Eating Out: Mexican

The more conversations I have with people, the more ideas I come up with for this blog. Last night I had a conversation with my neighbor Jen, about eating out. It occured to be that this would be another good blog topic.

It's hard to come up with a healthy choice when you are eating Mexican. The meat is not very lean, typically fried, and served with fatty sauces, sour cream and cheese.

The healthiest choice at a Mexican Restaurant is fajitas. While the meat may still not be the leanest cut, you are building your own meal, so you can make it a little healthier. Choose to load up on the grilled peppers and onions, and limit the cheese and sour cream.  Guacamole, if made mostly from avacado and tomato is full of healthy fats... but beware of Guac that is extra creamy and may contain sour cream or cream cheese.

If all else fails; do what EVERY eating out expert will tell you: Ask to a to go box when you get your meal and immediately pack half away. Whether you toss it, or eat it the next day, you've saved some calories.

Remember: Chips and tortillas are full of bad fat, so while salsa is a great way to get veggies in...watch the chip intake!

Veg- Out Pasta Sauce

I love spaghetti sauce. There, I said it... I love it! And guess what? Tomato based pasta sauces are super easy to make even healthier.

Start with a good jarred sauce (avoid sauce in aluminum cans). I like Newman's Own, Healthy Choice, or Emeril's... but find one you like, because everyone likes different things. Avoid ones with meat in them, it's so easy to add your leaner ground beef or chicken!

Tonight I made a pasta in honor of all my friends who begin walking the Minneapolis Breast Cancer 3 Day tomorrow... I know they are all home carb-loading!

Here's just one of the many ways to veg out your spaghetti sauce . This makes 2 good sauce servings, but the more veggies you add the bigger it will go! Careful not to go too overboard... stick to 2-3 of your favorite veggies.


Veg-out your spaghetti sauce



2 cups (dry) short cut pasta. (whole wheat preffered)

1/4 lb lean ground beef (optional)

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 med zucchini diced (or 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms)
1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup jarred spaghetti sauce

Bring water to a boil and cook pasta per manufacturer's directions.

While pasta is cooking
1. If using, begin to  brown hamburger in Medium skillet, adding onions and zucchini while meat it still pink but partially cooked. (if not using hamburger, simply sautee veggies in 1 tsp olive oil until tender)
2. When hamburger is browned and veggies are tender, add  jarred sauce, and bring to a bubble.
3. Turn off heat, and fold in spinach until it wilts. If sauce is too thick add 2 Tbls of water.
4. Serve over cooked pasta.

Makes 2-3 portions.

Ground Beef Tips and Hints

Let me preface this article by telling you I REALLY wanted to title this "hamburger helper"...but I thought it might disappoint a few people by not including the a healthy version of the sinfully delicious dish. I promise, I'll work on that one...

A few days ago, a friend asked me about buying hamburger, and as I explained what to buy, and how to store it, it occured to me that this is exactly the kind of information I would like to blog about, and she agreed. So, this one is for Heather!

When purchasing ground beef. Look for the lowest fat content you can buy. It's very clear on the label, and expressed in percentages. Lean ground beef has fat content that can rival chicken! This doesn't mean that you should eat red meat everyday, but I think we've have been scared away from it.  The leanest hamburger I can find is typically % 96/4.  Meaning it has 4% fat. This version is so lean, I typically add a little oil to the pan when I'm browning it.



Lean ground beef, Press 'n' Seal and Zipper storage bags



When storing ground beef, I've found this simple trick to go a long way. Make Glad Press 'n' Seal and zipper freezer bags your best friends. Typically I cut my ground beef into 1/4 lb chunks, wrap each portion in Press 'n' Seal, throw them in a zipper bag and freeze.

Portion Ground beef into 1/4 lb patties for the freezer

These convient 1/4lb patties thaw quickly and are the perfect portion control. Stay tuned for recipes like Hobos, spaghetti sauce, and hamburgers that include this exact amount of lean ground beef.

Bacon Sprouts!

Yeah, that's right, I said BACON! Here's why... if the two slices of bacon in this recipe get you to try brussel sprouts... I win. Brussel Sprouts are a veggie I've rediscovered in recent years. I've found that I need them fully cooked.. but I'm eating them! This recipe takes a little juggling, but close counts.



Brussel Sprouts with Bacon Vinaigrette



Ingredients:
12-14 Brussel sprouts, rinsed, trimmed and halved

2 slices of bacon, chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, grated

1 Tbls Dijon Mustard

1 Tbls Red Wine Vinegar (Balsamic could be used here too)

Salt and Pepper

EVOO

Brussel Sprouts:

1. Place sprouts in small glass bowl, add 1 tbls of water and microwave for 3 minutes.

At this point the sprouts are good to go, but I threw the halves on the grill with the rest of my dinner for 5 minutes until they carmelized at the edges.

Vinaigrette:



1. In a medium skillet, crisp the bacon (use a couple drops of EVOO if neccesary to get started), then remove the bacon pieces, placing on papertowel to absorb extra oil

2. Add onions and garlic to the pan, sauteeing until onions are soft (5 minutes). Remove from heat

3. Whisk in Mustard and vinegar until it forms a "dressing" consistency.

Add cooked sprouts and bacon to the sauce pan and coat. Salt (very little) and pepper (lots) to taste.

Note: the viniagrette also makes a great dressing for a Spinach Salad!

Zucchini Fries

These make a great appetizer! Sometimes you want the crunch of a french fry without all the guilt!

Zucchini Fries with Marinara


Zucchini Fries and Marinara



Ingredients:

2 Small zuchinni cut into matchsticks

1 egg

1 cup Panko (or whole wheat bread crumbs)

1 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste.

1/2 cup Marinara Sauce ( use your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce)

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. In small bowl, crack egg and whip with a fork. Set aside

3. In another small bowl mix Panko, Basil, Salt and Pepper

4. Dip cut zuchinni fries first into egg, then coat with Panko mix

5. Place on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes, flipping once.

 Serve on platter with cup of warmed marinara.

Cauliflower- Carrot Soup

Last week I was on vacation. Where I read, in full, 3 "diet" books~ while sitting on the dock, listen to the waters of Lake Vermillion splash against the shores. Mostly I read them for the nutritional information, and occasionally for a fun recipe. Inspired by my friend Jess' recent kitchen experiment (she's having facebook friends randomly and unknowingly choose recipes from her 119 cookbooks and making them--- check it out at http://icajelleats.blogspot.com/), I decided to start making a few of the fun recipes that I find in all of these diet books.  So here goes the first one; and and just let me tell you how hard it was for me to stick to the recipe exactly, I knew this would be weak, but I did it anyway...

Cauliflower-Carrot Soup from The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates


Cauliflower-Carrot Soup



Ingredients:

1 Tbls. butter

1 head of cauliflower, chopped

4 cups of chopped carrots

1 large onion

1 Tlbs of dried Tarragon

Water to cover



Sea salt to taste

1. In a soup pot, warm butter, and add tarragon

2. Add onion, sauteing until translucent

3. Add carrots, cauliflower, and water

4. Simmer until tender (approx. 25 minutes)

5. In a blender, puree (I used a stick blender)

6. Return soup to pot adding sea salt.

7. Simmer for another 10 minutes

Results:

While I am not a big fan of either carrots or cauliflower, this soup was pretty good. And better the next day for lunch!  Would I make it again? Yes? The same way? No. Here's what I would try.

* Use Vegetable or Chicken stock instead of water for more flavor (but yes, more calories)

* Add a Sweet Potato (or regular potato) to the mix to give it a thicker texture

* Add a few shakes of red pepper flakes (I did this to my pot afterwards)

I think any one of those options would be great... I'll keep you posted if I try it!

The Hard Boiled Egg

Eggs get a bad rap, but really they make a great high protein snack or supplement to your diet. A hard boiled egg along with a slice of toast or some fruit makes a great breakfast. You can also chop it up and throw it on a salad. It seems that most people typically undercook (dark yellow yolk) or over cook (gray tint around outside of yolk) the eggs... so here's the simple technique that works like a charm.


Hard Boiled Eggs



Place up to 6 eggs in 2 quart sauce pan*

Cover with cold water

Bring to a boil

Turn off heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes

Run cold water over cooked eggs for 30 seconds

Cover eggs with cold water, add a handful of ice cubes

Let sit until eggs have completely cooled. (about an hour)

Remove eggs, dry and store in refridgerator.

* More than 6 eggs at a time can crowd the pot and cause uneven cooking.

Pesto Pasta

I made this on a whim last Saturday after a long bike ride. I was looking to use up some things out of the fridge/cupboard. I was pleased with the outcome! This is for a single serving, but can easily be doubled or more!



Pesto Pasta





½ cup of whole wheat medium shells (dry)

¼ cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup sliced onion

1 handful of fresh spinach

½ tablespoon prepared pesto

1 tablespoon of EVOO

Salt & Pepper





Prepare noodles per package directions- careful not to overcook! Reserve a couple tablespoons of starchy water when you drain the pasta.





Heat EVOO over medium heat. Add tomatoes and onion. Sautee until veggies are tender (5 minutes). Stir in pesto and half of reserved pasta water, until pesto is loose. Add cooked pasta and spinach. Stir until pesto is equally distributed and spinach is slightly wilted. Add more starchy water if needed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 1 serving.











Taco Seasoning

Tacos are a fun easy dinner. Sure the sour cream and cheese aren't the greatest for you, but you can buy low fat sour cream (or even better, use plain greek yogurt) and choose low fat cheese. One of the killers of a taco dinner is the salt in the taco seasoning mix. This seasoning recipe is considerably lower in salt, and is made of panty staples.

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

p.s. If you find you don't have any of these seasonings on hand... BUY THEM... they are staples you will use a lot if you keep using Healthy Plate recipes! :)

p.p.s. I think I just came up with another blog opportunity- pantry staples!

Homemade Granola

One of my favorite things about cooking for myself, is that I know that it's healthier than anything someone else made at the store. Chances are pretty good that I'm not adding preservatives and extra salt to give my food a shelf life. Granola is a great example. It makes a great topping for yogurt, ice cream, or even cooked oatmeal. Sometimes I grab a handful just for a sweet snack!




Homemade Granola

 

2 c. dry oatmeal
2/3 c. nuts, chopped
2 Tbls. packed brown sugar
2 Tbls  honey (one good long squeeze)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. raisins, craisins OR  chopped dried fruit of your choice
Optional - coconut

Mix nuts, brown sugar, oats, honey and vanilla in an 8x8 glass baking dish. Cook on high 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Add raisins and coconut. Cool completely. Stir to crumble mixture.
Store in an airtight container.

Everything in this recipe would be considered a "Pantry Staple".

The idea behind Healthy Plates

I created this blog as another outlet for Dandy Life (my nutrition coaching business). I'm constantly getting questions about cooking (as everyone knows I love to cook). People are interested in low calorie, budget friendly, easy recipes and tips.

My goal for Healthy Plates is to post all of my healthy cooking experiments (recipes) and reviews. I will makeover your old standbys. I will show you easy ways to eat healthfully, and  I will find you ways to sneak veggies in, because after all- we are never going to eat "perfectly" but we could all eat with less fat and more veggies. And, in my free time, I will attempt to review some of the new health products that are on the market.

Let's get started on our first Healthy Plate!