Stuffed Bell Peppers

Alright, so you may have gathered from recent posts, but Nabil and I are trying to be more healthy. Brother Yacine is in town, so this has been a little difficult, but last week we had a great healthy dinner. Stuffed peppers anyone? Yes, please!

Below are the ingredients. I initially thought I was going to include some tomato sauce, but I ended up leaving that out.

- 5-7 bell peppers 
- 3/4 C orzo
- 1 C white rice
- 3 1/2 C vegetable stock (divided)
- Approximately 8 mushrooms
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 3-4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 T dill (finely chopped or dried)
- 1 T Italian seasoning (finely chopped or dried)
- 1 T parsley (finely chopped or dried)
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 C tomato sauce (optional)

To start, even the bottom, cut out the stem, and scoop out the seeds of the peppers. Then set aside.

In a sauce pot over medium heat, cover bottom of pan with olive oil and add orzo. Toast to golden and add rice, stir for about 1 minute.

Add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and cook at a simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a separate pan, saute the onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Once the onions are translucent, add the turkey and cook until lightly brown.

Transfer to a bowl with the rice and orzo and stir to combine. Add spices, remaining stock, and diced tomatoes.

Stuff the peppers and place in a baking dish.

Bake on 350 for 30min. I also cooked some delicious brussel sprouts for a side dish.

I added a little parm cheese to the top of each pepper with about 10 min left to bake.

Enjoy! Until next time...

Juice Cleanse

Okay so Nabil and I have been focusing on working out quite a bit over the last two months. We realized at the end of 2011, that we were being a little lazy. I tore my ACL last January, and spent most of last year trying to recover. While we may be kicking ass and taking names with working out, we have not been eating very well. In fact, we have been countering our new sweat drive with more yummy treats. No more! Enter juice cleanse.

Nabil and I actually do eat pretty healthy from day to day, but the chips and cheese was getting a little too much and too often. Our Euro-Trip is about four months away, which means we have for months to get into summer shape. We needed a fresh start. We based our juice cleanse off Dr. Oz's 48 hour cleanse. If Oprah gives it her stamp of approval, it has to be good right?

My dad got us this awesome juicer for Christmas, so making our own juice was super easy. We just shoved the ingredients down the hatch, and viola. Note, some fruits and veggies do have to be peeled or skinned first (i.e. citrus, pinapple, etc).

We started with a fairly common recipe. We found it on a few different sites, including Dr. Oz's. We did exclude the ginger though because ginger is gross, and it makes things taste totally awful. Here are the ingredients.
- 2 apples (more apples will make the juice sweeter)
- 1 cucumber
- 6 kale leaves
- 4 stalks celery
- I also added one pear

This made enough for me to eat and be mostly full for breakfast and lunch, but I did add a breakfast Odwalla juice that was much sweeter. Nabil had to use some of the Odwalla drink as well and also added a tomato juice that he made up a recipe for. I didn't take a picture of it because it looked terrible and had a taste to match.

Below was my breakfast/lunch on Tuesday. I'm not going to lie, the green juices were not very appetising. I had to convince myself to chug them and just get it over with. Later that night however, I did come up with a few more blends that tasted much better.

I think that this blend was the best tasting. I used almost the whole pineapple, a huge handful (or two) of kale, and a stem full of grapes. Naturally adding more fruit helps to make the juice taste better, but you can't add too much fruit because fruit is mostly comprised of sugar, and eating too much sugar in one day kinda defeats the point of a cleanse. I did use almost the whole pineapple with this juice, but I added A LOT of kale to make up for it.

I also made a strawberry-kiwi-spinach juice blend. Again, I used enough strawberry and kiwi to help the taste, but used a whole bunch of spinach.

After research and looking over all the recipes on-line to start the cleanse, the consensus was that the juice needs to be green from the veggies. As long as the juice is green, it is still "cleansing". Most recipes also recommended 2-3 days on the juice cleanse. I think that we will probably do two days with just juice and then the third day we will do only fruits and veggies. Yesterday Nabil said "my teeth are bored". LOL. It really is amazing how much taste and texture drive food cravings. Damn the person who brought chocolate truffles to work today. My mouth has been watering all day! Once we are done with the cleanse, we will make it a point to keep eating healthy. In other words, no more chips! Kale chips are acceptable though. :)

Until next time...

Morning Balls

Alright, I just made up that name. They may also be called "after-school balls" or "power balls". I found this recipe on Pinterest, but of course changed it a bit to fit what I had in my kitchen. These are really easy to make, and taste almost like a cookie. These were made in a failed attempt to make my own energy bars. They are very healthy and make a great grab and go breakfast or snack

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• scant 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup salted peanut butter (I would normally use almond butter, but I ran out)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 T raisins
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the applesauce and peanut butter, then add all other ingredients and mix until well-combined. Shape into balls and bake for around 15-20 minutes. Super easy and super healthy right? Enjoy!

Until next time...

Rice Bowls

Need another healthy, week night recipe? Look no further, because you have found another here!

Recently, Nabil and I have started eating rice bowls once or twice a week. The first time we made this, we actually did it because we needed to use all of our left overs before they went bad. Since then it has become a staple. The how-to is below.

Instead of buying chips from the store, we often bake pieces of corn tortilla. I think that they taste much better, and they are actually much better for you since they are baked and not fried. To do this, I drizzle olive oil on the pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 350 until crispy. It usually only takes about 15 min.

I like to use shredded chicken in my bowls. To makes this I fry a few chicken breasts on the stove in  a mixture of chicken broth and canned tomatoes. I also add chopped garlic and a small amount of chopped onions. Cook this way until chicken is almost fully cooked through. Remove chicken and place on a cutting board.

Pull apart chicken with two forks, creating a pile of nice shredded chicken. Place everything back on the stove in the remained of the liquid and stir. The chicken will soak up all remaining liquid.

I usually use brown rice for a base, add some beans (any type, I prefer black or refried), add the shredded chicken, and top with cheese and lettuce. You may add or subtract anything that you would like, or mix and match. The best part about rice bowls is that everyone can have a little something different.

I like to eat mine by dipping the chips; like fancy nachos. Nabil usually makes his bowl into a burrito. Any way you choose to eat it, will be delicious.

 

 Now that the weather is getting better in PDX, I'm hoping to start a bit more DIY posts, although you can be sure the recipe posts will not stop here.

Until next time...

Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are one of my favorite light lunch items. Like many Asian dishes, it is healthy and filling but not stuffing. The bad thing about spring rolls is that they are surprisingly expensive, and they do not last long. No saving them for lunch the next day. Never fear, there is also good news. Firstly, these delicious wraps are super easy to make. And, you are able to use a lot of random things in the fridge or tailor the different roles to each person. Below are the how-to deets.

Ingredients
Spring Rolls:
Thin rice wraps - The best ones can be found in any Asian food store.
Rice noodles
Romaine lettuce leaves
Carrots- cut into long slices. I used a peeler to make the slices.
Cucumber - cut into similar long slices
Avocado
Cream cheese
Meat or Tofu- I used tofu and shrimp

Spicy peanut sauce #1: I am actually providing two options because I got this first one at the recommendation of a friend, but... it didn't turn out. It was delicious, but it was not saucy for dipping. I was more like thick, pastey, spicy peanut butter. I ended up putting it in the rolls instead.
1/2 small onion
Two mushrooms
Olive oil
Peanut butter - You have to use the fatty king you buy at the store. No all-natural cal-cutter here.
Red curry paste
Salt to taste

Spicy peanut sauce #2:
8oz soft tofu - You may be thinking the same thing I was at first (gross!), but please bear with me, it ended up being delicious.
1/2 C peanut butter - For this one I used all natural. You know, the kind you grind there at the store.
2 T soy sauce
3 tsp garlic chili sauce - I added more because I love spicy!

How to
Spicy Peanut Sauce #1:
Dice mushrooms and onions into small pieces. Saute the in olive oil until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft.

 Add peanut butter and water until mixed and liquid. Add red curry paste to taste. It is little difficult to taste when the paste is so you kind of have to do it by experience. I love spice, so I add quite a bit, but red curry paste is super spicy, so be careful.

Spicy Peanut Sauce #2:
Blend all ingredients. I used the Magic Bullet. I told you to bear with me. This sauce is delicious, and it is much easier/faster/healthier than the first option.
Spring Rolls:
These are the wraps that I used. I wanted to try both sizes. I think that the smaller ones actually ended up being easier to roll and looked prettier. I cut the big once in half when serving and they were probably a little easier to eat because all the goodies stayed inside better.

We used a mix of seared tofu and sauteed shrimp. We used a wine wine, peanut sauce for both. Sounds a little weird right? It went really well with the wraps though. We also bought whole shrimp instead of pre-peeled because they were much cheaper, but we had to take their heads and shells off ourselves. No problem for a few Wyomingites to save a couple bucks.

Next you want to get all your ingredients prepped and ready. Look at that array!

 Soak the rice paper in warm water until flexible and translucent. We found through trial and error that it is best to place in a few at a time. The longer they sit in water, the soggier they become and are not easy to work with. Once the paper is soft and flexible, place flat on a cutting board or prep surface.

Put piece of lettuce and stack other veggies in the center of the paper circle. I found it was easier to stack all the veggies and the add the noodles and sauces, but you may do this part however floats your fancy.

 Note: The sauce pictured here is the Tofu Peanut Sauce (Spicy Peanut Sauce #1)

Next, wrap like a burrito leaving one end open. For the bigger ones, I wrapped the whole thing and then cut them down the middle to serve. Wrapping correctly was by far the hardest part. You have to get a good sense of wrapping tight without breaking the wrap. Luckily the rice paper is very cheap, so I didn't feel bad throwing a few out when they didn't look pretty enough. Needless to say, at the end you could tell which ones I wrapped, and what Nabil wrapped. Oh husbands... no attention to presentation detail.

 These were a hit at the super bowl party. I brought home an empty plate, aka success! I will probably make them again for a summer gathering, baby shower, wine tasting, etc.

Drizzle sauce on the rolls and/or use to dip. Enjoy!

Until next time...

Cabbage wraps

In an effort to be healthier, I have started to expand my cooking horizons. On the list this week; stuffed cabbage roles. Nabil's mom used to make a different version of this, but I kinda tweaked it to make it a little healthier. I didn't take too many pictures because I didn't expect it to be so good. The deets are below.

Ingrediants:
- 10 to 12 large leaves Savoy cabbage
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup orzo
- 1 cup white rice
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons dill, finely chopped, or dried
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped, or dried
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes in juice

Boil cabbage leaves to soften. This only takes a couple of minutes. Drain and cool to handle.

In a saucepot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter and add the orzo. Toast to golden and add rice, stir for about 1 minute. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and cook at a simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Lightly brown the turkey. Season with salt and pepper; add onions, garlic, nutmeg, dill and parsley. Transfer to a bowl with the rice and stir to combine.

Mix the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and remaining cup stock. Fill and roll cabbage leaves to make 10-12 small burrito-shaped logs. Arrange in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Add the sauce and bake on 350 for 30 minutes.

 Top with cheese (optional) and serve. Voila!

Nabilly Bob's Birthday

Wednesday was the hubby's birthday. Since his big day was in the middle of the week, and he still had to get up at 6:00am the next morning, we kept things pretty low key. Nabil got a new orbital sander from his awesome wife to help him finish all those home improvement projects, and a delicious homemade 26th birthday dinner. Nabil loves garlic mashed potatoes and seared scallops, so that is what we ate.

Steamed scallops for an appetizer. I steamed them in a red wine and garlic sauce. Delicious.

Seared scallops are also one of my favorite foods, so we make them for many of our "fancy" meals. This time, I tried something a little different. Usually I sautee the scallops in a white white and garlic sauce. This time I used a sauce that consisted of red wine, brown sugar, homemade roasted garlic paste, and a pad of butter. I also wrapped the scallops in prosciutto. I think this works better than bacon. It cooks and tastes better than bacon.

Yum!

Cooked to perfection

...until next time.

Kale Chips

Believe it or not, the Zerizef family has a few food weaknesses, one of which happens to be chips. We love chips! Chips and salsa can literally be a Wednesday night dinner (on a bad week). We have been trying to layoff, because apparently they are not very good for you. What?! Who knew.

One of Nabil's friends from work told us about making kale chips. I didn't even know what kale was until last summer when our friends Brooke and Luke made it in their garden. Apparently Wyoming doesn't get any kind of green out of the norm. Anyway, we tried them, and they were awesome. Crispy, crunchy, and very healthy! We may even turn to kale chips all the time.

This is what kale looks like. Turns out you can get it at the grocery store.

These were also very simple to make. I all did was take the stems off the leafy greens, tear them into smaller pieces (making sure the thick stem pieces were not included), spread them out on the baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and oven roasted them on 350 until crispy.

Yum!

I know that this sounds a little weird, but it was delicious and super easy.

Until next time...

Spicy Chicken Chili

During the week, I'm all about quick and easy meals. We try our best to eat healthy, but when things get hectic and crazy being healthy is tromped by feasibility. I recently found this recipe on Pinterest, and it turned out to be delicious, healthy, and super easy. Perfect for a weekday dinner. There was even quite a bit left over for lunches and future frozen meals. Here is what I did:

1 chopped onion

1 can (16 oz) kidney beans

1 can (16 oz) black beans

1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce (one 8 oz can will make it less soupy)

2 cans (~ 30oz) diced tomatoes with green chillies

1 can whole corn kernels (drained)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder (cut this in half if you don't like spice)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Place all ingredients in the crock pot and stir. Make sure chicken breast are on top. Cook on low for 10 hours, or on high 6 hours. About half and hour before serving, take the chicken out and shred with two forks. It is so tender, it will easily pull apart. Place shredded pieces back in the pot and stir. That's it! Enjoy. : )