Guest Chef Time!

by

Heather is a new blogger & has generously made time to share her foodwisdom with the MizFits as well.

Please to read, enjoy, & git on over and say hello!

Growing up as a teenager in a very ‘Meat and Potatoes’ family, it is (isn’t?) surprising that in my adult life, two things I rarely prepare for meals are (a) meat or (b) potatoes. My parents, neither of them with greater than a high school education (dad got his GED the same year I graduated high school), worked very hard to make ends meet. We lived outside of the city, as your typical lower-middle-class Canadian family. That being said, fresh veggies and fruit were considered ‘treats’ and the bulk of our meals were made up of various forms of beef, pork, chicken (again, as a treat), starchy vegetables that they grew and kept all winter in the basement, and canned / boxed goods. (I.e: processed)

Comments from my mother growing up (any of these sound familiar?):

– “There’s nothing wrong with that fat! Fat is good for you!” (whilst trimming fat from my pork chops)

– “There’s something wrong with you – are you turning into one of those anorexics?” (while refusing gravy on my roast beef or turning down the tablespoon of butter for my corn)

The point I’m trying to make, and why I feel compelled to share that particular aspect of my childhood and early adulthood, prior to going into some of my favourite recipes, is that although good (modern, if you will) eating habits were not instilled in me – as they may not have been for many of you – that I have been able, though forums like this one, great friends, cookbooks, television, and experimentation, to learn about how truly satisfying good, clean food can be and how much fun it can be to prepare for yourselves, your loved ones, and your friends.

I’ve thrown together a smattering of my favourite ’30 minute’ meals (Fairly balanced, and all under 400 calories) for two.

~Heather Anne

So on to the recipes, I’ve literally got hundreds, however here are two of my favourites for summer:

Shrimp, Easy Stuffed Tomatoes and Green Vegetables

Serves: 2 / Calories: 300 / Fat: 8g (not counting mozzarella cheese)

You’ll need:

– 16 – 20 large peeled and defrosted raw shrimp. (I like the 21 – 25/lb count size from Costco / Sam’s Club. (8 is a perfect size for a meal at ~ 130g)

– 2 Large Tomatoes

– ¼ cup dry Whole Wheat Couscous

– ½ cup chopped up (fine) vegetables – I like red or yellow pepper, onion, mushroom – whatever’s in the fridge

– 1 cup chopped, washed spinach

– Green Vegetables (Side Dish) – 20 asparagus spears, 2 cups zucchini rounds, 2 cups green or yellow beans – whatever you like!

– 1 clove garlic

– 1 tbsp olive oil

– 2 tbsp parmesan cheese

– 1 oz part-skim mozzarella, feta, or cheddar cheese

– 1 tbsp calorie-wise marinade (if desired)

– ¼ cup water

– A broiler pan

– One saucepan / shallow pot

– Oven

– Wooden skewers (if desired)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare couscous according to package directions. Generally: boil ¼ cup water, mix in ¼ cup dry couscous, remove from heat and cover 5 minutes until done.

3. Meanwhile, wash your shrimp, lightly marinade with 1 tbsp calorie-wise (under 40 cals/tbsp) marinade and skewer if desired. Reserve for later.

4. Trim asparagus, snap beans, or slice zucchini, lightly coat with ½ tbsp olive oil. Reserve for later.

5. Carefully cut out the core of the tomatoes, and using a spoon, hollow out the interior of each tomato. Reserve any fleshy tomato pieces and discard the seeds.

6. Chop / dice your other vegetables and combine with the reserved tomato pieces.

7. Remove couscous from pot or saucepan – reserve in a bowl until used.

8. Sauté diced vegetables (from step 6) in ½ tbsp olive oil with 1 clove of garlic in the pot used to prepare the couscous. When soft, add the couscous, chopped spinach, and 1 tbsp parmesan cheese. Stir well.

9. Once heated through, stuff each tomato cavity with the couscous/vegetable filling. Top with additional parmesan cheese and/or shredded mozzarella/feta/cheddar.

10. On a broiled pan, line up vegetables, tomatoes and shrimp. Pepper lightly all over.

11. Cook at 350 degrees 10 – 15 minutes or until shrimp are cooked. Broil an additional 2 minutes if desired.

Portobello Mushroom Quesadilla

Portobello’s are a delicious, healthy, and low-calorie replacement for meat in many recipes. My favourite uses are as ‘burger patties’ on the BBQ and as a substitute for chicken in this recipe.

Serves: 2 / Calories: 350

You’ll need:

– 1 large Portobello mushroom or 2 medium-sized, sliced into strips.

– 2 Whole Wheat Pita’s, split or 4 soft-shell wheat (reduced cal) tortillas. I use the 5-6″ size.

– Tomato, diced

– Onion, peppers, zucchini pieces (whatever you have available), diced or sliced into thin strips

– 2 oz reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, grated. (approx: 2/3 cup)

– Steak Spice or other spices

– Becel 0 Calorie Spray

– Fresh Salsa and Fat Free Sour Cream

– A frying pan

– BBQ or Oven

Directions:

  1. If baking in the oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Otherwise, preheat and scrape BBQ.
  2. Grate cheese, and chop vegetables.
  3. On the stove top, sauté chopped vegetables (except tomato) and Portobello mushroom slices with steak spice or other seasoning in a few sprays of 0 Calorie Becel Spray. Remove from heat once softened.
  4. On ½ of each of the tortillas or pita shells sprinkle 1/6 cup of mozzarella cheese. Top with cooked vegetables and mushrooms, and top with diced tomatoes. Diving remaining cheese over the vegetables and place the 2nd half of the pita or 2nd tortilla shell.
  5. Bake in a 350 oven until cheese bubbles, broil for an additional 2 – 3 minutes.
  6. Alternatively, cook at medium heat on the BBQ for 8-10 minutes, carefully flipping half way.
  7. Serve with salsa and fat free sour cream for dipping.
  8. Serve with fresh salad greens and other fresh, local vegetables for a light summer meal.

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Comments

  2. while it still isnt popular Im dont fret a BIT about fat (ok, I do cast an eye toward lessening the transfats—Im not crazy :)).

    my day is filled with flax, chia, lots of nuts, lots of fatty fishes etc.

    Im with ya Hangry!

    Miz.

  3. Why is it I love Guest Chef time so much, but am way too lazy to actually make any of the gorgeous recipes?

    Wish there was a way we could incorporate Guest Chef Feedback so we could see other people giving them a go? I bet the Guest Cheffer would love to see their thoughts in action.

    TA x

  4. Fat isn’t only good for you … it’s absolutely necessary for good health. With that said, like everything else, it’s all about quality (not all fats are created equal). The focus should be on healthy omega-3 fats such as fish, nuts, seeds, flax and olive oil. Transfat – blah. It’s a killer.

    That Shrmip dish may be my dinner tonight! Sounds yummy.

    Susan
    http://www.catapultfitnessblog.com

  5. Cooking – not one of my fortes. A freidn gave me a cookbook for my slow cooker with health meal recipes. I really need to crack it open and adventure…

  6. GOOD POINT TA. many people return later to the post to comment about their own experiences with the dishes—-I may start featuring those insights as well!

    people also email *me* (which now Im thinking I mightshould forward to the chefs. I do. when I remember ;)) about their escapades (good and bad) in the kitchen with guest chef recipes.

    and Donnalouise? im with you, Sister.
    precisely why Im the CHEF POST WRITER once every six or eight months.

    Miz.

  8. full disclosure (please to remember this CLICK HERE):

    Ive eaten meat of unknown origin whilst in africa .
    Ive never ever eaten a mushroom.

    Miz.

  11. While I realize this totally isn’t the point of the post…Heather, I just have to say how awesomely cool I think it is that your Dad got his GED the year you graduated. That just gives me chills…I am very impressed with his courage and desire to better himself – it would be hard, I think, to do that when you have a senior in high school! 🙂

    Okay, now on to the actual post –

    I could NOT agree more. So many of us were not taught to eat in what we now know is a healthy manner. Our parents were doing the best they could – meat and potatoes used to be considered good, healthy, solid fare – but they honestly didn’t know any better. BUT – we do NOT have to be defined by what happened in our childhood. In this, as in so many other things, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to take control of our own choices and our own lives, to educate ourselves and to find new ways of doing things that allow us to thrive.

    What a great message. And, of course, delicious-sounding recipes! I can’t wait to try the mushroom quesadillas – I love mushrooms.

    Thanks for sharing, Heather!

    V.

  12. Me again. Have to add, I agree that fats are absolutely necessary – but yeah, it’s the type of fat that’s important. The fat on the pork chop, personally, I agree needs to go. That just makes me shudder, thinking about it. I’ve never understood how people can eat pork rinds…gah. Now, I can eat almonds all day…and I love me my EVOO, thank you Rachel Ray. 🙂

    Okay, shutting up. I’m very ramble-y today…somebody ban me or something…

    V.

  13. oh V, we HEARTeth yer rambles.

    and I thought the same thing about the GED.

    talk about a role model for tenacity, perseverance, and strength.

    Miz.

  14. Move over Rachel Ray…there’s a new healthy 30-minute meal maker in town! The quesadillas sound wonderful.

    And I’m kind of lucky in that I grew up in a house that had a lot of fresh fruits and veggies around. My mom would routinely give me a whole green pepper or cucumber to snack on and I loved it. I know, I’m not normal. 🙂

  15. Great recipes! Thanks Heather and MizFit.

    Growing up, about 75% of our meals were prepared in the Fry Daddy. Remember those? Gawd, how in the world I wasn’t overweight, I will have no idea.

  16. ID FORGOTTEN ABOUT THOSE, Robin.

    we had em all. the Daddy. the Baby. the whole FRYnine.

    now? they make a Cool Daddy. seen it?

    for those fried food longings where you dont wanna burn the crap outta your hands.

    so wrong. and yet so right now that I am wondering if I could do my own fairfood (read: deep fried oreo) in there.

    Damn you, Robin!

    But everything in *moderation* right?

    Miz.

  17. What a terrific reminder that our tastes need not be set in stone. Gives me hope yet for my less-healthy loved ones– I’ll keep gently trying. The good news? I’m pretty sure they’ll eat ANYTHING with shrimp in it. 🙂

    And I’m now a vegetarian, but I admit– when I was a kid, the ONLY part of meat I liked was the “white part”.

  18. oops. i’m really embarrassed because any real vegetarian is going to call me out for the fact that i refer to myself as veg but EAT SHRIMP and other living creatures of the sea. sorry, truly ethical people…

  19. Both of those sound really yummy.

    I gave up red meat a while back, but when I heard “meat and potatoes”, I thought of this beef stew my mom makes (it also has carrots and peas and some other veggies) and went “mmmmm”

  20. Im off BUT youre in good company TFH!

    they can go hang with the people who life to frequently & loudly inform me I really do NOT eat clean.

    at all.

    we do what we can.
    or what we want (wink)
    either way.

    Miz.

  22. Mmmm… those portabello mushroom quesadillas are right up my alley! Thanks heather!

    And tfh – I consider myself a “vegaquarian”. I am a vegetarian who eats some fish and seafood. Go shrimp!

  23. Love the post – thank you MizFit.
    As a “vegetarian” (who eats fish), it is a challenge to not overeat carbs and I love to find new, healthy, balanced recipes. I will definitely try both of these fab recipes.

  24. Ok, these all look good. Here’s my problem, I could follow the recipes to a tee but it won’t taste as good as when my wife cooks it following the same recipe…

  25. it’s the <3 chris.

    your wife's special ingredient is <3.

    (cue sentimental music & a magnificent moving montage of loving ChrisandWifeMoments)

    Miz.

  26. No! It’s too hot here to cook. We can’t turn the oven on! Sweat sweat sweat!!!

    Great recipe, however! I’ll save it for when the temperature drops below boiling 🙂

  27. I’m always interested to hear about what people ate growing up vs. what they eat when they start cooking for themselves. Some people stick to what they grew up with, while others go in the opposite direction.

  28. Thanks for the tomato idea, I always think to make stuffed bell peppers, but not so much with the tomatoes… maybe because they are smaller and when I make stuffed peppers I try to find the biggest peppers I can! But, this is great because many a people in my life are not so much bell pepper people!

    no mushrooms miz? thats shocking, like people who have never had avocado! Are you allergic? Just never had the opportunity? grossed out by fungi? do tell…

  29. i’ve never done a portobello quesadilla, but i’ve made a portobello sandwich before. mmm, mushrooms.

    and yeah, you need some fats in you. my mom (who so still goes by the meat-and-potatoes-and-thinks-corn-is-a-veggie-even-though-it’s-technically-a-starch philosophy for the most part) saw some woman in the grocery store with a young, young child (like 3-yrs-old young) stocking up on fat-free milk and all this other low-fat food, discounting the fact that kids NEED fats in their early years for development. she said something to the woman (… out of line imho but ONLY because she was still working) and the woman got all huffy.

    geez, poor kids. i’ve already run into some kids with early health problems because of not eating, well, for lack of a better word, NORMAL foods in their early years.

  30. Are you allergic? Just never had the opportunity? grossed out by fungi? do tell…


    sadly it’s just a thing.

    Ive looked at em.

    forked em.

    never ever once wanted to pop em in my piehole.

    that said, I totally pretend to eat em in front of the Tornado.

  32. Thanks for 2 great recipes- I will definitely try the shrimp (once I get a new oven), and I think the Hubs would actually eat it! The mushroom quesadillas sound tasty, too, as we are big fungus fans in my house.

    Thanks Heather!! (and of course you, too, MizFit!)

  33. For better (methinks lol) I am slowly becoming a MizFit.

    And by this I mean I stand in my kitchen and eat tuna straight out of the can.

    And weather looks from my parents about how weird I am.

    Chocolate-dipped, fried oreos? Nay, chocolate-dipped, fried TUNA.

    😛

  36. I haven’t made the couscous stuffed tomatoes in ages, thanks for reminding me to add this to the rotation. The portabella quesadillas sound divine! Thanks for sharing Heather with us Miz 🙂

  39. Miz – I can’t believe you won’t pop one in your pie-hole! Come on….try one. For me? *wheedling voice*
    (sheesh, it would be just my luck you’d be allergic….okay, never mind)

    I have to take exception to some of the commenters who have said there is something wrong with meat and potatoes. Truly, they served our ancestors well – some of us wouldn’t even be here if it hadn’t been for the lowly potato (Irish, anyone?) so don’t diss ’em.

    If you must diss something, pick on the processed crap that so many people are mistakenly convinced is better for them than meat and spuds. Excuse me, but I’d rather eat my home-grown beef with home-grown veggies any day, than packaged stuff with an “expiry” date 3 years hence!!!

    Okay, climbing off my soapbox and scurrying away….

  41. Recipes sound devoon! Will have to substitute the shrimp for something else, maybe scallops? fresh crab meat? My love affair with shrimps ended after childbirth. I have no idea why, but they make me wanna *blech* now. 🙁 But I LOVE mushrooms!

    Me? I grew up on Hungry Man TV Dinners & Chef Boy’ardee…anyone?

  43. I wish “guest chef” meant that she was at my house cooking up those yummy recipes!
    I agree that fresh foods are where it’s at! Actually, fresh potatoes would be better for me than the boxed couscous (although I love couscous!)

  45. It is very hard to break out of the “meat and potatoes” mindset. But, when you do, the meal is always fresher, better, healthier and more fulfilling. Thanks for the recipes!

  46. Oh…I run the spectrum. We had a week of bulgur/lentil salad, crimini quinoa risotta (that would make you a convert, Miz!), and other veggie delights, and last night was pork roast with gravy, broccoli, and mashed (garden grown!) taters (which my 10 year old is now scarfing). I grew up eating fast and processed food as my mother did not want to cook, so my backlash is to cook all the time.

    Tuna from the can? eek! It needs olive oil, tomato, capers and kalamatas… (can you tell who has NOT had breakfast?)

    Fitarella, macaroni and cheese, canned stew, and fruit float?

    : )

  47. Great looking recipes. I love couscous!!!! My family was the opposite. Total health nuts, I thought as a child. Spaghetti squash substituted for noodles, and so on. When I flew the coop, I totally rebelled and shoveled in bad fats by the pound! I gained like 30 lbs in 4 months! It took me almost 20 yrs to figure out it wasn’t good for anyone’s body, thin or fat! Man, I was a dummy 🙁

    I am a big fan of healthy fats now too. Love flax in my oatmeal nearly every morning and the family is big fish fans 🙂 I am the only one who like mushrooms……hubby claims to be allergic 😉

  50. vegaquarian – I love that! Although lately I’ve been eating chicken and turkey again, and a lot. I’m too lazy to be vegetarian.

    Meat and potatoes – totally how I grew up. “Vegetable” meant something from a frozen bag or can microwaved then covered in margarine.

    I had to relearn how to eat well about 5 years ago, when pregnant with my first son. I’m not perfect, but much, much better. And my mom and I can almost never eat the same meals now (with the possible exception of cheese fries, which I find impossible to pass up, but only eat a couple times a year).

  52. Oh, and I used to HATE and be terrified of mushrooms. Then I started to like them, but now I’m allergic or something (getting tested next week), and can’t eat them. So maybe you are better off not even trying.

  54. The portabella recipe sounds divine. I can’t wait to try it.

    I am a veg about 85% of the time but I grew up with meat and I love it too much to avoid it all the time, even though I know that it is bad for me. So now I allow myself one meal a week where I can have meat and the rest of the time I stick to my CSA box and cheese! I never have been able to stop eating cheese. Which accounts for the other 10 of the 15% non veg time.

    I grew up on government commodities boxes and donuts from the bakery that my mom worked at. Not exactly a recipe for healthy living. Although ironically I still live off of stuff from a box. Go figure.

    Jenn

  57. Thanks for the recipes!
    I wanted to comment on the whole “there is nothing wrong with this fat!” thing. While my mom is the equivalent of nutritional perfection, my dad and his family, not so much so.
    They grew up on a farm where sometimes, they had to live very very lean. Cutting off the fat from one’s meat was a huge loss of very much needed calories. My dad, to his day, cannot stand when any of us (including my mom) cuts the fat off. He eats his, and usually ours too. Though we live in a society where food is abundant and we can cut out those less than healthy food sources, some people who have known times where things weren’t so might have a hard time understanding being picky.

  58. I’m so impressed, Miz, that you’ve never eaten a mushroom.

    It took me a long, long time to be willing to eat a mushroom. I truly believe this is because when we were growing up my sister used to eat Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup all the time and I thought it was disgusting.

    As I approached adulthood, I felt pressured to acquire a taste for them, which I eventually did, starting with having them on pizza (the canned kind), in which case you got credit for eating them but the taste was totally covered up. Then I started using the canned kind in recipes, then graduating to fresh mushrooms (sauteed) on pizza, and then they just sort of seemed like a good thing. I can even eat them raw in salads. But I’m still not into any exotic stuff–I get freaked out by the little floppy black things in hot and sour soup.

    Also a bit put off by portabella, BUT I have to say I had one of the best dishes I’ve ever had in my life at a party not long ago: Portabella ravioli in cream sauce. (Wonder how many calories that was? It tasted like it was at least 2400.)

  59. “how truly satisfying good, clean food can be and how much fun it can be to prepare”.

    This is so true.

    The notion that healthy food can’t be as tasty, or as satisfying, as junk food or as fatty food, is SO WRONG.

  62. I grew up meat and potatoes, but went vegetarian two years ago. It has been an interesting and fun experience learning to eat again! As a very basic rule, you can go with a plate of starch-and-two-veggies instead of meat-potato-veggie when trying to plan a meal the old fashioned way.

    I’ve learned to cook (at least a LOT better than before) and sometimes I even enjoy it. The healthiest part is just not being able to go through the drive thru for dinner all the time!

    And yes, it does bother some vegetarians that others include fish or are less strict (only if they still claim to be veg/use that label). It’s mostly because when I go to a restaurant and need help finding something on the menu that is veg, servers and cooks just assume I’ll eat it with chicken broth or fish paste in it (hard to tell by looking or by reading the menu), just because the last person who ate there said she was veg and was ok with it. Eat what you want–but it helps us to draw that distinction in the label!

  63. It’s mostly because when I go to a restaurant and need help finding something on the menu that is veg, servers and cooks just assume I’ll eat it with chicken broth or fish paste in it (hard to tell by looking or by reading the menu), just because the last person who ate there said she was veg and was ok with it.
    ———-

    Amy? SUCH A GOOD POINT and one, since Im not vegetarian, Id never even considered.

    thanks,

    Miz.

  64. These sound tasty! Thanks for the recipes! Thing 1 and Thing 2 (my youngsters) would balk, but that’s why they make cheese sticks and baby carrots, right?

  70. It’s mostly because when I go to a restaurant and need help finding something on the menu that is veg, servers and cooks just assume I’ll eat it with chicken broth or fish paste in it (hard to tell by looking or by reading the menu), just because the last person who ate there said she was veg and was ok with it.
    ———-

    Amy? SUCH A GOOD POINT and one, since Im not vegetarian, Id never even considered.

    thanks,

    Miz.

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