recipes

White Chili

/ ktbuchs87

While the calendar says that spring is almost here (technically it is already meteorologically spring, but that’s a whole different post), the temperatures here in the midwest have still been frigid.  True, we have escaped the “polar vortex” but it still isn’t quite t-shirt weather.  So in hopes to keep you warm and cozy, I have a slow cooker chili for you.  It is hearty and delicious and will make you feel a little less sad that it just snowed 4 inches in March.

White Chili 

photo (60)

  • 2 cups dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight (you can use canned, but the flavor and texture is better with dried)
  • 1 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1 large green pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4-6 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne, more if you want a spicier chili
  • 1-2 tsp salt

1. If you are using dried beans (which you should!), make sure to soak your beans for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.  You want the beans to be soft.  Once they are soaked drain and rinse them.  Take about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the beans and puree them in a food processor or blender until they are nice and smooth.  Add this to your crockpot

2. Saute the onions, corn, garlic, and green pepper until the onions are soft and the pepper and corn have browned, about 7-10 minutes.  Add this to the crockpot.

3. Add in the rest of your beans and the vegetable broth.  You want the broth to just cover the contents of the crock pot by about an inch.  If you need more, you can always add liquid in at the end.  Next, add in your spices and stir to combine everything.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Once it’s done, check that there is enough liquid and add a little salt if needed.

You could easily add cooked and shredded chicken or pork to this chili and I might add that it tastes really good with cornbread and topped with sour cream or greek yogurt.  You could even top it with some of my avocado cream and it would be even more amazing!  Enjoy!

Simple Potato Chips

/ ktbuchs87

There are a plethora of healthy chip recipes out on the internet.  I have tried probably about half of them and usually end up with a soggy pile of potatoes that no one could even generously call potato chips.  I set out to try and figure out what the secret trick was to make crispy and yummy chips.  I think that I got pretty close, not exactly like a bag of Lays, but pretty close.  I will say that you might want a few special tools to make sure you get as close to a store bought potato chip as possible.  These two tools are a Silpat and a mandoline.  The Silpat really helps so that your potato slices don’t stick to the pan while you are cooking them, but if you don’t have one parchment paper can work as well.  The mandoline helps to slice the potato very thin, which is uber important to a crispy chip.  If you don’t have a mandoline, you can use a regular knife.  Just make sure to cut the potatoes as thin as possible.  Alright enough talking, let’s make some chips!

Simple Potato Chips 

photo (59)

  • 3-4 medium potatoes (I used red potatoes because that’s what I had on hand.  Russet also works really well)
  • 1 big pot of boiling water
  • 1 big bowl of cold water
  • Olive oil
  • sea salt
  • pepper or garlic powder or any other seasoning you want, optional

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Bring your pot of water to a boil.  Wash and dry your potatoes.  With either a mandoline or a knife, slice the potatoes into thin rounds.

2. Bring your bowl of cold water over to the boiling water and place your potatoes into the boiling water.  Cook for 2-5 minutes and then immediately put them into the cold water.  Drain the potatoes and pat dry as best as possible.

3. Preheat oven to 450 and line a large baking sheet with either a Silpat or parchment paper.  Lay your potato rounds in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure they aren’t touching or overlapping.  You may have to make them in batches.

4.  Lightly brush or spray the potatoes with olive oil (you don’t need a ton), and then sprinkle with sea salt and any other seasonings you want.

5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and flip over the slices and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.  Keep checking to make sure your chips don’t burn.  Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.  This also helps them to crisp up a little as the cool.

You can experiment with seasonings as well as cook time to make the perfectly crispy chip.  This is just what worked best for me and my oven.  Now go enjoy your tasty snack!

What Do You Want?

/ ktbuchs87

Hello Readers!

I know that I usually have a recipe for you on Friday, and I promise that I have some more coming your way soon, but I wanted to take today to try and find out what you are looking for when it comes to food.  Do you want more breakfast ideas?  More dinners or desserts?  Snack ideas?  I want to makes sure that I am putting out content and recipes that you guys find helpful and will actually use.

I don’t get much feedback on the things that I post, other than to see how many views each page gets per day.  I would love to actually hear from you guys about what works for you and what doesn’t.  I want my blog to actually be helpful and not just another voice in a huge crowd.  Believe me, there are hundreds of health and food blogs out there and I appreciate that you choose to come and take a look at mine.  To keep you engaged and coming back for more, I need to know what you guys want!

So comment on posts you like.  Let me know when you try a recipe and it works out deliciously (or not).  Ask for new ideas or recipes.  All of these things can help me make this blog even better and give you the things that will help you on your healthy journey.  My goal is to help anyone struggling to lead a healthier life.  I have been in that position, just starting out and having no clue which way to turn.  I hope that this blog can end that struggle for at least a few of you!  Give me your opinions and I will do my best to make this blog what you need and want!  Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend!

If you are also interested, you can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest as well.  I post a lot of my meals on Instagram and offer little health tips on my Twitter, so check them out!

Asian Collard Wraps

/ ktbuchs87

Lately, collard and beet greens have become an obsession for me.  I am just really digging them, especially lightly sauteed with just a little garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.  I know that not everyone is as super excited about dark leafy greens as I may be, but I do know that dark leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses and you should be eating more of them!  While you might not be as enthusiastic about eating plain greens like me, this recipe will make you want to eat all the greens!  They are my version of the lettuce wraps you can get at P.F Changs mixed with cabbage rolls.  Yeah, we’ll go with that!  The other nice thing is you can use whatever you have on hand for the filling, you could even add ground turkey or chicken if you were so inclined.  Go give them a try!

Asian Collard Wraps 

Wraps with leftover filling on the side!

Wraps with leftover filling on the side!

  • 1 bunch of collard greens (or cabbage)
  • 1/2 cup millet, brown rice, quinoa, or whatever grain you have on hand (I used millet)
  • 2 shredded carrots
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced (or 2 tsp powder)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1-2 tbsp liquid aminos, soy sauce, or coconut aminos
  • 1 batch of my sweet and sour sauce (optional)

1. First, wash your collard greens and cut off the stems.  If you are using cabbage, peel off the leaves keeping them as whole as possible.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and get a large bowl full of cold water.  Once the water is boiling, dunk your leaves into the water for a few minutes until they are nice and pliable.  Then immediately place them into the cold water.  Once you do this with all the leaves place them on a paper towel to dry.

2.  Place your 1/2 cup of millet or whatever grain you are using, and 2 cups water into a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the millet is cooked through.  Add in the carrots, ginger, onion, garlic, oil, and liquid aminos.  Stir so everything is combined and heat on low for about 3 minutes.

3.  Remove your filling from the heat.  Place a heaping tablespoon full into the middle of your leaf and then roll up the leaf like a burrito so that all sides are closed.  Continue with all the leaves until you run out of filling or leaves.

Now you could eat these just as is, but I kicked it up a notch and cooked them in a large pan with my sweet and sour sauce.  It really added a nice flavor.  All you have to do is cook the sauce in the large pan, then add in your wraps.  Cook until the wraps are heated through, about five minutes.  Now go and eat those delicious and healthy collard greens!

Once you pop…

/ ktbuchs87

No, this isn’t a post about Pringles.  Sorry!  But it is about popcorn, which happens to be one of my favorite snack foods.  I’m not a huge snacker anymore, but Friday and Saturday nights beg to have a big bowl of popcorn in your lap while you watch a movie.  I don’t have a recipe for you this Friday per say, but I do have a few ways that you can enjoy popcorn as a healthy (yes, healthy) and delicious snack.

First, let me be clear and say when I talk about popcorn I am NOT talking about movie theater popcorn covered in “butter” and salt nor am I talking about microwave popcorn that is also covered in “butter”.  I am talking about buying the actual kernels of corn and popping them yourself.  Before you stop reading and move on to other things because making popcorn yourself takes way too much time and energy, let me assure you it really doesn’t.  Making your own popcorn is a fairly simple and easy process.  The easiest way to make healthy and totally customizable popcorn is to pop it using an air popper and then add your own toppings.  This is how I make my popcorn and it is as easy as measuring out your popcorn, pouring it into the machine, and turning it on.  That’s it.  No extra oils or additives just delicious popcorn.  Most air poppers are fairly inexpensive and will last you a long time too.

Popcorn made in my air popper. Yum!

Popcorn made in my air popper. Yum!

Another way to make popcorn is on the stovetop.  In a large pot, heat a little oil (coconut oil is really good for this) and add in your kernels.  Shake the kernels occasionally and as the oil heats up your kernels will start to pop.  I’ve done this a few times and I recommend you make sure you keep an eye on the popcorn because once the kernels start to pop, it can get a little crazy.  If you’re not watching you might have a kitchen full of popcorn, which might not be a bad thing…..

For those of you who like to just put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and hit go, you can still do that too.  Place your popcorn into a paper bag and roll it closed.  Use the popcorn setting on your microwave and you’re good to go.  No added chemicals or preservatives, just popcorn!

Now that you know how easy it is to make popcorn on your own, how about some topping ideas? You can add pretty much anything your little heart desires and that is what makes popcorn such a great snack.  You can customize it to whatever craving you have at that time! For toppings try:

  • Salt and pepper. A classic flavor and really yummy
  • Garlic powder and Italian seasonings. A very savory treat
  • Nutritional yeast.  A healthy way to add a cheesy flavor and one of my favorite toppings
  • Cinnamon and nutmeg.  A nice and light sweet flavor
  • Pumpkin Pie spice.  Who doesn’t like all things pumpkin?
  • Dark chocolate or cocoa nibs.  Chocolate is a great popcorn topping.  Melt it first and drizzle it or add chips while your popcorn is hot and make melty clusters.
  • Cajun seasoning.  Like spicy? Then try some cajun or creole seasonings
  • Honey and peanuts. Ok, this might sound weird but this combo tastes an awful lot like cracker jacks.  Add in some warm honey and peanuts to your popcorn and stir to combine everything

There are seriously endless ideas when it comes to popcorn toppings.  Popcorn is a great snack that is light, fills you up, and satisfies the need to munch on something while relaxing at home.  So give homemade popcorn a try and see why I absolutely LOVE a nice big bowl of popcorn on the weekends!