Baked Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce

Fast food Chicken Nuggets, Tenders, Fingers, or whatever they call them are NOT healthy for your family.  Cook them at home using healthy ingredients and not only do you control the ingredients, but you control the calories as well! I always make extra breading for my chicken tenders, so cooking them doesn't take hours in the kitchen.

One serving (3 chicken tenders) of this recipe is approximately 174 kcal.  For the same amount, Chili's Crispy Honey Chipotle Crispers are 1930 kcal per serving and McDonalds weighs in at 250 kcal per serving.

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken tenders
4 large egg whites
Canola oil spray
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp paprika
1 cup whole wheat panko crumbs
1 cup sliced almonds (nut allergies: substitute  additional cup of panko crumbs for almonds)
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 tsps dry mustard
2 tsps. salt
2 tsps pepper
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsps chopped fresh rosemary, thyme or another savory herb
*Optional: 1 tsp red Italian pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.  Add almonds, flour, paprika, garlic, spices, and herbs to food processor and puree for approx. 1 minute.  Drizzle 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil into food processor and continue to puree. Move some of the pureed mixture to medium bowl.  Whisk egg whites in small bowl.  Dredge each chicken tender first in egg whites, then in crumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake chicken tenders until golden brown, turning once.  Dip in honey mustard sauce:  ¾ cup deli mustard and 1/3 cup honey.

Save extra crumb mixture in a ziploc bag and freeze.

Almost Vegan Hatch Chili Rellenos

We haven't had chili rellenos in a long, long time.  Not allowed on our diet...but with all the new vegan products out there, I couldn't resist a challenge!  Especially since I have still have Hatch chilies left!  My only departure from being totally vegan is using egg beaters.

Ingredients:
12 oz. beefless crumbles (I like Trader Joe's Soy Crumbles)
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp. grape seed oil
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsps Mexican oregano
8-10 Hatch chilies, roasted-skin and insides removed
4 oz. vegan cheese- pepper jack flavor is best
8 oz. Egg Beaters
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/3 cup grape seed oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute' soy crumbles, onion, tomatoes in 2 tbsp. oil until onion is translucent.  Add salt/pepper to taste and chili powder.  Add vegan cheese.

Put a dollop of meatless mixture into each chili.

After filling all the chilies, mix flour, oregano, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper together in a medium mixing bowl and dredge each chili in the flour mixture.

Dip chilies in egg beaters.

Brown chilies in 1/3 - 1/2 cup of grape seed oil, turning once.

Voila!  We did it!  Heart healthy chili rellenos!  Here they are with or without salsa.

Hatch Green Chili Papas

Some fond childhood memories for me were the occasions when my dad made Chili Papas for breakfast.  The smell was enough to bring me running for breakfast because there was no doubt Daddy had commandeered the kitchen!  He fried chopped potatoes and onions in a pan then added green chilies and tomatoes.  I thought he called them "Chili Papas" because he was the Papa!  Of course, the Spanish word for potatoes is "papas."  Here's my latest Hatch Green Chili idea:

Ingredients:
3 lbs. potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces
*1 medium chopped sweet potato-this was my idea!  (( :
1/2 coarsely chopped onion
4 Hatch green chilies- roasted, skin and insides removed, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp. grape seed oil
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
Saute' potatoes and onions in frying pan until slightly browned.  Turn stove to medium low, cover and continue to cook until potatoes are soft.  Add chopped Hatch chilies and tomatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

*Optional:  My dad added 3-4 scrambled eggs with the chilies and tomatoes.

Down the Hatch Chili, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa

Still on my Hatch green chili craze! We combined fresh corn, shaved off the cob, Hatch chilies, red bell peppers, onion, and grape seed oil to make this spicy salad.  A few suggestions:  Serve as a side dish, use as a dip with chips, as a topping for Southwestern meat and fish entrees, or serve with tacos or tostadas.   All my favorite guinea pigs gave this a thumbs up!

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh corn cut from the cob

1 diced red bell pepper

3-4 diced and roasted (with skin and insides removed) Hatch chilies*

8 oz. organic black beans, drained

1/2 large onion, diced

2-3 tbsp. grape seed oil

Salt to taste
*Optional- diced avocado

Directions:

Saute' onions until translucent.  Add diced chilies, bell pepper, and corn.  Cook for 5 more minutes.  Add black beans, diced avocado (optional) and salt. 

*So much easier to buy Hatch chilies already roasted and then the skin is easy to peel off.  If you roast them yourself, place under  broiler and blacken both sides.  Remove from the oven and immediately place in Ziploc bag.  Let chilies cool, the remove the skin and insides.

Ancho Salmon with Hatch Chilies

Is it possible to get tired of Hatch green chilies?  Personally, I don't believe it is.

Ingredients and directions:

First brush salmon with grape seed oil.  Then season with ancho chili powder and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves.  Heat grill to medium hot and cook for approx. 3-4 minutes on each side. 

 After turning once, put a slice of Hatch green chili and a little coarse sea salt on top of the salmon. Grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side- turning once.

We decided to grill zucchini with a bit of chili flavoring as well.  Turned out great!

BTW...there is a reason Walmart sells it's "Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon" for SO much less than other grocers!  Guess which salmon came from Walmart?  

I cooked both and to our shock, the Walmart salmon wasn't as bad as we thought it would be but it wasn't as good as the Alaskan Salmon from Costco.  

Did you know??? Alaska has a law that forbids fish farms so any fish caught in Alaska is wild caught!

Vegan Tomato Basil Bisque

Tomato Basil Bisque?  Really?  It's 104 degrees out there!   It just sounded good...

Cashews replace the cream in this recipe.  It is still rich, but there is NO cholesterol in this recipe so it is very heart healthy!

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 coarsely chopped onion
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped basil
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsps. balsamic vinaigrette
Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil cashews until water is almost gone. Sauté tomatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, balsamic dressing on stovetop for 15 minutes.  Add boiled cashews, then puree in food processor or super blender with 1 cup vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with basil.

Super blenders such as Blendtec or Vitamix are optimal for pureed soup recipes.

Hatch Green Chili Wrapped Mahi-Mahi

Just back from a quick trip to the White Mountains and stayed here!! How about this for a cozy cabin in the woods?  It rained a LOT and being as rain starved as I am, felt incredibly blessed by it. 

As we wandered through the little town of Pinetop, AZ,  we drifted toward an incredible aroma which turned out to be Hatch chilies roasting in a rotating drum (I'm sure it has a name and is specifically made to roast chilies) and we bought several pounds.  Now I'm on a mission to see how many yummy ways I can cook them.

So...last night I seasoned Mahi-Mahi filets,wrapped them in a big old Hatch chili, then baked them.  Yum! It isn't the prettiest dish I've ever done, but wow!  Such a great taste!  I served them with a salad and corn on the cob.

Ingredients:
2 Mahi-Mahi filets
1- 2 tbsp. taco or chili flavoring (I like Arizona Dreaming from Pensey's Spices-website below)
2 tsps grape seed oil
3-4  roasted Hatch green chilies
Salt to taste

Directions:
Purchase the chilies already roasted!  They are in season right now and it will save you a lot of work.  If you want to roast them yourself, set your oven to broil and blacken both sides of the chilies.  Remove from the oven and immediately place into a sealed plastic bag.  After the chilies cool, the skin is easy to peel off.

Cut the chilies lengthwise, then remove the stem and insides.

Cut fish lengthwise in half. Brush with oil, then season with flavoring.  Wrap the Hatch chilies around the fish, place in a baking dish and cook at 375 for 15 minutes or until the fish is flaky, but not dry. I recommend not salting the fish until after it is cooked- a lot depends on the kind of flavoring you use.


http://www.penzeys.com/

Hungarian Cabbage Rolls-Vegan Style

What an amazing trip to Hungary!  We were privileged to serve with Christian leaders from all across Europe and some from the U.S. that have dedicated their lives to bringing the Good News of Jesus to Europe.  We also experienced delicious Hungarian cuisine but since eating pork and lard is not a sustainable diet for us, I am experimenting with a vegan version of Hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls. 

Here's some great pictures of some of our experiences...

Don and I at the top of Eger Castle

Me and my new friend Rosie also in Eger at the castle

Our group from Scottsdale Bible Church in Eger at the castle

Evening Plenary Session at Hotel Eger-Park

Parliament Building as we took an evening cruise on the Danube

Buda Castle at night

Open market in Budapest...Just look at the fresh produce!

Yum!  Too bad we can't eat the sour cream!

My vegan version of stuffed cabbage!

Ingredients:
10-12 cabbage leaves
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves finely minced garlic
1 cup soy crumbles
1 tbsp. grape seed oil
2 tbsps. chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups cooked and drained brown rice
4 tbsps. paprika
2 tsps. fresh thyme
2 tbsps. fresh chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp. Italian red pepper flakes, optional
2 cubes vegetable bouillon
1 1/2 to 2 cups cabbage water
Salt to taste

Instructions:
Cook rice, set aside. Core cabbage head.  Carefully remove cabbage leaves from the head.  I found a pretty easy way to do this without tearing the leaves:  Run hot water into the cabbage head which loosens the leaves making it easier to peel the leaves off of the head.  Boil the leaves in water for 5 minutes, remove from pot, set the leaves aside but save the cabbage water. Saute' the soy crumbles, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, thyme, 2 tbsps. paprika, and 1 tbsp. of the parsley in grape seed oil.  Season with salt and red pepper flakes then mix in rice. I'm very generous with the paprika, you may want to adjust to your taste.


Assemble the rolls by spooning a dollop of the soy/rice mixture onto the thickest edge of the cabbage leaf and roll up, tucking in the outside of the leaves as you roll.  Skewer each roll with a toothpick or tie up with string.

In a large fry pan, add tomato paste, 1 and 1/2 cups of cabbage water, 2 tbsps. paprika, bouillon, remaining parsley, and paprika- stir to mix thoroughly.  Carefully place cabbage rolls in the pan, cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Remind everyone to remove the toothpicks!  (  :  You will have some of the soy/rice mixture left over so freeze it for next time!

This is a very versatile recipe!  If you must have meat, use ground turkey breast instead of soy crumbles.  Many herbs and spices and other ingredients can be added to the cabbage rolls.  I had some left over zucchini, carrots, and eggplant in the freezer so I chopped them up and added them to the soy/rice mixture. 

Vegan Penne Pasta with Pesto and Veggies

Ingredients:

1 pkg. whole-wheat penne pasta

½ to 1 cup vegan pesto- recipe follows.

1 diced medium onion

3 cloves finely diced garlic

2 thinly sliced Tofurky  sausages (found at most health food markets)

½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  (I prefer dehydrated to those in oil)

1 to 2 cups chopped fresh veggies of your choice

1 cup Kalamata olives – I cut them in half just in case there are pits. 

Instructions:

Boil pasta and drain according to package instructions.  Add pesto sauce.  Stir and set aside in large pasta bowl.  Sauté onion, garlic, and sliced Tofurky sausages in oil for 3 minutes.  Add veggies except for olives and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes.  Add to pasta and pesto. Stir in olives.   Serves 8.

 

 

Vegan Pesto:

3 cups fresh basil leaves

3 cloves garlic

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup pine nuts or walnut (for those with nut allergies, substitute 1 cup chick peas)

Salt/pepper to taste

Puree ingredients in food processor until thoroughly blended.

Vegan Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas- with blue corn tortillas!

I have no picture of these yet because we ate them before I could nag Don to take the picture!  I found a free site for food pix so this isn’t mine but it kind of looks like them.

Great Tip!!  I found a new soy cheese  company that I really love called Daiya!  Here’s their website:

http://www.daiyafoods.com/our-products

What I love about this cheese is the way it melts! 

Ingredients:

1 can red Colorado Chili Sauce by Las Palmas or follow instructions for 2 pkgs. Simple Organic Sauce Mix pictured below.  For this product 16 oz. of tomato sauce is also needed.

½ medium onion

2 tbsp grape seed oil

3 cups vegan cheese

10 oz. pkg organic frozen chopped spinach

18-24 blue corn tortillas  (I find them at Trader Joe’s but if not available yellow or white corn tortillas are fine)

13 oz. can organic black beans, drained

Instructions:

Sauté onion, spinach, black beans in oil until moisture is mostly absorbed.  Add 1 cup vegan cheese and ½ cup enchilada sauce to spinach/black bean mixture.  Set aside. Heat tortillas until the texture is soft and rubbery in microwave oven- about 2-3 minutes.  Assemble enchiladas in a medium casserole dish by spooning one tablespoon of spinach/black bean mixture at one end of each tortilla and rolling into a cylinder.   After 1^st layer is completed, pour a cup of enchilada sauce and 1 cup of vegan cheese over 1^st layer.  Repeat with 2^nd layer of enchiladas.  Cover and cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

TRADER JOE’S ROCKS!

Been looking for these for years!

Sloppy Joes Vegan Style

We can't believe how tasty Sloppy Joes can be without meat! Tonight we served it over whole wheat rolls with a kale salad. 

Ingredients:
12 oz. pkg. vegan protein.  (I like Trader Joe's Beefless Ground Beef)
15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper or poblano pepper, diced
1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
2 tbsp. grape seed oil
salt/pepper to taste
*1-2 tsp. chili powder, optional

Instructions:
Saute' onions and peppers in 1 tbsp. oil.  Add 1 more tbsp. oil and add vegan protein to pan.  Saute' until protein is browned.  Add remaining ingredients.  Add extra water if needed.  Serve over whole wheat hamburger buns or rolls.  Serves 6-8.

Layered Baked Potatoes and Onions

January is a great time to cook comfort food!

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
1/2 thinly sliced onion
Salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil
2/3 cup vegetable broth
Old Bay Seasoning or savory spice

Instructions:
Thoroughly scrub 4 medium potatoes.  Using a mandolin, thin slice the potatoes.  Layer potatoes and onion in casserole dish, seasoning each layer.  Mix oil and vegetable broth together and pour over potatoes.  Bake at 400 degrees until potatoes are done, approx 45-60 minutes.  Serves 3-4.

Kale and Black-Eyed Pea Salad

I'm really into black-eyed peas this month!  Lucky for us, there are many health benefits from black-eyed peas which translates into an "extra protein bonus" for your heart.  Black-eyed peas are a soluble fiber.  In your digestive system, soluble fibers attract water and form a gel, which slows down digestion making you feel fuller.  What makes soluble fibers good for your heart?  Soluble fibers help lower LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol.  The soluble fiber in black-eyed peas dissolves in water, trapping bile acids in the gel. This can lower bad (LDL) cholesterol but doesn't affect the production of good (HDL) cholesterol. In addition to being good for your heart, black eyed peas are high in protein as well as being low fat. 


Ingredients:
3 cups black-eyed peas
2 cups chopped dino kale
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs
1 tbsp grape seed oil 
1 sliced Tofurky sausage
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette 

Instructions:
Drain peas.  Saute' onion and sausage. Mix ingredients together and refrigerate. Toss with vinaigrette before serving.

Baked Artichoke Dip (sorta new and definitely improved!)

 

 

 

 

Low Fat Baked Artichoke Dip

Great Super Bowl recipe!  Instead of the standard mayonnaise and sour cream usually required for this food, I have substituted Vegenaise. Use reduced fat Parmesan cheese for this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups Vegenaise
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tsps. hot pepper sauce
1 cup shredded rice or almond cheese substitute    
10 oz. pkg. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and and moisture completely blotted out
1/2 cup low fat, low cholesterol Parmesan cheese
15 oz. can artichokes,  drained and moisture squeezed out

Instructions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Stir all ingredients in mixing bowl until well-blended.   Transfer to baking dish, top with Parmesan cheese, and bake for approximately 35-45 minutes uncovered until top begins to brown.

Brussels Sprouts in Orange-Honey Glaze

A very elegant, easy, and delicious way to serve Brussels Sprouts.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups Brussels sprouts, halved and rinsed
3 shallots, sliced
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsps. grape seed oil

Instructions:
Saute shallots and almonds in 1 tbsp. oil.  Set aside.  Saute' Brussels Sprouts in 1 tbsp oil for 2 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Add orange juice and honey to pan and boil until mixture starts to thicken.  Add Brussels Sprouts back to pan.  Turn heat off, add shredded carrots, salt, and cover pan. Leave for 10 minutes in warm pan then transfer to serving dish and top with shallot-almond mixture right before serving.  Serves 4-6.