Fitness Food and You

Who said that all Thanksgiving dishes need to be rich, and unhealthy? This sweet potato dish has great kick to it and is delicious! You won’t even miss the marshmallows! It’s also an easy recipe to double or triple…….YUM!

ingredients  (serves 4)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce, chopped

1 teaspoon adobo sauce, from the pepper can

directions

Put the sweet potatoes in a steamer basket and put the steamer in a large pot of simmering water that is 1 inch from the bottom of the basket. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.

Remove the steamer basket, pour the water out of the pot and dump the sweet potatoes into the pot. Add the butter and salt and mash with a potato masher. Add the chili and sauce and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately.

(Recipe found on foodnetwork.com)

If you’re not familiar with the Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummon), she is on the Food Network. She has interesting recipes that I usually have to modify for health reasons. In this recipe, she used  3/4 cup of butter. I thought I could get away with a lot less and so I used 1/4 cup and found it to be just fine! This roasted chicken recipe has just 4 ingredients and is delicious beyond words!

ingredients

1 whole Chicken, Rinsed And Patted Dry (3-4 lbs)

¼  cup Butter, Softened

3 whole Lemons

4 sprigs Rosemary

directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (convection bake. If you’re using a standard oven, you can do 425.)

Zest two of the lemons. Strip the leaves off of one of the rosemary sprigs and chop it up finely.

In a bowl, combine softened butter, lemon zest, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.

Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and lay the patted-dry chicken on the foil, breast side up.

Use your fingers to smear the butter mixture all over the chicken, under the skin, and inside the cavity. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken. Place the six lemon halves (if they’ll fit!) and the three remaining rosemary leaves into the cavity of the bird.

Place the chicken into the oven and roast it for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until done. Skin should be deep golden brown and juices should be sizzling.

Carve/cut up to your heart’s content and dig in!

(Adpated from a recipe found on thepioneerwoman.com)

I know that you might be rolling your eyes at this recipe because of the cauliflower crust. However, if you are trying to cut back on carbs, this really is a great alternative. You can load up your pizza with even more veggies!   I added peppers, mushrooms and onions. YUM!

ingredients

Nonstick spray

2 ½ cups cauliflower, grated (about ½ a large head)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup tomato sauce

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

2 cloves garlic, sliced

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh basil leaves

directions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 425ºF.

Grate the cauliflower using a box grater until you have two cups of cauliflower crumbles. Place in a large bowl and microwave for seven to eight minutes, or until soft. Remove from the microwave and let cool.

Mix in the egg, ¾ cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Once combined, pat into a 10-inch round on the prepared pizza pan. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

Top the pizza with the sauce, ¼ cup mozzarella, grape tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bake in the oven until melted and bubbly, another 10 minutes. Top with basil before serving.

(Adapted from a recipe found on http://www.popsugar.com)