How to Eat Healthy-ish
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| Mmmm...juice. |
Unfortunately 'healthy' has become like a bad word or something. If you tell someone you're cooking a healthy dinner they often look at you with pity, 'Oh you poor thing - eating healthy! Let me put you out of your misery.' As soon as I mentioned to my husband that we would be eating healthy for two-weeks he looked terrified. I may as well of said, 'I'm going to poison you for two weeks!' Best not to use the 'H' word in front of him. As I attempted (and succeeded) in showing him, healthy and delicious can co-exist. Here are some of my favorite recipes from the 'cleanse'.
Cajun-Spiced Bison with Sautéed Peppers and Onions
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 (8-oz.) bison filets, each about 1 1⁄2" thick
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning blend
1 medium-size bell pepper, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
¼ cup beef broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Prep
In a heavy skillet, heat vegetable oil. Season the steaks with Cajun seasoning and add them to the hot pan. Cook over moderate heat, turning the steaks once, until browned and crusty all over, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the steaks to a platter and tent with foil while you prepare the peppers and onions.
In the same hot skillet add the peppers and onion and sauté about 3 minutes, until the veggies begin to wilt. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and sauté another minute or so. Add the beef broth and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let cook until broth is absorbed (about 2 minutes). Turn off the heat and add the butter, letting it melt into the veggies. Add the parsley.
Plate the steaks and top with the sautéed veggies.
Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large bell peppers (I prefer yellow and red as they are less bitter than green, but use what you like)
1½ teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup marinara sauce
2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1½ cups cooked rice
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
Prep
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Trim the ends off the bottoms of the peppers so they will stand upright. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet on the stove. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.
Add the ground turkey and brown with the veggies. This should take about six minutes. Add the marinara, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for about 6 minutes, until sauce reduces and isn’t as runny. Remove pan from heat and stir in the rice and most of the feta cheese, reserve some to put on top.
Place the peppers on a tin foil-lined sheet tray. Fill each pepper with turkey and feta mixture. Once all peppers have been filled, sprinkle some of the reserved feta on top, cover peppers with a large piece of tin foil and seal.
Bake peppers for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Chicken Wonton Soup
Serves 4
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
In the same hot skillet add the peppers and onion and sauté about 3 minutes, until the veggies begin to wilt. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and sauté another minute or so. Add the beef broth and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let cook until broth is absorbed (about 2 minutes). Turn off the heat and add the butter, letting it melt into the veggies. Add the parsley.
Plate the steaks and top with the sautéed veggies.
Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large bell peppers (I prefer yellow and red as they are less bitter than green, but use what you like)
1½ teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup marinara sauce
2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1½ cups cooked rice
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
Prep
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Trim the ends off the bottoms of the peppers so they will stand upright. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet on the stove. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.
Add the ground turkey and brown with the veggies. This should take about six minutes. Add the marinara, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for about 6 minutes, until sauce reduces and isn’t as runny. Remove pan from heat and stir in the rice and most of the feta cheese, reserve some to put on top.
Place the peppers on a tin foil-lined sheet tray. Fill each pepper with turkey and feta mixture. Once all peppers have been filled, sprinkle some of the reserved feta on top, cover peppers with a large piece of tin foil and seal.
Bake peppers for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Chicken Wonton Soup
Serves 4
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients
Wontons:
3/4 pound ground chicken
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons minced scallions
Ground white pepper, to taste
50 wonton wrappers (about 12 ounces)
Stock:
8 cups prepared chicken stock or broth, store bought or homemade
A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 bundle scallions, to be used here and to finish
Soy sauce or salt, to taste
To Finish:
3 ounces baby bok choy, sliced
Toasted sesame oil and soy sauce, to taste
Prep
Make your filling: Combine chicken, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, ginger, chives and pepper in a bowl with a fork.
Form your wontons: Place a few wontons wrappers on your counter. Cover the remaining ones with a piece of plastic wrap. Place 1 heaped teaspoon (from a measuring spoon set) in the center. Use your fingers dipped in water to dampen the edges. Fold one corner diagonally across to the other, pressing air out as you seal it shut. Then, bring the two corners on the wide side of the triangle down below it and use a dab of water to seal them shut. You’re not trying to pull the corners across the belly, but pointing downward. Place formed wontons on a plate. Repeat with remaining wontons.
Fix up your stock (optional): While you’re forming wontons, enhance your stock. Chop the white and light green parts of your scallions into 1/2- to 1-inch segments. Cut dark green tops into thin slivers and save for garnish later. Place stock in 3 to 4-quart pot with sliced ginger, the white and light green scallions you’ve just chopped, garlic and soy sauce or salt, as needed, to season. Simmer them together for 20 minutes while you make the wontons, then strain out the ginger, scallions and garlic.
To finish soup: Add bok choy to simmering broth and let cook for one minute, until softened. Add wontons to broth and boil wontons for 3 minutes to cook them inside. Ladle wontons and soup into bowls. Drizzle each dish with a little toasted sesame oil, a bit of soy sauce (if desired) and scatter with reserved dark green scallion tops.
Make your filling: Combine chicken, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, ginger, chives and pepper in a bowl with a fork.
Form your wontons: Place a few wontons wrappers on your counter. Cover the remaining ones with a piece of plastic wrap. Place 1 heaped teaspoon (from a measuring spoon set) in the center. Use your fingers dipped in water to dampen the edges. Fold one corner diagonally across to the other, pressing air out as you seal it shut. Then, bring the two corners on the wide side of the triangle down below it and use a dab of water to seal them shut. You’re not trying to pull the corners across the belly, but pointing downward. Place formed wontons on a plate. Repeat with remaining wontons.
Fix up your stock (optional): While you’re forming wontons, enhance your stock. Chop the white and light green parts of your scallions into 1/2- to 1-inch segments. Cut dark green tops into thin slivers and save for garnish later. Place stock in 3 to 4-quart pot with sliced ginger, the white and light green scallions you’ve just chopped, garlic and soy sauce or salt, as needed, to season. Simmer them together for 20 minutes while you make the wontons, then strain out the ginger, scallions and garlic.
To finish soup: Add bok choy to simmering broth and let cook for one minute, until softened. Add wontons to broth and boil wontons for 3 minutes to cook them inside. Ladle wontons and soup into bowls. Drizzle each dish with a little toasted sesame oil, a bit of soy sauce (if desired) and scatter with reserved dark green scallion tops.
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