Tag: beans

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Chipotle Turkey & Black Beans

Chipotle Turkey & Black Bean Tacos
Chipotle Turkey & Black Bean Tacos

This one-skillet spicy chipotle turkey & black beans dish is highly nutritious to eat standalone as chili, or to throw into some tacos.

Simple and speedy, this recipe is great for family dinner or meal prep. It also freezes well for nights you need a quick and satisfying meal. From start to finish, you’ll only need 30 minutes in the kitchen.

All seasonings are important, but the cornerstone of this chipotle turkey & black beans is peppers in adobo sauce. It provides a slight smoked pepper flavor. If you don’t care for black beans, pinto beans would also work well. Drain the canned beans and tomato before adding to the skillet so the mixture does not become watery.

I recommend pairing with soft corn tortillas (heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to make more pliable, or heat directly on the grill for some char).

There are a number of easy ways to modify this dish:

  • For lower carbs, omit the beans
  • To increase the fat, use 100% 93/7 ground turkey
  • For additional veggies, add more green peppers or stir in a bag of riced cauliflower (microwave first and completely squeeze the excess water from the cauliflower)
  • By swapping the ground turkey for crumbled seitan, this dish is also an excellent vegan choice. Seitan is low in the amino acid lysine, however the black beans contribute some of this essential amino acid (see recipe notes).
This one-pan spicy chipotle turkey & black bean dish is highly nutritious to eat standalone as chili or to throw into some tacos.

Balanced and healthful eating for your performance and physique goals can also include tasty food! Contact me to discuss your goals, and how I can support you as a coach.

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White Bean Chicken Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili

This creamy white bean chicken chili is a super nutritious meal prep dish. Blending the beans and yogurt provides rich texture without the need for heavy cream.

I love easy recipes that I can batch prep on weekends for meals throughout the week. This white bean chicken chili is super simple and tasty! The beans are an excellent source of healthy carbs including fiber, and also provide some protein on top of the protein in the chicken.

To save time, purchasing pre-cooked chicken is a great option. A personal favorite is Costco’s pre-cooked rotisserie breast meat which doesn’t have the rubbery texture of some of the other pre-cooked options.

I found this dish to be very filling. Strongly recommend topping with some cilantro, habanero for heat, and a dash of mild cheese. Turkey also works great if chicken isn’t handy. For a plant based option, omit chicken (consider extra firm tofu chunks), swap the stock for vegetable broth, and use cashew yogurt instead of plain nonfat Greek yogurt.

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This creamy white chicken chili is a nutritious way to stay warm (and full). By whipping up some of the beans and adding some yogurt, this chili has a rich texture without the need for cream.

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Cajun Louisiana Red Beans

Louisiana Red Beans

These healthy Cajun Louisiana red beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber. Perfect for batch cooking and freezing!

Louisiana Red Beans

I appreciate recipes that require minimal time standing over a pot – set it and forget it. This healthy Cajun Louisiana red beans recipe requires a bit of prep time (beans should be soaked for at least 8 hours), but it’s truly low on attention and effort. I started the soak Friday night before bed, and forgot about them until I was ready to cook Saturday afternoon. The actual cooking takes 3 hours, but once everything is in the pot there is no need to stand near the stove.

Beans are important…..

Two key steps ensure the right consistency and texture. Firstly, rise and soak dry beans, don’t substitute for canned beans unless you are really slammed for time. Secondly, don’t use budget red beans – quality matters here. High quality beans picked at the right time (and not stored in a warehouse for long) will have a buttery texture. Having tried many brands now, Camellia’s comes out on top.

Cajun Seasoning

To save time, I use pre-made Cajun Seasoning, but you could also make you own (large batch, for multiple uses) by combining 3 tbsp. smoked paprika, 3 tbsp. salt, 2 tbsp. garlic powder, 1 tbsp. white pepper, 1 tbsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. onion powder, 1 tbsp. oregano, 1 tbsp. cayenne, 1 tbsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp basil, and 1/4 tsp cardamom.

I opted to use low-fat Andoullie chicken sausage. Eight links of sausage are cut into slices and thrown into the pot during the last 30 minutes of cooking. This dish can readily be made vegan by using meatless sausage or extra firm tofu (press or dry fry before adding 15 minutes before cooking is complete).

I keep the base recipe mild and stir in hot sauce or chili flakes before eating. Nandos is my favorite hot sauce for this dish. If you want to kick up the whole batch, add two diced jalapenos when you add in the onion and green pepper.

The dish pairs well with the classics (rice or cornbread) but also tastes great with cauli rice for a lower carb option.

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