Clean Eating: Stuffed Peppers

Thank you so much for the positive feedback about the pictures and recipes. I enjoy reading your comments, so keeping bringing them on.  I am almost on my 100th post!

I have tried so many great recipes this week and this one is probably my favorite. I am going to get right to this delicious recipe because I am so excited to share it.

Stuffed Peppers

Adapted from The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno pg. 220

Ingredients:

• Water
• Sea Salt
• 4 Large red bell peppers (you can use any color- I used a variety)
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• 1 tsp EVOO
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 1 cup butternut squash (I used sweet potatoes instead)
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup of frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
• Juice of fresh lime
• Fresh ground pepper
• Cooking Spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cooked brown rice in a bowl to let cool. Make sure there is a rack in the middle of the oven.

Bring large pot of  salted water to a boil. Place the peppers in the boiling water and cook briefly. The peppers need to be just a little soft. Remove the peppers from the water and them on a plate lined with paper towels, upside down so the water can drain out.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté onion, carrot, and sweet potato. Cook for 10 minutes. covered.

Add garlic and cook a few minutes more. Now add tomatoes, beans, and corn. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add vegetable mixture to cooled, cooked brown rice. Season with cilantro, lime juice, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix with clean, bare hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

Prepare a small baking pan with a light coating of non-stick spray. Place each of the peppers right side up in the pan. Stuff each pepper with brown rice filling. Don’t pack the rice mixture too tightly. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

 

The verdict: These peppers are so flavorful and filling. I actually made extra for lunches this week.

I will leave you with a picture of my two kitties sharing some love.

A rainy but scrumptious Cinco de Mayo

 

The weather is being quite unpredictable, but that is a typical New England Spring for you. I have also been so unpredictable with my posting. I don’t want to bore you with the details of my stress ridden life. My goal is to get here as much as a I can because this is a stress reliever for me. I find cooking so relaxing but have not really had the time to enjoy it. Tonight I made some time to make a meal to celebrate the holiday.  It starts with a Carne Asada Steak complimented with a Bean Guacamole Dip and Salba Tortilla Chips.  Here are the great recipes:

Carne Asada Steak

Courtesy of Williams and Sonoma Mexican

INGREDIENTS

8 unpeeled cloves garlic
3 canned chiles chipotles en adobo with 1 tsp. sauce
1/4 c. (2 fl. oz.) fresh lime juice, strained
2 T. dried oregano, preferably Mexican
Sea salt
2 lb. trimmed rib-eye or other steaks of choice, about 3/4 inch thick
Canola or safflower oil for brushing grill rack

INSTRUCTIONS

Place a comal (griddle) or cast iron frying pan over medium heat and heat until hot. Put the garlic cloves on the hot surface and toast until blackened and soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool to the touch, and peel.

In a small bowl, using a fork, smash together the garlic and the chiles and sauce. Stir in the lime juice, oregano, and 1 tsp. sea salt.

Coat the steaks on both sides with the chile mixture. Set aside at room temperature for 30 – 45 minutes, turning at least once.

I am going to post the original recipe for anyone who is interested. I was not able to grill outside due to the weather. I had to resort to the broiler.

Build a fire, preferably using mesquite charcoal, in an outdoor charcoal grill and let burn until covered with white ash. Leave the coals heaped in the center of the grill; do not spread them out. Brush the grill rack with oil.

Place the steaks on the grill rack directly over the coals and grill, turning at least once, until crusty brown on both sides and rare or medium-rare on the inside, 5 – 7 minutes total. Transfer to a warmed serving platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest briefly before serving. Serve the steaks on large individual plates and accompany with grilled onions, salsa fresca, and guacamole. Serve pot beans in bowls alongside.

I made a steak fajita with my slices of steak.

I used a La Tortilla Factory Smart and Delicious Soft Wraps. These wraps have 12 grams of dietary fiber!!  They make a great shell for fajitas.

I also made another Eat Clean recipe to compliment the fajitas.

High Fiber Bean DipBy: From Eat Clean Diet Cookbook/ Tosca Reno

Ingredients

1 x 15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and well drained
1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
.5 small onion, minced fine
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Blend the red kidney beans and olive oil until the mixture resembles a paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.

2. Enjoy this bean dip with bread, veggies, in wraps, or just about anywhere else.

I decided to enjoy my bean dip with a bit of Wholly Guacamole. This guacamole is so tasty.

Little Bean Dip Bowls

The guacamole that we sampled tonight was the ef="http://whollyguac.com/our_products/pico_style" target="_blank">Pico de Gallo Style. Holy YUM! If you love the guac this will not disappointed. The right mix of avacado and tomato goodness. My tortilla chips were in love.

I had to use my Salba Smart Organic Tortilla Chips.

What a great chip to dip with. The health benefits are also amazing because these chips are Omega-3 Enriched!

This was a great meal that the whole family could enjoy on a budget. Great flavors and nutrition that anyone can do the Salsa too!

 

Eat Clean Sunday and Winners

It has been another great weekend despite the weather being a bit on the rainy side. I dedicated part of the time in planning my menu for the week and look for new recipes to try. I really want to to re-dedicate my cooking practices to a more “clean eating” approach. I wanted to start with my breakfast selections, as it seems that getting up in the morning is getting harder and harder as the school year comes to an end. I went right to a great source for a lot of clean eating recipes The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. This cookbook has over 150 clean eating recipes for the whole family to enjoy. It includes many color pictures of the recipes which in my opinion makes a great cookbook. I was immediately drawn to the Carrot Bread Recipe on page 314. I wanted to share this with you, as I know a lot of you are looking for healthy recipes.

Carrot Bread

Ingredients

1 lb (454 gms) carrots, peeled and grated
1 1/4 C (300 mL) whole wheat flour
1 1/4 C (300 mL) cornmeal
1/4 C (60 mL) flaxseed meal
1 1/2 tsp (8mL) baking powder
pinch of sea salt
3 egg whites
1 egg yolk
2 TBSP (30 mL) canola oil
1/2 C (125 mL) organic honey
3/4 C (180 mL) fat free organic milk or Low Fat Soy Milk
1/4 C (60 mL) raisins
1/4 C (60 mL) dried cranberries

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a small saucepan place carrots and enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and let cool.

In a medium mixing bowl place dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, flaxseed meal, baking powder, salt).

Instead of Flaxseed meal, I used a new product that I found recently, Salba (as seen in above measuring cup). Salba is is a whole grain high in vital nutrients and minerals. Grown under strict growing conditions by one family of growers in Peru, Salba is nutritionally consistent from crop to crop.

What are some of the nutritional benefits of Salba?

• higher in Omega-3 than flax or salmon
• higher ORAC score (antioxidants) than blueberries or pomegranates.
• improves CVD risk factors in Type 2 Diabetes
• higher in fiber than All Bran
• higher in iron than spinach
• higher in calcium than milk

Ideas for Salba for Baking (whole or ground):

• Replace the 1/6 flour in any recipe with ground Salba
• Add whole grain to any recipe
• 1T Whole grain Salba + ¼ cup of water = 1 egg (stir Salba to prevent clumping, blend gel for best results)

Enhance your muffins, breads, cookies, meatloaf, pie crusts, etc. with Salba! I decided to enhance this bread with Salba because I wanted it to be a powerhouse of nutritious goodness.

In another bowl, whip egg whites until stiff.
In a small bowl put egg yolk, honey, and milk. Mix well.

Add to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add whipped egg whites and fold until just combined. Add dried fruit, nuts, and cooked carrots and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix or loaf will be tough.

Prepare a 5 x 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

The nutritional data per recipe in the book:
calories 288, calories from fat 53, protein 6 g, carbs 53 g, dietary fiber 6 g, sugars 23 g, fat 5 g, sodium 67 mg
Number of Servings: 10

The verdict:

I had to sample a tiny piece because it smelled delicious. It was moist and tasty. This will make a great breakfast for the morning.

Sorry for the delay of announcing the winners of Friday’s contest. And the winners of the Tyson Meal Coupon are……

1. Michelle at Lucky Taste Buds

2. Heather from A Healthier Me

3. Zara from Crazy Mom

4. Amanda from Fake Ginger

5. Carol from Uncovering Food

Please send me an email at smmuconn@gmail.com to redeem your prize Congrats to the winners. Hope your weekend was great! More Clean Eating recipes this week and a Cinco de Mayo Celebration Mom on the Run Style.

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