Recipes

Jambalaya. Jealous?

9 Comments

Every time I think of New Orleans, I hear the Zatarain’s rice commercial in my head.  You know… Zatarain’s!  (Said with much sass and flavor while jazz music wails in the background).  Even before my trip to the Big Easy, I had this funny mental quirk.

This thought popped into my head tonight when I began to think about what to make for dinner.  I was presented with the following challenge:  what do you make when you’ve got leftover meats out the wazoo?

DSCF4039

JAMBALAYA of course!  It seems like ages since I last made Jambalaya!  Well at least four months anyway.  I had some chicken leftover from last week’s lunch and the turkey sausage was leftover from my Zuppa Tuscana…

Lucky for me, I keep frozen shrimp in the freezer at all times in case of emergency.  So whipping together a 3-meat entre was easy peasy tonight!

3 meats, one dish:

DSCF4043

The meats were ready to roll, so I heated the oven up to 400 degrees and got to choppin 2 roma tomatoes, 1/2 a white onion, and 1 green pepper:

DSCF4028 

I tossed the veggies into a bowl with:

  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp minced garlic

DSCF4035

I gave everything a good toss, then added:

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken broth

I intended on using 1.5 cups of brown rice, but I ran out!  Ooops!  That’s what happens when I grocery shop without taking inventory first!  Dangit!

DSCF4032

I divided the mix up evenly among three foil packets that I had sprayed down with some nonstick cooking spray:  

DSCF4045

One for my dinner, one for my lunch, and one for the BF’s lunch because I’m clearly dabomb.com. DSCF4046

I popped the packets into the oven for 30 minutes, and VOOOOILLLAAA!

DSCF4056

Oh so spicy, and ohhhhh so delicious! 

Yes, the jambalaya we had in New Orleans (and again) was a teensy bit tastier than my healthified version, but I’d like to see NOLA try and stack up to these stats:

Stats on 1 serving:  314 calories, 33g carbs, 9g fat, 27g protein, 3g fiber  :mrgreen: 

Jambalaya Ingredients List (serves 3):

  • 6 large shrimp, tails removed
  • 2 links Jennie-O Hot Turkey Sausage
  • 3 ounces grilled chicken
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 2 plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 a white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1 cup reduced sodium low fat chicken broth


Continue Reading

Recipes

Healthified Slop Sloppy Joes

3 Comments

Sloppy joes are a fall food staple in my family, and I have been craving a big fat sloppy joe since the start of football season!  This was my first attempt at making a healthified version of the sloptastic treat:

DSCF3581

Looks pretty good, eh?  To start things off, I sprayed a skillet with cooking spray and tossed in:

  • 1/3 cup chopped white onion

DSCF3567

Once the onions started to soften, I added:

  • 8 ounces 99% lean ground turkey
  • S&P

DSCF3571

I cooked the turkey til it was no longer pink.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly a fan of rare poultry… bleck!

Nice and brown:

DSCF3573

Next I added:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup Reduced Sugar Ketchup
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder

DSCF3574

DSCF3576 DSCF3577  

DSCF3579 

Once everything was combined, I popped a lid on and let the joes simmer for about 25 minutes on very low heat.  Then I spooned half the mix on to a Pepperidge Farm 7 grain deli flat and topped with some chopped raw onion.

 A thing of beauty:

 DSCF3583

Ohhhhh yesssss…. 

DSCF3588 

That is one happy joe.

DSCF3589

These sloppy joes were super easy to throw together and pretty tasty — I think the only change I’ll make for next time is to use the ORGANIC Heinz Ketchup instead of the reduced sugar version (which oddly has this crazy sweet taste that I am NOT a fan of). 

I’m still craving a good old-fashioned Manwich sloppy joe… so I’m sure those will be making an appearance on an upcoming Sunday game day menu 🙂

Stats on the sloppy joseph:  256 calories, 27g carbs, 3g fat, 35g protein, 6g fiber

Continue Reading

Recipes

Sausage & Caramelized Onion Pita Pizza

4 Comments

Last weekend, I caught 5 minutes or so of Giada’s cooking show on the Food Network on which she made a sausage and caramelized onion calzone.  Are you drooling yet?  Ever since then, I’ve had this image of sausage and caramelized onions floating around in my head, beckoning to me.  I just so happened to have a leftover sausage from last Sunday’s cookfest, so I decided to put it to use today:

DSCF3459

YUMMMMM…..  I haven’t made a pita pizza in AGES!  Jennie O’s mom and pop would be so darn proud! 😀 

First up, I cranked the heat on the oven to 350 degrees, sprayed a small skillet with cooking spray, and placed it over medium high heat.  Once the skillet was hot, I added:

  • 1/4 cup sliced white onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

DSCF3441

Onions & garlic.  Anytime you start a recipe off with these two ingredients, there’s an unwritten guarantee it’s going to be delicious.  Didn’t you know??

I reduced the heat slightly at this point just to make sure I didn’t burn the garlic or onion.  Then I just let the onions do their thing, stirring them occasionally. 

Meanwhile, I topped a Joseph’s low-carb pita with 1/4 cup Classico Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic Sauce and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. 

DSCF3445

Once the onions were soft and a nice light brown color, I added them on top of the pita along with 1/2 a link of pre-cooked & chopped up Jennie O’ Hot Turkey Sausage.

DSCF3448

I cut up a light Sargento Mozzarella string cheese into small sticks and tossed those on top then seasoned with a sprinkle of dried oregano and some black pepper:

DSCF3451

Then I popped this beauty into the oven for 10 minutes, until everything was heated through and the cheese was melty:

 DSCF3460

I also fixed up a small side salad, which consisted of romaine lettuce, 1/2 a roma tomato, some chopped red onion, and 2 tbsp Ken’s Steakhouse lite Caesar dressing: DSCF3454

I REALLY like Ken’s Lite Caeser by the way.

Nom nom nom!

DSCF3463

Sometimes the simplest of ingredients combine to make the most amazing meals.  It is the best of both worlds! 

Ingredients List:  Sausage & Caramelized Onion Pita Pizza 

  • 1/4 cup sliced white onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 Joseph’s low-carb pita with flax
  • 1/4 cup Classico Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic Sauce
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/2 link Jennie O’ Hot Turkey Sausage
  • 1 light Sargento Mozzarella string cheese
  • Dried Oregano
  • Black Pepper

 

Stats on my pita pizza:  236 calories, 17g carbs, 11g fat, 22g protein, 6g fiber

Continue Reading

Recipes

Stuffed Cabbage (hold the red sauce)

No Comments

When you think of stuffed cabbage, what comes to mind?  I’m guessing you think of ground beef and rice rolled up in cabbage and smothered in red sauce, right?  You probably also think of excessive gas.  Let’s try and relieve ourselves of that thought for now 😉

I’m not entirely sure why, but my mom has always made stuffed cabbage without red sauce.  I can remember going to friend’s houses as a child and getting super excited when I heard we were having stuffed cabbage for dinner.  This ALWAYS ended in disappointment because everyone (other than my mom… and my sister) makes stuffed cabbage with red sauce… and I’m not really a fan.  In my family, we like our stuffed cabbage with a side of cabbage.  And some cabbage broth.  And excessive amounts of sour cream and salt and pepper.

Stuffed cabbages has been one of my all-time favorite home cooked meals for as far back as I can remember, yet I’ve never tried to make them myself.  So what the heck, I decided to give it a shot.  My mom uses ground beef in her stuffed cabbages, but I decided to further health-it-up with 99% fat-free ground turkey and brown rice. 

First up, the cabbage:

 

I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever purchased cabbage.  I have a feeling we are going to be GREAT friends 🙂

(Guess who left her camera at work??? Yes, all photos were taken with the lovely iPhone tonight)

I cut the core out of the cabbage:

 

And dropped it hole-side down in a big ole pot of bowling water. 

While the leaves softened in the boiling water, I combined the following in a bowl:

  • 8 ounces 99% fat free ground turkey
  • 1/2 a chopped white onion
  • 1 glove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

As the leaves began to soften, I pulled off the outer cabbage leaves with a pair of tongs and laid them out while the remaining cabbage kept softening in the pot:

I used an ice cream scooper to evenly distribute the meat and rice mix among 9 cabbage leaves:

Then gave them a roll and lined them up in a baking dish.

Then I gave the remaining cabbage a rough chop and tucked it in between the rolls and threw the rest on top.  I used a ladle to spoon some of the hot cabbage broth onto the rolls until the water level was about half way up the dish.  Then I covered with foil and baked in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour.

When the rolls were done, I topped two of them off with a dollop of sour cream and some black pepper:

 

Andd…….  whelp… it’s wasn’t mom’s.  And it wasn’t my sister’s either.   Have you ever tried to recreate one of your mom’s famous dishes?  If you’re like me, it probably didn’t go so well.  That’s ok, nothing a little hot sauce can’t cure!

All-in-all these were OK– but I think using the ground turkey instead of the ground beef made a HUGE difference (and not for the better).  I think ground beef is the way to go.  That’s what I’ll use next time for sure!

Stuffed Cabbage Ingredients List (serves 4)

  • 8 ounces 99% fat free ground turkey
  • 1/2 a chopped white onion
  • 1 glove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
  • 1 head cabbage (about 2 lbs)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fat-free Sour cream (optional in your book, NOT optional in mine)

Stats on 1 serving:  237 calories, 39g carbs, 2g fat, 19g protein, 7g fiber

Continue Reading

What I ate

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

9 Comments

Holy comfort food!!!!

 DSCF3383

Ever since we stopped at Bob Evans last week for breakfast, I’ve been craving a pot pie with a vengeance.  We’ve got a BIG deadline at work this week, so I’ve been working my little hiney off and have had zero time to cook.  Tonight however I made time because I knew my body NEEDED a lil pot pie.  I’ve never made a pot pie before, so I did a little googlin’ and found this recipe for Impossibly Easy Chicken Pot Pie.  Sounded like a good place for me to start learning the art of potpiedom!

This recipe was incredibly simple to throw together, which made it all the more comforting and delicious.  First up, I gathered the mixins.

DSCF3349

And quickly threw a chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper on the George.

Meanwhile, I threw the following items into a bowl:

  • 1 bag frozen stew vegetables (pearl onions, potatoes, carrots, celery)
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli … because I love broccoli and broccoli loves me!
  • 1 can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper

Once the chicken breast was cooked through, I roughly chopped it into cubes, and added to the mix.

DSCF3353      

Yes… this is what I called a “cube” 😉

I gave everything a good mix and poured into a pie dish that I had sprayed with some cooking spray. 

DSCF3358

Next up, I mixed the following in a little bowl:

  • 1 cup bisquick
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup almond breeze

If you are smarty pants, you may have noticed Bisquick is NOT the baking mix pictured in my ingredients pic… I had full intentions of using my Bob’s Red Mill Low-carb baking mix… but last minute I got a little nervous thinking the pot pie might be a pot-flop, and I wasn’t about to waste my last bit of low-carb baking mix on that.  So I decided to use Bisquick instead and save the Bob’s Red Mill for pot pie round #2.  (I foresee many pot pies in my future)

Once the batter was all mixed up, I dumped it on top of veggies. 

DSCF3362

Now, I can assure you that even though this looks like I just poured some paper-mache goopy gop concoction on my delicious veggies it did not taste like any sort of glue…  Well at least not any glue I’ve ever tasted.  I popped this pie into a 400 degree oven with apprehension, and let it hang out for 40 minutes until the top was nice and browned.

Voila!  Pot Pie!

DSCF3374

The pot pie was everything I had hoped for!  Creamy, comforting, and oh-so delicious!

DSCF3379

Not to mention this made four servings so now I have food for the rest of the week.  Hooray!

Just a few more days to go folks, then life can return to its “normal” state. 

Easy Chicken Pot Pie Ingredients List (makes 4 servings)

  • 1 bag frozen stew vegetables
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli
  • 1 can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper
  • 1 large grilled chicken breast (mine was approx 7 ounces)
  • 1 cup Bisquick
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Breeze Vanilla Almond Milk

 

Myfitnesspal stats on 1 serving of Easy Chicken Pot Pie:  315 calories, 41g carbs, 7g fat, 19g protein, 4g fiber 

Continue Reading