Slow Cooker Mexican Delight!

The other day, as I walked down to our clinic kitchen to get my lunch, I was greeted by mouthwatering aromas of Mexican spices filling the air... I turned the corner to find my dear friend and coworker Chantelle heating up her delightful lunch that she had brought from home.  She graciously packed a lunch for me at work the next day, and it tasted even better than it smelled... this recipe needs to be shared!!


INGREDIENTS:

• 5 chicken breasts
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 can of tomatoes (796 mL size)
• 1 can of corn (341 mL size)
• 1 can black beans (540 mL size)
• 1 package of low sodium taco seasoning
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 cups chicken stock
• And a little bit of love

DIRECTIONS: (slow cookers are so easy! :)

1.  Throw all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. 

2.  Shred the chicken in the mixture and leave it on low for another hour or two – just to get the flavor all the way through the chicken.

And...you're done!

This dish can be enjoyed as is or in a taco, but my favorite option is to put it over a mixed green salad!  This adds lots of FreeVeg to the meal.  If you put it over a salad or in a taco, drain fluid first.

Makes 10 servings.  Per serving: 

• calories: 183
• carbs: 20g
• fat: 2g
• protein: 19g

Thanks so much to my dear friend Chantelle, and her friend Amy, for the delicious recipe!

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Gluten Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust!

While pizza is a favorite food around the world, it unfortunately usually comes with a mega dose of calories.  A thick crust, piled high with fatty meats and oozing with cheese all contribute to the final count.   In addition to choosing healthier meats (eg chicken breast) and enjoying a thinner layer of cheese, have you ever considered switching up the crust altogether?  Here's a great recipe for a gluten free pizza crust that is not made with flour, but with cauli'flour' instead!

There are lots of cauliflower crust recipes online - this one is derived from allrecipes.com, but I switched up the cheeses and upped the spice content for better flavor.  One slice of this pizza crust has only 67 calories - compare this to a standard pizza crust slice which comes in around 180 calories!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 head of cauliflower, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (from a block of parmesan), shredded
• 1/4 cup part skim mozza cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1.  Pulse cauliflower in a food processor until all cauliflower is shredded.

2.  Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer.  Bring water to a boil.  Add cauli, cover, and steam until tender (around 15 mins).  Put cauliflower into a bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cooled (about 15 mins).

3.  Preheat oven to 450F (230C), and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Add remaining ingredients to the cauliflower and stir until blended.  Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and form into shape of a pizza crust.

5.  Bake until lightly browned (about 15 mins).

Makes 6 servings.


NUTRITION PER SERVING:

• calories: 67
• fat: 3.6g
• carb: 3g
• protein: 5.8g

Thanks to Leah for the recipe idea!

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Skinny Slow Cooker Chicken Marinara

Love this slow cooker permutation of chicken marinara - SkinnyMom wins the award for an awesomely healthy recipe that didn't need any 'doctoring' to make it DrSue.ca approved.  Imagine how much you'll love coming home from work, cracking open the front door to find the delicious scent of your dinner wafting out to great you....

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 4 tomatoes, chopped or one 14.5-ounce can low-sodium tomatoes, drained
• 4 medium ribs celery, diced (1 cup)
• 2 small zucchini, diced (2 cups)
• 1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
• One 18-ounce jar low-sodium marinara sauce
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker; add the garlic, tomatoes, celery, zucchini, and pepper.
2. Pour the marinara sauce over all, and sprinkle the basil and thyme on top.
3. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 to 8 hours (make sure the chicken is cooked through!).
4. Before serving, shred the chicken with a fork.

Makes 8 servings.  Nutritional Info per serving (approximate): 

• calories: 172
• fat: 3.6g
• protein: 27g
• carbs: 7g

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Scrumptious Zucchini Apricot Muffins!

Here's a delectable recipe to help you bring in 2015 in healthy style.  These packets of goodness make a super mid morning snack, and are great to help fuel winter mountain adventures!  I cut back from the original recipe on the walnuts; they could be cut down further to further drop the calorie and fat count, but at 1/2 cup in the recipe, you get a healthy dose of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (the 'good fats') in one serving.   Also, be sure to use no sugar added jam - at 60% less calories than regular jam, it's really the way to go!

INGREDIENTS: 

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup no sugar added apricot jam
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, crushed
• pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  

2.  In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, walnuts, and salt.  Mix very well. 

3.   In a separate bowl, combine eggs, apricot jam, vanilla, and canola oil.  Mix well.  Add zucchini and mix again.  

4.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until all are moistened.  Don't over mix!

5.  Spoon the mixture into a 12 muffin tin prepared with non stick spray.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing.  

Makes 12 muffins.  Per muffin (approx): 

• calories: 145
• protein: 3.6g
• carbs: 13.5g
• fat: 7.6g

Kudos to Alternatives Natural Food Market in Oakville, Ontario for the original recipe!

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Parsnip, Roasted Apple, and Pear Soup!

For my last post of 2014, here's a delicious recipe sure to keep you warm during the holiday season.  I've adapted it from the original by cutting WAY back on the oil, using a dollop of fat free sour cream or crème fraiche on top rather than putting it into the soup itself, and making the portions a little smaller (remember that during holiday season especially, portion control is key!).


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 large apple (use a sweet variety like Gala or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored & seeded
• 1 pear, peeled, cored & seeded
• 2 leeks, white part only, cut into half moons, 1/2" wide
• 1/8 cup olive oil + 1 tbsp extra
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss parsnips, apple, and pear with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread out on a sheet tray and roast until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. In a medium pot, combine leeks, olive oil, rosemary and bay leaf. Cook over medium heat to sweat, not color, leeks (about 10 mins).  If leeks start to brown, turn heat to low. Add parsnips, apple, pear, and leeks. Add water to cover and bring to a simmer.

3. Remove bay leaf and rosemary stem. Transfer to blender and puree in batches. (Do not cover blender completely, hot liquid will explode!)  Season with salt and thin with water as needed. Add a tablespoon of cider vinegar as needed to balance flavor. Ladle into bowls and serve warm.

Add an optional dollop of fat free sour cream on top.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS. PER SERVING: (approximate)

• calories: 240
• protein: 2g
• carbs: 44g
• fat: 6.5g

Enjoy!   Thanks so much to my friend Mona for the heads' up on this great recipe. 

Happy holidays, and a bright 2015 to all!

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2014

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Deliciously Healthy Fall Pumpkin Recipes!

It's that time of the year again ... time to pull out the turtleneck sweaters and curl up by the fireplace after spending some time in the brisk outdoors.  With fall comes pumpkins - pumpkin carving, Hallowe'en decorating, roasting pumpkin seeds... so much fun!

Pumpkin can be enjoyed in many healthy, delicious ways, without an abundance of excess calories. Below, I've collected for you a few of the healthy pumpkin recipe posts I've shared on drsue.ca over the years:

Crustless Pumpkin Pie (my personal favorite!)

Pumpkin Banana Spiced Custard

Pumpkin 'Cheesecake'

Iced Pumpkin Fiber Muffins

Holiday Pumpkin Pancakes

Mmm mmm... enjoy!

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Quiche With A Spaghetti Squash Crust!

In pie-style foods, it is often the butter-laden and carb-heavy crust that comes with most of the caloric burden, while the contents can often be quite healthy.  I love this solution to make quiche easier on the waistline - using spaghetti squash to make the crust!  

I've taken the original recipe and modified to lose the egg yolks and I've cut down on the milk a bit as well, as I like to use lots of veggies and the extra moisture requires a little less fluid in the recipe. You can also try a leaner cheese, though the kick of the swiss cheese really tastes great.



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Asparagus
• ½  of a small yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
•   1 cup of egg whites
• 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1 cup swiss cheese
• ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoons pepper
• 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash (about 1 small squash)

(You can cook your spaghetti squash by preheating your oven to 400ºF, lining a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, slicing the squash in half, placing it face down and putting it the oven for about 20 minutes. Or if you are in a pinch, you can cook it in the microwave - but take it from me, that's a whole lot messier!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2.  Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and saute onion and garlic for several minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the asparagus and continue to saute until the asparagus has turned bright green and is soft but not limp.

3.  Whisk together the egg whites, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper.

4.  Grease a pie pan. Press the cooked spaghetti squash to the sides and bottom of the pan, forming an even crust. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Add the asparagus, onion, and garlic on top of the egg mixture; be sure it sinks in.

5.  Bake for 40 minutes until quiche is firm. Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings.  Per serving, approx:

• Calories: 135
• Fat: 6g
• carbs: 9g
• protein: 11g

Thanks to Bridgette for the heads' up on this awesome recipe!

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

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