Tag Archives: Tomato

Pulled Chicken Sandwich

Posted on May 6, 2011 | 2 comments

No, we are not engaging in cruel and unusual chicken torture here. I just couldn’t call this bbq since I made it in a crockpot. It really is a bbq pulled chicken sandwich, so very delicious. My aim here was to control more of the sauce. I would usually make the sauce using ketchup but since my beloved ketchup does contain a lot of sugar I had to investigate another way. Happily after much tweaking, I found it! I suggest serving this as an open face sandwich, it is nummy and the bread doesn’t dull the sauce as much that way. I love how using the crockpot means you can have that bbq joint style of taste no matter what the weather is like, and healthy too! This was great at the end of a really busy day too. Stir sauce, add chicken, set crock, run around all day, eat nummy food. Epic win.

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen is best if using thawed lower the cooking time
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tbl rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
  • 2 tbl garlic powder
  • 2 tbl worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tbl splenda
  • 1 tsp smoked sea salt
  • 1 tbl sweet with heat mustard
  1. Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a small bowl.
  2. Pour a layer of sauce on the bottom of the crockpot. Add the chicken and then top with the remaining sauce.
  3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
  4. Using a pair of forks shred the chicken and stir. Ladle onto bun of choice.

Serves 4. Nutritional info does not include the bun. Each serving contains 183 calories, 2.8 grams of fat, 10.9 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of fibre, and 27.6 grams of protein. Definitely a tasty plan for busy days. Remember that each serving of this also contains a serving of veggies! Pair this with a salad and you are dealing with a beautifully balanced meal for so little effort.

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Posted in Comfort Foods, Craving Buster, Crockpot Creations, Dinner

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Turkey Meatball Sub

Posted on January 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Aack, so I forgot to update on friday again! I was so busy running errands, gazing at my newly acquired blood oranges, shopping for new 10 sided dice, gazing again at the blood oranges, that I completely forgot! Maybe a meatball sub will make it better? Oh I think so. Always a big old mess to eat but such a happy mess really. In this recipe I was going for a quick fix so I used store bought turkey meatballs. If you want to make your own turkey meatballs I would make them the same way I made my thintastic thai meatballs just use turkey meat, and skip the hoisin sauce in the mix. This was such a tasty indulgence…and without consequence. Sweet!

  • 2 sub buns
  • 16 lean turkey meatballs
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 tbl oregano leaves, dried
  • 1 tbl italian spice
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced (Garlic and I are best buds for evah!)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 tbl parmesan cheese
  1. Saute the onion and garlic in a pan until golden. Add to crockpot.
  2. Add the meatballs, tomato sauce, oregano leaves, and italian spice to the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
  3. Serve 8 meatballs on each bun with a bit of sauce, top with 3 tbl of cheese. Enjoy!

Serve 2 hungry hobbits. I did not include the bun in the nutritional value since there is so much variation in what you can choose. I suggest a nice high fibre bun. I’m lucky to have a store local to me that makes a good fibre bun that pretends to be white bread. Tastes just like subway…or maybe even better! Each serving contains 217 calories, 7 grams of fat and 6 grams of fibre. You will have leftover tomato sauce from this. I suggest saving it for a pasta night. Delicious!!! Don’t have a crockpot? No sweat, you can do this stove top same way except you should leave it simmering for 30 minutes.

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Posted in Comfort Foods, Craving Buster, Crockpot Creations, Dinner

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“Spaghetti”

Posted on December 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

I kept hearing about doing this, I was skeptical, but I had to give it a try…they were even on sale. It’s that whole idea of using spaghetti squash instead of noodles. Sure, I’ve seen rave reviews for doing this…but somehow to me they seemed like those diet people who go on and on about how they don’t crave fatty foods anymore…you know those sanctimonious folks, we’ve all heard them. Come on, we all want a little something naughty once and awhile…those are part of the things that make life worth living. It’s just about watching how much of those naughty things you indulge in…not denying yourself totally. ANYWAYS. I’ve heard things and now I’ve put them to the test. Overall, I did indeed find it tasty. They weren’t the soft noodles I tend to go for, but the squash flavouring actually went well with the tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. The fact that the squash is so low calorie and fat compared to the noodles also allowed me to pile on the cheese and sauce which I have to admit made me feel indulgent. It was definitely a filling meal and I finished it with gusto. It won’t replace noodles in my life but its definitely an option when I don’t have a lot of calories or fat left to spend but need a filling meal with a ton of veggie/fruit servings in it.

  • 1 small or medium spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 cup sauce of choice ( I use ragu)
  • 4 tbl paremsan cheese
  1. Cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds.
  2. Place the two halves face down on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350F. To check if its done give it a poke with a knife. If the knife pierces the skin easily then it is definitely time.
  3. Allow the squash to cool a bit, just so you can handle it safely. Using a fork rake the flesh inside…sounds gruesome doesn’t it. Remove the “noodles” and place in your serving bowl.
  4. Top with the sauce of your choice (heated) and cheese.

So easy. I have a small one and it filled that bowl in the picture….and yes, I ate it all. My little piggy “pasta” party only cost me 255 calories, 9.4 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fibre. Not bad considering having the same amount with noodles would cost me double the calories, less fibre, and not as many veggie servings. As healthy meals go, definitely a tasty one I would do again.

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Posted in Comfort Foods, Craving Buster, Dinner, Lunch

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Creamy Pasta Bake

Posted on September 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

More of that good old fall comfort food. A nice filling pasta bake can really do the trick after running around all day out in that colder weather. The beauty of this is that you can assemble it the night before or on the weekend (pop it into the freezer) then bake it up after a really busy day. Tasty homemade food that really comforts the soul and fills you up. I’m not a pasta fan but sometimes even I need a pasta boost. Sometimes I think of this as a sort of lazy man’s lasagna.

  • 300g whole wheat rotini pasta
  • 2 cups pasta sauce
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1/2 light smoked cheese, grated (light provolone is good also if you don’t want the smokey flavours)
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  1. Cook pasta according to directions.
  2. Add the sauce to the pasta and combine completely.
  3. Combine the basil, sour cream, and smokey cheese.
  4. Spray a 9×9 baking dish. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into the dish, covering the bottom. Spread the creamy mixture over the noodles in the dish. Top with the remaining noodles. Sprinkle the parmesan on top.
  5. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes, let stand 5 minutes. If baking from frozen bake for 45-55 minutes.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving contains 423 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 6 grams of fibre. All that high fibre really fills you up and remember that sauce gives you 2 fruit and veggie servings per serving of this pasta bake. A total win for a one dish meal.

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Sloppy Slims

Posted on September 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

I have to admit I’ve never had a sloppy joe. I see them around. I giggle when Hermes on futurama laments the loss of his manwich. Never sat down and had one. They look so tasty though. So I took a peek at what goes into them…and saw the fat and calories…and decided I will probably never eat a traditional sloppy joe. I put together these sloppy slims and figured they were mighty tasty to me. Not sure how they compare to the real thing. My husband has had the real thing and he ate seconds so, they can’t be that far off.

  • 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbl ground flax seed (we are sneaking in some omega 3 and fibre num!)
  • 1 tbl worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbl hot mustard (I like pc sweet heat)
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 sachet beef oxo
  • 1 tbl lemon juice
  • 1 tsp chili powder (more if you like a spicier mix)
  • Ground pepper to taste
  1. Heat pan, spray, add onions and garlic. Sautee until softened. About 2 minutes.
  2. Add ground turkey and ground pepper. Brown, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until the mixture is bubbly and thickened.
  4. Serve on a bun!

This makes four sloppy servings. Each serving contains 281 calories, 10.4 grams of fat and 5.6 grams of fibre. I decided to go with the open face approach on these. Especially since topping them with a bun would just make them all the sloppier to eat. Why would I want to squeeze the tasty filling out. Silly sloppy slims. Thought they could escape.

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Smoked Tomato Basil Jam

Posted on August 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

Inspired by the smoked jam we had at the spa. All the ingredients except the gelatin and the sugar came from my local market. I suggest giving yours a visit for making this jam. Tomatoes that have been picked the day before without shipping far and wide really gave this jam a strong flavour! I figure this will go well with those cheese fritters I’ve had an idea for. Another idea that crossed my mind was making bruschetta with it. Mmm could be so fun. Especially since I normally can’t eat tomatoes. There is something about tomatoes that often makes me ill. I think its the acid in them. When they are heavily processed like in ketchup, tomato paste, and some sauces I can eat them just fine…but on a sandwich or in a chunky sauce, oh my! I’m a heartburn mess! This tomato jam at the spa had no such effect on me. So, as you can understand I am pretty excited about it. One day soon I too may be able to eat some bruschetta!

  • 2 lbs Roma Tomatoes, quartered
  • sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
  • Hickory wood chips, soaked
  • butter spray
  • 2 cups sugar/splenda
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups basil, chopped
  • 1 pkg gelatin or strawberry jello sugar free
  1. Arrange the hickory chips in a packet of foil, pierce with holes to make a smoker pack. Arrange the quartered tomatoes on a foil covered tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray with butter spray.
  2. Place the smoker pack on the element of the grill. Place the tomato tray on the grill rack. Cook on low for one hour. They should look a bit like this: 
  3. Meanwhile, put 1 1/2 cup of the chopped basil and the water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain and return the liquid to the saucepan.
  4. Once the tomatoes are done smoking, strain them and add the liquid to the herb liquid. Add the sugar/splenda (I did a combination of 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 cup splenda). Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.
  5. Stir in the remaining basil and gelatin.
  6. Divide into your chosen storage method.

This recipe makes enough to fill 3 250ml jars. Each 1 tbl serving of my sugar splenda blend has 10 calories, 0 fat, and .2 grams of fibre. A little goes a long way with this tasty jam. I can’t wait to think of all sorts of things to serve it with. Note: Sometimes the gelatin needs to be chilled for a bit after cooking to activate.

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