Stuffed Zucchini, Southwest-Style

Good day, everyone!  I hope the weather is nice and beautiful for you all, like it is here!

I get asked a lot what my best advice for people looking to get healthier/lose weight is, and here is the most important piece of information I may be able to give you:

STOP EATING WHEN YOU STOP FEELING HUNGRY.  Not when you feel full.  Not when you feel stuffed.  When you stop feeling hungry.  You will likely feel full in 10-20 minutes.  And if you're not, you can eat a bit more.  No matter what food you're eating, this rule will help you with control.  And, you know, you don't have to feel really uncomfortable for the next couple of hours while all that extra food shifts around and digests!

On with the recipe!  I have a really bad habit of not writing down recipes while I make them, so this may be slightly off.

Ingredients:

4-5 medium zucchini, halved and scooped out
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1-2 chipotles in Adobo, minced (also, some sauce if you want more spice)
1 T. cumin
1 T. chili powder
1 t. salt
1 T. oregano OR epazote
2 T. sour cream
1-2 cups chopped canned tomatoes (depending on your tastes)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Oil a glass casserole dish and place the zucchini "boats" into it, scooped-side up.

Heat a pan over medium heat (add oil if your meat is REALLY lean).  Add meat to the pan and begin to brown.  Once about half of the meat is browned, add the onion and garlic.  Cook until meat is fully browned and onion is cooked through.

Add bell pepper, chipotles, spices, and tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Add in the scooped-out chunks of zucchini.  Cook until bell pepper is tender, about 10 minutes.

Right before pouring the sauce/stuffing over the zucchini boats, stir in the sour cream.  Pour into casserole and top with cheddar cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, until zucchini is tender (but NOT squishy).  For nice browned cheese, remove the foil about 10 minutes before it's finished and turn up the heat to 425.

I just served this on its own.  It's a pretty complete meal, but I think it'd be good with maybe a side salad or guacamole.


Finally reaching my goal "feel," very ecstatic!  I can't say weight, because my weight doesn't seem to be budging, despite clothes fitting better.  I think I'm building some muscle with my longer runs (Running a 10k by the end of this month, on my birthday!  Not a real 10k, just one around my neighborhood that I map out, haha).

Low-Carb Carrot Cake

Allow me to take this opportunity to state that just because something is low carb does NOT mean it is low calorie.  I run into a lot of people who think that just because my dessert has no flour or sugar in it means they can eat an absurd amount of it without any problem.  Almond flour is still almonds, and nuts are very calorie dense.  Butter is still butter.  Eat in moderation!

I was craving cake--real cake with frosting and layers--and I decided to convert this recipe that I've had saved forever into something more diet friendly, so I don't have to feel so guilty for eating it.

The cake came out a bit too moist (next time I might strain the carrots/pineapple in cheesecloth to get out the extra liquid) and the texture is not quite right, but it still tastes great.  Charles even had two pieces of it!  So I deem it a success.


Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
2 cups Splenda (or equivalent of another sugar substitute)
2 t. baking soda
1 t. xanthan gum
1 t. salt
2 1/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
1 lb. carrots, peeled (if you prefer) and sliced into 2-inch chunks (this was about 5 1/2 carrots for me)
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup canola oil
1 t. vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Optional:
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Instructions:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.

Place carrots and pineapple in a food processor and chop.  How chunky you want it is up to you.  I would also strain it, as I said, to remove excess liquid next time.

Mix wet ingredients together with the carrots and pineapple, and combine with dry ingredients.  Stir in whatever additions you like--we just used walnuts.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35-45 minutes (check that the cake isn't squishy in the center by pressing down on it--I find that the toothpick trick isn't useful with almond flour).

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients:

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup of butter, room temperature
2 cups Splenda (I used the granulated kind, it came out fine)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 T. vanilla extract

Instructions:


Beat together butter and cream cheese on a high speed until well-combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes (do not overbeat!).  Add in lemon zest, juice, and vanilla.

Beat in Splenda gradually until well combined.  Stop beating when the texture reaches a spreadable consistency.  Chill until it is time to frost the cake.

This made enough to frost the two layer cake entirely, and I still had a small bit leftover!

Enjoy, everyone!

Cinco de Mayo Megapost

Cinco de Mayo came and went a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean I can't post the food my mom and I made to celebrate!  We love Mexican food, and we make some GOOD recipes.

On the menu was carnitas, a shredded (or cubed, depending on who you talk to) pork taco/etc. filling, frijoles charros, something I've had in many restaurants, but never like this (think pork & beans, but less sweet and more spice), a lovely relish for the carnitas, and black bean soup, which I'll admit isn't Mexican in the slightest.  More like American Southwest, but it was requested, so I will post it.

Carnitas are fairly simple to make, and you could definitely make it in a slow cooker as well as a dutch oven (I would probably leave out some of the liquid, though).

Carnitas


Ingredients:


4 pounds fatty pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
3 cups water
2 oranges, quartered
2 onions, quartered
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled (adjust to your garlic tastes)
3 bay leaves
1 T. epazote (also known as Mexican oregano--if you can't find it, use regular oregano)
1 T. sea salt
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. whole black peppercorns

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into a 6 or 7-quart dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset) and bring to a boil, skimming the surface as necessary.

Lower the heat, allowing the water to simmer vigorously, and stir occasionally until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid has completely evaporated (the fat will be left in the pan).

 If, after 2 hours over low heat, the liquid has not mostly evaporated, scoop out the meat/onions/oranges with a slotted spoon and evaporate the liquid over high heat.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Place pork back in pot/remove oranges and toss in the fat to coat. Place your pot in the oven and cook the pork mixture, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes until the meat is browned.  I had to stir mine once or twice to get everything properly brown, but you shouldn't have to.

Top with some lovely sauteed peppers and onion, if you like.

Carnitas Relish


Ingredients:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8-10 pickled jalapeno slices, finely minced
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems removed and leaves chopped
3 T. of orange juice

Instructions:


Combine ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

Frijoles Charros


Ingredients:


2 cans pinto or black beans (these are traditionally made with pinto beans, but my local IGA does not carry canned OR dried pinto beans), drained and rinsed.
6 oz. bacon (6-7 slices), diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup Mexican beer
2/3 cup of pickled jalapeno slices
2 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 T. brown sugar


Instructions:


Place bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the fat renders out and the bacon begins to crisp up.

Place onion and garlic in the pan and cook through until translucent and browned.

Place beans, beer, jalapeno slices, and tomatoes in the pan and bring to a simmer.  Cook until most of the liquid has cooked off.

Stir in sugar right before serving.  Top with some fresh cilantro.

Black Bean Soup


Ingredients:
2 cups of black beans (1 15 oz. can OR dried beans, soaked overnight) cooked as stated below
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 large carrot OR 1 sweet potato, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. cumin
2 T. medium heat chili powder
1/2 t. chipotle chili powder
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups cooking liquid and beans (from beans recipe below)  (If you don't have enough cooking liquid, chicken stock can be substituted)
1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime

Cilantro and sour cream to garnish

Instructions:

Take your can of black beans OR your soaked, dried beans and put them in a pot with 4 cups of water, 3 slices of bacon, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 of an onion, and 1 garlic clove, and simmer on the stove for 30 minutes.  Strain, reserving liquid, and removing onion, bay leaves, and garlic clove.

Put olive oil in a large soup pot and heat over medium heat.  Place onion, celery, and sweet potato or carrot in the pot and cook until tender.

Add garlic and spices and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Add tomatos, beans, liquid, and pepper, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes (or more), until pepper is cooked through.

Place half of the soup in a blender and puree (REMEMBER: YOUR SOUP IS HOT).  Pour back into pan and simmer a little longer, adding salt and lime juice.

Serve hot, with sour cream, cilantro, and perhaps cheese to garnish.


This is the next day's leftovers.  This meal is ACTUALLY pretty diet friendly if you skip the tortilla or have low carb ones (and if you reduce the sugar in the charro beans, but I find the amount negligible anyway).  It is high calorie, though, so watch your portions.  We also served salsa & guacamole (homemade:  Put half a red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, a jalapeno, and a bunch of cilantro in a food processor and pulse until chopped.  Scoop the flesh out of 2 avocados and add, pulsing until combined. Add the juice of 1 lime, salt to taste, and a dash of chili powder and cumin.).

Enjoy my Mexican food, everyone!

NOTE:  This is totally gluten free if the beer used for the beans is GF beer.  Sorry, I missed that!

Low-Cal Cabbage Soup!

I don't have a picture of this one yet, but it's very simple and very, very low-calorie.  Think under 100 calories per bowl.  You can also adjust it to what you have in the fridge, or whatever your tastes dictate spice-wise.

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, quartered lengthwise and chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 T. oregano
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. sea salt
1 head of green cabbage (or a mixture of your choice), thinly sliced and chopped (bite-sized)
6 cups of chicken stock
2-4 cups of water (depending on how strong your stock is, and how much water you want)
A dash of beef broth concentrate

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and sautee until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add tomatoes, herbs, and spices.  Bring to a simmer and add cabbage, stirring it in.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  

Add stocks and water and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 30-45 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and flavors have melded.

Serve hot with a dash (or 20!) of hot sauce.

NOTE: This can EASILY be vegan if you just substitute the stock for vegetable broth.  Also, gluten-free people, check your bouillons/stocks/broths if you buy them at the store--THEY SNEAK GLUTEN INTO THOSE.

Chicken Paprikash

Good day, everyone! It's time to update, after neglecting to do it for so long.  My mother was visiting and I have been very busy, and diet-wise, I haven't been being very good.  But, I have some lovely recipes to post!

One of my problems with some of Kalyn's more saucy recipes is that the sauce often ends up being a soup and requiring some sort of starch (rice, noodles, something) to mop it all up and not be a mess.  This is great if you're not doing low-carb or if you have access to low-carb noodles (I don't), but when you're trying to go for as little carbs as possible, your plate ends up half-covered in sauce and you're left either trying to pick it up with your vegetables or licking the plate.  I actually found another recipe for this in one of my cookbooks, and I'll try it out next time and see if it's any less messy.

I'm going to directly link Kalyn's recipe because I didn't change a thing about it.  Here it is!  http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/04/chicken-paprikashfrom-recipe-archivess.html


And I'll post her directions as well, for the lazy.  But credit where credit is due.


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into strips about 1/2 inch wide
2 T (or less) sweet paprika (Hungarian paprika is best)
2 tsp. (or less) sharp paprika (Hungarian paprika is best)
1 tsp. crushed caraway seed (optional)
2 tsp. each butter and olive oil (or maybe a bit more, depending on your pan, use all olive oil if you prefer)
1 onion, chopped (don't chop too small)
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained very well (I like Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes)
2 cups homemade chicken stock or 2 cans (15 oz.) chicken broth reduced to 2 cups
1 cup bottled roasted red bell pepper, diced same size as onions (or more, if it's a 12 oz. jar I would use the whole jar)
1/2 cup or more low fat sour cream (do not use fat free)


Instructions:

I like to pound the chicken breasts slightly before I cut it into strips so the pieces are all the same thickness. Season chicken with 1 tsp. sweet paprika, salt and pepper.

Heat nonstick pan and add half the butter and half the olive oil. When oil is hot, saute chicken until cooked through and barely browned. Use slotted spoon and transfer chicken to plate.

Add rest of butter and olive oil to pan and add onion. Saute onion until just starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Add all the rest of paprika and caraway seed if using, saute 30 seconds. Add red pepper and tomatoes and cook about 2 minutes.

Add chicken broth and turn up heat to high and cook until sauce coats spoon, about 5 minutes. 

Mix in chicken and any juice from plate. 

Reduce heat to low again and stir in sour cream. Simmer until just heated through (do not boil once you've added the sour cream.)

**I added a couple of zucchini, sliced, to the pot when I added the chicken back in, and I thought it was a nice addition.

Enjoy, everyone!  

I'm hitting a running milestone today--5 miles!  Thanks to Runkeeper, which now forces me to make and keep goals :P.  Also, Charles finally comes home from London (his first time home in 5 weeks) and Diablo III was released!  It's an exciting day!