Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Squash With Pomegranates

Color is in this FALL!
Try this robust side dish for color, taste and texture.
Most people I know don't like Brussels Sprouts due to its sometimes bitter bite.

By combining this not so favorite vegetable with squash, pomegranates and Balsamic Vinegar, your taste buds will comes alive!  It's a great dish to compliment chicken or fish.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and halved
2 cups Butternut Squash, peeled & cubed (buy pre-cut)
2 Shallots, sliced
3 Garlic Gloves
1 Pomegranate (Seeds only)
Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Toss all ingredients along with some olive oil and place in a shallow 9" x 13" glass pan. Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Pumpkin/Banana Bread

The next several posts I've decided to introduce some pumpkin dishes to celebrate fall.

Is the pumpkin a fruit or vegetable? 
The pumpkin is a member of the squash family, and, though its is treated like a vegetable, it is technically a fruit. The reason a pumpkin is a fruit is because it grows on a vine and contains seeds.

Pumpkins are antioxidant rich including beta carotene, potassium, zinc and is high in fiber.
Check out the benefits of Pumpkins.

Pumpkin Banana Bread 


Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup of Walnuts (MUFA's)
1 large egg white
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat: oven to 325 degrees

Grease: 9"x 9" glass baking dish

Combine: In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice,walnuts and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.

Combine: In a large bowl combine butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, pumpkin and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Add flour mixture, blend but don't over mix. Pour batter into pan and bake on a center rack for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. cool for 20 minutes before cutting into 2" squares. add a touch of powdered sugar and some fresh raspberries for accent.

P.S. I also love to add some chocolate chips from time to time :) 

Salmon And Asparagus

Salmon should be fresh and simply cooked. 
It's the side dish that sometimes takes center stage.  


The main dish today really focused on my side dish 
Asparagus! 
I wanted to add a greater sense of flavor and volume to my side dish since all I was having was a small salmon filet (6 oz.) and a fresh salad as shown here. 


I simply cut and brushed each Asparagus stalk with with an egg glaze then breaded them with a standard bread crumb that included Mrs. Dash flavoring (No Salt).  I continued to fried them in a saute pan with two tablespoons of olive oil until crispy.  

A Tomato Salad with Feta and Spinach complimented the main dish as shown here. 

Chicken Breasts with Spinach and Feta

Sometimes I cook because of the process and challenges.  Are you like me?  I absolutely love being in the kitchen working with recipes and adding my own touch to an otherwise standard recipe.  Cooking is so different than baking.  I love the work, ingredients, passion and presentation that goes into cooking.  I hope by now you know that healthy foods are my focus throughout my blog.

Tuesday Night Chicken!
Stuffed with Spinach & Feta Cheese

Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh spinach (Chopped)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup of feta cheese
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic
4 chicken breasts
1 egg
2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs
spray oil
toothpicks

In a medium pan, add oil, onion, garlic and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add spinach, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add the feta cheese. Feel free to add other ingredients to create your own stuffing.

Slice your chicken breasts in half creating thinner cutlets.  take a heaping tablespoon of your spinach filling and place at the center of each cutlet.  Roll and wrap and secure with several toothpicks.  Egg wash your chicken and cover with breadcrumbs then place on a sprayed cooking sheet.  Cook for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Tuesday's Lineup!

Lunch was exceptionally colorful and easy today.  I had gone shopping last night and stopped by the local deli to see what was fresh and ready to go.  My lunch represents a colorful assortments of healthy foods.  I can't stress enough how important it is not to eat fast foods.  We do have choices for lunch.  

The next time your traveling or out for lunch, think about going to a local deli for some lunchtime nutrition.  

My lunch includes: 

1. Sardines

2. Broccoli Salad with raisins, sesame seeds & onions

3. Greek Salad with onions, olives, cucumber & diced tomatoes

4. Carrots 

Followed by a fresh Dessert

Its Finally Here!

WOW! Three Bean Chili!

It rained all day yesterday so I decided to light the fire and make a pot of "Three Bean Chili" Your probably thinking this guy eats a lot of vegetables. And your right about that.  I also wanted to make this chili a full meal so I added some ground turkey.  Don't forget the sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.


I started with a recipe that serves 16 but ended up with a lot more. How does that happen?  :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped carrots
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups of water
1 cup of red bell pepper
1 cup of chopped zucchini
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans drained
2 (16 ounce) cans black beans drained
2 (16 ounce) cans pinto beans drained
1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese & sour cream

Directions:
Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, saute 5 minutes. Prepare fresh ground turkey for inclusion with the remaining ingredients. Stir in 4 cups water and all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes or until carrots are tender.