healthy beef stroganoff

so for this recipe i took a recipe for turkey stroganoff from eatbetteramerica and modified it a little. the tomato paste and worcestershire sauce really adds flavor and the carrots add a nice texture.

HEALTHY BEEF STROGANOFF

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 lb lean beef, cut into thin strips

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 container portabello mushrooms

1 cup baby carrots, sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

2 tsp tomato paste

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp cornstarch

1/3 low-fat sour cream

in a large skillet heat 2 tsp olive oil over med-high heat. add beef and cook until no longer pink. remove to plate. reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tsp olive oil and shallots. cook and stir until shallots begin to soften. add mushrooms and carrots and cook until mushrooms soften. stir in garlic, paprika and salt and stir 1 minute longer. remove skillet from heat.

in a small bowl whisk together chicken broth, tomato paste, worcestershire, and cornstarch until well blended. return skillet to medium heat; add broth mixture. cook, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil. simmer 2 minutes. stir in beef and cook until hot. remove skillet from heat and stir in sour cream.

serve with your favorite whole-wheat pasta. 

*also try with chicken or turkey cutlets.

*this recipe contain app. 250 calories and 6.5 grams of fat per serving (not including pasta) 

*makes 4 servings.

Creamy Chicken Rigatoni

CREAMY CHICKEN RIGATONI

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp dried basil leaves
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 cans (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, well drained
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (i didn't put this much because i didn't want it to be hot)
2 1/2 cups rigatoni pasta (i used penne because they didn't have any whole wheat rigatoni)
1 package (16 oz) frozen broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms, and green beans (the publix brand is called the japanese mix)
shredded parmesan if desired

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, garlic, basil and oregano in oil about 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink in center.
Stir in tomatoes, whipping cream, salt, pepper and red pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Cook and drain pasta as directed. Stir in pasta and vegetables into chicken mixture and cook until hot. 

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This week in making my dinner list I wanted to do homemade pizza. We just recently planted some tomatoes and fresh basil and so I have been wanting to make a margarita pizza... you know garlic sauce, tomato, basil and mozzarella... but my tomatoes and basil aren't ready yet. But I wanted something different so this is what I came up with. I have heard of BBQ pizza before but never tried it. I thought about what flavors I would want and this is what I came up with. It's super easy and was super yummy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 refrigerated pizza dough (or you can get really crafty and make it homemade)

1 container BBQ chicken (again you can make your own but I took the easy way out)

1 red onion

2 cups whole milk mozzarella

fresh basil

fresh parmesan cheese

Place the crust on a pan and spread BBQ chicken all over the crust. Add red onion and fresh basil, top with mozzarella and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Bake at temp pizza dough suggests until crust is light brown and cheese is brown and bubbly.

Happy Cooking 

White Chicken Chili

Ok... so Jason and I have tried several white chicken chili recipes and like some things in all of them and don't like some things in all of them so we have come up with our own concoction. It is so yummy and so easy. We use a rotisserie chicken in ours but you don't have too. 

*Also please note... the spices are an approximate guess... we just pour it in there. You can put the amount to your liking. 

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 rotisserie chicken

4 cans white beans

2 cans whole kernel sweet corn

2 cans green chilis

32 oz low-sodium chicken broth (if you don't use low sodium cut back on the amount of salt)

1-1 1/2 cup water 

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

1/2-1 Tbsp chili powder

1/8 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cumin

pinch of cinnamon

1/2-1 tsp salt

1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard

Pull chicken off of the bone. Mix all ingredients in crock pot or large stock pot. Cook until heated thoroughly. Serve alone or over rice. Also really yummy with cheese and sour cream on top.

Happy Cooking!

Super Quick and Easy Steak and Mushroom Calzones

So the other day my husband came home with steak 'ums. You know the frozen super thin steaks. Well I was trying to figure out ways to use them and decided to try these. They turned out pretty good. 

Here's what you need:

1 package Steak 'ums

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

1 8 oz container ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella

salt, pepper and italian seasoning

1 refrigerated pizza dough

Saute onion and mushroom in skillet until tender. Remove and set aside. Cook steaks as suggested on package. Remove and cut into bite size pieces. Mix ricotta, 1 cup cheese, salt, pepper and italian seasoning in a small bowl. Roll out dough onto baking pan and cut in half. Spoon ricotta mixture onto half of one piece of dough. Top with steak, mushrooms and onion, and shredded mozzarella. Fold other half over and pinch ends together. Repeat with other piece of dough. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown. If desired serve with marinara sauce. 

Happy Cooking!

Steak Burritos

Jason loves this place in Jacksonville called Salsaritas. It's like Moe's or something like that but they have fresher ingredients and one of their meat selections is shredded pork. This is the main reason he goes there. Well being on a budget and not eating out very often I decided to try and make this at home. It turned out good and he said that he likes it just as good if not better. Yay! For all of you Chipotle lovers out there give this one a try.

Steak Burritos 

1 lb flank steak or brisket (I use brisket because it's cheaper)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 onion, chopped

1 can green chiles

1 tbsp vinegar

1-1 1/2 cups water or broth of your choice

tortillas (I suggest the large ones)

shredded cheese

sour cream

rice

black or pinto beans

Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of steak and rub in. Place steak in crock pot. Add onion, chiles, vinegar and water or broth. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. 

Remove meat from crock pot and shred with 2 forks. Return meat to crock pot and heat thoroughly. 

Then assemble you burrito... rice (I used cilantro lime rice and it was yummy!), beans, meat, cheese, sour cream and anything else your little heart desires. 

I also made homemade salsa to put on this and eat with chips. I can't give exact measurements but all it is in tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, minced garlic and salt and pepper. Very yummy and very fresh tasting.

Happy Cooking!

Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread

It's been a while since I've posted on here. There has been a lot going on lately and I have not had the opportunities I would have like to cook as much. Things are getting back to normal now so the cooking has begun again. 

Today I was in the mood to bake and had some VERY ripe bananas so I tried something new. This bread is yummy and great for breakfast heated with a little butter and a cup of coffee. 

Happy Baking!

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oats
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 mashed ripe bananas (about 1 cup)
1 cup fresh blueberries

Mix dry ingredients together until well combined. In separate bowl mix eggs, applesauce and bananas. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture, then add blueberries. Stir carefully.

Bake in greased loaf pan for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees. Bread is done when toothpick comes out clean.