Buffalo Chili

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When you hear the word 'chili' what comes to mind? Classic beef and kidney bean chili? Green chicken chili? Texas chili? Turkey chili? My personal go-to: Cincinnati chili? I think you get my point...

Everyone has their own take on chili.

The amazing thing about chili is that A) it is really hard to mess up and B)  there is an almost endless possibility of variations. 

Unless specifically stated as a bowl of vegetable chili, vegetables rarely ever come to mind. I'm going to bet the first thing that comes to mind is meat, followed closely by tomatoes and level of spiciness. 

Because this is MY chili - I call the shots. Just to balance out the meat and to make this more hearty without adding beans, I opted to sneak in bell peppers and zucchini (shhhh). Also, as tribute to my hometown chili, I added just a smidgen of cocoa powder. This may sound crazy but it pairs surprisingly well with the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce - think Mexican mole.

If you are having guests over for dinner, or just want a fun and creative way to serve up this chili, instead of serving in a bowl dish it up in bell peppers!

Buffalo Chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Servings: approximately 6 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup zucchini, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 lb ground buffalo
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 chipotle pepper, canned
• 2 tbsp adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 cup beef broth

Directions:

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, stirring until fragrant and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper and zucchini, stir and cook until these have sweated out and softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Next, add ground buffalo, cumin, paprika, oregano, ancho chili powder and salt. Brown beef, about 5 minutes, continuing to stir and break up while cooking. 
3. Once the meat has browned, add all remaining ingredients, stirring until well incorporated. Increase heat, bringing chili to a boil. Cover pot, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 1 hour. 

Special serving note: If you'd like to serve chili stuff in bell peppers, cook chili covered in pot for 30 minutes. Stuff chili into prepared bell peppers and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350°F oven for the remaining 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information (1 cup)

205 calories - 18 g Protein, 12 g Carbohydrates, 9.5 g Fat

Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

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There are two types of people in this world: those that prefer cake-like brownies and those that prefer fudge-like brownies. 

I, for one, am a fudge-like brownie kinda gal. 

I love dense and intensely chocolate brownies. When they are made like this, you only need a small piece to satisfy your craving.

These Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies were a bit of a self-imposed challenge. I wanted to make a dessert without refined sugar, eggs, butter or oil AND were also gluten-free. Quite the challenge, right?

Both applesauce and pumpkin can be used as substitutes for eggs, oil and butter in baking. This provides a low fat alternative for an otherwise high fat, indulgent treat. These are sweetened with just a bit of pure maple syrup, instead of refined sugar. I also added full fat coconut milk to help bring the batter together and to add a healthier fat alternative.

You truthfully cannot taste the pumpkin overwhelmingly in these brownies - there is a hint of pumpkin and spice. Instead, these taste rich and chocolaty, but in actuality are much better for you than your typical brownies! These are so easy to make that the hardest part will be waiting for them to come out of the oven!

Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 45-55 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

Dry

• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder (best to use a high quality cocoa!)
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Wet

• 1-1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish and then line with parchment paper, this will help the paper stay in place. You could skip the parchment paper but it makes removing the brownies from the pan SO much easier and less messy.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients, whisking together to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until well incorporated. Pour batter into prepare baking dish, ensuring to level out the top of the brownies.
3. Place in oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after testing. These are very dense brownies and do take some time to bake. Be sure the brownies are actually baked all the way through before removing.
4. Remove brownies from oven and allow to cool in baking dish for about 15 minutes. After this point you can remove the brownies from the dish if you have lined it with parchment paper. It is a simple lift out of the baking dish and place on a cutting board or large plate to continue cooling fully. Cut brownies into 12 even pieces and serve.

Nutritional Information (1 brownie)

160 calories - 4.5 g Protein, 16 g Carbohydrates (6 g Fiber), 8.8 g Fat

Pumpkin Protein Donuts

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Protein Donuts, ahem, PRONUTS! 

I agonized over perfecting these donuts. First batch, they were too spongy. Second batch was good, but a bit dry. Third batch finally had the donut-cake texture I was searching for, but needed a frosting. On the fourth try, we were in business.

Oh believe me, it was a tough job taste testing all those batches of donuts but someone had to do it.  

These were so fun and easy to make. Each donut is pack with protein and low in fat (if you follow me regularly you have noticed a trend in guilt-free indulgences). Sure these donuts aren't as good as the real deal, but they sure are an awesome alternate when you are trying to stay on track with a balanced diet. 

I, personally, think these are fantastic on their own. My sophisticated taste testing team (ok fine, it's really just my boyfriend) suggested a frosting of some sort to round things out. I had a few different trial and errors, but finally came up with a simple glaze that didn't add unnecessary carbs and fats to an already macro-friendly treat. 

A maple cream cheese glaze perfectly compliments these pumpkin spiced donuts. Grab yourself a Donut Baking Pan, if you don't have one already, and get to making these pronuts!

Pumpkin Protein Donuts

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Bake Time: 10-12 minutes

Servings: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts

• 1/2 cup  vanilla whey protein powder of your choice (I use Whey Protein Isolate from True Nutrition)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Maple Glaze

• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1-2 tbsp lowfat coconut milk (or milk of your choice)

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease donut pan with coocnut oil or butter (just so the donut don't stick to pan) and set aside. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients (protein powder, coconut flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon) together in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients (pumpkin, applesauce, eggs and vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until well incorporated. 
3. Transfer batter to a large Ziploc bag - we will use this as a piping bag. Snip a very small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag and evenly pipe batter into donut pan. I like to tab the pan on my counter top to level out the batter and ensure there are no air bubbles. 
4. Transfer donuts to oven to bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick in inserted into the donut and comes out clean. After the donuts have finished baking, remove pan from oven and remove donuts from pan for cooling. 
5. While donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. This will look like hardly anything, but a little goes a long way, especially since there are only 6 donuts per batch. Combine all ingredients in a small flat bowl which is wide enough to dip an entire donut in. Carefully pick up each of the donuts and dunk the tops into the glaze for a light coating. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information (1 donut)

105 calories - 11 g Protein, 7.5 g Carbs (3 g Fiber), 3.3 g Fat

Pumpkin Bolognese

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Sometimes when I'm thinking of a new recipe I can almost taste the flavors, even before I begin making it. Other times, it can turn out completely opposite of what you thought it would taste like - both good and  bad. 

This, my friends, is one of those recipes; one of those times when the flavors totally caught me by surprise and turned out better than I could have expected! 

In my excitement of creating a surprisingly tasty dish, I of course blasted my mom, sister, boyfriend and best friends with photos of the dish, exclaiming "PUMPKIN BOLOGNESE!!!". Each time I got back the response "so, does it taste super pumpkin-y?". I'm sure you are all asking yourselves the exact same question. I mean, pumpkin is in the title of the recipe for goodness sake! 

First, let's rewind. I'd like to explain why pumpkin was used to begin with. A bolognese is simply an Italian meat-based sauce. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a tomato-based sauce with meat added. In fact, the original bolognese is said to have been beef, onion and carrots cooked with butter butter and then covered and cooked with broth. As the recipe evolved, tomato was eventually added.

While I LOVE tomatoes, sadly I've discovered it is best for my skin if I don't eat them or any other member of the nightshade family, for that matter. If you have an autoimmune disease (I'm lucky and only have psoriasis) your diet can have a huge impact on controlling your aliment. Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, white potatoes), dairy, nuts, eggs, grains and alcohol should be avoided. This causes me to get creative at times...which led me to subbing PUMPKIN for tomato paste in a basic bolognese. 

The result will surprise you. If you are looking for a distinct taste of pumpkin in this sauce, you won't find it here. Instead, it is a hearty and rich meat sauce that has been slow cooked, allowing a depth of flavor to develop that you can't get by rushing. This will be a dish you want to come home to as the night become a little cooler and the dark comes a little sooner. 

Pumpkin Bolognese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp grass fed butter
• 1 cup onion, minced, chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 lb ground beef (90% lean, 10% fat)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 cups chicken bone broth, homemade or store bought (such as Pacific)
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until the onion become translucent, about 5 minutes. Once the onions have cooked, add fresh thyme, allowing it to become fragrant. 
2. Add ground beef and brown. While cooking, break up with a spoon so that no large pieces form. Continue cooking until all pink is gone, another 5 minutes. 
3. Once mixture has fully cooked add beef broth and pumpkin puree. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. When a boil has been reached, add bay leaves and reduce to a simmer. Allow sauce to cook uncovered for roughly 2 hours. 
4. As the sauce cooked, the liquid will cook down. During the 2 hours of simmering, whenever the sauce becomes extremely thick add 1 cup of water, stir, and continue to simmer and cook down the sauce. I ended up adding water 3 times during the 2 hour total cooking time. Don't rush this step! This is where the flavors develop.
5. Once the sauce has cooked serve over prepare spaghetti squash or preferred alternate pasta. 

Nutritional Information (1 cup of sauce)

280 calories - 23 g Protein, 8.5 g Carbs, 16.7 g Fat

Pumpkin Protein Waffles

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Where the heck did Summer go? I feel like I blinked and all of a sudden, it's October. Rather than dwell on the fact that this year is racing by, lets celebrate with all things pumpkin! 

Since moving to California, I really miss seeing the seasons change. We have no turning leaves or crisp Fall air (unless you can count fog?). We do, however, have plenty of pumpkins! It may be sunny and 70 outside, and I may still be spending my weekends out at the beach, but in my kitchen - it's full on FALL!

I love using pumpkins in baked goods. Not only does it add flavor, it can also be a substitute for oil or butter in a recipe. Delicious fall flavors AND low fat? Yes, please!

Waffles are one of those decadent, once in a blue moon special indulgent breakfast or brunch items. Normally, these are loaded with sugar and high in fat. If you are like me, you love waffles and want to be able to eat them whenever you damn well please. Enter: Protein Waffles. 

We have two secret substitutions in these waffles: protein powder (instead of flour) and pumpkin purée (instead of butter). These waffles SCREAM fall and are so easy to make its stupid. They are still crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the inside. These are a perfect post-morning-workout treat. Each waffle packs 11 GRAMS of protein and less than 3 grams of fat!

Do yourself a favor and make a double batch of these waffles and freeze whatever you don't eat so that you can have these any day of the week!

Pumpkin Protein Waffles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Servings: 6 waffles

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops (1/2 cup) whey protein powder, vanilla 
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional topping: pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.
2. Combine all ingredients in a blender (except the syrup), incorporating into a batter.
3. Ladle recommended amount of batter onto waffle iron. Close top and cook until waffle is golden brown and removes easily from waffle iron, about 2-4 minutes. Continue making waffles with remaining batter. Serve immediately. 

Nutritional Information (2 waffles):

250 calories - 22 g Protein, 30 g Carbohydrates, 4.7 g Fat