Chunky Sweet Potato Stew a.k.a. Dragon Stew

I got this recipe from Joel Fuhrman's "Eat for Health: Book Two". It was quick and easy to make but I knew the boys were going to take one look and throw a fit. They did.

But with much bribery ("No Crystal Light until your food is gone!") and coercion, they tried it, and actually sorta liked it, both finishing their whole bowl!!! VICTORY!

(Although Sam would only take a bite along with a bite of toast and Max said "It was good but I don't want it again." Hmmpf. I'm totally making it again..)

Here it is:

Chunky Sweet Potato/Dragon Stew

Serves: 2 - Prep Time: 25 minutes (It served 5 the way I made it. And it was super good served with toasted Rudi's Organic, 7 Grain with Flax bread!)

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, thickly sliced (I will dice it smaller next time. The boys didn't like the stringy onions)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes with juice (low or no salt) (I used no-salt petite diced tomatoes)

1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (Mine was super large!)

1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans or white kidney beans (low or no salt), drained. (I used the whole can.)

3/4 tsp dried rosemary (Didn't have any. Left it out.)

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds, or cut into bite-sized pieces

black pepper, to taste

Mrs. Dash seasoning, to taste

Since I used a HUGE sweet potato and the whole can of beans, I needed a little more liquid. So I added half a can of low sodium chicken broth.

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes, until slightly softened, separating slices into rings. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Mix in stewed tomatoes with juice, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans and rosemary. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season to taste with pepper and/or Mrs. Dash.

One Serving Contains (if you follow the original recipe exactly...)

Calories: 286.5; Protein 9g: Carbohydrate 48g; Fat 8.5g; Sodium 73.1mg

Enjoy eating a healthy, flavorful meal with no guilt!!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Tastes like it came from your favorite Americanized Chinese restaurant!

(Warning: NOT HEALTHY!!! NOT for every day consumption!!!)

3 lbs. Chicken sprinkled with garlic salt

(I usually cut it into smaller strips.)

Dip in cornstarch and then beaten egg. Fry in oil until golden brown (not done) and place in 9x13 baking pan. Mix ingredients for sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1.5 cups sugar

1/2 cup vinegar (I use Apple Cider Vinegar)

4 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Pour sweet and sour sauce over the meat and bake at 350 for 1 hour being careful not to burn sauce.

Snobby Joes

They're better than the rest of the Joe's.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked lentils

4 cups water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

1/2 -1 Green bell pepper, diced small (Really small)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chili powder (more to taste)

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey, in a pinch)

1 Tbsp yellow mustard (If you like gross things. I personally leave it out.)

Whole Wheat rolls or hamburger buns

Directions

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.

Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and mustard (yuck) and heat through.

Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes so that the flavors can meld. Or eat immediately if you can't wait.

Chicken Gyro's

Courtesy of my friend Jenni who adapted it from Epicurious.

1 - 2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 - 1.5 t. dried oregano
juice of 1 lemon
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 t. fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Add all of the above to chicken, stir and marinate at least 1 hour, can do overnight. If you want to grill, it works great on the grill. Otherwise heat large skillet to medium high and cook until cooked through. Serve with tzatziki in pita bread. I used to make my own tzatziki, but Fage does a pretty good job.

Nice and easy!

Taco Stuff

It was a typical foggy cold day in San Francisco. I was pondering what to make for dinner and had a sudden craving for something I hadn't had in years. Something my mom made whenever we had company in town. I quickly called for the recipe and put the ingredients on the shopping list. A few days later, I had TACO STUFF! The next afternoon, Doug took a plate out in the courtyard in family housing and our neighbor Marissa demanded a bite. It wasn't long before the meal became famous. It is still sometimes referred to as "Marissa's Taco Stuff."


1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 - 1 onion
1 large can Tomato Juice
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (optional)
1-2 can(s) beans, drained (I like black beans)
1 can corn, drained (optional)
1/4-1/2 cup taco seasoning (to taste)
(McCormick Seasoning is the best in this case!  The others have lots of fillers.  I use one or two packets per batch.)


Cook the ground beef with onion and salt and pepper to taste. Dump it in a large pot. Continue to dump; tomato juice, sauce, tomatoes, beans, corn, and taco seasoning. Here's how I know I've added enough seasoning: It doesn't taste like tomato juice anymore. After that it's a matter of taste.
Next: bring it to a boil then turn down to med/low and let simmer. You can simmer it anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. My mom liked to leave it simmering on the back of the stove all afternoon. When you're ready to eat, serve it over chips. Top with shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, olives, green onions, etc. Yum!