Red Beans and Rice

My mother is from Louisiana, so she is Cajun. Being her daughter, she is especially hard on me when I veer off the course of the traditional ingredients for your typical Cajun dish, but oh well... this tastes phenomenal and is clean and healthy!

This is a guest post written by Tiffany.

Clean Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Brown Rice (or my favorite, Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Wild and Brown Rice Blend - it's SO yummy!)
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lb Organic Turkey Sausage, sliced approximately 1/2 inch rounds
  • You can typically find a kielbasa in your natural foods section or natural foods store. If you can't find this, try the Bruce Aidells brand - it only has a few ingredients and is "all natural". To make Gluten Free, just add Gluten-Free Sausage!
• 3 cans of red beans, rinsed (you may substitute dried beans that are pre-soaked overnight)
• 1 1/2 c Organic, Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups Brown Rice to boil in a pot over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, place a lid on pot and let cook for approximately 45 minutes.

2. In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is warm, add onion, garlic and organic turkey sausage. Saute until onions brown and become clear.

3. In saute pan, add red beans, organic low-sodium chicken broth, cayenne pepper, chili powder, black pepper and sea salt. Stir together. Cook on medium for 30-45 minutes.

Serve bean/sausage combo over the brown rice and enjoy! Let me know how it turns out!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Granola Bars

These kind of or kinda clean Dark Chocolate Espresso Granola Bars are absolutely phenomenal!  I was a little concerned during the preparation of the granola bars as I quite unfamiliar with making granola or granola bars, but am quite pleased with the results.  The recipe is easy to follow and I had most of the ingredients in my pantry (or cupboard for you Southern folk!). Although Oxygen magazine recommends eating a little cocoa before an exercise, I felt compelled to categorize them under our Clean Eat Treats category since you would not want to over indulge with the Dark Chocolate Espresso Granola Bars or even eat one per day!  They have approximately 250 calories per bar (makes 8).

Dark Chocolate Espresso Granola Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 scoops vanilla protein powder (choose a clean protein powder)

1 tbsp raw honey

2 oz dark chocolate-covered espresso beans (70% or higher cocoa content)

1/3 cup coconut oil, softened

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (no HFCS) or almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to combine.

3. Spread mixture evenly in a 9" X 9" baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden around edges.

4. Let cool and slice into 8 bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

Gluten Free Version:  Use Gluten-Free Rolled Oats and Gluten-Free Flour as alternatives.

Adapted from: Oxygen Magazine, "Cocoa Before Cardio - Reader of the Month Recipe", October 2011.

Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies

Remember, just because it's clean and isn't full of processed junk, you still need to be conscious of the total amount of calories you are consuming.  Each of these bad boys have about 110 calories.  Not bad for a snack once in a while, but pop 4 or 5 of them and you have wasted a good bit of your daily caloric intake.

Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Almond Butter, stirred well
• 3/4 cup Sucanat Sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate (try Lindt Extra Dark Chocolate 85% Cocoa), broken into small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the first five ingredients until blended. Stir in Chocolate.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls on to parchment lined baking sheets (non-stick pans work incredibly well also!).

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

5. Let cool on baking sheets for five minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Yields approximately 24 cookies.

He & She Tip: Freeze your left over cookies by wrapping each one individually. When you are looking for a special treat, unwrap one and eat it before it thaws. A little piece of Heaven on Earth!

Mets: (per cookie)

• Calories: 95
• Protein: 3g
• Fat: 6g
• Carbs: 9g

Enjoy our recipes?  Get help with your grocery shopping here.

Happy Baking!

*Source: The Best of Clean Eating, 2010.