Recipe: Low-Fat Black Bean and Sausage Stew

Nutrition Facts

Recipe Serves 6 people Amount per Serving Calories 310 Calories from Fat 81 % Daily Value * Total Fat 9g 14% Saturated Fat 2g 10% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 55mg 18% Sodium 560mg 23% Total Carbohydrate 36g 12% Dietary Fiber 13g 52% Sugars 2g Protein 28g 56% Est. Percent of Calories from: Fat 26.1% Carbs 46.5% Protein 71.0%

We picked up a new Crock-Pot at Target over the weekend – if you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of the slow cooker, which is convenient and allows cooking with far less fat.  The new Hamilton Beach has a programmable timer, which is nice (basketball practice night often results in overcooked food, even in the slow cooker), and a temperature probe, which I doubt will ever be used (except, perhaps, by one of the kids upon the other).  Here’s the inaugural meal cooked in the new pot, from Phyllis Pellman’s Fix It & Forget It Lightly, a tasty black bean soup with smoked turkey sausage.  Be sure to use a hot sausage, bump up the cayenne or add some hot sauce (I used Day of the Dead Habanero).  Add salad and some fresh bread and you’re in for less than 500 calories, with leftovers for the next day.

Black Bean and Sausage Stew

3 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
14 1/2-oz. can fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup celery, sliced
2 4-oz cans diced green chilies
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 lb. smoked turkey sausage, thinly sliced

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker except sausage.
2. Cover. Cook on low 5-7 hours.
3. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the bean mixture and puree in blender. Return to slow cooker.
4. Add sliced sausage.
5. Cover. Cook on low 30 minutes.

Rating:

 

Fatblogging: Cowboy Pot Roast

Nutrition Facts

Recipe Serves 6 people Amount per Serving Calories 495 Calories from Fat 90 % Daily Value * Total Fat 10g 15% Saturated Fat 3g 16% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 100mg 33% Sodium 1228mg 51% Total Carbohydrate 41g 14% Dietary Fiber 13g 50% Sugars 5g Protein 88g 176% Vitamin A 17% ● Vitamin C 32% Calcium 67% ● Iron 15% Est. Percent of Calories from: Fat 18.1% Carbs 33.4% Protein 71.0%

Here’s another Crock-Pot recipe for the fatbloggers out there. This one comes from Southern Living magazine (Feb. 2005), and provides a quick an easy twist on pot roast.  Preparation time is about 15 minutes. Cook time is from 6 hours to whenever you get around to eating it.

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, divided
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite-cut diced tomatoes, drained
1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green Chilies, undrained
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) eye of round roast, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
Jalapeño pepper slices (optional)

Preparation

Combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Sprinkle roast evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brown roast on all sides in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Transfer roast to a 5 1/2-quart slow cooker. Pour tomato mixture over roast. Cover and cook on HIGH 5 to 6 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Remove roast from slow cooker, and cut into large chunks; keep warm.

Skim fat from juices in slow cooker. Mash 1 1/2 cans (about 2 3/4 cups) pinto beans; add to slow cooker, and stir until combined. Stir in black beans and remaining 1/2 can pinto beans. Add roast pieces back to slow cooker; cover and cook on HIGH an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Top each serving with jalapeño pepper slices, if desired.

Comments

This is a nice way to make a pot roast if you’re sick of the usual carrots and potatoes. It will be a bit liquidity, so either serve as a stew with some corn muffins or dish it up with a slotted spoon. Don’t skip the browning before dumping it all in the pot; browning the meat gives it a nice appearance. For an added kick, try the Ro-Tel tomatoes with habanero peppers instead.

My rating

Fatblogging: Maria from New Mexico’s Southwestern Chili

Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1/4 cup dry / 38g Servings Per Container 6 Amount per Serving Calories 456 Calories from Fat 120 % Daily Value * Total Fat 13g 20% Saturated Fat  5g 25% Trans Fat  0g Cholesterol 150mg 50% Sodium 570mg 24% Total Carbohydrate 30g 10% Dietary Fiber  1g 4% Sugars  5g Protein 53g   Vitamin A 10% ● Vitamin C 8% Calcium 5% ● Iron 37% Est. Percent of Calories from: Fat 26.3%    Carbs 21.0% Protein 46.5%

I’m always on the lookout for fast, easy, tasty and healthy meal ideas as a recovering Fat Guy with a full-time job and two kids. Between work, basketball practice, basketball games, homework and PTA meetings, it’s just a little to easy to fall into the burgers and pizza trap, and there’s only so much damage one can counteract with lunchtime at the YMCA.  One of our local Krogers has started carrying three varieties of Signature Family Recipes crockpot meal starters from Trinidad Benham, a Denver-based private label distributor of dried beans, rice and popcorn products.

I’ve tried the chili mix, which contains pinto beans and various spices, as well as the Louisiana Cajun Red Bean mix, red kidney beans with cajun-style seasoning.  Of the two, the chili is superior. Mix it with a couple of pounds of cubed bottom round beef, 4 cups of water and a can of diced tomatoes with chilies, and the crockpot does the rest.  The packaging calls for diced tomatoes with green chilies, but Del-Monte’s Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos adds a necessary extra kick without being ridiculously spicy (I add hot sauce to tip the balance toward ridiculously spicy).

As with all dried bean mixes, cooking the chili on low results in significantly undercooked beans in our crockpot, so be sure to cook on the high or time shift setting. This wasn’t a huge problem with the chili, but the red bean entree was inedible until it had cooked a while longer cranked up to high.

As with most chili, it’s even better the next day.  Unfortunately, many of our Krogers don’t carry the mixes at all, so planning ahead is a must.  I used to get an even better southwestern bean bake mix from Ukrop’s, but they’ve stopped carrying it, so Maria is a good substitute.  With the added ingredients but without cheese or sour cream, one good-sized serving is less than 500 calories, perfect for a fatblogger.

Fatblogging Recipes: Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

[haven’t done a fatblogging post in a while, so here goes]

One of the biggest problems on the fatblogging train has been how to reconcile (a) eating healthy, (b) eating tasty food and (c) not having any time to cook.  So, here’s a recipe that is good, good for you and quick.  This one comes from The Healthy Firehouse Cookbook:

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry (serves 6)

3 T. low-sodium soy sauce
3 T. dry sherry
2 t. grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t. ground red pepper
1 T. cornstarch
1 lb. round steak, cut into 1/2 by 2-inch strips
2 T. vegetable oil, divided
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
2 c. 99% fat free beef broth
4 c. hot cooked rice

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic and ground red pepper.  Whisk in the cornstarch until dissolved. Add the beef strips, mix well and marinate at room temperature for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 (or marinate in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours).

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat.  Remove the beef strips from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet or wok. Add the onion and broccoli and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the broth, cover and cook for about 3 minutes, until the broccoli is crisp-tender.

Add the beef strips with the reserved marinade and cook until the sauce thickens.  Serve over rice.

Nutrition:

Calories 275 (20% from fat)
Protein 15g
Carbohydrates 39g
Fat 6g
Saturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 25mg
Sodium 814mg
Fiber 3g