Chicken & Zucchini Saute "Two Ways" with Mexican Brown Rice

Saute Courtesy of Plated Perfection
Mexican Brown Rice Adapted from Skinnytaste (skinnytaste.com)

Last night we were both craving Mexican food. Originally, I was going to try a new recipe that was super healthy, but I decided to splurge and make some new tacos and also toss in a quesadilla. The Mexican brown rice was a nice addition and made me feel a little more healthy :) The saute itself  would be great on its own, on a salad, or just over rice! This was delicious - give it a try!

Ingredients:
Chicken & Zucchini Saute
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 zucchini, diced into bite size pieces
1/4 - 1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
~ 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
~ 1/4 tsp cumin
~ 1/4 tsp chili powder
~ 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
dash of salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lime, juiced
1-2 tb olive oil
1/3 cup enchilada sauce (I used green chile)

Mexican Brown Rice
1 bag of cooked (unseasoned) brown rice
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 onion, finely diced
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, minced (I left out because I didn't have one)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
~ 1/2 tsp cumin
~ 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
dash of chili powder
dash of salt and pepper, to taste
dash of lime juice
chopped cilantro, optional

Directions:
Saute
Heat a skillet with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for approximately 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add the cooked chicken, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and enchilada sauce. Stir well and cook until the chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Top with lime juice and stir.

Mexican Brown Rice  
Cook the rice according to package directions and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and jalapeno (if using) and cook another 2 minutes or so. Add the tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add the rice and stir together over medium heat - cook for 2 minutes or so to incorporate all of the flavors. Top with cilantro.

Serve the chicken & zucchini mixture either in a taco, on a salad, or on the rice.
Taco: Fill the taco with the chicken & zucchini mixture and your favorite toppings and serve with rice.
Quesadilla: Fill a tortilla with the chicken mixture and cheese and saute with a touch of olive oil until the cheese is melted through. Top with my favorite sauce - Herdez Guacamole Salsa and sour cream!

Grilled Bison Ribeye with Garlic Asparagus

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

This past weekend I was able to go to the Farmer's Market where some of my favorite, local farms are represented. Cibola Farms out of Culpeper, VA is my favorite spot to buy bison steaks - they are SO good and they have such an amazing variety.  This go around, I went with the bison ribeyes and we cooked them on the Big Green Egg tonight with some asparagus. It was super easy and the marinade I used only took a little time to provide a lot of flavor. This can be cooked on any grill, or on the stove top in a grill pan!

Ingredients:
2 bison steaks
~1/2 cup your favorite marinade (I used Stubb's Beef Marinade with soy, garlic, and red pepper)
~ 2 tb Chicago steak seasoning (I eyeball this and just coat each side with a reasonable amount)
Bunch of asparagus, tough stems snipped
1 clove garlic, diced
dash of salt and pepper
2 tb vegetable oil
dash of shredded parmesan cheese, to top asparagus

Directions:
Marinate the steaks in a glass dish for a couple of hours if you can. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before putting them on the grill. Top with the steak seasoning and brush with the oil. Coat the asparagus with the remaining 1 tb oil, salt, pepper, and toss with the garlic. These are going to vary based on what cooking device you're using. In our case, we heated the Big Green Egg to about 500 degrees, so that when we opened it to put the steaks in, it would drop down to 450-475 degrees. We cooked them for about 5 minutes per side, and it came out a bit more done than we'd usually go for -- but I was following a blog post I saw online. Next time, I'd say go for about 3 minutes per side. When the steaks come off, put the asparagus on the grill in a vegetable pan. Grill for about 6 minutes and top with parmesan before serving.

Santa Fe Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Adapted from Skinnytaste (www.skinnytaste.com)

We are once again on a mission to cook as healthy as possible this week -- but not lose good taste! I will warn you that this recipe is a bit time consuming (maybe just the first time you make it), but it was so worth it. This was SO delicious!!! We also had a lot of leftover filling, so I can't wait to eat that for lunch today and tomorrow. The nice thing is that you can get creative with the filling - put it in a taco or on a salad, etc. Definitely give this a try!
NOTE: The recipe below is my adaptation.

Ingredients:
16 oz. 94% lean ground turkey
3/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup corn, fresh or frozen (I bought frozen and microwaved them before adding them in)
2 tb canned jalapenos, diced (I didn't have fresh on hand)
1 large tomato, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tb fresh cilantro
1/4 cup onion, chopped
few dashes of cumin (to taste)
few dashes of smoked paprika (to taste)
salt, to taste
5 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup shredded carrots, diced
1/2 cup jarred salsa
shredded, reduced-fat Mexican cheese (1 tb per zucchini half)
Herdez Guacamole salsa (I used this on top of each zucchini half)
reduced-fat sour cream, for topping as desired

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a small spoon or melon baller, hollow out the center of the zucchini halves, leaving 1/4-inch thick shell on each half. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside 1/2 of a cup to add to the turkey filling (squeeze excess water with a paper towel) discarding the rest or save to use in another recipe, along with the shredded/diced carrots. Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove from water. In a large skillet, brown the turkey and season with salt. When the turkey is browned, add onion, garlic, black beans, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, diced tomatoes, reserved zucchini and carrot, cumin and smoked paprika. Mix well and simmer on low, covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid, add corn and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until all the liquid reduces. Place the salsa in the bottom of a large baking dish (or two medium size dishes) and place the hollowed out zucchini cut side up in the dish. Using a spoon, fill the hollowed zucchini boats dividing the filling equally, about 1/3 cup in each, pressing firmly. Top each with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through. When serving, top with the guacamole salsa and a few dollops of sour cream!

Chipotle Orange Glazed Salmon with Roasted Broccoli

Salmon courtesy of Good Housekeeping Magazine

Monday -- the day that we usually try to start fresh and eat healthy. We were successful tonight and went for some broiled salmon with broccoli. The sauce for this recipe was very easy in a mini food processor (or you could use a blender) and it's pretty quick! You could serve this with whichever vegetables you want if trying to cut back on carbs - I just had broccoli on hand. This sauce does have a bit of heat, but it's full of flavor. Enjoy!

NOTE: For the broccoli, I just tossed that with some olive oil and table blend seasoning and roasted at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes before broiling the salmon.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp adobo sauce (from chipotle chilies)
1 chipotle chile, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 pieces skinless, boneless salmon

Directions:
Arrange oven rack 4-6 inches from the broiler.  Preheat broiler on high. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil. Meanwhile, mix the orange juice, adobo sauce, chipotle chili, garlic, and cumin in a mini food processor or blender. Season the salmon fillets with some salt and brush them with the sauce. Broil for 5-7 minutes, or until opaque throughout.

 

Seared Scallops with Pearled Couscous

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

This past week, I was able to find fresh scallops again and decided to pair them with some couscous. The couscous was just a boxed Middle East couscous, but delicious with the scallops. You could pair them with any flavor of rice or couscous you'd like. These scallops were super simple to cook and took no time at all! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
10-12 sea scallops (this is a hefty portion for 2 people)
dash of lemon pepper seasoning
squeeze of fresh lemon
dash of sea salt
1-2 tb olive oil
1 tb fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
couscous, prepare per the package instructions

Directions:
The couscous takes a lot longer than the scallops, so start preparing that first. When you have about 8 minutes left, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Season the scallops with the lemon pepper, lemon juice, and salt. Add the scallops to the pan, not overcrowding them. Sear for approximately 3 minutes per side and then flip, searing the other side for another 3 minutes. They should have a nice brown on them. Top with additional lemon juice and parsley, if desired. Serve over the couscous!