It snowed this weekend. Not flurries – I can live with those. I’m talking about big, fat snowflakes. They didn’t stick, but they did incite some yelling and a few not-so-nice words. I guess summer is really over.

On the plus side, that means I can finally share this recipe for pot roast stuffed baked potatoes. I photographed it back when it was still way to nice outside to be at home with the oven on all afternoon, but it’s perfect for this time of year. It’s pretty much the ultimate cozy weekend comfort food.

I’ve always been a huge fan of pot roast – I grew up eating it every week – but serving it stuffed inside of fluffy baked potatoes was a new idea for me. It makes so much sense though! It’s so easy to overeat when you serve pot roast over mashed potatoes, but this way it’s like built-in portion control. You get one baked potato and about 1/4 cup of pot roast – just enough to leave you satisfied but no stuffed.

The pot roast recipe I’m sharing here is full of delicious, earthy flavors like caramelized onions, mushrooms, and red wine. I also throw in a palm full of whole black peppercorns. They soften as they cook and give you little bursts of peppery flavor as you eat. In my world, no pot roast is complete without them.

A generous splash of balsamic vinegar stirred in at the end adds a touch of bright flavor to the recipe. I also love to top it with gremolata, a mixture of finely chopped parsley, lemon zest, and shallot. It picks everything up and prevents the flavors of the dish from getting to muddled. A dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt is also a welcome addition.

Since you’re putting to much thought and care into the pot roast, it’s important to make sure your baked potatoes are perfect, too.

For baking, Idaho® Russetts are a perfect choice. They’re low-moisture, so they bake up nice and fluffy inside and the skins get shatteringly crisp.

I rub the potato skins with oil and sprinkle them with sea salt to highlight the flavor of the skins, then bake them directly on the rack of my oven. They take about an hour, which means if you add them when the pot roast is halfway done everything will be ready at the same time.

For more potato recipes, try this, this, or this.

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Pot Roast Stuffed Baked Potatoes with Gremolata

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 6

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds chuck shoulder
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¼ cup red wine
• 1 ½ cups low sodium beef stock
• ½ cup water
• 6 Idaho® Russett potatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• sea salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 lemon zested
• 1 small bunch parsley chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• sour cream for serving if desired

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 400ºF. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
• Set a large oven-proof pot over high heat. Add the oil. Cook the beef for 5 minutes on each side, or until deeply browned. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and cook 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms, rosemary, peppercorns, and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the beef to the pot; add the beef stock and water; bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven.
• After 1 hour, poke the potatoes several times with a fork. Rub them with the vegetable oil and sprinkle them with sea salt. Place them in the oven, directly on the rack.
• After another hour, check the potatoes for doneness – the skin should be crispy and the insides should feel tender. When the potatoes are done, remove them and the pot roast from the oven. Use two forks to shred the pot roast; it should be very tender and fall apart easily.
• Stir in the balsamic vinegar and let the shredded meat rest in the pan juices for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the gremolata by mixing together the lemon zest, parsley, and garlic cloves.
• To serve, cut a slit in the center of each potato, lengthwise. Gently squeeze the opposite ends toward each other to help it open up. (If necessary, you can use a spoon to scoop out some of the inside of the potato.) Spoon about 1/4 cup of pot roast into each potato. Top with gremolata and sour cream, if desired.

I developed this recipe for my client, Idaho® potatoes. Be sure to check out their web site for tons of amazing potato recipe ideas!

I love developing new recipes and being creative in the kitchen, but when I feel like taking a night “off” I love trying recipes from some of the other blogs that I read. I’m always amazed at how talented my friends are! Healthy Seasonal Recipes is one of my favorites, and I was so excited to receive a review copy of Katie’s brand new cookbook, Maple.

You guys, this book is GORGEOUS and every recipe in it sounds incredible – I want to cook it cover to cover.

There are over 100 sweet and savory recipes inside, from Maple Cranberry Walnut Granola to Maple Tahini Chicken + Broccoli to Maple Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies. Katie is an amazing photographer, and the full color photos in the book are stunning (of course, if you’re familiar with her blog, you wouldn’t expect anything less.)

So far, I’ve tackled two recipes – the Sweet and Smokey Turkey Chili you see here and Katie’s Sap Baked Beans  – and they were both delicious. (See the sap baked beans on Instagram here.)

This Smokey and Sweet Turkey Chili is just the kind of recipe I love this time of year. It’s rich and warm and the maple syrup adds a subtle sweetness. The combination of maple with smoked paprika, chipotle powder, and fire roasted tomatoes, gives the sauce a bold, barbecue-like flavor that we loved.

The chili is ready in about 40 minutes, so it’s perfect for a weeknight. Or, make it on the weekend and let the flavors mingle in the fridge for an even easier Monday night dinner (as good as the chili is right away, chili is always better after it’s had time to sit.)

Pair the chili with cornbread muffins or corn chips – either way, you can’t go wrong.

For the recipe for sap baked beans, you’ll have to grab a copy of the book for yourself.  If you’re from the Capital Region, Katie is doing a demo and book signing at Healthy Living Market in Saratoga on November 21.

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Smoky and Sweet Turkey Chili

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or organic canola oil divided
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 large Spanish onion diced
• 1 tablespoons freshly chopped garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground dried chipotle or to taste
• 4 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes preferably fire roasted
• 1 15- ounce can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
• ⅓ cup dark pure maple syrup
• 1 avocado diced
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup toasted pepitas

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until completely browned. Transfer turkey and any juices to a bowl and set aside.
• Return pot to medium-high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion, garlic, and salt and cook, stirring often, for 6 to 10 minutes, until onion is soft and browned.
• Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, and chipotle and cook, stirring, for 30 to 90 seconds, until spices are fragrant and starting to toast and darken slightly.
• Add vinegar and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until liquid is evaporated.
• Add water and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits and spices from the bottom of the pot.
• Add tomatoes, beans, syrup, and browned turkey, stirring to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 14 minutes, until turkey and onions are tender.
• Serve topped with avocado, cilantro, and pepitas.

Notes

This recipe is reprinted with permission from Maple by Katie Webster.

I always love a good stuffed pepper recipe. I don’t make them often, but they’re always a big hit when I do. I especially love using untraditional fillings, like jambalaya.

As I was flipping through a review copy of the new Sugar-Free Mom cookbook looking for recipes to try, these Turkey Taco Stuffed Peppers caught my eye and I knew I had to try them immediately. Red bell peppers haves are such a creative alternative to tortillas or taco shells!

I opted to make my filling with homemade enchilada sauce (which is delicious and so easy to make!) but if you make them with salsa, the filling is really similar to what I use in my taco bake. That’s one of my most popular recipes, so I knew these stuffed peppers had to be good!

Shawn and I both loved the way these enchilada stuffed peppers tasted, and I loved that they were easy enough to make on a weeknight. I might be tempted to top them with fresh cilantro next time, but they were pretty perfect as they were.

I met Brenda, the author of  Sugar-Free Mom at a conference last summer and her blog (also called Sugar-Free Mom)  is one that I read often. I’m always impressed by the amazing sugar-free recipes she creates.

I’ll be honest – most of them aren’t things I’d make myself since I eat sugar, but there’s also a heavy emphasis on “real food” and taking the sugar out of recipes that don’t really need it in the first place. After seeing that her cookbook has a recipe for enchilada sauce, I pulled a can out of my cabinet and, sure enough, it had corn syrup in it! I have no idea why… it definitely doesn’t ned it.

The recipes in her book are just like the ones on her blog: simple, straight-forward, kid-friendly, and sugar-free. Here are my thoughts:

• I love the introduction. It’s really detailed and explains why she eliminated sugar from her diet, the alternative sweeteners (including options like honey, brown rice syrup, and stevia) and their unique properties, and tips on how to reduce your sugar intake and curb cravings. This isn’t just a one-page intro, and it’s definitely worth the time it takes to read!
• Every recipe is labeled to identify it as being low carb, dairy-free, sugar-free, or sweetened with natural sugars. There’s also nutrition information for every recipe! The labeling system is really easy to follow and I love that it identified more than just sugar content. I’m a big fan of those dairy-free recipes! There are also recipes in the book that are gluten-free, but those aren’t identified as such. The recipes also all have photos, which is important to me as a cookbook enthusiast!
• Although the emphasis is definitely on sweet recipes, like breakfasts and desserts, there’s a nice balance of savory recipes, too.
• With the exception of some sweeteners, the ingredients are all totally normal things that most people probably keep around or use on a regular basis. If you limit your sugar intake, there’s a good chance that you already have some of the sweeteners, too. The recipes are simple, fast, and crowd-friendly. It’s definitely the kind of book you can grab when you need a quick dinner idea.
• The only thing that bothered me was that the turkey taco stuffed pepper recipe called for 12 ounces of ground turkey and I could only find 16 ounce packages. There wasn’t enough left over to save, so I ended up tossing the extra turkey out. If I had bought extra peppers and cooked the whole package of turkey, the recipe probably would have served 8 instead of 6 and I wouldn’t have had any waste.

I’d definitely recommend this book to people who are looking to reduce or eliminate their sugar consumption and need quick and easy meal ideas. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and for kindle. 

Love stuffed peppers as much as I do? Try:

• 16 delicious stuffed peppers recipes
• Cheesesteak stuffed peppers
• Stuffed peppers soup
• Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers

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Turkey Taco Stuffed Peppers from Sugar-Free Mom

Servings 6

Calories 270kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 3 sweet bell peppers halved
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 12 ounces ground turkey
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 cup black beans if canned, rinse and drain
• 1 cup salsa or homemade enchilada sauce see below
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

For the enchilada sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons gluten free flour I used brown rice flour
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 6 ounces tomato paste

Instructions

• Place pepper halves cut-side down into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Add 1⁄2 cup water. Cover and microwave 2 minutes or bake in an oven set at 350ºF for 10 minutes or until softened slightly. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 425ºF. Heat oil in a skillet and cook onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add turkey and seasonings and cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add black beans and salsa. Stir to combine.
• Cook about 5 more minutes to heat beans through and then fill each pepper half with filling. Cover with aluminum foil and bake peppers for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and cook 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.[br]

For the enchilada sauce

• In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and add the flour; stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes and then add chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic salt, and cinnamon.
• Slowly add in chicken broth, water, and tomato paste. Turn up stove to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcal | Protein: 19.1g | Fat: 12.6g | Fiber: 4.5g

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Sugar-Free Mom but was not compensated in any other way for this review. This post contains affiliate links. 

The other day, I was thinking about the way I used to eat. Back when I was in college and shortly after I graduated. Let’s just say it wasn’t very healthy or very delicious. Looking back, I think there was a period of time where I just completely forgot that I knew how to cook a decent meal. Plus, I couldn’t really be bothered. Like a lot of people, I had the misconception that cooking a real dinner out of real ingredients would be too expensive and take too much time. So we’d boil a box of pasta and mix it with a jar of sauce and some sausage. Or we’d try to be “healthy” and make a chicken stir-fry, but we would totally ruin it by using store-bought marinades that were loaded with sugar. For a special treat, we’d buy a box of zatarain’s mix and make jambalaya.

I don’t miss the other stuff at all, but I do kind of miss the jambalaya. And with Foodbuzz pledging to donate $25 to the Greater New Orleans Foundation (helping fishermen who were effected by the oil spill and their families) for every Gulf-Inspired post this weekend, it seemed like the perfect excuse to make it. Of course, I wasn’t going to resort to using a box – I know better than that now! (And a quick look at the back of the box confirmed my suspicions — 21% of your RDA of sodium? MSG? Sodium dioxide?? No thanks!) No, this jambalaya is 100% real food and 100% real flavor. Sure you have to spend a few minutes chopping vegetables, but other than that it really isn’t any more difficult or time consuming than the boxed stuff. And the final product is so much healthier and so much more delicious that there really isn’t any excuse to take “shortcuts”!

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Cajun Jambalaya with Okra, Andouille and Shrimp

Course Healthy One Pan Recipes

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 244kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ½ lb. shrimp cleaned with tails removed
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbs oregano dried
• 1 tsp thyme dried
• ¼ lb. Andouille sausage sliced into rounds (Chicken andouille works well if you can find it)
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped green pepper
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 plum tomatoes chopped
• 3 cups fat-free chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce plus more to taste
• 1 cup quick cooking brown rice
• 1 cup okra sliced into rounds
• 2 tsp fresh basil chopped
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• In a bowl, combine the shrimp, cayenne, oregano, and thyme. Toss to coat.
• Set a heavy pot over high heat and add the andouille. Cook for several minutes, until the andouille begins to brown and crisp on the outside edges. Add the onion, pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaves and Tabasco.
• Slowly stir in the rice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp (along with any remaining seasonings from the bowl) and okra. Cook another 5-10 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through and the rice is tender.
• Stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Tabasco so each diner can adjust the amount of spice to suit their taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 866mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g