Sesame Noodles with Broccoli and Peppers

I changed the original recipe a little bit, especially to pare down the serving size. Dear Martha Stewart, a serving size of pasta is 2 oz!!

Ingredients:
4 oz spaghetti
1 stalk of broccoli, chopped into florets, stalk peeled and chopped (Mine was 5-1/3 oz)
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into thin slices (Mine was 4-1/3 oz)
2 T creamy peanut butter
1/2 T sugar
1 T + 1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 T + 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente. Add broccoli and bell peppers. Cook until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, 3 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. (I didn't need any.) Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 405
Fat: 11.5g
Saturated: 2g
Carbs: 59.5g
Fiber: 6.5g
Protein: 15g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4

Swiss Chard with Beans and Tomatoes

The original recipe calls this White Bean Stew with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes. I have to disagree though... it's not a stew at all. So I have re-named it appropriately. :) The original recipe calls for 16 oz of swiss chard, stemmed. I am guessing that this means before the stemming. I didn't have that much, so I used some chard and some kale.

Ingredients:
9 oz swiss chard, stemmed and torn into pieces (5 oz after stemming)
7 oz kale, stemmed and torn into pieces (5 oz after stemming)
1 tsp oil (I used grapeseed oil)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
14.5 oz diced tomatoes (Hunt's No Salt Added)
7.5 oz cannellini beans (Bush's)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add chard and kale. Simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, and gently press out excess water.
2. In the same pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Saute garlic and red pepper flakes, 1 minute.
3. Add tomatoes (increase heat) and bring to a boil. Add beans and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Add kale and chard, and cook for 3 minutes, so that the flavors blend. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 260
Fat: 3g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 49g
Fiber: 16.5g
Protein: 14g

Rating:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3.5

Sausage-Stuffed Peppers

Stay tuned for next week when I make stuffed peppers with lentils!

Ingredients:
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 c white rice, uncooked
1Original Field Roast Grain Meat Co. Italian Sausage
3/4 c tomato puree
Seasonings:
parsley
Italian seasoning
onion powder
garlic powder
black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F.
Cook rice. Meanwhile, crumble sausage and brown in a skillet. Add tomato puree and season to taste. Stir in rice.
Cut the top off the pepper and remove ribs and seeds. Cut in half lengthwise. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet and stuff with rice mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 253
Fat: 5g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 35g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 17g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3.5

Butternut Squash Fries

This is a Hungry Girl recipe. I saw it on her TV show. I was skeptical, but I have some squash so I decided to try it! I keep trying to eat squash since it's good for you but I don't particularly care for it. I definitely like it this way!!! It takes a little time, but it's super easy to make!

Ingredients:
Butternut Squash
Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Halve, seed, and peel the squash. Cut into french fry shapes, using a crinkle cutter if you have one!
Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 40 minutes, turning halfway. (If you have a baking stone, you probably don't have to turn them!)

Notes:
Hungry Girl calls 5 oz (weigh it before cooking) a serving. This is a decent serving size, but I am sure you could eat more. :)  I'll put the nutritional info for 5 oz though. When I told Dave what I was making and asked if he wanted some, he said that he would try it, sounding wary. So I fully expected to make both servings that I made. I gave him one to try and he said it was "different". So I asked if I could eat his serving, and to my shock and awe (okay, it really wasn't shocking) he said no! Dave ate his with balsamic vinegar (yum!) and I ate mine with ketchup (yum!). I will DEFINITELY be making this again. (SOON!) Oh, for 2 servings (10 oz), I used about 1/2-2/3 of HALF of the squash. Of course it will depend on the size of your squash, but there you go.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 56
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 14.5g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 1g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3