Vegan Pizza with Arugula, Kalamata Olives, and Daiya

Ingredients:
2 whole wheat Naan flatbreads
2 cups Daiya mozzarella shreds
4 cups baby arugula
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1//2 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1 thinly sliced tomato- or chop up some sun-dried tomatoes and toss them onto the flatbreads
1 cup vegan pesto- recipe can be found here:  http://hearthealthylifestyle.blogspot.com/2012/05/vegan-penne-pasta-with-pesto-and.html

Directions:
Spread pesto over each flatbread.  Layer onions, arugula, tomatoes, olives, and lastly the Daiya shreds.  Bake on pizza pan or cookie sheet for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees until Daiya shreds are melted.

I have used so many ingredients for my vegan pizzas but this one is my favorite!

Spicy Pecans

Ingredients:
3 cups whole pecans
3 tbsp sesame seed oil
2 tbsps hot pepper sauce
2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Sweet Mesquite Seasoning (Costco product) or Ms. Dash southwest chipotle seasoning
Salt to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in pan, add pecans, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.  Toss until thoroughly mixed and allow liquid to reduce then add seasoning.  Toss until seasoning evenly coats pecans.  Salt to taste.

Easy Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Herbed Marmalade and Cranberries

Ingredients:
1 large turkey breast (bone in)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsps rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries
1/2 cup orange marmalade

Directions:
Chop garlic and rosemary then mix with marmalade.  Lift the skin on the turkey breast and spread the mixture underneath the skin and all over the rest of the breast.  Place turkey and cranberries into crock pot on high.  Cook for about 2 & 1/2 hours until turkey is tender or until meat thermometer stuck into thickest portion of the breast reads 165 degrees.

Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 pkg whole button mushrooms
2 tbsps balsamic vinaigrette
2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps onion, finely chopped
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 small poblano chili
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup left-over mushroom stems
*1/2 cup Daiya (dairy-free cheese substitute)*
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup panko crumbs
Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
Scoop out stem and some of the area surrounding the stem of each mushroom, taking care not to tear the mushroom.  Rinse mushrooms and place face down on a paper towel.  In food processor pulse, all ingredients except rice, Panko crumbs, and vinaigrette until the pieces are rice-sized, then add to pan with rice and vinaigrette. (I want the garlic and onion to be minuscule so I chop them even though I'm also adding them to the food processor.)  Saute' until Daiya cheese substitute is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place mushrooms into shallow baking dish and scoop a heaping portion into each mushroom. Sprinkle Panko crumbs over top and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

*About Daiya...I LOVE this company!  Their cheese alternatives are dairy-free, gluten-free, and soy-free.  The best part of all...unlike many cheese substitutes, Daiya MELTS!  And it is delicious!  

Check it out!  http://us.daiyafoods.com/

Spicy Chili Chicken Stew

26 days and counting to Super Bowl and another spicy dish to add to your party buffet.  

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breasts (approx. 4 breasts)
8 oz can diced green chilies
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 finely chopped garlic cloves
3 cups peeled potatoes diced into 1-inch cubes 
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 cups red Colorado chili sauce (I like Las Palmas)
1 & 1/2 cup water or vegetable both

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Mix salt and pepper into flour, then dredge chicken pieces in flour.  Heat oil in large skillet, then add chicken and potatoes and saute' turning until chicken browns on all sides. Add onions and garlic and saute' for 1 minute.  Add chili sauce, green chilies, tomatoes, and water or vegetable broth.  Bring mixture to a boil, add more broth if needed, then cover skillet and simmer on low for about 45 minutes.  As a buffet dish, serve in a crock pot with heat set to low.

Turkey Mushroom Meatballs in Cocktail Sauce

28 days and counting until Super Bowl!  Here's a great recipe...a healthy alternative to meatballs in cocktail sauce!

One of my goals is to make dishes low in cholesterol and fat that mimic the meat dishes we used to enjoy.  In this recipe, I used 99% fat-free ground turkey, and then, using mushrooms and veggies as filler, created meatballs with half the meat content. It tastes as good or even better than the sausage/hamburger version of this recipe and although I love Costco, if you cook this, it's all homemade and much healthier than the store bought version. I have found that mushrooms take on a meat flavor when cooked and zucchini can act as a binder, as well as adding fiber.

My version of meatballs in cocktail sauce isn't low calorie, because of the sauce, but they are low in cholesterol and high in fiber.  If you follow this blog, you know we like spicy and after I made this, we decided it would taste great to add some hot pepper sauce (Chalupa or Tabasco) to the sauce.  We did and we loved it but if your taste buds don't prefer the heat, leave it out.

Ingredients for turkey-mushroom meatballs:

I lb extra lean ground turkey

1 small zucchini

2 cloves garlic

1 carrot

8 oz pkg sliced mushrooms

2 tbsp parsley

½ large onion

2 egg whites

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

½ coarsely chopped poblano chili, optional- we like the heat!

1 tbsp canola oil (or any other healthy cooking oil)
Bread crumbs, optional

Directions:

Coarsely chop all ingredients.  Place all ingredients except oil and ground turkey in food processor and pulse until ingredients are rice-sized.  Remove and mix with ground turkey. Depending on how much moisture is in the veggie mixture, bread crumbs may be needed to thicken.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover cookie sheet with foil.  Smear cooking oil over foil.  Shape meatballs into 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch balls then place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Ingredients for sauce:

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ cup ketchup

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup red chili sauce- I prefer canned red Colorado chili sauce.  Bottled brands contain high fructose corn syrup.

¼ cup orange marmalade

1-½ tbsps cider vinegar

2 tsps Worcestershire saue

Salt/pepper to taste
Optional- 2 tsps. hot pepper sauce

Directions for sauce:

Sauté shallots and garlic in 1 tbsp oil for 2 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, stir until well blended.  Remove from heat.

Place meatballs on large platter, liberally drizzle with sauce, stick toothpicks in meatballs.