Chipotle Sloppy Joes

Who doesn't love a good sloppy joe?  How about one that is considered "healthy"? This one can be made even healthier than the original recipe if you use ground turkey. 

It's a spicy recipe, so don't go overboard with the adobo sauce and chipotle, unless you like it super hot!  I put kid approved because Jimi liked it, but it might be too spicy for some kids.

Serve this with coleslaw and a pickle.  Throw some chips in if you're not watching your figure.

I got this from CookingLight.com.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Sloppy Joes
Serves 5

2 1/2  cups sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1  pound  ground sirloin
1/2  cup chopped green bell pepper
2  tablespoons  tomato paste
1  teaspoon  kosher salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
1  (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
5  (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns, toasted

1. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; set aside.

2. Remove 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can; set aside. Remove 1 chipotle chile from can; chop and set aside. Reserve remaining chiles and adobo sauce for another use.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in chopped chipotle chile, adobo sauce, tomato paste, and next 3 ingredients (through tomato sauce); cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture over bottom half of each bun, and top evenly with onions and top half of bun.


Calories: 273
Fat: 6.1g (sat 2.1g,mono 2.1g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 23.3g
Carbohydrate: 32.1g
Fiber: 3.4g
Cholesterol: 48mg

Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

I love Indian food.  I love the ginger, coconut milk, curry, spices.  Get me near an Indian buffet and I will eat until I'm sick.  Hey, how many places serve so much vegetarian?  Can't blame me.

I made this for Abe and me in our quest for a healthy January.  It's low in calories and fat, but ripe with flavors.  I served it over rice.

I got this from Cookinglight.com.

Vegetable and Chickpea Curry
Serves 6

1  tablespoon  olive oil
1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
1  cup  (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
1  tablespoon  curry powder
1  teaspoon  brown sugar
1  teaspoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  serrano chile, seeded and minced
3  cups  cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 1/2  cups  cubed peeled baking potato
1  cup  diced green bell pepper
1  cup  (1-inch) cut green beans
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1  (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
3  cups  fresh baby spinach
1  cup  light coconut milk
6  lemon wedges

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add curry powder, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chile; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in chickpeas and next 8 ingredients (through broth). Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges.

Two-Bean Soup with Kale

Bean soups can be hit or miss.  Kale, to me, is something that goes around the salad bar at restaurants. I'm not sure why I decided to try this recipe, but I'm glad I did.  Simple to make, great flavor and so satisfying on a cold winter night like we're having in the Midwest.

You can use any combo of beans you have on hand, but I love the silkiness of the cannelloni beans.

Add chopped chicken or sausage if you want to make it heartier.

I got this from Cookinglight.com.

Enjoy!

Two-Bean Soup with Kale
Serves 6

• 3  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  chopped carrot
• 1/2  cup  chopped celery
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 4  cups  organic vegetable broth, divided
• 7  cups  stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch)
• 2  (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannelloni beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon  red wine vinegar
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and saute 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.
2. Place half of cannelloni beans and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add pureed bean mixture, remaining cannelloni beans, black beans, and pepper to soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and rosemary.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 250

Fat: 10.4g (sat 1.4g,mono 5.5g,poly 2.2g)

Protein: 11.8g

Carbohydrate: 30.5g

Fiber: 9.2g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 3.8mg

Sodium: 593mg

Calcium: 189mg

Tuna Steaks with Soy-Mustard Vinaigrette

Abe really loved this one.  So easy and delicious! 

Make sure you don't over cook the tuna.  It should be pink in the middle.  I used a grill pan on the stove, which worked very well and gave nice grill marks.  You can use a non-stick pan, too.

I served it with roasted potato wedges.


I got this from my Heart Healthy Cookbook.

Tuna Steaks with Soy-Mustard Vinaigrette
Serves 4

1/4 cup fat-free, no salt added chicken broth
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tuna steaks, each about 5 oz. and 1 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups baby spinach leaves or other baby greens
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green onion

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, orange juice, mustard and ginger.  Set aside.

2.  In another small bowl, combine the oils.  Brush over the tuna steaks and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add the tuna and sear, turning once, until browned on the outside but still rare on the inside, about 3 minutes on each side or longer for more well done tuna.  Transfer the tuna to a platter, cover and keep warm.


3.  Add the spinach to the hot pan and cook, stirring constantly, just until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Divide among warmed individual plates and place a tuna steak on top of each portion.  Keep warm.


4.  Add the vinaigrette mixture to the hot pan and cook until it comes to a boil.  Pour over the tuna steaks and garnish with the chives.  Serve immediately.



Calories: 214
Protein: 36g
Cholesterol:  64 mg
Total Fat: 6 g

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

Oatmeal in a slow cooker?  Why even bother?   Because the cooker takes a pretty average breakfast meal to completely delicious.  I mean, the best oatmeal you'll ever taste.

This is perfect when you have overnight guests or just for a cozy Saturday breakfast.  Heck, you can even make it for any day of the week.  Who doesn't love waking up to breakfast already made?

It's key to use a small slow cooker (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 quarts).  Anything larger and the oatmeal will overcook. 

I got this from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal
Serves 2

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or thick-cut rolled oats
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to your taste
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups water or a combo of water and apple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium apple or pear, peeled, cored and chopped

1. Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours or overnight, or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.

2. Stir the oatmeal well and serve with milk or cream.

Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese

Hmmmm.......  What else can you say about homemade mac and cheese?  It's comfort food x a million.

I made this for Adam's 1st birthday party and it was a hit.  So simple to make, creamy and tasty.  It's done in under 30 minutes.  If you want, throw the completed mac and cheese in a casserole dish, cover with breadcrumbs and shredded cheddar and bake on 375 until melted and golden brown.

I got this recipe from Food Network.com.

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 6


1/2 pound elbow macaron
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat. 

2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Foolproof Brown Rice

I know, I know....." A recipe for brown rice?" you're thinking.  But, if you are like most people, brown rice scares the b'jeebers out of you.  It's so much more healthy for you, but tends to be crunchy and just not like white rice. 

I tried feeding more brown rice to the family, but it always went over like a lead balloon.  Abe would even grimace when I said I was making it.  So, after all of that rejection ::sniff::::, I went against my better judgment and just went back to making white rice.

Until I found this recipe.  Now I LOVE brown rice.  Even Abe and Jimi.... yes, Jimi.... will eat it.  I won't fool you.  It's no white rice.  But it is a pretty attractive cousin.  And as the song says, if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. 

So, embrace the brown rice.  Your heart and waistline will thank you.

I got this recipe from a Cook's Illustrated Light Recipes magazine.

Foolproof Brown Rice
Serves 6

1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread rice in 8-inch square glass baking dish.

2.  Bring water and oil to boil, covered in medium saucepan over high heat; once boiling, immediately stir in salt and pour water over rice.  Over baking dish tightly with double layer of foil.  Bake rice 1 hour, until tender.

3.  Remove baking dish from oven and uncover.  Fluff rice with fork, then cover dish with a clean kitchen towel; let rice stand 5 minutes.  Uncover and let rice stand 5 minutes longer; serve immediately.