Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Recipe adapted from: thekitchn.com

Ingredients:

- 5 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- 1 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over
- 3/4 cup dry steel cut oats, gluten free
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound mushrooms, divided
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning  
Preparation:
 
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.

In a medium pot, combine the lentils, oats, bay leaf and salt with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft but not mushy, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Discard bay leaf and drain mixture into a colander.

While the lentils and oats are cooking, finely chop half of the mushrooms and set aside. Cut the remaining mushrooms into quarters. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the quartered mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until browned and soft. Add the chopped mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent. Lower heat to medium and add the lentil and oat mixture, followed by the vegetable stock, wine, tomato paste, soy sauce, paprika, and parsley. Taste and add salt if needed. Simmer mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add a few grinds of black pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel sweet potatoes with your hands and place in a medium bowl. Use a fork to mash them into a smooth paste and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Evenly spread the lentil mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. (For thicker layers, use a 9x9-inch pan.) Spoon the sweet potato mixture on top and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling at the edges.

Notes & Tips:
This is Gluten Free, Vegetarian and  from what I know it's Vegan too. I made this to take to a friend who is feeling under the weather, who is a gluten free eater. So I divided this into 2 round aluminum disposable baking dishes (I think they were the 9 inch ones). You could always add ground beef if you'd like to make it a meat dish. Mat and I try to eat meatless one meal a week so this was ours. I used my Tupperware Quick Chef Pro to chop all of the veggies. So quick and easy! This recipe can also be made in advance (just keep the filling and roasted sweet potato mash separate) until you're ready to assemble and bake. The original recipe also says it can be frozen unbaked (just bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees after thawing)!

Chilie Rellenos Casserole

Recipe adapted from: Winnerdinners.com

Ingredients:
3 7-oz. cans whole green chiles
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 pound jack cheese, grated
4 eggs
1 13-oz. can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
3/4 cup salsa

Preparation:
Wash the chiles, removing the seeds, and dry on paper towels, (DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!). Grate the cheeses. Reserve 1/2 cup of each of the two cheeses, mixing them together in a small bowl. This will go on top of the casserole later, so you can place it in the refrigerator for now. In a medium-sized casserole dish, approximately 8 x 11 (9 x 13 is too big), layer 1/2 of the chiles, all of the cheddar cheese, the remaining chiles, then all of the jack cheese. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks and add the evaporated milk, flour and salt, beating until frothy. Beat the whites separately for about a minute. Combine the two egg mixtures and beat for a few seconds longer so that they are well-mixed. Pour the egg mixture over the chiles and cheese. Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Then spread the tomato paste over the top. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese you placed in the refrigerator. Bake 1/2 hour longer. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes & Tips:
I added the salsa to this recipe because I felt like the tomato paste by itself was a little too thick. I really enjoyed this casserole. It came out looking different than I imagined, I think I thought it would look runnier, but really it was nice and firm. It does take a while to cook, but really I think it was worth it. You could certainly add meat if you wanted, but we used this for our meatless meal this week. I served this with Spanish rice.

Mustard Greens and Pumpkin Pasta

Recipe Adapted From: www.artsy-foodie.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sauteed chopped mustard greens

• 1 cup cooked pumpkin

• 1 cup lowfat sour cream

• 1 cup shredded mild cheddar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 16 oz pasta (I used Shells)

Preparation: 

Cook pasta according to package directions. Sauteed the greens with garlic and olive oil until wilted. Place the cooked greens, pumpkin, sour cream, cheddar and salt in pot and heat until cheese is melted and ingredients are well blended. Pour into blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour over pasta. Mix well and transfer to serving dish.

Notes: 

I left my sauce ingredients in the pot and used an emulsion blender to get the sauce smooth. This was absolutely wonderful! Daven ate lots of it which is always good when he eats his veggies. I served it with oven fried chicken and mashed sweet potatoes. 

Photo Credit: 
www.artsy-foodie.com

Cream Cheese Mints

Recipe adapted from: Reeves Danter

Ingredients:

• 4oz Cream Cheese
• 2 1/4 cups Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 tsp. Peppermint Extract
• Food Coloring
• Granulated Sugar

Preparation:

Mix cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, peppermint extract and food coloring until VERY smooth. Put into piping bag. Pipe thumb nail size drops into bowl full of granulated sugar (I did 4 drops at a time). Roll them in granulated sugar. If using molds, coat the molds in sugar then press balls into them to shape. Drop the molded pieces out onto wax paper that has a coating of granulated sugar on it. If making them into free form "pillow" shapes, after rolling them in the sugar, place them on wax paper that has granulated sugar on it. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours. Store in air tight container once completely dry.

Notes:

It may seem like you're using a lot of granulated sugar, but really it acts like flour so the mints don't stick. The mixture is really really sticky so you have to be careful to really coat the droplets in sugar. Make sure when you're rolling them to get your hands really dry. After about 8 hour of drying you can carefully flip them over to dry a little more on the other side. Serve them in a pretty dish. Can be made in any color. I made pink and blue for a baby shower.

Squash, Potatoes & Onions

Recipe Adapted From:

food.com

Ingredients:

1/4 cup margarine (or a little bacon grease)
3 medium size yellow squash (cut in slices)
2 medium potatoes (cut in slices)
1 small onion (halved and sliced)

Preparation:

1 Wash and Cut up squash, potatoes and onions.
2 Melt butter in lg. fry pan.
3 Add squash.
4 Add potatoes on top of squash.
5 Add onions on top of potatoes.
6 Cover and simmer till potatoes are done stirring occasionally (about 1/2 hour).
7 Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add small amount of water if it starts sticking (usually not necessary due to water content in vegetables).

Notes & Tips:
I used butter in my dish instead of the bacon grease to cut down on the fat a bit. I also only used about 1/8 of a cup butter mixed with a little olive oil. Mat told me he didn't like squash, so I made it a mission to change his mind. And by golly I think I did it!

Nutrition Facts: 

Servings Per Recipe: 4 Calories 164.7 Total Fat 6.2 g Total Carbohydrate 24.8 g Protein 4.1 g

Tomato Bisque

Recipe Adapted From:
www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 pounds tomatoes
2 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk


Preparation:

1. Run the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins, and place in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the bouillon, sugar, salt, bay leaf, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. (If you're going to can this mixture, process it now.)
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour all at once to form a roux, cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, cooking and stirring constantly until thickened. Stir into tomato mixture and heat through.

Notes & Tips:

I don't have a food mill, so I just used a blender. I didn't worry about the seeds or the peel, because I used a mix of canned tomatoes and fresh. I used 3 good sized fresh tomatoes and 1 regular sized can of diced tomatoes with celery and onion. I blended them all together until smooth. If you'd like a super creamy smooth bisque, you can de-seed and peel the tomatoes before you blend them. The color of the soup after I added the milk seemed light, but the flavor was wonderful. I used a mixture of whole milk and 1/2 and 1/2, since I had a little 1/2 and 1/2 left over from earlier this week. (Oh and by the way, so you don't have to look it up 1 quart eqals 4 cus) I served this with grilled cheese sandwiches.
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Also, the orginal recipe mentioned that you can stop after simmering the tomato mixture and can base, which sounded like a good idea if you were making a mega batch of this.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4
Calories: 420 | Total Fat: 28.5g | Cholesterol: 81mg

Corn and Bean Fritters with Tomatoes

Recipe Adapted From:
Better Homes & Gardens, August 2011

Ingredients:

4 ears fresh sweet corn or 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 lb. grape or cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 15.5-oz. can butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 6-oz. pkg. Southern-style corn bread mix
1 egg
1 tsp. ground ancho chili or chili powder
Olive oil
Fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley or cilantro leaves (optional)

Preparation:

1. If using fresh corn, cut kernels from cobs; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, coarsely chop, halve, and/or slice tomatoes. In small saucepan combine tomatoes, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. For fritter batter, in large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add corn, corn bread mix, egg, ground chili, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water; stir to combine.

3. Heat a large griddle or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil. Drop four 1/2-cup scoops of batter on griddle at a time. Cook 4 minutes per side. Serve fritters with warm tomatoes and parsley and/or cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

Notes & Tips:
These were really good! They would make an excellent side dish or you could eat them as a meatless dinner (which is what we did). The tomato reduction was the best part, I wish I had doubled or tripled this part of the recipe. I served this with the leftover pineapple coleslaw from the other night.

Nutrition facts:

Calories 384
Total Fat (g)11
Saturated Fat (g)2,
Sodium (mg)1574,
Carbohydrate (g)65,
Total Sugar (g)11,
Fiber (g)10,
Protein (g)14,

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Recipe Adapted From:
101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:
■ 2 cups all purpose flour
■ 1 cup cocoa, sifted
■ 1/2 teaspoon salt
■ 2 teaspoon baking soda
■ 1 teaspoon allspice
■ 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
■ 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
■ 1/4 cup melted butter
■ 3/4 cup vegetable oil
■ 3 eggs
■ 1 teaspoon vanilla
■ 1/2 cup buttermilk
■ 2 cups zucchini, washed and dried, ends and stems removed, cut in half lengthwise and seeded, and grated
■ 1 cup dark chocolate chips (you can also use semi-sweet if you prefer)

Preparation:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 20 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2.In a large bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, allspice and cinnamon; set aside.
3.In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, butter and oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time until combined. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, zucchini and chocolate chips. Gently stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
4.Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and muffin tops are springy to the touch, 20 to 24 minutes; rotating halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Notes & Tips:
If you use 1/4 cup scoop to measure out batter, you will end up with more than 20 muffins...oh darn! This is a great way to use up some of that surplus zucchini you have from the summer crops.

Nutrition Facts:
Just be happy you're adding a vegetable into a treat!

Black Bean Taco Pizza

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Cookbook 2010

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 package (6-1/2 ounces) pizza crust mix
1 bottle (8 ounces) taco sauce
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup canned black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2 green onions, chopped
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
Reduced-fat sour cream, optional

Preparation:

Coat a 12-in. pizza pan with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Prepare pizza dough according to package directions. With floured hands, press dough onto prepared pan. Bake at 450° for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Spread taco sauce over crust to within 1 in. of edges. Top with tomatoes, beans, corn, chilies, onions and cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Serve with sour cream if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Notes & Tips:
Instead of making a pizza crust I just used a pre-made one. It really sped up the time. One recommendation I might suggest would be to use the food processor to blend up the beans. This was a very messy pizza. All of the toppings slid right off the pizza.

Nutrition Facts:
1 slice (calculated without sour cream) equals 264 calories, 6 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 783 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 14 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 1 medium-fat meat.

Tortellini Salad

Recipe adapted from:
www.food.com

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini
1/2 white onions or 1/2 red onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1 (4 1/4 ounce) can black olives
1 -2 cup crumbled feta or 1 -2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt & pepper

Preparation:
1. Start by defrosting/cooking the cheese tortellini in a pot of boiling water. The tortellini are ready when they float in the water and are heated through. Move them to a colander to drain, and set aside.
2. Drain and coarsely chop the black olives (you can use pre-chopped olives to save time). Peel the onion, de-seed the pepper, and coarsely chop them as well.
3. Place chopped vegetables and cheese tortellini in a large bowl. Sprinkle desired amount of cheese (feta or mozzarella) and the olive oil and red wine vinegar over the vegetables and tortellini, and then toss it all together. If you are using mozzarella cheese, it will probably melt a bit, which is fine.
4. Give the salad a taste, and add salt and pepper as desired.

Notes & Tips:
You may also want to add more olive oil or vinegar, depending on your preference. You can eat the salad right away, warm, or save it for later and eat it cold. The flavors will meld and (in my opinion) get better with time, so make sure you make enough for leftovers! I doubled the tortellini for a pot luck but didn't double the "dressing" part, it really didn't need it. Also, I chose to use a yellow bell pepper and an orange one instead of the green.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 230g
Total Fat 18g
Total Carbohydrate 25g
Dietary Fiber 1.2g
Sugars 2g
Protein 11g

Black Bean Pasta

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home, Healthy Cooking
April-May 2010

Ingredients:
9 ounces uncooked whole wheat fettuccine
1-3/4 cups sliced fresh baby portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups fresh baby spinach

Directions:
Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in oil until tender; add garlic, cook 2 minutes longer.
Stir in the black beans, tomatoes, rosemary and oregano. Cook and stir until heated through. Stir in spinach until wilted. Drain fettuccine. Serve with bean mixture.

Notes & Tips:
I didn't have any fettuccine so I used spiral pasta instead. Also I added the two vinegars because I'm on a huge vinegar kick and I think it was a great addition. I also didn't have any fresh spinach, so I used canned. It wasn't as wonderful as fresh spinach could have been but it's too hot to go out to the store. Great, low cooking, easy, vegetarian meal.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 6:
2/3 cup bean mixture with 2/3 cup pasta equals 255 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 230 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 12 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 lean meat, 1/2 fat.

Stuffed Portobellos

Recipe Taken From:
Good Housekeeping Magazine January 2011

Ingredients:

1/2 cup(s) quinoa, rinsed
1 1/4 pound(s) brussels sprouts
4 teaspoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
4 large portobello mushroom caps
1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme leaves
2/3 cup(s) frozen corn
3 ounce(s) feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In 2-quart saucepan, combine quinoa and 3/4 cup water. Heat to boiling on high; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile, trim and halve sprouts. In an 18-inch by 12-inch jelly-roll pan, toss sprouts, 2 teaspoons oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper to evenly coat. Roast 10 minutes.
While sprouts cook, brush mushrooms with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Finely chop thyme and add to medium bowl along with corn, feta, cumin, and cooked quinoa.
When sprouts have roasted 10 minutes, push to one side of pan and arrange mushrooms, gill side up, on other side. Divide quinoa mixture among mushrooms; roast 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Notes & Tips:
I loved the roasted fresh brussel sprouts. I'd never tried them before and I'm a HUGE fan now. I didn't have any feta so I subbed in Gorgonzola, it was still good though. Make sure you salt the mushrooms or else they'll be pretty bland.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 290
Total Fat 11g
Sodium 500mg
Total Carbohydrate 38g
Dietary Fiber 9g
Protein 14g

Mozzarella Eggplant Bake

Recipe Inspired From:
Taste of Home Cookbook, pg 383

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
5 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cans (14 1/2oz each) stewed tomatoes
1 package (6 ounces) sliced part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Cut eggplant into 1/4-in-thick slices. Place in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, beat eggs. Dip eggplant slices into eggs, then coat with crumb mixture.
In a large skillet, cook eggplant in 2 tablespoons oil for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer to an ungreased 13-in x9-in x2-in baking dish.
In the same skillet, saute the green peppers, onion and mushrooms in remaining oil for 5 minutes or until pepper and onion are crisp-tender. Sprinkle over eggplant. Top with tomatoes.
Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover, place cheese slices over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Notes & Tips:
The original recipe called for about half less breading, it barely even covered half of the eggplant slices. I thought this was awesome! Mat and I have been doing one meatless meal a week for a while now. I really enjoy the challenge of finding hearty meatless meals that aren't totally carb. loaded. This one was a success!


Nutrition Facts:
1 serving (1 piece) equals 318 calories, 16 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 128 mg cholesterol, 1,609 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 14 g protein.

Lemon Couscous with Broccoli

Recipe Taken From:
Healthy Cooking, Taste of Home
Feb/March 2011

Ingredients:

* 4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon slivered almonds, toasted

Preparation:

* In a large skillet, saute broccoli in oil until crisp-tender. Add couscous and garlic; saute 1-2 minutes longer.
* Stir in the broth, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 6 servings.

Notes & Tips:
I really enjoyed this as a side dish. I served this with homemade oven fried chicken tenders. The only thing I didn't like about this dish was the almonds. They tasted stale to me.

Nutrition Facts:
2/3 cup equals 115 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 328 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

Blackbean & Pumpkin Soup

Recipe Take From:
Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking
Feb/March 2011

Ingredients:
* 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, drained
* 2 medium onions, finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 3 cups vegetable broth
* 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
* 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 tablespoons bourbon, optional
* 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
* 1/2 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds

Preparation:
Place beans and tomatoes in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Set aside.
In a Dutch oven, saute onions in oil until tender. Add garlic and cumin; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, vinegar, pepper and bean mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in bourbon if desired. Garnish each serving with sour cream, green onions and pumpkin seeds. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Notes & Tips:
This was pretty good. It's a great vegetarian soup. I try to eat meatless at least once a week, so this was a good addition to my recipe book. I will say, I didn't use vegetable broth, so mine wasn't totally vegetarian. Also, I DID add the bourbon (duh) and I left out the pumpkin seeds.

Nutrition Facts:
1 cup (calculated without bourbon) equals 238 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 716 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 13 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1-1/2 fat, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

Baked Ziti

Recipe Taken From: Nan Porter

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1/4 c olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 large can crushed tomatoes (2 lb can or so)
1 small can tomato paste
1 1/2 c water
2 T chopped parsley
1 T salt (you can omit if you're watching your salt)
1 T sugar
1 t dried oregano
1/2t dried basil
1/4 t pepper
A few splashes of red wine (whatever is open)

Cheese Layer:
2 15 oz cartons of ricotta cheese (part skim works fine if you're watching fats)
1 8 oz package shredded Italian blend cheese (mozzarella, parm etc.)
2 eggs
1 T. chopped parsley

Ziti:
1 lb bag of ziti noodles

Preparation:
To make sauce begin by heating oil in large kettle, saute onion and garlic until golden-brown (5-10 minutes)add tomatoes - juice and all, tomato paste, water, parsley, and other spices, (and wine) if using whole tomatoes smash against the sides with wooden spoon. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about an hour.

In a large bowl beat eggs, add ricotta and cheese blend and parsley (salt and pepper if you want) Some times if you want to increase the protein a bit you can use a container of soft tofu too.

Cook 1lb ziti as directed, I have also used other shapes if I don't have ziti.

Spoon a little sauce in a five quart casserole, layer a third of ziti, 1/2 of cheese mixture and more sauce. Another third of ziti, the rest of the cheese, more sauce. The remaining ziti and then sauce - sprinkle grated parm on top. These freezes and refrigerates well.

Back 350 degrees for an hour, keep covered until the last fifteen minutes or so.

Notes & Tips:
This makes a TON of ziti! If you don't have a 5qt. casserole dish (which I didn't) you can use a 2 3qt ones and split the ingredients in half and make 2 batches. I tried this without the ziti noodles and it was great. The sauce is wonderful, I did add the wine, but that's because honestly...I just love wine.

Vegetable Strudel

Recipe Adapted From:
Better Homes & Gardens Nov. 2

Ingredients:
* 5 cups fresh spinach leaves
* 2 medium red sweet peppers, cut into 1-inch strips
* 2 carrots, shredded
* 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
* 4 green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)
* 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
* Dash red pepper flakes
* Butter-flavor nonstick spray coating
* 6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
* 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

Preparation:
1. For filling, place the spinach in large colander; set aside. In a large saucepan cook sweet peppers, summer squash, carrots, mushrooms, and green onions in 4 cups boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour over spinach to drain; rinse immediately with cold water. Drain well, pressing out excess moisture. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl. Stir in the dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, the oregano, salt, black pepper, and ground red pepper. Set filling aside.
2. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick coating. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a dry kitchen towel. (Keep remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.) Spray with nonstick coating. Place another sheet on top; spray with nonstick coating. Sprinkle with half of the bread crumbs. Place 2 more sheets of phyllo on top, spraying each with nonstick coating. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Add remaining 2 sheets of phyllo, spraying each with nonstick coating.
3. Spoon filling along 1 long side of phyllo stack about 1-1/2 inches from edges. Fold in the short sides over the filling. Starting from the long side with filling, roll up jelly-roll style.
4. Place strudel, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Spray top with nonstick coating. Using a sharp knife, score into 8 slices, cutting through the top layer only. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the strudel is golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut along scored lines into slices. Makes 4 servings.

Notes & Tips:
I didn't have any bread crumbs on hand so I crushed a bunch of really yummy crackers. They were really flavorful. I really think that instead of cooking spray, I would have liked to use spray butter. I sprayed butter on the top of the strudel during the last few mins of cooking, and that made all the difference. It still wasn't my favorite thing I had ever eaten.

Nutrition Facts:
Servings Per Recipe 4 servings * Calories182, * Total Fat (g)5, * Saturated Fat (g)1, * Cholesterol (mg)4, * Sodium (mg)466, * Carbohydrate (g)29, * Fiber (g)4, * Protein (g)8, * Vitamin A (DV%)156, * Vitamin C (DV%)158, * Calcium (DV%)14, * Iron (DV%)24, * Starch (d.e.)1, * Vegetables (d.e.)3, * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Low Maintenance Risotto

Recipe Taken From:
Real Simple Magazine October 2010

Ingredients:

* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1 cup Arborio rice
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
4. Add half the broth (1 ¾ cups) and simmer, stirring once, until absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining broth and simmer, stirring once, until the rice is tender and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes. (If the rice is not cooked through and the mixture is dry, add more broth and continue to cook until tender.)
6. Stir in the Parmesan and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with the parsley and additional Parmesan, if desired.

Notes & Tips:
I had to decrease the amount of broth required. I cut it back in the second addition I only put in about 1 cup of the broth.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4
217 Calories, 13g Fat, 13g Carbs, 11g Protein

Savory Mushrooms

Ingredients:

* 1 pound fresh sliced mushrooms
* 2 tablespoons dry sherry
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Preparation:
In a skillet combine sliced mushrooms, sherry, butter, paprika, seasoned salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. Serve savory mushrooms as a side dish with roasted or grilled meat. Savory mushroom recipe serves 4 to 6.

Notes & Tips:
Oh man these taste just like restaurant sauteed mushrooms! I love it. When they first started cooking I wasn't quite sure but total YUM!

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 135
Calories from fat: 85
Total fat: 9.6g
Cholesterol: 15mg
Sodium: 485mg
Total carbs: 8g
Dietary fiber: 1.2g
Protein: 4.2g
WW points: 3

Poached Eggs and Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cube chicken bouillon (optional)
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 4 slices whole wheat bread
• 4 slices Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.Fill a saucepan half way full of water. Bring to a boil and stir in the bouillon cube until dissolved. Crack one egg into a measuring cup or large spoon and gently slip it into the boiling water. Repeat with remaining eggs. Simmer for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm
2.Meanwhile, Place the asparagus into a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes. Drain.
3.Toast the bread to your desired darkness. Spread butter onto each piece of toast. Top with a slice of cheese, then a poached egg and finally, asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Notes & Tips:


Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4
Calories: 306 Total Fat: 18.4g Cholesterol: 249mg