Tag: healthy

What’s For Dinner? Colorful Couscous

You know how you have your go-to recipes for quick dishes that are always reliably delicious. This one is one of mine. It is couscous with lots of veggies and flavor and it is SO easy, and healthy. Wanna give it a try? Here’s the recipe.

Recipe Video


Ingredients
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-4 bell peppers (use as many colors as you can)
-3 medium shallots
-2 tablespoons minced garlic (2 large cloves)
-1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
-1 egg (optional)
-1 cup couscous
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon pepper

Directions
1. Finely chop your bell peppers, shallots, and garlic.
2. On medium heat, put your extra virgin olive oil in a sautee pan. Add your chopped bell peppers and shallots and stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add your minced garlic and stir occasionally for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add your salt and pepper while veggies are sauteeing.
5. After 2-3 minutes, add your stock and turn the heat up to medium high until
boiling.
6. Add your couscous and turn the heat off. Stir to make sure the couscous is
evenly covered in the stock. Put a lid on, and let sit for 5-6 minutes.
7. Use a fork to fluff up the finished product and enjoy!
Bonus: Add a fried egg to the top to make it extra decadent. 

Colorful Couscous

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Mediterranean

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 bell peppers use as many colors as you can
  • 3 medium shallots
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or 2 tbsps minced garlic
  • 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 egg (optional)
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Finely chop your bell peppers, shallots, and garlic.
  • On medium heat, put your extra virgin olive oil in a sautee pan. Add your chopped bell peppers and shallots and stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add your minced garlic and stir occasionally for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Add your salt and pepper while veggies are sauteeing.
  • After 2-3 minutes, add your stock and turn the heat up to medium high until boiling.
  • Add your couscous and turn the heat off. Stir to make sure the couscous is evenly covered in the stock. Put a lid on, and let sit for 5-6 minutes.
  • Use a fork to fluff up the finished product and enjoy! Bonus: Add a fried egg to the top to make it extra decadent. 
Keyword colorful couscous, couscous, vegetables, recipe, amy westerman,

What’s For Dinner? Vegetarian Brazilian Stew Recipe

My friend, Cristianna taught me this recipe on a weekend get-away we had with our spouses. Since her wife is a vegetarian, all of the food we were cooking that weekend was meat-free. BUT this stew would have fooled me. Cristianna uses a meatless “chorizo” sausage that has amazing spicy flavor and a great, meaty texture. This, along with hearty black beans and sweet potatoes and then sweet mango makes this dish absolutely delicious!  Now, I make it all. the. time.

Here is the recipe video:

INGREDIENTS:
-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-1 lb chorizo sausage (vegetarian or the real thing)
-2 large sweet potatoes
-1 medium onion
-3 cloves garlic
-1 jalapeno
-2 bell peppers
-30 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
-32 ounces canned black beans
-1.5 cups broth (vegetable or beef)
-2 mangos
-1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
-salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite size, even pieces.
2. Chop the bell peppers and onion into small, even pieces.
3. Slice the jalapeño in half and remove the seeds, if you do not want
the stew too spicy. Or keep the seeds if you want a real kick. Finely chop the jalapeño.
4.  Peel and chop the mango into small, even pieces.
5. Mince the garlic cloves.
6. Roughly chop the cilantro.
7. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and chorizo.
Cook the chorizo, breaking it up, until cooked through.
8. Add the chopped sweet potatoes, onion, bell peppers, and
jalapeño. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes.
9. Add the minced garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
10. Add the crushed tomatoes and broth. Stir, cover, and let
cook for 15 minutes.
11. Rinse the black beans and add to the stew. Cook another 5-10
minutes, or until the beans are heated through.
12. Add the cilantro and give it a taste test. Add any salt or pepper
you may need here.
13. Add the mango, give it a stir, and serve it up!

If you ever try this recipe, let me know what you think!

Vegetarian Brazilian Stew

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine brazilian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb chorizo sausage I have used both vegetarian or the real thing- both are delicious!
  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 garlic cloves or 3 tbsps minced garlic
  • 1 jalapeño
  • 2 bell peppers any color you like!
  • 30 oz canned crushed tomatoes
  • 32 oz canned black beans
  • 1.5 cups broth (veggie or beef)
  • 2 mangoes
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite size, even pieces.
  • Chop the bell peppers and onion into small, even pieces.
  • Slice the jalapeño in half and remove the seeds, if you do not want the stew too spicy. Or keep the seeds if you want a real kick. Finely chop the jalapeño.
  • Peel and chop the mango into small, even pieces.
  • Mince the garlic cloves.
  • Roughly chop the cilantro.
  • Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and chorizo.Cook the chorizo, breaking it up, until cooked through.
  • Add the chopped sweet potatoes, onion, bell peppers, andjalapeño. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the minced garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes and broth. Stir, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes.
  • Rinse the black beans and add to the stew. Cook another 5-10minutes, or until the beans are heated through.
  • Add the cilantro and give it a taste test. Add any salt or pepperyou may need here.
  • Add the mango, give it a stir, and serve it up!
Keyword vegetarian, stew, healthy, recipe, amy westerman, brazilian, brazilian stew, vegetarian brazilian stew,