Recipes

Bird Nests

I promise you that these beauties REALLY are as delicious as they look!

Ingredients:

1 cup of hash browns - you can use frozen or fresh shredded potatoes, your yummly choice!

6 slices of bacon, maple bacon for a sweeter taste; use turkey bacon for a healthier approach, ya'll!

1/2 serrano pepper

1/8 chopped onion

1 Tbs of butter

2 eggs, scrambled

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees! 

1. In a pan, saute the onions and pepper with the butter at medium heat, just until the onions become clear and a bit toasted at the edges. This will take about 4-5minutes. Mix these in with the hashbrowns. Add salt and pepper for taste.

2. Next, take a muffin pan and and spray the bottoms of the cups with non-stick spray. Don't worry about the sides, the bacon will grease those for you!   

TIP...If you're using turkey bacon, grease the sides!

3. Line 6 muffin cups with the uncooked bacon

4. Divide the hashbrown mixture among each of the 6 muffin cups. Pat the hashbrowns down and up the sides the the tin, forming a nest.

5. Scramble the two eggs and divide them among the 6 muffin cups. 

6. Bake the birds nests on the center rack of your oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. 

7. Carefully remove the nests from each muffin cup and enjoy! 

You can sprinkle a bit of cheddar cheese on each cup for a bit more yumminess!

Stir-Fry Love
410 cal, 29g Protein,9.5g Fat, 52g Carbs

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup, chopped white onion 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray

2 tsp garlic powder

1.5 tsp black pepper

2 cups, chopped broccoli (wash first!)

1 can of Water Chestnuts
1.5 cups, matchstick carrots

1 pkg Sun Bird Beef & broccoli Seasoning Mix

2-3 tsp Soy Sauce (I like Kikkoman or La Choy)

1lb Flank Steak, sliced (against the grain, if you're cutting it yourself)

1 bag of Uncle Ben's Instant Jasmine Rice

1 cup of water, divided

Let's get started!

1.Spritz some EVOO into a medium-sized skillet (at least 1 inch deep) onto a heated pan

2.Add the sliced beef to the pan, season with garlic powder and black pepper

3.Add the onions to the beef, once it starts to brown a bit and give the ingredients a stir

4.Once the beef is nearly completely cooked through, add the rest of the veggies and 5.1/4 cup of water. Let the broccoli soften a bit (this takes about 2 minutes)

6. Place your Instant Rice in the microwave (this is the fastest method) for 90 seconds

7. As the rice is cooking, mix 2 tsp of soy sauce, 3/4 cup of water and 3.5 Tbs of the stir-fry mix in a bowl, then add the mixture to the skillet.

8. Give the mixture a quick stir, turn off the heat and let the sauce thicken. Stir the mixture again, after about a minute. 

Now you're ready to plate your dish! 

Rice goes on the bottom, then add your main attraction. 

Dig in!

Calabaza con Pollo [kal-uh-bah-zuh kon po-yo]

 

 Last weekend I made a mountain [two pots-full] quite a bit of this Mexican favorite for several friends. I cut out nearly all the salt, it contained less than a 1 tsp of oil and was chock-full of nummy veggies and chicken! No one had a clue they'd been subjected to my first [healthy attempt] at this family recipe. It was such a hit that I decided to share this with you!

My custom recipe [think in terms of huge Hispanic family] makes 20-22 one-cup servings. I've cut down this recipe here to dole out 4-6 [one-cup] servings, depending on how soupy you prefer your dish.

Also, this recipe traditionally calls for tomato bouillon cubes, but one cube has 1800mg of sodium, which means that one-half of a tiny cube will give you more than half the daily recommended limit of sodium. 

-- NOTE: When making larger meals [and realizing too late that you forgot to pick up tomatoes], like the one I cooked for my friends, adding two buillon cubes means that each serving contains 180mg of sodium, which is well-within the healthy range.

Now, let's get cooking!

 You will need one medium-sized pot, two cutting boards (one for meat, the other for veggies - I like to keep mine separate so I don't have to worry about salmonella and other dirty creepy gross bacteria), a chef's knife and a spoon for making the magic happen!

Ingredients:

2 yellow squash

2 green squash or zucchini (depending on what's available at your local market)

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (If you prefer, you can use thighs and drums) = about 1.5c diced

2 ears of sweet corn (or 3/4 can [beware the salt] or 1/2 bag of steam-able corn nibblets)

2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled (1 can of no-salt, crushed or diced tomatoes will work just fine)

1 cup of water (add a bit more, depending on how soupy you prefer this dish)

1 clove diced garlic

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro

1/3 cup diced white or yellow onion

Extra-virgin olive oil Cooking Spray (I like Crisco's brand)

salt and pepper to taste

If you like it spicy:

1/2 habanero pepper or 1 large jalapeno, finely diced

Steps:

1. On one cutting board, slice both yellow and green squash into half-moon pieces, about a half-inch thick. Dice the tomatoes, onions and garlic as well. NOTE: If you're going the spicy route, be sure to dice up your choice of pepper as well!

2. Place the washed ears of corn (without the husks) on a baking tray and into the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Don't forget to set your timer!

3. Set the pot on the stove. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces. Spray (1-2 seconds) EVOO into the pot and then add the diced chicken. Begin to sauté chicken over medium heat. Add a 1/2 cup of water. Allow to start cooking through. (I prefer to season my meal as it cooks, so here I add 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and pepper to the chicken)

4. Add the vegetables and garlic to the pot once the chicken is nearly fully-cooked, give the ingredients a good stir. Add another half-cup of water, then cover the pot with its lid. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 15 minutes. (I add another 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper to the veggies once they're added to the mixture)

5. Pull the corn out of the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off and then add them to the pot. Stirring the mixture once more.

6. Fine-chop a 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro and add to the pot, simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

7. Once squash is cooked through (translucent and almost falling apart), remove the pot from the heat.

It's ready to eat! 

This dish can be served with Mexican rice and beans, but is great on its own as well. 

Enjoy!