- Have you decided to eat less meat or do you cook for other people who are?

Well, if you've been wondering around the market trying to figure out how to fill that gap, I have some dishes that nourish both body and soul and help you find a healthy balance with or without meat.

I have steak fajitas, broccoli and cheddar soup, Asian noodle bowl with peanut dressing, and a tasty protein-rich snack, three ingredient crispy spiced chickpeas.

What to eat more of if you're eating less meat right now on Ellie's Real Good Food.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Funding for this series has been provided by... (upbeat music) And by... (tranquil music) - [Narrator] Grapes from California, grown by families for families.

- [Narrator] And by Regal Springs Tilapia.

Ellie's Kitchen is provided by Clarke, New England's Sub Zero and Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen.

- Hi, I'm Ellie Krieger and I'm so glad you're joining me for Ellie's Real Good Food.

Today's show is about getting all the satisfaction and nutrition you want and need when you're eating less red meat and so many people are these days.

Whether it's for health reasons, concerns about the environment or animal rights, cutting back on meat isn't just about what to eat less of, it's also about what to eat more of instead.

So my guest today, Tom, is a real meat lover.

He enjoys nothing more than grilling up a nice, juicy burger on a weekend afternoon and really who doesn't?

- A lot of cooking at home.

Whether I'm using the oven or the barbecue, there doesn't tend to be a lot of vegetables being cooked.

I know my wife loves them.

I don't have many recipes that I know well so I use my go-to burgers, hotdogs, chicken, pieces of pork and that's pretty much the main staple of my diet.

When I take my wife out to eat and it's my turn to pick a restaurant, you better believe it's gonna be barbecue with very little vegetables or anything else.

I'm looking for healthy alternatives, new recipes that I can incorporate and kind of take some of that meat off the plate and put some more good, healthy options on the plate.

- Tom is also a doctor and an athlete so he knows he needs to strike the right balance and we all do.

Right, Tom, so thank you so much for coming here today virtually anyway and you were saying your favorite steak is a rib eye, right?

- Big rib eye, 12 to 16 ounces.

- What?

That is a lot, right?

So but the thing is you can have meat without eating that much of it, but still feel satisfied.

So I'm gonna show you one of my favorite dishes that has meat in it, but in a little more sort of sensible portion and it's steak fajitas.

So this is a pound of sirloin and a sirloin is a really nice, flavorful steak, but it's also lean so it's a great place to start and to get it really nice and thin I've stuck it in the freezer for a little while.

It makes it really easier to cut thin.

So like in quarter inch slices.

And it also makes it cook fast too so it really is quick, quick.

I know you're used to eating quite a bit of meat so this is like a steak for just you alone if you were cooking it.

This to me is for like making four people worth of fajitas, but the idea is to really balance it out and to fill those tortillas with lots of vegetables and I know one of your favorite vegetables you said is avocados so we'll be definitely including some avocado for you, Tom.

Okay, so I'm just gonna season it with some salt and pepper.

And get that cooking in the pan.

So a tablespoon of canola oil in here, a good, neutral oil takes the heat really well.

You could also use just like a regular olive oil.

You can totally make this ahead of time.

It's really best when it's just fresh out of the skillet, but it's one of those things that really will lend itself to making ahead.

So to me the essential ingredients for fajitas are not only some kind of meat, but also tomatoes and peppers and onions.

Peppers and onions, right?

You can't go wrong with that.

Let me get the meat in.

Basically, it's just like stir frying it practically.

- Ellie, can I cook all this on the grill?

- Yeah, you could actually grill the peppers.

I even grill tomatoes sometimes or you could grill the meat and then slice it.

So I'm just slicing up these peppers.

I like to eat multi-colored peppers.

Okay, I want that to still have some juice in it so I'm gonna take it off when it's sort of still a little rare, a medium or medium rare.

Well, there's really not much more to do besides that to make it a much more balanced meal and I think really that's the idea here.

So let's put in the onions and peppers.

So I think people very often have an all or nothing attitude towards meat and I think that's really not always serving everyone.

So they feel like they have to give up meat completely in order to incorporate vegetables in their life, but I think it's all welcomed, but it's all about kind of striking that balance and this is one dish that kind of really compels you to strike that balance.

So I'm just gonna get these softened a bit.

So I'm gonna slice the garlic as opposed to mince it finely and then I'm gonna put it in with the tomatoes and with the other vegetables so it doesn't hit the heat so directly.

So it just needs a couple minutes when it's sliced like that.

In with the tomatoes.

Smelling so good.

So I'm gonna just spice this up a little bit.

A teaspoon of cumin.

Half a teaspoon of coriander.

A quarter teaspoon of cayenne and you can increase that if you want added spice here.

Alright, then the meat goes back in with all these spices and all their juices and this is pretty much ready.

Alright, so now I'm gonna go get some tortillas ready, some avocado like I promised you, and a couple other toppings.

You're gonna love them.

Okay, so on my tortilla you can see there's plenty of meat.

Plenty of meat and a little bit of each vegetable and then I like to top it with some avocado, a few slices of avocado.

So you're getting really healthy fat in there and instead of sour cream I like to use a little Greek yogurt.

I love lime so a squeeze of lime is fabulous on there.

And I like to finish it also with a few cilantro leaves for garnish.

Alright, Tom, so I would have two of these for dinner.

You can have three or four even if you had a hard workout.

I think you'd get plenty of protein.

You also get vegetables, you get whole grains because they're whole grain tortillas.

- Thank you so much, Ellie.

That looks fantastic.

- Thanks for being here, Tom.

You are just gonna love these steak fajitas.

(upbeat music) So I'm making a delicious, creamy broccoli cheddar soup that is like I'm guessing no other broccoli cheddar soup that you've ever come across.

It is really special.

It's incredibly delicious and it's really different so wait until you see it.

First of all, it starts out like maybe your average broccoli cheddar soup with a couple tablespoons of oil.

I'm using olive oil and a sauteed onion.

So in that goes over medium heat just to get the onions softening.

Pretty normal so far, right?

And then of course some broccoli.

Chopped some up here already, like five cups and just gonna cut up some more while those onions are cooking.

So the thing that makes this soup different is that I put beans in it and it's beans that are gonna go in and thicken the soup, but you're not gonna be able to tell there are beans in it because these beans are gonna be pureed with everything, with a lot of milk and beautiful ingredients.

So in this recipe there's no cream, no flour.

You don't need it because the beans are gonna provide thickness and it's really important to think about those beans here because when people are eating less meat or maybe trying for meatless meals, it's really important to think about what you're eating instead.

Think about what that meat would be giving you that now you're not getting.

It's not just protein.

What it also is is important minerals, essential minerals like magnesium, iron, zinc.

And the foods that have those nutrients are beans.

One of the reasons why I'm putting them in my soup.

Beans and also nuts and seeds.

So in here goes three cups of broth.

I'm using chicken broth, but if you wanted to make this vegetarian you could use vegetable broth, low sodium.

And it's a can of white cannellini beans or any kind of white bean really that's drained and rinsed and that just goes in.

And salt.

And add more to taste.

I'll put in half a teaspoon now.

A little pepper.

So I'm just gonna bring this to a boil and reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the broccoli is nice and tender.

So I've just blended up a couple of batches of the soup already, looking great.

I'm on the last bit and it's really important to let it cool after it simmers and blend it up in a few batches, even if you think there's not much in there.

It kind of jumps up when it's warm.

And you don't want to make a mess, crazy mess in the kitchen.

So do it in like three or four batches.

Let's get us some heat on there.

So beautiful and I do recommend blending it in a blender as opposed to using an immersion blender because I really like it when it gets super, super thick and creamy.

See, and there's really no beans in there at all that you can detect.

It just really adds that great thickness.

So I love to use beans in this way.

Now, of course I'm gonna put in milk and cheese.

Half a cup of low fat milk or you can use whole milk if you want.

Just to add another layer of creaminess and protein there, but again it's those beans that are gonna give you those minerals that you need.

And then some cheese, extra sharp cheddar.

And I use extra sharp because I want the most punch of flavor possible.

Just gonna let that melt in there and one final ingredient here is a teaspoon of mustard powder and I find this makes the cheese taste cheesier.

So it's creamy and it's so good for you.

Alright.

Serve some up and see how gorgeous it looks.

I just love this.

And I like to garnish it with some cheese at the end.

Because why not put some cheese on the top too?

Broccoli cheddar soup.

Gotta try this one.

(upbeat music) When I do recipes with beans and I analyze them for nutritional content, I'm always blown away with just how much nutrition is in them and I'm here at the La Cienaga Farmers' Market in L.A. with Roberto and he sells these fabulous heirloom beans and one of the things that I think is so interesting is that they are a locally grown commodity that farmers are really bringing back.

So there's so many interesting kinds that you sell, Roberto.

- Yes.

- Which are some of the ones you think are most interesting?

- These are great on stew.

- [Ellie] You call them a-- - Speckled lima beans.

- Speckled lima beans.

Look at these, these are gorgeous.

And these are your favorite, right?

These are the little pinto beans.

- Yeah, those are the Pinquito, native to California.

- So this is a native bean to this area?

- To California, yes.

- So what else?

These are black eyed peas I guess, yeah.

I love a black eyed pea salad.

So it's amazing how many varieties there are.

I think sometimes you shop in the store and you just see a few varieties of beans.

It's really just scratching the surface.

- Yeah.

- So don't forget to look for beans at your local farmers' market.

I'm gonna try these.

- Yes.

(tranquil music) - Asian noodle bowl with peanut dressing, this dish is so luscious.

It has to be one of the most delicious ways to get that plant protein.

Plant protein power.

Well, I love peanut butter anyway.

I think I regularly just kind of grab a spoonful of it as a snack, but here it's in this fabulous noodle salad with loads of colorful vegetables and it's one of these things that you can make ahead and have in the fridge.

So I'm just getting all the veg prepped here, just going to make everything sort of into nice strips.

So I've already cooked up here some whole wheat spaghetti and so you could use like a soba noodle if you can find it or if you like that, but really you don't have to go to a special store to make this dish.

So all it takes is just putting everything together in a mixing bowl.

I've got the ribbons of carrot, we've got some snow peas here.

Cutting those into kind of ribbon shapes too.

Snow peas in.

And red peppers and I think I have every color here of the rainbow except blue I suppose.

And then some scallions, quite a bit of scallions because that's gonna add a nice punch of oniony flavor without being too potent.

Save some for garnish.

And the noodles go in.

So it's just eight ounces of whole grain spaghetti and cooked al dente.

Toss that together and then make the dressing.

You can make the dressing and the salad separate and really just toss it together right before you want to eat it.

If you toss it together ahead of time, it can kind of get a little almost pasty and it doesn't really work well.

And so I cooked the pasta and then I toss in a little bit of canola oil, but you can also get amazing, big flavor by using a little bit of toasted sesame oil.

That would be great in here too.

And just a touch of oil to prevent sticking and then let the pasta chill.

So there's lots of possibilities.

That's tossed together.

Now we'll just get the dressing going.

A third of a cup of peanut butter.

I always buy the kind that's kind of labeled as natural, no added sugars and stuff.

You may have to give it a little stir, but that's okay, it's worth it.

But I just think it tastes better and it's more versatile because it doesn't have a sweet profile on its own.

Some sriracha or any kind of chili sauce.

A little bit of honey, just a tablespoon because I want it kind of sweet, spicy, tangy and that's what I love about Asian dressings.

They always have that mix of flavors.

Sweet and spicy, tangy, salty.

It's hard, it has everything.

Here's a little bit of tartness from some rice vinegar.

One and a half tablespoons and I always buy the unseasoned kind because the seasoned rice vinegar has sugar in it already and I added some honey, I added some sweetener and I kind of like to be in control of those additions myself rather than have them in the bottle already.

Two tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce.

You can use Tamari here if you wanted to if that's what you have and then some water.

A third of a cup of water and ginger.

The ginger in here, fresh ginger.

And if you had to, if you didn't have fresh ginger on hand you can totally use maybe a half a teaspoon of powdered ginger, but I'm gonna use two teaspoons of fresh ginger here.

Alright, that's about two teaspoons there I'd say.

Right in and just whisk that together.

You want it to be kind of creamy, but at first you might look at it like this and of course sort of panic because it doesn't come together right away.

I find that's true with tahini sauce too.

At first you're like, "Oh, it's curdled or something."

But once you keep whisking, it'll get creamy.

So like I said, just keep this separate if you want to wait to serve it.

Keep it separate and right before serving you drizzle it on.

I'm gonna serve now.

Serve myself anyway.

Drizzle it on.

And give it another toss so it's all coated.

Okay, that looks great.

So last but not least I'm gonna garnish with scallions and unsalted peanuts.

You can toast them yourself like I did in a dry skillet over a medium-high heat just kind of shaking the pan.

And then coarsely chop them.

And then throw that on top.

I'm gonna eat some now.

A few more scallions on top for the fun of it.

Asian noodle bowl with peanut dressing.

(upbeat music) Three ingredient crispy, spicy chickpeas.

I love this snack and the three ingredients are chickpeas, a little brown sugar, some chili powder, and then I get oil, salt, and pepper free in my three ingredient recipe.

So I just have some chickpeas, a can of chickpeas, 15 ounce can that I've drained and rinsed and now I'm patting them dry.

So then I take some of the skins out if they are just really obviously there, but you don't have to worry about getting them all.

And chickpeas like any bean are loaded with fiber, protein, minerals, all good stuff.

I'm just gonna put these in a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over a medium-high heat.

Now P.S., you can also if you wanted to make these in the oven just toss them with the olive oil and bake them on a baking sheet at 350 for about an hour, but this only takes eight minutes or so and I think they come out better.

So I'm just gonna let those sizzle away, shaking them every once in awhile.

While those are cooking, I'll get the spice mixture going and it's super simple.

Because the sweet and spicy, we've got a teaspoon of brown sugar, a teaspoon of chili powder.

If you wanted, you could add a little cayenne pepper if you want it a little extra spicy.

Then just some salt, black pepper.

Give that a little stir and that's ready.

Crisping up.

It's good that they're kind of popping a little, that's a good sign.

You can just hear them, they're crispy.

That's perfect.

I'm just gonna take them off the heat and stir in the spice mixture.

Make sure that's well-coated.

You can put them in a serving bowl and it's a perfect snack.

Now, the key is to eat these while they're hot is best, but at least within an hour.

They stay crispy for about that long.

I really like them not only as a snack, but also really nice in salads, almost like a little alternative crouton.

Three ingredient crispy, spicy chickpeas.

Now that is one plant-powered, perfect way to hit the sweet spot.

They're a delicious and healthy meal.

So this now takes awhile, eight minutes.

Everything takes eight minutes and I mean everything.

No, I'm sorry.

Hi, I'm Ellie Krieger.

(chuckles) And this is where the peanut butter comes in.

Really anything with peanut butter makes me happy.

Whoops.

And doing that over makes me happy, okay.

(chuckles) - [Narrator] For these recipes and much more, go to ElliesRealGoodFood.com.

Also, connect with Ellie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Funding for this series has been provided by... (upbeat music) And by... (tranquil music) - [Narrator] Grapes from California, grown by families for families.

- [Narrator] And by Regal Springs Tilapia.

Ellie's Kitchen is provided by Clarke, New England's Sub Zero and Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen.