Tag Archive | healthy

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

Growing up I use to spend hours watching my Mom cook, I was even allowed to help! It didn’t matter what she was whipping up I was enthusiastically welcomed to help. I think she instilled my love of cooking into me at an early age. The kitchen was the one place my Mom was relaxed and at ease.

My Mom made many different meals but one of my personal favorites was always cabbage rolls. Tonight I had a craving for some cabbage rolls but didn’t have the time to make the labour intensive recipe so I did the next best thing! Lazy cabbage rolls, aka unstuffed cabbage rolls, aka cabbage casserole, aka inside out cabbage rolls! Whatever you wish to call them they are tasty, quick, and cost effective!

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef, ground turkey, or veggie ground round
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 cans of tomato soup
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 small cabbage chopped (5/6 cups)
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
In a large skillet Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add in ground beef and cook until throughly browned.

Once the beef is well browned add in tomatoes, soup, rice, spices and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the cabbage and water, stir to combine, cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until cabbage reaches desired consistency.

This dish has a very comfort food feel to me yet is quiet healthy. Mom always serves cabbage rolls with fresh white bread and butter to tone down the health factor 😉

Enjoy!!

Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers

Mar11

Who says a burger can’t be healthy!!!! These little babies are healthy, filling, and down right delicious!

I invented a version of turkey burger a few years back that have become a staple in our house, as well as at my work! I will share that recipe with you sometime soon! Until then this is another of my own creations that I think you might enjoy! These burgers have a spicy kick thanks to the jalapeño but feel free to omit it if you don’t like jalapeño spice! The cilantro and lime pair well with the feta to liven up dull but healthy ground turkey breast meat!

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 bell pepper (chopped)
Handful fresh basil leaves (1/4 cup chopped)
4 green onions chopped
1 cup loosely packed cilantro chopped
Juice from 1 large lime (1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeño diced (amont dependent upon your taste)
1 egg
1 cup feta
1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup crispy onions (optional)
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon salt free seasoning
Pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Method
Mix everything together in a large bowl and combine with your hands! Pretty simple!

Form patties, pressing ingredients together firmly. I usually get 6 good size patties out of this recipe.

I like to let the burgers sit so the flavors can meld. This can be as little as 15 minutes or as long as 8 hours covered in the fridge! The longer they sit the better they are in my opinion but let’s face it we don’t always have that kind of time!

Cooking
When I’m at home I like to let Kevin grill these babies on the BBQ. Always be sure to spray the grill well because there is very little fat in these burgers.

When I’m cooking at work I do them in a large skillet with a little olive oil.

I like to flip them frequently to ensure they brown evenly. Cooking this method usually takes about 13 – 15 minutes. Just ensure you cook to a safe temperature.

I’m a big cheese fan and have tried a number of combinations on these burgers. Tonight we went with havariti. Whatever kind of cheese you like! It’s up to you! My favorite is smoked Gouda.

I always like to serve these with guacamole! I posted my recipe for it Here. They also go well with tzatziki or on a bun with your favorite burger toppings!

I hope you give them a try and let me know what you think!

Luscious Lasagna

Mar5

When I think of home cooked hearty, comfort food meals lasagna always makes the list! Yes it is a fairly labour intensive meal but I find I can have the veggies chopped, sauce made, assembled and in the oven in about 45 minutes. Not an every night type of meal but delicious and healthy! Plus the added bonus of leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner!

I use ground turkey to make my lasagna but I’ve used ground beef, veggie ground round, as well as a beef Italian sausage mix in the past. All turn out wonderful but ground turkey is the leanest and healthiest choice. I mean other then the veggie option of course!

I also like to use the no boil noodles but again in the past have used the traditional type. I just find it adds to the prep time and I’m not a fan of burning my fingers on slippery hot noodles! Quit snickering ladies 😉 I am a big fan of the Trader joes no boil noodles because they have a nice texture once cooked. I am also a jan of the Trader Joes basil marinara sauce. Ummm yum! However if you’re anything like me you will use whatever you have on hand!

So here we go!
Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey (or beef/meat of your choice)
2 cups cottage cheese or ricotta
2 cups mozzarella (I use low fat)
1 bunch of basil (1/2 cup chopped)
1 bunch cilantro (1/4 cup chopped)
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 jar marinara sauce or pasta sauce of choice
1 box of lasagna noodles
1 onion
1 pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped. jalapeño (optional)
1 can mushrooms (optional)
2 cups baby spinach
1 egg
Olive oil for sautéing
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Seasoning salt & pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional but delightful)

Sauce prep
Chop onion, pepper, chopped jalapeño, 2 garlic cloves and sauté with a tiny but of olive oil for about three minutes. Add in meat, garlic, seasonings of choice and sauté
until cooked. Once the meat is cooked to a safe temperature add in the marinara sauce and 1.5 cups of water. At this point if you are using the cinnamon add it now! Trust me it makes the flavours really pop. Turn heat down to lowest setting and allow to simmer for a few minutes.

While the meat sauce mix is cooking prep the cottage or ricotta cheese by simply adding the egg, chopped basil, cilantro, garlic seasonings if choice and mixing well!

Assembly
At this point you are ready to assemble start by placing 1/3 of the sauce mix in the bottom of a large casserole pan and topping with a layer of noodles and another 1/3 of sauce. Add another layer of noodles and top them with the cottage cheese mixture. Spread mixture out evenly and top with baby spinach and another layer of noodle! Top those noodles with the remainder of the sauce spread mozzarella cheese on top! Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 55 minutes! I like to spray my foil with Pam to keep the cheese from sticking. I also like to broil the lasagna uncovered for a couple of minutes before removing from the oven.

I bake my lasagna on a cookie sheet because if you ever have to clean bubbled over lasagna out of your oven you will quickly decide you never wish to do it again!!!

Be sure to let your lasagna sit for 10 – 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Food Porn – Breakfast Edition

Feb19

I woke up this morning with a serious sweet tooth! This almost never happens to me in the morning, afternoon all the time. I wasn’t about to dive face first into a sugar laden donut or cookie for breakfast, despite my urge to! Instead I changed up my oatmeal/ancient grain bowl toppings!

I started out with the usual oats,quinoa,kamut mixture and the usual peanut butter/chopped banana topping. This is where I got crazy friends!!! I traded my usual tablespoon of hemp hearts for a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips and a sprinkle of coconut. Freaking heavenly! It was sweet without being sickeningly sweet. The chocolate chips got warm and melty and it was pretty much the most amazing bowl of oats I’ve eaten in a while!

It is nice to change up your breakfast routine once in a while and after yesterdays fail this was indeed a welcome change! Yesterday along with my hemp hearts I tossed in a tablespoon of golden flax. Guess who isn’t a flax fan apparently!!!! You guessed it, this girl!

Live and learn friends!!

“What do you mean we aren’t sharing breakfast mom?!!!?”

Guacamole Addiction

Feb16

I can’t get enough guacamole lately! Home made, store bought, which ever! Today was no different so I whipped up a batch to snack on!

Super easy to make!

1 ripe avocado
1 garlic clove
1 tsp spicy olive oil
Jalapeño to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime juice to taste
Cilantro

Toss it all into a food processor or magic bullet!!! Poof!!! Snack time!!

That’s A Mighty Big…

Jan30

Grapefruit? Orange? Lemon? No, No, And no! It’s a Pomelo and let me tell you it was a real bitch to contend to!!

The before picture

The carnage

The reward

Apparently this member of the citrus family is the largest and is chock full of vitamins and healthy junk!

I suggest you try one if you have the patients to break into one!

Snack Time With A Headache On The Side!

Jan15

Good afternoon! I have a headache that I can’t seem to shake today! Oh well.

I was in the mood for a snack and thought I would share one of my favourites with you all! Baked kale chips! So easy to make and jam packed full of nutrition. They are quick and require very few ingredients.

I started by tearing the kale leaves off of their stalk and ripping them into smaller pieces. This step makes me feel like a cross between Popeye and the Hulk!!! I’m so tough! Those kale leaves don’t stand a chance!!!

Once you have conquered the brutalizing of the veggie simply rinse the leave pieces well and pat dry with paper towel. I like to make sure they are good and dry so they don’t turn out soggy.

Once your leaves are dry pour on about 1/2 tablespoon of oil. I used grape seed but you can use olive, vegetable, whatever you like. Once the oil is on massage it through with your hands and then season. Again use whatever seasoning you like. I used organic salt free seasoning and garlic powder. In the past I’ve used everything from salt and pepper to chilli flakes, Italian seasoning. Really whatever you have a taste for will work.

Once seasoned to your desire simply toss again and place in a cookie sheet. I like to line my sheet with foil for easy clean up.

That is it they are ready for the I’ve oven! Pop them into a warm oven, I Usually go with 365 degrees for about 15 minutes flipping half way through. The edges will brown slightly and the whole chip will get crispy. I keep a close eye on them near the end cuz they can go from just nicely crisp to over done quickly.

They bake down substantially, so make lots or don’t offer to share ! Kale chips are a healthy, low calorie, fibre rich, filling snack. Kale itself is a little nutritional powerhouse, full of iron, vitamins and antioxidants.

Give them a try!

Life With The McGavins

100% Not Sugar Coated