Vegan Crock Pot Bolognese Sauce
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As I get older, the less I care about new years resolutions. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of having something to work for in a new year, but I don’t like the rigidness of resolutions. People get so down when they don’t accomplish what they promised they would on January 1st, and then quickly revert back to their old ways. I don’t think life should be so black and white. If you don’t lose 10 pounds by February, don’t give up your weight loss goals entirely. Celebrate the little successes you’ve had and continue to work to a better you.
That’s what I believe in, at least. Even though I don’t set my own resolutions, January is a very inspiring month. Even if you’re not setting a goal to lose weight, get in better shape, workout more or eat better, it’s hard not to feel the excitement as others around you try their best to better themselves. This is why I was incredibly excited to be chosen by Del Monte to participate in their Garden in Your Pantry: New Year New You campaign. They asked 18 fabulous healthy food bloggers to use one of Del Monte’s farm fresh ingredients to make a healthy, delicious and good-for-you meal to kick start your healthy new year. Unlike many other canned food companies, Del Monte only uses real ingredients. And what’s more exciting and inspiring than using something that tastes like you just plucked it from the ground yourself? Truthfully, my pantry is always filled with Del Monte’s diced tomatoes, so I instantly knew what I was going to make: bolognese sauce!
I’m trying to eat less meat so I went the vegan route with this, using my favorite meat substitute, gimme lean. You can add in any lean ground beef, lamb, pork or turkey if you’d like and get a similar sauce. What I love SO much about this sauce is how easy it is. Seriously. Just toss your ingredients into the crock pot, let them cook to perfection for 6 hours and then pour over your favorite noodles. I’m not kidding, it’s that easy. And since we’re all running around like crazy people trying to get our lives back after the holidays, I know easy is a must have on many people’s lists these days 🙂
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be hard, expensive or overly complicated, and this recipe is proof of that. With delicious recipes like this vegan crock pot bolognese sauce, I don’t think there’s any excuses on why you can’t stick to your healthy eating resolutions.
Vegan Crock Pot Bolognese Sauce
Serves about 8
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 14 ounces Gimme Lean ground beef style
- 14 ounces Del Monte diced tomatoes
- 14 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the Gimme Lean ground beef style and break it up with a spatula. Heat until crumbled and cooked, about 6 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
- Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Serve over spaghetti or your favorite noodles.
Nutritional information per serving (1/2 cup sauce):
Calories: 125.5
Fat: 3.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 6.5 grams
Fiber: 1.5 grams
Protein: 7 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 3
Now, a chance to win a $100 Visa giftcard! Simply answer THIS question in the comments below!
“What are your favorite fruits or vegetables to stock in your pantry?”
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This giveaway will run from 1/6/2014-2/6/2014.
Claire
Tags:bolognese recipes, crock pot recipes, healthy recipes, vegan pasta, vegan recipes
Guilt free Pasta Alfredo
Is it just me, or did this year really just start off on the WRONG foot? Everything that can possibly go wrong these past 6 days has and I’m on the verge of throwing in the towel and running away for about 2 months. Maybe to Fiji or something?
I know, total Debbie Downer today, but I’ve just had really bad days. And I’m SICK OF IT! I mean, I had a fire last year, isn’t that enough? Can’t I have a decent, non-life shattering year without anything horrible happening? Is that just too much to ask?
Ugh. Let’s change topics before I start bawling again. Let’s talk about something that’s amazing and actually makes me forget about the bad stuff around me, and that is this guilt free pasta alfredo. When I asked my friends on Facebook what they wanted to see today, pasta was the overwhelming winner. And I totally don’t blame you Facebook friends. When asked if I’d rather have a big bowl of pasta and say, a muffin, pasta wins every SINGLE time.
I’ve seen variations of this floating around the web and decided to finally make my own. I’ve tackled low-fat alfredo before, but I’ve never tried alfredo with cauliflower, which seems to be all the rage now. I really don’t know why I didn’t make this sooner, because DAMN, it’s good. It looks and tastes decadent, but has half the fat and calories of the kind you’d order in a restaurant. Without that weird pool of butter/grease that is always leftover at the bottom of the bowl.
You know what I’m talking about? It’s like that pour an extra cup of melted butter in the plate right before they serve it to you because the sauce made with 14 gallons of heavy cream just couldn’t possibly be good enough.
This has no heavy cream and a scant 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Your New Year’s resolutions have never been easier to keep.
Guilt free Pasta Alfredo
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 6 -7. Recipe inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie.
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Cook time: About 10 – 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw cauliflower, cut into florets
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup light cream
- 2/3 – 3/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese shreds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine noodles
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place your cauliflower florets and garlic in an oven safe casserole dish. Top with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 – 25 minutes, or until browned. Pour the cauliflower and garlic into a blender and add 1/4 cup cream. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta and sprinkle with salt. Cook until pasta is al-dente, about 8 – 10 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
- In dutch oven, add the butter and cook over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a thick paste. Pour in the milk and heat until mixture thickens up (it should coat the back of a spoon). Remove from heat and stir in the cauliflower sauce and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the pasta into the sauce and serve immediately.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 330
Fat: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 43 grams
Fiber: 5.5 grams
Protein: 12 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 8
Fluffy Yorkshire Pudding
This time of year is probably my least favorite. Not because of the weather, that I’m actually a fan of. I love bundling up in big, cozy sweaters, wearing ugg boots everywhere and snuggling under blankets in sub-zero temperatures. I hate early-mid January because you really don’t have much to look forward to anymore. The holidays are over and the next big one (where you get more than just one day off) isn’t until really until May. However, this time of year isn’t all bad, and there’s one reason for that. And that, my friends, is Downton Abbey.
My amazing friend Carrie (of Bakeaholic Mama) decided to get a big group of fabulous bloggers together and throw a little dinner party for you guys to celebrate the return of one of the best shows EVER! Season 4 kicks off TONIGHT and to say I’m seething with excitement is an understatement.
I got into this show one chilly weekend last January and binge-watched the entire first two seasons in one day. Without giving away any spoilers on season 3, it ended with a pretty big bang so I’m dying to watch season 4! So, to celebrate the new season, I made one of my favorite British recipes, yorkshire pudding!
Ever had Yorkshire pudding? To be honest, I had no idea what it really was until I made it. I had an idea in my head that it was going to be this really thick, chunky, brownish figgy pudding that tasted like dirt. To my (happy) surprise, it’s actually like a fluffy oven pancake! Super soft, super puffy and so light, it’s actually nothing like a pudding and more like a bread. What makes it “Yorkshire Pudding” lies in one rather small ingredient.
And that ingredient is roast drippings! Normally you pair this with a giant hunk of roast meat, like beef or pork, so you make the actual pudding with the leftover drippings in the pan. Now, I originally made this for a Downton Abbey menu for SheKnows.com, and prepared cornish game hens instead. So instead or having a beefy or porky flavor, this pudding was made with hen drippings.
I’m fully aware of how gross that sounds. But I promise, it doesn’t taste like “drippings”, I promise. It tastes like a savory popover you just want to eat until the entire pan is empty. Now get your pretty little butt up and make this before the show starts and release your inner Miss Padmore!
Fluffy Yorkshire Pudding
Serves about 6. Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Dash of salt
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons roast beef or poultry drippings
For the instructions on how to make this, grab the recipe here on SheKnows.com!
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 220
Fat: 12 grams
Carbohydrates: 17 grams
Fiber: 2.5 grams
Protein: 5.1 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 5
Now, for more fun! Carrie is giving away an amazing cookbook and mug! Simply enter to win below!
Be sure to check out these other amazing recipes below!
- Raspberry Meringue Pudding –> Bakeaholic Mama
- Cranberry Orange Scones –> Susie Freakin’ Homemaker
- Mini Beef Wellington Pot Pies –> Healthy Seasonal
- Crumpets with Strawberry Balsamic Jam –> Healthy Delicious
- English Scones with Clotted Cream –> La Petite Pancake
- Crepes Islandaise –> Girly Girl Cooks
- Strawberry Vanilla Bean Eton Mess –> Cooking with Books
Claire
Tags:british recipes, Downton Abbey, downton abbey premier, pudding recipes, yorkshire pudding recipe
Easy & Healthy Pita Pizzas
Oh hey Friday. Unlike most other weeks,I haven’t been counting down to your arrival. Probably because it felt like Friday on Wednesday and I thought yesterday was Monday. Having a holiday mid-week does not help my schedule. Especially a holiday that starts a whole new year. I’ve felt like I’ve been stuck in some time-warp continuum or something since New Years Eve. Which is why I was shocked when I realized I haven’t posted in a week. Can I blame the fact I thought yesterday was Sunday?
How everyone’s New Years? New Years Eve was a blast for us. We spent it with some great friends (one you may recognize as Julie from Table For Two Blog!) We ate far too much, had too much bubbly and laughed quite a bit. It was nice to get all dolled up, wear lipstick and heels and go out to a fancy schmancy dinner that cost four times the amount of a normal one. Sometimes a girl just needs that, don’t you think?
Top left image courtesy of Julie
Christmas has passed, New Years is behind us and that means just one, sad little fact: It’s time to throw away the bubbles and the chocolate and replace them with power smoothies and quinoa. And the weird thing is that I’m so excited about this. I ended 2013 on a strong note, career and personal life wise, but not weight wise. I’m actually at one of the highest weights I’ve been in years and only some of that can be blamed on the holidays. That’s why my life this week and the rest of the month will compromise of low-cal meals, like these easy & healthy pita pizzas.
These are the best pizzas to make when you don’t feel like making yeast dough. I love homemade pizza dough, but this is so much easier (and tastes just as good). The pita bread crisps perfectly when baked, just like a thin-crust pizza. And each little pie is perfectly suited to one hungry girl or a very nice girl willing to share with her husband.
Instead of having to share, which I hate, I made two pizzas. One filled with sausage for my darling husband and one topped with chunks of fresh shrimp and red wine soaked mushrooms and garlic. Which is what those purple things on the pizza are, by the way. The husband said they looked like worms, which I have to admit, is sort of accurate. I promise though, they aren’t worms. Just wine soaked onions.
I haven’t gotten to the point where I’ve completely given up real food and started eating like a bird. Yet. We’ll see how much I weight next week and then we’ll talk.
Easy & Healthy Pita Pizzas
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves 4 (1/2 pizza each).
Prep time: 5 – 10 minutes
Cook time: About 8 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 whole wheat pitas
- 1/2 cup low-sugar pizza or marinara sauce
- 3/4 cup part-skim shredded cheese
- 1/3 cup cooked sausage
- 1/3 cup chopped shrimp
- 1/2 large onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- About 1/3 cup Food Should Taste Good chips, chopped *
*optional
Directions:
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until slightly soft and fragrant, about 2 – 4 minutes. Pour in the red wine and cook another 10 minutes, or until wine has reduced to almost nothing. Sprinkle with sugar and stir.
- Preheat broiler. Lightly grease a standard pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with a bit of cornmeal.
- Top each pita with 1/4 cup sauce and spread over the top, leaving 1/2 inch border around the crust. Top one pita with sausage and the other with the chopped shrimp. Top the meat with red wine onions and sprinkle each one with 1/3 cup or so of cheese.
- Place on the prepared pans and bake for about 6 – 8 minutes, or until the pita is crispy and the cheese is melted. Top with chips and enjoy!
Nutritional information per serving (1/2 pizza):
Calories: 255
Fat: 8.75
Carbohydrates: 24.5 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 14.75 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 6
Claire
Tags:healthy recipes, pita pizza, pita recipes, pizza recipes, quick and easy recipes, sausage recipes, shrimp recipes
Brussel Sprout, Egg & Avocado Breakfast Toasts
I am utterly and completely tuckered out from the holidays this year. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older or my family is getting…wilder, but every year I’m more and more in need 4 days of solid sleeping after Christmas. After driving 7 hours and having to say goodbye to my family (which is the hardest thing ever), I could definitely use one of these brussel sprout, egg & avocado breakfast toasts to reboot my body and life.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who completely and utterly stuffed their face silly with cookies, beef tenderloin, bacon, eggs and enough champagne to cripple even Charlie Sheen. Even though I’m a few pounds heaiver than I want to be, I don’t regret a single thing I ate or drank these past few days. I don’t get to spend enough time with my family and so every second I’m with them, that’s all I focus on.
I don’t think about how many calories I’ve had or what workouts I need to do to burn them off, I just think about how lucky I am to have such an incredibly awesome family. I wasn’t always like that, though. When I was in my hayday (and was 20 pounds lighter), I was always so concerned about calories. I’d turn down cookie after cookie, drink after drink and would pout around if I went over my daily intake. Christmas became a time where I was constantly stressed out due to food, not a time of happiness and joy.
And that sucks, don’t you think? I spent way too many holidays focused on the wrong things and I’m so happy I finally realized that. Sure, I’d like to be a few pounds thinner and be a bit more toned, but not enjoying the amazing food my mom makes and a few glasses of wine with my brothers and cousins isn’t what I’m going to do to get there.
When you’re lucky enough to have a family like mine, you don’t take a second with them for granted.
Brussel Sprout, Egg & Avocado Breakfast Toasts
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 4 toasts.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 slices of thick bread
- 4 tablespoons of mashed avocado (about 2/3 – 3/4 a whole one)
- 12 brussel sprouts, stems removed and shredded
- 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 turkey sausage patties
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- About 1/2 cup chopped Food Should Taste Good jalapeño tortilla chips
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sriracha (for extra spice)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to broil. Place the toasts on a cookie sheet and broil for about 3 minutes on each side or until crispy and golden brown.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage patties and crumble. Cook about 8 minutes, or until browned and cook through. Remove from the pan, reserving about 1 1/2 tablespoons of drippings. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeño and brussel sprouts. Cook about 6 minutes, or until vegetables are softening.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs with salt, pepper and cilantro. Pour the eggs into the hash and use a spatula to scramble and mix up. Cook another 4 – 5 minutes, or until eggs are fully cooked and vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup tortilla chips.
- Spread each toast with about 1/4 of an avocado. Top with a hefty spoonful of hash and sprinkle with remaining tortilla chips.
Nutritional information per toast:
Calories: 375
Fat: 17 grams
Carbohydrates: 37.5 grams
Fiber: About 8 grams
Protein: 16.75 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 9
