Spaghetti with Wilted Greens and Spinach Pesto

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2514718

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Minutes to Cook: 20

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients

3/4 (1-pound) box whole-wheat spaghetti
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
1 1/2 cup packed fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1 small clove garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 large eggs

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to package directions; reserve 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water. Add chard after 5 minutes of cooking and drain; return pasta and greens to pot.

2. While pasta is cooking, combine spinach, walnuts, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, , lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a food processor; pulse until chunky.

3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, crack eggs into skillet. Cook until the whites are completely firm but the yolks are still soft (about 2 minutes). Season eggs with remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

4. Toss reserved pasta mixture with pesto and enough reserved cooking water to make a thin sauce. Divide pasta among 4 shallow bowls and top each with a fried egg.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 441.4

• Total Fat: 19.5 g
• Cholesterol: 170.0 mg
• Sodium: 235.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 50.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.4 g
• Protein: 17.1 g 

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2518033

Minutes to Prepare: 10

Minutes to Cook: 10

Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 packages of whole wheat Naan (4 naan)
1.5 cups roasted red pepper hummus


1c chopped spinach
1 grilled red bell pepper, diced
1 grilled zucchini or summer squash, diced
4 cups low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Tips

Add any grilled vegetables that you like or have leftover!

Directions

Top each Naan with hummus. Then top with spinach, red peppers, and zucchini. Then top with 1c cheese and grilled on low until cheese is melted. Slice each naan into pieces and serve.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 421.5

• Total Fat: 21.6 g
• Cholesterol: 45.0 mg
• Sodium: 1,023.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 38.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 9.0 g
• Protein: 24.3 g 

 

Black Bean and Vegetable Enchiladas

Minutes to Prepare: 15

Minutes to Cook: 40

Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 zucchini, diced into bite size pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn


3/4 cup frozen, chopped kale
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp cumin
2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar or mexican cheese
8 whole wheat tortillas

Enchilada Sauce:
1T butter
1T flour
3/4 c chicken stock
3/4 cup salsa
 
 

Tips

I made my own enchilada sauce with leftover chicken stock and salsa that I had. You could use any store bought enchilada sauce or plain salsa if you like.




Directions

Preheat the oven to 375.

Saute the zucchini until soft. Add garlic, corn, kale, black beans, oregano, and cumin and cook for a minute or two. Add 1c of the cheese and mix.

For the enchilada sauce, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook for a minute or two. Add the broth and stir until thickened. Add the salsa and mix.

Fill the tortillas with the filling and place in a 9x13 pan. Top with enchilada sauce and remaining 1c cheese. Bake as 375 for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro.

Serving Size: makes 8 enchiladas
 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 307.2

• Total Fat: 10.9 g
• Cholesterol: 24.4 mg
• Sodium: 784.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 36.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7.0 g
• Protein: 14.2 g 

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2518845

Tomato, Quinoa, and Goat Cheese Salad

I'm re-committing to the South Beach Diet and read the South Beach Wake-Up Call book.  There are some great "Superfood" recipes at the end.  I just made this for lunch and it was amazing!!!

3/4 cup quinoa
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
4 scallion, thinly sliced
A handful of basil, chopped
2T fresh lemon juice
1T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Goat Cheese

In a small saucepan, cook the quinoa according to package directions.

IN a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, and basil.  When the quinoa is done, add to the bowl and stir together.  Let sit for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the dressing over the salad.  Serve either room temperature or cold.  Top with goat cheese when serving.

Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole

I'm definitely bringing this to the next family get-together!  The kids loved and so did I!  These are the changes I made:

I use sour cream instead of mayo and I made my own "Cream of Anything Soup" following the recipe except I used vegetable stock instead of milk.  I cooked the quinoa in vegetable stock too, instead of water.  I also made a topping mixing bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. 

Directions:

One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom), low-sodium if you prefer (*see note for gluten free)

1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (original called for 1 full cup. WOW.)

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash freshly grated nutmeg

.
2 cups cooked broccoli

1 1/2 cups COOKED quinoa (see note)

.
To cook quinoa:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

.
Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear. In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible. Fluff with a fork.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (8×8 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish – or individual ramekins – with vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, Splenda, pepper, and nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa and broccoli.

Spoon mixture into prepared casserole and bake for 35-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for ramekins) or until bubbly on the edges and golden. Makes 8 generous 1/2-cup servings.

*NOTE FOR GLUTEN FREE…Progresso makes a Creamy Mushroom Soup that is gluten free…or here is a recipe for a Cream of Anything Soup. Haven’t tried it, (a comment-er below did and loved it…) but it’s been a big hit on a Celiac/Gluten Free forum.)

.

Condensed “Cream of Anything” Soup
1 cup cold milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
Instructions
In a small saucepan, whisk milk and cornstarch till well blended.
Stir in butter, bouillon, salt, and pepper.
Heat to a boil, stirring frequently. Simmer on low for one minute more to thicken.
Use in recipes to replace one can of cream of anything soup.

CONDENSED CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP:
Stir in a drained 4 ounce can of mushroom pieces to the recipe above.
Use in recipes in place of one can of Cream of Mushroom Soup.

CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP:
Stir in 1/2 cup cooked chicken pieces to the recipe above.
Use in recipes in place of one can of Cream of Chicken Soup.

CONDENSED CREAM OF CELERY SOUP
Stir in 1/2 cup sautéed chopped celery to the recipe above.
Use in recipes in place of one can of Cream of Celery Soup.

Mongolian Beef

Pinterest has done wonders with my cooking motivation and creativity!  Here is another recipe!

Mongolian Beef Recipe:
You will need:

1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds


Prepare the meat:
First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch (see picture bellow).

Make the sauce:
Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

Cook the meat and assemble dish:
Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.  (I made brown rice.)

Breakfast Quinoa

I found this recipe on Pinterest and am making it for breakfast right now!  I am making 1 1/2 recipe and am adding frozen cherries instead of blueberries.  I also added some vanilla and about 2 drops of almost extract..I think everything with cherries needs a little almond extract!

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole or low-fat milk, plus more for serving
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar, plus more for serving
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
• 1 cup (1/2 pint) fresh blueberries, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until three-quarters of the milk has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Cook, covered, until almost all the milk has been absorbed, about 8 minutes. Stir in blueberries, and cook for 30 seconds. Serve with additional milk, sugar, cinnamon, and blueberries.