Body and Machine

The weather is finally breaking, so lets go out and play! Who wants to be stuck inside cooking? Here is a great recipe for a slow cooker meal that will leave with 7-8 hours of play time, then come on home to a ready to eat warm meal.
Chicken Edamame Chowder

ingredients
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 12 ounce package frozen sweet soybeans (edamame)
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped green sweet pepper (1 large)
• 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped*
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 14 1/2 ounce can chicken broth
• 1 8 ounce carton sour cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
• Snipped fresh cilantro (optional)
directions
1. In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until light brown. In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine chicken, frozen soy beans, sweet pepper, onion, jalapeno peppers, cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper. Pour broth over mixture in cooker. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
3. If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. In a small bowl combine sour cream and flour. Thinly slice zucchini. Stir sour cream mixture and zucchini into chicken mixture. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more or until mixture is thickened and zucchini is crisp-tender.
4. If desired, serve topped with cheese and cilantro.

While waiting for Spring to get here and warm us up, this recipe makes the wait much more enjoyable. Who doesn’t love Chicken Tortilla Soup?

ingredients
• 2 14 ounce can chicken broth with roasted garlic
• 1 14 1/2 ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 10 ounces)
• 2 cups frozen (yellow, green, and red) peppers and onion stir-fry vegetables
• 1 cup tortilla chips
Sliced fresh jalapeno chile peppers* (optional)
directions
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine broth, undrained tomatoes, chicken, and frozen vegetables.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.
3. To serve, ladle soup into warm soup bowls and top with tortilla chips. If desired, top with chile peppers. Makes 4 servings.

nutrition facts Servings Per Recipe 4, cal. (kcal) 181, Fat, total (g) 4, chol. (mg) 36, sat. fat (g) 1, carb. (g) 19, fiber (g) 1, pro. (g) 18, sodium (mg) 1383, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Getting back into the swing of things and finding ourselves with not much time, means it’s time to bust out the crock pot and get some quick but healthy meals going. Check out this recipe for Mediterranean Beef with Pasta

ingredients
1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 medium yellow sweet pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup lower-sodium beef broth
1 1/4 cups zucchini and/or yellow summer squash halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (1 medium)
6 ounces dried whole grain penne pasta
1 recipe Basil Gremolata

directions
1. In a large skillet cook meat, half at a time, in hot oil over medium-high heat until brown. Drain off fat. Transfer meat to a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Add carrots, sweet pepper, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Pour tomatoes and broth over mixture in cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.
3. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in zucchini and/or yellow squash. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
4. Serve meat mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with Basil Gremolata.

Basil Gremolata

Yield: about 1/3 cup
ingredients
2 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
directions
1. In a small bowl stir together cheese, basil, and garlic.

nutrition facts
Servings Per Recipe 6, cal. (kcal) 371, Fat, total (g) 13, chol. (mg) 64, sat. fat (g) 5, carb. (g) 31, Monosaturated fat (g) 6, Polyunsaturated fat (g) 1, fiber (g) 5, sugar (g) 6, pro. (g) 32, vit. A (IU) 54, vit. C (mg) 1, Thiamin (mg) 0, Riboflavin (mg) 0, Niacin (mg) 6, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 1, Folate (µg) 97, Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 4, sodium (mg) 403, Potassium (mg) 889, calcium (mg) 81, iron (mg) 4, Mark as Free Exchange () 0, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet