Beef Enchilada and Veggie Stuffed Red Peppers

Today, at work, we had a baby shower for my good friend Shalom. This is the same girl that I made the food for this past weekend. Damn these baby showers and my new "lifestyle change" of eating better. Let me clarify. The showers have been great, but the food....oh man the delicious, delicious food... Today, we catered Moe's and got an ice cream cake. Moe's was build your own fajitas, so that wasn't too bad. I ate a bit of cereal and fruit before I went so I wouldn't be too hungry, so I just had a small plate of grilled chicken, black beans, and pico. But the cake...layers of red velvet and cake batter ice cream mixed with Oreos with a layer of chocolate fudge, topped with vanilla frosting and sprinkles...it was calling my name. My mouth is watering just describing it. BUT, I am trying very, VERY hard not to eat sugar and have done just that since Labor Day. Supposedly, after two weeks, your body will no longer crave it. We will see if that is true or not soon.

Keeping on my lifestyle change, I made some pretty good stuffed peppers the other night. You know my love of Mexican, so I had to fit that into the meal plan this week. These were suppose to be vegetarian style, but I added extra lean ground beef to the mix. The only thing that I would change next time is to add more enchilada sauce since when you bake the peppers, a lot of water cooks out of them and makes the mixture a bit bland. I made that change in the recipe below. Other than that, they were pretty delicious and a great way to eat veggies. I served mine with a little black beans that were left from the mixture and when I brought the leftovers from lunch, had a piece of corn that was left from the night before. A serving size in one half a pepper, but at 5 points each, you can def have two!

 Beef Enchilada and Veggie Stuffed Red Peppers

• 3 red peppers, cut in half vertical and seeded
• 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 cup black beans (I made mine prepared, following this recipe, but you can just add them as is if you like)
• 1/2 large green pepper, diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 small zucchini , diced
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar, divided in 1/4 and 1/2

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef half way.
3. Add onions, peppers, black beans and cook for 5 minutes until peppers and onions are tender.
4. Add zucchini and enchilada sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 cup cheese and stir until melted.
6. Stuff each pepper and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
7. Put in baking dish and cover with foil. 
8. Bake for 25 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

• If your peppers won't lay flat, cut a small slice off the outside to make flat bottom.
• Feel free to add more veggies or go meatless. Corn and carrots would make good additions.
• For bigger portions, don't cut peppers in half. Cut tops off, remove inside and stuff whole pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.

Chili Dusted Shrimp with Warm Corn Salad and Black Beans

As I promised, the first healthy recipe of the week! I love a good meal that you don't feel guilty eating, yet feel extremely satisfied afterwards and having seconds is OK. That was this meal, and believe me, you will want seconds! Today, I knew that I wanted something that was going to be healthy, after all, that was the promise I made to both you and myself. I texted the boyfriend while at work and asked what he was in the mood for. I always follow that by either what type of meat would you like or what type of cuisine, such as Mexican, Asian, Italian, etc. in hopes that I don't get a "whatever you want babe" reply. Today he said Southwestern which isn't a huge leap from our standard Mexican, but I was determined to not make the usual taco or enchilada. After some Googling, I came across a chili rub for shrimp paired with a warm corn salad. Of course, I put my own spin on the recipe and paired it with, SURPRISE, black beans. Since this is the fourth or so recipe with black beans, I decided that I would post my recipe below as well.

I know I have already mentioned this, but this meal kicked some serious ass. The shrimp were spicy, but not so much that you had to drink water ever other bite. And the corn salad and black beans were the perfect accessories for the shrimp. Yes, accessory, like shoes for clothes. Like any good outfit, the accessories are what make the outfit, or sometimes leave you wondering if the person got dressed in the dark, with their eyes clothes, in someone else's closet. A bit harsh, but I know you have seen someone, lets say a woman for argument sake, wearing an amazing dress, but then you look down and she is wearing shoes that look like she is going on a run or to her local Wal...well, I won't get into details. Or maybe its an evening gown and the hair is in a sloppy ponytail. I feel like Joan Rivers on Fashion Police right now, lol. I love that show! Seriously, your accompaniment can really make or break your meal. In this case, the corn had just the right amount of sweetness to counter the heat of the shrimp and the black beans were like the perfect purse that tied it all together. Simply divine. I should get on with the recipe in hopes that it distracts my overwhelming desire to want to shop now. WW points 9 for 7 shrimp, 3/4 cup corn salad, and 1/2 cup beans.

 Chili Dusted Shrimp with Warm Corn Salad and Black Beans

Chili Dusted Shrimp

• 1 pound large shrimp, cleaned
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs olive oil

1. Make sure the shrimp are clean of any shell and have been de-vained.
2. Mix the chili powders, sugar, and salt together in a ziplock bag.
3. Add half the shrimp to the bag, and shake to cover. Remove shrimp.
4. Add the second half of shrimp and shake to cover.
5. Heat olive oil in a large skillet to medium high heat.
6. Carefully place shrimp in skillet so none are touching and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Turn over and cook for 2 minutes or until shrimp are no longer pink.
8. Remove and enjoy! 

Warm Corn Salad

• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 oz corn kernals
• 2 tbs cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup green onion, diced
• 1 tbs olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger and cook for 4 minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add corn and salt and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add vinegar and cook for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and stir in green onion.
6. Serve warm.

Black Beans

• 1 can black beans, 15.5 oz DON'T RINSE!
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 packet Sazon (found in your Spanish section)
• 1 cube chicken flavored boullion
• 1/2 cup water

1. Combine water, boullion, Sazon, and onions in a medium pot. Bring to boil.
2. Add black beans and lower to a simmer.
3. Cook for 20 minutes until liquid has reduced and onions are soft.

Special Sauce

• 2 tbs fat free mayonaisse
• 2 tbs light sour cream
• 1 tbs ketschup
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Put in ziplock and cut off the corner.
3. Squirt over shrimp. (This doesn't have to be done, but I believe in presentation)

Tips and Tricks

• Keep an eye on your shrimp. Over cooked shrimp are rubbery, chewy, and just no fun.
• Sazon is a Spanish season blend that can be found in the Spanish section of your supermarket. It can be omitted if you can't find it.
• To keep cleaning to a minimum, make the corn salad first, then put in bowl and use the same pan for the shrimp.
• Do not rinse your beans. The starch from the beans will help thicken the "sauce".