Entree

Better-than-Chipotle Burrito Bowl

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I remember the first time I went into Chipotle. It was awhile ago – probably 7 or 8 years ago – and everyone at my office had been raving about it.  I always liked Mexican but I couldn’t imagine how fast-food Mexican could be different than Taco Bell.  But one afternoon, I decided to go and fell in love.  There was so much goodness in that one bowl…the creamy guacamole, the spice of the salsa, chicken, beans, rice…it was like someone managed to take all of the best parts of a plate of nachos, throw them on rice, and call it a day.  It was like heaven and I think I went back at least a dozen times.

And then two things happened: 1. I read an article online about the calorie and fat content of Chipotle and nearly fell out of my chair. My amazing dream of a lunch was close to 52 grams of fat and 1,000 calories (and that’s without the side of chips). And did I mention the sodium?  It was more than half of the recommended daily intake.  And then a couple of years later, #2 happened: I went on the CKD diet and all thoughts and forms of fast-food became a hazy memory.

But in my quest to find food that fit the diet and I enjoyed, I was in my office, watching someone eating Chipotle, and it occurred to me that the basics of the burrito bowl I had fallen in love with a few years ago were, in fact, on the diet.  If I removed the beans and the cheese, all of the individual items I included in my bowl were acceptable. I ran home that night to make it, so here is the recipe.

I will note that there are two ways to make this: 1. With rice as your base and 2. With lettuce as your base. Sometimes I make this for dinner (see #1) and sometimes I make this for lunch (see #2) – it’s flexible and easy.

Original Recipe: Chipotle (Chipotle’s Nutrition Link)

Revised Recipe: Me 🙂 Jackie

Serving Size: 2 people, if you want more, just double it

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked white rice (if you want to make this for 4 people, just double this)
  • 4 peppers (I prefer red)
  • 2 tablespoons of canola oil
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1-2 chopped jalapenos
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 small red onion, chopped finely
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • Sour Cream (optional)
  • Avocado (Optional)
  • Hot Sauce (Optional)

Directions:

  1. Roast the Peppers (This step is optional): If you prefer your peppers roasted, set your oven for 400 degrees. Slice the peppers into thin strips and toss them in 1 tablespoon of canola oil.  Roast them in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip them onto the other side and put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.  Once at room temperature, dice them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
  2. Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Set aside.
  3. Defrost the corn in the microwave by adding corn and a tablespoon of water in a microwave-safe bowl.  Depending on your microwave, start at 90 seconds and see if it’s done.  Add another 15-20 seconds until defrosted. Drain and allow to cool.
    • ALTERNATIVE: You can make the Corn Salsa from my recipe and use this instead.  If you choose to do this, omit the jalapeño and red onion from this recipe.
  4. Pour 1 tablespoon of canola oil to a large pan on medium heat and add the chopped red onion.  After 2-3 minutes when it starts to soften, add the raw ground turkey.  Break up into small pieces and allow to cook all the way through, about 8 minutes.
  5. After all of the pink has disappeared from the ground turkey and it is cooked through, add your spices – the paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper.  Stir together so all of the turkey is coated.  All to sit for 3-4 minutes so the oil/juice is soaked up and the meat has turned a dark red color from the spices.
  6. While the turkey is cooking, start to assemble your bowl.  Place some rice at the bottom, then add the roasted red peppers and corn.  Then add some of the jalapeños (be careful not to add too many if you don’t like it spicy…remember, the turkey is spicy too).  If using avocado, cut up a few small chunks and add it to the bowl.  When the turkey is done cooking, add it to the top.
  7. If you’re using sour cream, add a tablespoon on top of the turkey and then sprinkle on your chopped cilantro.  If you like hot sauce, add this as well.  Finally, squeeze the lime over the whole bowl.  Repeat for multiple people/bowls.

ENJOY!

Veggie Dumplings

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I will forewarn that this is one of the most time-consuming recipes that I have, but in the end, the results are absolutely amazing.  They’re a really great dinner on their own or maybe a side dish or appetizer for parties and gatherings.  But be warned, this requires an assembly line of activity, so you need to allow yourself enough time so you can properly pull all of this together.

I love a good dumpling and I order them wherever I go. Even now, with my diet, I still order dumplings. I assume there’s soy sauce in them and lots of salt (and probably some veggies I can’t eat) but one good dumpling makes me unbelievably happy. I prefer them steamed, but this recipe uses a light sear + steam method.

There are a few shortcuts in this recipe that you can use, which will help speed up the process a bit.  But note, it’s not the actual cooking that takes time – this is the quick part – it’s the creation of the dumplings themselves. I am just not good at filling and folding the dough. I constantly struggle with this.  I really hope you’re better but please let me know if you have any tricks!

Original Recipe: HERE

Revised Recipe: Me 🙂 Jackie

  • Prep: The official recipe says 5 minutes, so I guess someone somewhere is able to do this in 5 minutes. I am not. For me, this takes about 40-45 minutes to prep.
  • Cook: 15 minutes
  • Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup coleslaw mix (found in the lettuce section with the bagged lettuce)
  • 1/2 cup chopped bean sprouts
  • 1/2 cup button mushrooms
  • 4 scallions, chopped (light green and white parts only)
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos (see HERE for the brand I prefer)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 15-20 dumpling wrappers – you can find these in the freezer section or the refrigerator section, usually near the tofu products

Directions

  1. Prep and chop your ingredients: Note – I throw all of the vegetables (coleslaw mix, bean sprouts, mushrooms, scallions) into a food processor and chop them that way. This is MUCH easier and creates greater consistency with the filling.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the coleslaw mix, chopped beansprouts, scallions, soy sauce/coconut aminos, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and ginger.
  3. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium. Once its hot, add the contents of the medium bowl. Cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover, stir and let cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat.
  4. Working with one dumpling wrapper at a time, spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling into the center. Moisten the edges of the dumpling wrapper with water (use your finger to spread it around). Then, fold the wrapper over, sealing the edges together with your fingers. Place on a foil-lined plate. Repeat until all of the dumplings are filled and sealed.
    NOTE: There’s a great website showing all the different ways to fold a wonton wrapper HERE. I generally do the basic samosa style (because I can’t quite get it any other way).  One tip though – make sure to keep a wet paper towel over the wontons you’ve already filled.  They’ll dry out if you don’t do this and will taste a bit like cardboard when you go to cook them.
  5.  Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan and wait until it gets hot. Add a few of the dumplings, making sure to to over-crowd the pan. Sear on one side (about 1-2 minutes) and then flip to the other. While they’re on the other side, add about 3 tablespoons of the water to the pan and cover.  Allow to steam.
  6. Wait about 3-4 minutes, remove the cover and the dumplings should be nicely steamed with crispy edges.
  7. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Good luck and ENJOY!

Crispy Tostadas with Chicken

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Slaw Topping
Sliced Onions, Radishes, Chiles and Cilantro for the Slaw
Crispy Tostadas
Chicken Tostadas!
Ta Da!

I love the Food Network and get a lot of my inspiration by watching those shows. I pretty much watch all of it (except some of the baking shows…I’m not a great baker if you can’t tell based on the limited number of dessert recipes I have). But I do occasionally tune in to The Kitchen on Saturday mornings to see what they’re cooking up. Although a lot of their recipes aren’t kidney-friendly, I’ve found ways of making them work for me. This is a recipe by Marcela Valladolid, who pronounces all of these ingredients with an amazing accent.  It’s relatively easy to make and you can add as much spice as you’d like. Enjoy!

Chicken Tostadas

Original Recipe: HERE by Marcela Valladolid

Revised Recipe: Me 🙂 Jackie

Total: 25 min
Prep: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings 

Ingredients

  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into rings
  • 8 radishes, thinly sliced
  • Mexican sour cream or regular sour cream, for drizzling
  • 1 Avocado sliced thinly for topping (Note: Avocado has high potassium so please use at your discretion)

Spicy Slaw Topping

  • 2 cups finely shredded lettuce or cabbage (I use the prepackaged cole slaw bags)
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped up
  • 1 serrano chile, diced finely
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

For the slaw:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Add the honey/agave nectar to desired sweetness. If you’d like more spice, feel free to another chile or half a chile.

For the tostada:

If you have a gas stovetop, turn it on low and place one corn tortilla on top for 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip to the other side. Lightly char each side so it’s crispy.  If you have an electric stovetop, turn it on medium-high heat and place 2 corn tortillas in a pan on top. Lightly crisp one side (about 6 minutes) and then flip.

Once the tostadas are done, top with chicken, slaw, red onions, radishes, sour cream and/or avocado.

And enjoy!  It’s absolutely delicious but good luck eating this – it’s messy so make sure you have plenty of napkins on hand!

Emily’s (or Marissa’s) Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

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This is recipe that is hotly contested amongst my group of friends.  Originally, my friend Marissa made this recipe at a party she threw a few years ago. We all loved it, not just because it was so tasty, but also because Marissa’s idea of a party is to have 3x more booze than food. So when she does bring out a few small bites, we all attack like starving wolves and inhale whatever she serves.

After that party, my other friend, Emily, asked Marissa for the recipe for these little wonders.  Since then, Emily has served them at all of her parties and people have since forgotten that they originally came from Marissa (btw, I don’t think anyone has truly forgotten that Marissa originally made them – I just think that Emily actually makes them better than Marissa did. The meatballs come out lighter, not as dry, and just the right amount of kick).  I, in turn, have passed this recipe along to my family and they all refer to it as “Emily’s Buffalo Chicken Meatballs,” when in reality, it’s actually Marissa’s.  Confusing, I know.  Just don’t mention this to Marissa.

The point is that this is one very tasty recipe and you don’t need to be on a CKD diet to appreciate it.  In addition to serving it at parties as an appetizer, I also make it for dinner (and serve it over rice) and you can freeze it. If you like buffalo sauce at all, you will love this.

 

Image result for buffalo chicken meatballs

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup hot sauce (Note: traditionally, hot sauce has a lot of salt. While Frank’s [the original, not the buffalo, which has less salt] will forever be my favorite, you can also make your own. I’ll post the recipe below for reference.)
  • 1 pound ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 celery stalk, minced
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs (Note: please see my tips for low-sodium bread crumbs in the Green Bean Casserole Recipe)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Drizzle the vegetable oil into a 9×13-inch baking dish and use your hand to evenly coat the entire surface. Set aside.

Combine the butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

Combine the hot sauce mixture, ground chicken, egg, celery, and bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

Roll the mixture into round, 3/4 -inch balls, making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through. A meat thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read 165°F.

If serving at a party, keep warm in a slow cooker.

DIY Low-Sodium Wing Sauce

2-4 tablespoons Tabasco (to taste)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and whisk in tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar and lemon juice.

Canadian Buddha Bowl

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Between mid-2015 and 2016, I spent close to a year living in Toronto and absolutely loved it. I could talk endlessly about how great it was, how much calmer it was than New York, how nice everyone is (or seems to be), but for this particular post, I will focus on one of the dishes I ate when I was there.  Next to my office in Toronto were two lunch spots – Salad Days (which I will post a recipe from at a later time) and Freshii.  When I moved back to the States, I went through a period of withdrawal, craving those lunches that I loved so much, so I recreated my favorite lunch from Freshii.  It was so easy and I learned about the joy of rice noodles (which taste just like pasta but cook much faster!). Plus, this is a recipe that doesn’t need to be refrigerated if you don’t add meat, so it’s portable and great for outdoor get-togethers.

As a side note, about 6 months after I got back from Toronto, I went on the Freshii website…and lo and behold, they’re here!  They’re in New York!  And their White Plains location is about 10 minutes from my office, so I drove over there as fast as I could.  So now, I have the option of making this myself or getting the real thing…they’re both delicious and both bring back my happy memories of Toronto.

freshii.com – Go visit if there’s one near you!

Freshii Logo

 

Buddha Satay

rice noodles, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, crispy wontons, green onions, spicy peanut sauce (Side Note: I ask to replace this with a simple vinaigrette on the side or just use sriracha on the side)

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Ingredients

  • 1 8-ounce package of rice noodles
  • 1 lb. of chicken breasts or pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cups no-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 bunch scallions, sliced (white and green parts separated)
  • 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups vegetables – as Freshii does, I use broccoli, a few shredded carrots, and purple cabbage, but any veggie would be good in here!
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 5-6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions. Note: You can either boil the noodles like pasta or stir fry them. They both work well.
  3. Toss corn tortilla strips lightly in a little oil and place on a baking sheet.  Bake them until crisp with brown edges, about 8 minutes. Place them on the side.
  4. In a large skillet or wok, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken or pork.  Cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the pan, then add the scallions, ginger and garlic; reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
  5. Add the vegetables to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start softening, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth evaporates and the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Squeeze the lime on top and add the chopped cilantro.
  6. Stir all together and serve in a large bowl.  Add the tortilla strips on top.

If you’d like to add more of a sauce on top, you can either make a simple lime vinaigrette (found HERE, just omit the salt) or pour a little sriracha on top to add a kick.

ENJOY!