Wednesday, June 15, 2011

BBQ Pork & Penne Skillet

So this was our DELICIOUS dinner tonight! 8 our of 8 loved it. So that is always great! Monday night I put 12 lbs of pork shoulder & butt in a crock pot with diced onion and ginger ale. Set to LOW for 12 hours. Drained the fat and ginger ale off. Threw the onions back in and started pulling the pork off. Threw in some jars of BBQ sauce and left on LOW for about 5 more hours. We had pulled pork tostadas and with all the extra made this recipe.

1 pkg (16 oz, but I only had 13.25 oz) whole wheat penne pasta
1 C chopped sweet red pepper
3/4 C chopped onion
oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
18 oz BBQ pork. I guess you can buy it in the freezer section
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes w/mild green chilies, undrained
1/2 C beef broth
1 t cumin
1 t pepper
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 C chedder, shredded
1/4 C chopped green onions

Cook pasta. Meanwhile in a large skillet, saute red pepper and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the pork, tomatoes, broth, cumin, pepper and salt; heat thru.

Drain pasta. Add pasta and cheese to pork mixture; Sprinkle with green onions.

I didn't add the cheese and green onions. I just put them in bowls on the table. I also forgot the cumin, pepper nad salt. Tasted great, but I love cumin, so I can imagine it would be even better! Serves 8

1 serving (1 1/2 C): 313.7 calories, 12.6 g fat (and I think there is less as I drained the fat. There was hardly any fat on the refrigerated stuff.) carbs 29.7 g, 3.2 g fiber, 9.9 g sugar (BBQ sauce....gonna look for a lower sugar one next time), 15.9 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Chicken Sausage Gyros

So my grandpa was greek. I LOVE greek food! Especially gyros. So when I came across this recipe I was really excited! It is really delicious, too! We used Jennie-O turkey sausage, those U shaped (I believe) 14 oz packages. I also didn't have olive oil, so I omitted it. Wal-Mart didn't sell whole wheat pita bread, just white.

Serves 4

12 oz fully cooked spinach and feta chicken sausage links or Italian flavor of your choice, cut into 1/4"slices - doesn't spinach and feta links sound DELICIOUS!!!
1 C (8 oz) fat free sour cream
1/4 C finely chopped cucumbers
1 1/2 t red wine vinegar
1 1/2 t olive oil
1/2 t garlic powder
4 whole wheat pita bread (6")
1 medium plum tomatoes, sliced (I used grape tomatoes quartered)
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray (I had to add water), cook chicken sausage over meadium heat until heated through.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, cucumber, vineagar, oil and garlic powder. Serve the chicken sausage on pita, with tomato, onion and sause.

One serving: 315.7 calories, 8.3 g fat, 39.9 g carbs, 1.8 g fiber, 4.2 g sugar, 17.8 g protein

LOTS of carbs, but that is the pita bread. I have eaten the left over meat, sauce and tomatoes today. That makes it more healthy. Next time I will try and make my own wrap.

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Beef & Blue Cheese Tart

So this is what we had last night for dinner. It was REALLY delicious, but only if you like blue cheese. Eat the middle pieces and you will have less carbs!

1/2 lb extra lean ground beef (97%)
1 3/4 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, thinkly sliced
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 tube (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 C fat free sour cream
2 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t garlic powder
3/4 C crumbled bleu cheese

Cook beef, onion and mushrooms until meat is not pink. Drain. Stir in salt & Pepper, set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll crust into a 15x12 inch rectangle. The recipe then says to transfer to a parchment paper. But I would do without the parchment paper next time. Not only is it a pain in the butt to transfer it, but when you are cutting the tart after it is cooked, it gets all cut up and if soggy, you might eat it because it is sticking to the tart!
IN a small bowl, combine sour cream, Italian seasoning and garlic powder; spread over crust within 2" of the edges. The put hamburger mixture on top of that. Fold up edges of crust over filling, leaving center uncovered. So I did the long sides first. So the 'window' of mixture you see will be about 10x7. This is when you transfer it to a cookie sheet.....have fun....it's tricky. Took 2 people, 2 spatulas and 4 hands!
Bake at 425 for 15-18 or until crust is golden brown. Spirnkle with blue cheese when it comes out and let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Makes 8 slices

1 slice: 208 carbs,5 g fat, 23 g carbs (eat center one and less carbs!), 2 g fiber, 3 g sugar and 18 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy