Category Archives: cooking

June 14, 2011 · 7:57 pm

Hasty Tasty Cincy Chili

It’s Skyline Chili! That’s what my hubby said when he tasted my knock-off version of Cincinnati style chili today. Try this hasty, tasty version and judge for yourself.

RECIPE

A local favorite with Mediterranean flavor, Cincinnati
chili is popular now nationwide. This is a quick version that’s almost as good
as the long-cooking method. Serve it plain, five-way, or your choice.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 2 cups water or broth
  • 1 cup frozen diced onion
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. garam masala¹
  • 1 tsp. allspice
  • 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
  • 1 can small red beans, rinsed and drained (Optional  for topping)
  • 1 cup diced onion (Optional for topping)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Optional for topping)

Directions:

  1. Cook ground turkey in the water or broth over
    medium heat in a large (4 quart) saucepan.
  2. When the turkey is cooked, add onion and garlic.
    Stir.
  3. Add the spices, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar,
    and tomato sauce. Stir and bring to a boil.
  4. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove the sauce from heat. Serve over cooked
    whole wheat spaghetti and add optional toppings if desired. Top five-way chili with
    cheese, onions, and beans, Four-way with two of the three, etc.

Yield: Serves four – five

Store leftover sauce (in an airtight container) in the freezer for up to four months.

¹garam masala is a spice blend of cumin, cardaman, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper.

If you wonder why I use frozen instead of fresh diced onions, this recipe is featured in my RECIPES FOR RECOVERY, the new cookbook designed for patients after major surgery or illness. The recipes stress good nutrition with minimal effort or time in the kitchen.

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Filed under Chili and Stew, cooking, Healthful Eating, Recipes, Soups & Stews, turkey, Turkey Recipes

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May 18, 2011 · 11:54 am

Spinach Omelet

Spinach Omelet breakfastHere is a sneak peek from my upcoming cookbook Recipes for Recovery. It’s an easy recipe loaded with nutrition and fiber but low in fat, perfect for patients recovering from major surgery or for folks battling anemia. It’s also delicious! I ate this for breakfast this morning.

RECIPE

Spinach Omelet
Serves 1

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • nonstick cooking spray
  • ½ cup egg substitute
  • ¼ cup frozen chopped spinach
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1 fresh mushroom, cleaned and stemmed
  • 1 Tbsp. grated Swiss cheese (or your choice reduced fat shredded cheese)

Directions:

  1. Spray a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Place over medium heat to preheat.
  3. Combine the egg substitute, spinach, and nutmeg in a measuring cup. Stir.

    prep ingredients

  4. Slice 1 mushroom into thin slices. Add to the egg / spinach mixture.
  5. Pour mixture into the preheated skillet and cook for approximately five minutes, lifting the edges of the omelet to allow uncooked portions to run beneath and cook.cooking omelet
  6. When the omelet is set, sprinkle with the cheese, remove skillet from heat, and fold omelet into thirds. Let rest one minute so cheese can melt.
  7. Serve with a slice of whole wheat toast. Enjoy!

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March 26, 2011 · 1:01 pm

Easy Cheesy Lasagna

When people talk about vegetarian lasagna, they typically mean a meatless dish. I like meat (if it’s lean) in my lasagna, though, but I don’t like all the carbs from the pasta. I got the idea for this healthy recipe from a waitress I met at an Italian restaurant. It’s bold and daring, especially for someone married to an eggplant bigot, but give it a try. I’ll be interested in your comments after you do. Tell me if you were able to fake out your dinner guests.

RECIPE

Ingredients:
nonstick cooking spray
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 29-oz can puréed tomatoes*
2-3 cloves garlic, minced*
1 tsp. onion powder*
2 Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning*
1 tsp. vinegar (red wine, apple cider, or white wine)*
1 tsp. sugar or sweetener*
1 medium eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced long-wise (as in lasagna noodle fashion)
1 pint reduced-fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (Not fat free)
2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese or part-skim mozzarella
2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

*Or 1 quart ready-made pasta sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Spray the inside of a 10″ skillet and preheat over medium heat. Brown the ground turkey in the skillet.

While turkey browns, combine the puréed tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings (including the vinegar and sugar) to make a quick marinara sauce. Pour the sauce over the turkey after it has browned and remove the skillet from heat.

In the baking dish, layer 1/3 of the eggplant slices, 1/2 the sauce, 1/3 of the eggplant slices, all the cottage or ricotta cheese, remaining egg plant slices, remaining sauce, then top with the Italian and Parmesan cheeses. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow lasagna to cool for at least ten minutes.

Yield: makes six large or eight regular size serving.

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February 1, 2011 · 11:55 pm

Fast Food That’s Super Healthful

Wild Alaskan Salmon

Thaw salmon and season lightly

With quality cookware and ingredients, a supercharged healthy meal is less than half an hour away. On the menu: wild Alaskan salmon fillets, steamed broccoli with red bell pepper, and steamed butternut squash. The food is high in nutrients and antioxidents, especially if it’s not overcooked. I prefer steaming over low heat. More of a technique than a recipe, here is how to have a great and easy meal in a short time.

What you’ll need to make dinner for four: Four salmon fillets, two large bunches of broccoli, one red bell pepper, one medium butternut squash, Butter Buds or Molly McButter, and pumpkin pie spice mix.

Salmon: Be sure to buy wild Alaskan salmon. It may be pricey but it’s worth it, both in nutrition and taste. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator before cooking. Place fillets in a dry, preheated skillet–skin side down. Sprinkle lightly with pumpkin pie spice. Cover, reduce heat to its lowest setting, and cook for fifteen minutes. Do not lift the lid to peek. Serve salmon with…

Butternut Squash: Rich in beta carotine, butternut squash often is overlooked. It doesn’t need butter, salt, or much of anything to season it. It’s tasty on its own.  To serve four, buy a medium size Butternut squash.

I cut the squash into long strips and scrape away the seeds. Then using the Kitchen Cutter and #1 cone, I grate the squash (you can use a hand grater or food processor if you don’t own a Kitchen Cutter). Steam the grated squash in a 1-quart covered sauce pan over low heat. As with the salmon, don’t lift the lid. As soon as the lid spins, turn off the heat and leave covered for about ten minutes. The cooked squash will be the consistency of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice (Tying the flavor with the salmon) and stir.

The broccoli and red bell pepper make a colorful dish, rich in vitamins and fiber.  Wash one red bell pepper and enough broccoli flowerets to feed four. Julienne the pepper. Steam with broccoli in a covered two-quart sauce pan over low heat. As soon as the lid spins, turn off heat and leave covered for fifteen minutes for crisper vegetables, twenty for more tender. Sprinkle with Butter Buds or Molly McButter and serve.

Quality Cookware

Steam in covered pans over low heat

The three dishes take only about thirty minutes including prep time. Because the food is steamed over low heat, the pans come clean easily.  The food is delicious without a lot of additives or salt, and it’s figure-friendly.
Dinner!

Colorful and delicious.

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