Tisha's Lentil Enchiladas

click on photo to enlarge


click on photo to enlarge

Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp unrefined oil or butter
1 cup dried lentils
1 heaping tablespoon of my taco seasoning (see post with crock pot pinto beans)
2 cups broth, any kind
1 cup thick salsa
8 whole wheat tortillas (see previous post)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 can enchilada sauce (we like Stokes pork flavored sauce; clean ingredient list and yummy)
lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream, etc.. for toppings

Directions
Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add lentils and spices. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover. Cook 10 minutes more, allowing liquid to reduce. Add salsa. Heat through. You may need to put this in a colander to remove some of the cooking liquid. Spoon 1/4 cup lentils into tortillas. Roll and place in a 13x9 pan. Cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with desired toppings

Simple Lo Mein Dinner

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken or pork (totally optional)
1 lb bag frozen stir fry veggies
1/2 a 13.5 oz box of whole wheat linguine or spaghetti
1 cup reduced sodium broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp minced garlic from a jar

Get your pasta water going in one pan. Heat a skillet or wok and drizzle with evoo. Saute your chicken until cooked through and then add 1/4 cup water. Add your frozen veggies and cover. Steam for 5 minutes on high. Meanwhile, put your pasta in to cook. Whisk together the broth, juice, soy sauce, flour, and garlic. Pour this over the chicken and veggies and leave uncovered, stirring often until the sauce thickens. Drain your pasta and dump it right into the pan with the chicken, veggies, and sauce.

This serves 2 adults, 3 kids under 10, plus another adult for lunch the next day.

Crock pot Great Northern Beans

I wanted to cook a pound of Great Northern Beans because I love the idea of replacing half of the meat in a recipe with beans, and Great Northerns are so mild and versatile that I love to use them for this purpose. However, I usually forget to cook them ahead of time and end up using all the meat the recipe called for anyway. This is what I put in my crockpot at 9:00 last night:

1 lb dry Great Northern Beans
10 cups hot tap water
1/4 cup organic no-salt seasoning blend (Costco)

I turned the crockpot on low and left it until 6:00 this morning, so 9 hours. The beans are perfectly cooked and still had some broth as well. I love the flavor of the no-salt seasoning but you know what is missing? Salt. lol. When I make them again, I'll add a tablespoon of salt. I suspected this might be the result but because of my detox, I'm avoiding salt. I ended up with 6 lbs of beans. Here they are:



CLICK ON IMAGE FOR A CLOSE UP

Crock Pot Pinto beans and stuff you can make with them!

Just look at the sodium content in a can of beans one time and you'll choke. They are pretty high in sodium. I hate when I go to buy a "healthy" food and find that it has been modified this way. Grr... So, I make my own version. I put them in jars for the sake of this blog because stuff looks pretty in jars. Usually, though, I put these in 2 cup portions in ziplock baggies. 2 cups of beans (with yummy juice included) weighs about 14 oz, which is the same size as a can of beans.



8 cups water
3 cups dry pinto beans
1/4 cup homemade taco seasoning (see below)
1 can tomato paste
1 Tbsp Chicken base (I use organic, low sodium, "Better than Boillon"

put in crockpot on low for 8 hours. I don't recommend trying this with other beans. I hear the cooking time can be WAY different so I can only say this works with pintos.

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

Storebought taco seasoning is full of junk you don't want. If you want the flavor with NO unknown ingredients and NO sodium, mix 1/2 cup each cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano in a quart jar and use it to flavor just about anything. This is also WAY cheaper than those little packets

MEXICAN HAYSTACKS

2 cups cooked rice
2 cups crockpot pinto beans
cheese
sour cream
lettuce
tomato
black olives
salsa

CHILI SOUP

2 cups crockpot pinto beans
2 cans chili seasoned tomatoes
1 can low sodium beef broth (or homemade broth or broth from beef base)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 lb cooked ground beef, turkey, or elk (optional)
1 cup cooked barley (optional)

simmer for a while and serve with grated cheese, sour cream, cilantro, etc.. if desired.

BEAN AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS

2 cups crockpot pinto beans
8 whole wheat tortillas
2 cups grated cheese
1 small can enchilada sauce (check label for a short, clean ingredient list)

warm your tortillas so they are soft. Fill with beans and 1/2 the cheese and place in a baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (you want your cheese good and bubbly). You can top with lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream, etc. if you want but I really like them best with just sour cream, I'm ashamed to admit. I like my veggies on the side for this one.

Easy Chicken Parmesan with Chunky Tomato Sauce

1 slice of whole wheat bread, toasted and crushed into crumbs
4 b/s chicken breasts, sliced into 8 pieces, halved horizontally

3 tbsp olive oil
1 diced onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

6 oz mozzarella cheese

8 oz whole wheat(or whole wheat blend), or other whole grain pasta

Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, set aside. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and Italian Seasoning and simmer. Spread 2 cups of the sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan and keep 2 cups warm for serving over your pasta. Put the remaining 2 cups away and use it for pizza sauce or for a spaghetti lunch. Lay chicken pieces over the sauce. Sprinkle bread and cheese over the chicken. Top with mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, covered. Uncover for the last 10 minutes. Boil pasta during that last 10 minutes of baking.

Calories: 380.9
Total Fat: 13.1 g
Cholesterol: 85.7 mg
Sodium: 427.9 mg
Total Carbs: 28.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
Protein: 39.3 g

(this nutrition information is skewed because it includes the whole recipe for the sauce but you'll really only 2/3 of that)

Cuban Black Beans with Pork and Brown Rice

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp garlic
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne or 1/8 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf

2 cups cooked black beans
8 oz diced leftover pork roast

1 1/3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions
Cook rice ahead of time and keep hot. Saute pepper, onion, and garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and spices. Simmer 5 minutes. Add pork and beans. Simmer until heated through. Remove bay leaf. Serve 1/3 cup of rice with 1 cup bean/meat/tomato mixture.

Number of Servings: 4

Calories: 356.5
Total Fat: 9.8 g
Cholesterol: 44.8 mg
Sodium: 101.3 mg
Total Carbs: 41.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 10.3 g
Protein: 25.8 g

Vegetarian taco soup

Snuck this one past my bean hater. Everyone loved this, even company. Score one for the team!!I forgot to take a picture, sorry picture lovers.

Vegetarian taco soup

Ingredients
1 cup raw barley
1 onion
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp taco seasoning (equal parts onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, and chili powder)
15 oz can chili-ready canned tomatoes (or regular and add some chili powder)
15 oz canned corn, drained
2 cups cooked kidney beans
6 cups beef broth (I make mine with "better than bouillon"). If you are a real vegetarian, you can obviously choose vegetable broth instead.

9 oz Baked Tostito's Scoops
2 1/4 cups grated colby jack cheese
9 tablespoons light sour cream

Directions
Saute onion in a the olive oil. Add taco seasoning, barley, and the beef broth. Cook until barley is soft (if you use "quick" barley it'll only take 10 minutes). Add tomato, beans and corn. Cook until heated through. Each one-cup serving should be topped with 1/4 cup grated cheese and 1 Tbsp of the light sour cream. Serve with one ounce (about 15 chips) of baked tortilla chips.

Number of Servings: 9

Calories: 308.0
Total Fat: 10.5 g
Cholesterol: 27.7 mg
Sodium: 850.3 mg
Total Carbs: 42.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.0 g
Protein: 14.2 g

Sweet and Sour Turkey Patties with Brown Rice

24 oz of very lean ground meat (turkey, chicken, elk)
1 cup oats
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic
2 tbsp corn starch
8 oz can crushed pineapple (drained, juice reserved)
water to make the juice = one cup
1/2 cup diced bell pepper

2 cups cooked brown rice

Mix meat, oats, and chicken broth. Shape into 8 patties. Fry in vegetable oil spray.

In a sauce pan, whisk together the agave nectar, vinegar soy sauce, garlic, cornstarch and the juice from the pineapple add water to make one cup of liquid). Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Add the crushed pineapple and the bell pepper.

One serving = 1/2 cup of rice, 1 patty, and 1/8 of the sauce

Number of Servings: 8



Calories: 261.0
Total Fat: 2.7 g
Cholesterol: 62.0 mg
Sodium: 218.4 mg
Total Carbs: 28.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 28.6 g

California Black Bean Burgers

I give this recipe 5 stars, but I LOVE beans. You gotta like beans to like these burgers. You aren't going to fool anyone into believing that they are eating meat. At my house, 4of 5 family members liked this recipe a LOT. Bean lovers, all. The 5th (my 10 year old bean hater) actually gagged and ate a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, and condiments for dinner, sans-bean burger.

2 cups cooked black beans (I put taco seasoning in the cooking water)
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 egg
1 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
5 whole wheat hamburger buns (170 calories each)



In food processor, mix beans, chile, egg, breadcrumbs until combined. Shape into 5 equal sized balls, and then shape into patties. Put cornmeal onto a plate and press both sides of the burger into the cornmeal. Fry in vegetable oil cooking spray until brown on both sides and firm. Serve on bun (calories included) with desired toppings.


click on image to see it bigger


click on image to see it bigger


click on image to see it bigger

Calories: 416.7
Total Fat: 4.9 g
Cholesterol: 42.5 mg
Sodium: 337.7 mg
Total Carbs: 75.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.4 g
Protein: 17.1 g

Tex Mex Sloppy Joes with Corn and Peppers

1 lb ground elk or other VERY LEAN ground meat
1 large red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
4 tsp chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced
the corn from 2 ears of fresh corn
1 tbsp low sodium tomato paste
1 cup water
2 tsp soy sauce

Brown ground meat. Add peppers and cover. Steam for 2 minutes. Add onion and cover. Steam for 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.

Makes 7 one cup servings. Serve open face on whole wheat buns (calories for bun not included)

Number of Servings: 7
Calories: 159.6
Total Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 47.3 mg
Sodium: 153.4 mg
Total Carbs: 14.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 22.0 g

Mexican Quinoa Bake

1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1 Cup cooked pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can black olives, drained
2 C cooked Quinoa (instructions below)
1 C grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp Taco seasoning (equal parts garlic pdr, onion pdr, chili pdr, cumin, oregano)

Brown ground beef.
Cook Quinoa JUST like you would white rice. 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Put quinoa in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole. Mix Meat, beans, tomatoes, and corn together. Spoon over top of meat. Sprinkle with cheese and olives. Bake at 350 for 20minutes.

Number of Servings: 8
Calories: 284.7
Total Fat: 15.4 g
Cholesterol: 38.9 mg
Sodium: 269.7 mg
Total Carbs: 37.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g
Protein: 15.9 g

Lasagna Primavera

12 whole grain lasagna noodles

4 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 C fat free 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 C whole wheat flour

3 C cut broccoli florets
2 cups shredded carrot
1 green pepper, diced

2 C part skim ricotta
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1 egg

2 C mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles. To make alfredo sauce, melt butter and stir in garlic and seasoning. Stir in flour. Add fat free 1/2 and 1/2. Stir until thickened.

Mix ricotta, parmesan cheese, and egg.

Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, veggie mixture, and mozzarella. Repeat until ingredients are used.

Number of Servings: 12
Calories: 315.8
Total Fat: 13.1 g
Cholesterol: 56.9 mg
Sodium: 397.0 mg
Total Carbs: 35.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.7 g
Protein: 17.4 g

Fish with Tarragon Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
1 lb Mahi Mahi Fillets
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
14 oz diced tomatoes, no salt added
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 T dried parsley
1T dried chives
2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions
Simmer all but fish for 15 minutes. Add fish, cover, simmer 10 minutes more, turning fish once.

Number of Servings: 4

Calories: 161.2
Total Fat: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 106.7 mg
Sodium: 468.7 mg
Total Carbs: 9.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 28.2 g

FOOD SUGGESTIONS LISTED HERE

BREAKFAST (whole grain, protein, fruit)
* Oats with ground almonds and dried cranberries
* Egg, toast, fruit
* whole grain unsweetened cereal with bnanas, honey and milk
* leftover brown rice with an egg white stirred in and microwaved (makes it creamy) with maple syrup and berries on top
* whole wheat pancakes with homemade strawberry sauce and whipped cream cheese
* cottage cheese with canned fruit (with no added sugar) and sunflower seeds
* whole wheat muffin or toast with 1 tsp butter, piece of fruit, glass of milk

LUNCH (whole grain, protein, fruit or veggie)
* one hard-boiled egg mixed with Kraft Olive Oil Mayo and a little mustard, one slice of bread, and some carrot sticks
* leftovers from last night's dinner
* one piece of whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and fruit sweetened jam and a piece of fruit
* beans and brown rice with salsa stirred in and some pepper slices on the side
* a pile of spinach with a sliced boiled egg, shredded carrot and any Newman's Own light dressing * microwave baked potato with some leftover taco meat, chili, lentils, or something like that on top

SNACKS (a carb and a protein)
* apple and a cheese stick (my stand-by)
* a baggie of nuts and a little bottle of 100% juice (can grab this at the gas station)
* a baggie with a handful of nuts and a handful of dried fruit (easy to grab and take with you)
* a smoothie made with spinach, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 C. orange juice, water, and protein powder (of course any fruit can be added to this. I always have strawberries and blueberries in my freezer so I often add those)
* a piece of fruit and some Triscuits
* baked tortilla chips, microwaved with 1/4 cup cheese and salsa
* a slice of bread with natural peanut butter

DINNER (whole grain, protein, veggie)
Dinner is dinner. I make what my family will eat. I make sure I get plenty of veggies and a reasonable portion of what is prepared.