Dilled Salmon Cakes

This is a great recipe that uses canned salmon, & is a simple way to implement fish into your diet.  I happened upon this recipe while looking at bonappetit.com...Below is a simplified, lower fat version I have come up with!
The cakes are great on a salad, in a tortilla as a wrap, or in a pita for lunch with roasted veggies & a bit of the mock Dijon mayo dressing drizzled on top.  Enjoy! 

Dilled Salmon Cakes

INGREDIENTS

1 can salmon, drained

Olive oil (for brushing and cooking)

1teaspoon sea salt

1large egg

1-2 tablespoons dill

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons lemon zest (or a hint of lemon juice)

Freshly ground black pepper &  crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Mock Dijon Mayo Dressing

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 T Dijon mustard (I used old fashioned)

DIRECTIONS

Stir together yogurt and mustard of choice in a small bowl.  Season to taste with salt and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside 1/3 cup for salmon cakes.  Cover and chill.

Lightly beat egg in a small bowl. Add dill, scallions, lemon zest, and 1 tsp. salt & mix with egg.  Add salmon and mix well.  Fold in reserved 1/3 cup Dijon mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and black pepper or red pepper flakes, if desired. Using a 1/3-cup measuring cup, scoop mounds of batter onto prepared baking sheet.

Heat a large skillet or a griddle over medium-low heat; coat surface with 1 Tbsp. oil. Shape salmon cakes into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Working in batches, wiping skillet clean after each batch, and coating skillet with 1 Tbsp. oil each time, cook salmon cakes, gently flipping with a flat spatula halfway through, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Serve with remaining Dijon mayonnaise alongside.

Enjoy!!

Picture from bonappetit.com

Homemade Hummus!

Below I've posted a few of my favorite hummus recipes-Hummus is a quick, healthy, and cheap snack to make!  Making it yourself (for approx $1.25 for 16 oz) beats buying a $5-6 tub at the store.  If you prefer a smoother texture, simply add a little more water while blending. 

One of my favorite hummus tricks is this:  I have substituted plain yogurt (of your choice) in the place of Tahini.  Most hummus recipes call for tahini, which is simply ground sesame seeds.  You can buy it in stores as a thick paste, but it is usually quite expensive and higher in calories.  These are lighter versions using yogurt, which cuts down on the fat significantly.


The Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe I have come up with after much experimenting; the red pepper (buy in jars or roast your own in the oven) and smoked flavor adds a fun flair to your ordinary hummus recipes.  The red pepper hummus  can also become a Smoky Sweet Potato Hummus by simply substituting a cooked (and peeled) sweet potato for the red pepper.  Both are great!

The Cinnamon Sweet Potato Hummus recipe can be used as a sweet dip; serve with gluten free plain crackers, gluten free graham crackers, chips or fruit.  I'm serving this sweet dip alongside a savory hummus tonight-both as dipping options!

Add more or less of any of the ingredients listed to your preferred taste.  Enjoy!

Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

INGREDIENTS

3/4-1 cup roasted red peppers (OR 1 medium sweet potato for sw. potato version)

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 tsp seat salt

3 T olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

2-3 T lemon juice

3 T plain yogurt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 clove garlic

1-2 tsp liquid smoke (optional for smoky flavor)

dash cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender.  Turn on high until a paste forms.  Garnish with parsley sprigs and paprika.

Serve with gluten free crackers, veggies, or chips.

Enjoy!

Plain Hummus

INGREDIENTS

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/4-1/2 cup water

1 clove garlic

1 T lemon juice

2 T yogurt

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2-3 T olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender. Turn on high until a paste forms.

Garnish with paprika.

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Hummus

INGREDIENTS

1 medium sweet potato (peeled and cooked)

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

2-3 T olive oil

1 T honey

2 T plain yogurt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 T water

Dash sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender. Turn on high until a paste forms.

Garnish with cinnamon.

Serve with GF graham crackers, plain crackers, fruit, etc.

All three recipes are gluten free!

Product Reviews & Exciting Tortilla News!

About a week ago, I attended one of our Denver Celiac Sprue meetings.  The association holds monthly meetings & provides speakers who present new research.  (My favorite part of the meetings are sampling the newest gluten free products on the market!)

Rudi's bakery, located in Boulder, was at the meeting sampling their new TORTILLAS!!! Yes. For those of you who can't eat gluten, you know that the one item that is practically impossible to find and make, are tortillas.  Needless to say, I have not had a tortilla in 4-5 years!

I spoke with the lady representing Rudi's, who announced they are unleashing their new product (in Spinach, Plain and Fiesta flavors) this week in stores!!! Whole Foods and Natural Grocers were the two stores mentioned that will sell this product.

They are great-They are tasty, pliable, and nutritionally sound.  They each have 90 calories, around 2 grams of fat, and 5 grams of fiber!  The tortillas are made with a blend of different whole grains!!! 

I tried the spinach flavor today for lunch-YUM! (I happened to win the prize at the meeting and was so excited to get all three flavors to try before they're launched in stores this week:-)
Visit below for more info:

http://www.rudisbakery.com/

http://www.rudisglutenfree.com/press/rudi%e2%80%99s-organic-bakery-and-rudi%e2%80%99s-gluten-free-bakery-unveil-new-products-at-natural-products-expo-west/

One other brand I have found that makes great gluten free tortillas is La Torilla Factory. 

These are awesome tortillas as well, but hard to find.  I have only found them in one bakery in Colorado Springs, called Outside the Breadbox.

Happy Tortilla Eating!!!!

Hummus recipes coming soon...

A Kivu Chicken Recipe

A few summers ago, we made this recipe (a lot!) at Camp Kivu for the campers...After going through recipes the other day, I wanted to share a few of the favorites from camp...This is a much lower fat sesame chicken recipe than Chinese restaurants, being that it is not fried.  Along with the healthy component, this recipe is SUPER easy. I have to laugh every time I read my camp recipes and see how much we had to increase the recipes to serve 300+ campers....to give you an idea, we multiplied this recipe x 70!:-)
Hope you enjoy!

  Sesame Chicken

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce (tamari for GF)

1/2 cup water

1 T cornstarch

1/2 -1 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of garlic powder, to taste

1/2 -1 tsp red pepper flakes (we used cayenne)

1 T toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut chicken breast into 1 inch strips.

2.  Head a large non-stick skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray, over med-high heat.

3.  Cook chicken for about 6 mins, or until no longer pink.

4.  Mix together honey, soy sauce, water, corn starch, ginger, garlic powder and red pepper flakes.

5.  Whisk until no corn starch lumps appear.

6.  Pour sauce mixture into skillet with chicken.

7.  Cook until sauce thickens slightly.

8.  If sauce is too thick, add a little more water.

9.  Cover and simmer for 10 mins or until chicken starts to soak up sauce.

Garnish wish sesame seeds, and serve atop a bed of brown rice and veggies.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe Tips:

*This recipe is gluten free; make sure to buy gluten free soy sauce (also called Tamari).  La Choy brand soy sauce (lite) is gluten free as well, but will not state it on the label.

*When using any soy sauce, always look for the lite version, as it will have about 1/2 the amount of sodium as regular soy sauce.

*I like to add fresh broccoli to this recipe...You could add strips of bell peppers or any veggie of choice!

*Make lettuce wraps with iceberg lettuce leaves...Simply fill lettuce with chicken & veggie mixture!

*I like to double or triple the sauce recipe to have enough to pour over the rice and veggies!

Picture taken from onlinerecipes.com

A Med Week

Last week I made one of my favorite meals with a flavor profile from the Mediterranean...The array of foods included Greek Tabbouleh, Falafel with Yogurt Sauce, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and a Med Salad.  It was a Med week being that I enjoyed leftovers of this meal for an entire week-and somehow, it never got old! Here are a few of the recipes to try...they're both budget-friendly, healthy, and prep very quickly!

First up...Falafel. Falafel are basically pureed chickpeas + spices that are formed into round balls.  Traditional falafel is fried, but this recipe broils them, which cuts down on a large amount of the fat.  Falafel is usually served in a pita; if you require GF, place falafel on a bed of leafy greens, or pair with Tabbouleh instead!
  Falafel with Yogurt Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 16-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 T cornstarch

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp grated lemon peel (or lemon juice)

3 T parsley

DIRECTIONS

1.  Process all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture forms a thick paste.

2.  Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Preheat the broiler. 

3. Form the chickpea mixture into small balls, about the size of a golf ball.

4.  Place the balls on the cookie sheet.

5.  Broil the falafel for 2-3 minutes.  Turn the balls over and broil them for 3 more minutes, or until browned. 

Serve with plain yogurt of choice.

Note:  You can use 1/2 an onion or completely cut it out if preferred.  If onion is omitted, add 1 T lemon juice and 1 T water.  Add more liquid gradually if needed.

 Next Up...Tabbouleh.  Tabbouleh is a classic Med salad usually made with bulgur (a cracked, ground form of whole wheat).  Instead of using bulgur, I used quinoa to make it gluten free.  Any GF grain would substitute great in this recipe...Rice, millet, buckwheat, etc.  This recipe tastes best after a night in the refrigerator...Serve with hummus if desired, add falafel on the side,  & top your salads with this light grain mixture!
This grain salad is great to take as a side dish to spring dinners, bbq's, etc.  Enjoy:-)

Tabbouleh

INGREDIENTS

2 medium lemons (or lemon juice)

1 c quinoa (or grain of choice)

2 c water

1 cup fresh parsley

2 green onions

1 large tomato

1 small cucumber

2 T olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup Feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

1.  Squeeze lemon juice into medium bowl.  Add olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Set dressing aside.

2.  Cook quinoa according to package directions on stove-top.

3.  Thinly slice green onions, using green and white parts.  Slice cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeds.  Dice cucumber and add to bowl.  Chop parsley and add to bowl.  Mix all ingredients well to combine. 

4.  Add all ingredients in step 3 to cooked quinoa.  Mix together until incorporated.

5.  Add dressing (step 1)  to quinoa mixture and lightly stir until grain is coated.

Add feta cheese to top salad, if desired.   

 
Falafel Recipe adapted from ADA cookbook, Tabbouleh recipe adapted from CM cookbook, pictures taken from Pinterest.

Homemade Cinnamon-Nut Granola

It's Spring! Here is a healthy, refreshing snack to welcome this amazing weather we've been having! (and I'm just a little excited about it;-)
Most store-bought granola is super high in sugar, sometimes fat, and calories.  The beauty of making it yourself-you can control all of these factors and create a healthier, much much cheaper, and tastier granola of your own!
This Cinnamon Nut Granola is one of the best recipes I have found after attempting to find the perfect granola recipe for years.  It is low in fat & sugar and high in flavor and crunch-Yum!!! 

The granola takes about 15 minutes total from prep to the end of baking...Add it to some fruit and yogurt and create your own parfait! Little ones love to create their own.  The parfaits are  something kids can help prepare as a healthy snack or breakfast treat. We made these at Cooking Matters with the family classes and the kids LOVED to help cut the fruit, stir the granola, and create their own parfaits! Talking about the fruit and each component with your kids while they create their parfait is a great way to introduce healthy, new foods...Letting them help will encourage participation in trying new offerings as well!

Homemade Granola

 INGREDIENTS

2 T honey

1 T canola oil

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch sea salt

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (GF certified oats for gluten free)

2 T sliced or chopped almonds (or nut of choice)

1/4 cup dried fruit of choice

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350
• Mix honey, canola oil, cinnamon and sea salt in a large bowl, using a whisk or fork.
• Add the oats and 2 T almonds, and stir until coated thoroughly with the honey mixture.
• Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, and spread oat mixture evenly onto the baking sheet.
• Bake for ~12 minutes until lightly browned, stirring every 5 minutes to cook granola evenly.  Remove from oven and cool completely, before placing in a bowl. 
• Stir dried fruit into cooled granola.

Notes:
 I add 1/4 cup dried millet to the oats before cooking.  Millet adds a great crunch to the granola and stretches the recipe a bit.

Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to three weeks-I store in mason jars.

 

 

Yogurt Parfait

INGREDIENTS

Granola

Fresh or frozen fruit of choice

Fat-free plain or vanilla yogurt

(Soy yogurt or lactose free for lactose intolerance)

DIRECTIONS

Cut fruit into bite-size pieces
Layer 1/4 cup yogurt into each of six parfait cups or bowls, followed by 1/4 cup fruit, and 2 T granola.
Repeat layers one more time, ending with a layer of granola.
Top with optional sliced almonds if desired.

*Recipes adapted from CM cookbook. 
~Both recipes are gluten free~

Orange Edamame Grain Salad

Here's another great Cooking Matters recipe that I tried the other night...I tweaked a few ingredients, (based on what I had in my pantry) and this is what I came up with! It's an easy, delicious spring salad to take to dinner parties or bbq's! 

Orange Edamame Grain Salad

Serves 12, 1/2 c per serving

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (uncooked) short grain brown rice (or quinoa!)

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup shelled edamame beans (in the frozen section)

1 can Mandarin oranges, drained

3 green onions

1 cup dried currants (or cranberries)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Pinch of Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions.

2.  Set rice aside once cooked in medium bowl to cool.

3.  Preheat oven to 350.

4.  Spread almonds onto sprayed baking sheet.  Bake approx 10 mins or until almonds are golden brown. (or microwave for ~2 mins) Set aside.

5.  Cook edamame according to pkg directions until just tender. (I microwaved with a small amount of water) Set aside in refrigerator to chill.

6.  Drain mandarin oranges and rinse and chop green onions.

7.  In a medium bowl, mix oranges, dried fruit, edamame, green onions, and almonds with rice.

8.  In another bowl, whisk together lemon juice, honey, pepper and sea salt.  While still whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil until a dressing forms.

9.  Pour the dressing over the salad slowly using only enough to coat rice lightly and mix well. You probably won't need all of the dressing!  (Use leftovers for salad) Let salad rest at room temp for 10 mins to allow flavors to combine. 

Bon appetit!

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Calories: 210, Total Fat:10 g Fiber: 3 g Protein:4 g

 

Notes:

Use any type of nuts or dried fruit to your preference.

Add chicken to leftovers to create a rice bowl.
Use leftover rice (that has already been cooked) for a quick assembly!

Add any type of cooked beans or veggies to the salad, and experiment using different types of grains-I'm going to try quinoa next!

Guilt-Free Chicken Alfredo!

I am SO excited to share this new recipe with all of you! You read right- guilt-free! One of my participants in the nutrition class I teach mentioned she had heard of alfredo sauce made with yogurt. (as we were discussing all the wonderful uses for plain yogurt) What a great idea!
So I did some research, slightly tweaked a recipe from www.runnersworld.com, and came up with a delicious "pasta" meal.  Instead of pasta noodles, I used spaghetti squash (which can be used as a substitute for pasta noodles).  Using spaghetti squash allows you to get extra great nutrients in your meal, while acting as a pasta all at the same time!
Feel free to mix up the veggies to whatever your liking-I used asparagus, Mexican squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach. 
While comparing this recipe to a regular homemade alfredo sauce, the fat and calorie differences are HUGE.  I compared this recipe to an average alfredo sauce, and here is what I came up with: Less than 300 calories/serving and ~5g fat for the yogurt chicken alfredo recipe. 
Average chicken alfredo=1015 calories/serving and 75g fat. Wow!! I'd say that's a big difference, thus making this recipe worth indulging in:-)
Lastly, I used chicken sausage, which serves as a lower-fat substitute to a pork sausage. 
If you make nothing else in this recipe, start with the sauce and make your own meal from there! (Sauce ingredients are bolded)
Hope you enjoy!!

Yogurt Chicken Veggie Alfredo

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Couple Pinches of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or soy yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cajun spice, optional 
1 large spaghetti squash (or brown rice noodles)

3-4 chicken sausage links, cooked and sliced into bite sized rounds

1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow summer squash, sliced

4 asparagus spears, cut in fourths

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

3 cups spinach
DIRECTIONS
Cut spaghetti squash in half.  Place face down in glass Pyrex pan.  Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 12 minutes. Set aside.

OR

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add brown rice noodles; cook according to package directions.

Saute all veggies in pan with 1 T canola oil until al dente. Set aside.

While spaghetti squash or pasta cooks, melt butter in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook two minutes.

Combine cornstarch and nutmeg in a small bowl; whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Pour into saute pan, raise the heat, and bring sauce to a simmer, whisking occasionally.

Remove pan from heat.
Whisk in yogurt until smooth. Add veggies and meat.

Using a spoon, scrape seeds out of the middle of the squash and throw away.  Using a fork, scrape spaghetti squash out of it's shell, & place on plate like noodles.  Add sauce mixture to top. Season with salt and pepper and top pasta with Parmesan cheese and Cajun spice if desired. Serves four.

Yogurt Biscuits with Dill

I'm on a yogurt kick..Tonight I made a creamy mushroom soup & was craving biscuits.  I found a regular yogurt biscuit recipe online (not GF), made some substitutions,and here is what I came up with-My favorite biscuit recipe yet! I haven't found a biscuit recipe I have loved, but I think this one made the cut.  To make a regular, non-gluten free version, substitute 2 cups flour for the sorghum and starch.  Omit the xanthan gum. Enjoy!

Yogurt Biscuits With Dill

INGREDIENTS

1.5 C sorghum flour

1/2 c tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

pinch of sea salt

1 T baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup smart balance (or butter)

1 cup low fat greek yogurt or plain yogurt of choice (soy for dairy free)

1/4 cup dill

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in butter to dry mixture until small crumbles.

Gently stir in yogurt and dill with a spoon.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead 5 times.

Press out dough until it is about 3/4 inch thick.

Cut out biscuits with a glass or biscuit cutter.

Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for ~9-10 minutes, making sure not to overbake.

Makes 10 biscuits.



A Spiced-Up App

...A tasty appetizer.  For sushi night tonight, I made a spiced-up edamame recipe.
This recipe comes from Food and Wine magazine and was enjoyed by all-try it out for a fun new twist!

Chipotle Garlic Edamame



INGREDIENTS

One 14 oz bag frozen edamame in the pods

1 T olive oil

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Coarse sea salt

black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large saucepan with the bottom 2 inches filled with water to a boil.  Steam the edamame on top of rubber steamer.  (or steam whole bag in microwave according to package directions). Drain and pat dry.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil with the chipotle powder, miced garlic and ground cumin. 
3. Add the edamame pods and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened, 1 to 2 minutes.  Season the edamame with sea salt and black pepper and transfer to a bowl.  Serve warm or at room temp with soy sauce. (Tamari for a gluten free alternative)

What is edamame?

Edamame is soybeans in pods.  Edamame is a great source of fiber and is a plant-based, complete protein! It's a healthy, inexpensive and low-fat snack to enjoy any time of the day. 

My "go-to" Chicken Recipe

A recent favorite of mine has been this simple, baked chicken (or salmon) with mustard sauce.  It is so easy and full of flavor!

I always have plain yogurt on hand (soy) to use interchangeably with both my cooking and baking.  Plain yogurt is a great fat substitute, can be used to make sweet or savory dips, used in place of sour cream, etc etc. Plus-you'll receive all the great health benefits yogurt has to offer; It's a great source of calcium, protein and healthy bacteria! I would highly recommend always having a container of this great stuff on hand;-)

With that being said, yogurt is used to make a tasty sauce for the chicken in this recipe; it is a great alternative to your average fat & sodium-laden cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or sour cream that is called for in many creamy sauce recipes.  Enjoy!!!

And I know...two chicken posts back to back...but-more exciting recipes to come soon! (once my life/work schedule slows down a bit:-)

Baked Chicken With Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or salmon)

1/4 cup white wine

1 tsp garlic powder

 1 tsp onion powder

Mustard Sauce:

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I use soy)

3 T grainy mustard

2 tsp honey

2 tsp gluten free soy sauce (tamari)

2 T dill (optional)

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Place chicken in greased baking dish.

3. Sprinkle chicken with garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

4. Mix together the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.

5. Bake for ~25 minutes, or until chicken temps out at 165 degrees.

Serve with your favorite greens and roasted carrots.
Serve on top of quinoa or brown rice!

(Above picture from elanaspantry.com)
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~Swahili Chicken~

Yum. My favorite food in the world=Curry dishes of all sorts. I was given a curry cookbook for Christmas from which I made this Swahili Chicken last night.  Every so often, I try to follow a recipe (and not just make it up)...and each time, I am oh-so-impressed with what following a recipe can do! Crazy.  Anyways, this recipe is awesome; it has a really different bite unlike any curry blend I've had before.  It was a super easy, one-bowl recipe.  The variety of Indian spices, lemon juice and yogurt gives the chicken great flavor and requires no added fat. Enjoy!

Swahili Chicken

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces

4 tsp finely grated ginger root (or 1.5 tsp ground ginger)
6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 T paprika

1 tsp ground cinnamon

8 T lemon juice

2 tsp ground cumin

1 T ground coriander

2 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1/2 cup plain yogurt

(I used soy yogurt for lactose free, optional=more yogurt than called for )

1 T honey

salt and pepper

1/4 bunch fresh parsley

Yogurt Dip

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl.  Mix together the remaining ingredients, (minus parsley and yogurt dip ingredients) season well, and pour over the chicken.  Mix well to combine, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 6-8 hrs or overnight if time permits.

Place the chicken mixture in a shallow, lightly greased, ovenproof baking dish. Place parsley on top, and cook in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 1.5 hrs, covering the dish with foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking. 

Stir yogurt and cumin together to make yogurt dip. Set aside.

Serve with brown rice or flat bread, and yogurt dip on side for chicken.

Lastly, the chip-like food on the plate is made from udad-dal (lentil flour).  I ventured into an Indian food store a few weeks ago looking for spices; definitely a fun store to spend way too much time in-and any store that revolves around cooking is 10 x more exciting than going to a shopping mall to me:-)  These chips are served as an appetizer dipped in a yogurt sauce at my favorite restaurant, (in Boulder) Sherpas.  To prepare, heat in a skillet on both sides, and serve.  They are made up of lentil flour, a little oil and whole cumin. 

Recipes x Three!

Healthy, delicious and low-budget friendly- the recipes below provide all three!  My current rotation is centered around budget-friendly, delicious recipes to meet the population's needs we provide classes for. Working with the underprivileged continues to teach me so much each day...A few facilities we teach at are mental health clinics, inner city schools, a homeless group (my favorite class) and a church food pantry. 
Along with their nutrition lesson, the members learn how to cook new recipes each week with a professional chef; they are then given a grocery bag full of food to take home and make the same recipes that week for their families.  (This is their "homework" each week...not too bad of an assignment, I'd say;-)
Each week they report back to me whether or not their family enjoyed the recipe; they all LOVE these Turkey Tacos and Pineapple Salsa.  I won't bore you with the nutrition portion of the lesson, but will add in a few healthy nutrition facts that make these recipes so wonderful. Enjoy!

Turkey Tacos

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 can pinto beans

1 pound ground turkey

1 cup tomato sauce, no salt added

3 T tomato paste

1 T chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp cumin

Sprinkle of cayenne (optional)

White Corn Tortillas (Make your own or store bought)

Toppings:

1/4 medium head of lettuce, chopped

2 large tomatoes

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 cup plain, fat free yogurt

DIRECTIONS:
1. Drain and rinse pinto beans.
2. Coat large frying pan with cooking spray.  Brown turkey over medium high heat.
3. Add pinto beans, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, garlic,oregano, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne to the frying pan.  Stir well.
4.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened, approximately 15 mins. (At this step, I added~1/2 cup water to thin/expand the sauce a bit.)
5.  Place portion of meat mixture into each taco shell, and add toppings as desired along with mango salsa on top. Enjoy!!!

(My favorite-Use leftover meat mixture and toppings the next day to make a taco salad!)

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A nutrition bit: Using yogurt as a substitute for sour cream greatly reduces the fat and calories for a creamy topping-Our classes love it!

Using ground turkey in the place of ground beef reduces the amount of saturated fat you're consuming in this recipe as well.

Draining and rinsing the beans reduces the sodium content greatly; This recipe is lower in sodium, saturated fat and calories that your standard, beef tacos.

2 tacos: 300 calories

11 g fat

3.5 g sat fat

Fiber 5 g

Protein 24 g

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This Salsa definitely makes this meal; it has a bite from the jalapeno and is a great, sweet addition to the tacos.  We ate the salsa on top of our tacos; we also served it as a salsa with corn tortillas chips...Make this salsa with mangoes, grapefruit, watermelon, oranges-many fruits can be substituted, but pineapple is my top pick;-)

Pineapple Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

2 large cans pineapple tidbits or chunks

1 large cucumber

2 medium green onions

1 medium jalapeno pepper

2 medium limes (or lime juice)

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drain and rinse pineapples.

2. Dice pineapple and cucumber. Finely chop green onions and place all in a small bowl.

3. Cut jalapeno pepper in half and remove seeds. Dice and add to mixture.

4. Cut lime in half, squeeze juice into mixture.

5. Add salt, cayenne and cilantro.

6. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

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 One last fun recipe...3 in one tonight:-) (Way too many recipes to share, and not enough time to blog!) LOVE this salad...

Northwest Apple Salad

INGREDIENTS:

3 apples of choice

2.5 cups plain or vanilla fat free yogurt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 large carrots, shredded

1 tsp cinnamon

1 T honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop apples into bite size chunks. Place in bowl.

2. Add yogurt, walnuts, cinnamon and honey. Mix well.

3. Fold in carrots.

Add currants, craisins or raisins (as pictured) if desired.

Enjoy!

~All 3 recipes are Gluten Free~

To make recipes lactose free, use soy or lactose-free yogurt