Italian Sausage, Peppers and Mushrooms over Pasta - perfect to get back on plan

Hello friends! Sorry about the abandonment my blog has suffered! I just moved from an apartment to our new house and these days have just been too hectic and busy! Packing, unpacking, cleaning, etc... But it's all worth it! We're thankful, excited, happy and a bit scared like with every change!

Now if you are a Trim Healthy Mama like me... I will tell you some "THM related things ahead" if you're not... you can skip all my ranting/venting and go directly to the recipe! This is an "On plan" recipe but ANYBODY can enjoy it! If you love the recipe... then come back to learn more about this plan that is designed to help you improve your health, lose weight and enjoy food freedom!

Now... so... let's see some of the discoveries I made during this move and that I will share just for the sake of "keeping it real" and to show you that we are all on the same boat... yes this plan is easier for some than it is for others but it is definitely doable for everyone!

• I don't do very good with food when moving! I totally went off plan just because "I felt like it"... I just wanted to eat, eat and eat! I had lots of ice cream too!
• I am not like one of those people who find "sugar loaded things" horrible after they've been on plan for a while... ice cream tasted just as good as ever! (maybe even better? Don't know!)
• I could've totally stayed on plan if I had planned ahead... now... I don't plan on moving again but if it ever happens I will make sure I plan, cook and freeze meals ahead of time!
• Now... this is not "news" to me... but I will share it again! all that "off plan" food was definitely not worth it... Not only my shape is suffering the consequences but also my skin, mood and my poor stomach! I won't even go into details!

But the good news! This plan is for life... so ... we just pick up where we left off! After eating the way I did it's comforting to know that I can have fried eggs and bacon for my "first meal" when on plan again! And that's what I did! Don't "punish yourself" for going off plan! That's the problem with many diets! After you "sin" then you have to suffer through horrible "cleanses" or you feel like you should now eat less than 1400 calories a day and you spend your days eating "rabbit food" just because "you deserve it" for being such a bad girl! Who can live like that though? that "punishment" only makes you want to be "a bad girl" again and binge! That's not the case with THM! You can have really yummy, satisfying food that will make you realize you didn't even need to go off plan to begin with! So... that's my focus right now that I am on plan again! I am pretty much cooking Comfort Food "THM Style" and that's what I will be sharing with you today!

I am also making lots of delicious THM Smoothies with their amazing Pristine Whey Protein! I had been pacing myself when using it because it was out of stock but it's back along with all their amazing sweeteners (my favorite is their pure stevia extract) and their yummy peanut flour! You can find it all here:

Trim Healthy Mama Store 

And now... The recipe I promised: 

Italian Sausage, Peppers and Mushrooms over "Pasta" (S)
Yield: 4 generous servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. raw mild -or hot- (I use mild so my children can eat) Italian sausage (I use jennie-o Lean Turkey Italian Sausage)
• 1/2 large white onion (chopped)
• 1 large green bell pepper (seeded and cut into chunks)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
• 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano 
• 1/2 a can (14 oz.) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (undrained) - you can also use regular diced tomatoes.
• 1/4 tsp. salt (I use Himalayan Salt)- or to taste -
• roughly chopped fresh basil for garnish (optional)
• Grated/Shredded Parmesan Cheese For topping

Directions for Stove Top:

• Using a large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the sausages and turn occasionally making sure all sides are browned (this will take about 10-12 minutes). Stir in the oregano and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are translucent, add the garlic, stir and cook for about 2 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, mushrooms, season with salt, reduce heat to low and let it all simmer together while you cook the pasta (or cauliflower)

Directions for slow cooker: (I would double the recipe for the slow cooker)

• Using a large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the sausages and turn occasionally making sure all sides are browned (this will take about 10-12 minutes). Stir in the oregano and cook for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes with the juices, mushrooms and add some water (about 1/4 a cup), salt; simmer for 3 minutes.

In the bottom of a slow cooker arrange ONLY half of the onion-pepper mixture and then cover with half of the sausages and their sauce, cover with the rest of the onion-pepper mixture to form another layer and top it all with the rest of the sausage/sauce. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low.

Now... "The Pasta"

Instead of Pasta I use (for myself) steamed cauliflower (and then slightly "crushed" with a Potato Masher), while still hot I add some butter, garlic powder and salt to taste. I also use Roasted Spaghetti Squash (buttered as well and with garlic powder and salt)

For non-purists (I am not necessarily a purist but I am not fond of Frankenfoods if I can avoid them) but you could use 1 serving of Dreamfields Pasta) and still keep it an "S"

For a crossover for my family I use my very favorite (not-franken food) Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta but that's an E so if you are going to use it with this stew it would be a crossover (great for you but not weight loss inducing)  
 
Right before serving remove the sausage links from your stew and cut them on a cutting board (carefully, they are hot!), return them to the skillet or slow cooker and stir! Serve your "pasta", top with the Italian sausage and garnish with fresh basil (optional). Top with grated parmesan!

Enjoy!!!

Now... I can't promise I'll be blogging again too often too soon.... another discovery I made is that I don't actually have a desk! Our apartment had built in desks and shelves so I am typing right now with the computer on my dresser in my bedroom using a chair from my dining set... trust me... it's as uncomfortable as it sounds!

I'll be back as soon as I can!

© Paloma K.

Disclaimer: Some links in this post are affiliate links, this means that you pay the same price, but I also receive a very small compensation. I recommend products I have tried and love.

Stewed Sausage with Onions, Garlic and Peppers

Ah! Talk about comfort food! This weekend I decided to make it "extra special" when it comes to food! I just felt industrious and wanted to make something that would be extra warming and inviting... perfect to enjoy in a rainy day... but different from what I usually make...  at the same time I knew I would have busy days so I wanted to make something delicious, yes... but also practical and not too time consuming...

so... when I went to the store I decided to buy "Italian Sausage". I never buy that kind of thing so I knew it would definitely be a "twist" and something different from what I always cook... and ah! I am so happy I did... I also had some cookbooks from the library and I used them for inspiration to put this together... I hope you will try it and let me know how you liked it... This is something I am definitely going to be making again!

Stewed Sausage with Onions, Garlic and Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. raw sweet Italian sausage (in its casing)
• 3/4  lb. raw mild Italian sausage (in its casing) -you can buy the whole package with one pound and just leave one sausage out)
• 1 large white onion (chopped)
• 1 large green bell pepper (seeded and cut into chunks)
• 1 large yellow bell pepper (seeded and cut into chunks)
• 4 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
• 2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano 
• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 1 14 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• roughly chopped fresh basil for garnish

Directions:

In a big bowl mix the onions, green/yellow pepper and garlic. Set aside

• Using a very large skillet, heat the oil over med-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the sausages and turn occasionally making sure all sides are browned (this will take about 10-12 minutes). Stir in the oregano and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for a minute or two. Add the diced tomatoes with the juices, the water and the 1/4 tsp. salt; simmer for 3 minutes.

• In the bottom of a slow cooker arrange ONLY half of the onion-pepper mixture and then cover with half of the sausages and their sauce, cover with the rest of the onion-pepper mixture to form another layer and top it all with the rest of the sausage/sauce. Cover and cook for 4 hours on low. Serve and garnish with fresh basil. You can serve this with pasta or buttered egg-noodles with grated parmesan or just serve it in a bowl and enjoy with some delicious artisan bread. 

 Honestly... you will love me after you eat this! ;)



© Paloma K.

Potato and Corn Chowder with Fresh Avocado

 Hello! Here I am just real quick, like always, because I just can't find the time to blog consistently... Maybe some day ... when my girlies are older... we'll see... but I refuse to give up my blogging and sharing about cooking and baking... it's just part of what I love! So... today I am just wanting to share this delicious recipe that I recently stumbled upon.... see, I've been getting cookbooks from the library for inspiration... I can't afford to buy too many cookbooks neither I have the space to store them or have them around our apartment... So... I thought I could use the wonderful resource of the library to get cookbooks and get inspired... and it's great! If you're not doing it yet, I encourage you to do so!

So, I got this book called "Chicken for Dinner" by Williams-Sonoma, since chicken is definitely a staple, nothing could go wrong... except that the book constantly calls for wine in the recipes... and that was a turn off for me... We don't drink and I am not going to be buying wine just for cooking... right? especially because you do want good wine if you're going to cook with it and.... the fact that the book is called "chicken for dinner" for some reason gave me this idea that all ingredients would be pretty basic... maybe wine should be a basic? I don't know... I just know I am not buying wine... LOL! But... I was pleasantly surprised with simple, comforting, inexpensive and yummy recipes like the one I am sharing right now... ready? Here it goes...

Potato, Corn and Avocado Chowder
Adapted from "Williams-Sonoma: Chicken For Dinner"

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
2/3 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlice, minced
8 medium-large red potatoes peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
8 cups of chicken stock (or hot water mixed with about 3 tbsp. of chicken bouillion)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste (if you used chicken bouillion be really careful when adding salt as the chicken bouillion is salty by itself)
2 cups corn kernels (you can use frozen)
1 cup half and half
1 avocado (pit, peel and chop right before serving)

In a sauce pan over med-high heat, warm the olive oil. Once the oil is hotadd the onion and sautee until translucent (about 5 mins). Stir in the garlic and potatoes/sweet potato. Saute for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour stock or hot water and add half of the chopped cilantro. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling reduce the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for about 22 mins. Taste and season with some salt and pepper.

Add corn and half and half. Simmer for an additional 5 mins. and mash some of the potatoes if you want to thicken the soup a little bit more.

Ladle the chowder into soup bowls. Top with the avocado and remaining fresh cilantro (dividing it all evenly).

Enjoy!

Paloma.
© Paloma K.

Never too late for peach cobbler!

Well... on Monday I posted a great recipe with lots of "soul" ... and in the same "comfort food theme" today I am going to post a "Peach Cobbler" Recipe... it's really delicious and it's also from Allrecipes.com ... I made this one two weeks ago but I hadn't gotten to post about it, I thought it was so good that even when we are welcoming fall into our lives with arms wide open it's never too late to eat a good (or I should say great!) peach cobbler...

As you know... I am on vacations right now but "The Coffee Shop" is obviously open for business. I will try to stop by and comment and hopefully reply back as much as I can but just be patient if I am not visiting as often... I am enjoying an awesome vacation with my family and pictures of our trip will be coming! so ... once our vacation is over and we're back to our routines I'll be able to blog and post and comment as much as I love to! In the mean time please remember to add some coffee to any of your posts this week and link back to us so you can link up this Friday... oh yes! We are still having our Coffee Friday! And we will have a great featured blogger for it so do not miss it! (Grab our Coffee Friday Button on our right sidebar if you'd like to use it to promote this party... the more, THE MERRIER)

And now our recipe:

Southern Peach Cobbler
(Original from Allrecipes.com)

Ok, it's meant to say Peach, not Prach... Thank you! :P

Ingredients

Filling:

• 8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into med. sized wedges
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup boiling water

  Topping to sprinkle:

Mix together:

• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
4. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is dark golden, about 30 minutes.

 Enjoy!

© Paloma K.

It's all about comfort... at least the food it is!

Ok... So... By the time you read this we'll be enjoying some vacations with family and friends in Brownsville, Tx. I am writing this on Monday 9/10th and scheduling it to appear ... well.. now! LOL! It's almost like time traveling! How cool is that? Ok... it's not even close to time traveling... but it's still pretty neat to be able to schedule my posts and keep my friends that honor me with their presence here at The Coffee Shop

So... I found an amazing, amazing chicken recipe at Allrecipes.com ... The ingredients are very simple and inexpensive, I knew it sounded good when I found it but I had no clue how GREAT it would be!! It's really a keeper! I hope you enjoy it just as much as we did.

It's real Southern Food, a delicious dish right from the heart of Houston, Tx. I never thought I would love this that much... I hope you enjoy it too:

Serving Suggestion: Side of White or Brown Rice. It's delicious with mashed potatoes too. Cover rice with gravy from the chicken... YUM!

Soul Smothered Chicken 
(Slightly Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (separate drumsticks from thighs too, I even cut the thighs in two)
• About 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 big white onion
• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge in 3/4 cup flour, place in the skillet, and brown on all sides. Set chicken aside on paper towel to absorb the excess of grease, drain skillet, reserving about 1 tablespoon butter.
2. Reduce skillet heat to medium-low, and stir in onions, celery, garlic, and carrots. Cook 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in the flour, and cook 5 minutes more. Pour in the chicken broth, season with cayenne pepper, and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
3. Return chicken to the skillet, cover, and continue cooking 30 minutes, until chicken juices run clear and gravy has thickened.  

Enjoy!  Have a great week!

© Paloma K.

Old friends and Lighter Chicken and Biscuits

Hello everybody! I am sooo happy! It's almost Friday! If you know me then you know I am not someone who complains about Mondays and is only happy when it's Friday...  I actually love Mondays! It feels to me like they are always a good opportunity to do things differently, etc... but... this time I am super excited because tomorrow we'll have friends -who live far away- coming over! ... they've been my friends for so long! They are a couple (Tere and Daniel) ... I've known her since I was 12 and I know him since I was I think 15 or 16 ... it turns out that they have always been like a sister and a brother to me and then they got married! How cool is that? To have your best friends get married and you can keep talking and hanging out and just sharing the same memories, etc... I actually went with him to the jewelry when he was looking for an engagement ring for her about 16 years ago! WOW! then we continued to hang out in church and later on at work, Daniel and I worked at the same company together and when I lived the hardest times in my life they both were there for me, just like family!... and I think I am going to be grateful with them FOREVER! They now have 3 kids and I am sure you can imagine how THRILLED I am to think of our children playing together! Oh! Memories... sweet memories! So... they'll be spending the weekend with us!

.... and now... the recipe:

As good as sweet memories "  Lighter Chicken and Biscuits"
(Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart's recipes)

Inspired by southern comfort food. It's not exactly "low calorie" but it is still a healthier version.

Today is SIMPLE LIVES THURSDAY ... if you want to know more about it visit Diana's blog:  "A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa" go visit her and join her on this project! It is very cool! It's all about tips/recipes, etc... on living a "Simple (and wholesome) life" ... I hope you like it.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large egg white
• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 1 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk -You can use whole milk if you prefer-
• 5 carrots, thinly sliced
• 5 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg white, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 cup milk; add to flour mixture, and stir until moistened. Drop four 1/4-cup scoops of dough onto a baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, and onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; stir in remaining 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and thyme. Simmer until liquid is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, (add more liquid if too thick). Add chicken; simmer until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve chicken stew with biscuits.

So... to good friends! ... ENJOY!

 © Paloma K

Garlic Lovers' Pot Roast

First of all... did you enter my giveaway? I see that not many have entered yet... So there are lots of opportunities to win! Sometimes I want to give this gift to myself! LOL! ... I am giving away a $25.00 Starbucks Gift Card so click here to enter!

Yesterday I was surfing the web trying to find a "different way" to slow cook the Beef Chuck Roast I bought! I like buying this cut of meat because it is cheaper and you can still make wonderful things with it! I try to be very frugal when cooking and I also try to make healthy things! I know! You see lots of desserts posted here and sugary stuff... but the truth is that even when I love desserts I don't eat them (I used to but not any more.. or not as much as I did... don't take me wrong... I'd LOVE TO! but you can't eat all those delicious treats without your  body paying the price) Hubby, on the other hand, loves all desserts (not so much the fruity ones) and since I enjoy baking he is pretty much in paradise! Plus, he doesn't gain any weight, I envy him so much! I am so happy for him! So he eats as much as he wants! Anyway... here at home, the rest of us (my 2 girls and I) don't really eat much sugar... Natalia loves chocolate, but that's it, and just eats a little bit of chocolate occasionally... Karina, she doesn't eat any sugar or dessert, but they love LOVE vegetables! That's what they see as a "snack" you'll see Natalia asking for celery in the middle of the day! And I am all backwards! I almost have to say "eat your dessert or I won't give you any vegetables!" (LOL! j/k) So... that's pretty much us in this household! I have to be constantly buying vegetables! They just don't last! Even my omelette I eat for breakfast in the morning has green bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onions and sometimes chopped tomato!

So I was looking for a recipe and I came across an idea! I saw Chef Emeril encrusting GARLIC CLOVES in a 3.5 lb. cut of Beef Chuck Roast! I immediately knew I would love it! I thought it was too much garlic (even for my taste) but I decided to give it a try! And Am I happy I did? It was perfect! So I thought I would share MY VERSION of the original recipe by Chef Emeril with you!

See the Encrusted Garlic Cloves? This worked really great!

Garlic Lovers' Pot Roast 

Ingredients

• 1 (3-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
• 10  cloves of garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
•  About 2 teaspoons coarse salt (I use Kosher)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chopped white onion
• 3 peeled and chopped carrots
• 2-3 stalks of chopped celery
• 2/3 cup of low sodium chicken stock, I recommend Swanson! If you don't have low sodium chicken stock then use 1/2 Stock 1/2 water.
• 1 cup of red or white wine (I used white, you don't have to use wine, you can just use more chicken stock but wine really brings it to another level)

Directions

1. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, make 20 small evenly spaced slits about 1 1/2 inches deep all over the pot roast. Using your fingers, insert the garlic cloves as deep into the slits as possible. Season both sides of your roast with salt and pepper.
2. In a Dutch-oven (or big/heavy pot with tight lid), heat oil over high heat. Carefully add meat and sear on all sides until very well browned, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Add onion, carrots, celery, and 2/3 cup chicken stock and wine. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; cook until roast is very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, turning about 2 to 3 times. Add more water or wine, if desired, as needed so that there is always a little liquid in bottom of Dutch-oven. (If done in the oven, the temperature should be 300 degrees, and the roast should cook for 3 to 3 1/2 hours until tender.)
3. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Slice meat (or shred if preferred) and serve drizzled with pan juices.

Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and Enjoy!

© Paloma King