Spicy Kale Salad w/Raisins

I really didn't have any intention of eating much tonight after a long day out in the field. I happy passed up the McDonald's on the corner from my home and had a light snack today. I began looking for some recipes online but didn't see anything catching. I noticed my kale was getting to the point of no return so I decided to pull out a few things and tossed around an idea in my head. This was quick, easy, and can be adapted anyway you like. 

3 handfuls of raw kale

1 tablespoon or teaspoon of raisins

1 ear of corn (fresh), corn cut off of the ear 

1 tsp of turmeric, black pepper & garlic powder 

1 tablespoon of olive oil (you can also use fat free spray)

1/2 of a fresh orange bell pepper 

1/2 of a fresh green zucchini 

1. Wash and cut all veggies, set aside. 
2. Cut the ear of corn, taking all kernels off. 
3. Saute veggies in oil oil. 
4. Massage raw kale with olive oil and use 1/2 of a fresh lemon to moisten it up (also gives great flavor) 
5. Set aside kale in bowl. 
6. Toss any seasonings in sauteed veggies (in the pan) 
7. Arrange finished veggies over the kale salad. 
8. Toss raisins. 

You can adapt this by grilling the veggies on a grill with fat free spray or you can bake the veggies to cut some fat, and leaving the olive oil off. 

Time: less than 20 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

Sauteed Shredded Cabbage with Chicken Tenderloins

This is my second day of lazy meals. Meals that do not take too much time or effort. At least to me. So I wanted shrimp with this but the price point was not that good so I bought some chicken tenderloins, sauteed 1/3 bag of shredded cabbage, used a little olive oil and a few veggies (red bell pepper was used). I don't think it took much time either. Didn't calculate but I would say it was no longer than 30 minutes. 

Step 1: 

In one pan, toss chopped red bell pepper, onions, and one chopped garlic clove. 

Add the chicken tenderlions and cook until they are fully done. I usually like mines well done. 

Step 2: 

Continue to cook for an additional fifteen or more minutes, tossing seasonings on with the shredded cabbage. I used turmeric, black pepper and garlic powder. Use no more than 2 tablespoons of olive oil. This can also be done in a grill (like the George Foreman grill) with less calories for the chicken. 

Step 3: enjoy in a nice little bowl. 

For those that need some salt, feel free to add salt but I only use Kosher. I try not to use any sodium in most of my food. 

Shredded Cabbage Turkey Burger 

I've had some pretty unique taste buds the last few weeks so this is no exception. Since I see cabbage all the time I had a random thought in my mind about how shredded cabbage would taste if I sauteed it in EVOO and then placed it atop a grilled turkey burger. I was shopping a few nights ago and got a little irritated when I saw turkey burgers with a high fat content. They were in the range of 18 grams of fat. However I kept on looking and ran into some organic turkey burgers that had 8 grams of fat. I figure what is the worse that could happen with the cabbage. If I didn't like it, I would eat on the side of the burger. Anyway, that is how my Shredded Cabbage Turkey Burger was born. 

Ingredients

Organic Turkey Burgers (1-2) 

1/3 of the Dole Brand Shredded Cabbage 

1 tsp Garlic Powder 

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 

Whole wheat or White hamburger buns

1 tsp of chopped onions 

For the Burgers: 

Season burgers and grill until they are cooked at your consistency. I grilled on my George Foreman Grill and prepared them well done.  I set aside for the cabbage topping.  *Make sure to wash hands before and after handling the burgers* 

For the cabbage topping: 

Place EVOO in the pot/pan until sizzling, then add the cabbage, chopped onions, garlic powder and black pepper. Cook until the cabbage is ready to be served. I cooked mines for about ten - fifteen minutes. I added a dash of Turmeric on it. 

Preparing your burgers: 

Place the burgers on the buns, then add the cabbage in the middle of the hamburger. Eat and enjoy. 

Ahh the lonely half drunk juice that I prepared when I first got my juicer 2 weeks ago. Why is that so red? Could it be the large beets that were used? Is it really good? These are questions you may be asking. However I can assure you of one thing -- I have been juicing beets for several months now and incorporating in my new eating lifestyle (not diet)...! 

I have been using beets for about four months since I originally found out it naturally lowers blood pressure. I know I know, you can't fathom eating this. But when you juice it is sooo good and naturally sweet when mixed with other veggies or fruits. 

BEET ROOT JUICE 

1 white turnip (fresh)\
1 beet root (fresh)
1/2 cucumber (fresh)
1 cup of pineapple chunks (fresh, not canned)



How to prepare: 

1. In  your juicer, place the beet first to be juiced. 
2. Add the white turnip and cucumbers
3. Then finally add the pineapple chunks 

This is a very quick juice and it naturally detoxes your body. Make sure to add a dish of rolled oats, green apples or raisins (or other clean dish for breakfast).

Enjoy!

STUFFED RED BELL PEPPER WITH BLACK BEANS

One red bell pepper
Zucchini
Onions
1/2 cup of steamed rice (prepared)
Black Beans
Garlic powder
1 grilled eggplant slice


This recipe is from two left over recipes I made recently so I steamed a red bell pepper.

How to Prepare:

1. Add sauteed veggies from a previous meal (zucchini, onion, and grilled eggplant), 
2. Add the black beans from the can or from an earlier dish. 
3. Place rice in the bell pepper along with any seasonings of your choice. 

Since these are left overs from previous dishes, the prep time is about ten minutes flat. Put in a microwaveable dish and bring to work -- microwave at two minutes or more and eat with a salad.

I told you, sometimes eating  healthy doesn't taken that much time.

Enjoy!!!

Once again, after a long day of sleep, I woke up with no real plan of dinner. I knew it would be fresh and homemade so this is what I came up with. A meatless dinner on Sunday. Traditionally in my past when I was eating whatever I wanted to, Sundays would consist of a lot of southern cuisine like fried chicken, spaghetti, homemade potato salad, and other sides. However, I am watching my intake since I'm still not at my final goal. This is a simple dish that is good. The only thing I would change is adding some black beans or other protein. I could have done some steamed fish, or skinless chicken leg to the mix. 

You can adapt this anyway you like. 

Steamed Corn, Sauteed Veggies and Grilled Eggplant 

w/ Rice 

1 cup of whole grain (brown rice or multigrain) 

2 cups of water 

1 tbls of fat free butter or margarine 

1/2 eggplant 

1/2 zucchini 

1-4 strips of fresh red pepper 

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp of onions 

1 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of black pepper 

1 ear of corn 

1 tsp of salt (optional)

Fat free spray

1 tablespoon of olive oil 

For the rice: 

Prepare by boiling rice with water, maybe one tsp of salt and the butter. I don't use salt but have used kosher on occasion doesn't seem as salty as the other kind I grew up with. Cook the rice for 15-20 minutes until done. Set aside. 

For the sauteed veggies: 

Wash and chop veggies, cook in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add garlic powder, turmeric and black pepper. Cook for ten minutes or until done. Set aside. 

For the Corn: 

Steam for 5-10 minutes. 

For the Grilled Eggplant: 

Grill by using fat free spray. I used the George Foreman grill and it took about ten minutes to finish. The trick is to cut medium or thinly sliced. Thicker slices will take longer. 

Arrange all food on your plate and enjoy! 

Tonight's meal was inspired by life. Didn't want to eat out and I had made a batch of lentil soup a few nights ago. I froze the lentil burgers last  night, added oats, whole wheat flour with lentils, carrots, onions, and celery. Spiced a little bit with fresh garlic and onions. When I got home I boiled some pearl barley, no seasonings or salt, then added a few strips of orange bell pepper. The only thing I didn't make was the Callaloo. I bought a can  of Grace brand. It wasn't too salty. What I didn't expect was the burger was so tender and moist and there was no meat!!!! This is a meatless meal and I'm glad I experimented tonight. I will make this one again. 

Lentil Burger with Pearl Barley & Callaloo

1/2 cup of dry lentils 

bay leaves 

1 garlic clove 

1/2 onions chopped

1/2 cup of carrots (or 2-3 medium carrots chopped) 

1 tsp of black pepper 

1 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp of turmeric 

1/3 cup of orange bell peppers, slivered 

1/2 cup of Callaloo 

1/3 cup of dry pearl barley 

1/3 cup of rolled oats 

1/3 cup of whole wheat flour 

Preparing Your Lentil Burger: 

Cook all ingredients as a soup the night before -- dry lentils, bay leaves, garlic clove, onions, carrots, black pepper, garlic powder, turmeric and celery (if desired). You can cook in a crockpot for 5 hours over night. The next day, you should strain the lentils,carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Place in a dish and set aside `1/3 cup of rolled oats and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour to bind the burgers. Freeze over night. Cook on fat free butter oil spray (or olive oil version). You can also use canola or Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

Preparing Your Barley: 

Cook over medium heat until  you see they are cooked appropriately, then drain, set aside on a plate. Set as the base of the dish. 

Preparing the Callaloo: 

Rinse out the callaloo from the can (this drains sodium content), and then boil or microwave. If you microwave only microwave less than 2 minutes, then set on top of the barley. 

Finishing the dish: 

Add the Lentil burger on top of the callaloo, and serve. 

I served mines with fresh beet juice (beets, oranges, carrots, celery &yellow squash). 

Enjoy!!!

Pam 

Flaxseeds

Hi Everyone,

I have done a webblog about using Flaxseeds, which I can tell you are very beneficial to my health and suggest you consider using them for optimal health.

I've used them to lower my blood pressure. I toss in breakfast, lunch and dinner items. Just make sure to drink plenty of water. A big will last a long time. You can get them from Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or any health food store. Also you can order them on line.

Check out the link below.

Benefits of Flaxseeds

Expect new recipes to include juicing & some  healthy Salmon options. Have a great week ahead.

Pam