Italian turkey loaf

So what is this fascination with meatloaves? I don’t know – but they are really versatile and easy to portion. Plus they freeze and reheat well.

Italian turkey loaf

Italian Turkey Loaf

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 small bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons italian spice blend
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (the kind in the green box is fine for this)
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 light string cheese (mozzarella style)

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Coarsely chop the onion and bell pepper and put in your food processor. What? Okay, you could dice it finely by hand.

Note: I know someone is going to be asking why I prepare this in a food processor. Why essentially double grind my ground meat? It’s a lap-band issue. Ground meats can be surprisingly difficult to get past the band, especially if they are low fat. I also like the smoother texture but you should feel free to ignore this and prepare the meatloaves the way you like.

Pulse the food processor a few times but don’t turn the veggies into mush, yet. Add the turkey, seasonings, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Pulse until all the ingredients are well mixed. You will probably need to scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times.

Scoop the mixture into 6 mini-loaf pans as evenly as possible. Cut about one third of the length off the 4 string cheese. You’ll use 2 each of the 4 ends for two of the mini loaves.

Place the cheese lengthwise in the center of each of the mini loaves. Squish the cheese down into the loaf then smooth the meat back over it. Spoon a couple tablespoons of marinara sauce onto each mini loaf then sprinkle with a little more Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until loaves reach an internal temperature of 160°F.

Serves 6
Per Serving: 25g protein, 12g carbohydrates, 10.5g fat, 243 calories

Note 2: I tend to like my meat a little more strongly flavored so I used more than what I’ve got listed here. In fact, I used too much garlic. Oh well.

Note 3: When reheating, you might want to top with just a little more marinara sauce.

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so smooth baked custard

I’ve been on a life-long quest for really good, really smooth, lowfat, sugar free, baked egg custard. Consider it a mission.

I’ve previously posted recipes for baked egg custard which were good, but didn’t always work right for me. The last couple times I made it, it had a definite “eggy” taste and the texture was just not perfect enough. This time, this time I got it right.

And it was good.

so smooth custard

So Smooth Baked Egg Custard

1 vanilla bean
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
enough water to make 2 cups when mixed with milk powder
2 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup Splenda Brand granulated sugar substitute
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: I like the addition of the vanilla bean but understand that it may drift toward the bottom of your custard and leave a not-so-pretty schmear on the bottom of the ramekin. Your choice.

Preheat oven to 350°F

Mix nonfat milk powder and water to make 2 cups. Split and scrape the vanilla bean, adding the little seeds to the milk mix. Add Splenda, eggs, egg yolks, salt and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.

Strain into 4 1-cup ramekins, place on a clean kitchen towel in a 13×9 inch baking dish (or any fairly deep baking dish that will comfortably hold the ramekins).

Place pan with ramekins on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Pour very hot water into the pan to about half way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake about 20 minutes or until knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean.

CAREFULLY remove the ramekins from the hot water bath. I’ve never found a foolproof method for doing this but I think canning tongs would make a great gift for your favorite custard maker. Let the water bath cool in the oven so that you can remove and dump it safely.

Custard can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg (traditional) or cinnamon sugar (adds a tiny about of carbs but I like it!).

Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 11g protein, 11g carbohydrates, 6g fat, 153 calories

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chicken (in the style of) vindaloo

When I decided to make some chicken vindaloo I discovered that it is apparently one of those dishes where everyone has a different definition and version. I found thousands of recipes. I make a mean chicken korma, but I’ve eaten that at The Gem of India so I have a good idea what it’s supposed to taste like, at least their version. With vindaloo I’m not at all sure.

I ended up going with an incredibly simple recipe. Possibly this was a mistake. What I probably need is a good Indian cookbook – but given the thousands of variations I found online, how do I know which one is good?

Although simple, this did in fact turn out to be very tasty. The chicken was tender and juicy and while I would have liked the onions to be a little more cooked, that could be accomplished with a quick saute first. I think I would be inclined to prepare it more in the style of the korma recipe as well.

As for the photograph, I have great lights now. I have the light tent for when I want to use that. What I don’t have is a lot of patience. I wanted to eat my dinner, not spend an hour figuring out how to plate it. I can easily see this served with rice or couscous if you aren’t watching your carbohydrates.

chicken vindaloo

Chicken Vindaloo, sort of

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, about 5 ounces each
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Vindaloo seasoning (I used Penseys, you can easily find a bunch of recipes to make your own)
1 good pinch of salt
a sprinkling of ground red pepper, to taste

Mix yogurt with seasoning, salt and additional pepper. Marinate chicken breasts in yogurt mixture for a couple hours. Don’t drain the marinade, just scoop the chicken up with the yogurt clinging to it.

Thinly slice a medium onion and I think it should be softened briefly in a saute before laying it out in a layer in a non-reactive baking container (like Corning or Pyrex). Place chicken breasts on top of onions and bake in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160&degF.

Serves 2
Per servings: 41g protein, 9.25g carbohydrates, .1g fat, 213 calories

I would really think of this as a jumping off place. I intend to try some other recipes and play with this one, I’ll update when I do.


Update: The next night, I decided to try this again. I liked the flavors pretty well but I really didn’t like the presentation and the onion was undercooked… you know.

So, I chopped up some onion, some red bell pepper and a little jalapeño and tossed in a handful of frozen cherry tomatoes I had from last summer. I sautéed them in a bit of non-stick and ended up adding just a bit of butter. Cut the chicken breast into bite sized chunks and added it to the vegetables. Cooked until done then added the yogurt and spice mixture to the whole mess. It still is not an elegant presentation, but the flavor was excellent and more well rounded than when the yogurt was just on top of the chicken. Again, most people would probably serve it with rice.

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jerk chicken chili v 2.0

Not long ago I read an article (somewhere) about why most recipes are terribly written. The author contends that every step should be carefully spelled out so that the completely novice cook can recreate the recipe. Every move and measure should be absolute and precise.

I hate that kind of recipe. It makes me feel like an idiot. I write terrible recipes. I write for people like me who are basically good home cooks and fully anticipate that they will tweak any recipe according to their own taste. I expect that if I say “using the muffin method” that this mythical home cook will know what I mean or be willing to look it up. Maybe if I was a professional cookbook author I would think differently. On the other hand, if I write something particularly stupid or unclear, please let me know in the comments.

Oh well, this is another badly written recipe. Tweak to your heart’s content.

I made another version of Jerk Chicken Chili last spring. It was good but it wasn’t quite right. It was very mild, for one thing. And the flavor profile desperately needed ginger. So, this is the new version and I like it a lot better!

tropical chicken chili

Jerk Chicken Chili

1 1/4 pounds chicken breast, no skin, no bone, ready to cook, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons jalapeno pepper, minced
1 inch fresh ginger root, grated
10 ounces roasted red peppers, chopped (about 2/3 of a 16 ounce jar)
16 ounces crushed pineapple in juice (about 3/4 of a 20 ounce can)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup salsa
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon jerk seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced fine

In a medium stock pot, saute onion, jalapeno, garlic and ginger until softened. Add chicken broth and pieces of chicken. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add roasted red peppers, pineapple, salsa and seasoning. Stir in black beans and simmer for about an hour.

Makes about 10 one cup servings
Per serving: 264 Calories; 4g Fat; 22g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber.
Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.

*Note: Pineapple chunks or tidbits would be prettier, probably, but in deference to the lap-band, I used crushed.

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cottage cheese pancakes v. 2.0

I’ve made Cottage Cheese Pancakes before and considered them to be an excellent compromise between the extravagance of pancakes and sticking to my eating plan. Then I ran across this recipe and when I saw the very small amount of flour in the recipe I thought, no way is that going to work.

But they do work. These pancakes are very tasty and satisfy my need for bread/cake like things. Best of all, they have an excellent protein to carbohydrate ratio. I think I’m in love.

cottage cheese pancakes

Cottage Cheese Pancakes v 2.0

1 cup lowfat small curd cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Mix ingredients together well and refrigerate for at least one hour. It’s perfect to mix together the night before to make a quick breakfast.

Preheat a non-stick griddle or large frying pan on for a few minutes. Spray with a little butter flavored cooking spray, if you like, and ladle the pancake batter by 1/4 cup scoops. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the pancake and the edges start to look a little dry. Flip and cook the other side until lightly golden.

Serve with your favorite topping.

Makes 6-8 small pancakes. Serves 2
Per Serving: 22g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; 6g fat, 213 calories.
Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat.

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brownie bites cheesecake

Okay, this is the first recipe of the new year and also the first recipe that I’ve used my desktop photo studio to improve the lighting and stuff for the photos. I need to take more time with it but I will learn. I also really need to do something with the wrinkled backdrops. Can you iron nylon?

Before we begin, a few disclaimers and caveats. This recipe is based on Junior’s Brownie Swirl Cheesecake and although I made some changes to slightly healthify the recipe it is by no means diet friendly. Still, it’s my birthday and I’ll eat cheesecake if I want to! For the full fat unadulterated version, go to the link.

I also made a few changes for laziness sake. I honestly have never made a good brownie from scratch. I can make puff pastry but brownies elude me. I think this is because people have very strong opinions on what a brownie should be and the “best” cake brownie is never as good as a bad fudge brownie to me. Someday I’ll find the perfect brownie recipe but for now, boxes rule.

completed cheesecake

Brownie Bites Cheesecake

1 box brownie mix, prepared per box directions (I used Ghiradelli’s Ultimate Fudge Brownie)
three 8-ounce packages neufchatel cheese (low fat cream cheese),
at room temperature
2/3 cup Splenda brand Sugar Blend (that’s the kind that’s part real sugar)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (that’s about 1/3 cup mini morsels)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

brownie base

Prepare brownie mix. Spray and for heaven’s sake use a piece of parchment paper to line your 9 inch springform pan. I really, really wish I’d used the parchment paper! Use about 2/3 of the brownie batter in the large springform and the rest, bake in a small pan. It’ll take about 15 minutes to bake the large pan (per the instructions on the box) until the edges are just set and the middle is still quite soft. The small pan you want to bake until it’s done and even though it’s smaller, it’ll take longer.

Let the brownies cool completely for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Making the cheesecake batter is always a lot easier than what people think. I’ve used Junior’s recipe for years – it’s my ideal cheesecake: rich and dense. If you like light and fluffy this is not the cheesecake for you.

(this is mostly direct from the recipe – it’s good technique and it works!)

Put one package of the cream cheese, about 1/3 of the sugar blend, and the cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. (Normally I use a stand mixer for this but I used a hand blender this time. I have on occasion done this in the food processor.) Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining sugar blend, then the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Beat in the 2/3 cup of cream just until completely blended. Don’t overmix!

(Back to me)

Assembling the cheesecake a la Zaz. Cut up the small brownies. Ladle a little of the cheesecake mixture over the brownie base then drop the other brownies over the cheesecake batter, try to cover the pan fairly evenly. Pour all but about 1 cup of the batter over the brownies. Or be precise and measure out 1 cup batter and set it aside.

ready to bake

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute. Watch this carefully. I hate melting chocolate in the microwave because I have often burned it. Still, setting up a double boiler for 1/3 cup of chips seemed silly. Be sure to stir the chips since they start to melt before they look like they’ve started to melt. When smooth, add to the remaining cheesecake batter and mix well.

Drop the chocolate cheesecake batter by spoonfuls over the white batter. Swirl in pretty figure 8s with the tip of a sharp knife until it looks like you think you want it.

“Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform. Bake until the edges are light golden brown and the top of the cake has golden and dark chocolate swirls, about 11/4 hours. Remove the cake from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours (just walk away—don’t move it). Leave the cake in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.” (from Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook: 50 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake)

slightly over baked

I confess, I have never had good luck with using a water bath so I just don’t do it. Perhaps I need a better springform pan. I overbaked this just a little bit as you can see the top cracked a little bit and the outer edges were just a bit tough. It’s been a while since I made a cheesecake and I baked it for the full hour and fifteen minutes. Usually, I like to underbake it slightly (about one hour) and turn the oven off, leaving the cheesecake to cool in the oven. That works well for me. If water baths work well for you then more power to you. And send me a link to a good springform pan that doesn’t leak.

cheesecake slice

I allowed it to cool for an hour or so then added the chocolate glaze that was included with my brownie mix. You could certainly make a little ganache or I read a suggestion to use hot fudge topping for a cheesecake topping and that sounds nice and drizzly. I then topped the cheesecake with chopped pecans since I forgot to include them inside the cheesecake as I’d planned. A happy accident as Bob Ross used to say since I really liked them on top.

p.s., I’m going to try to take a better photo of the slice. Since I didn’t use parchment paper to line my springform I had a devil of a time getting the crust out more or less whole.

p.p.s., I fully expect to find typos when I re-read this. If by some odd chance someone finds them before I do, please point them out in the comments.

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cherry bombs

I decided to make just one cookie for the holidays and I wanted to make something different, so I tried Cherry Bombs. They are really very simple and were addictively tasty. Therefore, I gave most of them away.

These should be the last badly lit photos, by the way. I got a desktop photo studio for Christmas (go Santa!) and I hope that my photos will improve.

This recipe comes from Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. She writes fun little Cozy mysteries which are an enjoyable and light read and include a lot of tasty sounding cookie recipes.

cherry bombs

Cherry Bombs

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
approximately 65 maraschino cherrys, rinsed and drained with their stems left on (that’s about 2 jars, 16 ounce each or so the recipe says)
confectioner’s (powdered) sugar for coating the cookies

I thought that the sugar cookie dough was rather bland and added about 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract.

Drain and rinse the cherries, let drain really well then dry them gently with paper towels. You won’t get them totally dry but it helps to get them mostly dry. Make sure you leave the stems on.

Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with two forks, rather like you would biscuits – or use cold butter cut into chunks and whirl it around in your food processor, which is what I did.

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl and then add the sugar and almond extract, stir until well mixed. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. (Or continue whirling around in the food processor, which is what I did.)

The original recipes says to take small bits of dough with your fingers and wrap it around each maraschino cherry, leaving the stem sticking out. That might be fun to do with children. If you want to get the cookies baked, chill the dough and then roll it out and cut it into rough squares and wrap them around the cherries. You’ll get a feel for how big your squares should be. Mine were probably 1 1/4 inches square. It was far, far easier to chill and roll and a lot less messy.

Flatten each cookie’s bottom a little when you place them on your baking pan – which should either be greased or used parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet (which is my preference, man I love my silpat). The cookies will spread some so leave a bit of space between them. I found that chilling the cookies before baking helped a little to limit the spread.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. The cookies should remain white, if they are browning adjust your time and double check your oven temperature. It’s a good idea to test your oven’s real temperature with an oven thermometer, ovens are often pretty inaccurate. Let the cookies cook on the cookie sheet – they are way too delicate to pluck off but will firm up nicely when cool.

When the cookies are cool, you want to coat them with powdered sugar. My usual method of throwing the cookies in a ziploc and shaking the heck out of them clearly won’t work here. I tried several methods and what worked best for me was to let the cookies cool completely, then place a few in a large bowl and sift powdered sugar over them. Then you can gently move the cookies around with your fingers and tap off the excess sugar.

They package best flat, rather than in bags or cookie jars, but you can stack a couple layers. I don’t know how long they last but they kept a couple days at least in a plastic cookie container.

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frozen pumpkin mousse

I don’t think you (or at least I) can go through the holidays without some treats. While I don’t believe in total self denial, I do try to make treats as low fat and low sugar as I can while I’m in the weight loss stage of lap-band.

This recipe is based on one at Eating Well. Their recipe included a gingersnap cookie pie crust. I think that’d be lovely and I was planning on putting a gingersnap into the bottom of each muffin cup – but my store had absolutely no gingersnaps. It was really good without the crust, though, so I don’t regret the lack of cookies too much.

frozen pumpkin mousse

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup Splenda brand Brown Sugar Blend
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pint sugar free vanilla ice cream

Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well. Add ice cream and stir until blended, a hand mixer works well – you want the mousse to be smooth. Spoon the mixture into muffin cups lightly spritzed with nonstick spray. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

I think it would have been nice to have a little whipped cream on top – too bad I didn’t think of it ahead of time!

You can serve it in the paper muffin liners or carefully peel them off while the mousse is frozen. I think it’d look nice in those straight sided mini cheesecake pans – and really would almost need the gingersnap if you made it that way.

frozen pumpkin mousse open

Makes 6 servings
Per Serving: 3g protein, 21.5g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 2.1g fat, 105.3 calories (your sugar free ice cream may vary)

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peachy keen oatmeal

It seems that what my body wants to eat right now is oatmeal and yogurt. While I don’t think the current tightness I feel in the band is the cause of this craving, it certainly is easier to eat oatmeal than, say, the scrambled eggs I couldn’t swallow yesterday. So, I’m offering up my favorite oatmeal recipe. At least my favorite oatmeal recipe that doesn’t involve chocolate and copious amounts of peanut butter.

peachy oatmeal

Peachy Keen Oatmeal

14.75 ounce can no-added-sugar sliced peaches, such as Libby’s (rough chop peaches, just use a paring knife on them while they’re in the can)
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (you could probably use quick oats too)
1/2 cup non-fat dry milk powder
1-2 teaspoons molasses (to taste)(TEAspoons! Oops)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 can (your peach can, of course) of water
Splenda Brand no-calorie sweetener, to taste

In a medium sized saucepan, combine peaches, their liquid and water. Add oatmeal, milk powder, salt and molasses. Cook oats per package instructions, for old fashioned oats bring to a full boil and turn heat down to medium and cook for about another 5 minutes, stirring constantly so oats don’t scorch. Stir in Splenda to taste when ready to serve.

Yes, I know, it’s really easy.

Makes 6 servings a little over a 1/2 cup each. (6 servings??? Yeah, but I like it cold! You can re-heat it with a little splash of milk or water in your microwave.)
Per Serving: 5g protein, 22 g carbohydrate (4g fiber), 1.5g fat, 121 calories.

Note: I mistyped the molasses recommendation – it really should be teaspoons. All I want is enough molasses to give it that brown sugar flavor. Sugar Free Maple Syrup is good with this recipe, too, especially when rewarming as some of the Splenda sweetness seems to fade.

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orange chicken light

I love Orange Chicken. Whenever I go to Mr. Yen’s, I search through the menu trying to decide which of the many, many dishes I want. Then I order the Orange Chicken. It’s not exactly a light meal but I always make at least two meals out of it. Still, it would be nice to have a lighter version.

So here goes!

orange chicken

Orange Chicken Light

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 pound chicken tenders, cut in bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground red chile
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
fresh ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 inch ginger root, or about 1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon red chili flakes, to taste
1 tablespoon grated orange peel, or minced

Sauce

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
5 packets Splenda Brand no calorie sweetener

1 green onion, white part, sliced thin

Cut chicken tenders into bite sized pieces. The easiest way to do this is with kitchen shears. How did I live during the years my chicken shears were lost in a box in the storage unit? In a large ziploc bag combine cornstarch, ground ginger, ground red chile, salt and ground pepper. When ready to cook, drop chicken pieces into ziploc bag and shake to coat. Try to be sure each piece gets coated.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger root and orange peel. BE CAREFUL. Burned orange peel etc is not part of the recipe. Add the chicken pieces in batches and brown. Feel free to scoop out the orange peel with the first batch so it doesn’t overcook (that is, if you used larger pieces, which I did. If you don’t want to see the peel use zest.)

Mix the orange juice, chicken broth, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Stir in the Splenda. Add to the skillet with the chicken. The cornstarch on the chicken should thicken the sauce when it comes to full heat. If it doesn’t, stir about a tablespoon of cornstarch into a little chicken broth and dribble into the skillet while stirring the sauce until it is as thick as you’d like it. Check a nice big piece of chicken and make sure it’s cooked through – it will be, don’t worry.

Garnish with slices of green onion broken into little rings.

Note: Orange chicken usually has some of those super hot dried red chiles in the sauce. They cost $6.00 for a pound and I really didn’t need a pound. Red Pepper Flakes work. Adjust the amount to your own spiciness preference.

Also, ground red chile is not actually the same thing as “ground red pepper” but you can use ground red pepper if you can’t find ground chile.

Serves 4
Per Serving: 27g protein, 12g carbohydrate, 8g fat, 225 calories

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