White Bean & Chicken Chili with Healthy Cornbread

This is a really great alternative to regular beef chili. Ground chicken is much lower in fat and the white beans are a nice change from red kidney beans. I'll be honest, the healthy cornbread is a little dry and I would much rather have regular cornbread but if you're counting calories, this recipe is good. I got the chili recipe from FoodNetwork and the cornbread recipe from Allrecipes.


White Bean & Chicken Chili
Prep Time: 8 min   Cook Time: 1 hr 15 min   Total Time: 1 hr 23 min

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans,Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

My Modifications

I couldn't find swiss chard but found rainbow chard in the organic section of the produce isle. It was on the pricey side and in hind sight, I think spinach would work just fine. If you use spinach, I would add it towards the end of cooking rather than before the hour long simmer because spinach is much more delicate than swiss chard. I cut this recipe in half and still had a lot leftover.

Healthy Cornbread

Prep TIme: 10 min   Cook Time: 25 min   Total Time: 35 min

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, soda and salt. Stir in yogurt and eggs. Do not over mix, stir only until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until center of the bread springs back when gently pressed.

I didn't make any modifications to this recipe. Just note that the batter is very thick.


Enjoy!

Bruschetta

I had bruschetta for the first time in Venice, Italy and it was so amazing! I kept ordering it at different restaurants in Venice, Florence, and Rome and a couple here in the states but haven't had any as good as that first place in Venice. I've tried making it 3 different times and the 3rd time was definitely a charm! The recipe ingredients are approximate and serves 2.

Prep Time: 10 min   Cook Time: 5 min   Total Time: 15 min

Ingredients

1/2 baguette

2 tablespoons olive oil, split

3 roma tomatoes

1 tablespoon dried basil, fresh if you have it

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

Directions

Cut the 1/2 baguette in half lengthwise and crosswise to make four pieces. Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the tops of the baguette, place on a baking sheet and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until slightly browned on top. Make sure to check on the baguettes frequently because they can easily burn under the broiler.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Mince the garlic and let it cook in the oil for about 30 seconds. Dice up the tomatoes and cook in the garlic and oil mixture. Add basil, salt and pepper and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Take the baguettes out of the oven and spoon the tomato mixture onto the baguettes. Serve warm.

Nutritional Info:

1 serving = 2 pieces

Calories - 365

Fat - 15.03g

Carbohydrates - 50.69g

Protein - 8.37g

You can always add parmesan cheese or mozzarella on top of the tomatoes and then pop it under the broiler again until the cheese melts. I had bruschetta with olives, salmon, the possibilities are endless but my favorite is the simple tomato kind!

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta and Sundried Tomatoes

I've made turkey meatloaf a couple of times and this recipe is really flavorful! I served it with red potatoes that I chopped up and tossed with olive oil, minced garlic, basil, salt and pepper and put it in the oven with the meatloaf. I got this recipe from FoodNetwork.

Prep Time: 15 min    Cook Time:   45 min   Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic and herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, optional
• 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat

Directions

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, if using, eggs, milk, feta, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and gently stir to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.

Carefully pack the meat mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice. Put on a serving platter and serve.

Nutritional Information

1 serving

Calories: 329

Fat: 17g

Protein: 29g

Carbohydrates: 14g

Cholesterol: 213mg

My Modifications

I used italian bread crumbs, because that's all I had and I cut the recipe in half and had the perfect amount for 2 people. I also used white meat ground turkey. Jarred sun dried tomatoes can be expensive but I know the Athenos brand of feta has a sun dried tomato feta that I'm sure would work great too and you wouldn't have to buy the sun dried tomatoes separately.

Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce

I love peanut sauce and I love vegetarian dishes that still have a ton of protein in them. I got this recipe from FoodNetwork and used livestrong.com to figure the nutritional info.


Servings: 6   Prep Time: 30 min   Cook Time: 15   Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound spinach linguine or whole-wheat spaghetti
• 2 cups (about 9 ounces) broccoli florets
• 2 cups (about 6 ounces) snow peas, trimmed
• 2 cups (about 6 ounces) sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 scallion, cut into pieces
• 3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving:

Calories - 324

Total Fat - 20.14g

Total Carbs - 22.2g

Protein - 13.72

My Modifications

I couldn't find snow peas at the store so I used frozen green beans instead and it worked really well. Fresh sugar snap peas were ridiculously expensive so I used frozen ones. They took longer to cook so I would suggest defrosting them prior to throwing them in the steamer. I used whole wheat spaghetti but spinach linguine would work fantastically I'm sure. The recipe says to reserve some sauce to pour over each individual serving and place the peanuts on top of each serving but I just threw everything in one pot and stirred it all together at the end and it turned out just fine! And, like most recipes, I cut it in half and still had leftovers.

Minestrone Tortellini Soup

Now I normally stray away from recipes that use pre-made ingredients. This one does use packaged frozen tortellini but I made an exception because the reviews were so fantastic and it sounded so good. Like most recipes I use, I cut this one in half because it's just my boyfriend, Daniel and I eating. Cutting it in half still made plenty for leftovers. I served it with some leftover baguette that I sliced, drizzled with olive oil and toasted up in the oven for a few minutes at 450 degrees.

I love turkey sausage because I find that it turns out to be much more tender than regular pork sausage but if you want to try it, pork sausage could easily be substituted. 

Servings: 9   Prep Time: 20 min   Cook Time: 50 min   Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

The Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 pounds Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 1/2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cups sliced zucchini
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups frozen cheese tortellini
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

The Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the broth, tomatoes, carrots, celery, ketchup and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Add the zucchini and green pepper; cook 5-7 minutes longer or until green pepper is tender. Stir in tortellini and parsley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until tortellini is tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese just before serving.

The Nutritional Info:

1 Serving:

Calories - 278

Calories from fat - 68.1

Total Fat - 7.57g

Cholesterol - 59.53g

Carbohydrates - 32.49g

Protein - 19.44g

I got this recipe from: AllRecipes and I used livestrong.com to enter in the recipe's ingredients and find out the nutritional information.

This recipe is already pretty healthy and very filling but I think it would make a fantastic and less fattening vegetarian dish. Here's the modified recipe if you would like to try it with kidney beans instead of sausage and vegetable broth instead of beef broth.

The Ingredients: 

• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cups sliced zucchini
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups frozen cheese tortellini
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

The Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, carrots, celery, ketchup and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Add the zucchini and green pepper; cook 5-7 minutes longer or until green pepper is tender. Stir in tortellini, kidney beans and parsley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until tortellini is tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese just before serving.