Slutty Low-Carb “Pasta”

Slutty Low-Carb “Pasta”

 

I have been seeing recipes all over Pinterest that require the use of a tool that cuts veggies into spiral noodles. I gave in and bought one months ago, yet it sits in my kitchen in the original packaging begging to be used. Well…until tonight that is! I was inspired by a recipe I pinned on my Lighter Fare board. I went to the grocery store with my weekly menu in hand and when I came home, I couldn’t wait to get started on my creation.

 

This is a low carb, sugar free, delicious meal that combines delicious veggies, ground turkey and a little bit of heat. The outcome ….. I can’t even tell you how good this was.  The name for this recipe is pulled from the inspiration recipe on pinterest. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is an old school Italian recipe that translates into “spaghetti a la whore”. The name works and it’s catchy so I decided to keep it.

 

So let’s get started. This was enough for me to have dinner and lunch the next day.

2 ripe zucchini’s

97% fat free ground turkey (I used ½ pound)

Olive Oil

½ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ cup diced yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon capers

Pine nuts

Lemon juice

15oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, diced (not drained)

Seasonings

 

To start, brown your ground turkey in a pan (add a touch of olive oil if the meat sticks to your pan). Season with sea salt, pepper, dehydrated onion and garlic powder. Add in red bell pepper and onions and cook until turkey is cooked through and veggies are translucent. Toss in a handful of pine nuts and cook for a few minutes to sort of toast them. Add in garlic and capers, cook for a few more minutes.  Add the can of tomatoes and turn up the heat to medium high. Once the skillet is pretty hot, squirt some fresh lemon juice around the inside edge of the pan and stir. I love adding lemon to tomato sauces/mixtures because it really brightens up the flavor of the veggies. Turn down to medium and let simmer while you cut the zucchini noodles.

 

Use your spiral veggie cutter to cut 2 zucchinis (wash and dry them first). Once the sauce is hot and bubbly, I add just a pinch of red pepper flakes and toss. Put your “noodles” in a bowl, top with a few ladles full of the tomato sauce and garnish with parmesan cheese.

 

You could add other veggies as you see fit. Mushrooms would be delightful, other bell peppers, asparagus even. The possibilities are endless. Then you could change up the spices to make the flavor completely different.

 

 

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Flank Steak Vegetable Rolls with Balsamic Glaze

I have seen this recipe pop on Pinterest quite a bit lately and decided to give it a whirl. And I am so glad I did. This recipe was super easy, fairly inexpensive and was on the table in 40 minutes (30 minutes of that was marinade time). Of course, if you plan ahead and marinade the steak ahead of time, it literally can be on the table in 10 minutes!!! And this is a dish you can feel good about serving to your whole family. Even Bella ate every single bite! That is a win in our house any day of the week.

Flank Steak Vegetable Rolls with Balsamic Glaze

 

 

 

recipe slightly altered and photo courtesy of this blog

 

 

 

1 1/2 pounds flank steak (or very thinly sliced sirloin)

Salt and Pepper, to taste
4-5 T Worcestershire Sauce
Steak Seasoning of your choice
Olive Oil

 

1 Carrot, sliced thinly (matchstick size)

1/2 Green Bell Pepper, sliced thinly (matchstick size)

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, sliced thinly (matchstick size)

1/2 Zucchini, sliced thinly (matchstick size)

5-6 Green Onions (green part, discard the white, cut green part to similar size of other veggies)

2 cloves garlic, minced

Italian Herb Seasoning

Smoked Paprika

 

2 T Butter

2 T Shallots, finely minced

1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar

2 T Brown Sugar

1/4 C. Beef Broth

 

Start by laying your steak on a cutting board and slicing into strips that are approximately 2 inches wide. My steak cuts were pretty long so I cut mine in half that way also. I think my final measurements were about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long. Season with steak seasoning of choice, throw in Ziploc bag and add in Worcestershire sauce. Let marinade for 30 minutes. If you have a tougher cut of meat, longer will be better.

 

While the meat is marinading, cut your veggies. You want your veggies to hang over the steak (so they look like above). If you are grilling, cut your veggies a tad shorter than your steak so that the veggies don't burn while you are cooking them.

 

To start the glaze, put your butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add in shallots and cook until translucent. Now add in balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and beef broth and bring it to a boil. Let the sauce reduce to half its volume. You'll know when it's done because it will start to become thick like syrup. Don't overcook it because it can quickly turn very hard very quickly. Once it's done, turn off the heat and pour it into a bowl.

 

In a large pan, over medium high heat, add in olive oil and garlic. Toss in cut veggies (not the green onion) and season with Italian herb seasoning and salt/pepper. Stir fry them for 2 minutes. Remove from pan.

 

To assemble your rolls, lay each strip of steak on a cutting board and gather bundles of veggies. I used two of each cooked veggie and one green onion to each strip. Place it towards one end of the strip and then roll them up and secure the seam side with a toothpick. Continue until all are made.

 

To cook, heat olive oil in pan you cooked veggies in over medium high.  Place the rolls seam side down and not touching and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until you get a nice sear to them. The thicker your steak or larger your rolls will determine the appropriate cook time. Mine were thin and when rolled, the steak was in two layers so my cook time was about 3-4 minutes total. While cooking, season with a dash of smoked paprika and more steak seasoning.

 

When done, remove the toothpick, plate and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

 

We served this with chive and curry couscous and French baguette drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with herbs and toasted it. Shawn and I each got 4 rolls and Bella ate 3. They are a perfect size for appetizers too if you're hosting a party and want to impress the guests with some Hors d'oeuvres that look like they were difficult to prepare and delicious in taste!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Three Little Pigs Soup

As the name suggests, this soup has three types of pork in it. Of course, you can eliminate one or two of them but I think you'd loose some of the depth this soup has. Its everything a soup should be: hearty, earthy, thick, and bursting with layers of flavor.

I had my sister and her main squeeze over for dinner and they agreed by helping themselves to seconds. This was a great way to use up the leftover christmas ham (check the blog because that recipe was FANTASTIC and blows the national ham chain out of the water) and get in some fiber and warm up on a cold Ohio December day.

I served this with a very delicious homemade cornbread (recipe on the blog also). This particular cornbread is a bit sweet (but not overly sweet) to balance the smokiness of the soup.

You're welcome in advance!

Three Little Piggies Soup

6 slices of bacon, coursely chopped

3 links of mild italian sausage, cut into bite size pieces (casing removed)

Ham, chopped into small pieces (I used leftover, equivalent of about 4-6 spiral slices)

1 small white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 28oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 cans chicken broth (the normal size cans) I always use low sodium/low fat

1 chipotle pepper (with adobe sauce), chopped small

2 teaspoons cumin

3/4 teaspoons dried oregano

few dashes of smoked paprika

dash of dried minced onion

salt and pepper to taste

1) In a frying pan, cook the chopped bacon until it is crispy. Remove from the pan and put on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the grease, discard the rest. 

2) In the reserved grease, add onion, garlic and italian sausage and cook until the sausage is done and the onions are not burnt.

3) Combine all the other ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Add in sausage/onion mixture and bacon.

4) Allow to boil for a short period of time, then reduce heat to medium low and allow soup to cook for 3-4 hours. Stir occasionally and adjust flavors as you see fit. I liked the smokiness that the adobe paste brought to the soup so I added a bit more while it was cooking. If you like less heat, remove the seeds from the pepper before adding it to the pot.

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Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Lasagna

I'm sure in previous posts, I have declared my love for all types of Mexican food. The flavors, the colors, THE AROMAS...All of it just makes my stomach rejoice!!

..... I digress ....

In my attempt to feed my family healthy meals that don't lack the deliciousness we deserve and trying to loose a few pounds myself, I am always on the lookout to be inspired. Mexican food isn't typically waist-line friendly but there are definitely ways to lighten them up without sacrificing the flavors.

In this dish, the real star is the roasted vegetables. There really is not a lot of added flavorings to this dish. Do not let the simplicity of this recipe and the ingredient list turn you off or make you think you will have a flavorless dish. It is quite the opposite, my friends!

I hope you enjoy! As always, I welcome the feedback and why you're at it...why not PIN it to your favorite board!

Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Lasagna

1 poblano chile, cut into thin sticks

2 red bell peppers, cut into thin sticks

1/2 head of cauliflower broken into small/medium sized pieces

1 small white/yellow onion, shaved or sliced thin

1 c. frozen corn

1/3 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick then into thin sticks

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

baby spinach leaves (a few hand fulls)

2 T ground cumin

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups salsa

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

9-10 flour or corn tortilla's, cut in half

Melissa's Homemade Enchilada Sauce

2 c. shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese

light sour cream and green onions, for garnish

1) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 

2) Place poblano chile, bell peppers, cauliflower, corn, onion and zucchini into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat all vegetables (but you dont want to have a pool of oil at the bottom). Sprinkle with cumin, garlic and salt and pepper and toss again.

3) Place vegetables in a roasting pan (or any other deep dish) and roast for about 40 minutes, or until you start to see the vegetables get a gorgeous roasted look. You'll want to stir them every 15 minutes or so to roast evenly. Remove and reduce oven temperate to 350 degrees.

4) Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl combine the salsa and cilantro. Spoon 1/4 of the mixture on the bottom of your pan. Lay down a layer of tortillas, then 1/3 of the roasted vegetable mix, 1/3  shredded chicken, handful of spinach and 1/3 shredded chicken. Repeat each layer and you should end with cheese on the top. 

5) Top your lasagna with the enchilada sauce (use as much or as little as you'd like)

6) Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes to get a nice color on the top of your lasagna. Let stand and cut into servings. Top each with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of green onions. 

recipe inspired by this blog

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Zucchini and Rice Skillet

Way back when I first stumbled upon the Pinterest world, I pinned a recipe that sparked some interest to me. Funny how when I look through all of my pins, how many of the food items I have yet to try.

This past week, I decided that I was going to add this into the mix. I changed up the originally recipe a bit because I was afraid that the original was going to lack a little flavor and would leave the stomach still wanting more. 

Our little family really enjoyed this dish. I especially liked that it was a one pot meal which meant less dishes for me!! It's really a win-win. I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to hear your feedback.

Zucchini, Beans and Beef Skillet

photo courtesy of this blog

1/2 pound beef

1 1/2 c. sliced zucchini, washed and cut in quarters
1/2 c. green bell pepper

1/2 c. red bell pepper

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 - 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, diced (I used the kind seasoned with garlic) UNDRAINED

3/4 c. water

1 c . instant brown rice, uncooked

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1) In a skillet on medium-high heat, dropped your ground beef into medium sized chunks and cook until cooked through.

2) Drain most of the grease (reserving 1-2 T of drippings in the pan) and add in onions, bell peppers, zucchini and garlic. Cook until veggies are a bit soft (just about 5 minutes).

3) Add beans, undrained tomatoes and water and turn heat on high and bring to a boil.

4) Add in uncooked rice. Stir well.

5) Cover and remove from heat and let stand for about 9 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
6) Garnish with cheddar cheese and serve. 

this recipe was adapted from this blog

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Drunken Italian Confetti Noodles

Wow...I feel like I haven't posted anything for quite some time. I almost feel like I have abandoned the blog. It's been a pretty busy past couple of weeks, so I do apologize for the silence.

Two weeks ago, my local grocery store had their super meat sale that they do twice a year. Our tax return came in and we decided to buy a chest freezer and load up on meat products we eat on a regular basis to take advantage of the deep discounts. We stocked our new freezer with chicken, beef, sausage, frozen vegetables and much more!!! So excited!! (Does that age me? lol)

I stumbled across some inspiration on Pinterest for this recipe. I tweaked it to make it my own but didn't drift too far away from the original. I can't tell you how many times I've attempted to jazz up some noodles by adding vegetables or something else that sounded good and it just fell flat of the promise I thought the dish had. I was a little nervous that this recipe would do that too but there's not a recipe on my epic fail list that included wine. So I thought it was worth a shot. And I am so glad that I tried it because this dish was nothing short of delicious!! It was pretty easy to make, all the ingredients are something you should have on hand, and it didn't take all that long to come together! I encourage you to give it a whirl. On the site that I pulled the original recipe off of, the blogger said "Out with the “eh”, the “OK” and the “so-so”, and in with the “WOW!” and the vibrancy that is all around." This recipe embodies this quote!!

Drunken Italian Confetti Noodles

4 spicy italian sausage links, casings removed

1/2 medium sized white onion, sliced thinly

1 small red bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 small yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 small orange bell pepper, sliced thinly

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine (chardonnay)

1-28 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice (diced is fine too)

3-4 T flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 C fresh basil, confetti

8 oz Pappardelle noodles (or any other thick ribbon style noodle)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

3 tsp. dried oregano

1) Heat skillet on medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan and brown it. I like to leave mine in small to medium sized chunks, but this is a preference thing. Remove from the pan and let rest in a covered bowel.In the meantime, cook noodles according to package to al dente.

2) Reserve some drippings and return to heat. Add onion and cook for about 5-7 minutes. You want them to sautee and really start to become transparent.

3) Add salt, pepper and oregano to the onions. Add in the peppers and continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

4) Add in garlic and sautee for 3-4 minutes. Once it becomes aromatic, add in white wine to the pan. Allow to burn off, then add tomatoes to the pan. Add parsley and half the basil to the sauce.
5) Add sausage back to the pan to finish the cooking process. Cook for 4-6 minutes to blend all the flavors. Add a nice drizzle of olive oil to finish it off.

6) Drain your noodles once they are done cooking and return them to the large pot and reduce heat to medium.

7) When your sauce is done, pour it on top of the noodles in the large pot, gently toss with a pair of tongs.

8) To serve, garnish with a sprinkle of fresh basil.



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3 Cheese Tortellini Alfredo with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Asparagus, and Roasted Red Peppers

Wow, that's a mouthful. But please don't let the title deter you from trying this incredibly easy, quick and delicious recipe.

I'm not feeling particularly 'wordy' today but I had several people comment on my facebook post asking for this recipe. I'll get right to the point so that I please their hungry tummy's!

3 Cheese Tortellini Alfredo with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Asparagus,
and Roasted Red Peppers

2 Medium Chicken Breasts

1 Large Red Bell Pepper, thick sliced

1 Bag Frozen 3 Cheese Tortellini (I bag I used served 5)

1 Jar Alfredo Sauce (Or your favorite recipe for one)

1/4 C. 2% milk

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 bunch Asparagus, chopped in 1 inch pieces

1/4 C. Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Herb Seasoning

1) Heat oven to 450 Degrees. Also bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2)  Place sliced red bell peppers in a glass dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over the peppers and toss. Sprinkle some sea salt on the peppers and place in the oven. Roasting will be complete in about 15 minutes.

3) Once water is boiling, cook tortellini according to directions. Drain when done, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder (just a bit).

4) In the meantime, place chicken breasts in a skillet over medium heat. Season both sides with garlic herb seasoning and cook until chicken is almost cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. After the chicken has rested for about 10 minutes, slice against the grain into slices (about an inch thick)

5) In the skillet you cooked the chicken in, add the alfredo sauce, milk and garlic cloves. Allow to come to a slight boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 8-9 minutes. Add in sliced chicken and asparagus and turn heat onto medium to bring to a low boil again. Keep stirring and allow it to boil slowly to finish cooking the chicken breasts and asparagus, about 3 minutes.

6) When red peppers are done roasting, place on a cutting board and cut into big chunks. Add to the alfredo sauce. Add mozzarella cheese to the sauce, give a good stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.

7) To serve, put tortellini on a plate or in a bowl and top with a good helping of the sauce.

*I had this for leftovers at lunch today and it was DELICIOUS! Would be a good sauce to add red pepper flakes to to add a little bit of heat*

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Lightened Up Corn and Potato Chowder

When it comes to soup, I like very much prefer broth based soups over its cream based competitors. I love the comfort of soup but I don't think you need to load a soup with calories and fat for it to be delicious. This is the reason I've never had a love affair with cream of _____  or  _____ chowder or ____bisque....you get my drift.

But I was inspired by a lightened chowder recipe that I got in one of my Weight Watchers Weekly's that I got from a meeting last fall and thought I'd use it as a starting point.

I made it my own by switching up a few things and the end result was a delicious, hearty soup that didn't add inches to my waist line. That's a win-win in my book!!  (Picture courtesy of this website)

Fall Harvest Skinny Corn Chowder

2 medium potatoes (for ease, I opted for the microwavable ones)

1 medium sized Zucchini

1/3 cup chopped onion (i used a Vidalia onion but white would work too)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c. Roasted Red Bell Peppers, diced

1/3 c. celery, chopped

1 Bag frozen corn (regular sized bag)

6 Strips thick cut bacon, diced

2 C. Skim Milk

1 c. low fat chicken broth (more or less depending on how thick/runny you like your soup) 

Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

Hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1) Microwave potatoes per directions on the package. If you use regular potatoes, pierce them with a fork and cook in the microwave on high for about 8 minutes, or until tender. Move on to step 2 while this is cooking.

2) Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook bacon until it is crispy. Place on paper towel to allow oil to drain off of it. Drain oil from the skillet but reserve 1 T or so to cook vegetables in. Place celery, onion and zucchini in skillet and cook in oil until tender but slightly crisp. Add frozen corn and roasted red peppers during the last two minutes to bring to temp.

3) In a soup pot on medium heat, pour milk, chicken broth, garlic, bacon, cooked veggies, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Cut cooked potatoes in spoon-sized chunks (really a preference thing). Reserve 5-6 chunks, and add the remaining potatoes to the pot. Mash the reserved potatoes and add mash to the soup pot. Simmer for 30-40 minutes to allow all the flavors to marry. Do not bring to a boil (you don't want to ruin the milk).
4) Bowl it up and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!!

(soup is so hard to judge how much it makes because bowl sizes vary. This recipe makes 3/4 of a normal size pot)

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Taco Stuffed Squash

Over the last few years, I have discovered that I really like yellow squash. My mom had a pretty sizable garden for a number of years while I was younger. For a few summers, I remember growing all kinds of corn, tomatoes, and peppers and we would set up a little table at the end of the driveway and sell to the neighbors. I don't think we ever got rich off of it but it was a nice way to get rid of extras and make a few dollars for mom and dad's hard work.

Anyway...Mom was always growing and preparing zucchini and I always liked it. I still do. But I really think these days if I have to choose between yellow squash and zucchini as a cooked vegetable, I'll go with the yellow squash any day!

I stopped at a local farmers market a few weeks ago (ok...maybe a month and a half ago but its all the same the way this summer flew by). I picked up a handful of zucchini and yellow squash, red bell peppers and green onions for an idea that I had.

I also have a fond place in my heart for anything mexican, especially tacos.  I just love tacos!! Well...trying to slim down, eating tacos doesn't really fit into the dinner scenario much. So I wanted to try something that I thought would be good.

Well the result was a pretty awesome and healthy dinner and I wanted to share it with you!!! I will update the post next time I make these with a step by step picture guide because I realize explaining it might be a bit confusing for a step or two. In the meantime, go support your local farms by grabbing these ingredients and have a new twist on tacos!!! I mean it...GO NOW!!!

Taco Stuffed Squash (or Zucchini)

2 - Medium to Large size Yellow Squash or Zucchini, washed

1/2 Medium sized Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1/2 Medium sized Green Bell Pepper, chopped

2 Green onions, chopped (seperate white and green parts)
1/2 Cup Red Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3/4 Pound of Ground Turkey (or beef if you'd like)
3 Tablespoons of Taco Seasoning (more or less to taste)
1 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used reduce fat Mexican blend)
Sour Cream (for garnish)
Cilantro (for garnish)

(recipe makes 4 stuffed boats)
1) Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.
2) Spray a tad bit of Olive Oil in a medium skillet set to medium heat. Saute bell peppers and onions for 3-4 minutes. Add in the white part of the green onion and garlic. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
3) Add in the ground meat to your veggies in the pan. Add the taco seasoning to the meat and stir. cook until meat is thoroughly cooked.
4) While your meat is cooking, cut your squash in half long ways. (To create two 'boats'). Take a spoon and spoon out the insides of the squash. (I will post pictures of this part to clear up confusion). If you'd like you can chopped up the scooped out part and add it to your meat mixture. If not, throw it away.
5) Once your meat is cooked, remove from heat. Place the squash on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil. Sprinkle the hollowed-out squash with just a tad of salt and pepper. Spoon meat mixture into each squash boat. You'll want to make them heap a little because it will settle in the oven.
6) Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pull them out, top them with  cheese mixture and cook to melt the cheese. I have found that if you're using zucchini it tends to cook faster. Reduce cook time by 2 minutes (or keep an eye on them so they dont get soogy)
7) Garnish them with the green part of the green onion, sour cream and cilantro. I like to add a dash or two of my favorite hot sauce too to give it a kick.

This recipe may seem intimidating but its SO easy and is VERY tasty!!!!

 

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