Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup

Confession: I made this lentil soup in the middle of summer.  I’m THAT person.  The one that makes soup during the hottest months of the year.  The good thing – no , the great thing – about lentils is first that 2 cups of dry lentils becomes a week’s worth of meals, and second they are super filling and have the third-highest level of protein by weight, of any plant-based food.

I included the Saffron Yogurt with this recipe, but to be honest, I didn’t like the addition of this to my soup, and I only used it the first time.  I think this would have been really good with a dollop of reduced fat sour cream, some diced green onions/scallions, and a nice piece of crusty bread to dip.

2 Cups green French lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Large onion, chopped
1 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 Cups water
3 Cups of a kale, rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

Saffron Yogurt
a pinch of saffron (30-40 threads)
1 Tbsp boiling water
two pinches of salt
1/2C Fat Free Greek Yogurt 

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

While the lentils are cooking, make the saffron yogurt by combining the saffron threads and boiling water in a tiny cup. Let the saffron steep for a few minutes. Now stir the saffron along with the liquid into the yogurt. Mix in the salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of the saffron yogurt (or the above mentioned sour cream).

Serves 6 to 8. 

(Original Recipe) 

Leftover Taco Biscuits

I went on a tropical vacation to Costa Rica a week or two ago. It was amazing. I ate lots of delicious food, and drank plenty of Mojitos and Pina Coladas. I didn’t count a single calorie, even though I sometimes thought about how many I was consuming.  On top of the souvenirs I brought back to the states, I also unfortunately brought back a few additional pounds of, well, me. 

So, I’ve been back on track with my food and fitness. I pushed though a 5-mile run yesterday evening, after a bodyweight workout.

I found in my freezer this morning before work some frozen taco meat from the last time I made taco salad, but I didn’t really want tacos. I took it out to thaw anyway, figuring I would come up with something between then and dinner time.

I did.   After work I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up a package Grands! Original Flaky Biscuits, and here’s what I did with them when I got home. I suggest a good side of will power when you make these because you’re going to want to eat way more than a single serving.  I had them with a tablespoon of reduced fat sour cream, and some Cholula hot sauce. They were divine.

You could also use a mini muffin pan to make these as appetizers; they’d be a huge hit.

Serves 6: 2 Biscuits

Calories 299 / Fat 15.2g / Fiber 1.5g / Protein 9g / Carbs 31g

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup cupcake pan and dust with flour.

(If you don't have leftover prepared taco meat handy; Prepare taco meat by frying 1 lb extra lean (93/7) ground beef in a pan, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add a package of taco seasoning, and cook according to package directions.)

Divide layers from biscuits and line the bottom of each cup with one layer. 

Add 1 Tbsp of meat to each cup. Add 1/4 ounce  cheese (about a tsp) on top of the meat. Add desired amount of diced onion on top of cheese. Add 1 tsp Rotel tomatoes to each cup.

Divide additional layers of biscuits and top each cup with a layer. Using the tines of a fork, or your fingers (your choice) pres the dough tops down into the dough bottoms so that a seal forms. You don't have to really precise - they will cook together.

Brush a bit of milk on the top of each muffin. Sprinkle the tops with seasoning of you choice. These have a bit of oregano and something called Seasoning Magic.

Bake for about 20 minutes: remove when the tops are a nice golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.  

Serve with a dollop of reduced fat sour cream, guacamole, or salsa as desired. 

The dish in the background is Vegetable and Edamame Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce. I made it so I could take it to lunch the rest of the week, but it looked so good I had to have some tonight too.  I used Ronzoni garden Delight Rotini, omitted the tomatoes, and next time, I'll use half a Haas avocado instead of a whole, and double the edamame. I really like edamame.

Vegetarian Spicy Rice and Bean Salad

If I tried to list the things I've learned or picked up from reading other people's blogs, I'd have a post that was a mile long. In that vein however, I did discover both green monsters and overnight oats that I actually liked by reading Oh She Glows. However, since I’m not a vegetarian, I’ll admit some of her other main dish recipes intimidated me.  But, this one looked really phenomenal and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it.  I am so glad I did.

This is mostly her recipe, with a few little tweaks I made to customize it to my particular tastes. It was ah-mazing. I served it topped with a bit of Parmesan Reggiano cheese just because I always feel like one dish meals served in a bowl need a topping to make them complete.  It was super filling, but didn’t leave me feeling like I had over indulged, and I now have leftovers for the whole week to  supplement other meals, or take to work for a stand alone lunch. Though to be honest, I didn't find I needed anything else to 'go with' this dish, which is really great since I'm trying lately to eat smaller dinners and larger, more hearty breakfasts instead.

Also, a word about mushrooms that I wish I’d learned sooner; don’t pop their little stems out.  As you’re rinsing the mushrooms, slice just the end – the tough part – off the bottom of the stem, but leave it otherwise intact. They are perfectly edible, and shrink down when cooking.  After all, you likely paid for the mushrooms by weight, so not eating the stems is essentially throwing your hard earned cash away with them.

Serves 7 : 1-cup servings

Calories: 182 / Fat: 3g /  Fiber: 7.8g / Protein:9.0g / Carbs: 32g
Original Recipe from Oh She Glows

1 Cup Brown Rice, uncooked

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Cup Spanish (sweet) onion, chopped

1/2 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Coriander

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 Cup Scallions (green onion), chopped

1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed

3 Tbsp Tamari (organic soy sauce)

1 cup Frozen Peas

1 cup Frozen Corn

1 Cup Carrots, grated

1/8 Cup Dry White Wine

1 Cup White Mushrooms, chopped
1 Cup Portobello Mushrooms, chopped

Cook rice according to package directions, and set aside.

Prepare all ingredients before beginning this recipe.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until soft; about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, and sauté until they release their liquid. Add wine and cook until liquid is nearly gone. Add spices, garlic, and scallions, and sauté about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep from burning or sticking.

Add Tamari sauce and black beans and stir well. Cook about 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add the peas, carrots and corn; mix well. Cook an additional 5 minutes until all ingredients are warmed through.

Add in cooked rice and mix well. Serve immediately.

Oatmeal Extravaganza

The possibilities with oatmeal are endless.  Which is lucky for me, because I really love oatmeal. I eat it 5 days a week.  There are plenty of reasons to eat (read: enjoy!) oatmeal, some of which include a lowered risk of heart disease, type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and even certain cancers.   If that wasn’t enough, oatmeal is a great way to help you maintain or lose weight without feeling hungry or deprived due to the high amount of soluble fiber, which if you didn’t know, absorb a considerable amount of water and effectively slows your digestive process – keeping you feeling fuller, longer.

On top of the health benefits, it’s just plain convenient. It’s so convenient in fact, that I cook fresh oats each morning while I get ready for work. Once it’s done, I throw it into a plastic container and go. Once I’m at the office I add my fixin’s and enjoy a hot, nutritious, filling breakfast.

I’m begging you not to buy pre-flavored instant packs of oatmeal though – take 5 minutes each night or morning to pack up your fixin’s and you’ll be thankful you did.  Not only do you get a larger serving of oatmeal, but you get less sodium and more real ingredients.

Need ideas on how to spruce up your oats?  All of these assume 1Cup Water and 1/2Cup Oats for a single serving breakfast. I also add a teaspoon (to my cooked oatmeal) of raw Chia Seeds and 1/4Cup Fat Free Organic Milk to all of my oatmeal, because that’s how I roll.  

• 1/2 Sliced Banana, 1/4 Cup Blueberries, 1 Tbsp Sliced Almonds (pictured)
• 1 Diced Granny Smith Apple, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, 1 Tbsp Chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries, 1 Tbsp Chopped Walnuts, dash of Cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup Blueberries, 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup,1 Tbsp Chopped Toasted Walnuts
• 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce, dash of Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp Apple Butter, 1 Tbsp Granola
• 1/2 Cup Sliced Strawberries, 1 Tbsp Sliced Almonds, Splash of Almond Extract
• 1/2 Cup Sliced Strawberries, 1/2 Sliced Banana, 1 Tbsp Sliced Almonds
• 1 Tbsp Honey, 1 Tbsp Better N’ Peanut Butter
• 1/2 Sliced Banana, 1 Tbsp Better N’ Peanut Butter, 2 tsp Agave Nectar, 1 Tsp Sliced Almonds 
• 2 Tbsp Apple Butter, Dash of cinnamon and Allspice (or pumpkin-pie spice), 1 Tbsp Dried Cranberries
• 1/2 Cup Diced Apple, 2 Tbsp Dried Cranberries 

The moral of the story here is to be creative!  Oatmeal is possibly the most versatile food out there. Take advantage.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

My friend recently moved into a new apartment across town. Due to various reasons, I wasn’t able to offer much assistance in the way of helping her move items, but I thought in lieu of physical labor, I could offer to bake her something fabulous to enjoy in her new home.  Anything she wanted. Her only request was that it be chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

Confession: I don’t particularly like chocolate. Therefore, I have never made anything chocolate. So I had to do some serious research.  In my search, I found Black-Bottom Cupcakes. Here’s the trouble though, they aren’t exactly easy on the calories.  I really wanted to try these out before I made them for my friend though, since I planned to modify the recipe to make it a more reduced fat treat than it was. 

I mean come on, I don’t run all those miles just so I can break even with eating dessert. This cupcake though? Worth each and every one of the 11 miles I ran on this past Sunday morning.  I even forgot to add in one of my subs (some sugar free applesauce) which happened to be quite fortuitous because I can’t tell that I ever needed it.  SK’s original recipe is linked above, below is what I made though

Calories 246 / Fat 11.1g / Carbs 39.8g / Fiber 2.0g / Protein 4.3g

Serves 12

For the filling:

8 ounces Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg white, at room temperature

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the cupcakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/4 cup Canola oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling: With a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and egg white until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with Pam or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Do not over stir.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed.

P.S. I absolutely run so I eat things like this without feeling guilty.