Broccoli, bison, macaroni casserole
Posted: December 19, 2011 Filed under: Food | Tags: balanced meals, cooking with bison, dinner recipes, eat healthy, fast easy dinner recipes, ground bison, healthy casserole, healthy dinner recipes, healthy macaroni and cheese, heart healthy dinner, low fat dinner, low fat recipes, low-carb recipes, nutrient dense, quinoa pasta, quinoa recipes 4 CommentsI love making casseroles during the holidays because they’re something simple in the midst of December madness.
Between baking cookies, shopping, decorating and wrapping presents, there isn’t much time left for extravagant dinners. Unfortunately, lack of time leads to poor nutritional choices, so I want to share a nutritionally balanced casserole recipe that’s so easy you could even pass the chef duties off to the house novice.
In this casserole, I’ve opted to use bison as my lean meat because bison are grass-fed and their meat is very nutrient-dense in proportion to the caloric value.
Another healthy choice is using quinoa elbow noodles instead of regular pasta. Quinoa pasta is higher in protein, fiber, calcium, iron and amino acids than regular pasta, and it’s also lower in sodium.
Finally, although the casserole is topped with cheddar cheese (Cheddar makes everything beddar, right?), the cheesy, creaminess inside comes from a mixture of diced tomatoes (any variety is fine, as long as there is no added salt) and light, swiss Laughing Cow cheese.
The combination of ingredients in this recipe give you the most nutrient-dense bang for your buck, without skimping on flavor. You’ve got your grain, your greens, lean protein and calcium, all in one yummy package.
Broccoli, bison, macaroni casserole
- 12 oz ground bison
- 8 oz frozen or fresh broccoli (pulsed in the food processor)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (drained) (added ingredients like basil, garlic, etc. are fine, but look for cans that read “no salt added”)
- 1/2 tsp season salt (such as Tony Chachere’s)
- 5 wedges of light, swiss Laughing Cow cheese
- 1/2 box of Quinoa elbow noodles
- 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar
Preheat oven to 400F. Boil water for pasta and cook according to box instructions. Spray a skillet with oil and cook bison. Add broccoli, tomatoes, season salt and laughing cow wedges. Cook until wedges are melted and add pasta. Mix well and pour into glass casserole dish. Top with grated cheddar and bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil and cook for another 2 minutes. Enjoy!
BBQ pork loin and cucumber, black bean, quinoa salad
Posted: August 13, 2011 Filed under: 24-Day Challenge Friendly Recipes, Food | Tags: bbq pork loin, black bean quinoa salad, black bean salad, cucumber salad, grill out, grill recipes, grilled pork loin, healthy dinner recipe, heart healthy dinner, high protein dinner, low carb dinner, low carb dinners, low fat dinner recipe, quinoa recipes, quinoa salad 1 CommentHere’s a delicious, healthy recipe for you. It’s full of the things your body needs, and light on what it doesn’t. This dish has protein, loads of veggies, whole grain, citrus and fiber, while budgeting fat, sodium and sugar content. The bit of kick is an added bonus for your metabolism and circulation, if you can take the heat.
This meal is easy to make and convenient to prepare since you can make the salad ahead of time and let it chill while the pork marinates, leaving only the final step of grilling the pork loin. I knew I’d be in the gym all day, so it was nice to have almost everything done already when I got home. We will definitely be adding this one to the dinner rotation.
Pork loin rub
- 0.3-0.5lb/pp pork loin
Ingredients below are per each pound of pork loin.
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 2-3 tsp olive oil (just enough to make a paste)
Cucumber, black bean, quinoa cold salad
- 1 chopped cucumber
- 1 chopped shallot
- 1 chopped, seeded red pepper
- 1 diced, seeded tomato
- 1 chopped avocado (optional)
- Juice of one lime
- 1 can rinsed, drained black beans
- 1 cup prepared quinoa
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp agave nectar or honey
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp pepper