Fall Veggie Chick’n Curry in a Hurry! #OMGardein

We are getting a cold front this weekend – the temps will only be reaching 89 F degrees with lows dipping into the 60s! That’s hardly sweater season, but I’ll take – especially after enduring a summer of running in an inferno. I can also tell that fall is on its way, the days are getting shorter and there’s that beautiful amber glint in the sky starting mid-afternoons. This gets me in the mood for a warm and nourishing plate of goodness (using Gardein products), something other than the no-cook entrée salads I’ve been eating for months.

Fall Veggie Curry with Gardein Chick'n Strips

Fresh fall produce, like sweet potatoes and cauliflower, come together beautifully in my Fall Vegetable Chick’n Curry. It’s a pot of soul-satisfying, exotically spiced food that will fuel any active lifestyle – just enough healthy carbs for quick energy and plenty of plant-based protein for muscle management thanks to Gardein Teriyaki Chick’n Strips. Whole grains, legumes and well-seasoned veggies round out the easy meal to add fiber and other essential nutrients, not to mention add tons of flavor and texture.

Ingredients for Fall Veggie curry

If you’re not familiar with the Gardein (garden + protein, get it?!) you need to be! It’s no secret I’m a meat-eater — I’m a grilling instructor, certified BBQ judge and elite running team member sponsored by BEEF. That being said, I’m all for variety in a healthy diet (I eat it all) and the products from Gardein are versatile, convenient and tasty way to get adequate protein when I’m preparing a vegetarian or Meatless Monday meal – which I eat at least once a week.

Fall Veggie Curry with Gardein Chick'n

Gardein makes over 20 plant-based protein products including these favorites — Gardein BBQ porkless pocket meal, Gardein The Ultimate Beefless Ground, Gardein Golden Fishless Filets, Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders and Gardein Teriyaki Chick’n Strips (used in my recipe today). Found in the frozen foods  aisle of your market,  Gardein products cook from frozen making them an ideal meal starter for those crazy, busy nights when you can’t get something going all the way from scratch or are too worn out to figure out if your vegetarian or vegan meal is packing enough protein. Gardein’s award winning products are made from non-GMO soy and wheat, ancient grains and veggies and offer a similar taste and texture to traditional meat with a bit fewer calories, cholesterol and fat.

Fall Veggie Chick’n Curry Recipe

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 package Teryaki Chick’n Strips from Gardein
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/3″ cubes
  • 1/2 yellow onion coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup halved Brussels sprouts
  • 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • Serve with prepared rice.
  1. Heat oil 1 tablespoon of oil and cook Chick’n Strips according to package instructions, but don’t add sauce packet yet.  Remove cooked strips from skillet.
  2. Add remaining olive oil to same skilled and brown sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onions and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add broth, sauce packet (that came with  Chick’n Strips), chickpeas, tomatoes and spices to skillet and let simmer for approximately 10 minutes, until everything warmed and juices reduced a bit.
  4. Add cooked Chick’n back to mixture, stir. Serve over warm rice and sprinkle with cashews and cilantro.
  5. Serves 4.

For additional information, easy dinner solutions, and chef inspired recipes, visit Gardien – you can also get a $1 off coupon until October 9th, 2015.

If you’re NOT a vegan or vegetarian, how many times a week do you go meatless? What is your favorite dish? Please share in the comments below — XOXO, Jennifer 

Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash + More Healthy Recipes

Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash - TheFitFork.com

Call me a clairvoyant, but I know you’re making sweet potatoes sometime in the next week. Everyone eats sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving Day, it’s the law. Even though my Kale & Caramelized Onion Sweet Potato  recipe was a huge hit at home, I really don’t like to make the same recipe for dinner twice in the same month!  So, tonight, I decided to cauliflower-ify my favorite tuber – and yum, yum, yum! Gosh, now what am I going to come up with for Thanksgiving dinner?

 Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash Recipe

  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes
  • 1 pound cauliflower florets
  • 3 tablespoons milk of choice
  • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh chopped parsley for garnish (or Instantly Fresh Parsley)
  1. Peel and cut sweet potato into 1 ½ -inch chunks.
  2. In large pot with steam basked, steam sweet potato and cauliflower with 1 inch of water in bottom of pot. Vegetables will be ready in about 10 – 12 minutes, or when fork tender.
  3. Place in large bowl and mash the potato and cauliflower with the milk. Stir in the Greek yogurt, garlic powder, salt and pepper. If too thick, add milk 1 tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
  4. Serves  4 – 6

Bowl of Mashed Sweet PotatoesHere’s the Kale & Caramalized Onion Sweet Potatoes I was mentioning.

jennifer fisher thefitfork sweet potato ruffle

Last year, I made this recipe for Sweet Potato Skillet Stack with Srirracha Orange Glaze – delish!

 

Of course, you know Cooking Light knows how to do up a sweet potato right, check out this gallery for additional inspiration.

Cooking Light Sweet Potato Recipes

So, how do you like to eat sweet potatoes best?

 

 

Kale and Caramelized Onion Sweet Potatoes + Favorite Fall Recipes

Check out Recipes for a Fit & Flavorful Fall

by The Fit Fork at Foodie.com

If you take pleasure in eating the signature dishes of the season, fall is a particularly comforting time of year.  Just thinking about the bounty of upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and autumn harvest inspired recipes gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling of well-being of being at Grandma’s house with all the family gathered round.

Pumpkin aside, the most iconic ingredient of autumn may be the sweet potato. Even though this practically royal root is actually enjoyed year-round to the tune of 2.6 billion pounds in the US, it makes the most of its popularity in October, November and December.  Think about it — if you haven’t had sweet potatoes on your holiday dinner table, you may not be normal.

What is normal in my kitchen is to skip mucking up this orange tuber with marshmallows (why, WHY?!) and instead mash up and mix in other healthy ingredients – like the healthy greens, onions, coconut milk and wellness enhancing spices in my recipe for Kale and Caramelized Onion Sweet Potatoes below. If said it before, but I’ll say it again – I love using the sweet potato as a way to fuel my distance running, it’s the perfect choice for healthy carbohydrate loading. Not only does the sweet potato have a lower glycemic index than the traditional white potato (meaning it will be deployed as energy to your body at a more steady state), it is also packed with other nutrition that benefits athletes including vitamins A and C,  manganese, calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin B6 and fiber.

Bowl of Mashed Sweet Potatoes

This Kale and Caramelized Onion Sweet Potatoes dish is the one I made earlier in the week to complement my Cinnamon-Rubbed Braised Lamb with Cranberry Ginger Sauce.  This recipe is so yummy, it’s BAAAAA-d to the bone!  And, by the way — totally approved by all my Paleo diet friends.Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Greens and Onions

Kale and Caramelized Onion Sweet Potatoes Recipe

  • 2 lb (about 2 large) sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, finely sliced
  • ¼ cup white wine (or broth)
  • 4 cups shredded kale (or other winter greens)
  • 2/3 cup coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

 Instructions:

  1. Peel the sweet potato and cut into even sized 1 inch cubes. Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot filled with water. Boil uncovered for 15 minutes or until softened.
  2. Drain the sweet potatoes in colander and set aside.
  3. In bottom of same pot, add olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 15 minutes or until turning golden brown and caramelizing. Add wine to pot to deglaze pan and then quickly add kale or other greens and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until wilted. Turn off heat.
  4. Add sweet potatoes, coconut milk, ginger, and cinnamon and mash everything together to desired consistency. If needed, add a splash more coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serves 4.

What is your favorite sweet potato recipe? 

This post is sponsored by Foodie.com – however, all comments, opinions and recipes are my own.

Chipotle Ranch Sweet ‘Tater Burrito Bowls & Frenemy Partner Workout

thefitfork black bean sweet potato burrito bowl

I’m still riding the black bean train for a fast, flavorful and fiber-packed meal – toot, toot! All kidding aside, a big Crockpot of homemade black beans will last the better part of a week. If you don’t want to go to the time and trouble of breaking out the slow-cooker (geeze, it can be a hassle), canned black beans are a decent option and I always make sure I have the pantry stockpiled. And, sweet ‘taters, too!

Earlier this week, I shared Black Bean, Zucchini & Corn Tacos as a delicious, nutritious option for a simple yet super-yummy summer dinner.  Since I had leftover beans that I couldn’t let go to waste, I convinced my husband to NOT go to his favorite casual burrito joint for dinner – I’d make him my healthy version of a burrito bowl instead! What I love about making burrito bowls at home is I can be as creative as I want, plus I don’t bust my budget by saying “yes” to extra avocado!

Just for the record, I first created this recipe for Litehouse Food’s blog to showcase their new Chipotle Ranch a delicious Greek yogurt dip in a just-debuted line-up of healthy goodness called OPAdipity!  Just like their very popular OPA Dressings, the OPAdipity dips have significantly fewer calories and fat (plus more protein) than traditional creamy dips and ranch dressings. By the way, Litehouse likes to keep things fresh, so you will find all their products in the produce section of your market.

vegetarian burrito bowl

 Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls with Chipotle Cream Recipe

  • 1 medium sweet potato (about 10 – 12 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup Litehouse Food Opadipity Chipotle Greek Yogurt Dip (divided)*
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed)
  • ½ cup prepared pico de gallo
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
  • ½ small avocado cut in slices
  • 2 ounces crumbled queso fresco cheese
  • ½ lime sliced for garnish
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
  2. Wash and dry sweet potato; chop into approximate ½” cubes. Place on one side of rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cilantro. Add frozen corn to the other side of pan.
  3. Roast for approximately 15 – 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are softened and beginning to crisp and corn is turning slightly brown at edges. Remove from oven.
  4. Place sweet potatoes in bowl and coat with 2 tablespoons of Chipotle Greek Yogurt Dip.*
  5. Layer spinach evenly among the bottom of two bowls. Top with dressed sweet potatoes, black beans, roasted corn, pico de gallo, red onion, and avocado. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese, add a dollop of the remaining Chipotle dip and garnish with lime wedge. Serves 2.

*If not available, mix 1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder and 1 teaspoon lime juice into ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt.`

partner workout

Even though my burrito bowl is a very healthy meal, I feel like I need to leave you with a workout so you can take advantage of it’s magical refueling powers– how about the Frenemy Heave & Haul – the partner workout you’ll love to hate. Say hello to tire flips, burpees, planks and a race to the finish – oh, and I forgot to mention the “partner carry.” I’d suggest picking a similar-sized friend because each person in the duo has a turn hauling – carry your partner however you can whether over the shoulder, cradle carry, or piggyback.  Just try not to laugh and strain something!

Showy Sides | Sweet Potato Skillet Stack Recipe

jennifer fisher sweet potato skillet stack textI’m going to keep this short and sweet (potatoes)! In addition to the Bourbon Cranberry Apricot Relish, one of my other contributions to the family’s Thanksgiving feast was this delicious dish – Sweet Potato Skillet Stack with Sriracha Orange Sauce. So pretty to look at and easy to make – you use the same skillet to roast the potatoes and simmer down the sauce on the stove top. Slicing the potatoes into nearly paper-thin slices is the most tedious detail, but it’s made much easier with a mandolin (watch your fingers) or food processor slicing attachment.

jennifer fisher thefitfork sweet potato ruffle

Sweet Potato Skillet Stack with Sriracha Orange Sauce Recipe

  • 4 pounds sweet potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • sea salt to taste
  • 4 ounces orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
  • 2 teaspoons. sriracha
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions, including green tops
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 375°. In small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and then mix together with olive oil; set aside.

2) Peel sweet potatoes and, using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice crosswise into very thin slices (1/8” to 1/16”).

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com slicing sweet potatoes

Slice potatoes as thinly and evenly as possible using a sharp knife, mandolin or food processor.

3) Coat bottom and sides of 12-inch cast iron skillet with two tablespoons of the butter-oil mixture; reserve the rest. Arrange the sliced sweet potatoes in concentric stacked rings until the entire pan is filled. Sprinkle tops with sea salt.

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com sweet potatoes skillet

Ready for the oven

4) Roast potatoes for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the middle of the potatoes are tender and the tops begin to brown and crisp.  If potatoes were sliced on the thick side or packed very tightly, they may take longer to cook.  Remove from oven.

5) In small bowl, stir together orange juice, coconut sugar, ginger and sriracha sauce. Drizzle mixture over potatoes and bring to boil over medium-heat on stovetop.  Lower heat and continue to simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until orange juice mixture is reduced to a thicker state. Sprinkle tops of potatoes with green onions and parsley and serve warm.

Serves 8.

 

I have sweet potatoes coming out my ears! Due to the holidays, they’ve been on sale for 25 cents a pound at my grocery store. Needless to say, I’ve been picking up a couple pounds every day “just in case.” Good thing I have a lot of favorite sweet potato recipes to finish off my stockpile. Check out all this yam-y yumminess:

sweet potato collage

Southwester Sweet Potato & Chickpea Soup

Spicy Beef & Sweet Potato Samosas

Jamaican Beef & Sweet Potato Kebabs

Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Chips