Cincinnatti Chili

I had never heard of this before some friends introduced us to it...and I'm a big chili lover. I love to make chili since it's so easy to substitute leaner meats, fill it with veggies and beans, and make a nice warm dinner. Last year we went over a friend's house and her husband made this dish. He had eaten it at an airport and we had heard him mention it before and tell us how much he enjoyed it. Cincinnati chili is basically a smokey chili served over pasta...and we loved it just as much as he did!

I was excited to open this month's Clean Eating Magazine and see a slimmed down "cleaned" up version. I thought it would be the perfect meal to accompany a day of football watching.

this month's Clean Eating..love this magazine!

Here's the Cincinnati Chili over about 1 cup of whole wheat spaghetti

Then I remembered I forgot the cheese...this was a perfect cold January meal and would be easy to make for a crowd. This recipe made dinner for myself and Mr. Allan, one night of leftovers, and then we froze the a container of chili to have on hand for later this winter.

Cincinnati Chili
from Clean Eating Magazine

1 large yellow onion, diced
1 lb extra lean (93%) turkey or beef
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 cups low sodium tomato sauce
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup canned solid pumpkin
1 15 oz can of kidney beans
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
14 oz Whole Wheat Spaghetti
low fat shredded cheddar

Directions

Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add onion and cook until softened. Add meat and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook for an additional minute. Transfer mixture to a large dutch oven or stockpot.

Add cocoa, tomato sauce, broth, pumpkin, beans, vinegar and honey. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions and top with a scoop of chili and cheddar cheese.

Just a couple notes...the original recipe called for a slow cooker. Instead of transferring the meat mixture to a dutch oven, you could put it in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Enjoy!

Best Pizza Crust!

Pizza was just something I banished from my diet. Back in the day, at 1 A.M., after the bars let out, the normal routine called for hitting up the local pizza by the slice place. Whether it was Antonio's during my days in college in Amherst (love me some Tortellini Pesto Pizza) or if it was grabbing a Four Cheese slice at Via Via in Newport...it was a part of my diet...which is probably why I was overweight and unhealthy. When I woke up, started to get my weight and eating habits under control, certain things just got cut off for me. Bowls of ice cream at night, nachos at restaurants, and my wee morning hour pizza snack was also another casualty.

But..last summer I got into grilling pizza. I found that I could make this forbidden food a bit healthier by using a whole wheat crust, and not loading down on cheese, pepperoni, and other toppings. I do love to grill pizza, but sometimes rolling out the dough, maneuvering it onto the actual grill and controlling the air bubbles in the crust gets the best of me. So, I was on the hunt for something else that was a healthy alternative..and I found it with this stuff...

Top This pizza crust..sold in the frozen section at my local grocery stores and Whole Foods too!

Why do I like this...they have a whole wheat version, it doesn't break the bank on fat and calories and it's pre cooked. You get 2 crusts in a package. It comes frozen, defrosts in about an hour, and I threw it on a pizza stone with toppings, cooked for ten minutes and had dinner.

My friend J suggested this combo...

I started out with some goat cheese. I spread it around as the base

next up..some fresh spinach

then some thinly sliced prosciutto

I popped it in the oven on my pizza stone for 10 minutes

Dinner was done.

Here's the website for Top This pizza crusts. I believe they're sold around the East Coast area...but even better..here's a link to their recipe page with so many combinations to try!

..http://www.topthispizzacrusts.com/recipes.html

Southwestern CousCous Salad

I'm always on the hunt for good side dishes especially now that summer's around the corner..although this gross weather we've been having wouldn't be any type of predictor for that! So..this cous cous salad was featured on Whole Foods. It's a good recipe but needed a few tweaks. Overall we really did enjoy it and I like recipes that swap your typical white pasta for a good whole grain instead!

My washed veggies inside my lovely Rachel Ray garbage bowl...I love this stupid garbage bowl..it makes chopping tons of veggies a lot easier!

Whole Wheat Cous Cous...I always grab it at Trader Joe's because it's cheap and always available!

The cooked whole wheat cous cous...it's SO easy to prepare..you bowl a cup and a half of water, add cous cous, cover, turn heat off, let it sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork!

Veggies, some cilantro, and a can of black beans are all added...

There's also some lime juice and spices (I tweaked the dressing a little..see below!) and your finished product!

Southwestern Couscous Salad
(adapted from http://www.wholefoods.com/)

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) (I omitted this)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 cup fresh corn kernels from 2 ears of corn (I used frozen organic sweet corn and defrosted it)

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Toss cous cous with all the remaining ingredients.

Nutritional Info: Makes 8 servings at 170 calories, 2.5g fat, 0g sat. fat, 7g fiber, 16g protein.

Just a note....I wasn't thrilled with the dressing of lime juice and chili powder. It tasted like nothing to me. I added a few tbsp of olive oil, my lime juice was more at 1/3 cup vs. the 1/4 cup the recipe called for. I used 1 tsp chili powder, and also added 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp salt. These will of course adjust the nutritional info listed.

enjoy!

10 Things you SHOULD be buying Organic

This caught my eye in Health magazine...one of my many magazine subscriptions...I thought this was interesting because you typically hear of the top ten or eleven foods to buy organic, but this list branches out beyond just food.

1. Beef

According to Health magazine, it's the most important protein to buy organic. Research shows a strong connection between hormones that cattle are injected with and cancer in humans. These hormones, which are estrogen like agents used to "beef" up the cattle can increase the risk of cancer, specifically breast cancer. Cattle are also typically injected with massive doses of antibiotics as well, which can lead to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria in humans.

2. Strawberries

 Strawberries have a large surface area and all the tiny bumps and seeds are havens for pesticides and the texture of a strawberry makes it difficult to wash the fruit thoroughly, which means you're ingesting those harmful pesticides. In recent tests, a typical strawberry was shown to have up to 13 different pesticides on it's surface detected. My rule of thumb...if I eat the skin of a fruit or vegetable, I try to buy it organic.

3. Cookware

 Most nonstick cookware contains a fluorochemical called PTFE that, once heated, can form toxic fumes. Those fumes can coat the inside of your lungs and lead to allergy like symptoms.

Who knew? I use stainless steel...so I'm hoping not having cookware with that nonstick coating passes the muster!

A tip from Health..if you don't have the money to buy all new cookware, try starting off with just replacing the pan you use the most!

4. Popcorn

While you might think that microwave popcorn is a low fat healthy treat...the lining of the popcorn bags may contain a toxic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA. It's a chemical used to prevent food from sticking to the paper lining. According to the EPA, PFOA is likely a carcinogen. Scientists still don't know all of the hazardous effects of this chemical but have some evidence linking it to cancer and effects on the immune system. When you pop your microwaveable popcorn, those chemicals are being absorbed by your popcorn inside the bag.

I was a popcorn bag addict..especially once Orville Reddenbacher came out with the mini bags...but seriously, look at your hands after you eat some microwave popcorn or take a peek at the weird yellow fake butter substance on the inside of the bag...ewww...so, whip out your old school air popper if you're a popcorn fan!

5. Yard Pesticides

The fertilizer, weed killer, and grass enhancers you use to keep that stuff green can contain carcinogens and long term pesticide exposure can lead to changes in the brain and nervous system. The danger with the chemicals we use to keep are yards nice..not only can you inhale and breathe them in, you can bring them inside your home through your shoes, hands and feet. The market for organic lawn products has come a long way and there are many effective weed killers made of bases like lemon and vinegar and less toxic alternatives available.

One tip I'm trying this year..instead of using weed killer, take a water bottle and fill it with some salt and water for a natural weed killer spray..we'll see how the Allan garden does...

6. All Purpose Household Cleaners

A lot of typical house hold cleaners contain some potentially harmful chemicals. Ingredients like ammonia and bleach can irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Some cleaners may also contain phthalates, which can interfere with normal hormone activity. So, go natural with your cleaners, especially the places you touch the most..like your kitchen counters. Look for items that are approved by Green Seal or EcoLogog, which identify products that meet certain environmental guidelines.

7. Water Bottles

These plastic water bottles are harmful because they may contain BPA, an endocrine disruptor that may increase the rish of breast cancer in woman and reduce sperm counts in men. The BPA may leach its way into the water contained in the bottle. So, use an unlined stainless steel drinking bottle or a BPA free plastic bottle.

8. Food Storage Containers

Just like water bottles..many food storage containers made out of plastic may also contain BPA. So, glass containers should be the go-to

I'm guilty of being a glad ware whore and putting them in the microwave..probably a double whammy no-no

9. Milk

This is a shocking statistic...Dairy products account for 60-70% of the estrogen we consume..who knew? Milk contains nature hormones passed on by the cows but about 17% of cows are treated with the hormone rBST or rBGH, which stimulates milk production.  These hormones are associated with an increased risk of cancer, including breast cancer. Europe and Canada have gone as far as to ban the use of rBGH. So, buy milk that is produced without any artificial hormones. Some milk packaging will go as far to say it's rBST or rBGH free.

10. Celery

Researchers analyzed 89,000 produce pesticide tests to determine the most contaminated fruits and veggies, and..you guessed it, celery topped the list. Why? Celery stalks are extremely porous and they retain the pesticides sprayed on them. Other veggies that topped the list...bell peppers, spinach and potatoes.

So here's a little "food" for thought! For further information and a link to the article, check out Health magazine at http://www.health.com/

Recipe of the Week! Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean & Feta Penne

This was great dinner I made last week. I saw the recipe in the February 2011 issue of Clean Eating Magazine. I like to make pasta dishes because it's easy enough to make a whole wheat pasta and it's also a great way to sneak in a ton of vegetables as well!

So..I started off with some zucchini, pepper, and tomatoes..the other stars of the recipe..some whole wheat penne, white beans, and fat free feta to give it a Mediterranean twist.

The veggies got cut up into some good sized chunks..

I diced the tomatoes as well as some garlic, then mixed it with some balsamic vinegar and added some salt, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. This smelled so good as I chopped everything else up!

The zucchini and bell pepper were sauteed in some oil. Some more garlic was added in. Then, you remove the mixture from the heat and ad in your tomato mixture.

I cooked 1/2 pound of whole wheat penne and added in a can of white beans during the last minute of cooking. The pasta and beans were drained and immediately added into the vegetable mixture. The dish was finished off with some dried rosemary and some fat free feta!

I thought this was a very filling meal. Mr. Allan seemed to enjoy it as well..although he did ask what the "twigs" he was eating were..I believe the "twigs" were the dried rosemary...so instead of watching him pick twigs out, I might omit that next time!

Mediterranean Vegetable, White Bean and Feta Penne

from Clean Eating Magazine

6 oz whole wheat penne

1 cup canned white beans

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium zucchini, cut into eights lengthwise, then cut into 2" pieces

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 tsp dried rosemary..aka "twigs"

1 cup crumbled reduced fat feta

Chop tomatoes and combine with 2 cloves of garlic, vinegar, basil, pepper flakes and salt. set aside

Cook penne according to package directions adding in the can of white beans (drained) during the last minute of cooking

Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet. Add zucchini and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes or until edges start to turn brown. Add 2 remaining garlic cloves. Cook for 15 seconds and remove from heat. Stir in tomato mixture and then drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil.

Drain penne/bean mixture. Sprinkle with rosemary and 1/4 cup of feta.Then top with tomato/vegetable mixture and remaining feta.

nutritonal info based on 4 servings: calories: 353, total fat 12g, carbs 44g, fiber 11g, sugars 6g, protein 18g

Treat of the Week....Lemon Ricotta Cake

Here's my warning...this is not one of my uber healthy recipes..but I been in a baking mood lately...and with spring and spring cleaning time..I've also been in a lemon mood lately. So I decided to give this lovely looking Lemon Ricotta Cake a try off of Food52 blog. This cake was winner of a contest for the Best Recipe using fresh Ricotta. Click HERE to see the post!

I loved this recipe because I had everything on hand to make it...

here's why I put my healthy disclaimer up top...your base ingredients...butter and sugar. Nice for a treat but not for your waistline

Some lemon zest and grated apple..I opted for a Granny Smith..my apple of choice

here's a shot of the batter..I only added it in because the ricotta gives it a curdled look..so don't think you did something wrong! You typically get this look alot with recipes using lemon

 Note to self..make sure you own a spring form pan before you start a recipe that calls for one. Thank the lord that my sister was going to sell this at a yard sale we hosted last year and I scooped it up when she wasn't looking and threw it in my kitchen. Yeah, I know, I'm cheap...but I ripped apart my house thinking I didn't own one..and then found it...all buttered and ready to go

 curdled looking batter...but it turns into something so much better!

fresh out of the oven...cooling for ten minutes before the pan comes off

A close up...it almost looks like a giant corn muffin

The spring form pan sides pop off and I let the cake cool for 10 more minutes

then it got a shower of powdered sugar

Ready to be devoured

But..then I thought he needed a partner..so I poured myself some limoncello

I really enjoyed this recipe (and the limoncello!). I don't think Mr. Allan has eaten a lot of ricotta cake, while I remember eating ricotta cake and ricotta pie quite a bit growing up. I believe Mr. Allan expected a sweeter lemon cake...but this is more of a ricotta cake with a hint of lemon...but he still ate it up...two pieces if I remember correctly...but he can do no wrong since he was away on business for quite some time..normally he'd get the evil eye that would say one piece is enough.

Louisa's Cake (a lemon ricotta cake)

from Food52 blog

serves 6

Ingredients

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 cup fresh ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 apple, peeled and grated (should yield about 1 cup)
Confectioners' sugar for serving

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9 inch spring form pan

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs, one at a time.

slowly add flour, salt, ricotta, lemon zest, baking powder and apple

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the sides start to pull away from the pan

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and cool completely on the rack. Sift powder sugar over top or serve with your favorite seasonal fruit.

Just a couple notes...after 30 minutes the top of mine wasn't quite golden brown..I left it in for 2-3 more minutes..but be careful...in those quick 2 minutes, I opened the oven and BAM..we had golden brown! The sides of my cake did not pull away from the sides when it came out of the oven..once it cooled a few minutes, it did and removing it was easy!

Enjoy!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Returns!

Mark your calendars. Tuesday, April 12, 2011, Jamie Oliver's Food revolution returns to ABC. I loved this show last year. It was such an eye opener about the foods that are in the school cafeterias across America. I also loved that he went into homes as well to assess what a typical family eats...which consisted mostly of fast food, frozen pizza and meals laced with fat and calories. So..tune in!

Here's one of my favorite moments from last year...Jamie's Chicken Nugget Experiment..it's pretty nasty to see what one is really composed of!

Also...you can sign Jaime's petition to support his revolution for better food in school HERE

Not your Momma's Chili

That's because it's MY momma's chili. That's right. I made a big ole pot to welcome Mr. Allan back home this week (woohoo...still doing my happy dance even though he was home for trash day but so beat from his night of traveling a million hours through different times zones and I let him sleep in and sucked up trash duty for week 3 in a row!)

But...onto the chili...my mom's been making this chili for years. It's a staple in our little Family Favorites Cookbook that she made for our whole family. It's healthy, got a nice mixture of different spices and it's my favorite..I guess I might be partial because she's my mom.

Well..it's chili...the base..some crushed tomatoes and lots o beans. My preference..two types of whatever I've got in the pantry. Tonight..it happened to be red kidney and black beans.

 Next up...a diced onion as well as a diced red and green pepper



The star...some lean ground turkey. You can also use ground beef or chicken..

the spices..some cinnamon, allspice, garlic powder, bay leaves, crushed red pepper, salt and, of course, chili powder

first up...a little olive oil and saute the veggies for a couple minutes

Next up...add your meat, cook until it's almost done. I also drain off any excess fat.

Then..the crushed tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce and the spices...

Then, the beans. I drain and rinse the black beans but the red kidney beans are added..liquid and all

Then we have...Mr. Allan's dinner

why I love my Momma's Chili..well because it's my mom's chili..what's not to love. It's a hearty good chili. It's not too spicy, you can kick up the crushed red pepper if you like spice, but it's just a good solid recipe. I tried some chili recipes that just try way too hard with some smokey tastes, or have other flavors that dominate and take over or it's a greasy chili recipe..no one likes chili when it has an orange layer of grease on top!. Plus..I like this one, because it uses lean ground turkey.. and it's made with good ingredients.

Also...the chili paired beautifully with these chips by Food Should Taste Good

My Momma's Chili
from My Mom

1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce (I buy an 8oz one)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp chili powder
2-3 bayleaves
2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp crushed red pepper (this adds heat..if you're not a fan, you can omit it, scale it down to 1/2 tsp, or if you like the heat, throw some more in)
2-3 tsp olive oil

In a large pan saute the vegetables in a tsp or two of olive oil. After a couple minutes, add ground turkey. Cook until the turkey is done. (optional..drain off excess fat). Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and all the spices, water, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce (you pretty much add all ingredients except for the beans). Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rinse and drain black beans and add to the pot. Then add the kidney beans (do not drain). Cook for 5 minutes to heat the beans.

This recipe is pretty easy. Don't forget to remove your bay leaves or just watch out for then when you serve your chili. It's a hearty chili, not too hot depending on how much red pepper you use, and pretty easy to make and doesn't tie you up in the kitchen forever. It's great topped with a little bit of shredded cheese, or, in our house, we do a dollop of plain non fat Greek yogurt on top. I usually serve it with tortilla chips, or we had the Jalapeno chips from Food Should Taste Good pictured above...so good!

Enjoy!