Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

I'll start this post by saying two things: (1) I modified this recipe from what I made because my mouth is on fire it was a bit warm for my taste, and (2) don't expect this to replace buffalo wings. A lot of posts I've read claim that these things will "satisfy your buffalo wing cravings." This is a false statement. While the flavor is there, it won't replace the goodness of a fried (or baked) chicken wing.

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1/2 cup hot sauce
1 Tbsp melted butter (considering coconut oil as a substitute)
1 tsp garlic

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Wash and separate cauliflower pieces from one another.
3. Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place cauliflower on cooking sheet.
4. Lightly sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder on cauliflower.
5. Bake seasoned cauliflower for 20 minutes.
6. While cauliflower is baking, mix hot sauce, butter, and garlic.
7. After removing cauliflower from the oven, lightly pour hot sauce mixture over cauliflower.
8. Bake for 5 additional minutes.
9. Serve immediately. I hear ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce goes well with these! Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Stuffed Peppers

If you haven't noticed, I love peppers. All kinds of peppers really. Bell peppers. Sweet peppers. Poblano peppers. Jalapeno peppers. They're my favorite thing. My go-to restaurant dish when we lived in Champaign was stuffed peppers. Ever since trying them at Desthil, I constantly crave that spicy goodness. Granted, theirs is a little more flavorful and high calorie, but this one was pretty tasty tonight! (And I snuck some more kale in there!)

Ingredients
2 poblano peppers (or bell pepper if you don't like heat)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup yellow onion (chopped)
1 cup red bell peppers (chopped)
2 cups kale (optional)
1/2 can seasoned black beans
1 cup brown rice (cooked)
8 oz choice of meat (steak, chicken, or pork)
2/3 cup mozzarella cheese

Seasonings for Meat
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika
Black pepper
Sea salt

Instructions

1. Begin cooking rice according to instructions on package.
2. Season meat using equal parts garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper with a little sea salt. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 325 F.
4. In large pan, bring 8 cups of water to boil.
5. While waiting on water to boil, slice peppers in half down the length and remove all seeds. (If working with bell peppers, slice the top off of the pepper to form bowl.) 
6. Place pepper halves in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
7. Remove peppers from water and place on paper towel to dry. Place peppers so that they curve downward, facing the paper towel.
8. Heat oil in skillet over medium-heat and add onions and red bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add kale and black beans to onion and red pepper mixture.
10. Mix vegetable mixture with cooked rice. Cover and set aside.
11. Cook meat to desired temperature. (If steak, I recommend cooking to medium rare, as baking will continue to cook. Always thoroughly cook chick and pork before baking the peppers.)
12. Slice meat (cube if working with bell peppers).
13. Place peppers on baking sheet (covered in foil for easy clean up). Layer each pepper half with meat of choice, rice/veggie mixture, and then mozzarella cheese.
14. Bake for 20 minutes.
15. Serve with knife and fork for easy eating! Enjoy!

Sausage, Kale, & Lentil Stew

I've been trying to find ways to incorporate kale into my diet more often. I'm not overly fond of the taste or texture, so I wanted to find a way to get the nutrients it provides. I found this recipe online, but modified it to reduce the carbohydrate and sodium content. Warning: This recipe makes a LOT of stew. You'll likely have leftovers depending on how many people you're serving. (In my house, it's typically just me, so this makes lunch/dinner for days.)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 lb sausage (medium heat)

1 cup chopped yellow onion

32 oz sodium free chicken stock

2.5 cups water

5 cups kale (washed & torn)

1/2 bag baby carrots

1 cup dried lentils

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add sausage and cook thoroughly, breaking up with a spoon (8-10 minutes).
3. Add onions and cook, tossing occasionally until soft (3-5 minutes).
4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute).
5. Add broth, kale, carrots, lentils, salt, and pepper to pot.
6. Bring to boil while stirring occasionally.
7. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered. Stir occasionally until lentils and carrots are tender (30-35 minutes).
8. Enjoy!

No Sauce Pasta

This recipe can be modified in a million different ways. The ingredients listed here are my preferred combination of vegetables. (You'll notice a lot of my recipes have similar ingredients. Like it says in the "blog description" for this site, I keep things simple. That includes my shopping list.)

Serving
1 person (multiply ingredients as needed)

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup whole grain pasta
1/2 cup sweet peppers
12ish asparagus spears
4 oz of lean meat (Picture is a lean pork sausage. Chicken works wonderfully too!)
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to liking

Instructions

1. In skillet, heat olive oil and add vegetables (any veggies you enjoy will work - the key is proportion to the pasta).
2. Once vegetables have warmed a bit, add garlic powder, onion powder, and pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Remove vegetables from heat once they are able to be cut with a fork. Set aside in covered dish to keep warm.
4. Begin to boil pasta according to instructions on the box.
5. While pasta is cooking, cook lean meat in skillet (can be same skillet that cooked the vegetables) seasoning to taste (just avoid salt if possible).
6. After meat is cooked through, slice into small pieces.
7. Combine drained pasta, mozzarella, vegetables, and meat into serving bowl and stir.
8. Enjoy! The cheese and seasoning from the vegetables will flavor the pasta. No sauce needed.

Turkey Taco Wraps

This recipe can be found all over Pinterest, blogs, and anywhere else you may see "healthy eating" recipes hiding on the Internet. As with all of my recipes that will be posted here, this is my version - a combination of all the ingredients I like from others' posts.

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

3/4 cup onion (chopped)

1/4 cup celery (chopped)

4-5 small, sweet pepper (sliced)

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

Romaine lettuce leaves

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Saute onion, celery, and peppers in skillet with a small amount of olive oil.
2. Add ground turkey and brown meat over medium-high heat while combining with onion, celery, pepper mixture.
3. Combine seasonings in small bowl and mix before adding to ground turkey mixture. (If meat mixture is dry, add a little water until seasoning covers meat.)
4. Wash and dry romaine lettuce leaves.
5. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of mozzarella onto each lettuce leaf.
6. Top mozzarella with warm turkey/veggie mixture (will melt the cheese).
7. Enjoy by rolling sides of lettuce leaves around meat and veggies and eat like a taco!

Note: If you prefer more or less seasoning, you may adjust amounts. I recommend staying away from extra salt.