Very fast and yummy Chili

Recipe from Alton Brown
Cook time: 35 min 
  Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 pounds stew meat(beef, pork, and/or lamb)
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
• 1 (16-ounce) container salsa
• 30 tortilla chips
• 2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt. Set aside.
Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.
Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot.
Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately.

**My variation: Use the leanest beef/lamb  you can find and exclude the pork. Make sure to cut any visible fat off the meat. I use olive oil instead of peanut oil. If you don't know how to use a pressure cooker, this recipe is worth figuring it out, trust me !!!

I also use my fav Salsa...scroll down and low carb beer**

Delicious!!!

Skirt Steak Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Can substitute skirt steak for chicken or shrimp (see variation below).

Recipe by Bobby Flay

Cook time: 10 min

Level: Easy

Yield: 4 servings 

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly shredded
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, halved and diced
• Grilled Tomato Salsa, recipe follows
• 8 ounces sour cream

Directions

Heat grill to high.
Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and on the top rack of the grill while the steak is grilling.
Heat grill pan over high heat. Brush steak with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill on one side until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook to medium-rare doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes then slice against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Fill each tortilla with some lettuce, 3 to 4 pieces of meat, onion, grilled tomato salsa, sour cream, and avocado.

Note: Don't have access to a grill, broil the steak. Don't season the skirt steak with taco season (unless you want to)...it's yummy as is :) I don't use the canola oil. 

Grilled Tomato Salsa:

nocoupons

• 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing tomatoes
• 2 serrano chiles
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat grill to high.
Heat oil in a small saute pan and saute the chiles, onion, and garlic until soft.
Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until slightly charred and soft.
Transfer tomatoes and serrano mixture to a food processor; add the lime juice and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times (there should be flecks of cilantro in the salsa.) Transfer to a bowl.

**My version: Substitute the steak with chicken or shrimp to change things up! I usually use a low sodium pack of taco seasoning when I use shrimp or chicken.

Also note that I broil the tomatoes, instead of grilling them and I don't seed them to save time, and replace the sour cream with fat free plain yogurt.

If you have time, the tortillas taste amazing if you toast them a little under the broiler...When they start bubbling take them out. Use the smallest type of tortillas if you are aiming for low carb.

I sometimes substitute the lettuce for spinach to make it healthier :)**

Tacos 

Fluffy Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Recipe from Wholefoodsmarket.com

Serves 4

In these moist and tender pancakes, the cottage cheese adds quality calcium and protein. Serve with a bit of butter and maple syrup or, for a special treat, top with fig spread.

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
Canola oil cooking spray

Method

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cottage cheese, milk and oil. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and whisk until completely blended.

Spray a large skillet or griddle with cooking spray then heat over medium heat. Working in batches, form each pancake by spooning about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the skillet. Cook, flipping pancakes once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to plates and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 6.5oz/186g-wt.): 310 calories (120 from fat), 13g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 220mg cholesterol, 600mg sodium, 33g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 17g protein

**My version: I use whole wheat flour, don't add sugar, and sometimes use unsweetened soy milk. Instead of syrup, I use fruit sweetened fruit preserves (no sugar added) or fresh or frozen berries with some plain yogurt** This recipe says it serves 4 but at my house it serves 2 LOL!

Pancake recipe

Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi

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Times:

Prep

10 min

Inactive Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total:

35 min

Recipe of Alton Brown
Cook time : 15 min

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 5 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) coarsely ground, roasted macadamia nuts
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• Vegetable oil, for brushing foil
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together the nuts, panko, flour, and butter. Set aside.
Place a piece of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and brush it liberally with vegetable oil. Place the mahi mahi on the foil and sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper on both sides. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush each fillet with the coconut milk. Divide the nut mixture among the tops of the 4 fillets, patting the mixture to spread and adhere to the fillets. Return to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

**My version: make sure that the fillets of fish thin, reduce amount of butter used, and use lite coconut milk (I use more than just a brushing). If you can't find crushed macadamia nuts, the blender crushes them nicely.**
I adore this recipe!!! So yum!

Alton Brown's Macadamia Mahi

Healthy Version of Buffalo Wings! Best I have ever had

Alton Brown's Steamed Buffalo Wings
Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: 1 hr 0 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 1 hr 55 min

Ingredients
* 12 whole chicken wings
* 3 ounces unsalted butter
* 1 small clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup hot sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.

Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

**My version: I reduce the amount of butter for the sauce** Important: If you don't want the extra work of cutting the wings (which I don't), just use drumettes (mini drumsticks)!

Alton Brown's Recipe

Rick James - Mary Jane

My Motivation

My motivation for starting this blog --> I have a family reunion at a beautiful beach resort in a month and I'm trying my best to obtain the abs of my dreams before then! So I have decided to document my short journey so that I can replicate the results (or see what needs tweeking if I fail make them pop!)...
Feel free to comment or add your input, especially you ab veterans :)

This is for all of you out there that believe you have to eat disgusting foods in order to achieve your fitness goals, here's evidence that you don't! I'm going to post all my favorite recipes that are both healthy and tasty. Quality > quantity!