The market had some pretty nice poblano peppers this week and this is a recipe that I have been wanting to try.  If you cannot find poblanos, you could try green peppers.  The flavor of the dish would be a bit milder, but you could always add a little more spice!

I know I have written about quinoa before and we have posted some recipes with the versatile grain.  Quinoa is a healthy alternative to rice or pasta, if you haven”t tried it, we highly recommend it.

The original recipe from an old Cooking Light magazine called for pumpkin seed kernels instead of sunflower seeds, but I could not find them at our market, so I made the substitution.  Life is all about substitutions, experimenting with recipes is what makes this so fun!

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed chile halves)

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut chiles in half lengthwise; remove stems and seeds. Set aside. Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 13 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add bell peppers, onion, jalapeño pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add sunflower seed kernels; saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in quinoa, green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, and lime juice. Spoon 1/3 cup quinoa mixture into each chile half.

Pour tomato juice into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; place stuffed chiles in dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chiles; bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts and chiles are thoroughly heated. Spoon tomato juice over chiles.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Nutritional Information

Calories:  329 (26% from fat)

Fat:  9.6g (sat 4.3g,mono 2.5g,poly 2.2g)

Protein:  20.4g

Carbohydrate:  47.9g

Fiber:  7g

Cholesterol:  19mg

Iron:  7.4mg

Sodium:  787mg

Calcium:  347mg

This is a pretty easy dish for a quick Mexican style dinner.  Because I had salsa verde from another meal this weekend, I thought I would use it in this meal as well.

We used flat iron steak cubed, seasoned with our Southwest Steak Seasoning and cooked, but you could use chicken or ground beef as well.  Reduced fat cheese helps keep this dish lower in fat. This meal is a good source of protein and while it wasn”t the healthiest meal we had all week it was very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 jar or 1 cup of salsa verde (click here for our salsa verde recipe)
• 3 cups low fat or baked tortilla chips (I like the blue corn chips)
• 1 lb flat iron steak, cubed
• 1 TBS (or generous amount) Southwest Steak Seasoning
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup reduced fat Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese blend

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Coat beef with preferred spices – we used Southwest Steak Seasoning
3. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat to high
4. Add beef and sear until cooked through, remove from heat
5. In a deep baking dish, spread half of the chips
6. Top with half of the salsa, beef, corn and cheese.
7. Repeat layers
8. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes
9. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer

Quick and easy dinner!

Serves 5

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Protein 26g
Carbs 28 g
Fat 16g
Trans Fat 0g
Fiber 3g
Sodium 317 mg
Sugar 4g
Calories 356

As we head into the holidays we have already been seeing plenty of predictions to food trends to watch for 2011 (it seems to get earlier every year). One of our favorites is the one from the Food Channel that is talking about the Top 10 Side Dish Trends and #4 on the list is about how potatoes, and especially sweet potatoes, are becoming more and more popular.

For the past 6 months or so this root vegetable has become my favorite starchy carbs and has replaced long grain brown rice in many of my meals. I also love the history of the sweet potato as it is indigenous to Central America and Christopher Columbus brought them back to Europe after his first voyage. Often mistaken for yams, sweet potatoes are still a bit more popular in the south.

This recipe was a delicious and healthy twist on one of my favorite Tex-Mex classics “the quesadilla” and best of all we were able to throw this together with items we regularly stock in the kitchen! This is a quick and easy recipe that is loaded with nutrients — especially vitamin A and C.

Ingredients

1 Large sweet potato
1/4 Cup chili powder
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tsp Mexican oregano
1/4 Cup red onion, diced
1 Cup black beans, rinsed
1/2 Cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 Cup long grain brown rice, cooked
1/4 Cup frozen corn
3/4 Cup diced tomatoes (canned low sodium)
1 Large fresh jalapeno, diced
2 Cups kale, chopped
4 Whole wheat tortillas (burrito style)

Directions

1. Peel sweet potato, cut into large chunks and add to a boiling pan of water (if you are in a real hurry you can wrap the sweet potato in cling wrap and heat in the microwave for about 6 minutes)
2. Cook until tender (roughly 25 minutes), when done you will be able to easily pierce the potato
3. In a small mixing bowl combine the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and Mexican oregano
4. Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and cook your onions over medium heat until the onion is translucent
5. To the skillet add the black beans, red bell pepper, rice, corn, diced tomatoes, jalapeno and 1/2 the spices
6. Stirring frequently heat this mix for about 10 minutes
7. Add the kale to your skillet and mix in  just until the kale starts to wilt, then remove from heat
8. Once the sweet potatoes are finished cooking mash then and add remaining 1/2 of spices
9. Place your tortilla either in a skillet and evenly spread a small amount of the mashed sweet potatoes on 1/2 of the tortilla, then add the black bean mix fold in half and heat flipping once so that both sides are lightly browned
10. Remove the skillet and cut into even triangles
11. Serve with salsa or low fat sour cream if desired

Serves 4

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Protein 12g
Fat 5g
Saturated Fat 0g
Fiber 13g
Sodium 508mg
Sugar 7g
Calories 317

We had a crazy, hectic night last night. While I think that I can do a lot of things there are some things that I know should be left to professionals.

We live in an older house (built in the 70′’s) and it is half buried into the side of a mountain here in central PA. While the mountain location gives us a beautiful view of our little town and the university it gets crazy cold in the house. So this year instead of paying our local electric company $100s of dollars each month we decided that we were going to get a pellet stove.

We got one about two weeks ago. We had the chimmey guy come and give our chimmey a clean bill of health and then tried to hook up the pellet stove…. Needless to say I was a dismal failure at it (other than inventing some new curse words that my dogs had never heard before).

So last night we had a professional come out and take a look at what needs to be done to make the angle pipe straight.

This was the back drop to making this comfort food soup with a Mexican flare.

One of the great benefits to having our own spice company is getting to work in our test kitchen and last night’’s soup called for a dried oregano and a chicken stock. We have been testing a new dried Mexican Oregano (that is out of this world) that we are getting from our supplier that provides most of our Mexican and South American Chiles.

The chicken stock we”re testing is a chicken flavored broth powder that is actually a vegetarian version. It is very, very tasty but a bit high in the sodium count. For the recipe below we are showing the nutritional info using our standard low sodium chicken stock.

This is a low sodium and low fat meal that is also loaded with nutrients especially vitamin C. But best of all it was delicious and filling.

This was a fairly quick meal to put together as it was on the table in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 jalapeno, medium size and diced
2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can low sodium diced tomatoes (about 14 oz)
1 cup grilled chicken (chopped or shredded)
1-1/2 cups chicken stock , low sodium
1/2 lime
1 -1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1-1/2 cup cooked long grain brown rice
Directions

1. Add olive to pan and turn heat on to medium high
2. Add onions and bell peppers to heated pan and cook until onions are translucent (about 2 minutes)
3. Turn heat down to medium and add garlic and jalapeno and cook until soft and translucent (about 2 minutes)
4. Add spices, mix thoroughly an heat until you can smell the aroma (be careful not to burn the spices)
5. Add tomatoes, chicken stock and chicken
6. Turn heat up to medium high and bring to a boil
7. Turn heat down to simmer, cover and let cook for 20 minutes
8. Squeeze the lime juice into the soup and mix before serving
9. Serve over 1/2 brown rice and top with dried cilantro

Servings 3
Nutritional Data (per serving)

Protein 21g
Carbs 34g
Fat 8g
Saturated Fat 2g
Sodium 92mg
Sugar 6g
Calories 291

This was a super easy and quick dinner meal to prepare.  A little twist on a traditional chile with tomatoes, this was uses salsa verde, which is a green salsa.  I do make my own salsa verde and keep some on hand, but salsa verde in a jar will work as well, (just check the ingredients and make sure there are not a lot of additives or salt).  This is not a ‘’spicy” chili and you could certainly add a diced jalapeno for a little extra kick.

The total prep/cook time was about 30 minutes and because the recipe made 4 servings, I had enough for lunch the next day.  Beats a sandwich any day of the week in my book! 

Here is what you need:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 3 clove(s) garlic, diced
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 jar salsa verde – or make your own
• 1 can pinto beans – drained and rinsed
• 8 Tbsp shredded reduced fat cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef and drain any fat
2. Add onion, garlic & bell pepper and spices
3. Cook until vegetables are tender
4. Add the salsa verde and pinto beans
5. Heat thoroughly and serve
6. Top with some of the chopped red onions and 2 Tbsp reduced fat cheese

Nutrional Data (per serving)

• Protein 32g
• Carbs 26g
• Fat 9g
• Calories 319

This info is from NutrionalData.com and is based on a jar of Salsa Verde and not the homemade version that I made. The homemade version would have much less sodium.

Ready for Fall with this quick and easy dish!

Salsa Verde was by far, Greg’’s favorite salsa of the week!  I roasted the tomatillos and peppers on the grill before adding them to the salsa.  This was the one salsa that I put in the food processor to create a puree, instead of a mixture of diced veggies.  Even with taking the time to grill the vegetables, this was a super easy salsa to make.  Click here to link to the salsa verde recipe.

I decided to make a type of pulled chicken sandwich and use the salsa verde as a topping instead or mayo, mustard or some other sauce.

Carnitas is a type of braised pork that is simmered or slow cooked and then pulled apart or shredded and then broiled or roasted to produce a caramelized, crispy texture.  The meat is used commonly in Mexican dishes, such as, enchiladas, tacos, tamales, etc.  Typically, a very marbled pork is used in Carnitas and the meat is simmered in the fatty renderings.

I use my slow cooker often and have made many pulled chicken dishes, but I really like the idea of broiling or roasting the meat after it has simmered to give a different texture.

Healthy alternative to pulled pork carnitas

So here is my healthier version of a carnitas sandwich, using chicken and my slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon salt – ok to omit if you prefer
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ancho powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bay leaves
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 TBS reduced fat Monterrey Jack cheese
• 4 whole wheat sandwich buns

Directions:

1. Mix together salt, garlic, cumin, ancho powder, Mexican oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Coat chicken with the spice mixture.
3. Place the bay leaf in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the chicken on top.
4. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the meat, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.
5. Cover and cook on Low until the chicken shreds easily with a fork, about 6 hours.
6. When the chicken is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks.
7. Coat a baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil with pan spray
8. Spread shredded chicken on baking sheet or aluminum foil
9. Place under oven broiler or on a hot grill turning meat once until it starts to crisp
10. Serve on whole wheat buns with 1 TBS reduced fat Monterrey Jack cheese and salsa verde

Serves 4

How do you change recipes to create healthier versions of your favorite meals?

Salsa Verde

Last week Greg asked me to make a salsa every day so we could add the salsa recipes to our SpicesInc website.  No problem.    I love salsa and veggies are so plentiful right now, I was thrilled to load up on so many good, fresh ingredients and have fun creating different salsas.  I will link to the salsa recipes and share the accompanying meal recipes here.

Wonderful fresh veggies for salsas

The first night I made a Fresh Heirloom Tomato Salsa.

I used flat iron steak with Espresso Rub and made grilled fajitas.  Whole wheat flour tortillas and some grilled onions and peppers made a really healthy dinner and the salsa was the perfect compliment.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb flat iron steak – you can use flank or skirt – but if you can find flat iron – try it – it is a very lean cut of meat and very tender when grilled or cooked.
• about 1/4 cup Espresso Rub
• 1 medium bell pepper, sliced
• 1 small sweet onion, sliced
• 4 Whole wheat flour tortillas – I like Chi Chis
• Fresh Heirloom Tomato Salsa – click here for recipe

Directions:

1. Generously coat the steak with the spice rub and let sit in the refrigerator about 20 minutes before grilling.
2. Saute peppers and onions until tender
3. Place meat on grill and cook thoroughly – about 7-8 minutes per side
4. Remove meat from grill and let sit for 10 minutes
5. Warm tortillas on the grill or in the microwave
6. Slice meat
7. Assemble fajitas with meat, onions, peppers, salsa

I firmly believe that everything tastes better on the grill.  Can you grill ice cream?  Hmmmm …  will have to check on that.

One of our ”go to” dinners is a quick and easy quesadilla.  No specific recipe required – look in the fridge – presto quesadilla!  Tonight we had some grilled chicken, reduced fat mexican style cheese, a red and a green bell pepper.  I did roast the peppers on the grill first for the smokey, charred taste – plus anytime I basically have permission to ”burn” something – I am all over it!

Earlier this week, we had planned roasted veggies on the grill and we had rain – lots of rain!  So, I had some yellow squash and zucchini to grill as a side.  My favorite whole wheat, flour tortillas were on sale last week so I picked up an extra pack – everything I need – ready to go.

Load up with healthy chicken and veggies

Since I want the cheese to melt and the ingredients to heat up before the tortilla burns – I decided to put the quesadilla in aluminum foil first, then when it is all gooey on the inside, I slid it onto the grill to crisp the tortilla.

Grilled veggies - YUM!

1. First, I charred the peppers and set them in a covered bowl to cool.  Then I would remove the charred outer layer and dice for my quesadilla.
2. I put the squash on the grill next, then went inside to assemble the main dish.
3. Layer all the ingredients on the bottom tortilla, add a second tortilla to the top, like a sandwich.
4. Wrap the quesadilla in foil.  I used two pieces and sealed the edges loosely to make it easier to open on the hot grill.
5. Put foil wrapped quesadilla on the grill at med high heat.
6. Turn after 2 minutes and cook on the other side about 2 more minutes.
7. Open the foil and slide the quesadilla onto the grill
8. grill until crispy on the bottom
9. Carefully, flip the tortilla to grill the other side

Quick and easy on the grill

Serve with roasted squash and zucchini.  Top with salsa.

Grilled ice cream – could be interesting… what do you put on your grill?

We get asked all the time – “what are the best spices or seasonings for grilled chicken”? This is typically asked from those that are trying to eat healthier and leaner as chicken is often the cornerstone of these types of meal routines. When you consume a good deal of chicken in your regular meal rotation it can get awful boring.

So we wanted to break it down for you that you are armed with what are the best spices, seasonings and rubs for your chicken. From our experience these spices and herbs (from the first list) work well whether you prefer baked or grilled chicken. This list is perfect for an experienced or adventurous home chef who isn’t afraid of experimenting a little bit with their own combination’’s. You can pick several of these are try them in tandem but we do recommend using small amounts at first to see what works best without overpowering a dish.

Now we did not list any chiles  but for those that like some heat you can certainly add those for some zest as well. These spices, herbs and seasonings are just for the grill either you can certainly use them to add a change of pace to any chicken meal even if you cook in the oven or on your trusty Foreman grill!

List of Spices and Herbs to Use on Grilled Chicken

• Basil
• Bay Leaf
• Cilantro
• Cinnamon
• Curry Powder
• Garlic
• Lemongrass
• Mace
• Marjoram
• Onion
• Paprika
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Saffron
• Savory
• Tarragon
• Thyme

Now if you are looking for added convenience, tremendous flavor and you don’t want to be guessing on the best combination to use then these chicken seasonings are the way to go. Here you can find salt free selections, regional flavors from across the US, some south of the border influenced seasonings and some loaded with heat. Most of these have at least 5 or 6 ingredients and others up to 12-15 but all have been thoroughly tested and you will find them all loaded with flavor and they will make it impossible to get bored with your chicken.

Out of This World Grilled Chicken Seasonings and Rubs

• Adobo Lime Rub
• Blackened Seasoning
• Buffalo Wing Rub (salt free)
• Caribbean Spice
• Chipotle Honey Rub
• Chipotle Rub
• Citrus Seasoning (salt free)
• Fajita Seasoning
• French Quarter Seasoning
• Garlic Herb (salt free)
• Habanero Chile Seasoning (salt free)
• Jamaican Jerk
• Kickin’ Chicken
• Lemon Pepper (salt free)
• Madras Curry (salt free)
• Manzanillo Seasoning (salt free)
• Mediterranean Dry Rub (salt free)
• Salt Free Adobo Seasoning
• Salt Free Poultry Seasoning
• Salt Free Southwest Seasoning
• Smoky Citrus Salt
• Sweet Tweetie
• Tandoori
• Texas Chicken

We are constantly testing out new chicken seasonings and rubs for the backyard grill, the smoker, the oven and even the Foreman grill.

The warmer weather and longer days have been so wonderful.  We have been spending more time outside and working in our massive garden.  Greg has the green thumb, not me – he has created the most beautiful hillside for our house.

Greg working hard on the garden

Our dinners have been very light, quick and easy.  Anytime we can fire up the grill – we do it!  No need to heat up the house.  Up here in Northeastern PA, we do not have central air – so we do what we can to keep the house cool during the Summer.

A few nights ago, after a long day, we wanted something quick and we didn”t want to have to ”run” to the store.  So, I decided to throw what we had in the fridge onto a tortilla and put it on the grill.  Took about 10 mins and dinner was great!

Grilled pizza is a great Summer dinner

Here is what we did:

Light the grill!

On a cutting board, lay out the tortillas – I like Chi Chi’’s whole wheat tortillas

I added a little salsa for the pizza sauce – keep it light – too much sauce will make a soggy pizza

I had some grilled chicken in the fridge – add about 2 oz diced for each pizza

Chopped bell pepper and red onion

1 TBS reduced fat Monterrey Jack cheese – for each pizza

Since we were going ”Mexican” pizza, I added a couple of liberal shakes of Manzanillo Seasoning

Red pepper flakes would also be good for a little kick

Just remember not to ”load” the pizza too much – light is the key or it will not cook through

Turn the grill to low and slide the pizza from the board to the grill – don”t try to move them until they start to brown or they will fall apart.

Grill till crispy and cheese is melted

Slide off the grill onto board – cut and enjoy!!!

Hot off the grill

Light and Healthy / Quick and Easy!

I made 4 pizzas – 2 servings (Although, I could have done with just one – but they were so good!)

We are always looking for grilling ideas – what do you put on your grill?