Kale Soup…

October 25th, 2010

We had a birthday/Halloween party to go to this past weekend. When I go to a party or to someones house for a gathering I am always in fear that there will be nothing that is suitable for me to eat so I always prepare a dish to take with me (yes I check with the hostess first ~ it would be rude not to) I made my standard Chili but decided I didn’t to eat that so I ran to the store and bought some Kale and made soup. It was very quick to make and was so good to eat. I was happy I made the soup since everyone liked it.

Kale Sausage Soup

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion rough chopped
  • 2 carrots peeled and cut (into half moons)
  • 1 bunch of Kale, ribs and stems removed then rough chopped
  • 4 chicken sausages cut into ¼ inch rounds ( I used a pre-cooked chicken and spinach version I bought at Sam’s Club)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cups of cooked small white beans
  • Black pepper ~ to taste
  • 10 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon of chicken base
  • 1 x 2 inch rind of Parmesan cheese ( when I say rind I mean the back side where the writing is only about ¼ inch thick but if you don’t have it you can leave it out, maybe add ¼ cup of good Parmesan cheese but  it adds a nice depth of flavor and richness)

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, add the onion and carrots. Cook till the onions start to get soft and translucent then add the Kale, Sausage, bay leaves and beans.  Cook till the Kale starts to wilt then add the water and Chicken Base (if you don’t have chicken base you can use chicken stock but use low sodium). Stir in the pepper and add the cheese rind. Let simmer on low for about a half hour, stirring occasionally.

Please note, this could be made into a vegetarian dish by adding vegetable base or broth in place of the chicken and replace the chicken sausage with some pressed firm tofu cut into cubes.

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Brownies, yes I said it brownies!!!

August 12th, 2010

I was given a recipe for brownies made with black beans and spinach. I took the recipe apart and made it something I could eat. Yes, they are still a treat and have to be treated as such. Lets be real we all like treats so why not make one that is almost healthy and tastes pretty darn good if I do say so myself…

Black Bean Brownies

  • 1 cup of black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped frozen spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry)
  • 3 tablespoons Dutch Processed Unsweetened Coco
  • ¼ cup Cottage Cheese
  • 2 large eggs plus one yolk
  • 1 ¼ cup splenda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons espresso powder
  • 2 Tablespoons SF Vanilla Coffee syrup
  • 2 tablespoons sf chocolate syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 3 Ounces unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts

Mix/blend everything in a blender or food processor except the last four items, till smooth and beans are no longer visible. In a small glass bowl melt the butter and the chocolate till melted, stopping every 15 seconds to stir ~ let it cool for 5 minutes before adding to the mixture along with the almond meal. Blend just till combined. Pour batter in a 9×9 baking dish that has been sprayed with no-stick spray then top with the chopped walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Let cool before serving, please be sure to cover and refrigerate or store in a sealed container in the fridge.

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Shrimp

July 28th, 2010

Hello, I am finally getting over my cooking block.. I think what happens is you cook something and eat it for a few days then get burnt out and have a hard time thinking of a new item to eat.

I took the shrimp scampi idea and twisted it a bit, hope you like it.

Shrimp Scampi

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon butter
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 3 or 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 24 medium shrimp, washed, peeled and de-veined
  • 1 package of spinach (the kind sold by the bagged salad) – rinsed and drained
  • 1 can of small white beans- drained and rinsed
  • 1 package of Shirataki noodles ~ rinsed, drained and snipped into small pieces
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Salt ~ to taste

In a large skillet cook onion in olive oil butter mixture (if you used all butter it would burn, the olive oil raises the smoke point of the butter) till softened and almost translucent, add garlic, salt, shrimp and spinach sauté till shrimp is no longer translucent and turns a pink orange color. You will know the shrimp are cooked when they turn into C’s if they are O’s they are overcooked. Remove from shrimp and spinach from the pan leaving the juice in behind, add the beans and with a potato masher some of the beans (this will thicken the liquid into a nice sauce without using any of the standard thickeners and adding carbs) but only some of the beans, add the red pepper flakes and noodles heat till warm then pour over the shrimp mixture and mix with a spoon before serving.

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Curry Fish

July 21st, 2010

I have a jar of red curry paste that I purchased to make Curry Chicken so I can’t waste it… I also needed a fish dish to put in my cookbook so I came up with a red curry fish, I hate fish!!! but I made it anyway and tasted it ~ my husband ate it. Not sure if it will make it into the book but here it is anyway….

Red curry tilapia

  • 4 tilapia filets~ cut into cubes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion ~ sliced thin
  • 1 medium bell pepper ~ sliced thin
  • 1/2 a medium head of cauliflower cut into florets
  • 1 cup of cooked – drained and rinsed garbanzo beans
  • 3 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 can of light coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons splenda brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil ~ cut into strips (rinse, stack, roll and slice)

In a large saute pan, sweat the onion and bell pepper in the olive oil till the onion starts to get soft, add the cauliflower, coconut milk, fish sauce, chili paste, splenda brown sugar, red pepper flakes and beans. Cook over medium heat till the cauliflower is fork tender then add the fish and basil and continue to cook till the fish is no longer translucent.

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Curry Chicken

July 5th, 2010

Happy belated 4th of July, I hope it was fun and safe for everyone..

Happy Birthday Ellen!  Ellen is the best editor in the world, she is working on my cookbook forwarded me one of her favorite family recipes. I tweaked it a little bit and this is what we had for dinner tonight and Jeff LOVED IT!! It was a good change from BBQ food after the long holiday weekend

Her original had green curry but I could only find red in my grocery store, so that is what I used. She said red is not as hot as green, she also used peas and not garbanzo beans but I liked the opportunity to add some fiber..

Curry Chicken

Curry Chicken

¾ to 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (I use cutlets for a shortcut)

2 teaspoons peanut oil

1 medium to large onion, halved and sliced thin

1 very large red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 can (14 oz.) reduced fat coconut milk

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans~ drained and rinsed

1 medium zucchini cut in half then sliced into ½ moons

2 to 3 tablespoons red or green curry

2 tablespoons brown splenda

1 tablespoon fish sauce (in the ethnic foods section of many large grocery chains, or any Asian market

1 or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

2 packages of shiratiki noodles~ drained, rinsed and snipped into pieces

½ teaspoon salt

1 or 2 cups fresh basil leaves, torn

  • Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, then sear the chicken pieces until the edges are uniformly pale
  • Remove chicken from skillet and set aside (leave the remaining oil and juices in the pan)
  • Coat the same pan with cooking spray, then sauté the onion and red pepper at medium-low heat until they begin to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes
  • Stir in the coconut milk, chickpeas, zucchini, curry paste, brown splenda, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, shriatiki noodles and salt
  • Simmer uncovered for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the seared chicken. Turn heat to low and continue to simmer, 7 to 10 minutes
  • Remove from heat and stir in the basil until it wilts

Ellen said to serve it with cashews or peanuts and extra red pepper flakes, she serves it over jasmine rice but I added the Shirataki noodles in place of rice or traditional noodle

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Baked beans, what is more 4th of July than Baked beans?

July 3rd, 2010

I love beans, I bet you couldn’t guess… they are high in protein and fiber and full of nutrients.

When have you ever been to a BBQ without baked beans?? I started making my own this year since I wanted to lower the sugar from the canned ones..

Baked Beans

  • 2 cups dry beans (soak overnight, drain, rinse and place in a pan with 8 cups of water, 1 bay leaf, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. When almost tender add about a teaspoon of salt) or 2 cans of small white beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 small onion minced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1/4 cup splenda brown
  • 3/4 cup low sugar catsup
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • dash of hot sauce
  • 1/2 water
  • 4 strips of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled

In a medium sauce pan saute the onion in the olive oil till translucent, add garlic and continue to cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the splenda while continuing to stir till the splenda melts, after it has melted add in all remaining ingredients except the bacon. Cook on low for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally till it has thickened. Add bacon and serve.

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Pasta Salad

May 5th, 2010

I sometimes find it hard to make side dishes other than vegetables, I try not to eat pasta but when I really want pasta I use Dreamfield pasta. The manufacturer claims that it is low net carb. I can eat some of it with no problems but don’t push it and eat too much for fear of the consequences plus I am still relatively early out and I try to eat protein first to continue my weight loss..

Here is my quick pasta salad

  • 2 1/2 cups cooked Dreamfield elbow pasta ~ two bags of Shritaki noodles cut up would work too
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups of raw vegetables cut up small (broccoli, cherry tomatoes, snap peas & carrots)
  • 1 cup of feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup italian dressing

Mix everything up in a bowl and refrigerate to let flavors combine..

I served this the other day with my Stella Burgers..

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Burgers for dinner tonight..

May 3rd, 2010

I love a good burger ! Try this….

Stella Burgers

  • 2 lbs of lean ground beef
  • 2 onions chopped and sauteed in 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic
  • 2 cups of cooked white beans (I cooked my own from dried beans with garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper plus 1/2 a bay leaf)
  • Salt and pepper

mash the the cooled cooked onions and the white beans in a bowl with a potato masher till about 1/2 the beans are crushed add the garlic, salt and and pepper ~ then add the beef and mix till combined. Portion out into 3 or 4 oz patties. Grill or broil.. Top with your favorite cheese.. I like mine with caramelized onion cheddar that I get at my favorite cheese store in town..but I am out so some good old American cheese will have to do tonight.

I served my burger with an easy pasta salad, I will post it tomorrow but it will be pictured today (after my burger is done cooking)

Stella Burger with Pasta Salad

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Channa Masala with Chicken and Zucchini

April 22nd, 2010

I love Indian food and I love Trader Joe’s!!

Channa Masala

Channa Masala

On a trip to TJ’s I found this wonderful Indian dish, it is basically garbanzo beans with a zesty curry sauce. I added chicken breasts and zucchini to make it a meal. I will confess I did give my husband some basmati rice to with it, TJ’s sells frozen rice that all you have to do is nuke it.

This is what it looks like cooked.

Channa Masala with Chicken and Zuchinni

Channa Masala with Chicken and Zucchini

To make I put the cut up raw chicken (this is 1 1/2 chicken breasts) in a pan and cooked till almost done then added the cut up zucchini and the defrosted Channa Masala and cooked it till the chicken cooked thru. I LOVE A 15 minute DINNER !

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Chicken Pita Panini

April 21st, 2010

I had some extra chicken from making the chicken salad last night so I took a mini whole wheat pita from Trader Joe’s and made a Panini with it.

Chicken Pita Panini

Chicken Pita Panini with Beans

I took some of the sliced poached chicken put it with tomato and some Garlic Monterrey Jack Cheese and put it in half of a mini whole wheat pita from Trader Joe’s. I don’t have a Panini press so I took an extra pan and put it on top of the sandwich to use as a weight, I flipped it and cooked it on the other side. I served it with some garbanzo beans that had been tossed with balsamic vinegar, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and a little olive oil. It turned out pretty good but I think next time I will use a flat out and not a pita, we will see..

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