpiece, but they sure tasted pretty darn good.  I thought of doing this a while back when I made the eggplant parm stacks.  They were delicious, but I wanted to see if I could get all the same flavor in something that was quicker to make.  The eggplant parm stacks were not difficult, they just took more prep and cook time.  These on the other hand were pretty easy.

The trick to this is the flavor.  You want to use garlic powder, onion powder and oregano (even basil and parsley would be good).  Whether you put those dried seasonings in the meat topping, or right on the sauce if you are not using meat, make sure you include them as eggplant can be bland.

I used 1 medium eggplant (this created 3 servings, so use a large if feeding 4 or 5).  I sliced it about 3/4" thick.  This will be the crust to your mini pizzas.

If you have never cooked with eggplant here is a tip - once you slice the eggplant, liberally dust with salt on both sides and put in a collinder/drainer/strainer.  Let sit for about a half an hour.  Rinse each slice and pat dry with paper towel.  This will remove and bitterness from the eggplant.

Preheat over to 425

Once you are ready to cook, brush (or spray if you have a misto) both sides of your eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Cook at 425 for about 8 minutes.  Remove the eggplant from the over, top with your favorite pizza toppings.  I used Trader Joe's organic tomato basil marinara, mozzarella cheese, a little raw parmesan, black olives and ground turkey (which I seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder and oregano).  If you are not putting any ground meat on them, I suggest using those seasonings right on top of the sauce for yummy flavor.  Other ideas I had were carmelized onions, or uncurred bacon and pineapple, or basil leaves, mushrooms, the list goes on, use whatever you like on pizza :)

Place back in the oven for about 5-6 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for 1 minute to get the cheese fully melted.

I served mine with a spring mix with olive oil and vinegar.

 

Clean Eating Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I signed up to make something for a really important bake sale.  But as someone who cooks clean, I don't really bake clean, or dirty for that matter :)  I am a cook, not a baker.  But this event holds a special place in my heart.  If you follow my personal facebook you know that my friend Courtney's cousin, Jeff, was one of those severly injured in the Boston Marathon bombings.  We had a wonderful turnout for the fundraiser on May 26, and we still had the Chili's (Mays Landing) Give Back Day (which donated 10% of every check for people who bring in a flyer for the event, to Jeff's fund).  Along with the Give Back Day, Chili's was allowing employees to do a bakesale, with all proceeds going to the fund.  Courtney, like myself works there 2 days a week, and we are fortunate that we have a pretty great management staff allowing this.
Alas, I signed up, but had no idea what to make.  At first I thought I would make regular cookies or cupcakes, as I would not be eating them.  Then I got to thinking about practicing what I preach and thought about making a clean dessert.  There are a lot of options out there online, which is great, but just like baking anything else, there is a lot of time and prep involved, and I knew I didn't have a lot of time.  I started thinking about fruit, and thought Chocolate Covered Strawberries...perfect!!

This, by far, is the easiest recipe I will ever post.  I always thought it would be complicated or messy to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries, but I was wrong, it is simple.  I wanted to make them clean eating, but didn't think it was possible with a semi-sweet chocolate, I thought I would have to use dark bakers chocolate, or something too bitter against the sweetness of the strawberry, but again I was wrong (I usually don't like being wrong, except in these situations lol).
I found that Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips are clean, as they don't contain soy lethicin, found in most chocolate chips (like Hershey's or Nestle), so I was thrilled.  These are also nut free, gluten free, dairy free and soy free.  But one thing they are not free of is taste!  I thought for sure this chocolate would be like fake chocolate, but during the melt process I got a little on my finger and licked it off.  Oh boy!!!  It was goood!!!
Needless to say I may have accidentally, on purpose, messed one of the strawberries up so that I could taste it.  Sorry, not sorry!!

This recipe consists of 3 ingredients. 

1 (10 oz) bag of Enjoy Life mega chunks chocolate chips, semi-sweet
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 pints of strawberries (this recipe yielded about 34, ok originally 35, strawberries)

(Mind you the chocolate and oil I use were used because they were clean.  If you are making a batch and don't care that they are clean, by all means use another brand of chocolate chips and vegetable oil.)

For this recipe, you will want to invest in parchment paper (found by the tin foil and plastic wrap).  Lay a piece of that on a baking sheet that will fit in your fridge.  You can't use plastic wrap, as it will leave lines in your chocolate, or tin foil because it will stick.  I highly recommend the parchment paper (Or a silicon sleeve if you own one).

If you have a double boiler, or fondue pot, or even a microwave (isn't it the law to have one of those in the 21st century?) that's perfect.  I make my own double boiler by placing a med-large pyrex glass dish on top of a medium pot filled halfway with water.  I dump the bag of chocolate and the coconut oil into the dish.  I then stir until all of the chocolate is melted.
Make sure you wash and pat dry your strawberries.  Hold each strawberry by the stem and roll it around in the chocolate.  When you bring it up allow the chocolate to drip off before laying it on your parchment paper.  When you are done dipping all of the strawberries, place the baking sheet in the fridge for at least a 1/2 hour.  All done!  And so delicious!!  I also recommend pineapple or Jerry's whole wheat pretzels ;)