The Right Plan Nutrition Counseling & Kellie Hill Nutrition

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Taco Meatball Soup

Healthy Soups
Taco Meatball Soup

Healthy Soups

I know, Taco Meatball Soup is a weird name, but in truth, I really don’t know what else to call this hearty soup recipes.  It’s got all the delicious ingredients of tacos but with fun bite sized meatballs in a soup!  Everyone’s happy!

If you’re in a hurry you can even just use ground beef and skip the meatballs . . . although truthful, it’s just not as much fun that way.  It’s really worth the extra time to make the meatballs.  Then just saute a few items, bring to a boil, let it cook for 20 minutes, and serve.  It’s hearty soups made healthy soups and fun along the way.

Healthy Soups – Hearty Soups

I have to be honest, I eat soup year round.  I love it!  It’s a staple of my life.  But, I realize as the weather turns toward the cooler seasons more people begin to think of soups.  In case you want to expand your healthy soups recipes, try Curried Winter Squash Soup,  Salmon Chowder, or find lots of healthy soups recipes in my Cleanse and Detoxify Your Body: 28 days to better healthy using nutrient dense whole foods book and program.

One secret for Taco Meatball Soup

taco meatball soup meatballs
small, bite-sized meatballs

This recipe is super easy and you can add or subtract ingredients depending on what you have leftover in the refrigerator or freezer.  Just like I do with tacos.  You can make your own tortilla chips or buy a bag.  You can make make your own salsa or buy a jar.  Whatever works for your busy life.

I know I said in the beginning you could skip the meatballs, and yes you can.  But, the one secret that really makes this healthy soup stand out, is the meatballs.  Remember to use the best grass fed beef you can afford; the health advantages are numerous.

But, since they’re going to be in the soup (and not highlighted like in spaghetti) they don’t have to be perfectly sized.  Make them small, no more than an inch in diameter.  Then you only partially cook them – just enough so they hold their shape – and finish them in the soup.  It makes for a much faster dinner.  Plus the little bite sized meatballs are perfect on a tortilla chip or in a spoon.  You don’t want people to have to cut the meatballs . . . this is a hearty soup recipe, but not that hearty!

Taco Meatball Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup uncooked rice, divided
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 3 T fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ t chili powder
  • ½ t dried oregano
  • ¼ t sea salt
  • ¼ t fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 T ghee
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup celery, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup carrot, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
  • 2/3 cup bottled salsa
  • 2 14-ounce cans of chicken broth
  • ½ cup frozen whole kernel corn
  • 2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 20 tortilla chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop onion and mince garlic.  Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
  2. Combine ¼ cup rice, ground beef, and spices (through pepper) in a bowl.  Shape mixture into 24 1-inch meatballs.
  3. Place on a broiler pan and bake for 10 minutes.
  4. Heat ghee in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onion, celery and carrot.  Sauté 4 minutes or until tender.
  5. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
  6. Add salsa and broth; bring to a boil.
  7. Add remaining ¼ cup rice and the meatballs.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and meatballs are fully cooked.
  8. Stir in corn and cook another minute or until heated through.
  9. Spoon into bowls.  Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla strips.

Serves 6-8

 

 

 

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Turkey Breast Seasoning OR Roasted Vegetables Seasoning – Healthy Holiday Foods!

Healthy Holiday Foods
Healthy Holiday Foods

Healthy Turkey Rub Recipe

Healthy Holiday Foods don’t have to be boring!  I know some people love to spend all day in the kitchen when it comes to the holidays . . . I’m just not one of those people.  Even on special occasions I’m still a cook that likes fast and easy.  Luckily this seasoning only takes about five minutes.  And, this herb rub is not only super quick to make, it also does double duty.  It can be used as a turkey rub recipe or a roasted vegetables seasoning.  Make one batch and add it to both foods.

I grew up with the whole basting the bird concept – lots of butter rubbed on the turkey and then the butter and turkey fat religiously moved from the drippings pan every hour and lathered onto the turkey.  Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against butter, but over the years, more and more of my family have needed to monitor the amount of added fats they eat.  So, this turkey rub recipe has become a staple in our house.  Plus, in truth, don’t tell my mother, but I actually like the taste of these healthy holiday foods better.

Fresh or Dried for Healthy Holiday Foods

Right around the end of October frost begins to hit our area.  Which means it’s time to cut back all the herbs and hope they’ll survive the winter and give us fresh new herbs come next Spring.  We dry the herbs for future use.  Sometimes I dry them as full pieces and sometimes I’ll make this type of herb rub and dry the combination (same with the herbs for Italian Dressing).  I love that dried herbs can be put in a clean jar and stored for up to a year!  Obviously the flavor of the herbs degrades over time so try to use them as soon possible for the best taste.

When ever possible though, I love adding fresh flavors to our foods.  This turkey rub recipe is perfect for making healthy holiday foods.  Using the fresh herbs gives a beautiful flavor that I think is better than any butter basted turkey.  I’m sure there are people that would disagree with me but I challenge you to try it . . . this seasoning really does add so much flavor.

Using the Seasoning

Dried or fresh there’s a couple different ways to use this herb rub for turkey breast seasoning.  If you have a skinless breast you can just rub into onto the meat.  If you have a full turkey or a breast with the skin still attached, I recommend gently lifting the skin from the meat (but don’t remove the skin all together).  Cover the meat with the rub, including the breast and legs of a full turkey, then replace the skin to keep the herbs in place and the moisture in the bird.  So, the herbs are between the meat and the skin.

When using this recipe for roasted vegetables seasoning, toss the vegetables with the herb rub until the seasoning is evenly distributed among the vegetables.  I like this herb rub on pretty much any type of vegetable.  Here’s a video if you need more ideas.

Mix Up the Ingredients

I’m giving you my basic recipe here but feel free to mix it up depending on what you are cooking.  With turkey I use more sage than rosemary.  With vegetables I use more rosemary than sage.  When roasting a chicken I sometimes use tarragon instead of sage.  With lamb I add mint.  If I’m pairing with a tomato sauce I use marjoram instead of sage.  There isn’t any one size fits all – it depends on what your family likes.

Also, this basic recipe uses Herbamare and white pepper.  First, Herbamare isn’t essential you could use good old sea salt.  I just like the additional dried flavors of celery, leek, cress, onion, chives, parsley, lovage, garlic, basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and kelp.  Most larger grocery stores now carry it or you can buy it online.  Second, sometimes I use black pepper and sometimes I use white pepper (one time I used tri-colored peppercorns).  The decision mostly depends on how “spicy” I want the outcome.  White pepper has a tendency to be a bit spicier than traditional black pepper.  Sometimes it’s also a visual.  I don’t like seeing black flecks on chicken or turkey but they disappear into lamb.  Again, use whatever you think your family will like best.

Herb Rub Ingredients:

  • 2 bunches of fresh sage
  • 1 bunch fresh rosemary
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon Herbamare
  • Ground white pepper

Directions:

  1. Remove leaves from sage and rosemary stalks.  In a small food processor, pulse herbs, garlic, Herbamare, and white pepper until pretty fine.
  2. Use fresh or allow to dry.  If drying, store in tightly sealed jar for up to a year.

Video:

If you’re more of a visual learning, here is the video on making this recipe.

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Healthy Dinner Ideas – Kung Pao Chicken

Healthy Dinner Ideas
Kung Pao Chicken

Easy Dinner Recipes – Kung Pao Chicken

Summer – okay really any time of year – means I need healthy dinner ideas that are super easy dinner recipes.  Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorite go-to dinners.  It’s healthy, easy and can be planned or made with whatever is leftover in the fridge. (Sorry about the less-than picture but we were already dishing up when I remembered I needed to grab a quick pix – no staging time allowed when my family was already serving up).

If you need an even faster dinner meal, chop up all your vegetables for this easy dinner recipes or for the entire week.  Then when you need the items they’re ready to go.  Because, let’s be honest, the cutting and prepping work is the most time consuming.  I’d love for my son to be my sous chef but as a teenager now, he’s just not that interested in helping in the kitchen.  He does make one meal a week for the family and some version of noodles with meat and vegetables is his quick solution.

This is also one of my favorite healthy dinner ideas because you can virtually add almost any vegetable and it’ll taste great with the Kung Pao Chicken sauce.  Plus, you can add any meat . . . it could be Kung Pao Pork or Kung Pao Tofu . . . it all tastes great.

Kung Pao Chicken Substitutions

So let me point out some ways that you can make this easy dinner recipes without committing to any particular ingredients.

  • Tamari – if you don’t have tamari, use soy sauce or coconut aminos.
  • Corn starch – feel free to use agar or arrowroot.  I like the glossy look of corn starch and my co-op has non-GMO corn starch.
  • Dry sherry – if you don’t have dry sherry, use dry white wine.
  • Chicken breasts – use whatever meat, or meat substitute, you like.  I’ve even used leftover rotisserie chicken.  Or go no-meat; it’s still a tasty, healthy dinner ideas.
  • Crushed red peppers – these are absolutely optional.  If you don’t like too spicy, stick with just the chilies in the oil.  If you want to bring up the heat, add the crushed red peppers.
  • Vegetables – I wrote up red pepper, celery, mushrooms, snow peas, green onions and bean sprouts.  But, you can chop up summer squash, any color pepper, green beans, asparagus, etc.  You can also use canned mushrooms instead of fresh.  The only vegetable that I feel is kind of required are the green onions.  A regular yellow onion, even a sweet one, just doesn’t have the same flavor.  So, if you can, keep the green onions.
  • Peanuts – I think I actually used cashews in this picture because that’s what I had in the refrigerator.  But, usually I like the taste of peanuts better in this recipe but don’t get too caught up in the specifics.
  • Noodles – use fresh or dried.  Find the one that you like best.  We’ve found we enjoy ramen noodles and plain old brown rice spaghetti noodles but we’ve used various types and styles of noodles and they’ve all tasted great.

Don’t Change with Easy Dinner Recipes

  • Thickener – don’t skip a thickener on this Kung Pao Chicken recipe.  You want that saucy feel over all the noodles and vegetables.
  • Tofu – if you choose tofu, don’t use the cornstarch on the tofu.  But, do marinate the tofu in the broth, tamari, sherry and cornstarch for about 30 minutes for a better flavor.
  • Oil – don’t skip the oil; it adds so much flavor!  Also, make sure you saute the chilies until browned.  This spices up the oil and the whole dish.
  • Green onions – there’s really no substitute in this recipe.

Tips for Easy Dinner Recipes

As I noted earlier, chop up as many vegetables in advance as possible.  Use leftovers whenever you can.  Use whatever combination you have in your refrigerator – no celery, no problem – this healthy dinner ideas will still taste great!

Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients:

  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ½ cup tamari
  • ½ cup dry sherry
  • 2 T cornstarch
  • 1-1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
  • 2 T sesame oil, divided
  • 5 dried chilies
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 2 T fresh garlic, minced
  • ½ t dried crushed red peppers (optional)
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 5-6 mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 cups snow peas, trimmed
  • 6 green onions, cut into 1-in pieces
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • ½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 4-5 servings of noodles or linguine
  • 2 T sesame seeds

Directions:

  1. Chop all ingredients. Allow onions and garlic to rest 5-10 minutes.  Boil water for noodles.
  2. Combine chicken broth, tamari, sherry and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in small bowl. Toss chicken with remaining tablespoon of cornstarch.
  3. Cook noodles al dente.
  4. While noodles cook. Heat a wok over high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil.  Sauté the chilies for 1-2 minutes, until browned.
  5. Add the garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper if using. Sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  6. Add the chicken and sauté until almost cooked through. Transfer chicken to plate.
  7. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil. Add all vegetables and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  8. Return chicken to wok; add peanuts and chicken broth mixture. Cook until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.
  9. Add noodles to the wok and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

 

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Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas or Enchiladas Suiza?

My family always called this recipe chicken enchiladas but when serving it one day a friend told me it was called enchiladas suiza.  Huh?  I have no idea how the name Enchiladas Suiza came about.  I know I could Google it, but I’m good with this being a mystery in my life (there’s not enough of those anyway).  Plus, I think Suiza means Swiss, so how did anyone think the Swiss made enchiladas?  Is this some sort of old-timey fusion meal?

Anyway, I don’t know and truly, I don’t care.  I’ve messed with this recipe long enough to know that I just love it.  Maybe the Suiza just means cheesier and creamier?  One of my best friends, who is Mexican, constantly is dismayed by the amount of cheese American’s put on their “Mexican” food.  So, maybe the Swiss do to?  I also think Suiza is supposed to include tomatoes and onions.  But, over the years I’ve found I like tomatillos better; onions optional.  Whatever, my family loves it so call it whatever makes you happy.  We go with Chicken Enchiladas.

Substitutions for Chicken Enchilada recipe

Let’s talk a few minutes about substitutions in this chicken enchiladas recipe.

  • Bone-in, skinless chicken breasts – go with what you have available.  Skin on is fine it’s just usually a bit more grease in the reserved liquid.  Make sure you remove the skin before shredding.  Also, boneless is fine.  Cook about 5 minutes less.  I prefer the flavor of bone-in, plus more minerals are absorbed.
  • Tomatillos – if these aren’t available you can use tomatoes.  Personally, I don’t think it has the same great flavor but it does work.
  • Onions – if you’re an onion lover, chop some up and cook with the tomatillos and chiles.  I’ve also waited and added chopped onions at the blender level.  Both are good and gives a wonderful savory addition.  In the final product I liked the focus on the tomatillos so I left the onions out.
  • Chilies – really you can use any chili that has a bit of a kick.  Choose your chili based on how much kick you’d like.  In the mild realm, I’ve used anaheim, poblano, and ancho with great success.  Overall ancho is my favorite for a mild sauce.  In the moderate realm, I’ve used jalapeno and serrano with great success.  Overall serrano is my favorite for a medium sauce.  Obviously you can go hotter but be careful not to overpower the flavor of the tomatillos with just heat.
  • Oil – chicken enchiladas don’t require any particular oil for cooking the tomatillo-chili mix down.  I like the depth of flavor or ghee; it adds a real richness.  But, any neutral flavor, higher heat oil will work fine with this recipe so don’t go purchase anything special.  Just don’t use a high flavor oil like peanut or toasted sesame; stick with the neutrals.
  • Diary – since chicken enchiladas, or suiza here, includes cheese you probably don’t need a dairy alternative but if you do, anything with the consistency of Greek yogurt of sour cream will work great.  Personally, my family has come to like the richness of sour cream over yogurt but if rich flavors aren’t your thing than go with yogurt.

 And Now . . . The Recipe

 Chicken Enchilada Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ pound bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 10 peppercorns
  • 1 pound tomatillos, husked
  • 2 ancho or serrano chilies
  • ¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil or ghee
  • ¼ cup yogurt, non-dairy yogurt, or sour cream
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 ½ oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

  1. Place chicken in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover by at least one inch.  Add 1 tsp salt, 2 of the garlic cloves and peppercorns.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer; cover.  Simmer 15-20 minutes.  Remove chicken from liquid.  Once cooled enough to touch, pull meat from bones and shred; set aside.
  2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. While chicken cooks, place tomatillos and chiles in a medium saucepan.  Cover with water and boil over medium heat about 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving ½ cup liquid.  Transfer tomatillos and chiles to a blender.  Add cilantro and remaining 2 cloves of garlic; blend until smooth.  Add reserved liquid if necessary.
  3. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo-chile puree; reduce heat to medium.  Simmer, stirring constantly or until sauces reduces to about one cup (about 10 minutes).
  4. Reduce heat, add yogurt or sour cream and remaining 1 tsp salt. Stir for one minute; set aside.
  5. Place tortillas on racks in oven and warm for 1-2 minutes until pliable but not stiff. Wrap in cloth towel to keep warm while assembling enchiladas.
  6. Spread 1/3 of the sauce in a 9” baking dish.
  7. Divide shredded chicken evenly among tortillas and roll up. Arrange each enchilada in a single layer in the baking dish, seam side down.
  8. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
  9. Bake until the cheese starts to brown, about 25-30 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Make Ahead for Enchiladas

The sauce in this Chicken Enchiladas recipe is great for to make ahead so if you need something a bit faster, try my Enchilada Sauce.  Use some store bought rotisserie chicken, left over chicken or even make the shredded chicken ahead.  Through it all together the same way and dinner is served in about 45 minutes with only about 15 minutes of work that day.

As always I highly advocate Meal Planning.  Learn how to plan with this link.  It’s the key to success.  I have no idea how I’d ever get food on the table around the whole family’s schedule if I didn’t know exactly what we’re having for dinner each night.  So a little make ahead for the Chicken Enchiladas makes this a much faster and easier meal.  Plus, unless you’re a big family there’s almost undoubtedly left over enchiladas for someone’s lunch.

Enjoy!

 

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Seared Ahi Tuna Recipe (& Dipping Sauce)

Seared Ahi Tuna with Dipping Sauce
Seared Ahi Tuna with Dipping Sauce

Seared Ahi Tuna

Let’s make a restaurant quality meal in minutes with this seared ahi tuna recipe.

Growing up, the only type of tuna I knew came from a can.  Much of our food came from a can or box.  In fact, the only way we ate tuna was added to what I later learned was a mix of milk, butter and flour; then the mixture was poured over toast.  Yep, there’s many names for this concoction . . . I’ll leave you to your own if this is a food you grew up with too.  If you did, you probably didn’t know, any more than I did, that tuna was anything besides a gray mass of lumps stored in oil (later, in the “healthier” years, in water).

Imagine my surprise the first time I tried seared ahi tuna.  First, it was pink, not gray.  Second, the tuna was tender and moist rather than oily.  Third, it had sesame seeds encrusted on the tuna that made it oh so delicious.  It was a far cry from the days of tuna in white gravy over toast!  I’ll be honest here and admit that it took me a few times before I trusted this pink seared ahi tuna.  But, eventually, I came to love it.

Nutrition Information for Ahi Tuna

Even more importantly, I came to realize the amazing nutritional value of tuna that hasn’t been cooked to gray and stored in cheap oil.  Using a 3 oz portion as an example, you’re looking at less than 100 calories with almost 20 grams of protein!  Ahi tuna is some serious diet food.  Oh, and basically no carbs and no sugars.  Less than a gram of fat with 207 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids!  Plus, 42% of your daily niacin, 38% of your vitamin B6, 25% of your thiamin, 44% of your selenium and 11% of your vitamin D.  Tuna is one healthy food!  We’re talking the vitamins and minerals you need to increase your metabolism, improve digestion, make your skin healthier, form good genetic material, create red blood cells, improve neurological function and strengthen teeth and bones.  Tuna also has a lot of other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.

Simple – it’s good for you!

Do make sure that you are purchasing high quality ahi tuna though.

Mercury and Tuna

By now most of us have heard that fish and shellfish may contain mercury and in some cases large quantities of mercury – possibly dangerous if eaten too often.   As with much of our information, it’s constantly changing.  So, for your own safety, always check Seafood Watch www.seafoodwatch.org – here you will find the most up-to-date information by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and you can search for seafood recommendations.  As of this writing there are still plenty of options on their “best choice” list – 19 to be exact; plus 42 “good choice” options.  There are 81 “avoid” tunas too so it’s really best to check the website for your location.

Right now, there are plenty of options and the research is showing that most tuna is low in mercury.  To know more here is an updated article July 2, 2019 from the FDA about mercury https://www.fda.gov/food/metals/fdaepa-2004-advice-what-you-need-know-about-mercury-fish-and-shellfish.

It’s always best to be safe if you are pregnant, thinking of becoming pregnant, nursing, or feeding children under 3 years old.  If you’re like me and none of these parameters define you, then please enjoy this tuna recipe.

Peppercorn

I love white peppercorns in this seared ahi tuna recipe because it gives a bit of heat although it may not have as complex of a flavor profile.  I know, some would disagree with me.  There’s quite a disagreement about the complexity of white pepper vs. black pepper – careful if you decide to go down that Google rabbit hole!  But, if you only have black peppercorns, it works out fine.  Or, if you don’t want any heat, skip the peppercorns.  It’s the sesame seeds that really make this seared ahi tuna recipe pop but I really like the spicy addition of peppercorns and cayenne.  Let me know your thoughts.

Dipping Sauce

Dipping sauce is totally optional when it comes to seared ahi tuna.  Sometimes I make it – sometimes I don’t.  The recipe tastes great either way.  The dipping sauce offered here is a sweet and savory mixture to compliment the spicy tuna.  I love it but I don’t always have pineapple and/or don’t want to spend the money to purchase it so feel free to skip making the dipping sauce if it’s not in your budget.  The meal will still be restaurant quality.

 

Seared Ahi Tuna & Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 2 T coriander seed
  • ½ t white peppercorns
  • 2 T apple cider vinegar
  • ½ t wasabi powder
  • 3 T black sesame seeds
  • 3 T white sesame seeds
  • 1 t sea salt
  • ¼ t cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ t paprika
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1 t ghee

Dipping Sauce:

  • ¾ c pureed pineapple
  • 2 T tamari
  • 2 T mirin
  • Juice of one lime
  • 2 T honey
  • 3 t minced fresh ginger

Directions for Dipping Sauce:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan.
  2. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat.  Simmer until slightly thickened, approximately 10 minutes.
  3. Serve warm or chilled.

Directions for Tuna:

  1. Heat dry skillet until water flicked into skillet dances and quickly evaporates. Toast coriander seeds and peppercorns until fragrant.  Cool and grind.
  2. Mix vinegar and powder together to make a paste.
  3. Mix ground coriander and peppercorns with sesame seeds and spices.
  4. Brush paste onto tuna and roll in sesame seed mixture.
  5. Heat skillet and add ghee. Once ghee is melted sear both sides of the tuna, approximately 3 minutes per side.
  6. Remove and thinly slice.
  7. Serve with dipping sauce.

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