Zucchini, Black Bean, and Rice Skillet

Adapted From Ready Set Eat

I love Zucchini and use it in as many meals as I can. After making a couple loafs of Zucchini Bread, I still had left over zucchini. So, I decided to look for a quick healthy meal to make. Growing up, my family had a lot of Mexican food. Any time we went out to eat, if dad was with, it was guaranteed that we would find a Mexican restaurant. This history has caused me to keep black beans on the shelf and jalapeños in the fridge for the moments when I crave a bit of Mexican food. 

All this to say, I searched for a mexican dish with zucchini, black beans, and jalapeño. Here's what I found, including the additions I made:

Ingredients: 

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1.5 cup sliced and quartered zucchini

1/2 cup diced green peppers

1-2 diced jalapeños 

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with garlic*

Spices: Chili Powder and Cayenne Pepper

Juice of 1/2 lime

3/4 cup water

1 cup instant rice (brown or white), uncooked

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack mix cheese

*can substitute fresh tomatoes and minced garlic

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and peppers. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add beans, undrained tomatoes, and water. Stir in Spices and lime juice. 

Increase heat; Bring to a boil. 

3. Add rice, stir well. Cover, remove from heat. Let stand for 7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

4. Sprinkle with cheese, serve with tortilla chips or tortillas. 

Carrot Zucchini Soup

Adapted from Taste of Home

Serves 2-4

Here's another soup that leaves Marshal and I wanting more! This is a hearty, very healthy soup that pairs very nicely with an egg sandwich or a salad. As an awesome bonus, this soup packs vegetables in to your meal! 

Ingredients:

2 small onions (1 chopped, 1 quartered)

2 cups water

1/2 lb carrots, cut in to 1-inch pieces

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups diced zucchini

1.5 teaspoon olive oil

1.5 teaspoon butter*

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

2/3 cup evaporated milk**

2 Tablespoons minced parsley

*Butter can be omitted to reduce calories

**any milk can be substituted. I used skim! 

Instructions:

1. Place the quartered onion in a 3 quart sauce pan. Add water, carrots, celery salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes (or until carrots are tender)

2. Transfer to a blender, cover and process until pureed.* Return pureed mixture to the pan

3. In a large pan, saute chopped onion and zucchini in oil and butter until tender; add to carrot mixture. 

4. Stir in tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. 

5. Stir in milk and parsley. Heat Through

*use caution in blending hot mixtures as heat can cause a build up of pressure

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with a Butternut Squash Sauce

Adapted from a delicious entree at Lodo's in Colorado

If you are in Colorado and looking for a dinner with an unbeatable view, check out Lodo's! We sat out on the patio and enjoyed this view as we ate our edamame and entrees: 

As I perused the mouth-watering menu, I decided to order something out of my comfort zone, the stuffed portobello. This decision has changed my menu decision-making forever! Though I had not had many portobellos in my life up to this point, but that reality is in the past.  In fact, I recently ordered a stuffed mushroom at a wedding instead of the chicken parmesan or the filet mignon. Bring on the mushrooms!

Enough of past, let's get to the recipe! As my taste buds danced with the flavors at Lodo's, I immediately wrote down everything I tasted in my entree so that I could try replicating it at home. Here's what I came up with, and I am well pleased with the results:

Ingredients: 

1 Butternut Squash

6 Portobello Mushrooms

Wild Rice

Andoullie Sausage*

1 Red Pepper, diced

1 Orange Pepper, diced

1 Green Pepper, diced

1-1.5 Zuchinni, diced

1 Can Corn, drained

1 Can Black Beans, drained

1 handful Spinach, chopped

Spices: Cayenne, Onion Powder, Garlic

 *I used Italian Sausage and it tasted great!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Bake Squash in whichever way you prefer until it is soft (oven/boil/microwave). This step takes awhile, so get it started before you chop up veggies 

3. Cook wild rice according to package instructions.

4. Brown Sausage; drain and rinse. Set aside.

5. Saute vegetables until tender, beginning with the hardest vegetables (peppers and zucchini), adding in the other vegetables accordingly

6. Add meat to vegetable mixture. Stir in spices. Let simmer for a couple minutes. Set aside. 

7. Gently wash and pat dry mushrooms. Brush top and bottom of mushrooms with olive oil.

8. Arrange mushrooms on baking pan; spoon in meat/veggie mixture. Cook for 15-25 minutes. 

9. Scoop out baked butternut squash in to a blender and puree. Add milk and blend if sauce is too thick to pour.

10. Pour sauce on to center of each plate. Spoon wild rice on top of sauce. Set mushroom on top of rice. Enjoy!

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili

adapted from Sweet Treats and More

Marshal and I love soup. I think we would be satisfied with having soup every dinner. Not only do we like soup, but we like a little spice. So when I came across this recipe, it was immediately put on my week's dinner menu. This chili can be adapted to meet the spice-needs of both my habanero-spicy-loving older brother and the needs of my Swedish-not-so-spicy-loving in-laws. 

If you are counting calories, there are easy ways to adapt the recipe to meet your needs as well. See the recipe below and the addendum's beneath in order to customize this soup to any palate coming to the table. 

Ingredients: 

2 Tablespoons + 1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

5 jalapeño peppers, diced, seeds removed*

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/4 lb chicken breast, cut in to bite-sized pieces

Salt and Pepper

2 teaspoons chile powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

Pinch of crushed red pepper

10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1.5 cup chicken broth

14oz can cannelloni or navy beans, drained

14 oz can corn, drained

8 oz cream cheese**

1 lb bacon cooked and crumbled***

*use +/- jalapeños or adjust amount of seeds in soup to alter heat level

**use reduced fat cream cheese or cut down level of cream cheese to reduce calories

***Omit bacon to save calories

Instructions: 

1. In large sauce pan (big enough to fit soup), heat 2 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat; Sauté onion, jalapeño and garlic until tender. 

**warning, the fumes in step 1 stings the eyes**

2. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper; add to saucepan along with remaining Tablespoon of olive oil. Add spices. Toss chicken and seasonings together until chicken is lightly browned on all sides.

3. Stir in diced tomatoes, chicken broth, corn, and beans; increase heat to bring to a simmer. Simmer 30 minutes.

4. Stir in cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Stir in  1/2 of the crumbled bacon and remove from heat. 

5. Season with salt and pepper; serve with cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, and tortilla chips. 

I hope you enjoy this chili as much as we have! We usually double or triple the above recipe and freeze some soup to pull out at a later date. It freezes great! 

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