Filling Your Fork is a site created out of love and a desire to share my passion with others. I am by no means a professional writer or blogger but, what I do know is food. After graduating from a Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School I realized that high end cooking was not what I was drawn to. I was raised in the mid-west and comfort food is my thing but, I wanted to do it in a healthier way. Nothing is better than heaps of butter and cream but that stuff catches up with you. What if there was a way to make all the things that we know and love but make it a little lighter and easier on the waistline? Listen, I love kale as much as the next person but sometimes I like it served next to a hearty bowl of gooey mac-n-cheese and so I came up with a healthier version.
My intentions are to show people that yummy healthy food does not have to cost an arm and a leg and it doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. You can make a meal for your family that can be healthy, filling, fast, comforting and frugal. I make most things I cook from scratch but I am not opposed to utilizing some pre-made food. I assure you no tutorials on how to roll out the perfect pasta dough here. I really hope that you enjoy my posts in the future as I am looking forward to sharing lots of goodies with you.
Come check out fillingyourfork.com and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Three Bean Chili
Total prep time 20 min/ total cook time 45 min (makes 16, 1 cup servings)
•1 Lb Ground Beef (85/15, see below)
•1 C Celery (about 3 stalks, medium diced)
•1 C Carrots (about 3 carrots, medium diced)
•1 C Onion ( about 1 large onion, medium diced)
•2 cloves garlic (chopped)
•1 Tbsp Pepper
•1 Tbsp Salt
•2 Tbsp Cumin
•1/4 C Chili Powder
•2 Tbsp Oregano
•4 C Water
•1 Can of each
•Black beans (15.5 oz can)
•Red kidney bean (15.5 oz can)
•Chick pea (15.5 oz can)
•Diced Tomatoes (28oz can)
Directions:
1. Brown meat (do not drain fat/drippings from the meat).
2. Once meat is browned add spices and stir for a minute.
3. Add veggies and stir. Let cook for 5 min on medium heat.
4. Add beans, water and tomatoes, simmer for 30 min.
85/15 is in reference to the meat to fat ratio of the beef used. 85 being the meat and 15 being the fat.There are two other popular ratios sold in most markets nowadays, 90/10 and 80/20. 90/10 is way too lean for this recipe and 80/20 ends up being too fatty and you end up losing volume in the meat.
Eat it plain or top it with a garnish of your choice. I personally am a fan of a small bit of cheddar, greek yogurt and some pico de gallo if I have it on hand.
Cranberry Apple Muffin
Total Prep Time 10 min/Total Cook Time 12-15 min (Makes 15 muffins)
•2 C All-Purpose Flour
•3/4 C Sugar
•1 tsp Baking Soda
•1/2 tsp Salt
•1/2 tsp Cinnamon
•1 Egg
•3 Tbsp Coconut Oil (melted vegetable or grape seed oil can be substituted)
•1/4 C Applesauce
•1/4 C Almond Milk (regular milk can be substituted)
•1 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
•1 Granny Smith Apple (peeled and small diced)
•2 C Fresh Cranberries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl combine the egg, coconut oil, applesauce, almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Add the apples and cranberries to the flour mixture and mix until all of the apples are coated in flour.
3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until it comes together. Do not over mix.
4. Line a muffin tin with muffin/cupcake liners or spray the muffin tin with non-stick spray. Fill the cups up about 2/3 of the way. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.
5. Once the muffins are completely cooled combine the powdered sugar and cranberry juice. Drizzle over the muffins.
Pecan Crusted Pork Loin Chops
Total cook time 15 min / total prep time 5 min
•4 Pork Loin Chops
•1/3 C Pecans
•Salt and Pepper to taste
•Dijon Mustard
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Crush pecans into small pieces. I placed mine in a ziplock bag and beat it with a rolling pin or you could use the bottom of a heavy pan. Place pecans on a plate.
3. Rub a very very thin layer of dijon mustard on the pork chop and season with salt and pepper. Press the pork chop into the pecans so that the chop is covered in pecans. The small bit of dijon helps the pecans to stick and also helps keep the pork moist.
4. Once all of the pork chops are coated, add to a non-stick, oven-safe pan on medium heat. No fat or oil is needed with the non-stick pan and the nuts will release their natural oils and coat the meat.
5. Cook on one side for 1 min. Turn over and cook for an additional min. Place the pan into the oven and cook until the pork has reached an internal temp of 150 degrees, about 8-10 min for a 1” thick chop. If you use a bone-in pork chop you will have to adjust your cook time. Bone-in chops will take a bit longer to cook.
6. Allow meat to rest for 2-3 min before cutting into it, otherwise all the juices will release and your chops will be dry. Serve with dijon mustard or a whole grain mustard.
This goes really well with my Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese recipe.
Cauliflower Mac-N-Cheese
Total cooking time 20 min /total prep time 5 min
•4 C Macaroni Noodles or whatever you have on hand (cooked according to the instructions on the package)
•1/2 Head of Cauliflower, cut into florets.
•2 C Shredded Cheddar
•1 Clove garlic
•3 Tbsp Plain Greek Yogurt
•1/2 C Non-fat Milk
•Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Prepare the pasta according to the packaging instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the cauliflower florets and cook until fork tender; about 3-4 min.
3. Strain the cauliflower and toss in a food processor or blender if that’s whatcha have. Add the clove of garlic and blend the cauliflower and garlic until smooth. Once the mixture is smooth add the cheese, greek yogurt and milk. The cauliflower is hot enough to melt the cheese and create a smooth cheesy sauce.
4. Once all of the cheese is melted add salt and pepper to taste. Then place your cheese sauce and pasta back into one pot and gently mix on low heat until all of the pasta is covered in the sauce.
*My favorite thing to do is place the completed mac in a casserole dish, add a little extra cheese on the top and pop under the broiler for just a minute or two. Just to give it a little cheesy crust.
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