Zoodles with Slow Cooker Bolognese

We bought a Vegetti a few months back and love it even more than we thought we would! It is really easy to use, and using it to make vegetable replacements for pasta is surprisingly amazing. We have been liking zoodles (zucchini noodles) more than regular pasta. The texture/slight crunch of zoodles goes really well with a good meat sauce, or with some fresh herbs and olive oil as a side with chicken, fish, or even a steak. My favorite thing to do with zoodles is to top them with my slow cooker bolognese. The bolognese freezes really well so if I make a big batch, I can freeze enough for a future dinner (or two). When I thaw the sauce, all I need to do is heat it up and take 5 minutes to put a few zucchini through the Vegetti - and dinner is ready in 15 minutes!

Zoodles with Slow Cooker Bolognese

Ingredients

Fresh organic zucchini
Slow Cooker Bolognese

Directions
1. Make bolognese (view recipe by clicking link above)

2. Use Vegetti, or similar kitchen tool, to make zoodles from fresh zucchini

3. Serve zoodles cold, room temperature or heated to desired temperature. When boiling zoodles, boil for only 1-2 minutes to avoid excess softening. Drain or pat dry to remove excess liquid. Zoodles may also be heated briefly in the microwave or in a pan with a small amount of oil.

4. Top zoodles with slow cooker bolognese or other sauce and enjoy!

What are the nutrition benefits of zucchini versus noodles? Zucchini is a good source of vitamin C and also provides fiber, manganese, lutein and zeaxanthin (phytonutrients that are good for eyesight). Compared with traditional noodles, zucchini is much lower in calories, providing about 21 calories per cup. Traditional pasta provides about 200 calories per cup! Zucchini noodles are a fresh, whole food, whereas noodles are an enriched processed food product.

Turkey Tenderloin with Cranberry-Shallot Sauce

I am always looking for something different to do with turkey, and this was a  great new recipe that I found on eatingwell.com. It was pretty easy, taking about 45 minutes total to make, with prep and cook time combined. To complete this meal, I made steamed broccoli and roasted red potatoes to go with the turkey tenderloins. To roast the potatoes, I just cut them into 1-inch pieces, seasoned them with a little salt, pepper and olive oil and baked them, uncovered at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes.  There was more than enough food for the three of us in our house, so we had this for dinner two nights in a row (and no one seemed to mind because it was so good!).

Turkey Tenderloin with Cranberry-Shallot Sauce

Ingredients

3 all natural turkey tenderloins (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp pepper
4 tsp canola oil, divided
4 shallots, peeled and quartered
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup organic chicken stock
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp pomegranate vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Season tenderloins with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Heat 2 tsp oil in large pan over medium heat. Brown tenderloins on all sides, cooking a total of about 5 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until tenderloins reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

3. While tenderloins are roasting, add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan used to brown the turkey. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add thyme and broth. Cook for about 1 minute, scarping brown bits from bottom of the pan. Stir in fresh and dried cranberries and simmer for 6-7 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, vinegar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 1 minute. Cover and remove from heat.

4. Remove turkey from oven and baking sheet and let rest on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

(Recipe adapted from eatingwell.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Turkey tenderloins are low in fat and very high in protein. Just one 4oz serving of turkey tenderloin provides 28g of protein! Turkey is also a great source of iron. Cranberries are a good source of vitamins C and E (which are both antioxidants) as well as fiber. Shallots are a good source of fiber and potassium. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium. Leaving the skin on the potatoes adds a good amount of fiber as well. Broccoli is packed with vitamins C and K, and is also a good source of folate and calcium. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Mole Sauce & Mexican Brown Rice

If you are looking for a delicious yet healthy Mexican style meal, this is for you! I have always wanted to try making a mole sauce but most of the recipes seemed a little too involved, especially for a week night. I came across this simple mole sauce recipe and so decided to make some enchiladas to go with it. Most enchilada recipes have sour cream and/or lots of cheese in the filling, but I wanted to do something that was healthier and also dairy free, aside from topping some of them with a small amount of cheese. I left one enchilada free of cheese for our son (because he has a milk allergy). And honestly, the mole sauce and enchiladas themselves are so good, the cheese isn't necessary! I also used multigrain tortillas instead of flour tortillas for a healthier spin on the recipe, and they were really good. The best part is that these enchiladas taste even better the next day, so make great leftovers. I made these for dinner last night and we had them again for dinner tonight. 

To make shredded chicken for dishes like this, I am a fan of slow-cooking the chicken breasts in chicken stock for 5 hours. When you take the chicken out, it pretty much just falls into pieces, making the shredding very easy. It is really simple to do it this way, but you just need to make sure you plan ahead since it takes several hours. You could pop the chicken in the slow cooker the evening before and store it in the fridge until you are ready to make the rest of the meal.

This Mexican brown rice is so flavorful, I think even those who aren't brown rice converts would like it. The key is slow-simmering the rice in the puree of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and chicken stock. To save some time, make the rice ahead of time if you can (since it takes an hour to cook) and reheat it at dinner time. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Mole Sauce & Mexican Brown Rice

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 pound organic free range chicken breasts
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp canola oil 
1 cup red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 oz canned diced green chili peppers
1 (28oz) can stewed tomatoes
8 multigrain tortillas
1 cup 2% milk shredded cheddar cheese (optional), for topping

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in slow cooker and pour in 2 cups chicken stock, or enough to just cover chicken breasts. Cook on low for 5 hours.

2. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred using 2 forks. Set aside, or store in refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large frying pan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add shredded chicken, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, corn, chilies, and stewed tomatoes. Stir until evenly combined and cook, continuing to stir, until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. Spread a thin layer of mole sauce (recipe below) on bottom of large rectangular baking pan so that enchiladas do not stick.

5. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and wrap to hold together. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Spoon mole sauce over enchiladas, trying to cover as much of exposed tortillas as possible so that they do not dry out in oven. Top with cheddar cheese.  Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

(Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com)

Mole Sauce

Ingredients

2 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried cilantro

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 (10.75oz) can condensed tomato soup

1 (4oz) can diced green chile peppers

Directions

1. Heat canola oil in small sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Mexican Brown Rice

Ingredients

1 (14.5oz) can organic diced tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 cups organic chicken stock, divided

1 1/2 cups organic long grain brown rice

1 Tbsp canola oil

3/4 cup frozen vegetables

Directions

1. Place diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, and 1/2 cup chicken stock in food processor. Process until smooth.

2. Place oil, rice and frozen vegetables in a large sauce pan and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously.  Add tomato mixture and remaining chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 50-60 minutes, or until rice is no longer crunchy, stirring occasionally. Add additional chicken stock or water as needed.

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Multigrain tortillas are less refined than flour tortillas, and contain more fiber, vitamins and minerals as a result. Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Corn provides some fiber and vitamin C, folate and thiamin, as well as minerals phosphorous and magnesium. Onions are rich in quercetin, a type of antioxidant, as well as vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, K, folate, thiamin, and minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and manganese. Canned tomato products, such as the stewed tomatoes, diced tomaoes and tomato soup in this dinner, contain more lycopene than fresh tomatoes, and also provide lots of vitamin C. Cocoa powder, used in the mole sauce, contains flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. Cumin is a good source of iron and calcium. Brown rice is unrefined, so contains it's original abundance of iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, antioxidants and fiber.

Thanksgiving Turkey & Gravy

My husband, Ted, made a locally-raised, all-natural free-range turkey for a little pre-Thanksgiving dinner a few nights ago, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it was the best turkey I have ever had. The flavor and tenderness were just perfect, and he prepared the turkey by rubbing it with canola oil instead of butter. But the absolute best thing about this turkey was that our son, Charlie, could not get enough of it. We had to refill his plate 3 times with turkey! The next time we make a turkey, it will be with the same exact method as Ted used on this one.

Anyone that has had Ted's cooking knows that he is a master at making good sauces. It turns out that he is also a master at making amazing gravy! He said that the key to making the gravy was to constantly whisk it and not let it brown.  Gravy is not exactly healthy, but since this is the one time in the whole year that we will make gravy, it is nice to indulge a little bit for a special occasion! 

Thanksgiving Turkey & Gravy

Thanksgiving Turkey

Ingredients

12 pound all-natural free-range turkey
2 organic apples, quartered
2 stalks of organic celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 pound organic carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 fresh lemon, cut into wedges
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
Canola oil, for rubbing the turkey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Season cavity of turkey with salt and pepper. Rub outside of turkey with canola oil and then season with salt and pepper. Our butcher tied the legs together for us, but if your is not tied, use some kitchen twine to tie legs together. 

3. Combine apples, celery, carrots, onion, and lemon in a large bowl and mix together. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with as much of the mixture as needed to fill it.  Place the remainder of the mixture in the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the giblets and neck to the mixture in the bottom of the roasting pan.

4. Place roasting rack over the mixture in the bottom of the pan. Place turkey on the rack, front side up, and tuck the wings in underneath the turkey (so that the breast meat will cook evenly).

5. Bake turkey in center of the oven. The classic method for baking a turkey is 20 minutes per pound, according to foodnetwork.com. Our 12 pound turkey was done in 2 hours and 45 minutes, as indicated by the pop-up thermometer that came with our turkey.  To be sure, check the temperature of the thigh meat with a meat thermometer. It is fully cooked when the thigh meat is 165 degrees.

6. Remove turkey from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes to lock in the juices. Discard vegetable mixture in cavity and pan. Remove giblets and discard, or save if desired.

7. Carve and enjoy!

Gravy

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
Turkey drippings
Organic chicken stock, for thinning
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Remove rack and vegetable and giblet mixture from roasting pan. 

2. Pour turkey dripping through gravy separator. 

3. Heat roasting pan over medium heat on the stove and melt butter in pan. As butter is melting, whisk in flour to make a roux. When butter and flour are fully combined, whisk in turkey drippings gradually.  Once all drippings are whisked in, if gravy is not thin enough, whisk in chicken stock until gravy reaches desired consistency.

4. Serve with turkey and enjoy!

What are the nutritional benefits of gravy?  Absolutely none, but it is a nice treat once a year at Thanksgiving to make your turkey even more delicious!

What are the nutritional benefits of turkey? Turkey is very high in protein. Just one 4oz serving provides 28g of protein! Turkey is also a great source of iron. If you choose the white meat portion and discard the fat, turkey is very low in fat.  Also, if you discard the fat, you won't double up on the fat if you use gravy!

Slow Cooker Bolognese

Having a nice pasta dinner with friends and family on Halloween before Trick or Treating is a tradition for us.  This year, I made a traditional bolognese, made with milk and parmesan cheese, as well as my go-to slow cooker dairy free meat sauce for Charlie.  Our Halloween meal was complete with a salad and fantastic wine, brought by Ted's parents, and some tasty garlic bread brought by our very good friends. Dessert was Halloween candy, of course! And Ted's mom brought rice crispy treats shaped like pumpkins, decorated with jack-o-lantern faces. To make them dairy free for Charlie, she used coconut oil instead of butter, and they were awesome!

Ted makes a fantastic stove-top bolognese that he cooks slowly for half the day, but this slow-cooker bolognese comes in at a close second.  For busy days when you want a fantastic sauce that is easy yet still company-worthy, this is a great one to make.  We typically eat whole wheat pasta, but for a special occasion, such as Halloween, we buy really good fresh noodles.  When making a great sauce, fresh pasta is a really nice treat.

Slow Cooker Bolognese

Makes ~ 6 servings

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup organic carrots, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
1 cup organic whole milk
1 (28oz) can organic diced tomatoes
1 (6oz) can organic tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup organic whole milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess fat from pan and pour in 1 cup of milk. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to simmer until milk is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

2. Place beef mixture in slow cooker. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Cook on low for 4 hours. Stir in 1/2 cup milk and parmesan cheese, and cook for 4 more hours on low.

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Carrots are very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Canned tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese.

Turkey Schnitzel Oktoberfest Feast

Saturday was the perfect Fall day - it was beautiful and sunny outside, with a nice cool breeze, and Ted cooked an amazing Oktoberfest meal!  As I have mentioned before, Ted is a really good cook, and this meal is definitely up there as one of the best that he makes. He only makes it once or twice a year in the Fall because it is very rich, and I always look forward to it! This is a mostly dairy free meal. The turkey and potatoes contain no dairy, but the dill sauce is not dairy free (but thankfully Charlie doesn't seem to mind not eating any since he has never really liked creamy things anyway). The cabbage can be made dairy free with dairy free margarine in place of butter.  This is the first time Ted has made this red cabbage, and it was by far the best red cabbage I have ever had! To complete our German meal, we paired it with an Amber Marzen, the traditional beer of Oktoberfest - delicious!

Oktoberfest Feast

Serves 6

Turkey Schnitzel

Ingredients

1 pound extra lean turkey breast cutlets
3 organic free range eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Dash of celery salt
1 1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

1. Wash and pat dry turkey cutlets and season with half of salt and pepper. 

2. Mix flour, bread crumbs and remaining seasonings in a shallow dish. 

3. Place beaten eggs in a separate shallow dish.

4. Wash turkey cutlets in egg, and then dredge in flour mixture; repeat egg wash and dredging in flour a second time (so each cutlet should have 2 layers of the egg wash and flour mixture)

5. Heat oil in large pan or pot over medium high heat. Place turkey cutlets in hot oil and cook for 3 minutes per side. You will know they are done when they float on top of the oil and are golden brown. Place finished cutlets on a wire rack while cooking remaining cutlets.

6. Serve with green dill sauce (recipe below)

Green Dill Sauce

Ingredients

3 hard boiled egg yolks
Juice of half of a lemon
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
6 oz fresh organic dill
2 oz fresh organic thyme
2 oz fresh organic parsley
2 oz fresh organic chives
Black pepper to taste

*You can use any fresh herbs that you like. The traditional German herbs that are used to make green sauce are difficult to find in the U.S. so we used the herbs that we like.

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in large food processor and process until smooth

2. Serve cold

Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds organic yukon gold potatoes
1 yellow onion
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Wash and pat dry potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Rough-chop onion and combine with potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and toss until evenly combined and coated with oil.

3. Spread potato mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour (stir after 30 minutes), or until golden brown

Red Cabbage

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter or dairy free margarine
5 cups red cabbage
1 cup organic apples, sliced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp water
1/4 granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp allspice

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large pot and stir to combine. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until cabbage is tender.

2. Serve warm

(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal?  This dinner would probably considered more of a "splurge" for us - but there are still a lot of great things in this meal! For starters, using extra lean turkey for the schnitzel instead of pork cuts down on the fat and calories. Additionally, using canola oil instead of butter for frying the turkey greatly reduces the amount of saturated fat (and makes it dairy free). Canola oil is the lowest in saturated fat of any oil, and is rich in healthy unsaturated fats. Dill activates antioxidants in the body and is a good source of calcium, manganese, iron, magnesium, and fiber. Thyme is rich in antioxidants, vitamin K and iron, and is a good source of calcium, manganese, fiber. Parsley is packed with vitamin K, and is a great source of vitamins C and A. Chives supply antioxidants, potassium, calcium, beta carotene, folic acid, and vitamin K. Yukon gold potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium. Red cabbage is packed with antioxidants and vitamins K and C, and is a good source of folate, fiber, manganese, molybdenum, and vitamin B6. Apples provide even more vitamin C and fiber.

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Before we discovered that our son has a dairy allergy, our go-to meat sauces were usually some type of bolognese. Ted is the master of the slow-cooked bolognese on the stove-top. When we found out about the allergy, I started making this meat sauce, and it has turned out to be a pretty delicious dairy-free replacement for the sauces we used to love. It also freezes really well, so I usually freeze whatever is left, which comes in handy for date nights when Charlie has a babysitter.

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
1 (29oz) can organic tomato sauce
1 (6oz) can organic tomato paste
1 (14.5oz) can organic basil & oregano-seasoned diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat and saute onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes

2. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink

3. Pour meat mixture through strainer to remove excess fat

4. Place meat mixture in slower cooker, and add remaining ingredients, except for the sugar

5. Stir ingredients until evenly mixed and cook sauce on low for 8 hours

6. Stir in sugar 15 minutes before serving

Serve over organic whole wheat pasta

(Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Canned tomato products contain more bioavailable lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes, and are high in vitamin C.