Healthy Recipes

I was privileaged to spend Thursday afternoon with the Red Hat Kiddos. I got to show them a few of my favorite healthy dishes that I love to cook. While also showing them a great alternative to rice by utilizing cauliflower. In the healthy cooking class we made Turkey Sausage, Lentil, and Kale soup, Sauteed Pork Chops with Cherry Shallot Sauce, Cauliflower Rice, Sauteed Green Beans, and Rice Pilaf.

I promised everyone the recipes...so here they are, along with the nutrition information. Happy Eating!!!!

Red Hat Kiddos Group

Red Hat Kiddos Eat

Red Hat Food

Red Hat Collage

Turkey Sausage, Lentil, and Kale Soup

Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 LB. Turkey Sweet Italian Sausage (bulk or no casing; i normally buy Jennie-O)

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

Celery greens, chopped (for garnish)

1 large carrot, chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

2 springs fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ tablespoon ground cumin

To Taste Salt

To Taste Ground Black Pepper

1 bundle of Kale, stems removed and chopped

¼ cup tomato paste

1 cup white wine or sherry

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 ¾ cups cooked lentils (I like Trader Joe’s steamed lentils, but Meijer has them in the produce section)

6 cups Turkey or Chicken stock

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add sausage, breaking it into pieces and lightly brown. Add onions, celery, carrots, potato, rosemary, garlic, and cumin; cook over medium-high heat until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Stir in tomato paste and white wine. Cook to reduce by ½. Add stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add lentils and continue to simmer 10 minutes. Add in kale, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately or cool and store. Garnish with celery greens.

Nutrition information

(Amount per serving)

Calories: 172

Cholesterol: 9mg Sodium: 468mg

Protein: 11g Total Fat: 4g

Fiber: 6g Carbohydrate: 23g

Sautéed Pork Chops with Cherry Shallot Sauce

Serves 4

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

4 pork chops (I prefer the thin sliced from Trader Joe’s)

2 shallots, diced

1 cup cherries (fresh or frozen)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage

To taste salt

To taste pepper

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, season pork chops with salt and pepper. Sauté pork chops until they reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside. Add more olive oil if needed to sauté shallots until they are translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Now add cherries, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Season the cherry mixture with salt and pepper. Cook sauce over medium heat for about 5 minutes and then add sage and pork chops. Leave on low-medium heat until the pork chops are heated through. To plate set some rice on the plate, add green beans, then lay down pork chop with sauce on top of pork chop.

Nutrition information

(Amount per serving)

Calories: 253

Cholesterol: 55mg Sodium: 592mg

Protein: 27g Total Fat: 11g

Fiber: 1g Carbohydrate: 13g

Sautéed Green Beans

Serves 4

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

8oz green beans, cleaned

To taste salt

To taste pepper

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Next sauté the garlic medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes stirring occasionally, just until they are lightly browned. Add green beans, season with salt and pepper. Toss beans with garlic and oil and cook until heated through. Should still have a nice crunch, but be hot.

Nutrition information

(Amount per serving)

Calories: 85

Cholesterol: 8 mg Sodium: 28mg

Protein: 2.2g Total Fat: 5.2g

Fiber: 3.9g Carbohydrate: 9g

Cauliflower Rice

Serves 6

1 head cauliflower, any size 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter To taste salt

Cut the cauliflower into large pieces: Cut the head of cauliflower into quarters and then trim out the inner core from each quarter. Break apart the cauliflower into large florets with your hands. If the core is tender, you can chip it into pieces and add it with the florets. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor: Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Don't fill the food processor more than 3/4 full; if necessary, process in two batches. Pulse the cauliflower until completely broken down: Process the cauliflower in 1-second pulses until it has completely broken down into couscous-sized granules. (Alternatively, grate the florets on the large holes of a box grater.) Some florets or large pieces of cauliflower might remain intact. Pull these out and set them aside. Transfer the cauliflower couscous to another container and re-process any large pieces. Warm a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the couscous and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover the skillet and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the couscous is as tender as you like. Use or serve immediately, or refrigerate the cauliflower for up to a week.

Nutrition information

(Amount per serving)

Calories: 54

Cholesterol: 30mg Sodium: 42mg

Protein: 2.7g Total Fat: 2.6g

Fiber: 2.8g Carbohydrate:4g

If you must have rice:

Rice Pilaf

Serves 4

1 ½ cups basmati rice or long-grain rice

2 ¼ cups water

1 ½ teaspoons salt

To taste ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)

Place rice in a colander or fine mesh strainer, rinse rice under running water to remove excess starch. Rinse until water runs clear. Bring 2 1/4 cups water to boil, covered, in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add salt and season with pepper; cover to keep hot. Meanwhile, heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and sauté until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat grains with butter; cook until edges of rice grains begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir hot seasoned water into rice; return to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 16-18 minutes. Off heat, remove lid, and place kitchen towel folded in half over saucepan; replace lid. Let stand 10 minutes; fluff rice with fork and serve.

Nutrition information

(Amount per serving)

Calories: 279

Cholesterol: 61mg Sodium: 208mg

Protein: 1g Total Fat: 30g

Fiber: 0g Carbohydrate: 4g

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