Southwestern Stuffed Zucchini Boats

So this is one of those recipes that I instantly want to hate.
6 servings from 4 zucchinis.  It's either 4 servings or 8.  Nobody has time to to figure out that each person 4 people gets 2/3s of a zucchini and 2 people get the left over cuts.  Not to mention, all the stuff will fall out of the boat.

So make it 4 servings or 8, and be done with that 6 shit.  D and I made it 4 which made it higher in calories, but we're still alive so it's all good.

The taste was awesome and we definitely have again.

We had with Mojo Chicken.  Defintitely could brown some ground chicken though and add it, that way, as well.

Southwestern Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Photo by ALB

By: Co+op, stronger together
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 (we made it 4)

Zucchini takes center stage, stuffed with spiced up black beans, red pepper and topped with cheddar.

Ingredients
4 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons prepared salsa
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pinch of salt and ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce (optional)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Scoop the flesh out of the zucchini halves. Gently squeeze it to extract any excess liquid, then dice about a cup of the flesh to use for the filling.

Cook the zucchini boats cut side down on an oiled sheet pan for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the boats over.

While zucchini is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the red pepper, green onions and zucchini flesh for 3-5 minutes. Add the ground cumin, salsa, and black beans and cook another minute. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and hot sauce if using.

Evenly distribute the filling mixture between the zucchini boats. Return the filled boats to the oven and bake for 10-12 more minutes until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information 4 servings from MyFitness Pal
Calories: 4, Fat: 17 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 30 mg, Sodium: 752 mg, Carbohydrate: 28 g, Dietary Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 8 g, Protein: 16 g

Almond Butter Chicken Satay

So I'm a little odd.  I'm not a kebab fan. It's sometimes hard to get the meat off the skewers; if the skewers are wooden, one of my dogs will get a hold of them (choking hazard); and metal ones make you have to wait until your food is cold before you finally can hold the skewer.

However, I typically like the way a kebab should be flavored so I asked D if he would make these as breasts and not skewered.  So there we are.

We went to Whole Foods for Almond Butter.  We were already going there (not our typical store) to get portobellos since Kroger didn't have any.  We found a jar of Almond Butter for $12 but on sale for $4, so there you go.

We both liked this better as the first meal, than as a leftover.  But we both still liked it.  We had with Broccoli with Red Pepper flakes, because neither of us remembered we were going to have rice with it.

Would have again.

Almond Butter Chicken Satay

Photo by ALB

You can make the dipping sauce and add the chicken to the marinade before you leave for work in the morning, so you only need to skewer the chicken and grill when you get home.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 2 skewers, 3 tablespoons sauce, 6 cucumber slices, and 1 lime wedge)

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light coconut milk, divided
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice, divided
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 24 slices (we had 4 6oz breasts, not cut)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
3/4 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
Cooking spray
24 cucumber slices (forgot)
4 lime wedges

Preparation
1. Combine 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon juice, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal. Refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Bring remaining 2 tablespoons coconut milk, 1/3 cup water, almond butter, hoisin, and Sriracha to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook for 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon juice.

3. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread 3 chicken pieces onto each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with sauce, cucumber, and lime wedges.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 224; Fat: 8.9 g; Sat fat: 1.5 g; Mono fat: 3.5 g; Poly fat: 1.6 g; Protein: 26 g; Carbohydrate: 10 g; Fiber: 1 g; Cholesterol: 73 mg; Iron: 1 mg; Sodium: 564 mg; Calcium: 47 mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2015

Cheesy Portobello Mushroom Burgers

So I'm continuing to try to find alternatives to eating so much bread, potatoes, and pasta during the week (carbs), and increasing the vegetables (although we aren't eliminating any of the foods from our diet). It supposedly will help with inflammation, and so I'm willing to try whatever if it can help me be less dependent on NSAIDs. Plus it is helping me lose weight, which is less weight on my back (I fractured it), so anything that can help...

 Anyway, I found Cheese Portobello Mushroom Burgers from lowcarbmaven.com, and decided they looked pretty good. Of course, because there is always the debate of whether these were burgers or patties since there was no bread, but I'll leave them as burgers for the title.

Right away, I knew we should increase the servings, and lower the amount of cheese.  Additionally, I was concerned they might be greasy cooking meat in a portobello.  So we changed the amounts of the ingredients up, although we didn't add or omit anything. They weren't greasy, but somewhat watery, from the mushrooms, but nothing too extreme.

They were very good (I liked them better than D), and next time I think minced garlic and sauteed onions should be added to the mix.  I would have them again.

We had with French Fries (because fries go with burgers/patties).

Cheesy Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Photo by ALB

Adapted from lowcarbmaven.com
Servings: 4

Ingredients
4 large portobello mushrooms
1 lb ounces 93 % lean beef
1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 ounce fresh spinach, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt + some to season mushrooms
1/2 tsp Black Pepper + some to season mushrooms
1/4 C shredded Parmesan Cheese
(Add minced garlic, 1-2 cloves)
(Add sauteed onion, 1/2 Cup)

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. (Saute onions and garlic).  Remove the stems from the portobellos, chop the stems finely and add to the ground beef. With a spoon, scrape out the gills on the underside of the mushrooms and discard. Chop the spinach and measure the cheese.

Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Mix the cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and spinach (and onions and garlic) into the ground beef, using your hands. Form 4 patties and press them onto the portobello mushrooms.

Place the stuffed mushrooms on a small sheetpan or baking dish and cook for 20 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese to the top of each and pop back into the oven to melt the cheese or under the broiler to brown it.

Nutritional Information from MyFitnessPal
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 282; Total Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 81 mg; Sodium: 825 mg; Potassium: 587 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 8 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 2 g; Protein: 31 g

Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork

This recipe had one thing wrong with it. It was not spicy!  Looking at the ingredients, there is nothing besides crushed red pepper to add heat.  So you know we added chili garlic sauce to our servings.

Besides that, it was really good.  It was definitely something I liked for dinner, and leftovers for lunch.

We would have again.

Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork

Photo by ALB

The Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork recipe is characteristic of the hot and spicy cuisine from the Szechuan province. You can substitute lean ground chicken or turkey for pork and asparagus for green beans.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup pork mixture and 1/2 cup rice)

Ingredients
1/2 pound lean ground pork (used 1 lb)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (used black pepper)
1 teaspoon peanut oil (used vegetable oil)
2 1/2 cups (1-inch) cut green beans
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups hot cooked white rice

Preparation
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture, beans, and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until pork loses its pink color, stirring to crumble.

Combine hoisin and next 3 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add hoisin mixture to pan. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Serve over rice.

Nutritional Information (without my changes)
Amount per serving
Calories: 254; Fat: 6.8 g; Sat fat: 2.2 g; Mono fat: 3.5 g; Poly fat: 1.1 g; Protein: 14.6 g; Carbohydrate: 32.5 g; Fiber: 3.3 g; Cholesterol: 43 mg; Iron: 1.5 mg; Sodium: 323 mg; Calcium: 47 mg

Cooking Light, APRIL 2006

Spicy Thai Red Curry Beef

D and I usually don't eat curry at home, because it is never creamy enough.  However, this looked good.

We made a few substitutions/additions.  We used green curry paste because we had it.  We added green beans to bulk up the recipe.  And we used sirloin instead of tenderloin because was on sale, and to be honest, I'm not going to pay for tenderloin to chop it up.  So there's that.

Anyway,  it was good.  Not terribly spicy. We would have again.  Of course we added Sambal Oelek to it.

Spicy Thai Red Curry Beef

Photo by ALB

This single-skillet supper is a quick ticket to rich, exotic flavor. Don't shake the coconut milk before opening; you want to keep the thick cream layer separated.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: about 1 cup beef mixture and 1/2 cup rice)

Ingredients
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
4 teaspoons red curry paste (used green because we had it)
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced red bell pepper
Added 1 1/2 cup green beans
1 cup sliced onion
12 ounces beef tenderloin, thinly sliced (used 1 lb sirloin)
1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups hot cooked brown basmati rice (used regular white rice)
4 lime wedges

Preparation
1. Spoon coconut cream (thick layer at top of can) into a large skillet; stir in curry paste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add remaining coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, and red pepper; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bell pepper and onion; reduce heat to medium, and simmer 4 minutes. Add beef; cook 3 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove pan from heat; stir in basil, lime juice, and salt. Serve beef mixture with rice and lime wedges.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 334; Fat: 11.2 g; Satfat: 6.5 g; Monofat: 2.6 g; Polyfat: 0.6 g; Protein: 24 g; Carbohydrate: 36 g; Fiber: 3 g; Cholesterol: 55 mg; Iron: 3 mg; Sodium: 645 mg; Calcium: 65 mg; Sugars: 6 g; Est. Added: Sugars 2 g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2016

Refried Bean Poblanos with Cheese

When I showed this recipe to D, I was kind of surprised he said yes.  I even mentioned it was vegetarian.  He still went for it.

We had it last night.  It couldn't have been easier, although D said next time he would like to char the peppers.

Anyway, I halved and seeded the poblanos, and he did the rest (opened cans, packets and the microwave).  With me seeding the poblanos the whole dish probably took 10 minutes instead of 6.  Also, despite poblanos not being that hot, don't rub your eye until after you have washed your hands, if you are handling the peppers (PSA!).

We would have again, or we would have half a pepper as a side dish.  It was really good. (We did have with sour cream, which wasn't pictured).

Refried Bean Poblanos with Cheese

Photo by ALB

Poblano chiles grown in a hot, dry climate can be more intense than others, so the spiciness of this dish depends on the heat of your peppers.

Prep: 2 minutes; Cook: 6 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed chile halves)

Ingredients
4 medium poblano chiles, halved and seeded
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
1 (8.8-ounce) pouch microwaveable cooked long-grain rice (such as Uncle Ben's Original Ready Rice)
1/2 cup picante sauce
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation
1. Place chile halves, cut sides up, on a round microwave-safe plate. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 3 minutes.

2. While chiles cook, combine beans, rice, and picante sauce in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spoon bean mixture evenly into chile halves. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes. Uncover chiles, sprinkle each half with 2 tablespoons cheese, and microwave at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle evenly with cilantro, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 303; Fat: 6 g; Sat fat: 3.1 g; Monofat: 0.0 g; Polyfat: 0.1 g; Protein: 17 g; Carbohydrate: 45.4 g; Fiber: 7.7 g; Cholesterol: 10 mg; Iron: 0.7 mg; Sodium: 960 mg; Calcium: 232 mg

Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, APRIL 2009

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

This was a little sad.  Not horrible.  But it was a little bland.  Both D and I thought so.  It needed a little more salt, and the chicken needed a good rub.  Still I'd have it again.

We were workinng on finding healthy Latino-inspired sides.  We had with Skillet Mexican Zucchini.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Photo by ALB

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
From Closet Cooking

Juicy chicken breasts wrapped in crispy bacon and stuffed full, to overflowing, with melted cheese and jalapeno peppers!

Ingredients
4 (6 ounce) chicken breasts, butterflied or pounded thin
salt and pepper to taste (need to add cumin)
2 tablespoons roasted jalapenos (or fresh, or pickled), diced
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup monterey jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
8 slices bacon

Directions
Lay the chicken flat, season the outside with salt and pepper, spread 1/4 of the mixture of the jalapenos and the cheeses on the chicken breasts, roll them up and wrap each in 2 slices of bacon

Grill over indirect medium heat, with the lid down, until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked (160F to 165F), about 20-30 minutes, or bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven on a wire rack on a baking pan until cooked, about 20-30 minutes, turning the oven to broil for the last few minutes to ensure that the bacon is crispy.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 382, Fat 18.4g (Saturated 6.2g, Trans 0g), Cholesterol 148mg, Sodium 457mg, Carbs 1g (Fiber 0, Sugars 0), Protein 49.8g