Pasta Primavera for Two

It is spring-time in GA, at least for this Northeast native. The flowers are blooming, pollen is everywhere, and the produce in the markets looks amazing. I know I posted this recipe earlier this year, but I reduced the recipe to fit a dinner for two. Also, I used half and half rather than light cream, and I am happy to report the sauce still ended up creamy and rich. Serve with a small side salad for a delicious, veggie-packed dinner.

Pasta Primavera for 2
PointsPlus Value per serving: 8
330 Calories, 7 grams fat

Ingredients
6 medium baby carrots, cut into spears
1/2 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 small yellow summer squash, sliced
1/3 cup canned green peas
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp white wine
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
4 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta

Instructions
-Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
-Add carrots; cook 3 minutes.
-Remove with a slotted spoon.
-Add pasta to boiling water; cook according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.**
-Spray large nonstick skillet with PAM and heat over medium-high heat. Add both types of squash and the mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes.
-Add carrots, peas, salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes.
-Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Allow to reduce for 5 minutes.**
-Stir in lemon juice; cook 1 minute.
-Stir in Half and Half and cheese, let cook 1 minute.
-Turn off heat, add pasta, stir well to coat.


** Note: You can make this sauce ahead of time, but I would recommend the following two modifications:

1) Do not cook the pasta until right before you are serving the dish. Otherwise the pasta will suck up all of the sauce and you will have a very dry pasta dish.

2) Prepare the recipe and STOP once you have added the wine and reduced the sauce. Store the sautéed veggies and the wine sauce in a sealed container in the fridge. On the night you are serving, heat the veggies and wine sauce up in a large pan, and then add the cream, parmesan, lemon juice, basil and parsley. You will end up with a much more creamy dish.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

All Hail Healthy Chicken Caesar Salad

We just got back from 10 days of vacationing and needless to say I went a little overboard on the eating. Trying to get back on track this week with some easy meals, especially since the house is a mess and I have a million loads of laundry to do!

Since I was strapped for time I decided to take the easy way out tonight and make a salad with pre-washed shredded romaine lettuce and rotisserie chicken breast. I spiced it up by making my own Caesar dressing that has a rich, creamy texture but isn't too caloric. I am not a big crouton person, but if they are a must for your salad, just be sure to factor in the additional points/calories.

Chicken Caesar Salad
Serves 2
PointPlus Value per Serving: 7
340 calories, 13g fat, 6g carbs

Dressing
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (the stuff out of the jar)
1/2 clove garlic, crushed or grated with a microplaner
1 tsp olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

Salad
9 oz cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 oz shredded parmesan cheese (the fresh stuff)
1 bag shredded romaine lettuce

Directions
-In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream with the garlic, lemon juice and
Worcestershire sauce.
-Whisk in the oil and the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper.
-Shred the chicken breast using your fingers or two forks.
-In a large bowl, toss the romaine with the dressing. Once all of the lettuce is coated, add the shredded chicken.
-Divide into two portions and top each serving with the fresh shredded parmesan.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Turnip the heat in the kitchen

I am still totally obsessed with my Farm Box organic vegetable delivery. Tonight I cooked with a vegetable that reminds me of Fraggle Rock: TURNIPS! I was nervous, but the dish came out smooth and creamy, everything I could have hoped for. I served this as a side to chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheddar, but any chicken dish would do!

Turnip-Potato Gratin
Servings: 2
PointsPlus Value: 4 per serving
155 calories per serving

Ingredients
4 oz turnips
1/2 cup skim milk
3 Tbsp FRESHLY grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs
6 oz uncooked potatoes, peeled

Instructions

-Slice turnips and potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.
-Cover with water in a small pot and boil for 5-8 minutes until just soft.
-Drain and layer in a small casserole dish that has been sprayed in PAM, alternating layers of potato and turnip and sprinkling with salt and pepper.
-In a small saucepan, combine milk, flour, and thyme.
-Warm milk over medium heat and add cheese.
-Let simmer while stirring continuously with a whisk for 4 minutes.
-Pour over potato-turnip mixture (liquid should almost cover the dish, but the top layer will be dry).
-Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs, spray quickly with PAM, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Farm Box Special--Cabbage and Beef Stew

I am not a huge group coupon user, but when a recent deal came up to have organic fruits and vegetables delivered to my door for half price, I could not resist! One of the beautiful pieces of produce I got was a HUGE head of cabbage. I racked my brain for uses and I remembered my mother's Beef and Cabbage Stew that she used to make all of the time when we were kids. I have not had it in ages, and I figured, why not. It came out quite delicious and I know it will be perfect for those cool GA winter nights.

Cabbage and Beef Stew
PointsPlus Value: 2
85 calories per serving
Servings: 12 (1 cup per serving)

Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium uncooked potato, peeled, quartered and sliced
1/2 pound 90% lean ground beef
15 oz can stewed tomatoes, chopped
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
3 Tbsp uncooked brown rice
1 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups canned beef broth
2 cups water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried parsley

Instructions
-Brown meat with onion. Drain excess fat by pouring mixture into a fine strainer and letting fat drip off.
-Add rice and stewed tomatoes. Mix well and let simmer 2 minutes.
-Add remaining ingredients, let simmer 1+ hours.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Lettuce eat healthy Asian food

Chinese food is one of the things that I truly miss about New Jersey. I took for granted how easy it was to call up Bill and Harry's and have a delicious dinner ready for pick-up in 15 minutes. Asian cuisine in general is one that I struggle with as a cook--I never feel like I get the seasoning right, and often times it is so high in fat and calories that I don't even bother.

I decided to make these Asian Chicken Wraps in an attempt to supplement some left over Lo Mein that we had in the freezer. Much to my delight they came out absolutely delicious, and they will certainly be making an appearance again soon in our weekly rotation.

Asian Chicken Wraps
PointsPlus Value: 5 per serving
Calories: 285 per serving
Servings: 2 (4 wraps per person)

Ingredients
-10 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
-2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce (I use Soy Vey Teriyaki sauce, which has a really nice blend of spices)
-1/2 small onion, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 cup carrots, shredded
-1/2 cup bean sprouts
-8 large Boston lettuce or Bib lettuce leaves

Directions
-Dice raw chicken and put into a shallow bowl. Top with Teriyaki sauce and mix until chicken is well coated. Let marinate for 5-10 minutes.
-Saute onion until soft.
-Add garlic and diced chicken mixture to pan. Saute until cooked through.
-Remove from heat and add shredded carrots and bean sprouts.
-Allow to cool slightly and then scoop into lettuce leaves.
-Serve with soy sauce, if desired.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Shepherd's Pie, My Oh My.

When I was a kid my parents took me on a weekend trip up to Woodstock, VT. We spent our time playing tennis, touring local shops and taking long bike rides to the small surrounding towns. On one of those bike rides we stopped in Quechee, VT for lunch, where my father and I both enjoyed Shepherd's Pie. It was the first time I had ever had this dish, which consists of a hearty beef and vegetable mixture topped with creamy mashed potatoes. It wasn't until I married my husband that I was reminded of this wonderful meal, and we recreated it so that it is not only delicious, but healthy as well. I have made the recipe below for 2 people, but you can easily double or triple and still get the same great taste.

Shepherd's Pie
PointsPlus value per serving: 11
Calories per serving: 485
Servings: 2

Ingredients
Potato Topping
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup fat-free skim milk
salt/pepper to taste

Pie Mixture
1/2 pound 90% lean/10% fat raw ground beef
1/3 cup canned green peas
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/3 cup diced carrots
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp canned tomato paste
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup canned beef broth

Instructions
-Peel potato and dice into chunks. Put into a pot, cover with water, and bring
to a boil. Let simmer for 12 minutes. Drain, add skim milk, salt and pepper
and whip with a hand blender. Set aside to cool.
-Over medium-high heat saute onions and carrots in a large frying pan sprayed with PAM. After 5 minutes, add ground beef and crushed garlic.-Saute beef until pink is gone.
-Add flour and cook 1 minute, making sure that the flour evenly coats the beef
mixture.
-Add broth, tomato paste, corn and peas. Stir well. Add spices, salt
and pepper. Saute 1 additional minutes until a creamy sauce forms.
-Pour meat mixture into two bake-proof ramekins (you can make it in one large dish if you prefer, I just find portion control to be easier when I split it up). Top with potato mixture (you can use a pastry bag if you want to be fancy, or just spoon it on). Bake in 350 degree oven until top starts to turn golden brown.

Healthy meals to Nourish Your Mind.

Bean there done that--Alyssa's Vegetarian Chili

So who knew that Georgia could be so freaking cold? When we moved from New Jersey I donated many of my sweaters and coats to Goodwill, envisioning a life of short-sleeved shirts and tank-tops. Boy, was I wrong! It is COLD here! So cold, that I needed to whip up one of my graduate school favorites (yes, Syracuse, NY was cold too, but I knew that going into it). My friend Alyssa introduced me to this recipe, and I have been making it ever since. You can use any types of beans, but this combo is my favorite. I know I have featured it before, but I wanted to re-calculate the recipe based on the new Weight Watchers program, so here it is, again, as delicious as ever.


Alyssa’s Vegetarian Chili
8 servings (one cup per serving)
PointsPlus™ Value: 6
150 calories per serving

Ingredients
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can chickpeas
1 can great northern beans
1/2 medium yellow pepper
1/2 medium sweet red pepper
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 cup salsa
1 tsp soy sauce
1 packet Chili Seasoning Mix
1 cup water

Instructions
-In a large pot, saute diced onion sand peppers until soft.
-Drain all of the beans and rinse them off with cold water. Add to pot.
-Add remaining ingredients. Simmer on low, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
-Remove lid and continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.