Shepard’s Pie – A Healthier Version of a Warming Classic!

Tags

ground turkey, low-fat, Mashed potatoes, Shepard's Pie, vegetables

It’s officially fall and getting to be the time of year where we crave warm, comforting food. I was trying to think of something I hadn’t made in a while and Shepard’s Pie came to mind. This is one of those wonderful dishes that provides everything in one dish; meat, potatoes and vegetables. I used low-fat ingredients to make a lighter version and I was very happy with how it turned out! It had all the delicious flavor and hearty textures you would expect of Shepard’s Pie, without being loaded with fat.

You can get creative with the vegetables in this dish. My recipe includes what I had on hand, but you could substitute a variety of things. You could also completely replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes or do a half & half version. Get creative with it!!!!

Shepard’s Pie

5 russet potatoes, peeled and halved

1/2 cup non-fat milk

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed or 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper
2 carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 cup mushrooms, diced

1 pound extra lean ground turkey

2 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup fat free chicken broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheese (optional)

Mashed potato topping: Boil potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash potatoes. Add milk, sour cream, garlic and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well until smooth.

Make your pie filling while potatoes are cooking. I used an oven safe deep frying pan, so I could use it for my final product and not dirty another pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pie filling: Spray frying pan with canola oil spray. Over medium high heat, saute carrots and onion until tender. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute another couple of minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add the flour, salt and pepper and stir well. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Remove filling from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes or so. Spoon mashed potatoes over filling in frying pan and spread to cover evenly. Bake uncovered in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese, if you wish and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!!!

Hummus Crusted Chicken with Vegetables – A Middle Eastern Spin On Dinner

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Hummus Crusted Chicken, lemon juice, recipe, vegetables

Once in a while I get the bug to cook dishes out of our usual “ethnic” comfort zone. Last weekend, I was inspired by a recipe for a Coconut Yellow Rice (I’ll blog this recipe soon!). The rice needed an equally exotic main dish to go with it. I happened to have a large container of hummus that I needed to finish off, so I Googled hummus and chicken and found a delicious recipe on the Gimme Some Oven blog site. I didn’t make it exactly, but using the veggies I had on hand. It was a very tasty dish that went perfectly with the rice! My family raved about this dinner! It is definitely a do-over!

This recipe is easy to make, but very tasty. The hummus gives the chicken a nice crust and the lemon juice gives the chicken and vegetables a bright zing. You can get creative with the veggies too. The recipe called for squash, but I used the bell pepper and carrot that I had on hand and I was great!

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/hummus-crusted-chicken/

Hummus Crusted Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 zucchini, chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup hummus, homemade or storebought

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 lemons

1 tsp. smoked paprika or sumac

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish or two smaller baking dishes with cooking spray.

Pat the chicken dry. Season the chicken breasts with generous pinches of salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini, squash and onion with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

If using one baking dish, place all of the vegetables on the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Lay the four chicken breasts evenly on top, then cover each chicken breast with the hummus so that the entire breast is covered. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Then sprinkle the pan with smoked paprika or sumac. Thinly slice the remaining lemon, and place the slices in between the chicken and vegetables if desired.

**If using two pans, use one for the chicken and one for the vegetables.**

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!!

Vegetarian Lasagna – Packed With Veggies and Flavor!!!

Tags

Lasagna, low-fat, marinara, mushrooms, pasta, spinach, vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

Lasagna is one of my all-time favorite foods. After an in-depth discussion with my sister about our lasagna techniques, I had a full blown craving going! Lasagna is a great meal to feed a larger group, so I decided to make it when my older daughter and her husband came over for dinner. My daughter is eating a pescatarian diet (mostly vegetarian, with seafood), so I decided to make a vegetarian lasagna. I used the techniques in my normal lasagna, but I left out the meat and added in layers of various vegetables. This ended up being a delicious version of this meal!!! The flavors were bold and fresh and while it was very satisfying, it was a very low-fat, healthy meal. I’ll definitely be making this version again!!!

I kept this recipe as healthy as possible by making my own marinara. This way I can control exactly what goes into the sauce. Plus, I LOVE the flavor of my home made marinara! You could take this a step further and make a vegan version of this dish. There are tofu ricotta cheeses available and various non-dairy mozzarella cheeses, such as soy, that are also available.

I rounded out this delicious dinner with some fresh baked dill bread. You can get this going in your bread maker 3-4 hours before dinner time. I also made a Garden Salad with Herbed Ranch Dressing. The salad and dressing can also be made up to a day ahead and tossed just prior to serving. Overall, this was a great tasting dinner and is definitely company worthy!

Vegetable Lasagna

1 batch of my marinara recipe or 2 jars of pre-made (If making your own, you can start this well in advance as it is great when slow cooked)

2 Bell peppers, very thinly sliced (I used red and yellow, as I’m not a fan of green)

2 Medium zucchini, very thinly sliced (I used my mandolin slicer for this)

8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, very finely chopped

1 Medium red onion, diced

4 oz of baby spinach leaves

16 oz Box of whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked

24 oz Fat Free Mozzarella cheese, shredded

16 oz container of fat free ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Tip: You can boil your lasagna noodles, if you wish. Personally, I never boil my noodles and I don’t buy special no-boil noodles. If find boiled lasagna noodles to be a huge hassle. I just use the regular whole wheat lasagna noodles and I find that if you use plenty of the moist ingredients around the noodles, they cook just fine in the baking process.

Start with getting your marinara made and simmering. If using jarred sauce, you don’t need to simmer it. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and lay out your zucchini and bell pepper slices. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need two. Then lightly spray your veggies with olive oil spray. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, in a frying pan over medium high heat sauté onions until beginning to soften, then add mushrooms and continue to cook unto all are soft. Add spinach and sauté for a couple of minutes until cooked.

After zucchini and peppers are done cooking, lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Mix ricotta, eggs and parsley in a small bowl.

Lightly spray your lasagna pan with olive oil spray. Add a thin layer of sauce to bottom of pan, enough to coat it well, then put down a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, spread 1/3 of your ricotta mixture, spread all of mushroom/onion mixture, spread 1/3 of mozzarella, layer 1/3 of sauce, more noodles, another 1/3 of your ricotta, spread layer of zucchini, 1/3 of mozzarella, 1/3 of sauce, pasta, last 1/3 of ricotta, layer bell pepper slices, last 1/3 of sauce, last 1/3 of mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese.

Cover lasagna pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings.

Tip: Leftover lasagna freezes great! So save leftovers for a quick lunch or dinner in the future!

Enjoy!

 

Quick red cabbage sauerkraut

Tags

Pickles, Sauerkraut, Sides, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

Our family just loves red cabbage sauerkraut, but I’ve never made it myself. Gonna have to give this recipe a try! This was originally shared by another food blogger. 

It’s very evident from the changes in food on these pages that I am susceptible to food fads and trends. Just this weekend, we put our juicer out for the council collection as green smoothies have faded out of our diets.  Our kitchen now has evidence of embracing (perhaps a bit after the fact) fermentation […]

http://beachkitchen.com.au/2016/05/15/quick-red-cabbage-sauerkraut/

Roasted Ranch Veggies and Barbecued Steak Topped with Dijon Pepper Mushrooms – Yummm!

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Cooking, Food, mushrooms, Ranch, recipe, Roasted Cauliflower and Brocolli, steak, vegetables

 Last night we fired up the barbecue for the first time in a long time. The minute those briquettes start burning, oh the wonderful smell!!! I had some beautiful top sirloin steaks and I also had some baby bella mushrooms on hand, so I’m thinking steaks topped with sautéed mushrooms. With a side of Roasted Ranch Veggies, we had a great meal that night!

For Christmas, my niece and fellow foodie, bought me a few Sur La Table seasoning mixes. One of these was a Dijon Pepper Vinaigrette mushroom seasoning mix. It was intended for the large, whole portabellas, so I deviated from the recipe on the package. I sautéed my sliced baby bella mushrooms in a little olive oil then added about a tablespoon and half of the seasoning mix and a ¼ cup of white wine. Yummm! These were the perfect topping to our steaks, that and a little bit of crumbled goat cheese that I had left over from a previous meal.

Since the mushrooms were pretty flavorful, I wanted to keep the seasoning on the steaks a little on the lighter side. My usual barbecue rub is pretty bold, so I bypassed that and seasoned them with a little Garlic Pappy’s. Pappy’s seasonings are great to keep on hand! I love their flavors!

I had some cauliflower and broccoli that needed to be cooked, so I decided to roast that up. And since I was in seasoning packet mode, I thought I’d use a little ranch dressing mix to jazz up my veggies. They turned out great!

Roasted Ranch Veggies

1 head cauliflower

1 head broccoli

½ packet dry ranch dressing mix

½ cup fat free sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Cut veggies into bite size pieces. Spray veggies with non-stick spray and toss to lightly coat, spraying more if needed. Bake for 10 minutes, stir, bake an additional 10 minutes. In an oven safe larger bowl or pan, mix ranch dressing mix and sour cream. Add roasted veggies and toss to coat, return to oven for about 5 minutes or until warmed up. The dressing will cool it down a bit and I wanted to warm it back up.

Serve and enjoy!

Mustard-Roasted Turnips – A Great Seasonal Veggie!

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Cooking, Food, recipes, roasted, Side Dishes, turnips, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

  Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables. Quality time spent with some high heat in the oven transforms bitter, bland or even wilted vegetables into tender, slightly sweet and caramelized versions of themselves. In the case of turnips, the peppery roots become milder, soft and even a little crisp during roasting. The mustard […]https://whateverpieces.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/mustard-roasted-turnips/

Peanut Chicken Casserole – A Healthy Spin on a Hearty, Asian Inspired Dish

Tags

Bobby Dean, Cooking, Food, Peanut Chicken Casserole, recipe, Rice, vegetables

  
This healthy version of a Paula Deen recipe is packed with flavor and veggies! The chicken, carmelized in soy sauce, is so flavorful and tender. The rice is just beautiful with all the celery, carrots and cilantro. The dish as a whole has a great texture with the toppings of fresh scallions and chopped peanuts. Overall,  this dish was wonderful!

As you can see in the picture, I also made Honey Soy Green Beans and I baked home made egg bread. Separate entries with these recipes are in the works!

As mentioned in my blog yesterday, I recently discovered Bobby Deen’s show “Not My Mama’s Meals”. The recipe I’m sharing here today came from an episode of that show. Bobby took his mother’s recipe for the same dish and lowered the fat and calories.

This delicious and visualy beautiful dish is a must try and would definitely impress your dinner guests!

   
 

Peanut Chicken Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon canola oil

4 boneless and skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 medium carrots, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice

12 baby bella mushrooms, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons reduced-fat peanut butter

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

Chopped peanuts, for garnish

Chopped scallions, for garnish

Orange zest, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the canola oil in a medium Dutch oven over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the chicken and sprinkle with the soy and some salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl. Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pot and cook until the vegetables begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the rice, mushrooms, garlic and jalapenos. Whisk together the chicken broth and peanut butter in a small bowl, and then pour into the pot. Stir in the cilantro, and then arrange the chicken thighs on top of the rice and vegetables.

Cover the pot and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and return to the oven until most of the liquid has disappeared, about 15 minutes more.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with peanuts, scallions, orange zest and cilantro.

Nutrition info per serving: 216 calories, 6 g total fat

TOTAL TIME:1 hr 45 min

Prep: 45 min

Inactive Prep: 10 min

Cook: 50 min

 

Stewed Chicken Pasta and Vegetables – A Healthy Alternative

Tags

Chicken, Cooking, dutch oven, Food, healthy, low-fat, pasta, slow cooker, vegetables

  
There are so many yummy looking recipes posted on social media, but frankly most of them seem like they should come with a defibrillator and/or a gym membership! How about something yummy and healthy?!? I was throwing stuff in a pot the other night and came up with this recipe. Mark and I LOVED it and the kids seemed to enjoy it also. It has lots of flavor, lots of veggies and not a lot of fat.

 

1 – 28 oz can crushed tomatoes in puree

1 – 8 oz can of tomato sauce

3 chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces

4 large fresh basil leaves, diced

2 cloves of garlic, pressed or diced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms

½ cup of red wine

4 Splenda packets

 

10 spears asparagus, cut into 1” pieces

1 zucchini, diced

¼ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

 

1 package whole wheat pasta, I used spaghetti, but pick your shape!

 

Spray dutch oven or large pot with cover with non-stick cooking spray, pour in first 13 ingredients and stir. Cook covered on low heat for 45 minutes (or you could put this in a crock pot and allow more time). After slow cooking add the last two ingredients, stir and cook an additional 15-20 minutes (waited to add these, so the veggies don’t get soggy). While veggies are cooking with your concoction you can boil your pasta. Once pasta is cooked, stir into chicken mixture and serve! 

You’ve got your protein, starch and veggies all in one dish! Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers and Zucchini – So Much Flavor and So Little Fat!!!

Tags

Cooking, Food, healthy, recipe, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Stuffed Zucchini, vegetables

  On Thursday we get our farm delivery of organic produce. Included in our box this week were two red bell peppers and two good size zucchini. The last time I made stuffed bell peppers, my family loved them and somewhere in my travels I saw a recipe for stuffed zucchini. There are three of us at home right now, but there were only two peppers. I figured I would make the filling and use it to stuff both the peppers and the zucchini.

This was a great combo! The dish included our protein (turkey), starch (brown rice) and veggie (peppers and zucchini). There was actually a lot of the stuffing left over, so that can be another dinner served over rice, pasta or even baked potatoes. Mmmmm! Baked potatoes with this stuff sounds great!

Anyway, this dinner was very flavorful. The filling was pretty spicy and the generous vegetable portions balanced it out nicely. This dish packed a lot of flavor without a lot of fat and you get your veggies in the mix too!

2 zucchini

2 red bell peppers

1 lb. ground turkey

1- 32 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 red onion

4 basil leaves, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, diced

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

4 oz diced green chilies

2/3 cup brown rice

2 tbsp taco seasoning

Shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the tops off the bell peppers, but do NOT discard. Cut around the stem to harvest the pepper from the top and dice. Use a spoon to hollow out the zucchini, but don’t discard center. Dice scraped out zucchini. Don’t scrape the zucchini too thin or it won’t hold it’s shape during baking.

Brown ground turkey. Add onion and cook until transluscent. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, cilantro, chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, green chilies, rice,  and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until rice is tender. Place bodies of peppers and zuccini in baking pan. Fill peppers and zucchini with meat/rice stuffing. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. I used reduced fat cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

 

Cauliflower Fried Rice: Sneaking Vegetables to Your Family!

Tags

cauliflower, Cooking, Food, Fried Rice, healthy, low-fat, recipe, vegetables

  
When I originally started this blog, one of my promises was tips on how to sneak vegetables to your picky eaters. The dinner I made the other night is an excellent example of how to do this. Does your family like Chinese food? If so, they will likely enjoy this recipe for Cauliflower Fried Rice. And there is absolutely no “rice” in this recipe!
I have a previous blog post about the joys of cauliflower, but I thought I would share this specific recipe with you as it was especially good!

Cauliflower Fried Rice

2 cups Frozen Peas

1 cup water

2 tbsp Sesame Chili Oil (or regular Sesame Oil, but I like the extra heat)

4 cups Boneless, Skinless Chicken (or Pork Loin), cubed

6 Green Onions, Sliced

1 Large Carrot, Diced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped or Pressed

1 Head of Cauliflower, cut up into florets and pulsed in food processor until it reaches a rice-like consistency. Don’t over do it!

1/3 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce

2 Eggs, Beaten

• Stir peas and water together in saucepan. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat to medium-low and cook until peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain peas.

• Heat Sesame Oil in a frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken, stirring until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.

• Add green onions, carrot and garlic to the frying pan/wok. Saute vegetables until softened, for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Stir peas, chicken and soy sauce into pan. Stir fry mixture until slightly brown and fluid is absorbed, about 3-5 minutes.

• Push mixture in pan out to edges, creating a whole in the middle. Pour in eggs and scramble. Once eggs are cooked, stir entire mixture in pan together making sure to break up any large egg chunks.

This recipe made plenty for our family of 3 to have only this as a main dish. Grab your chop sticks and enjoy!!!