Stuffed Collard Greens

Stuffed Collard Greens

Ingredients:

• 20-26 whole collard green leaves cleaned and thick part of stalk removed
  
• 1 can of your favorite beans
• 1 8oz package of goat cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella or jack cheese
• 1 large or 2 small diced shallots
• 2 cups chopped peppers
• 2 cups mashed cauliflower
• 2-4 Tbs fresh chopped parsley or cilantro or basil
  
• 1 tsp chili powder
• salt
• pepper
• 1 28oz can seasoned crushed tomatoes
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350deg
2. Boil water in a large stock pot and add collard greens. Turn heat off and let sit for 7-10 minutes.
3. Carefully remove collards from water and lay out grouping them small medium large.
4. In hot skillet cook the peppers, shallots, and cauliflower (if not already cooked) until they start to go limp
5. Combine peppers, shallots, cauliflower, fresh herb, cheese, and chili powder in a bowl and mix until goat cheese has dissolved. Add salt and pepper to taste remembering that it can be added later.
6. Lay out a large/Medium collard green and scoop a golf ball sized amount of the mixture into the center. Wrap the outside of the collard green over the mixture. Wrap that stuffed collard with a small/medium leaf making sure that the major seam from your first wrap is covered by the new leaf.
7. Place in a medium sized baking dish.
8. Repeat until you are out of stuffing or greens.
9. Salt and pepper the top of the greens and cover with crushed tomatoes
   
10. Cover with foil and baked for 15 minutes
11. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes
12. Remove from over and let sit for a bit
13. Enjoy!

Commentary:
I came up with this recipe/idea on my own. I was in the market thinking about how I really wanted a stuffed shell but didn't want the pasta part and bam....it hit me! Why don't I stuff it in a collard green? The first go round was a bit of a mess! Not enough collards, too much mix, salty, but non the less tasty! I have tried making them a bunch now and this recipe is pretty much the base for a great tasting stuffed collard green. I find that keeping it simple on the inside makes it easier to pair with side dishes. It also helps those people cooking for vegetarians b/c you can always make a wonderful meat dish to serve along with the greens. I hope y'all enjoy!

A Dash of Health - Frozen Veggies

Hi Guys! This will be the first of a few posts I am planning on publishing focusing on Healthy Eating. For the last 3 months I have embarked on a new eating and exercise regimen that has shaved 30lbs off my frame. Over those months I picked up a few tips and tricks on how lower calories, fat and sodium without sacrificing flavor while making each dish better for you with a "Dash of Health". Each post in this series will provide you with quick and easy tip/trick to make cooking and eating healthier!

Chapter 1 - Frozen Veggies

I am the biggest fan of frozen veggies! For years I have had a bag or two on hand just incase I needed to make a side dish in a flash. Since I have been trying to eat healthier I find myself adding them to every dish I cook and go through a bag or four of them weekly. They are the quickest and easiest way to get your 5 a day without breaking the bank. Most frozen veggies range from $1-$2 a bag and are packed with a pound of the veggie. You can get 5-7 bags of veggies for $10 while those same veggies bought fresh would be $20-$40!

The trick with buying, storing and using your frozen veggies is to try and maintain a nice mix of of your favorite combination of veggies in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Doing this will not only save you the time taking each bag out of the freezer to cook with, but will also make sure you have a variety of veggies on hand to add to your favorite dish. If you have an extra 1/2 or 1/3 measuring cup laying around I suggest keeping it in the bag so you can easily dish out your 2/3 to 1 cups of veggies (typical serving size). A few dishes I find myself using the veggies for are: Omelets, Soups, Couscous, Rice, Pasta, Sauces, Mac & Cheese, and Casseroles. What is great about having them mixed and ready is that adding a few scoops of veggies will make your dishes healthier and will also give your food a greater depth of flavor.

What I currently have in my veggie bag:

1/2 bag Onions

1/2 bag Diced Red & Green Peppers

1/2 bag Chopped Broccoli (anything larger cooks unevenly)

1/2 bag Chopped Spinach

1/2 bag Chopped Zucchini

Check out my Healthy Alternative recipes for ideas of how you can add more veggies to your diet.

The next A Dash of Health post will be on bread.

Low Cal Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

The Healthy Egg Mc Muffin

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup egg beaters
• 1 Tbs Simply Smart Milk
  
• 2/3 cup Veggies (Onions, peppers, spinach etc)
• Butter Pam
• 1/4 tsp Light Adobo
• 1 oz reduced fat cheese
• 1 Better Start English Muffin
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric

Directions:

1. Sautee veggies with Adobo and Turmeric seasonings in small frying pan covered with Pam
2. In small cereal bowl mix together Egg Beaters and Milk
3. Once veggies are tender add them to your eggs and mix thoroughly
   
4. Rinse pan and return to heat
   
5. Once dry (either by heat or with paper towel) spray with Pam and add egg mixture cooking it like a omelet
6. Toast English Muffin
7. Once eggs are done to your liking plate English Muffin and make a sandwich with cheese on bottom and your egg omelet on top and enjoy!

Nutritional Information 2000 cal diet:
Cals 251 (13%), Fat 5g (8%), Sat Fat 2 (10%), Sodium 678mg (3%), Carbs 34g (11%), Fiber 6g (25%), Protien 19g (30%)

Commentary:
The first time I made this I was so surprised at how good it tasted! I used to HATE the idea of egg beaters. The first time I cooked with them (8 years ago) they left a weird film on my pan and tasted gross. I dont know what they did to their recipe, whoever changed it should get a hi five. Mixed with the right seasonings and veggies it tastes just like real eggs without all the fat, calories and cholesterol of real eggs. This sandwich is a perfect meal to get your day going while providing you with more then 1/4th of all the vitamins and minerals you need for the day and lets not forget it is way filling! If you wanted to bump up the protein add a slice of turkey bacon or your favorite deli meat. I hope you guys enjoy!

Veggie Mac & Cheese

Hi Guys and welcome back!

As many of you guys know from my last post I am a food lover!! I love to cook and experiment with different flavors and cooking styles. I must say that my previous posts were 'Mad Tasty' but that taste was at the expense of my waist line! This go round I have decided to change things up a bit by bringing you meal options for the health conscious eater. Over the past couple of months I have decided to make some life changes and one of those was to seriously cut down on my bad eating habits. Let me tell you it was HARD as hell to get used to! Like most of you the question of the century is "how do I cook and eat the food I love without the guilt?" I hope that my posts will give you some healthy recipes to adapt to your own cooking style and diet. In my posts I have taken the time to provide key nutrition facts and comparisons to the original recipes so you can see how simple changes can make a world of difference in the nutrition of a meal. Please leave comments and try out a recipe or two and let me know how it turned out for you!




















Veggie Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach
• 2/3rd cup frozen mixed veggies
• 1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups Simply Smart Milk
• 4oz shredded full fat Jack Cheese
• 2 oz Reduced Fat Mozzarella cheese
• 2 servings Egg Beaters
• 2/3 cup onions
• 2/3rd cup peppers
• 2 Tbls Olive Oil
• 4oz 75% Reduced Fat cheddar cheese
• 4 servings Smart Taste Pasta - Elbows
• 1/2 tsp Adobo Light (reduced sodium
  
• 1/2 tsp Adobo Hot
• 1/2 tsp Sazonador Total
  
• 1 Tbs flour
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg
2. Cook pasta according to directions on box
   
3. Heat 1 1/2 Tbs oil on medium high and add all seasonings and frozen veggies cooking them until thawed, cover and let sit
   
4. In large bowl mix together egg and egg beaters
5. In medium sauce pan heat remaining oil and flour over meduim high heat until pot is nice and hot, stiring constantly
   
6. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil
7. Slowly whisk in the cheddar and the jack cheese remove from heat once it starts to boil
   
8. Pour a small amount of the cheese sauce into your egg mixture making sure to be vigorously whisking the eggs as you pour the hot mixture. Once mixed whisk in remaining sauce and mix thoroughly
   
9. Add veggies and pasta to the large bowl and mix everything together adding Mozzarella at the end right before you pour into baking dish
   
10. Pour everything in medium baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam
11. Baked covered with foil for 15 minutes then uncover and bake for another 7-10 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown
    
12. Cut into 8 servings and let cool for 3-5 minutes before serving

Neutritional Info Per serving, Percentages based on a 2000 calorie diet: Cals: 291 (15%) Fat: 11.4g ( 18%) Sat Fat: 5.69g (28%) Sodium: 498mg ( 2%) Carbs: 30g (10%) Protein: 18.38g (20%) Fiber: 4.75g (28%)

Commentary:
I have made this recipe twice in the past few weeks....its so good! Its makes a great main dish with a salad or a side to some chicken. There are so many things you can do to change the texture/flavor and still keep it healthy. For me the key is to just keep adding loads of new veggies each time I make it. You could also play around with the whole fat cheese, maybe switching it for a hard bold flavor cheese. At first glance you are probably thinking "how is this any healthier then making regular mac and cheese?" The answer comes in two parts: 1) when you make this for yourself you will just see the sheer size of each serving. Each one is enough to have as a main dish with a small salad or steamed veggie. Most mac and cheese servings are only big enough to have as a side. 2) You are eating quality fats, calories and carbs! Please try this recipe and let me know how it turns out for you, enjoy!