Easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan
from WholeFoodsMarket.com

Ingredients: 

• 1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about eight)
• 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
• 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (sundried tomato or plain)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil*
• 1 (25 ounce) jar pasta sauce (roasted vegetable or any variety)*
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese*
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 
  
• Method: 

  
  

  Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 375°F. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with panko crumbs. Spread oil on hot baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes.
  
  Increase oven temperature to 475°F. In an 8 x 10-inch ovenproof dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, and top with cheeses. Repeat, finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden in spots, about 15 minutes.
  Nutritional Info: 

  PER SERVING:400 calories (180 from fat), 20g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 130mg cholesterol, 970mg sodium, 44g carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 21g protein

  ******

  I have discovered that I love the taste of eggplant and with the abundance of eggplant I've been getting from our crop share this summer, I have been experimenting with it quite a bit. Now that I know the secret to good eggplant dishes is to salt and drain them first, every dish has been delish. This one, however, had oohs and ahhs from everyone :)  

  I liked the simplicity of the dish. I did not dip the eggplant in egg and dredge it through the crumbs then roast it in hot oil. Instead I sprayed the with cooking spray, sprinkled bread crumbs on top and put them on a cold baking sheet and roasted them in the oven (but cooking and flipping according to the directions). I did at least remember to coat the baking sheet with cooking spray as well. Too many times I've forgotten that step and had vegetables stick :/

  I will definitely be making this again!

Kitchen Escapades - Pizza

So after a great first day back on 1500 calories, I've managed to go over every day since :/ Tonight we had a movie night so I spent the day in the kitchen preparing for a homemade pizza party for dinner - besides baking bread for the week. Standing in the kitchen for hours and kneading dough should count as some exercise, right? I did Just Dance this morning for about 30 minutes and only burned 178 calories. Fun, but not the most bang for my buck. But I digress....

Twice now I have used this pizza dough recipe. The first time I made it, I thought I overworked the dough and stuck it in the fridge for later. I was really skeptical about it, but once I took it out of the fridge and started working with it, I discovered it was actually a really good dough and a great one to work with once it warmed back up. Pretty forgiving. I used it to make the Pioneer Woman's easy calzones which turned out really yummy (except Aaron didn't like them. He prefers regular pizza.) Though I used white sugar the first time I made the dough, this time I used honey. Calorie wise, sugar was the better way to go (for future reference).

I got 14 large calzones out of the dough. As far as actual pizza dough, it could make two large pizzas or be divided up into smaller ones. We decided to each make our own pizzas, so we ended up with 4 smaller dough balls and two medium sized (put in the freezer for another time). Aaron wanted to use the cookie cutters today, so he made a bunch of little pizzas shaped like Christmas cookies while Jared created the Millenium Falcon. I had a regular round thin crusted Hawaiian BBQ pizza with cilantro, and Matthew had a thick crusted face. It was great fun.

The best part came AFTER the pizza though - dessert. To go along with the pizza theme, I decided it would be nice to do a fruit pizza. I knew the basic concept, but googled for some recipes to nail down the concept and decided on this one for the cream cheese topping because I had all the ingredients. The cookie part seemed simple enough too but I opted to go with a ChocolateCoveredKatie grain free sugar cookie recipe instead. Per a commentor's suggestion from the allrecipes recipe, I used our frozen fruit and added some cream of tartar to thicken the juice as it thawed. Oh. My. Goodness!! It was SO delicous!!!! All 446 calories of it :P (Is it any wonder how I ended up 469 calories over tonight?!)

Here is the ingredient list for CCK's cookie:

• 1 cup finely-ground almond meal (also known as almond flour.) (75g)
• a little over 1/8 tsp salt (1/8 plus 1/16 tsp)
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, or stevia to taste (For substitutions, see nutrition link below.) (30g)
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil (15g)
• For maple syrup version: up to 2 level teaspoons milk of choice or extra oil, as needed (5-10g). For stevia version: 1 tbsp milk of choice, added with the liquid ingredients. (15g)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• optional: pure almond extract

What I did:

- Ground up 1 cup of almonds in the food processor, then measured out 1 cup of the meal. Followed the rest of the ingredient list subbing honey for the maple syrup, added 1 tsp of almond extract, and then misread the milk part and added 2 TABLESPOONS!! oops!!! Way too wet at that point, so I added in the rest of the almond meal, about 1/4 cup of white flour, then added an extra 1/8 tsp of salt and baking soda - essentially doubling the recipe for the dry ingredients. It was still sticky, but it was much closer to what I thought the consistency should be at that point so I followed through on the rest of the instructions and it worked!! It was the best dessert I've eaten in a long time!!

Cream Cheese Frosting: (I halved the recipe)

4 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cheesy Quinoa Mac N Cheese

Quinoa Mac n Cheese
courtesy of http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

I went through a quinoa phase in February and this is one of the recipes I tried. Since most of my experience with mac n cheese is the boxed kind, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. This certainly got mixed reviews. Matthew and Aaron could leave it, but Jared really liked it as did I though as leftovers it took me a few days to be willing to eat it again. I have realized I really don't care for the texture of quinoa except in breads. It has a distinctive flavor too that I am not all too fond of. Since I added garlic to the water the quinoa was cooked in, it absorbed that flavor and really added a nice touch to the overall dish. 

My variation: added 2 oz of cream cheese to enhance the creaminess as suggested by a commenter on the original blog post and bread crumbs for the topping.

Snow Ice Cream

Woke up starving and despite all the effort I put in to figuring out the best nutrient dense breakfast, the first thing I ate today was snow ice cream. I have been anticipating a snow day of this depth since moving here. 4 - 8 inches. LOVE it!! So, I took a bowl and scooped up snow to the top, added 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, a tsp of vanilla and voila!! Vanilla ice cream. There is still plenty of clean snow on the ground, so I may try the other popular recipe floating around:

big bowl of snow (gallon?)
can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

The ice cream I made had a good flavor, but it was a little gritty from the sugar granules. I could probably get away with only 3/4 c. of sugar. Topped with cantalope and it was dreamy :)

Now to find something a little more nutritious........

Ricotta Spinach & Tomato Quesadilla

Over at neverhomemaker.com she has a recipe for Lunch "Calzone" For One which is basically a quesadilla with ricotta cheese, greens, and tomatoes. It looked good the other day but I thought I was out of ricotta cheese so didn't make it. Today as I cleaned out the fridge I discovered I did have just a tiny bit left in the bottom of the container at the back of the fridge. Score!

I am a fairly picky tomato eater. As a child I would only eat a fresh tomato in a BLT. At this point in my life I can appreciate a good tasting tomato though I still won't eat the ones that come in a salad unless it is diced and hidden with lettuce and other salad goodies. I tried popping a cherry or grape tomato once just to see if I would like it. Nope. That being said, I was a little hesistant to put fresh tomato inside this 'calzone'. The tomatoes ended up a little cooked and added a great flavor. I ended up really liking this concoction. I used spinach for my greens then added basil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning as the spices. With it only being 159 calories, I decided to play with the recipe a little bit.

Remember the kale & butternut quesadilla? I have been trying to think of ways to cut down on that 600 calorie beauty and wondered how kale and butternut would taste in this 'calzone'. Turns out is delicious for only 240 calories. YES! So, here is the basic recipe for the final product.

Ingredients

1 flour tortilla
2 TB ricotta cheese
2 kale leaves
1/4 c. diced butternut squash
1/4 c. diced tomatoes
chili powder
pepper
basil
Italian seasoning
garlic powder

Directions

In a saute pan, wilt the kale leaves (Pioneer Woman did it in olive oil. I was using a nonstick pan and didn't even add cooking spray). Remove from heat.

In same pan, saute butternut squash until tender. Add a dash of chili powder for seasoning. Remove from heat when done.

In pan, heat tortilla on both sides til warm, then spread ricotta cheese on the top side. Spread the tomatoes on top of the ricotta cheese. Add pepper, then kale leaves, and finally the squash. Top with the remaining seasonings.

Use a spatula to fold the tortilla in half and create a quesadilla. I like to flip it over on the side that became the top to make sure it is nice and browned and everything is warmed through.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Kale Rice dish

Butternut Squash and Kale Rice Dish

based off of The Pioneer Woman's Butternut Squash and Kale Quesadillas

1 cup diced butternut squash

1 cup kale leaves

1 cup cooked rice (brown or white)

chili powder

cinnamon

nutmeg

salt/pepper

olive oil

I sauted the butternut squash until warm and a little tender and added cinn & chili power and set aside. 

Heat olive oil and do the kale. Set aside

Heat rice and add more cinn & nutmeg. Add the squash and kale back in and mix together until warmed through.

For more details about preparing the squash and kale, see the link above for the quesadillas. She does a great job showing how to do it (including a tutorial about cutting up the butternut squash).

Pumpkin Lasagna

Pumpkin Lasagna

Though I found this a little dry, it did have a great flavor and everyone liked it.

Saucy Bowties & Broccoli

****
Made May 22nd. Not my favorite - too garlicky. In its defense, I did not actually measure the garlic. I used a regular tablespoon to scoop my minced garlic from the jar and put in 3 half spoonfuls. So, it could be my lack of precision to cause this.

Only Matthew seemed to think it was ok. I wasn't sure if I'd like the broccoli in a red sauce, but that aspect was fine. I think the garlic overshadowed everything for me though.

Campbell's Fake 'em Out Ravioli Lasagna

Campbell's Fake 'Em Out Ravioli Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups Prego Italian Sausage & Garlic Italian sauce
1/2 cup water
1 package (30 oz) frozen regular size cheese-filled ravioli (about 30-34)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9x2 inch (3 quart) baking dish with the cooking spray.

2. Stir the sauce and water in a large bowl. Spread 1 cup of the sauce ino the prepared dish. Top with 1/2 of the ravioli, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of the sauce. Top with the remaining ravioli and sauce. Cover.

3. Bake for 35 minutes. Uncover the dish and top with the remaining mozz cheese.

4. Bake for 10 minutes more or until hot and bubbly. Let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Nutritional Values per Serving:
Calories 650, Total Fat 30g, Saturated fat 17g, Cholesterol 116 mg, Sodium 1133mg, Total Carbs 68g, Dietary Fiber 6g, Protein 29g,

*****
Made May 13th or so. I LOVE this recipe. It came from a Campbell's Kitchen Recipe Collection cookbook. It was so incredibly simple to put together. Aside from the one lasagna recipe still on my list, I will probably never make regular lasagna again. It tasted just like lasagna but it was so much quicker!!

This could easily be adapted to add spinach or other vegetables to create a veggie lasagna. You could probably even use beef instead of the cheese ravioli.

I did use fridge ravioli instead of the frozen, and my sauce wash Bertolli's tomatoes and basil. Yum!

Blushing Penne Pasta

Blushing Penne Pasta
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p47

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups half-and-half cream, divided
1/2 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

Directions

Cook penne according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook onions in butter for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the thyme, basil and salt; cook 1 minute longer. Add 1 cup cream, wine and tomato paste; cook and stir until blended.

Combine flour and remaining cream until smooth; gradually stir into onion mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese. Drain penne; toss with sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 336 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 34 mg cholesterol, 445 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 12 g protein.

*****
Made April 21: This may seem silly, but once i added the tomato paste and saw the sauce turn a slight pink I had an ah-ha moment and knew why this is called Blushing pasta - it looks like the sauce is blushing.

This is a fairly simple recipe. Next time I'd probably embelish it with broccoli or chicken. Or both.

Butternut Squash Apple Bake

Butternut Squash Apple Bake
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p8

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced into rings
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Arrange squash in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Top with apple rings. Combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Drizzle with butter.

Cover and bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until squash and apples are tender. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 120 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 1 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.
****
Made April 19th as a side dish to Turkey Wild Rice Casserole: Can we say YUM?!?! It was the perfect compliment to the casserole This was my first time with a butternut squash. It was pretty easy to peel and slice, and my apple corer/peeler made preparing the apples a snap too. We LOVED this recipe. It was pretty sweet though.

Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo

Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p53

Ingredients

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
3/4 pound fresh broccoli florets
1 envelope Alfredo sauce mix
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 teaspoons reduced-fat butter
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Cook tortellini according to package directions, adding broccoli during the last few minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk the sauce mix and milk. Add butter and nutmeg; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Drain tortellini and broccoli; place in a large bowl. Stir in the Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Land O'Lakes light stick butter.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/4 cups equals 262 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 919 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat, 1/2 fat-free milk.

***
Made April 8th: I don't remember much about this one, but I think we decided chicken or ham would have made a great addition to it.

The recipe does call for using an alfredo sauce mix, but I just used prepared alfredo and boy did it get done quick. It took a lot of the prep time out of the recipe.

Black Bean Tortilla Pie

Black Bean Tortilla Pie
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p37

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

In a large skillet, saute the onion, green pepper, cumin and pepper in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Stir in corn and green onions; remove from the heat.

Place one tortilla in a 9-in. springform pan coated with cooking spray. Layer with 1-1/2 cups bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining tortilla. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Remove sides of pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cut into wedges. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 wedge equals 353 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 14 mg cholesterol, 842 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 17 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

******
Made March 25th: Mine didn't come out looking nearly as nice the one in the book. It did taste ok. It was very runny though. I didn't have the right size tortillas, so I used a round casserole dish instead of the springform pan that the recipe calls for. I don't know how much of a difference it would have made though.

Orange Ginger Carrots

Orange Ginger Carrots
published in Light & Tasty April/May 2006, p57

Ingredients

3 cups sliced carrots
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Place carrots and 1 in. of water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and keep warm.

In the same pan, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt and ginger. Stir in orange juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in butter until melted. Add carrots and toss to coat. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 99 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 355 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 1/2 fat.

*****
Made March 16th: served with potstickers and eggrolls. I've made another recipe similar to this called Gingered Carrots. The orange flavoring was an interesting twist. It was very saucy, so next time I'd probably add more carrots.

Four Cheese Baked Ziti

Four Cheese Baked Ziti
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p24

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) Italian diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
8 ounces uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the onion, green pepper, carrots and garlic until crisp-tender. Stir in the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, broth and pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook ziti according to package directions; drain and return to pan. Stir in the vegetable mixture, ricotta, provolone and basil.

Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 286 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 806 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 vegetable, 1-1/2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 fat.

Tamale Veggie Pie

Tamale Veggie Pie
Tamale Veggie Pie published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p59

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Mexican diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon chili powder

TOPPING:

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions

In a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a large bowl. Drain tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons juice; add tomatoes and juice to onion mixture.
Stir in the beans, cheese, chilies, jalapeno, cumin and chili powder. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together the egg, yogurt and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Spoon over filling; gently spread to cover top.

Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and a toothpick inserted into topping comes out clean. Yield: 6 servings.

Editor's Note: When cutting hot peppers, disposable gloves are recommended. Avoid touching your face.


Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 280 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 55 mg cholesterol, 746 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 13 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Apple-Spice Acorn Squash LT06

Apple-Spice Acorn Squash LT 06, 5 points

Ingredients

1 medium acorn squash
1 medium tart apple, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons butter

Directions

Cut squash in half; discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe baking dish. Add 1/2 in. of water. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10-13 minutes or until almost tender; drain.

Combine the apple, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg; spoon into squash cavities. Dot with butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 6-8 minutes or until squash and apples are tender. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 2 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested in a 1,100-watt microwave.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 filled squash half equals 207 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 47 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1-1/2 fruit, 1 fat.

Vegetarian Taco Salad

Vegetarian Taco Salad

Ingredients
4 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches)
6 cups shredded romaine
1/2 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 small tomato, chopped
1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives, drained
Sliced jalapeno peppers, optional

DRESSING:
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons fat-free ranch salad dressing
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, optional

Directions
Place four 10-oz. custard cups upside down in a shallow baking pan; set aside. Place the tortillas in a single layer on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake at 425° for 1 minute. Place a tortilla over each custard cup, pinching sides to form a bowl shape. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until crisp. Remove tortillas from cups to cool on wire racks.

In a large bowl, combine the romaine, beans, tomato, cheese, onions, olives and jalapenos if desired. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad ; toss to coat. Serve in tortilla bowls. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: When cutting hot peppers, disposable gloves are recommended. Avoid touching your face.

Nutrition Facts: 1 tortilla bowl with 1-1/4 cups dressed salad equals 257 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 485 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 11 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

********
Sept 29, 2010 - Again, another great recipe. I enjoyed the flavor enough that it didn't bother me to not have any meat in it. This was a pretty easy dish to prepare and put together. The hardest part was waiting for the tortillas to crisp, but it was quick enough that seconds or thirds could be served up within minutes.

We don't have custard cups, so I used some smuckers ice cream bowls that we had. If I hadn't remembered the bowls I would have used my glass portion cups.

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
1/4 cup picante sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups cooked brown rice
8 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
1 cup salsa
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the beans, tomatoes, picante sauce, chili powder, cumin and red pepper flakes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until heated through and mixture thickens. Add rice; cook 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Spoon a rounded 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla. Fold sides over filling and roll up. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spoon salsa over each tortilla. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 enchilada equals 271 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 10 mg cholesterol, 638 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 12 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

Made on Sept 17, 2010.

Variations: I didn't have a small can of black beans and I thought that the recipe as written would be too spicy for Aaron and Jared with the ro-tel. So, I used ranch style beans (not drained) and 4 fresh roma tomatoes. I think that was an excellent choice. There was still a bite to the burritos because of the salsa, but it wasn't so spicy that it wasn't edible. I really liked the cheese and cilantro on top. Sour cream would have made another nice edition, but ours had gone bad. Oops.

Review: Aaron didn't touch them, but everyone else seemed to like them. This was perfect because it used up the rice in the fridge from the stir fry I made at the beginning of the week. I also had used all the chicken in the pasta dish from last night, so the meatless aspect worked. Although, Matthew was expecting chicken so that was a bit disappointing for him.

Pineapple Salad

Pineapple Salad 1 pt for 1 cup

Made April 26th. The salad was pretty good. Next time I'd choose to either cut the pineapple into chunks or just buy the chunks or tidbits. The slices made it more uneven in the getting.

I served this as a side to the very yummy Fruited Chicken Salad.