Tag Archives: Healthy

Collard-Wrapped Chicken Enchiladas

Posted in Dinners, Mexican by

2016 was not a good year for many reasons, and it seemed to impact my ability to post recipes. Not that I didn’t cook often…. Just prioritized my hunger over taking pictures and capturing every ingredient and step :-/ Of all the wonderful recipes I cooked last year and neglected to share, this one stuck with me the most. I first put this recipe together last fall after I received a bunch of collard greens in a produce delivery box. The only time I had ever had a collard was in the south and they had been slow cooked to the point that they hardly resembled the beautiful bright green HUGE leaves that they once were. My raw vegan friend had been using collards to make veggie wraps and that seemed like an interesting – albeit bland – route to go. I decided I would take a stab at using the collards as some sort of wrap but I would definitely be cooking them and definitely be incorporating meat some way. After clicking around through a handful of recipes I landed on enchiladas and I was happily surprised with the end result. I just moved into a new, awesome apartment with my boyfriend and I knew I wanted to recreate this dish ASAP and this time I remembered to take pictures. I love making my own sauce but that’s totally not necessary for this recipe (bottled enchilada sauce works fine, maybe even better).

img_0102

Ingredients:

  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp ancho powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 cup corn (fresh or thawed from frozen)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (bottled or homemade)
  • 6 extra large collard greens, stems removed from leaves
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • Toppings: chopped cilantro, sour cream, cotija cheese

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Heat oil in a heavy cast iron over medium high heat. Combine spices and season both sides of the chicken breasts. Cook chicken through, approximately 7 minutes per side. Set chicken on a plate off to the side. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred by hand.
  • Add onions to the pan with the chicken drippings and sauté until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and corn and continue cooking for another minute. Add shredded chicken, cilantro and 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and stir to combine. Remove from heat until ready to assemble.
  • Blanch the collard greens by cooking in boiling, salted water for 15 seconds. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry.
  • Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 dish. Spoon 1/4 cup of chicken filling into each collard green and fold / roll to seal. Place each enchilada in the dish, seam side down. Cover enchiladas with remaining 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce and both cheeses.
  • Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted. Serve with toppings.

Pineapple Glazed Chicken with Mango Avocado Salsa

Posted in Dinners by

There is an amazing Bobbly Flay recipe for Pineapple Mustard Glazed Swordfish in his Mesa Grill cookbook that was my inspiration for this recipe. I decided to omit the mustard and instead use gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste) for a different flavor profile. Gochujang has a very complex flavor – it’s spicy but not overpowering, and savory from the fermentation process. It’s used in pretty much every Korean dish from kimchi to bibambap. Living in San Francisco I can find this pretty easily but it can be replaced with chipotle puree or even ancho chili powder. I served the chicken with cilantro-lime cauliflower rice and a super easy veggie stir fry. Healthy!!

P1000063

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, divided
  • 1 mango, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 avocado, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1/2 jalapeño, minced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt + pepper
  • Olive oil

Directions:

  • Combine pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Add gochujang and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Let cool.
  • Combine mango, avocado, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice in a bowl and gently stir to combine. Set in fridge until ready to use.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides and place in skillet. Cook on first side for about 2 minutes (until slightly golden brown) then flip.
  • Use a brush or spoon to coat first side of chicken with the pineapple glaze while the second side cooks for a few minutes. Flip and coat the second side with the glaze. Continue flipping and glazing until chicken is cooked through (about 6 more minutes, depending on thickness of chicken).
  • Serve chicken with mango avocado salsa on top. Enjoy!

Carrot Soup (with a twist)

Posted in Soups by

IMG_4398

This is a long overdue post but I need to get it on the site before I totally forget the recipe! I made this early October when I wanted to savor the flavors of late summer as long as possible. I thought it would be nice to make a carrot soup but wanted it to taste light and refreshing (like summer). Typically you find carrots paired with ginger in soup recipes which is great for winter and the holidays but I wanted to try out some other flavors. I found that lemon and lots of dill make a delicious version to have on hand (i.e. in my freezer).

What you’ll need:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 pounds carrots (typically equals 10 large carrots), scrubbed clean and sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 cups homemade vegetable stock (chicken stock works too)
  • Juice from half of a lemon (probably 1-2 tablespoons depending on the juiciness of the lemon)
  • 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill (packed)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Optional toppings: toasted seeds, extra virgin olive oil, sour cream, etc…

Directions:

  • Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and salt and toss to combine. Add the broth and bring to boil then reduce heat to low and simmer until carrots are tender (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool completely.
  • Pour soup into a blender and puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender if you don’t have time to let the soup cool.
  • Return the soup to the pot and reheat. Add the lemon juice, dill, and pepper to taste.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and top with whatever you like (or nothing at all). Enjoy!

Tips:

  • It may seem like a lot of dill but trust me, the flavor is so mild that you need that much or potentially more. The dill can be replaced with other fresh herbs but probably need to reduce the amount depending on how strong of a flavor your herb of choice has (like rosemary or tarragon…).
  • The lemon juice can be replaced with orange juice for a different flavor profile. Might have to try that next time….

IMG_4401

Butternut Squash + Black Bean Chili

Posted in American, Soups by

I got really busy with summer weekends away and then I just got lazy for a while… Now I’m back!

As soon as football season starts I crave chili but I’ve been trying really hard to limit my meat intake (probably too much cheeseburger pie…). Fall is also squash season so I wanted to try substituting butternut squash for the beef and it turned out so lovely! Think of this as a lightened up version of chili that doesn’t miss out on that beautiful, complex spice flavor. I’m not a vegetarian so there is still a bit of meat tucked in there but it’s very easy to leave out or replace. It may seem like there is a lot of chile in this recipe but it comes out surprisingly mild.

butternut squash chili

What you’ll need:

  • 4 strips of applewood smoked bacon, chopped into lardons
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeño, minced (keep the seeds)
  • 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon New Mexico chile powder (can replace with half ancho/half cayenne)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 bottle of dark beer (I use porter)
  • 1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 large (or 2 small) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 15-oz cans of low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
  • Salt + pepper
  • Cilantro, green onions, grated cheddar cheese, and Mexican crema for garnish

Directions:

  • Add bacon lardons to a cold Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Cook until crispy then remove with a slotted spatula and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve for garnish.
  • Saute the onions in the rendered bacon fat until translucent. Add bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño and cook for another minute to soften. Add the chile powders and cumin and cook for 30 seconds then add the chipotle and tomato paste and cook an additional 30 seconds. The mix should be very potent!
  • Add the bottle of beer and deglaze, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to get all the good stuff. Once the liquid has almost completely cooked off and the mixture looks dark and pasty, add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and squash. Return to a boil then lower heat to simmer. Let cook for 40-45 minutes uncovered or until the squash is fork-tender. Add black beans and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and add salt/pepper to taste.
  • Let cool slightly then serve in individual bowls with toppings on the side. Enjoy!

Tips:

  • This could easily be vegetarian/vegan by omitting the bacon and using a couple tablespoons of olive oil to cook the veggies and replacing the chicken stock with vegetable or mushroom stock.
  • To get that complex chili flavor it’s necessary to have chiles, dark beer, and tomatoes. Besides that you can mess around with the rest of the ingredients. Try different types of chiles – powders or dried chiles (soaked in hot water and pureed)!

Super Soup!

Posted in Soups by

I make it a point to have some version of healthy soup in my freezer at all times. I try to pack it full of various vegetables and legumes and always use my own homemade chicken stock as the base. You never know when you’re going to wake up with a terrible cold (or hangover….) and you can barely muster up the energy to walk to the kitchen. The nutrients in this soup are guaranteed to make you feel better, whatever your ailment, and studies show that it might even work to prevent hangovers if consumed under the influence the night before 🙂

As with pretty much all of these recipes you can mix it up as you please. A standard soup starts with a mirepoix (onion, celery, carrots) so I suggest you start there and add what you like on top of that. I love chunks of carrots so I always keep those larger than the celery and onion. I had half of a red bell pepper in my fridge that I wanted to use up so it’s included in this recipe but I hadn’t added peppers before. It was good! The green veggies should be added in later to keep them green and al dente (soggy broccoli is not yummy). Blanching the broccoli first will keep the color the best but if you don’t have time you can add them straight into the pot. The spices in this recipe are similar to what you would use for a chili recipe so it produces a deep, rich, spicy flavor. The addition of tomato paste and dark beer also adds to the likeness to chili. You won’t even miss the ground beef!

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup dried beans (I buy Rancho Gordo and mix it up with different shapes, sizes, and colors. Have fun!), soaked for 10 hours or overnight
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube (if you don’t have this on hand just omit and make sure to salt the water liberally and throw in some veggies with the beans) FullSizeRender 40
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
  • Half of a red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp red chili flake
  • 1 tsp paprika (hot or sweet)FullSizeRender 41
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 cup of dark beer (I like porter or brown ale)
  • 1 bunch of red chard or any dark leafy green, roughly chopped
  • 1 crown of broccoli, chopped into florets and blanched
  • 6-8 cups of chicken stock (homemade!!!)

Directions:

  • Drain beans from soaking water and place in large pot (I use a pasta pot for easy draining later). Cover completely with water and add bouillon cube or fresh veggies. Bring water to a boil and simmer until tender. The time will vary depending on the size of the beans so just read the package and check on them a few times. They’ll cook more later in the soup but they should be at al dente.
  • In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add celery and carrots and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  • Add spices and tomato paste and cook for a minute (this takes the rawness out of the ingredients). Add the beer and deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Simmer until the alcohol is cooked out and the beer and spices glaze the veggies.
  • Add the chard and cook until it starts to wilt. Add in the broccoli, cooked beans, and chicken stock and stir to combine. Simmer on low for an hour to let the flavors meld together. Check for seasonings at the end, you’ll most likely need to add some more salt depending on how you like it.
  • Serve with some grated parmesan on top or chopped herbs. Freeze leftovers in single serving tupperware for an instant remedy 🙂FullSizeRender 43

TIPS:

  • Blanching broccoli: add florets to a pot of boiling, salted water and cook for a minute. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer and immediately plunge into an ice bath. The broccoli will remain a vibrant green and the nutrients are locked in.
  • When choosing leafy greens for the soup avoid spinach or anything that quickly wilts/breaks down. You’ll end up with spinach mush. I like to use a green with a fibrous, firm stem so that it holds together throughout the cooking.