The Tender Foodie

This recipe is from Chef Jenny Brewer, guest contributor to the Tender Palate. See her meal planning article that includes this Vegetarian Chili, and how you can plan your week around it.

Ingredients

Serves 6

This chili is easy to make, low in fat and loaded with protein and fiber. It is inexpensive, filling and makes great leftovers.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups (about 4 ounces) fresh mushrooms, chopped

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 Tablespoon cumin powder

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo, minced

2 Tablespoons tomato paste (save rest of can in another container)

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, not drained

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Put it Together

Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add garlic and onion; saute for a minute or two, then add peppers, mushrooms and zucchini, saute for a few more minutes, then add seasonings and tomato paste, stirring to make sure tomato paste is dissolved.

Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes (or longer, this is a great recipe for a crockpot!) and serve.

About Chef Jenny Brewer

Chef Jenny Brewer is passionate about making healthy foods flavorful and fun. For free recipes and more meal plan information, visit www.jennybrewer.com.

More from Chef Jenny

Not Your Mamma's Chocolate Mousse Tart (super allergen-free)

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup (Vegan, DF, GF, Soy-free, Nut-free)

Plan Your Meals, Change Your Life!

A Day of Meals for Tender Foodies!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 6:17PM

Elisabeth Veltman, The Tender Foodie tagged

lamb,

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Soy-, Dairy-, Gluten-, Nut-, and Egg-free

In keeping with the meal planning tips from Chef Jenny Brewer, here is the article I wrote for Women's Lifestyle Magazine's March Foodie issue. This day of meals is free of the top 8 allergens and then some.

Variety is a "Must Have"

Variety is the spice of life. Did you know that variety is also necessary for a healthy body? As we eat, each nutrient performs a set of very specific, highly complex tasks that keep us walking, talking and vibrant. Our bodies use magnesium, for instance, in over 300 biochemical reactions (according to The National Institutes of Health*).

When you have multiple food allergies, it isn’t so easy to find the food that you need to be fabulous. You have to reject some habits and learn to cook new and different foods. Recipes that require no adaptation are scarce. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an entire day’s worth of recipes that are free of the top 8 most common allergens? I asked Jenny Brewer, nutritionist and chef, to lend a hand in this delicious one-day meal plan. Each recipe, even the dessert, is packed with nutrients. Give it a try!

Quinoa Power Breakfast

From Elisabeth Veltman

See original post on tenderpalate.com

Prep Time: 5 Min.
Cook Time: 15 Min.
Serves: 2-4

Soak 1 cup of quinoa in water for 5 minutes. Run through a very fine strainer until the water is clear. Place quinoa into a medium to large saucepan. Add to 2 1/4 cups of water and bring the entire mixture to boil. Then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. White halos will appear around the grains when the quinoa is done. Keep a little liquid in the cereal to soak up the flax seed.

Add in 1/2 cup of ground flax seed.
Add 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon (add more, to taste)
Organic black raisins, organic dried cherries or cranberries
Continue cooking for 1 more minute until the flavors are mixed and the raisins warm.
Spoon into bowls with fresh strawberries, sliced (or your favorite fruit).
Top with 1 or 2 TBS of real maple syrup. (Grade B or C. No high fructose corn syrup should be anywhere on the label.)

Leftovers will keep 2-3 days.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup

From Chef Jenny Brewer

See original post on tenderpalate.com

Prep Time:  20 Min. Cook Time:  35 Min.
Serves 6-8 

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sweet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 28-can whole plum tomatoes
1-cup water or vegetable stock
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
1 dried chipotle pepper (smoked jalapeño), seeded and chopped (easiest to do with scissors)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, pepper, garlic, and sweet potato chunks. Sauté, stirring often, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Add water or stock, beans, chipotle, cumin, and chili powder, bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Lamb Chops

Adapted from About.com

See original post on tenderpalate.com

Prep Time: 12 Min.
Cook Time: 16 Min.
Yield: Serves 2 to 4

4 loin lamb chops, about 1 1/2 inches thick
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (optional)

Preparation:
Combine the vinegar, rosemary, garlic and salt in a large glass bowl (or an 8x8 shallow pan). Slowly drizzle and simultaneously which in the olive oil. Place chops in bowl and turn repeatedly to coat well. You could put all of the contents into a Ziploc bag, too. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. Once marinated, remove chops from fridge and bring to room temperature (15 minutes). Preheat grill or grill pan for medium-high heat. Remove chops from marinade and place on a lightly oiled grill rack. Cook for 8 minutes on each side. Remove from heat, and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes. Serve.

Not Your Mama’s Chocolate Mousse Tart

From Chef Jenny Brewer

See the original post on tenderpalate.com

Crust

1 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted*
½ cup popped millet** ½ cup raisins
1/3 cup dates, pitted
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 4 Tablespoons water and left to gel for 3-5 minutes
Pinch of salt
In a food processor bowl, pulse pumpkin seeds and millet until seeds are ground. Add raisins, dates and pinch of salt and chop until everything is ground together. Add in flax mixture and pulse until sticky. Wet your fingers and press the mixture into 8-inch pie pan and keep refrigerated while you prepare the filling.

Chocolate Mousse Filling

2 LARGE ripe Haas Avocados  (if your avocados are small, add another avocado or more and adjust the ingredients, since avocados vary quite a bit in size.)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
3-4 TBS maple syrup (taste after 3 and add to taste) 1 TBS vanilla extract  Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Spread into crust and chill until ready to serve.

If you would like more naughtiness, double the filling for a more voluptuous tart.

*To toast pumpkin seeds, place them in a dry skillet over medium high heat, stirring until brown, about 5-7 minutes, being very careful not to burn.

**To pop millet, place in a dry, hot skillet over medium heat and stir constantly until you hear consistent popping. Don’t burn.

Visit the recipes on www.tenderpalate.com for videos and more information.

About Elisabeth Veltman

Writer, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table. Find her at www.tenderpalate.com.

Plan Your Meals--Change Your Life! (plus a vegetarian chilli recipe)

Monday, March 5, 2012 at 1:00PM

jenny tagged

Jenny Brewer,

chef,

chili,

vegan,

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Too Busy To Plan? (Nah)

We all know that eating nourishing, healthy food can give us more energy and keep us feeling great in our bodies, yet have you found that the busy-ness of life got in the way of eating healthier? Have you ever felt so rushed for time that you ate something unhealthy just because it was convenient? Isn’t it true that the times when we think we don’t have time to eat healthy are the times that we need healthy foods the most? The first way to start eating healthier is by planning out your meals and snacks for the week.

I truly believe that planning your meals is the key to making healthy eating a lifestyle instead of something you do occasionally. Planning meals can greatly reduce the stress in your life by preventing those last minute shopping expeditions or trips to the take out place down the street. But more importantly, when you have healthy food to look forward to it becomes easier to make healthy food choices. And when you make healthy food choices you feel better, increase your resistance to stress and have more energy to be active.

I know what some of you are thinking, but how much time is this going to take me? I suggest you INVEST 30 minutes at the beginning of each week to plan your meals and snacks and write your and shopping list for the week.

Two Steps to Better Meal Plans

When deciding which meals and snacks to plan for, here are two things to keep in mind:

#1: Plan your meals according to how many nights you want to cook

Yes, you have to eat 7 days a week but you don’t have to cook everyday. Instead of planning 7 nights of meals, getting overwhelmed and diving headfirst into a pizza, how about starting off with three? This way, you can make large quantities and have a plan for your leftovers. No, putting them in a huge Tupperware container with a plate on top because you can’t find the lid is not a plan (am I the only one who has done this?). Instead, take the time to separate out individual servings and freeze them for this week’s lunches or future dinners.

Example

Night One: Vegetable Chili. After dinner, pack up 2 containers of leftovers, keep one in the fridge and freeze one.

Night Two: Baked Potatoes with Vegetable Chili on top

Over the Weekend: Nachos made with the chili from the freezer

#2: Have a high protein refrigerator staple in the fridge.

Protein is what keeps us satisfied and keeps us from grabbing tons of food, yet it is typically the last thing (besides maybe broccoli?) that we reach for when we are really hungry. Be sure you have a high protein fridge staple, like hummus or pate that you can enjoy when you come home and are really hungry. This way, instead of reaching for chips or cookies, you can have your delicious spread with some raw veggies as a powerful snack.

Example

Snack Planned in Advance: Sunflower Seed Pate on cucumber slices—YUM!

Snack in the Moment: Peanut butter spread on anything crunchy--even on stale rice cakes you found in the back of the pantry. (Come on--admit it, I know it is not just me who has eaten this!)

Remember, planning your meals will insure you have satisfying, healthy food prepared and ready to go. This advanced planning will help you to make healthier choices when you are super hungry…a very good thing!

Start with This Easy Recipe

Vegetable Chili