Quick Skillet Steak with Onions and Mushrooms

From :  http://www.skinnytaste.com 
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th (about 4 oz) • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 2 pts  
Calories: 95.4 • Fat: 4.1 g • Protein: 12.5 g • Carb: 3.5 g • Fiber: 1.0 g • Sugar: 1.1 gSodium: 26.8 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb thin cut beef round sandwich steaks
• 1/2 large onion, sliced into rings
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 4 seconds cooking spray (I like Smart Balance)
• garlic powder to taste
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice beef into thin strips. Season with salt, garlic powder and fresh pepper to taste.Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, spray with cooking spray and add half of the beef. Cook one minute, then turn steak and cook an additional 30 seconds. Set aside in a large dish.

Spray the skillet again and when it gets hot add the remaining steak, cooking one minute, then turning and cooking 30 seconds more. Add remaining steak to the dish.Return skillet to heat and spray once again with cooking spray; add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook one minute, then turn and cook onions an additional 30 seconds or until onions are golden.

Lower heat to medium and add 1/2 tsp olive oil to the skillet, add mushrooms, salt and pepper and lightly spray the top of the mushrooms with cooking spray. Cook 1 1/2 minutes, then turn mushrooms and cook another minute and a half. Add to dish with steak and onions and stir to combine (serve alone or over cauliflower)

Black bean and spinach breakfast scramble

Ingredients:

3 Eggs

Half can of low-sodium black beans

1 handful of spinach

Directions:

In a medium frying pan add black beans and spinach

Turn flame on medium-high heat for 4 minutes, stirring often

While beans and spinach are cooking, crack and beat the eggs in a bowl

Once black bean liquid has reduced significantly, add the eggs

Stir and mix the eggs, beans and spinach for about 1 minute (until eggs are no longer runny)

Jalapeno, Green Onion and Cilantro Scramble

1 cup of egg whites
1 T finely chopped jalapeno, seeded if you want to keep the heat down
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

Spray a warmed non-stick skillet with olive oil spray. Add the onion and jalapeno, cook for a minute and pour in the eggs. Once the bottom has set, start to stir the eggs and when they are almost fully cooked, add the cilantro and continue to cook for one more minute. Serve hot.

Turkey goulash

Turkey goulash

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 large zucchini, chopped
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 cup chicken broth
INSTRUCTIONS

Saute the onion, mushroom, zucchini and garlic in butter until slightly softened.
Add ground turkey and cook until lightly browned.
Add chicken broth and seasonings and bring mixture to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until veggies are tender.
Portion into 6 containers, allow to cool, then freeze.

Black Beans with Ground Beef

Black Beans with Ground Beef

Ingredients:

Ground beef
Black beans
Tomato
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
Directions:
In a frying pan, brown some ground beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I also used a generous amount of Italian seasoning.
In a microwavable container, add a serving of the cooked ground beef.
On top of the beef, add approximately half a can of black beans (rinsed).
Cut up one Roma tomato into small pieces, and add those on top of the black beans. Season with a bit more salt and pepper, if you wish.
Put on the lid, and head out the door. 
At lunch time, throw the whole thing in the microwave and cook it for about 3 minutes (depends on the microwave). This should steam everything and allow the flavors to mix together. When you remove it from the microwave, give it a stir to mix things up.
Serve with a side of  salsa.

White Bean Soup with my favorite… Bacon!!!

One thing you will find from my recipes….I love two things more than anything…Cilantro and Bacon….Love em!!!

White Bean Soup with Bacon

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4

Ingredients
2 cans navy beans
4 slices bacon
1/2 onion
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
Instructions
Dice bacon and cook over medium heat in a skillet. Once fried, add in diced onions and cook until lightly tender.
Pour two cans of navy beans into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Pour bacon and onions from skillet into the beans. Add thyme, black pepper and chicken stock.
Allow to simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Sautéed Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots:

Sautéed Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots:

Sautéed Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots:

Ingredients:

Half a crown of broccoli
Half a carrot
1 Skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 Clove of garlic
Herbs/spices of your choice
1-2 Tbsp. Olive oil

Start with a skillet, and add about a tablespoon of olive oil to it. Then chop your clove of garlic, and add it to the pan. After washing your veggies, chop both the carrot and the broccoli, and then add those as well. At this point, turn on the heat, setting the flame at medium. (You may also want to cover the pan to decrease cooking time.) While the vegetables cook, cut the chicken breast into knuckle-sized cubes. Then toss these cubes into the pan, alongside the vegetables. I find that at this point it’s best to season, as whatever herbs and spices I drop in the pan will stick to the raw chicken as it cooks. Alternate between leaving the pan covered, and then removing its cover and shuffling the veggies and chicken around so they don’t burn. If necessary, add a bit more olive oil, but be sparing. Cook time should take no more than fifteen minutes. Adding in five minutes for washing and chopping the veggies brings the total time for this dish to twenty minutes.

Overall, this is a savory meal, although one finds a bit of sweetness in the carrots, and the hearty flavor of the chicken is offset by the broccoli’s faint bitterness.

Cauliflower and Beef recipe

Cauliflower and Beef recipe

Cauliflower and Beef recipe

1 lb  ground beef
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sweet red pepper paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
Salt

Melt the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the ground beef. Slowly brown the beef until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, red pepper paste, and salt and stir.

Add the cauliflower and just enough filtered water to almost cover the cauliflower, about 3-4 cups. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and turn down the heat to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes until the cauliflower is soft. Adjust the salt to taste.

Chicken and shrimp Jambalaya

Chicken and shrimp Jambalaya

Sometimes…I add in some black beans to this…

Chicken and shrimp Jambalaya

1 cup sliced celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1 14-1/2-ounce stewed tomatoes
1/2 of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) tomato paste
1 tablespoon Thyme
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning or 1 recipe homemade Cajun seasoning (see recipe below)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
8 ounces cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp
3/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper

Directions
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker (crock pot) combine celery, onion, undrained tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and all seasonings. Stir in chicken.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in rice, shrimp, and sweet pepper. Cover and let stand 10 to 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed….serve alone or with cauliflower faux rice.. Makes 6 servings.

Homemade Cajun Seasoning: In a small bowl combine 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

mexican black bean and beef chili…

 

mexican black bean and beef chili…

mexican black bean and beef chili…

I had two cans of black beans
1 can of rotel tomatoes
1 pack of ground beef
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1/3 cup of cilantro
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of parsley
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of thyme

Browned the ground beef on the stove..placed all the other items into the crock pot…once the ground beef was done browning…add it to the crock pot. Simmer until done…

Black Bean Chili

Black Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 2 tblsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1 ½ cups beef broth or stock
• 1 tblsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. onion powder
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• Garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Place a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the olive oil, onion, bell pepper, garlic and ground chuck.
3. Cook, stirring, until ground beef is browned.
4. Drain well and return mixture to the pan.
5. Add the broth and next 11 ingredients (broth through beans).
6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir occasionally while simmering.
7. To serve, ladle chili into bowls. Top with cilantro.

Faux Shrimp Fried “Rice”

 “Rice” made from cauliflower. 

Serves 1-2. 

• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 1/4 lb. shrimp
• Olive oil
• Juice from half a lime
• 2 Tbsp Gluten free soy sauce
• Cajun Spices (paprika, cayenne, garlic all to taste) 
• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 white onion
• Green onions for garnish

Peel shrimp and place in a bowl along with 1 Tbsp olive oil, juice from 1/4th of a lime, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, cajun spices, salt and pepper. Mix well and allow to marinate. 

Break up cauliflower head into florets and place into food processor. Pulse food processor 10-15 times for 1-2 seconds each until cauliflower is all broken up into tiny “rice” granules. Place “rice” into microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. This preps it to be stir fried without turning mushy. 

Heat pan with 1 Tbsp olive oil and add diced onion and diced carrots. Allow to cook and soften for 5-7 minutes. Add in shrimp, cooking on each side 2 minutes (if shrimp are not pre cooked they may take longer). 

Finally add in cauliflower, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and  cajun spices and stir continuously until everything is well mixed and heated through.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Squeeze fresh lime and garnish with green onions or cilantro. 

Beef, Bean and Cabbage soup

What you need:

1/2 head cabbage sliced

4-6 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 bunch celery chopped, top leaves included (these have the best celery flavor!!)

1 clove garlic

1- 1/2 lbs of stew meat

1 can of beans of your choice (optional)

3 qts beef stock, plus 1 cup

1 tsp dried rubbed sage

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp parsley

1 bay leaf

3 tbsp butter

What you do:

Put the cabbage, butter and 1 c. beef stock in the crockpot on high. Let cook to softness for around an hour.

Then, saute the top leaves of the celery along with 2 tbsp chopped onion, garlic, sage, thyme, and parsley in some butter in a saucepan. Cook on medium until soft.

Add this mixture, the rest of the stock and the chopped carrots and celery into the crockpot.

At this point, you can sear your meat. I use a cast iron skillet for this and it’s perfect. Your meat should be room temperature, not super cold. This is because it will lower the temp of the pan if too cold and not create that searing effect you want. You also don’t want to do all of your meat at once; do them in batched. Sear about 30 seconds per side just to get a browning on the meat. You don’t need to worry about cooking it through because it’s going in the pot.

Once all your meat is seared, add it to the pot. Cook 4-6 hours.

If you choose to add the beans, add them into the pot right before serving. They don’t need to cook, just be warmed up. Cooking them too long will cause them to fall apart.

The meat comes out tender and delicious.

Lettuce Wraps...

INGREDIENTS:

seasoned chicken (whatever spices you’d like) I use taco seasoning

head of iceberg lettuce, halved

chopped tomatoes

chopped green onion

chopped green and/or red pepper

warm refried beans

avocado slices and/or guacamole

chopped cilantro

MAKE IT: Grill chicken with your fave seasonings in a pan, 6 minutes a side or until juices run clear. Chop it into delicious squares. Chop off the root end of the lettuce, then halve the head…To assemble a wrap, you get to freestyle with the other ingredients, spooning a little bit of each into the middle of an iceberg lettuce leaf. Wrap, eat, enjoy

Stir Fried Beans with Rosemary and Garlic

Stir Fried Beans with Rosemary and Garlic

Stir Fried Beans with Rosemary and Garlic

side dish

Ingredients:
3 tbsp s. olive oil
half a teaspoon chilli flakes
2 peeled and finely sliced cloves of garlic
1 can drained butter beans, about 400grams
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 small twigs picked leaves of rosemary
1 1/2 cups water

Procedure:
1. Boil the water in the kettle.
2. Pour the boiled water over the drained beans. Drain well to rinse off remaining canned flavor.
3. Medium heat the frying pan then add oil.
4. Add in all remaining ingredients except for the extra virgin olive oil.
5. Stir fry the mixture until the beans are golden.
6. Season the mixture then drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil then serve.

Tofu & Broccoli Teriyaki

Tofu & Broccoli Teriyaki

14 ounces extra firm tofu

3 tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 cup broccoli floret

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

Directions:

1

Take tofu out of package & drain.

2

cut tofu into bite size pieces.

3

heat sesame oil in wok over medium high heat.

4

when hot put in tofu. toss occasionally, after 4 minutes put broccoli into wok and toss. When tofu is light brown on all sides (about 10 minutes more) add teriyaki sauce and lower heat to medium. Toss gently for 2 minutes.

                                                                                                               5

                                                                                                    put tofu & broccoli into a serving bowl.

Mexican chicken soup

Tex Mex Chicken Soup

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

4 cups (1 box) low-sodium chicken broth

1 can black beans (I used Trader Joe’s!), drained and rinsed

1 can of whole kernel corn , drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 Tbsp. salt

1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coriadner powder
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano You can use fresh (it actually tastes better)

Throw the ingredients in the pot .  Set on low for 6-8 hours.  

Italian Chicken Stew

3 poundsChicken
2 tablespoonolive oil
2 mediumGreen pepper; sliced
2 mediumOnion; wedged
1 28-oz canTomato; crushed
1 15-oz canGarbanzo beans; drained
1 1/4 cupsChicken broth
2 teaspoonsDried Italian seasoning; crushed
1/2 teaspoonBlack pepper

Preparation

1. Cook chicken, half at a time, in hot oil in 4qt. dutch oven, turning to brown evenly. Remove chicken. Cook green peppers and onions until tender in same pan. Return chicken to pan.
2. Combine undrained tomatoes, garbanzo beans, broth, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Pour over chicken mixture.
3. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered about 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from bone, if desired, and return to stew. Garnish with fresh oregano, if desired.

Slow Carb Cooking – Garlic Pulled Pork

The original recipe appeared in Tim Ferriss’ Slow Carb Cookbook for the Four Hour Body.

Some say Pulled Pork is a form of barbecue, that is commonly slow-cooked using a smoker, a slow cooker or a domestic oven, other say it’s heaven. Tender pieces of pork, shoulder cut (Boston Butt) or mixed cuts, prepared at low heat for several hours. Sound great?! Good, because just because you’re dieting, doesn’t mean you can’t have any. Here’s a nice way to prepare Pulled Pork the Slow Carb way.

Active Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time : 5 hours
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:
4 lbs pork shoulder
2 Tbsp salt
½ tsp cumin
2 tsp of black pepper
6 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion
1 bay leaf
Juice of one lime

The basic seasoning will consist of salt, pepper, cumin. Mix all these together and rub the meat with it. Don’t be too easy with the spices – this i a big chunk of meat and right now it doesn’t taste like much. Use a knife to make some deep but narrow cuts and stick the garlic cloves into the meat. Try to distribute them evenly, so every part of the meat get a bit of the flavour. Leave it like this in the fridge for at least an hour, but better over night.

When you take it out place on a roasting tray. Chopp the bayleaf and the onion up into big chunks and place them around the meat.

Cooking the meat is a very religous matter. Every BBQ champ will tell you the only way to cook Pulled Pork is with a smoker. If you have one available – use it. 4-6 hours of low temperature smoking should yield the perfect result.

For everybody else a combination of tin foil, heat and time will do the job. Preheat the oven at 120°C (250°F) and cook it for about half an hour. Don’t open the oven. Take the temperature down to about 90°C (190°F) and leave it in for another 3-4 hours.

After cooking take it out and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. That way you preserve a lot of the meat juices inside. The rest of the juice is in the pan. If you want a proper sauce to go with your Pulled Pork, cook the juice with a little butter, flower and a litle cream.

Use a fork to pull the meat into little shred

Black eyed pea chicken stew

1 bag dry black eye peas
6 or 7 frozen chicken tenderloins
1 large can Ro-Tel
1 vidalia onion, roughly chopped
Handful of sliced carrots
Salt, garlic to taste

Soak the peas overnight.
Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Put frozen chicken in the bottom. Dump in beans, Ro-Tel, carrots and chopped onion. Add just enough water to float the onions. Couple shakes of salt and ground garlic. Set on low 8-9 hours.

Remove chicken to a plate and shred. Before putting it back in, ladle out some of the beans into a blender and puree, then return beans and the chicken to the pot. Stir.