Best Five: ways to make a dish lowfat/healthier.

Best Five: ways to make a dish lowfat/healthier.

{peas leave comments}

turkey chili.

i thought it was about time i added MY chili recipe... since everyone else already has! this is yet another deceptively delicious recipe and it turned out sooooooo delicious. the only thing it was lacking was cilantro, so i topped mine with a few sprigs. enjoy!

ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 lb ground lean turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
1 {15 oz} can chopped tomatoes
1 {26 oz} carton low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper puree {doesn't need to be cooked before pureed}
1/2 cup carrot puree {doesn't need to be cooked before pureed. canned carrots work great for this, though}
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 {15 oz} can kidney {or your favorite} beans, drained and rinsed.

directions:
cook onions in olive oil {vegetable oil is fine, too} over medium heat in a large pot. cook until onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes. sprinkle turkey with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. add turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until the turkey is no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. stir in tomatoes. add broth, red pepper puree, carrot puree and cornmeal. stir well. bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended. stir in beans and cook a little longer, just to heat them through. serve with your favorite toppings!

yellow cake.

this is a healthier way to prepare a regular yellow cake mix. {from the deceptively delicious cookbook.}

ingredients:
1 {18 oz} box yellow cake mix, any brand
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
6 oz nonfat lemon, banana, or vanilla yogurt

directions:
preheat oven to 350. coat 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray and flour lightly {i used 2 shallow 9 inch pans to make a layer cake}. in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, egg white, and yogurt. beat until smooth, 1-2 minutes. pour the batter in the cake pan/s and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

frost & serve how you like! i did mine with cream cheese frosting and strawberries.

Pasta Salad

This is fast and easy to throw together for any BBQ, in fact I usually have all the ingredients on hand.

ingredients:
1 package wacky mac noddles
1 can olives
1 package pepperoni
1 bottle Italian Dressing
Parmesan cheese

optional ingredients:
cubed cheddar cheese
broccoli (cut up small)

directions:
Boil noodles for about 10 min. drain and cool in the fridge. Then add as much or as little as you like of the above ingredients. I slice the pepperoni in 1/2 then 1/2 again, I also slice the olives. pour in Italian dressing and mix well, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Your done, enjoy!

pumpkin bread.

who doesn't crave a nice slice of pumpkin bread in july???? :)

ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup chocolate chips
chopped walnuts optional

directions:
cream butter, sugar & eggs. add pumpkin and mix. combine dry ingredients. add gradually to pumpkin mixture. mix well. add chocolate chips {and nuts}. bake at 350 for 1 hour. makes 1 loaf.

note:
if you happen to have pumpkin pie spice on hand, you can use 2 tsps of that instead of all of the spices individually.

Black Bean Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken
2 cans black beans
1 packet taco seasoning

Place all ingredients (do not drain black beans) in a crock pot on high for 6-8 hours. Right before serving, shred the chicken into desired sizes.

I like to serve it over rice, but the possibilities are endless. You can roll up the chicken mixture into a tortilla and top with tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and salsa or mix fresh guacamole into chicken mixture (after cooked) and use as a dip using tortilla chips or pita chips

This is a very simple recipe, but it is so tasty and really delicious.

chicken bruschetta bake.

this recipe is from one of my favorite recipe books: fix it & enjoy it; five ingredient recipes. it's sooo easy to make and it really is delicious.

ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
28 oz can Italian-style tomatoes, well drained
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6 oz package stuffing mix for chicken
1 1/2 cups water {water doesn't count as one of the 5 ingredients}

directions:
place chicken in lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. sprinkle with seasoning. spread tomatoes over top. sprinkle with cheese. in a mixing bowl, combine stuffing with 1 1/2 cups water. spoon over baking-pan ingredients. cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. uncover and bake 30 minutes. serves 6.