Quick Fix: Eggplant Burger

After a  hot and muggy day, I really didn't feel like cooking. Especially after a major holiday, however, I was googling things to do with burgers and I remembered I had a big eggplant in my fridge. I thought, hey, why not make an eggplant burger, that would prevent me from having to walk out to the grocer again, and I could eat something that is good for me. At least, it is homemade and would be my first attempt. 

I have to say, I didn't expect my eggplant burger to be so yummy and good but it was. Imagine, the melting of cheese on a grilled eggplant, with sauteed onions, on a soft hamburger bun. I only wished I had some spinach or argula to place on my burger. But I definitely enjoyed and it was a great change in my diet, as I've never eaten an eggplant burger. 

This is a quick fix and should only take you a few minutes to prepare.

Eggplant Burger 

1/3 of a large eggplant
1/2 cup of onions or assorted peppers
1 tsp of shredded cheese
1-2 slices of a fresh tomato
1-2 hamburger buns
Fat free canola spray or 1 tbls of Canola (w/Omega 3 6 9 blend)
1 garlic clove

How to Prepare: 

1. Saute one garlic clove chopped up slightly with the onions in a pan, with one tsp of sugar to help carmelize, for 5-8 minutes. 
2. Set aside the sauteed onions and cloves or place on the hamburger buns. 
3. Wash your eggplant and cut up 1/3 of it, then place on a grill or fry in a pan. Use fat free spray or the canola/olive/soy oil blend (smart balance has a great one to use). Cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. While it is cooking you can use any seasoning, I used garlic powder for mines. After it has cooked down, add the shredded cheese, place heat on low so it will not burn. 
4. When it is ready, transfer to the buns. 
5. Add your own condiments ( I used barbecue sauce, but you can do a mayo/garlic blend or use mustard and ketchup). 
6. Serve on the hamburger bun with any lettuce (for nutritional value, try argula or romaine lettuce)
7. ENJOY! 

This is low cost meal: Eggplants in my neighborhood, cost $1.00 on most days and the hamburger bun cost under $1.60. Most regular grocery stores might charge slightly higher rates but there is a great value in using the eggplant. Also, most hamburger buns do not cost that much, in the future, I will use whole wheat as a better option than the white buns I used.. Also, try mozzarella cheese. Try different seasonings. I may try this again later in the week. The fat content in the burger is higher with the oil, so on a second try, I will use the fat free spray instead. If you have the George Foreman grill, this might work. I pan fried mines. 

(c) 2012 by Pam Osbey 

Spicy Chicken Quesadillas

I'm always looking around ways to have spicy foods. I think it's a family trait since most of my family loves hot sauce, hot peppers, and the like. Since I had left over chicken strips from my previous dish (Grilled Chicken and Spinach Salad) I made a few days ago, I wanted to hurry up and use the chicken before it went rancid. On top of that I saw a really great recipe using ginger and thai flavored items. So I chose to head to the food market to get a few items like the fresh parsley, red pepper and tortillas. 

This dish needs to be prepped the day before if you are like me and want your chicken to be tender, not rough. So I prepared a marinade the night before and allowed it to soak over night then, I prepared my dish. 

Yes, this is a non traditional Memorial Weekend dish but I went to a BBQ last night that was really great (Thanks Kim!). 

Spicy Chicken Quesadillas 

Chicken strips (chicken breast can be used, but thinly sliced) 

low sodium soy sauce

1 lemon 

1 lime 

1/2 of a fresh red pepper

1/2 of a raw onion 

1 tsp of ginger root 

1 tablespoon of Srirachi chili sauce 

1 tsp of red wine vinegar 

1 tsp of black pepper 

1 tsp  of dry mustard 

Fresh parsley or cilantro 

3 Corn or flour tortillas 

1 tablespoon or shredded  cheese 

1-2 tablespoon of Smart Balance Natural Peanut Butter 

1 tablespoon Canola Oil (I used an Omega 3, 6, 9 blend) 

For the Marinade: 

fresh lemons or lemon juice 

low sodium soy sauce 

red wine vinegar 

dry mustard 

black pepper (1tsp) 

thinly sliced chicken strips 

Preparing the marinade: 

In a bowl, place all ingredients, mixing it and then adding the  chicken strips to it. Let it sit for at least four hours or over night, whichever works for you. 

Preparing the Quesadillas: 

Take the chicken strips from the marinade -- and cook in canola oil. Add chopped garlic, ginger root, and onions. Let it cook down, then add small strips of the red pepper and orange pepper if desired. Add a small amount of garlic powder (if necessary). In a seperate pot, place the peanut butter, a dab of canola oil, small pieces of red pepper and srirachi chili pepper. Squeeze fresh limes into the sauce or use lime juice. Cook for 1-4 minutes, watch it carefully as it can and will burn if you don't monitor it.  After the spicy peanut sauce cooks, turn off and allow it to cool down while you finish the Quesadillas. After the chicken strips have cooked down, transfer to the tortillas and add cheese in the middle of the tortilla, fold it, then cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes. After the cheese has melted, transfer to a plate and drizzle the spicy peanut sauce over the tortillas. Serve with a small salad. 

Safety tips: 

Make sure to wash your hands, especially since you are  handling meat. Wash all veggies as well.  

Leftover Marinade: 

use with chicken, seafood or tofu for another dish. 

This dish can make up to four tortillas. I only ate one and saved the rest for lunch or later in the week. I think because the peanut butter is filling. Also you can use crushed peanuts for the sauce but I did not. 

Enjoy, 

Pamela O. 

Asian Ginger Chicken Legs

I hadn't had meat in eight months since I originally started drawing down some of my unhealthier eating choices but recently gave myself a little leeway on incorporating some meats, in limited quantities. I saw a really great recipe on Gina's Skinny Recipes (a great website to get healthy and vegetarian meals). The recipe I saw had a lot of ingredients and since I have to watch my sodium intake, I tweaked the recipe to include just chicken, low sodium soy sauce and red vinegar. 

Now I come from a southern family and used to eating a lot of meats with side dishes, but for this dish I chose to cook the chicken legs and simply add jasmine rice with steamed veggies. Also, I decided to use skinless chicken legs and since it's just me cooking for one, I chose to only cook a few legs, eating a small portion for dinner and saving the rest for lunch on the next day. 

Back to not eating the meat -- meat was never the enemy but normally when I chose eating meat, I was eating meat in a combo meal or a quick meal that was sodium laden. I wanted to reduce all of that because in the Spring of 2011, I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure. I stopped eating meat that was prepared in the fast food arena, especially  hot wings, fried chicken wings, and greasy foods, but when I came back to limited quantities this year (2012), I felt okay with the choice, though I am still striving to eat as an vegetarian, which in my opinion is more healthier for ME. It took me four months to get rid of my HBP and I no longer have to take any medicine, because of my healthier choices, which includes low sodium or no sodium options. 

Back to these delicious asian chicken legs. In most recipes I saw the use of ginger root, which is readily available in my community. However, I didn't have time to go to the natural market so I used ginger spices which I also keep in my cupboard. 

Let me know how you like these. 

Asian Ginger Chicken Legs 

Skinless Chicken Legs (I used 3 for the recipe) 

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed 

1/2 onion

1tsp of Low Sodium Soy Sauce 

1 tablespoon or red vinegar 

1 tsp of Srirachi Red Chili Sauce 

1 tsp of ginger spice/powder 

Sesame Seeds (less than 1 tsp) 

1 tsp of brown sugar (no more than that or it will turn hard!) 

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil (Smart Balance was used -- canola/soy/olive blend) 

How to Prepare the meal : 

Wash the chicken legs and set aside in a bowl. Wash your hands, before handling the rest of the recipe.  Crush the garlic cloves and chop the onions.  Place one tablespoon of Olive Oil in your pot, then add the cloves and onions to cook, then add the chicken legs. Wash your hands (again) -- then allow the chicken legs to cook for at least 8-10 minutes before adding  the soy sauce, srirachi sauce and red wine vinegar. Allow all flavors to come together then add the ginger spice/powder and cook until your desired temperature and consistency.  You may add the brown sugar after this time period, watch the cooking very carefully and while it it cooking, use a ladel to pour the mixture over the chicken legs while it cooks. You might have to cook down for a while til it all comes together. 

Serve with jasmine or brown rice. 

Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the chicken legs before you serve over the rice. 

(c) 2012 by Pam Osbey 

Chicken, Spinach & Peach Grilled Salad

A few days ago, I was feening for something different. It was a late night after work and as usual, I by passed the fast food joint to go to the natural food market, picked up a bag of spinach, peaches, and chicken breast pre-sliced.  I really didn't know if my idea would fly or die but I wanted to do something unique that would combine fruit, veggies and lean meat. 

After I walked  home, I decided to flip through the internet for ideas but I really didn't like any or the ones that I found had too many ingredients and I like to keep things simple, so I just used what I had on stock at home. I took  half of a bag of spinach and washed it, then set it aside in a bowl. 

The rest of the ingredients I cooked on low heat. See the ingredients below. 

Chicken, Spinach and Peach Grilled Salad 

1/2 bag of organic spinach
10-12 cherry tomatoes
2 peaches
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of canola or olive oil
chicken breast strips or 1/2 of a 6 oz (3oz)

How to Prepare the grilled salad: 

On low heat place one tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil and toss chicken strips, chopped yellow and orange peppers, turmeric and cayenne spices until cooked. Cook on low for ten-fifteen minutes or until meat is fully cooked to your desired effort.   Take this mixture out and slice the peaches, then put them on low heat until they have begun to carmalize, then add to the bowl with the spinach & meat/veggies.  To carmalize your cherry tomatoes, cook on low for five minutes and toss less than 1 tsp of sugar to get them to the right temperature, then take them off quickly. 

How to assemble the salad: 

Over the spinach which was rinsed and sitting in the bowl, take the meat, veggies, and peaches -- arrange in a fashionable style and  then eat at your leisure. 

Variations:

You can add black beans or other legumes in the salad. I added black beans to the salad for lunch because I could not eat all of the salad when previously made.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback if you made this recipe.

(c) 2012 by Pam Osbey

Veggie Casserole with Black Beans

I love Black Beans and they have become my favorite thing to add to multiple recipes. They are awesome on meatless tacos, in salads, in soups and even salads. So a few days ago my co-worker Maggy brough this amazing casserole with plantains and it was so good. I wanted to make a meatless dish that would help me clean my fridge as I'm in the middle of a move and didn't want the food to get rancid or throw it away so I decided to use in a dish which I am sharing below. Not only is Black Beans a good source of fiber and helps to lower cholesterol. Of course, when using it in a healthy way you must not over load it with a lot of fat.

This is an untested recipe and I will share the results after I cook it this afternoon. I will list the ingredients below.

Veggie Casserole with Black Beans

1 Can of Black beans

Velvetta Cheese Slices

Chopped Onions

1-2 Potatoes or Boxed Mashed Potatoes Mix

1 small box of chopped spinach

Squash (roasted) or pre-cut squash

Olive Oil or Fat Free Olive Oil Spray

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Oregano Powder

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Preparation:

Pre-wash the can of black beans and set aside in bowl. Roast the squash in a casserole dish for 40-45 minutes. While Squash is roasting, prepare your mash potatoes in the oven or microwave as necessary. Saute Spinach in 1 tsp of Olive Oil or in fat free Pam spray. Mash black beans in the bowl, and layer on a small baking dish, add chopped onions, and seasonings, then add the roasted squash, mashed potatoes, and spinach. Add slices of velvetta cheese in between each layer if you would like. Use seasonings as necessary. Bake for 30-35 minutes and serve when done.

I will update this blog with a picture if I can after this dish is done.

If you make this dish, use your imagination and use what you have. There are many vegetables to use, make your palate happy by enjoying a variety of them.

Happy Healthy Day to you!

Pam

Crockpot Meal: Lentil Soup with Potato, Carrot and Tomatoes

Back in 2009, when I moved to New York City, I had roommates from different cultures and countries. One of my roommates was from India and he ate vegetarian fare. I quickly was encouraged by him to cook my food at home because we both agreed New York was expensive and eating out when you should be on a budget is something to consider. My first experience with lentils was just making soup which I'm back to because it's January and I'm trying to gear up for the Daniel Fast. One of the great things about using Lentils is that it is very good for your body and it stretches well. It is hearty and can be rolled over into many different dishes. I've seen everything from soups to veggie burgers to chili's for this adaptive morsel. Today I really didn't want to go spend money and although it's not cold enough in New York, I saw a recipe a few days ago for a chili version that looked pretty yummy.

I decided to take what I had in my possession to create a different type of lentil soup. This one has a few of my favorite things: carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, and lots of seasonings with fresh garlic and onions. All of the things I put in my soup are very cheap at the local Asian grocer. I got my bag of carrots for 99 cents, tomatoes for one buck, a bag of potatoes went for $2.50 but I'm out of potatoes so I'll have to go back and restock on that.

Not only are these vegetables good for your body, during winter there is something comforting about a bowl of soup on a winter night that over looks the average on the go meal: McDonald's, BK's or Popeye's might be good when you are too lazy to cook and yes, a crockpot meal takes a while but what I love about the crock pot is that it's a no brainer. You put your ingredients in it, and sit back and relax. While waiting for my meal to be completed, I ate a corn muffin I made the day before and snacked on green peppers and hummus.

Pam's Comfy Lentil Soup

1/4 cup of Eden Organic Green Lentils

2 bay leaves

1 carrot

1 medium potato

1 tsp cilantro

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp oregano

1 plum tomato

2 cloves of fresh garlic or minced garlic

1 cup of water

1 tsp of black pepper

Sea Salt (optional)

Tomato Paste (optional)

Unsalted Chicken Broth (optional)

389 calories per serving

1 gram of fat

Place all vegetables, chopped and layered in your crockpot, add seasonings, and then the lentils and water. Cook on low for 4 hours. You can garnish with more cilantro or parsley when it is done.

Have a great week ahead and remember, it's okay to have a healthy appetite just have some balance with it all.

Pam

Green Smoothie

I know what you're thinking, "a green smoothie" how is that tasty. But stick with me for a while. Earlier today I wanted to eat a nice, juicy burger with fresh french fries but didn't want the calories. I also by passed Popeye's and Burger King to name a few fast food choices. The funny thing is I came home from my walk and decided to just grab some fruit and water. Over the weekend I bought a big bag of turnip greens which i had been craving for a while. A long time ago, a fellow Facebooker posted a healthy smoothie that had Kale in it but I was like 'nah" that's not gonna work. Anyway, flashforward to today.

I saw that I still had a lot of greens left and wondered what would I do with it. I knew I could make another bath of turnip greens or I could put it with some beans or in a veggie soup. I was curious about how it would taste in a smoothie. So I took a few ingredients which I whipped up in mere seconds with my blender. Mind you my blender is not an over priced one, it is one I got on sale at Kmart a few months ago.

Pam's Green Smoothie:

1 cup of turnip greens

1/2 banana

1 tablespoon of blue berry flaxseeds

1 tablespoon of plain non fat greek yogurt

Water

1 teaspoon of raw honey

1 small apple

Instructions:

Wash all ingredients, then cut the apple and place in the blender, add the greek yogurt, blue berry flaxseeds, water, banana, raw honey with the turnip greens on the top. Blend on high for 5 minutes. When finished serve in your favorite container.

Calories: 267

Fat Grams: 3 grams of fat

Happy eating! I will put this one in my rotation for the new year. It was delightfully nice. No bitterness. I think the apple and banana balances out the bitterness of the greens.

Pam