I was in the meat aisle, wondering what meat to eat when I saw ground turkey. I regularly have turkey sausages, but never buy ground turkey. I have bought ground chicken, but not often either. Interestingly, ground turkey is healthier than ground chicken because chicken skin is usually ground up with the meat (this, I learned on Oprah!). So I bought the lean turkey to make meatballs. It was really good and I think I might even prefer it than ground beef meatballs (not sure about ground pork though!)
* 2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used panko because that's all I had) * 1 tbsp honey
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 200 g (about ½ lb) ground turkey
Cook onion in oil, until softened and set aside. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cooked onions, honey, salt and pepper.
Stir with fork until smooth.
Add the ground turkey and mix.
Test the seasoning by frying one meatball and tasting it.
Adjust the seasoning as required.
Shape into small meatballs (about 12) and fry the remaining meatballs in a bit of oil - alternately, they can be baked. Serve in tomato sauce with pasta. Tada!
Panko breadcrumbs, cooked onion and honey go into the meatballs.
Although I really like Indian food, I don't often make it at home for a few reasons. One, I don't believe I can make it as well as in restaurants. Two, I'm worried it's fatty and unhealthy. Obviously, these are not good reasons. I regularly read the blog Lisa's Kitchen and Lisa reguarly makes healthy Indian food. This chana masala recipe, that I ripped out from a friend's old Martha Stewart magazine, is very easy, healthy and yummy.
I have to admit that when I go to Indian restaurants, I do not usually order chana masala. I just find it's one of the lesser exciting dishes. In addition, it often looks like a mass of brown food, not very attractive. I like this recipe because it's tomato based and it's actually pretty good looking for Indian food!
I am submitting this recipe to the food blogging event, My Legume Love Affair, highlighting recipes with legumes. This eleventh edition is hosted by Lori Lynn from Taste With The Eyes. If you are interested in participating, or want to check past round-ups, take a look at the host lineup. This food blogging event was created by Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook.
Chana Masala - Serves 2-3 Adapted from Martha Stewart. I have added some sugar to the original recipe. I like the slightly sweet taste of Indian food (like Vietnamese) and I figured a couple of teaspoons wouldn't hurt! I put a whole jalapeño, seeds and all. It was fiery! So add jalapeño according to your heat resistance level! Final note, it's worth buying whole cumin seeds, even if you've run out and it costs $4.69..........
* oil * ½ tsp cumin seeds * 1 small onion, finely diced * 1 cloves garlic, minced * 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes (or as much as you want) * 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed * ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded & very finely diced * ½ tsp garam masala * ½ tsp salt * 1-3 tsp sugar (to taste) * fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until they begin to pop - about 30 seconds. Add onions and cook until they begin to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, jalapeño, garam masala, salt and sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve. Serve with rice or naan bread. Tada!
Onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin seeds. How can this not taste good?
On my continued quest to eat more vegetables, I turned to a tried and true recipe. I came up with this low fat roasted vegetable lasagna roll recipe during my days with Weight Watchers. (For a no carb version, try making eggplant rollatini.)Weight Watchers is all about portion control. This recipe is perfect for portion control because you only eat one roll and that's it. No picking and eating "just a bit" more!
This recipe requires a few steps but I think it is well worth it. In addition, if you're cooking for yourself, you can make 6 portions and not worry about cooking for a bit! It's great because you get a good portion of your daily required vegetable intake with the spinach and roasted vegetables.
Roasted Vegetable Lasagna Rolls - 6 portions
I use low fat ingredients but you can always replace them with the full fat ones to makes this more decadent. I do promise, however, that even with the use of low fat ingredients, this lasagna still tastes great.
Roasted Vegetables
You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Other than the zucchini and red peppers I have used here, I have also used eggplants. I used to also use low-fat Italian dressing to dress the vegetables.
* 2 red peppers, sliced
* 2 zucchinis, sliced thickly
* ½ red onion, sliced
* salt and pepper, to taste
* olive oil
* dry herbs of your choice
Place your vegetables on a lined baking sheet.
Add the olive oil and seasoning.
Mix well so the vegetables are evenly coated.
Bake in the oven at 350F until the vegetabes are cooked, about 35 minutes.
Set aside.
Before and after roasting the vegetables.
Spinach and Ricotta Filling
I use half a container of ricotta for this recipe and freeze the rest for future use.
I am the type of person who is always looking for a snack. Carrots dipped in hummus makes for a perfect snack because 1) it satisfies my savoury needs without the addition of any salt 2) I end up eating at least one serving of my required vegetable intake and 3) chickpeas is a great protein.
This is really a cheater's version of hummus. There is no tahini but has peanut butter instead. I like to add a lot of lemon juice because I like it pretty sour. I only know one recipe so I just stick to this.
Hummus This recipe is very flexible. You can add more or less of any ingredient. You can also add pesto or sundried tomato to make a flavoured hummus. * 1 can 19 oz chickpeas, rinsed and drained * 1-2 garlic cloves, sliced roughly * juice of 1 lemon * 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter * 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Add all of the ingredients and process. If it is not processing sufficiently, add more oil to help out. Serve as a dip with pita or vegetables. Tada!
I really enjoy eating soups. Did I mention I am a total SOUP person?? As the weather gets cooler and cooler, I have a collection of soups that I rotate through. Luckily, I find them all delicious and most of the time they can be healthy at the same time.
This Chickpea and Leek Soup recipe is from Jamie Oliver - I think from one of his first shows. I have made it for a number of years. The chickpeas add the protein component and leeks make everything taste good. While I did use broth that I had in the freezer, I know my mom just adds water when she makes leek soup because leeks are so flavourful.
Mighty leeks.
Sliced leeks. Leeks have to be carefully washed because there is always a lot of dirt!
Leek, potato and chick pea mixture.
This soup is surprisingly sweet. The recipe suggests processing half the soup. This makes the soup creamy, without the cream. I like the chunks of chickpeas and potatoes, and the slices of leeks. Yum! I'm ready for winter (not really... I'm never ready for winter).
I obviously like eating, being a food blogger. I run so I can eat more but that's not sufficient. Therefore, I also try to eat healthy during the week. Weekends are for splurging! (I used to be on Weight Watchers and I still retain some of the things I learned there.) I really like snacking and if I could eat anything it would be potato chips (or cheesies), eaten alternatively with chocolate and cookies. For a post on a healthy recipe, this is not a good start...
A healthy snack that addresses my salty and crunchy cravings is Roasted Chickpeas that I got from Shape magazine. Not only will it help with your craving, but it’s also a great source of protein and fibre.
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas (from Shape magazine) The key to having crunchy chickpeas is to dry each chickpea very well beforehand and baking them sufficiently. The seasoning is just a suggestion. You could pretty much put anything you like.
* 1 can of chick peas, drained and patted dry * salt * garlic powder * cayenne pepper
Pat them dry with a towel. (I used to use paper towel but am trying to reduce my paper usage and a dish towel works perfectly without any waste!)
Bake in the oven at 400F on parchment paper for about 40 minutes or until crisp. (Parchment paper can also be re-used if you're trying to reduce paper usage.)
Take them out while they're hot and place in a bowl.
Spray with olive oil (so the seasoning sticks), add all of the spices and mix well.
Tada!
Note: These can be saved in a container for up to a week, IF they last that long!!
I have already mentioned that I have a vegetarian recipe repertoire from living with my ex-roommie D for 5 years. This recipe for pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) was in the rotation when the weather got cold. We both enjoyed it very much. Not only is it tasty, but it is oh-so-healthy that there is no guilt if you want a second bowl!
This recipe came from a cookbook I had, All About Pasta & Noodles, which was part of a Joy of Cooking book series. Notice I used the past tense because I have lost the book (I don't know how one loses a cookbook...). I tried to remember the ingredients and I think I got it right. I wasn't sure whether there were tomatoes in the recipe but now I am pretty sure there were. I also remembered lima beans. I was so excited to find fresh lima beans, or so I thought. The beans were really big, so I am not so sure anymore what kind of beans they were...
From searching recipes online, pasta e fagioli seems to be typically salted meat, beans over pasta. No vegetables really. However, I do remember once making this soup while our window was being repaired (break-in #1 out of 2 at my old place) and the repairman commenting on how it smelled exactly like a soup his mother used to make. Nice compliment!
Pasta E Fagioli (serves 12) Adapted from Pasta e Fagioli in joy of Cooking: All About Pasta & Noodles.
For the vegetable broth I made a vegetable broth because I had celery I wanted to use up. However, it's not necessary. I've used the powdered stuff for this soup. * 2 carrots, sliced * 2 celery stalks, sliced * 2 potatoes, sliced * 1 onion, sliced in two * 1 garlic clove * 2 bay leaves * 3-4 peppercorns * ½ tsp dried thyme
Place all vegetables and spices in a pot. Add water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 45 minutes and turn off. Strain the broth through a sieve.
For the pasta I have no idea what type of beans the original recipe called for. My guess would be cannellini beans. I only had dry black eyed peas and I really like them! I prefer dry beans because I find the canned ones are too mushy, but they would be fine for this soup too.I remember the cookbook stating that this was between a soup and pasta, so it is supposed to be pretty thick!
* ½ cup dry blacked eye peas, soaked in water for a few hours (or from a can) * olive oil * 1 onion, diced small * 1 garlic clove, minced * 2 carrots, diced small * 1 celery, diced small * 1 zucchini, diced small (not sure if this was in the original recipe) * dried herbs (oregano, thyme, basil, parsley) * 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes * 2 cups vegetable broth * 1 cup small pasta * handful of green beans, sliced in 1" sections * ½ bunch Swiss chard, sliced in 1" sections * lima beans, fresh or frozen * salt and pepper, to taste * ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Stir fry onion, garlic, carrot and celery until softened in a big pot. Add zucchini and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs. Add the vegetable broth, followed by the black eyed peas. Turn up the heat. Once the blacked eyed peas are cooked, add the pasta and lima beans. When the noodles are cooked, add the green beans and Swiss chard. Turn off the heat. Add the Parmesan cheese. Adjust seasoning to taste. Tada!
Tip: If the soup portion seems to big, do not add the pasta. Freeze some of the soup without the pasta, then add pasta for the remaining portion.
Celery and carrots, diced small.
Lima beans or...?
Close-up of the mystery beans.
I think I cooked (and ate) Swiss chard for the first time for this recipe.
Final product, pre-cheese. You can omit the cheese and easily make this vegan.
Dinner was inspired by a couple of things. First, I saw Anthony Sedlak on The Main making Mushroom Crusted Red Snapper. Mmmm, I cannot resist a mushroom recipe! Second, maybe it was fate but I found a huge pack of mushrooms (mainly fresh shiitake mushrooms!!) for $1.49 at Fortino's. I also found two packs of asparagus bundled up together for $1.99. Perfect for dinner!
Bake in the oven around 300C, until the bread cubes are golden.
I rarely make croutons at home but I should. They turned out really well!
Mushroom Topping
* oil
* onion, chopped small
* garlic, minced
* mushrooms of your choice, sliced
* dried thyme * Marsala wine * croutons
Heat up oil in a pan.
Stir fry onion and garlic until soft.
Add mushrooms.
Season with salt, pepper and add some dried thyme.
Add some Marsala wine.
Turn off once the mushrooms are cooked through.
Mix the mushrooms with some croutons in a bowl.
My $1.49 pack of mushrooms.
Croutons and mushroom mixture.
Fish
* oil
* salt and pepper
* fish fillet
* mushroom mixture
Season the fish with oil, salt and pepper.
Press some of the mushroom mixture on one side.
Broil in the oven until fish is cooked.
The tilapia filet is hidden by the mushrooms, but it's there!
With the leftover mushroom mixture, I made myself a mushroom pizza! I had leftover pesto from the previous week. I added a generous amount of mushrooms, some sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella. Mmm mmm good!
I found myself running out of ideas as to what to cook. I find I tend to get lazier when I cook for myself. I tried to get inspired by shopping at the Hamilton's farmer market. I found a bunch of basil and decided to make pesto. This was a rather weirdly spontaneous decision since I may have made pesto once before in my life.
I also find that when I cook for myself, I tend to go back to eating low fat ingredients. So I'm back to eating whole wheat, high fibre, brown, low fat and skim foods.
Pesto I needed some pine nuts but realized at the supermarket that it is quite expensive; $5.99 for a tiny pack!! Since I am budget-minded these days, I decided to replace them with pistachios. My Weight Watchers cookbook (yes, I have two!) suggests adding vegetable broth to reduce the amount of olive oil. I did not have vegetable broth but would definitely try it next time.
* 1 bunch of basil (about 2 cups, packed) * 2 Tbsp pistachio nuts (walnuts are good too) * 2 Tbsp Parmesan * 3 Tbsp olive oil * salt, to taste
Throw everything in a blender or food processor and hope everything is processed (I had some issues with G's blender). Tada!
Pasta with Pesto, Grilled Chicken and Vegetables I was initially thinking of making pasta with pesto and really colourful vegetables. I really enjoy it at restaurants and it seems so simple to make. So I decided to grill some vegetables and stretch them out into 2 or even 3 meals.
* 1 portion of pasta of your choice * 3 tbsp pesto * olive oil * dried herbs of your choice * vegetables (zucchini, red peppers, broccoli, carrots) * ½ chicken breast
Cook pasta. I added some broccoli at the last minute. Save some cooking water.
Grill vegetables with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, herbs.
Season chicken with a bit of olive oil, salt, herbs, paprika, hot chili flakes.
Grill chicken and slice.
Toss pasta with pesto and a ladle of cooking water.
Add vegetables and chicken to pasta and mix.
Zucchini with oil and seasoning.
Grilling vegetables. Pita Pizza
I often make pita pizza, using a whole wheat pita for a healthier choice. It's a quick dinner and it satisfied me. I love pesto on pizza and as my sister would say, a ri-DONK-ulous amount of (low fat) toppings. You can use whatever you want though.
* pesto * whole wheat pita * toppings of your choice * mozzarella (it doesn't have to be low fat...) * oregano * dried chili flakes
Cover pita with pesto. You can see chunks of unprocessed pistachios.
I covered my pita with pre-cooked slices of potato and low fat spicey turkey sausage...
... then the grilled vegetables and some onion...
... and finally some sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, oregano and dried chili flakes.
Bake until cheese has melted. The final product without any guilt!
I was able to use the grilled veggies for a third meal: spaghettini with meatballs in a tomato sauce. I also threw in some pesto in an omelette for lunch. The possibilities are endless!
Satisfying meatballs.
