Appetizer

Skinny “Overloaded” Potato Skins

February 28, 2013

Meat-and-Potatoes-Guy and I sometimes place an order for “Outrageous Potato Skins” from a nearby chain restaurant.

They’re made of crispy fried potatoes, cheese, bacon.

Completely delicious, obviously.

However.

I happened to find the nutrition listings while looking at their online menu one day.

One serving features 1,130 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat.

Oh. Ouch.

“Outrageous Potato Skins” taste slightly less delicious, knowing what I know now.

So I’ve since decided to make my own easy, tasty, healthy version. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Appetizer, Snacks, Turkey Tagged With: baked, healthy, light, loaded, potato skins

Healthy Marinara-Smothered Meatball Sliders

January 29, 2013

I was first introduced to the idea of a “Meatball Mini Burger” when reading over a restaurant menu.

I instantly saw one name written all over it:

Meat-and-Potatoes-Guy.

This dish is part burger and part oversized, marinara-smothered meatball.

It’s mini, so you can help yourself to two or three (or more, depending upon your appetite!)

What’s not to enjoy for a meat-and-potatoes-loving individual?

So, after a string of unfortunate recipes I have recently subjected Chris to (Brussel Sprout Pesto and Sugar-Free Poached Cranberries are two of my recent experimental dishes gone very, very wrong), I finally redeemed myself: Healthy Marinara Meatball Sliders earned rave reviews from Chris.

He loves these (and so do I).

Bonus: this recipe has a lot of veggies, but it’s the kind of tricky, sly dish where the healthy stuff is hidden.

Any unsuspecting meat-and-potato lover in your household may never guess all the fresh veggies and herbs in this one.

Here are all the key ingredients you’ll need.

Begin by mincing up some garlic.

And roughly chop half an onion.

No need to waste a lot of time carefully dicing the onion and other veggies, because they’ll all be puréed later on…

Next, roughly chop some ribs of celery…

… and a few carrots (as long as they’re rinsed thoroughly, no need to waste time peeling the carrots either).

Grab some fresh rosemary and chop that up too.

Grate a bit of fresh parmesan.

Heat some olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.

Toss the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery into the pot and cook until they begin to soften.

Season with salt and pepper.

Next, add some flavor with the following: honey, tomato paste, dried thyme, and about two tablespoons of the rosemary you chopped (set aside an extra 2 teaspoons of the rosemary for later).

Stir to combine.

Add some strained tomatoes and reduce the heat to a light simmer.

Allow the veggies to cook and soften for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan.

Then grab an immersion hand blender (this is my favorite tool in the kitchen – here’s the one I use) and purée until you have a nice, thick marinara sauce.

(All those veggies now very sneakily concealed.)

While the sauce is simmering away, you can prepare the slider buns.

Grab some whole wheat slider buns (mini burger buns) and split them in half with a serrated knife.

Or Substitute: whole wheat dinner rolls will also work if you can’t find slider rolls.

Arrange them on a baking sheet and measure out about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Brush the oil over the burger buns.

Then sprinkle on some garlic powder and the rest of the freshly chopped rosemary you set aside earlier.

Add a bit of black pepper if you’d like.

These little extras create a more gourmet-tasting and flavorful burger.

Place the baking sheet under the broiler and keep a very close eye on the slider buns – they should be toasted within just a couple of minutes. And (warning!) setting-off-smoke-detectors charred just a few seconds after that!

Last step: prepare the meatballs.

Grab a large mixing blow and add some ground beef. The healthiest options to choose for your ground beef:

95 percent lean – no need for added fat, these meatball sliders get all their yummy flavor from the fresh homemade marinara sauce.

Grass fed – Grass is what cattle were designed by nature to eat, so grazing on their most natural diet of grass is better for the animals and for the environment. Grass-fed beef is better for people too, because it has a much high proportion of omega-3 fats.

Also add an egg and some cooked quinoa to the mixing bowl.

Or Substitute: If you don’t have quinoa or don’t want to spend the extra time cooking it, whole wheat bread crumbs or whole wheat Panko crumbs will work just as well.

Season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Finally, measure out about 1/3 cup of the Marinara Sauce you’ve just cooked from scratch and add that to the bowl as well.

Then mix everything up very thoroughly (go ahead and use your hands – they’ll get all messy when you form the meatballs anyway).

Use your hands to form twelve equally sized meatballs.

Arrange the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place them under the broiler.

When the meatballs are nicely browned on top, they should be cooked through and ready to eat.

Scoop a couple tablespoons of your homemade marinara sauce on each slider bun bottom.

Top with a meatball and a couple more tablespoons of marinara.

Then add a burger bun top, and dive in.

These meatball mini burgers do have lots of healthy ingredients packed in, but you’d never guess from the delicious flavor.

Adding some of the fresh, homemade marinara to the meatballs makes them so much healthier, but they add lots of interesting, yummy flavor too.

And the slider buns, with the tasty hint of garlic and fresh rosemary, are a perfect complement.

These are a crowd pleaser (perfect for Superbowl Sunday!)

But (best part) they’re lighter, healthier, and completely guilt-free!

The complete recipe is below, but I should add one quick side note:

After one year of blogging, I’m leaving WordPress.com…

I’m still going to post recipes to this blog just as always, but the blog will now be hosted by another company (this will allow me to (with any luck!) try to create a better and more custom design for my blog).

But, the bad news: if you are a fellow WordPress.com blogger and you “Follow” my blog, you will no longer receive emails notifying you of new posts to The Scrumptious Pumpkin.

If you’d like to continue to follow The Scrumptious Pumpkin after today, please follow me on Pinterest or on Facebook or on Twitter.

Here is the complete recipe:

Healthy Marinara Meatball Sliders

Total Time: 50 minutes

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 35 minutes

Yield: 12 sliders, 6 servings (2 sliders per serving)

Ingredients

For the Marinara Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 large ribs celery, roughly chopped

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

26-ounce container strained tomatoes

1/3 cup parmesan, freshly grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Slider Buns:

12 whole wheat slider (mini burger) buns, split (or substitute 12 whole wheat dinner rolls)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

For the Meatballs:

1 pound 95 percent lean grass-fed ground beef

1/3 cup cooked quinoa (or substitute 1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs)

1 egg

1/3 cup Marinara Sauce (ingredients for Marinara Sauce listed above)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the Marinara Sauce:

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots and cook until veggies begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the honey, tomato paste, dried thyme, and 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary. Stir to combine. Add the strained tomatoes, reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow the sauce to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the parmesan and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and use an immersion hand blender to puree the sauce (or transfer mixture to a food processor to puree).

For the Slider Buns:

While the Marinara Sauce is simmering, prepare the Slider Buns:

Arrange the slider bun halves on a baking sheet. Measure 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and brush a bit of oil on each. Sprinkle the garlic powder and 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary over the halves. Add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper to each. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and toast for about 2-3 minutes. Watch carefully, slider buns burn very quickly!

For the Meatballs:

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, cooked quinoa, egg, and 1/3 cup of the Marinara Sauce (recipe for Marinara Sauce above). Season with salt and pepper. Using hands, mix and combine thoroughly. Use hands to form 12 equally-sized meatballs. Arrange meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet under the broiler and cook about 12-15 minutes, or until meatballs begin to brown on top.

To Assemble:

Place a couple of tablespoons of the Marinara Sauce on each slider bun bottom. Add a meatball, and top with a couple more tablespoons of Marinara. Add a slider top bun to each and serve.

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Filed Under: Appetizer, Beef Tagged With: burger, healthy, italian, light, meatball, mini, skinny, slider

Guacamole Chicken Lettuce Wraps

August 1, 2012

My husband Chris and I have become addicted to a Mexican restaurant about 10 minutes from our house. We go mainly for one reason: the fresh, homemade guacamole.

Along with it comes, of course, a huge basket of fried tortilla chips. We never intend to finish off the full basket between the two of us.

But somehow. I always end up feeling too full for my entrée, peering down at an empty tortilla chip basket (save for those abandoned, too-small-for-dipping, broken-off bits clinging to the napkin at the bottom).

Guacamole just seems to do that to us. That rich creamy dip combined with those crunchy, salty chips: the combo is just too irresistible.

This is exactly why, up until this summer, I never really made it at home. I saved the calorie overload for rarer, eating-out occasions.

But then I came up with this recipe for Guacamole Chicken Lettuce Wraps and now we’ve been eating tons of homemade guacamole at home all summer.

Here’s how it’s healthier: you mix in some healthy and filling grilled chicken, adding a delicious and healthy complement to the rich avocado. You serve it over lettuce leaves for that satisfying crunch without the calories. And you only need one baked tortilla chip per lettuce wrap to get that delicious guac-and-chip flavor, greatly controlling your portion of high calorie tortilla chips.

This recipe is so easy too. It’s become one of my favorites for summer.

Here are the key ingredients for today.

Begin by dicing a jalapeño pepper. Chop off the ends. Cut the pepper in half and then into quarters, lengthwise.

Use your knife to cut out all the seeds inside.

Cut the pepper into long strips lengthwise and then run your knife in the opposite direction, dicing up the pepper.

Place your knife flat over a clove of garlic and press down hard, smashing the clove.

Once smashed, the skin is easy to pull off.

Mince up the garlic clove.

Use your knife to cut some cilantro leaves from the stems. Then pile up the cilantro leaves and run your knife through the pile in every direction, chopping the cilantro.

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze out all the juice. If you’re having trouble squeezing out all the juice, just grab a fork to press into the lemon and help you along.

Cut an avocado in half lengthwise and scoop out the pit. Then cut a grid pattern into the avocado. And use a spoon to scoop out all the diced avocado and put it in a mixing bowl.

Add the fresh lemon juice and then smash up the diced avocado with a fork.

Stir in the diced jalapeño, minced garlic, and chopped cilantro.

Add a bit of cumin and some salt and pepper.

Finally, add chicken.

You can use leftover chicken you’ve already stored in the fridge. Or pick up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken at the deli.

I just season some skinless, boneless chicken breasts with salt and pepper and throw them on the grill.

Then just cube the cooked chicken.

And stir it in to the guacamole.

Separate the leaves of a head of Boston lettuce.

Then scoop a couple of tablespoons of Guacamole Chicken Salad into each leaf.

And crumble a baked tortilla chip over each one.

This dish is really rich and satisfying and flavorful.

Chicken with avocado is one of those perfect flavor match-ups. I think they were made for each other.

And the yummy crunch from the lettuce and the salty tortilla chips is so perfect with the rich and creamy guacamole chicken.

So there you have it: the perfect Guiltless Guacamole dish.

Here is the complete printable recipe:

Guacamole Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Author: The Scrumptious Pumpkin

Recipe type: Healthy Chicken Dish

Total Time: 27 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 ripe avocados, pits removed, peeled, and diced
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ clove garlic, finely minced
½ jalapeño pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
½ teaspoon cumin
1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated
20 baked whole grain tortilla chips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Prepare the grill for medium heat.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook for about 6 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook the second side for about 6 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through.
Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes.
Place the avocado and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash the avocado until it reaches a creamy consistency. Add the jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, and cumin. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Mix in the cubed chicken.
Place 1-2 tablespoons of the guacamole chicken in the center of a Boston lettuce leaf. Crumble one tortilla chip over the top. Repeat until all the guacamole chicken mixture is used. Serve immediately.

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Filed Under: Appetizer, Chicken, Snacks Tagged With: avocado, guacamole, healthy, lettuce, salad, wrap

Huevos Rancheros Easy-Crust Pizza

May 4, 2012

Cheers to it finally being (almost) the weekend.

And cheers to the fact that Cinco do Mayo can be fully and properly celebrated this year because it just so happens to fall on a Saturday!

I started the celebration early at our house by making this healthy, hearty, and delicious huevos rancheros pizza earlier this week.

And I plan to continue the celebration through Saturday too, with a nice margarita.

Or any drink really.

It’s been a long week, and I’m so ready to let my hair down.

This super-flavorful huevos rancheros pizza is perfect for:

a lazy weekend brunch at home,
a hearty and satisfying meatless dinner,
or a perfect Cinco do Mayo party appetizer!

Bonus: the crust – made with whole wheat pita bread – is really easy, quick, and foolproof.

So here’s the full lineup of ingredients for today.

Although this meal is meatless, it’s full of really filling, satisfying ingredients. No one will miss the meat, guaranteed. The proof: my meat-and-potatoes-guy, who’s a big fan of pepperoni pizza, loved this dish and hardly noticed it was meat-free.

Begin by prepping your pizza toppings.

Mince up some garlic and half a medium onion.

Chop up half a bell pepper.

I love adding some vivid orange to the dish with an orange bell pepper, but any color will work.

Dice up half of a tomato.

Then grab a jalapeño pepper to add a nice kick to your pizza.

Slice off the ends, cut it in half lengthwise, and scrape out the inner membrane and seeds.

Then dice up the jalapeño.

Add the full pepper (and – if you’re daring – some seeds) if you like your dishes spicy.

Add just half a pepper to start if you like to keep things mild.

Grab some fresh cilantro and chop up the leaves.

Then dice an avocado (check out my Chicken Tortilla Casserole for the step-by-step on how to do this).

Immediately squeeze lime juice all over the avocado to keep it from turning brown.

Grate some fresh Monterey Jack cheese.

Next, prepare some scrambled eggs.

A note on the eggs: egg yolks are a bit high in saturated fat and cholesterol, but they’re also full of Vitamins A and D, protein, and iron. So one a day is a healthy choice.

My recipe calls for four whole eggs for four servings (to add all those vitamins and protein to the dish) along with three egg whites (to keep the dish light).

Whisk together four eggs and three egg whites in a large mixing bowl.

Add a bit of lowfat milk and some salt and pepper and whisk again.

Add some canola oil to a sauté pan over medium-low heat.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan.

When the eggs begin to solidify, use a spatula to mix up and break apart the eggs.

When the eggs are just cooked through and no longer liquid, transfer them to a bowl and set aside.

Grab a clean pan and add some canola oil.

Over medium heat, sauté that minced garlic and chopped onion you prepared earlier.

When they’re nice and soft, add the diced bell pepper and cook for a few minutes more.

Drain and thoroughly rinse some canned black beans.

I love using black beans when I’m making a meatless meal for a ton of reasons.

First – they’re very cheap. Compare them to the price of poultry, steak, or seafood and you won’t believe the cost savings in preparing a meatless meal once in a while.

Second – they’re really healthy too. Black beans have a ton of fiber and protein, so they’ll keep you feeling as full and satisfied as a meat dish. But they’re also packed with antioxidants, folate, Vitamin B, and iron.

Cook the beans up with garlic, onions, and peppers (as in this recipe) and they taste delicious too!

Add the black beans to the pan along with some cumin and coriander.

Season with salt and pepper and cook until the beans are heated through.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

Next up: the crust.

Since there are a lot of steps in this huevos rancheros pizza, I like to make the crust as easy as possible by using whole wheat pita bread.

The key to making whole wheat pita taste delicious: be sure season it.

Brush each pita with some canola oil to keep it from tasting too dry.

And season each pita with salt and pepper.

Finally, sprinkle on a little garlic powder for added flavor.

Then place the pitas on baking sheets and place in the oven.

Turn the broiler on and toast until they’re crisp and golden.

Watch them carefully – it’s a universal truth that they’re guaranteed to burn the second you turn away from the oven.

Tasty! This crust is healthy, it tastes great, and it couldn’t be any easier.

Turn the oven heat down to 350 degrees F.

Now, assemble your pizzas:

Portion out some of the scrambled eggs over each pita.

Then portion out the black bean mixture.

Finally, top with the grated Monterey Jack cheese.

Place the pizzas back in the oven for a few minutes more, just until the cheese is nicely melted and gooey.

Meanwhile, grab a small bowl and mix the diced tomato, diced avocado, diced jalapeno, and the chopped cilantro.

When you’ve removed the pizzas from the oven, top each one with some of the fresh avocado salsa.

Next, shed a few tears over the disaster zone that’s now your kitchen.

Those countertops aren’t about to clean and clear themselves.

Why hasn’t anybody invented self-cleaning pots yet, by the way?

But then …

…take a seat, pour a glass of wine, and relax, because it’s time to dig in!

These pizzas are really savory and cheesy. The black beans are so rich and flavorful. The crisp crust is a perfect complement to the creamy avocado. And there’s a lot of freshness too, from the tomato, lime, and cilantro.

Flavorful, yummy, and so hearty and filling, no one will ever notice the lack of meat!

Cheers to this Cinco de Mayo weekend. Let’s drink (and eat!) to that.

Here is the complete recipe:

Huevos Rancheros Easy-Crust Pizza

Total Time: 45 minutes

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 individually sized pizzas

Ingredients

Scrambled Eggs:

4 eggs

3 egg whites

2 tablespoons 1 percent milk

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese

Black Bean Mixture:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/2 orange bell pepper (or any color), chopped

1 16-ounce container black beans, drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander

Avocado Salsa:

1 avocado, peeled, cored, and diced

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, squeezed from 1 lime

1/2 tomato, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Easy Crust:

4 whole wheat pitas

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Add the whole eggs, egg whites, and milk to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until well-combined. Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in saute pan over medium-low heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and allow eggs to cook through, breaking them apart with a spatula as they begin to solidify. When eggs have solidified and are just cooked through, set them aside.

Using a clean sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and cook the garlic and onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook until softened, a few minutes more. Add the black beans, cumin, and coriander. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, until beans are warmed through.

Pour a tablespoon of canola oil into a small bowl. Brush the oil over four whole wheat pitas. Season pitas with salt and pepper. Sprinkle garlic powder over each. Arrange pitas on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Turn on the oven broiler and toast pitas until they turn crisp and golden, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully – they will burn quickly!

After removing pitas from the oven, reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Portion some of the scrambled eggs over each pita. Portion some of the black bean mixture over each. Grate some monterey jack cheese and arrange over each pizza.

Place back into the oven and cook just until cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the avocado, lime juice, tomato, jalapeño, and cilantro in a small bowl. Portion the avocado salsa over each pizza and serve.

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Filed Under: Appetizer, Breakfast, Vegetarian Tagged With: avocado, black beans, eggs, healthy, huevos rancheros

Skinny “Overloaded” Potato Skins

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Healthy Marinara-Smothered Meatball Sliders

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Guacamole Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Huevos Rancheros Easy-Crust Pizza

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