Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Bison Meatloaf with Chips and Spinach

Clearly, I have an obsession with Bison meat. I don't even remember what ground turkey or beef tastes like. With the cold weather and my tree lit up, I just want some comfort foods!  This is lean, gluten free and loaded with nutrients. 


Bison Meatloaf
Serves 5
Total prep/cook 1.5 hours


Ingredients
Olive Oil
1lb Bison (or any lean ground meat)
1c onion, chopped
1T oreagno (or Italian Spices)
1 egg
1/4c pureed squash (I go frozen)
1/2c tomato sauce, divided (salt free/low sodium)
1/2c panko flakes (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2t salt
1T black pepper
1/4t crushed red pepper, or chili powder
2T hot sauce (Tapatio!)
1 garlic clove, pressed
10oz spinach (fresh or frozen)  


For Him
1 potato, thinly slliced
3T olive oil
couple shakes of prefered seasoning (I have used lowrys in the past, but tonight I used Trader Joes 21 Spice Seasoning)
Handful of shredded cheese for meat loaf


Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Saute onions and 2T garlic in olive oil until clear, remove from heat and add oregano. In a large bowl, combine Bison, egg, squash, 1/4c tomato, panko, and cooked onions. (My mix got a bit mushy from being out and it being warm in the house, so i popped it in the fridge for a few moments while I prepared the potatoes) Mold your meat and place in greased pan and place in oven. Mix remaining tomato sauce, chilies and hot sauce in a small bowl - after 30 min pour sauce on top and bake for another 20.  While the meatloaf cools down, prepare the spinach with 1T of olive oil and remaining garlic. Salt and pepper totaste - try adding a little bit of parmesean or nutritional yeast into the mix! Serve with spinach on the side! 


Potatoes - combine olive oil and spices, add potatoes and cover with oil evenly. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake until desired crispness. I put them in at the same time with the meat loaf, and let them bake, flipping them after I added the sauce on the meat. 

Monday, November 28, 2011

Hors Devours sans Guilt - Crab Rangoon

Since I won't be entertaining friends or family this season, I've decided to entertain myself... after some research, recipe reorganizing, I came up with these...


Baked Crab Tofu Rangoon
(To make these sans crab, follow my ricotta recipe, for the filling)
Total: 30-45


Ingredients
1 Egg beat
Won Ton wrappers
Olive Oil spray (my new obsession)
8oz Fat free cream cheese (or regular) 
8oz Firm tofu 
1/2lb Crab meat or imitation crab
1/4c Scallions diced finely
1/2T Minced garlic

Optional - 2T Mayonaise (I would use wasabi) or Sriracha for extra flavor


So - imitation crab meat is actually packed with different vitamins and nutrients and are virtually calorie-less, the tofu fills in for the missing cream cheese (and its also okay to use regular) to top it all off, baking instead of frying shaves 80 calories off each serving. woohoo!



Directions Preheat to 350. Combine cream cheese, tofu, crab, garlic and scallions (I did it in halves in the food processor) - place 1-2T of the filling onto the wonton fold in half like a triangle, or bring the corners together for a flower like shape. Use the egg to seal the edges. Grease cookie sheet (I use olive oil spray) and place rangoon. Lightly mist rangoons with Olive oil and bake 18-20 minutes. 


This actually made a lot more filling than I had expected (and had energy for) - I froze about half and have an idea for what to do with it and the left over wrappers... stay tuned. 



Sunday, November 27, 2011

Holiday Helpings

Seasons greetings!

I love entertaining. Cocktails! Appetizers! Dinner parties! I love it all, unfortunately this season I am swamped and my work/travel schedule is clashing with my social calendar. After a hectic 3 weeks at work, I traveled to Chicago for 72hours of fun and football, then to New York to kick off holiday shopping and back to San Francisco only to find out I was being flown down to Los Angeles 4 hours later for work... thankfully my family is in Southern California so it worked out with Thanksgiving plans. So here I am now at home, overwhelmed with what December has to offer, and all I want to do is throw a party! I will be out of town this weekend with his family and then next we are off to Mexico for a relaxing vacation... where do I have time to eat right? work out? let alone sleep?!  I am going to try and cook, bake and blog as much as possible while I am home. 


While I am out, here are a few things I will most certainly keep in mind while indulging in holiday treats...



  • When you know you will be attending a gathering over the weekend, be sure to be extra good with what you are putting in your body during the week


  • If its a potluck, bring a light and healthy dish that everyone will enjoy - check out my posts on Lasagna, Bison Sliders and Bakes Crab Tofu Rangoon (post coming!)


  • Fill up on the fruit and veggie trays before you dive into the sweets


  • Stick to lean meats and fish when there are entree options


  • Hydrate! Drink plenty of water, if you're the good stuff too, try alternating a beer or glass of wine with a glass of water


  • Partner up! If you're headed out with your girlfriends (or your plus one) you can support each other when passing up that bacon wrapped cheesy good passes by on the plate. You know I swear by my workout club and they would never let me eat something I was going to regret 

My Tree! 
Most importantly HAVE FUN! If you really want something, have it, don't deprive yourself or focus on the food all night. Moderation is key!



Tuesday, November 15, 2011

better late than never - its cold, lets make chili

Since my last post my work has been upside down - running 24 hours and is finally back to normal. So am I! I was able to cook once or twice over the last couple of weeks but no time to post. 


On Halloween I made (and made up) a new Chili recipe full of fall flavors - and just to be cute... served it in a pumpkin bowl! (Points for presentation, not for functionality)


Bison, Beer and Apple Chili
Prep and Cook - 1 hour


Ingredients
7oz Red Kidney Beans
7oz Hominy Beans
7oz Black Beans
1 can Beer (I used 21st amendement IPA)
1lb ground Bison
2 Green Apples, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
2tsp chili powder
1tsp sugar
1tsp salt
1Tbs oregano
1Tbs minced garlic
2c Veggie Broth
1 14oz can Diced (Salt Free) tomatoes
Hot Sauce to taste (Tapitio baby!)


For Him:
Corn Bread Mix
4tbs butter
1tbs agave nectar
1/2tsp chili powder
Shredded cheese of choice


Directions: In stock pot on high, add apples, onions and bison, stir occasionally until meat is brown and then stir in spices and sugar. Add broth, beer, tomatoes and garlic, bring to a boil, add beans and let simmer about 30-45min. 


For Butter: Mix, butter (of choice) with Agave and Chili powder


I served these in little pumpkin bowls (luckily I was able to successfully make pumpkin seeds with them!) that turned out great, but did not work so well - along with homemade corn bread (for the man) and honey-chili butter! So good!