Cabbage Veggie Soup

Spring has just arrived so I thought I'd post one last soup recipe before warmer weather is upon us. This is a great comforting soup for a rainy day!

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped cabbage
One 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth (*use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes if you are on a gluten-free diet)
½ to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 teaspoons sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

Add the teaspoon olive oil, carrots, celery and onion to a large pot and sauté on medium-high heat for 5 -7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, broth, garlic powder and paprika and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for at least 12 -15 minutes until veggies are tender.

Makes 10 cups, 10 servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 40 Protein 2 g Carb 7 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 4 g Fat 1 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 490 mg

Read more...

Easy Chicken Cacciatore

A healthy twist on a traditional Italian favorite, plus it is very easy to make too!

Ingredients:

4 medium sized chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 red bell peppers, sliced (2 cups)
½ large white onion, sliced (1 cup)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
One 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons capers (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional for garnish)
salt and pepper (optional)

Directions:

Coat a large non-stick pan/skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil, add the chicken breasts and brown on medium high heat, about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the second teaspoon olive oil, the peppers and onions to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until lightly browned and starting to soften. Throw in the mushrooms and half the can of tomatoes and continue to heat, stirring occasionally for another 3-4 minutes. Then add the browned chicken breasts, the basil, the capers, garlic powder and the second half of the canned tomatoes, reduce to low-medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and no longer pink inside. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.

Makes 4 servings:

Serving size: ¼ recipe Calories 230 Protein 29 g Carb 15 g Fiber 4 g Sugars 8 g Fat 5 g Saturated fat 1 g Sodium 230 mg with capers the Carb is 16g and Sodium is 350 mg

Read more...

White Chocolate Walnut Cookies

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies MOVE OVER, white chocolate plus walnut is a winning combo as well, plus these cookies are lower in sugar and made with whole grains too, and can even be made gluten-free!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup oat flour, (if you are on a gluten-free diet use a gluten free brand such as Bob’s Red Mill (you csn also make your own to by grinding gluten free oats in food processor)
½ cup oats (gluten free rolled oats for GF diet- I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup margarine, slightly softened (preferably an all natural brand such as Earth Balance)
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup white chocolate chips (*use a gluten-free oats such as Nestle if you are on a gluten-free diet)

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, oats and baking powder in a small to medium bowl. In a larger bowl, mix the brown sugar, egg and margarine. Slowly start adding the flour mixture to the larger bowl with the egg/sugar mixture until a soft thick dough is formed. Stir in the chips and walnuts.
Refrigerate the dough overnight or at least a few hours for best results.
Drop the cookie dough in rounded spoonfuls (or use a small ice cream scooper) onto a baking sheet to make 24 cookies. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Serving size: 1 cookie Calories 100 Protein 1 g Carb 13 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 9 g Fat 5 g Saturated fat 3 g Sodium 85 mg

Read more...

The BAD/BETTER/BEST of Foods Challenge Post # 9

SOUR CREAM

BAD – regular sour cream

Topping your potato or favorite Mexican dish with regular sour cream will mean adding some undesirable calories and fat. A ¼ cup of sour cream contains 120 calories, 10 grams of fat- 70 percent of which is saturated fat - the “bad” kind that is linked to heart disease.

BETTER- fat free sour cream

Switching to fat free sour cream cuts the calories in half and drops the fat to practically zero and still retains the tangy sour cream taste.

BEST- fat free Greek yogurt

The best choice is actually substituting Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, especially as a garnish. This thick, creamy yogurt works surprisingly well in it’s place and will only add 30 calories for 1/4 cup without any fat. And it has beneficial calcium and live active cultures. Try it in my Barbeque Chicken Salad, Waldorf Chicken Salad and Super Simple Potato Salad recipes too!

Read more...

Oat Crepes

A nice light crepe recipe that can be quickly prepared and host a wide variety of fillings, and it’s gluten-free too! Check out my earlier post on Creative Crepes for some great filling ideas

Ingredients:

1/2 c oat flour (if you are on a gluten free diet use a brand such as Bob’s Red Mill or you can make your own too by grinding gluten free oats in food processor)
1/4 c egg whites
1/2 cup low fat milk
cooking spray

Directions:

Measure 1/2 cup flour into small bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the egg whites. Start adding milk while whisking briskly to a smooth, thin consistency. Let stand for 5 minutes.
While you are waiting, get out a plate to put the finished crepes on and some paper towels to put in between each made crepe as you stack them. Coat a medium size pan with cooking spray and put on high heat for 2-3 minutes, then spray again with one more coating before starting the first crepe.
Take a 1/4 c measure cup to scoop out the batter and pour into a small circle in center of the pan, very quickly rock/swirl the pan in a circular motion holding a few inches above the heat to get the batter to thinly coat the pan. Then put it back on the burner.

The crepe should look like a super thin pancake. When the edges start to curl up (about 1-2 min) use a large spatula to flip the crepe over. Heat about a minute on the second side (until very lightly browned). Remove from pan and place on plate. Cover with paper towel. Repeat these steps for each crepe. Note: as the pan gets hotter the crepes will start cooking faster and may take as little as 30 seconds on each side. Always spray a new coat of cooking spray before making the next crepe. Be sure to put one paper towel (or a piece of paper towel) in between each crepe as you are stacking them to keep them from sticking together.

You can make the crepes ahead of time and keep in a zip lock or sealed container in the refrigerator to reheat with filling in them later. Or you can put the crepes aside for a few minutes while you make some fillings.

Makes 4 crepes (about 5-6 inches diameter), 4 servings

Serving size : 1 crepe: Calories 80 Protein 5 g Carb 12 g Fiber 1.5 g Sugars 1.5 g Fat 1.5 g Saturated fat <1 g Sodium 36 mg

Read more...