Lemony Pasta with Zucchini and Pine Nuts

Here's the original recipe. I just omitted the chicken for mine.

Ingredients:
4 oz pasta, shape of your choice
1/2 T olive oil
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
onion powder
2 T pine nuts
1-1/2 T lemon juice
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes


Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Heat oil in a small skillet. Add zucchini, onion powder, pine nuts, and red pepper flakes and saute until zucchini is nicely browned (about 5 min).

Reduce heat and add lemon juice.
Serve over pasta.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 309
Fat: 10.5g
Saturated: 1g
Carbs: 45g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 8.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 4

Ginger Mushroom Chicken/Tofu

Got this recipe from a Light & Tasty magazine. It can also be found online. Now, if you are a normal person, and don't constantly forget to make the rice for a recipe, you could eat this over rice. If you're me, you realize at the last minute that you didn't make the rice, then stub your toe really hard (unrelated, but ever more frustrating), and decide to eat it without rice. *shrug* Take your pick. This makes 4 servings. I only made 2.

Ingredients:
1 c fresh snow peas
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 c milk (unsweetened silk)
1 lb chicken or 4 svg extra firm tofu
3 tsp grapeseed oil
1/2 lb sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Directions:
Place snow peas in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper and milk until smooth; set aside.
In a large non-stick skillet or wok (I just used the same saucepan I boiled the peas in), stir-fry chicken/tofu in 1 tsp hot oil. Remove and keep warm.
In the same pan, stir-fry mushrooms and ginger in remaining oil for 2 min. Add peas, stir-fry for 2 min longer.
Stir cornstarch mixture and stir into mushroom mixture.
Return chicken/tofu to pan. Bring to a boil; cool and stir for 2 min or until thickened.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Tofu (no rice):                    Chicken (no rice):
Calories: 153                     Calories: 163
Fat: 8g                               Fat: 4.5g
Saturated: 0.5g                  Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 7.5g                       Carbs: 5.5g
Fiber: 2.5g                        Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 12g                      Protein: 26g

Ratings:
Kristen: 3
Dave: 3

Cinnamon Pancakes

Original recipe, courtesy of sparkpeople.com. (I made half of this.)

Ingredients:
1.25 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 T sugar
1 c soy milk
6 T warm water + 2 T ground flax seed (or 2 eggs)
1 T vanilla
2 T cinnamon


Directions:
Add 2 T flax seed to 6 T warm water. Cover and let sit 5 minutes.
Mix together flour, baking soda and sugar. In another bowl, mix together milk, flax seed mixture and vanilla.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add cinnamon last.

Make pancakes. :)
Makes 6 medium pancakes.


Nutritional Information:
(per pancake)
Calories: 135
Fat: 2g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 26g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 5g


Ratings:
Kristen: 3.5
Dave: 3.5


The cinnamon was good, but I probably won't use this pancake recipe again. I'll add cinnamon to my other pancake batter!

Asparagus & Mushroom Pasta

Original recipe is here, courtesy of SparkPeople.

Ingredients:
2 servings pasta, shape of your choice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
8 spears asparagus, ends trimmed, and chopped
3/4 fresh mushrooms, pieces or slices
1/4 cup vegetable broth
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Also in Dave's serving:
4 oz cooked chicken (I just baked it in the oven)
1/3c chopped tomato

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet. Add asparagus and mushrooms; saute for 1-2 minutes.
Add chicken broth and cover pan; cook until asparagus is crisp tender.
Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in asparagus/mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
If adding chicken, do so now and incorporate until warm.
If using tomatoes, sprinkle on top of pasta after it's plated.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:                        Ratings:
(no chicken or tomatoes*)                        Kristen: 3.5
Calories: 255                                            Dave: 4
Fat: 3.5g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 45.5g
Fiber: 3.5g
Protein: 9.5g

*Chicken and tomatoes adds 105 calories, 1g of fat, 4g of carbs and 23g of protein.

                                  (Dave's was prettier!)
               

Artichokes with Dill Sauce

My mom always made this recipe when we are growing up. It's one of my very favorites!!!!

Ingredients:
2 artichokes, stems chopped off
butter, vinegar and dill weed to taste*We like ours heavy on the vinegar, especially Dave! Start with a tablespoon or 2 of butter, and add vinegar until you like the taste. Maybe 1/2 tsp of dill. Usually I would use whatever kind of margarine. Tonight I used Bestlife Buttery Spread. It's the

Directions:
Boil artichokes, covered, in a large pot for about 30 minutes. Check for doneness by taking off an outside leaf. If you can scrape off the fleshy part with your teeth, it's done. If not, boil longer!
To make the sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan. Add vinegar and dill weed to taste. Serve in individual ramekins or small mugs.
If you have never eaten a whole artichoke before and aren't sure what to do, here is a page that explains it very well!!
Serves 2.

Nutritional Information:

Obviously this totally depends on the size of your artichokes and how much butter you use, but here's an estimate:
Calories: 75
Fat: 1.5g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 13.5g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 4g

Ratings:
Kristen: 5
Dave: 4

*We like ours heavy on the vinegar, especially Dave! Maybe start with a tablespoon or 2 of butter, and add vinegar until you like the taste. Maybe 1/2 tsp of dill. Usually I would use whatever kind of margarine. Tonight I used Bestlife Buttery Spread. It's the first time I've noticed a taste difference when using this product. (It's soy-based.) Taste-wise, it blended kind of strangely with the vinegar, I think, for an almost... spicy (?) sort of taste? It wasn't bad, just different.

Sweet Sesame Cashew Tofu (or Chicken)

I took this recipe from my friend Holly's blog.

Ingredients:
2 servings (79g each) Nasoya extra firm tofu, cubed and drained, OR 8 oz chicken tenderloins
1 T grapeseed oil (or any other oil of your choice)
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 c cashews, chopped
1/4 c vegetable broth
1 T cornstarch
2 T pancake syrup
2 T seasoned rice vinegar
1 T ketchup
1/2 T low sodium soy sauce
8 oz can water chestnuts, sliced
1 c uncooked rice


Directions:
1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Heat oil in a skillet. Add tofu, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and cashews. Saute until tofu is lightly browned; remove from skillet.
3. Whisk together broth and cornstarch until combined. Add syrup, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce. Heat until mixture thickens.
4. Add water chestnuts and tofu mixture; heat through.
Serve over cooked rice. Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Tofu:                               Chicken:                             Ratings:
Calories: 553                  Calories: 563                             Kristen: 4
Fat: 23g                          Fat: 19.5g                                  Dave: 4
Saturated: 2.5g               Saturated: 2.5g
Carbs: 69g                      Carbs: 67g
Fiber: 4g                         Fiber: 3g
Protein: 17.5g                 Protein: 31.5

                          

Sesame Tofu Stir Fry

The original recipe is from Fitness Magazine and can be found here.

Ingredients:
2 servings (79g each) Nasoya extra firm tofu, cubed and drained OR 8 oz boneless pork loin, cubed
(Or, if you are a vegetarian who is married to a meat-eater, 1/2 of each!) :)
1 T cornstarch
1/8 c finely chopped peanuts
1/2 T sesame seeds
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/16 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp grapeseed oil (or any other oil you wish)
8 oz frozen stir-fry vegetables
1/3 cup bottled General Tso's sauce (Next time I make this I'm going to use 1/2 c)
1 c uncooked rice
(I was planning on using brown rice, but I forgot all about making the rice until the rest was almost done, so I made white rice because it's faster!)

Directions:
1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, lightly coat tofu with cornstarch. In a bowl, combine 1/2 T of the peanuts, the sesame seeds, ginger, and red pepper. Add tofu; toss gently.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu mixture to skillet. Cook briefly, stirring gently, until sesame seeds are toasted and tofu begins to brown (until pork is cooked through).
4. Remove tofu. Add vegetables to skillet; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through. Add General Tso's sauce; cook and stir gently until mixture is bubbly. Stir in tofu; heat through. Sprinkle with remaining peanuts. Serve over rice.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Tofu:                                                          Pork:
Calories: 471                                             Calories: 501
Fat: 14.5g                                                  Fat: 13.6g
Saturated: 1.5g                                          Saturated: 2.5g
Carbs: 66.5g                                              Carbs: 64.5
Fiber: 5.5g                                                 Fiber: 4.6g
Protein: 17.5g                                            Protein: 30.5g

      Forks:
      Kristen: 4.5
      Dave: 4.5

Burger-Dilla

This is a Hungry Girl recipe. I made some changes. Here's the original recipe. It's a swap for a similar Chili's recipe.

Ingredients:
1 T dairy free ranch dressing
1 tsp taco sauce
1 Boca burger
2 small flour tortillas
1 T salsa
1/3 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup shredded lettuce

Directions:
1. To make the sauce, combine ranch dressing with taco sauce in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. Prepare burger patty on the stove in a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray. (Refer to package instructions for exact temperature and time.) Set aside and allow skillet to cool.
3. Lay one tortilla flat on a dry surface and spread with sauce. Top with avocado, salsa, lettuce, and cooked patty. Top with other tortilla.
4. Re-spray skillet and gently place quesadilla burger in it. Bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Cook until outsides are lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side, flipping carefully (yeah, there is no way to do this neatly!!) and pressing down with a spatula.
Makes 1 serving.

*Note: For Dave's, I used 1 T ranch dressing, 1 tsp taco sauce, a 4 oz burger (extra lean), 2 small flour tortillas, 2 T salsa (he doesn't like avocado), 1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese, 1/4 c shredded lettuce, and a few bacos.

Nutritional Information:
(Kristen  --------------------     Dave)
Calories: 335                           512
Fat: 13g                                   25g
Saturated: 2g                           8.5g
Carbs: 40g                              33.5g
Fiber: 7.5g                               2.5g
Protein: 18.5g                          37g

Forks:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 4

Pasta with Veggie Garlic Butter Sauce

This is more of a method than a recipe. I make pasta with garlic butter sauce for myself ALL the time. I used to eat it sprinkled with parmesan cheese. You wouldn't think this would add so much to it, but I find without the parmesan cheese it's really boring. So I've been adding veggies to the mix. Here's what I made tonight.

Ingredients:
2 oz pasta of your choice
1 T butter (I used Bestlife Buttery Spread)
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
onion powder
Sliced/chopped veggies of your choice (Tonight I used zucchini and mushrooms, about 2 oz each)

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, saute veggies in a small skillet sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with onion powder.
Remove veggies from pan and reduce heat. When cooled, saute garlic in butter.
Drain pasta. Just before serving, add veggies back to skillet just to warm through. Pour veggie/butter sauce over pasta.
Serves 1.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 300
Fat: 7g
Saturated: 2g
Carbs: 47g
Fiber: 3.5g
Protein: 9.5g

Forks:
Kristen: 5

Savory Bean and Kale Soup

Original recipe is here, courtesy of Fitness Magazine.

Ingredients:
42 oz vegetable broth (mine's homemade!)
15 oz tomato puree
15.5 oz great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c uncooked rice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped (or spinach!)

Directions:
In a crockpot, combine vegetable broth, tomato puree, beans, rice, onion powder, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Cover; cook on low 5 to 7 hours or on high 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours.
Just before serving, stir in kale.
Makes 8 (1 cup) servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 93
Fat: 0.5g
Saturated: 0g
Carbs: 17g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 5g

DELICIOUS! :)
***FORK SYSTEM!!! (Back by popular demand!!)
Kristen: 5

Curried Chickpea Cakes

I found a vegan blog I like a lot called go vegan meow! I got this recipe there. Here is the original recipe. I changed it a little based on what I had. Also I only made half of the recipe I'm posting.

Ingredients:

15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

onion powder

1/3 c unsweeted soy milk

2 tsp sugar

2/3 c breadcrumbs

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2/3 c cooked rice

1/2 tsp salt

4 T grapeseed oil (or any oil) for pan searing

 

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the chickpeas and onion powder. Pulse until combined. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add the milk, sugar, breadcrumbs, curry powder, nutmeg and cumin. Stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in the rice and salt. Mold into 12 mini patties.

In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chickpea cakes to the pan in batches and saute until there's a nice golden sear on the bottom. Flip and sear on the other side as well. Continue with the remaining cakes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Makes 6 servings (2 cakes each).

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 200

Fat: 6.5g

Saturated: 0.5g

Carbs: 30g

Fiber: 3.5g

Protein: 6g

Serving Suggestion:

Serve in a warmed flour tortilla with lettuce, diced cucumber and salsa.

I used Mission Flour Tortillas, 1/2 leaf of lettuce, 1/8 of a cucumber, and 1T salsa 

for each serving.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 349

Fat: 9.5g

Saturated: 1.5g

Carbs: 55.5g

Fiber: 5g

Protein: 10.5g

Great Green Bean Casserole

This recipe also came from Meatout Mondays. Original recipe is here. I made 1/4 of the recipe so I made it in little ramekins.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs green beans
10 oz mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
cayenne pepper, generous pinch
2 T flour
3/4 c vegetable broth
3/4 c unsweetened soymilk
1-1/2 slices whole grain bread (Koepplinger's Whole Grain White Bread)
1 T margarine (Bestlife Buttery Spread)
salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:
Boil green beans and drain.
Chop mushrooms into pieces.
Spray non-stick pan with non-stick spray; add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste; cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices.
Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to mushrooms.
Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens; add soymilk and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes; adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.
For the topping, put bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.
Put green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with bread crumbs.
Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 78
Fat: 1.5g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 11.5g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 3.5g

Hearty Holiday Nut Loaf

I get a weekly email called Meatout Mondays. This recipe came about a month ago. I made 1/4 of the following recipe.

Ingredients:
1 c finely chopped celery
onion powder
3/4 c bread flour
2/3 c chopped walnuts
2 T ground flax seed
2 c canned chickpeas, drained
1 c water
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 t salt
1/8 t garlic powder
1/2 c water
parsley (optional - for garnish) 

Directions:
Sauté the celery until tender.
Place in a bowl with flour, nuts, and flax seed; blend next five ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth, then add to the bowl with the celery mixture.
Rinse food processor/blender with last ½ cup water and then add to mixture and mix well.
Spoon into 8"x 8" baking dish lined with baking parchment or sprayed with non-stick spray; bake covered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Uncover and bake 15 minutes more. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve with mushroom or cashew gravy.

Makes 16 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 94
Fat: 4g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 12.5g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 3g

Potato Skins

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
1 tsp butter (I used  Bestlife Buttery Spread)
cheddar cheese (20g of cheddar style Teese for mine/shredded cheddar for Dave's)
1/2 c broccoli, finely chopped

Directions:
Bake potatoes in the microwave, and then allow them to cool enough to handle.
Preheat oven to 425F. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the insides.
Melt butter in microwave and brush over the insides of the potatoes. Fill the potatoes with cheese and broccoli.
Bake for 15 minutes. Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information*:
Calories: 237
Fat: 5.5g
Saturated: 2g
Carbs: 42g
Fiber: 5.5g
Protein: 5g

*For one whole potato (including scooped out part) using teese (cheese slightly more)

Baked Zucchini Fries

Last month we had a rewards assembly at school and as part of it each kid got a Kid Approved: Healthy Snacks cookbook from PE-Nut (part of the Michigan Nutrition Network). Anyway, I got a cookbook too and that's where this recipe came from.

Ingredients:
1 zucchini, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1-1/2 T italian bread crumbs
1-1/2 T balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475F.
Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Pour vinegar into a small bowl and breadcrumbs onto a small dish. Dip the zucchini strips first into the vinegar, and then coat with breadcrumbs before placing them on the baking sheet.
Bake 5 minutes, turn strips over, and bake until crumbs are lightly browned, about 5 more minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 34
Fat: 0.5g
Carbs: 7g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 1.5g

Baked Mushrooms

This is from a Light & Tasty Magazine (Aug/Sept 2005).

Ingredients:
1/2 lb mushrooms (I used white)
1 celery rib, chopped
nonstick cooking spray
1/4 c veggie broth (or white wine)
salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Place mushrooms in a small baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a nonstick skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute celery. Stir in the broth or wine, salt, pepper, and onion powder; heat through. Pour over mushrooms.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.
Makes 3 servings.

Nutritional Information:(1/2 cup)
Calories: 21
Fat: 0.3g
Saturated: 0g
Carbs: 3.5g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 2.5g

The recipe was presented in the magazine as a side dish. It's kind of eh for a side dish, but I ate mine mixed in with ramen noodles (oriental flavor), which was good. It would also be good served over rice.