Showing posts with label pepper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pepper. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2015
Slow Cooker Frittata with Kale Roasted Red Pepper and Feta
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| I used my Ninja Cooker to make this savory Slow Cooker Frittata with Kale, Roasted Red Pepper, and Feta |
Strangely enough, I used to be much better at eating breakfast when I had to go off to work every morning. Back in those days I had to be organized, so I always made Egg Muffins or Breakfast Casseroles on the weekend to microwave during the week. My breakfast habits had gotten more and more sporadic since I'd been working at home, and recently I vowed to get back to my healthy breakfast routine. It was a combination of very hot weather and that commitment to a healthy breakfast every day that finally inspired me to try eggs in the slow cooker, and I was thrilled with this Slow Cooker Frittata with Kale, Roasted Red Pepper, and Feta.
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Barely Blanched Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with Red Bell Pepper Radishes Red Onion and Cashews
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| Barely Blanched Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Radishes Red Onion, and Cashews would be a great meatless contribution for a summer pot-luck. |
Memorial Day means the unofficial beginning of summer in the U.S., or as I like to think of it, the beginning of Salad Season! I love those warm summer days when a big plate of salad seems like the perfect lunch, and I'm always looking for ideas for my next salad creation. This Barely Blanched Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with Red Bell Pepper, Radishes Red Onion, and Cashews was inspired by a salad I bookmarked years ago on a blog that's no longer posting. I changed it quite a bit from the original salad and it took me a couple of tries to get it right, but I love all these ingredients and this final version of the salad is definitely a keeper.
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Thursday, March 12, 2015
Recipe for Chicken Black Bean and Red Pepper Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing
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| Chicken, Black Bean, and Red Pepper Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing! |
(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites, and this tasty salad with chicken, black beans, and red peppers with avocado dressing is something I love when the weather gets hot. I normally post my Phase One Friday favorites on Friday morning, but I'm sharing this one early because tomorrow morning I'll be heading out bright and early to attend the BlogHer Food 2013 Conference. This year the conference is in Austin, Texas, where it's definitely hot enough to make you crave this type of salad; enjoy!)
It's hot, hot, hot outside, and whether you're looking for a cold side dish to take to a party or just something that's an eat-it-cold meal idea, this Chicken, Black Bean, and Red Pepper Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing is going to hit the spot, I promise. If you really want to avoid cooking you can make this with leftover rotisserie chicken, but if you don't have that poaching two chicken breasts is still pretty quick and easy. This salad stayed good in the fridge for several days, especially if you stir in a little more of the spicy avocado dressing to perk up the flavors. Enjoy!
It's hot, hot, hot outside, and whether you're looking for a cold side dish to take to a party or just something that's an eat-it-cold meal idea, this Chicken, Black Bean, and Red Pepper Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing is going to hit the spot, I promise. If you really want to avoid cooking you can make this with leftover rotisserie chicken, but if you don't have that poaching two chicken breasts is still pretty quick and easy. This salad stayed good in the fridge for several days, especially if you stir in a little more of the spicy avocado dressing to perk up the flavors. Enjoy!
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Low Carb Rotisserie Chicken Christmas Salad Recipe with Avocado Red Pepper and Lime Gluten Free
Low-Carb and Gluten-Free Chicken salad gets festive with Christmas colors!
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The holidays are absolutely the hardest time of year to stick to a more carb-conscious eating plan, and when I go to a party I'm always grateful if the hosts offer a few healthy-eating options. And when I'm taking a pot-luck dish, I always try to take a lower-carb favorite that's something I love so I won't feel deprived if there end up being lots of other things I don't want to eat. I already have a favorite red-and-green chicken salad that's amazing if you're a green olive fan. But this week I bought one of those packs of shredded rotisserie chicken meat from Costco (so handy!) and the idea for this Rotisserie Chicken Christmas Salad with Avocado, Red Pepper, and Lime popped into my mind. And even though I am a very bad blogger for not sharing this with you sooner, this will still be delicious if you make it long after Christmas is over.
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Sunday, March 8, 2015
Broccoli Shitake Mushroom and Red Pepper Quiche With A Brown Rice Crust How To Make A Healthy Vegetarian Quiche
Sauté the red bell pepper, red onion and shitake mushrooms.
A brown rice crust is easy to make and is low in calories and fat.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan and bake.
After baking 45 minutes at 375 degrees, let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Beware Restaurant Quiche
When some people see the word "broccoli" or "vegetable" in a menu item, they often get the false impression that the dish is healthy. With vegetable quiche dishes, nothing could be further from the truth. Thats because most quiche dishes made in a restaurant are prepared with butter, heavy cream, full fat cheeses and lots of eggs. And thats just the filling! The crust is generally made from refined white flour and butter or lard. It wouldnt be hard for a slice of restaurant quiche to be over 600 calories and contain 40 to 50 grams of fat.
How To Lighten Up A Veggie Quiche
First, the Crust
I was very excited to find ready made, whole wheat and spelt crusts at Whole Foods. At first glance, I thought that would be a healthy choice for my crust. After reading the label, however, I was surprised to find out that one crust contained almost 900 calories, 64 grams of fat and 32 grams of saturated fat. Even though the saturated fat was from "tropical" oils and contained zero cholesterol, I was still put off by the amount of total fat and calories. I found a few recipes that made a crust using a mixture of cooked rice and eggs and was very pleased with the results. To step it up a notch, I used brown rice and an egg white. The resulting crust had half the calories and 1/16th the fat of the ready-made whole wheat crust. It wasnt as convenient as pulling it out of the freezer but it was still pretty easy to make and certainly worth the effort.
Then, the Dairy
You can lower the calories and saturated fat and still get a very nice consistency by using reduced or low fat cheese instead of full fat cheese. In this recipe I use low fat cottage cheese and reduced fat swiss or cheddar. You can also replace cream with soy milk or fat free evaporated milk. To further reduce the calories and cholesterol, you can replace one of the eggs with 2 egg whites. The flavor created by adding a few tablespoons of high quality parmesan on top will give the impression that all of the dairy ingredients are rich and decadent and no one will realize that youve made these healthy substitutions.
Finally, the Vegetables
There is no need to fry the vegetables in loads of butter. Steam the broccoli and lightly sauté the onions, peppers and mushrooms in a few teaspoons of olive oil.
And the Result is...
The following recipe uses all of these techniques and weighs in at around 300 calories a slice with14 grams of fat and only 4 grams of saturated fat. It also provides around 20 grams of high quality protein and almost 7 grams of fiber. Thats pretty healthy for a quiche.
Good Menu for a Brunch, Baby or Bridal Shower
A veggie quiche is great to serve at a brunch or shower. Serve with roasted baby potatoes, a big fruit or raw green salad and, for a special treat, Mimosas (a flute filled with half champagne and half orange juice). Enjoy!
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Broccoli, Shitake Mushroom and Red Pepper Quiche in a Brown Rice Crust
[serves 8]
For the crust [youll need a 9 inch pie pan]
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 large egg white
pinch of salt and pepper
For the filling
2 cups broccoli florets
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup baby shitake mushrooms
2 large organic, cage free eggs
2 large organic, cage free egg whites
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk or fat free evaporated milk
1/2 cup low fat organic cottage cheese
1/2 cup reduced fat swiss or cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 tablespoon parmesan, shredded
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine cooked brown rice, egg white, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan. Press the rice mixture into the bottom of the pie pan and up the sides. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes until it "sets". Remove from oven. LOWER THE OVEN TO 375 degrees.
Steam the broccoli until fork tender and separate into small pieces. Remove from heat and let cool. Sauté the onion, bell pepper and shitake mushrooms until they soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Place the eggs and egg whites in a mixing bowl and lightly beat. Add the milk, cottage cheese, shredded swiss or cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley and mix thoroughly. Add the cooled broccoli and sautéed vegetables and mix well. Pour mixture into the baked rice crust and top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until you can gently shake the quiche and it doesnt wiggle. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 304.1 calories, 13.9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 119 mg cholesterol, 19.8 g protein, 33.2 g carbohydrates and 6.6 g of fiber.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Raw Veggie Wrap With Ginger Tahini Dipping Sauce Includes Daikon Avocado Mango Red Bell Pepper Sprouts and More!
Try using cabbage (pictured), lettuce or collards as a wrapper.
Daikon root makes a tasty and healthful wrap ingredient.
Fill a platter with ingredients for your guests to choose.
Fill wrapper with an assortment of fruits and vegetables.
Add ginger tahini dipping sauce, roll up and eat!
Raw Veggie Wraps
Raw Veggie wraps are a staple in a raw food diet. They make a beautiful meal for guests or a convenient meal for the family. Fill them with your favorite veggies and fruits and top them with this delicious, raw tahini-ginger sauce.
Raw Wrappers
Instead of tortillas or lavash wrappers, raw recipes typically use big leaves of lettuce, collards, cabbage or other greens as a wrapper. I happen to find this very interesting looking cabbage (a cross between Chinese and Napa cabbage) so I thought Id try it. It was a bit hard to fold so it was more like a soft taco than a wrap but it held its shape very well and was very tender. If you use collards, select the largest leaves and cut out the center stem.
Daikon
Raw daikon is commonly used in Japan to aid in the digestion of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Its often found grated and served with sushi. Daikon is a cruciferous vegetable, like broccoli, kale and cabbage, and is associated with protecting against cancer. Cut into little circles, daikon makes a great "chip" for guacamole or raw hummus with sprouted garbanzo beans.
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Raw Veggie Wraps with Ginger-Tahini Dipping Sauce
[makes 8 wraps or 4 servings]
For the wrap
8 large leaves of cabbage, collards or butter lettuce
2 small daikons, peeled and cut into strips
1 avocado, peeled and cut into slices
1 large mango (or 2 small), peeled and cut into slices
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into strips
3 ounces sunflower sprouts
handful of cilantro
1 green onion, thinly sliced
For the sauce
1/4 cup raw tahini
2 tablespoons Nama Shoyu soy sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons raw agave
4 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
Arrange all veggies on a platter. To make the sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Serve with the veggies. To make a wrap, take a large leaf, arrange all veggies in the center, top with sauce, fold and enjoy!
Per wrap: 130.6 calories, 6.8 g fat, 0.9 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3.6 g protein, 16.1 g carbohydrates and 3.9 g of fiber.
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