Cauliflower Curry & Meatballs

This is a super speedy recipe!  By using a jarred curry sauce, you can save a lot of time during dinner prep.  We will balance out sodium in the pre-made sauce by only adding minimal additional sodium to our meatballs and by adding lots of vegetables rich in potassium.  Feel free to substitute any vegetables you have on hand.  You may also used cubed chicken, instead of the meatballs, to cut back on total and saturated fat.

To start, lightly coat baking sheet with non-stick spray.  Spread cauliflower evenly on pan and roast in preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, stirring once. 

While cauliflower is roasting, heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat and start your meatballs. 

 

 

Mix together your meat, wheat germ, flaxseed, parsley, pepper and salt.  Roll the mixture into evenly-sized meatballs.

Brown your meatballs over medium heat, rotating until browned on all sides.  As hard as I try, I can never get my meatballs perfectly round...

After meatballs are browned, set them aside.  Wipe out extra grease from pan.  Put your meatballs back in the pan and add curry sauce. I used Tikka Masala curry, but you can choose whichever kind you prefer.  Add about 1/2 jar-full of water and simmer about 5 minutes.

 

 

Add your cauliflower to the pan and stir to combine. 



Serve over brown rice with a dollop of fat-free Greek yogurt. 

Cauliflower Curry & Meatballs
Makes 4 servings

1 head cauliflower, chopped
1lb grass-fed beef
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flaxseed
2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 jar curry sauce (I used Tikka masala curry, but use your preference)

1. Roast cauliflower at 400 for 20 minutes.
2. Mix together beef, wheat germ, flaxseed, parsley, pepper and salt.  Form into meatballs.  Cook over medium heat, turning until all sides are browned, about 10 minutes. 
3. Drain meatballs, and wipe out extra grease from pan.  Put your meatballs back in the pan and add curry sauce. Fill about 1/2 the empty curry jar with water and add to pan.  Simmer with meatballs for about 5 minutes.  Add cauliflower, stirring to combine.  Serve with rice and yogurt, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving- 420 calories, 25gm fat, 8gm saturated fat, 74mg cholesterol, 510mg sodium, 21gm carbohydrates, 8gm fiber, 7gm sugar, 30gm protein

Beef and Plantain Stew

By 10 am this past Saturday I had already baked a loaf of banana bread, made a batch of raw coffee brownies, and have stew in the crock-pot. Sounds like a lot of work but it wasn't. I used 2 kitchen appliances, well, 3 if you count the oven. Total prep time for all foods, maybe 20 minutes. So as I wait for my slice of bread to digest and finish my coffee I figured I'd blog about the stew I just made.

Crock-pots are wonderful. They make life so much easier. You can pretty much throw anything into a crock-pot and it will come out tasting wonderful. This recipe has only 5 main ingredients and a few spices to get it all going. You'll be seeing a lot more crock-pot friendly meals on the blog in the next few months as the weather gets colder and colder here in NC.

Sorry I forgot to snap a photo here!

Beef and Plantain Stew

-1 lb of lean grass fed beef cubes
-2 green plantains, sliced
-1/2 medium to large yellow onion, diced
-3-4 c. kale
-2 c. low sodium beef stock
-2 c. water
-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp. ground garlic or 2 garlic cloves
-salt to taste

Throw it all into the crock-pot at once and let it cook. I put mine on high then set it to low later in the afternoon. You can certainly brown your beef before putting into the crock-pot but I was only half awake this morning when I threw this together so that did not happen.

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili

 

If you showed this recipe to a Texan, he or she would scoff and call it a goulash, insisting this can not be called a chili.  If there is one thing I learned from my time spent in the Lone Star state, it's that there is no place for beans in chili!  However, beans are the perfect little vessel of vegetarian protein, a boatload of fiber, and a plethora of vitamins and minerals including folate and iron.  Therefore, this Texan-born gal will continue to include this magical food in her chili. 

The great thing about chili, is that there is a lot of room for you to make it your own!  Don't want beans?  Then leave them out!  Want to cut fat with turkey instead of beef?  Go for it!  Want to add a ton of veggies and varieties of beans for a vegetarian version?  You got it!

In this case, I wanted to celebrate the flavor of the season- pumpkin!  And of course you know there is a nutrition bonus... pumpkin, along with other winter squash, is a fantastic source of vitamin A and carotenoids.  This means you are gaining powerful antioxidant benefits from this beautiful orange fall treat. 

And as if that wasn't enough!  But you are also getting a healthy dose of fiber, and low calorie count per serving.  My clients have all heard me push fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  For someone looking to keep off the pounds over the holidays, high-fiber foods, like pumpkin and beans, can help keep us full for longer. 

But let's get down to the good stuff now... Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili, a great one-pot meal for a chilly fall evening.

Start by browning your beef.  I used NC grown, grass-fed beef.  This is a more sustainable choice, but does not mean the beef is lower in fat.  So brown your beef and then drain the meat in a colander under hot-running water.  This removes the extra saturated ("bad") fats.

 

Set your meat aside.  In a large skillet, heat 1 Tb oil (coconut, olive, canola) over medium heat.  Add your chopped bell pepper, onion and garlic and sauté until tender and onions are somewhat translucent, about 5-8 minutes. 

 

 

While the vegetables are tenderizing you can start adding your seasoning.  Stir in chili powder, cumin, chipotle, oregano, pepper. 

 

 

When your vegetables are nice and tender, you will stir in your pumpkin, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and drained black beans.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  You may add water as needed if chili becomes too thick. 

 

 

 

Scoop your chili into bowls and top with guacamole.  I also served mine with Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Tortilla chips.  These are awesome... just make sure you scoop your serving onto the plate instead of eating strait out of the bag.  This will help you from over-eating!

 



 

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili

1lb grass-fed ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 Tb coconut oil (may use oil of choice)

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tb chili powder

1 Tb cumin

1 Tb dried oregano

1 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pure pumpkin

 

1. Brown beef over medium heat until no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.  Drain and rinse under hot water.

2. Heat oil over medium heat.  Add bell pepper, onion, garlic and cook until veggies start to tenderized, about 5 minutes. 

3. Stir cumin, chili powder, oregano, chipotle and salt and pepper into veggies.  Stir and cook 1-2 minutes longer. 

4. Add diced tomatoes, rinsed black beans and pumpkin.  Bring to boil, then turn heat down and simmer for on low for 30 minutes.  Add more water as needed to reach desired consistency.  Serve with guacamole and tortilla chips.

 

 





Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Frittata

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That's a fairly true statement. I don't like to say one meal is more important than another but breakfast is a big one. However, what you eat for breakfast is more important. The ideal breakfast should be high in protein versus carbohydrates. Eating highly refined carbohydrates for breakfast will bring your blood sugars right up and promptly back down. This will cause you to have a sugar crash and leave you hungry within an hour or two after you ate. Try to give your breakfast a little protein punch without having to wake up earlier to scramble eggs or blend a smoothie.

*sorry there isn't a picture for this. I hate it all before remembering to snap one. I hate cameras to this taking pictures thing is difficult for me to remember!

Spaghetti Squash Breakfast Frittata

-1 small spaghetti squash
-1/2 bag of frozen broccoli
-4 slices of turkey bacon
-1 carton of eggs (only 5 whole eggs)
-1 tsp dried parsley
-1 tsp garlic
-salt/pepper to taste

-Preheat the oven to 350F. Slice your spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Roast for about 30-45 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled use your fork to make little spaghetti noodles by raking the flesh.

-Microwave the frozen broccoli to thaw and squeeze extra water out with a paper towel. Set aside.

-Cook turkey bacon. I put the entire package on a baking sheet and cook it in the oven. I then use the other strips for different recipes in the week. (batch cooking perk!)

-Whisk together spices and eggs.

-Now that you've got all the components made you'll need a pie dish or brownie pan. Press the spaghetti squash noodles into the base of the pan (I used a le creuset dish and did not grease it). Then add broccoli layer followed by torn up turkey bacon. Pour the egg mixture on top and place back into the oven (already preheated to 350F). Bake for ~45 minute or until browned on top and fork/knife comes out clean.

-Once cooled cut into squares and you've got a high protein, healthy breakfast on the go all week or a great brunch!

Butternut Squash Soup

It's definitely feeling like fall in NC. There was actually frost on my windshield this morning when I woke up to head to the gym. Warming up to a bowl of soup was just what I needed.

Soups,stews, and chilis are great one pot meals that can feed a family easily. Not only are they easy to make and "wing" with random ingredients in your fridge/pantry but they freeze well. Try making an extra batch to freeze for a quick meal on a hectic week.

Butternut Squash Soup

-1 1/2 T. garlic
-3/4 of a medium yellow onion diced
-2 1 lb. bags of frozen butternut squash
-1 tsp ground ginger
-salt to taste
-2 c. low sodium chicken broth

-Saute garlic and onion with olive oil. Add spices to the mixture. Once translucent and browning add butternut squash. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
-Add 2 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil.
-Once fork tender use immersion blender to make a creamy soup.
-Top with diced turkey bacon. You can also add diced chicken sausage to the mixture or a sprinkle of cheese. I'd recommend grueyer or parmesan.

Step 2

Step 1