Tag: High protein Option

Entrees, pork

Asian Ginger Orange Pork w/Vegetables

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

Living in the beautiful state of Oregon, we consumed really good Asian food, all the time. I guess we got a bit spoiled on all the fabulous choices that now, I struggle to find those americanized dishes. One of my favorite is General Taos and spicy sesame beef. Spicy, tangy, goodness on delicious rice. Here is a version that filled the tastebuds with all the flavors I missed. You will need to get the right ingredients, but so worth the final dish. Can be made with chicken breast, steak, or as I did a lean small port tenderloin.

The secret to a good stir fry is a very hot skillet or wok, have all your ingredients ready to cook and pre-prepped. When you leave a stir fry for a seasoning, you will get over cooked mushy results. have it all organized and ready.

  • Protein one of following- small pork tenderloin , two large organic skinless chicken breasts, trimmed 1/2 inch steak (cleaned and bite sized cubed)
  • small zucchini seeded and cubed
  • small yellow onion halved and sliced
  • 1 cubed red pepper
  • 1 cubed green peper
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 inch ginger root peeled and zested
  • 1 small orange zest= 2 teaspoons
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • 1/2 cup orange juice ( or fresh squeezed )
  • 2 Table spoons Soy sauce
  • 2 table spoons Hoisin sauce
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp seseme seed oil
  • 2 Table spoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 Tbs Corn Starch
  • 2 cups cooked white rice of choice.
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Pre prep: Trim off fat and skin and cube meat to bite sized pieces. Keeping uniformed. chop all veggies as well as zest orange, peel and zest ginger root.

mix 1 TBS soy sauce, 1/2 cup orange juice, flour, cornstarch in a med sized bowl. Add cubed meat and allow to marinade for 15 minutes – set aside.

small bowl sauce- mix 1 Tbs soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, garlic, garlic powder, orange and ginger zest, sesame oil, juice of 1 orange , salt and pepper – set aside

large skillet med high heat, add oil and bring to a hot shimmer, add meat piece by piece and discard extra marinade. flash cook until browned and cooked thoroughly. Do not burn. place in a bowl and set aside. discard excess oil leaving just a coating for vegetable – its hot be careful and return pan to burner. Quick cook vegetables until fragrant. Add a tablespoon of water if dry in pan. Once to your tenderness( I like my veggies more crisp). add meat back to the pan and cover with sauce. Heat until bubbly hot and thickens a bit.

Serve with pepper flakes to taste, sesame seeds over hot fresh rice. In addition to this wonderful dish I made a pan of Trader Joes Chicken Gyoza. The BEST! and so easy to prepare.

Entrees, Garden, High Protein, Traditions

Mediterranean Lamb Bowls

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste
Summer delight in a lamb bowl

Summer fresh herbs and veggies from the garden add an extra fresh element to this easy and tasty bowl. I discovered a ground lamb package in the freezer and wanted lighter than a Shepards pie. Fresh picked cherry tomato, mint, parsley, cucumber, all bring flavors of Greek cuisine. You could make this with ground pork or chicken – seasoning heavy will be key straying from the earthiness of lamb.

  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1 cup chopped sweet onlion
  • Med chopped cucumber seeded
  • Two cloves garlic minced
  • Fresh parsley broadleaf
  • Fresh mint
  • hummus (store bought original)
  • 1/2 c craisins or golden raisins
  • Turmeric rice
  • Olive oil
  • Feta cheese crumbled
  • Greek olives
  • Paprika 2 tsp
  • Pepper flakes optional
  • Garlic powder 2 tsp
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp all spice
  • Warm pita bread
  • Tziziki sauce optional ( I make sour cream chopped garlic, minced cucumber, lemon salt and pepper)

Prep veggies. Chop onion and cucumber. Wash cherry tomatoes and quarter. clean parsley rough chop as well as mint.

Fresh is best from the patio garden

Easy rice. 1 cup jasmine in the rice cooker with two cups water and dash of salt. Once cooked add olive oil and two tsp ground turmeric and tablespoon butter. Easy. Rice is done.

Rice cooker easy turmeric rice

Brown your lamb with 1/2 c onion, garlic and dried seasonings and bay leaf. Drain well in fine strainer on paper towel. Lamb has a-lot of fat. Bring back to pan and add your craisins, fresh chopped mint and parsley. Keep warm for bowls. (Salt and pepper to taste) always taste your cooking as you go.

Prep veggies ready for bowls

Assembly time! I add a big dollop of hummus center on a bed or rice and then assemble your ingredients. Warm your pitas (simple toaster) and drizzle with oil paprika and fresh chopped herbs. Delish!

The cute hubby is pleased.
Delish.
Entrees, Gluten Free, Dairy free, High Protein, Poultry, Soups and Appitizers, Traditions

Chili (shh…its healthy!)

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

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I love chili-  but chili doesn’t always love me.  the heat from spices as well as the fat from the red meat didn’t always sit well with my tum tum.  I ventured out to make a healthy hearty chili- with out all the fat but high in protein.  This recipe was a real home run with the family as well as hitting home with 98% fat free, low calorie, high fiber and high protein.  Punching almost 18 grams of protein per 1 heaping cup serving.

Recipe:

  • 1 Lb ground lean turkey browned
  • 1 cup each follow veggies
    • Yellow Onion
    • Mixed bell peppers
    • roasted sweet potato chopped
    • zucchini
    • cauliflower
  •  5 12 oz cans each of organic beans red kidney, black, pinto, great northern
  • Large can 28  oz crushed tomatoes
  • sm can 12 oz chopped roasted tomato
  • small can roasted green chilis
  • 2 tsp chopped jar garlic or 2 cloves cleaned and chopped
  • 2.5 TBS Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Cayenne  pepper (more to taste)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp garlic powder

Veggies hiding in this pot!  so yummy.

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yes veggies! As you can see I added cauliflower, chopped zucchini, mixed bell peppers (frozen from my freezer shortcut) and not pictured sweet potato to add a bit of sweet spice.  1 cup of each.

98% fat free lean ground turkey
browned meat then add veggies to cook.
add tomatoes and spiced

 

Brown the ground turkey (98% Fat free lean) in a tablespoon of olive oil. drain any fat and add veggies, fresh garlic, pepper and garlic powder – cook until soften and to flavor the meat.  Add seasonings.

Let us talk Chili Power. they are not all alike. They all have salt and major color differences.  there is Organic, low sodium and smoker flavored.  so go to your spice store and explore. Taste- and see what you prefer. I like a darker color but the lighter has more flavor- so I do a three pic chili powder. img_5431

Then Cayenne to taste.  I go light to avoid the hot…

Beans! Beans! Beans!

Dried beans work great if you do the pre-soak the night before. This is a great option for the pressure cooker.  Doing dried beans in the pressure cooker can rush the process if canned is not available.  I use organic canned that has no added seasonings.  Black, red kidney, great northern and pinto. all fat free, high fiber and protein and full of flavor. Canned be sure you rinse the metallic slime water off before adding to your pot.

img_5427 Add your large crushed organic tomatoes, and a small can roasted red tomatoes as well as a can of roasted green chilis.  I also incorporated a half cup of TVP (Bobs Red Mill).  (Total vegetarian protein) It hides like the turkey meat and absorbs all the great flavor and added protein. really amazing product.

add tomatoes and spiced

 

Slow simmer for 2 hours.  If you don’t want to babysit the pot- stirring to insure it not scorch- trader to your large crock pot on 4 hour low.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onions.  All optional.  This freezes fantastic.

 

Gluten Free, Dairy free, High Protein, kitchen Tips, Poultry

Grilled Chicken- easy weekend prep

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

img_5446My College student son is home for the summer and we had a challenge to each other to jump on the health train and do a summer workout challenge.  Part of the challenge was giving up sugars and carbs and eating more healthy protein and whole grains.  I have found with his appetite I need to have easy healthy proteins to throw on a salad or heat up with wild rice was the best. I love grilling a mess of chicken breast and then having them in the fridge for recipes.  Here is my easy grilled herb chicken breast.

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I like to get a the jumbo package of organic chicken breast and fillet each breast into two portions.  It cooks faster and seems to come out more juicy.

The big packs of chicken I will cook up half and then single wrap the other Breasts to put in the freezer for future use,

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I marinade in olive oil, herb de Provence seasoning, garlic seasoning and lemon pepper.  allow it to marinate at room temp for 30 minutes.

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then grille to 165 degrees. approximately 10 minutes each side on a hot  med high heat gas grille.

 

Then store in a airtight container in the fridge.  we seem to go thru these in less than a couple of days.  so good cold, or chopped in a salad.  Makes taco night a breeze when getting home from a long day at work.  Enjoy the shortcut.