Tag Archives: tumeric

Loaded Chicken Curry – Serves 5+

Posted by thefitbonvivant in Food, Recipes, Nutrition Tips & More! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recently a friend asked about cooking curry at home rather than going out…  She wanted a good ‘date night’ type recipe, and frankly, she asked the right person.  This dish is quick and easy so that while the chicken (or other protein is cooking) is tenderizing you can clean and/or get all glammed up.  The quick run-down on this recipe is that it is gluten-free, dairy-free, a great source of protein, antioxidant rich, and loaded with flavor.  The leftovers from this dish taste amazing (ahhhh-mazzzzzing) reheated.  On a final note this dish does not have to be made with chicken rather other proteins such as shrimp, turkey, or beef can be utilized.

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Ingredients

  • 1.5# chicken tenders; chopped into chunks
  • 1 can (8 ounces) light coconut milk
  • 1 medium size zucchini; sliced/halved
  • 1 cup red and orange bell peppers; strips
  • 3 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2-3 ounces water
  • 1 medium size yellow onion; minced
  • 4 bay leaves; whole
  • 3 springs rosemary; minced (fresh)
  • Coconut oil to heat up the frying pan
  • 2 (or 3 if you want a bold taste) tablespoons of each spice: tumeric, garlic powder, and ginger, and paprika
  • 3 tablespoons of curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and black pepper
  • If you want an extra kick: 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (probably my favorite ingredient)
  • To taste: garlic salt or sea salt
Veggies + Coconut + Spices
DYI Spice Bottles with Chalk Labels

Methodology

  1. Under medium heat add coconut oil to heat up a large stir-fry pan then add the yellow onions.  Cook until carmelized.
  2. Add the water and coconut milk – stir well.  Allow the mixture to heat up well for about 5 minutes then add the chicken, coconut flakes, vegetables, and spices (including the bay leaves and rosemary).
  3. Stir the mixture well until homogeneous for 5 minutes then reduce to low heat and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes either covered or uncovered.
  4. Serve atop your favorite rice.  (I used basamati rice with some spicy southwest seasoning for an extra kick.)
  5. Happy date night y’all!

 

xxx – Sarah

Fried Quinoa Stuffed Peppers & Coconut Lime Shrimp – Serves 4

Posted by thefitbonvivant in Food, Recipes, Nutrition Tips & More! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Back to the grind.  Spent the weekend brunching, laughing, and lounging.  I try to do bulk cooking on Sundays but I was a weeeee bit too lazy so meal prep day was moved to Monday.  Now I’ve got leftovers for all my lunches – perfect.

I’ll keep this educational piece short and sweet…  These recipes are super easy and the ingredients are good for you!  Yes, good for you.  The more variety, the better.  Think color, think antioxidants.  Lastly, these stuffed peppers are perfect for vegetarians – not only are they filled with varied vegetables but quinoa is a complete protein.  Not all complete proteins need to come from meat, poultry, or seafood!  However I wanted seafood so I put together the fixings for my favorite shrimp recipe.

Ingredients for the stuffing!
End result = stuffed peppers 🙂

Fried Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

  • 4 colored Bell Peppers with the insides/core removed
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 large yellow onion, minced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, minced
  • 1 cup green onions, minced
  • 1/4 cup peanuts, crushed
  • 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
  • 2 tbsp pineapple, crushed
  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced
  • SPICES (4-5 shakes):  Curry powder, tumeric, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and ground black pepper
  • OPTIONAL:  Sea salt
  • Coconut oil – enough to coat a frying pan

Methodology:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  3. Heat a frying pan with coconut oil under medium-high heat.
  4. Add to the frying pan the following ingredients: yellow onion, cilantro, green onion, peanuts, carrots, and pineapple.  Sauté well for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the quinoa, egg, spices, and salt (if used).  Sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
  6. Remove the quinoa mixture from heat and stuff the pepper shells.  Place the bottoms of the peppers directly on the parchment paper and allow the insides to face up.
  7. Cook for 15 minutes then set on a plate for serving!
So basic – just five ingredients
Messy yummy mess of ingredients

Coconut Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 1# jumbo shrimp, fresh with the tails/shells removed (or frozen)
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 limes, juice (the size of a golf ball)
  • Coconut oil to coat frying pan

Methodology:

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
  2. Under medium-high heat add coconut oil to a frying pan.
  3. Toss in the shrimp mixture and cook until golden brown.
  4. Set aside for serving or add to the plate with the stuffed pepper – such an amazing combination.  Makes me want to go someplace tropical.
Mid attack with the knife then there was nothing

What else was on my plate?  I did add my usual staple of greens which tends to be either kale, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts.  As seen above, I added my Garlic Peppered Asparagus but unlike the linked recipe I did not add pumpkin seeds or Brussels.

xxx – Sarah

Triple Bean Turkey Chili – Serves 6

Posted by thefitbonvivant in Food, Recipes, Nutrition Tips & More! and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Despite no longer living on the East Coast I’m still cold…  Texas is having quite the cold front this year and only feeds into my desire for hearty dishes.  When in doubt, chili can just warm anyone up, I promise.

This variation to chili is protein dense due to its content of three different beans (kidney, black, and chickpea) as well as lean ground turkey.  The dish is also antioxidant rich due to its ingredients such as peppers. 

Jalapeño peppers can be green or red in color and are a great source of vitamin-c.  These small peppers contain capsaicin aka ‘heat’ which stimulates endorphins/natural stress fighters.  Studies have begun to prove jalapeños may assist with appetite reduction and metabolism of fat.  

Bell peppers are also a great source of vitamin-c and beta carotene.  Bell peppers that are red in color are harvested longer and have the sweetest taste as well as the greatest nutrient content of the other colors (green, yellow, and orange).  Just like jalapeños these peppers are low in calories.

Triple Bean Power
Got Spices?!
Final product

Ingredients:

  • 1.25# lean ground turkey
  • 1 medium yellow onion; diced
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans; strained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas; strained and rinsed
  • 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans; strained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 medium jalapeño; minced
  • 1 large red bell pepper; diced
  • 1 cup beef or chicken broth (I used beef for extra flavor)
  • 2-3 shakes of the following spices: Tumeric, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Paprika, and Curry Powder
  • EVOO as needed for heating the stockpot
  • To Taste/Optional: 2-3 shakes of sea salt or regular salt

Methodology:

  1. In a large stockpot, drizzle EVOO under medium-high heat then add the yellow onions.  Sauté for 5 minutes or until slightly browned.
  2. Add the ground turkey and sauté for 5 minutes.
  3. Shake as needed with the following spices: turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, and curry powder (I did about 2 shakes of each).  Toss in both types of peppers.  Cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Add all three types of beans, cilantro, tomato paste, and beef broth – mix well.  Allow the combination to simmer under medium heat for 20 minutes.
  5. OPTIONAL:  Taste before serving and if needed add salt – absolutely not necessary for myself but some are quite the ‘salt-holics.’
  6. Remove from heat and garnish as needed with cilantro.
  7. Voila!

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DISCLAIMER :: Don’t forget to wash your hands after handling jalapeños – no one needs their eyes to water or for their skin to burn!

 

xxx – Sarah