Healthy Chili Rellenos

I really like chili rellenos, but they are so unhealthy. Chili rellenos consist of Anaheim or Poblano peppers that have been broiled so that the skins can be removed and stuffed with either cheese, meat or a combination of both. But it doesn't stop there. After the chilis have been stuffed, they are battered and fried! Holy calorie overload! I decided to try my hand at a more healthy version. I scoured the Interwebz, but couldn't come up with anything. So, I put my mind to work. These are a combination of my Stuffed Bell Peppers and tacos (sort of). Oh and beware, these babies are nice and spicy! If you don't like heat, leave out the cayenne. And if you want to cut down on the fat even more, leave out the cheese or use reduced fat. Here's what I came up with:

Steph's Healthy Chili Rellenos

6 Poblano or Anaheim peppers
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large cloves of garlic (or up to 4 small ones), minced
1 lb 97% or more fat free ground turkey
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed (I use Sun Vista salt-free)
Jalapeno-Jack cheese (I didn't measure, but I grated a 1in x 2in x 1.5in piece of Organic Valley, roughly 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp per chili)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fill a large pot with water and put on the stove to heat up. Cut a "T" into each pepper carefully. Try to remove the ribs and seeds from each pepper. I had to shake mine into the sink to remove more seeds. Put the peppers into the pot of water. When the peppers are softened, take out of the water using a tongs and lay on a towel to dry.

Meanwhile, heat a pan with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic and onions and cook for a few minutes. Add in the turkey and cook until browned. Put in all spices and the jalapenos and cook for a few more minutes. Finally, add in the tomatoes and beans and cook until thoroughly mixed and heated through.

Mist a glass cooking dish (or two in my case) with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully lay the peppers in the pan(s) and fill them with the meat mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese inside each pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes.

By the time I had added the spices to the pan, Jason had already come into the kitchen to tell me that it smelled really good. Then, I let him sneak a piece of turkey and he LOVED it. Here's the chilis right before I put them in the oven:

 And here's one on my plate served with brown rice and sliced avocado:

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Zucchini Lasagna

I adapted this recipe from one I found in Clean Eating magazine. It's still clean, but I like my way better! This is an odd recipe that uses zucchini strips instead of noodles.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease about a 9-inch square pan. As you can see, my pan is very full, so I would recommend putting it onto a cookie sheet before baking. You could also just use a larger pan which is probably a little bit smarter. But I like a challenge. Your ingredient list is as follows:

• 1 yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1lb lean ground meat
• 1 jar (about 16 oz) low-sodium, low-fat tomato sauce
• 3 zucchini squash
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 large container of fat-free/low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free/low-fat grated mozzarella cheese
  

Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Saute this in a pan with your choice lean meat (I used turkey). Cook until the onion is softened and the meat is almost completely cooked through. Add in the tomato sauce. I used a marinara sauce and thought it was a little boring, so I added some Italian herbs, a little salt & some black pepper. But you can do whatever you want. I usually go by my mother's mantra: "If some is good, more is better!" Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash the zucchini squash and cut them into 1/4 inch strips. This part is important. If you cut them too wide, then they won't get cooked all the way and they will taste a little raw. And I don't like raw veggies that much. Once you've cut the zucchini, grab a bowl. Stir together the egg, whole wheat flour, the fat-free/low-fat cottage cheese and about a 1/4 cup of fat-free, low-fat mozzarella cheese in the bowl.

By this time, the meat mixture should be about done. Put a layer of zucchini on the bottom, follow it with about 1/2 the meat sauce and 1/2 the cheese in the bowl. Repeat the steps until you make your final layer of zucchini on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, then add the other 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese on top and bake for another 10 minutes. After taking it out of the oven, let is sit for about 10 more minutes to set.

Enjoy that cheesy, meaty, messy goodness on your plate! Yum!

This might be kind of interesting to use eggplant instead of the zucchini. Or instead of the meat, use more veggies as filler. There's many, many possibilities!

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Stuffed Peppers

Remember when I said I must be growing up because I found out that I actually LIKED cottage cheese? Well, I also found out recently that I like bell peppers....and all colors at that! I decided to try out a stuffed pepper recipe. I don't have the exact recipe with me, so I'll have to fudge it a little, but you'll get the gist.

You need at least 4 peppers (whatever color you like). Cut the tops off and remove the seed and inner core of each. In a large pot, boil water, then add the peppers. Keep them in there for a few minutes so they get a little soft. Then, remove them and put them upside-down on a paper towel to drain.

Meanwhile, you'll need two cups of cooked brown rice. I used easy-peasy Uncle Ben's microwave rice, but you can do it the long way, too. Put the rice in a bowl to cool. Saute 1 chopped onion and 1 or 2 grated carrots in some olive oil and cover for 10 minutes. The original recipe is vegetarian and I really wanted some protein, so I added 1lb of turkey to the onions and carrot mix. Add 3 garlic cloves pushed through a garlic press and cook a while longer. Then, add 2 cups of chopped tomatoes & 1 can of rinsed black beans and cook for about 5 minutes. The recipe also called for corn, but I didn't have any, so I skipped it.

Remove the mixture from heat and add to the rice in the bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lime and add salt and black pepper. The recipe also called for cilantro, but since my husband hates it, I didn't put it in. :(

Mix thoroughly and put the stuffing in the peppers in a greased pan. I had a lot of stuffing left over, so I shoved it in-between the peppers. Next time, I may do 6 or 7 peppers. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!

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