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Another great recipe, courtesy of Giada over at the Food Network. We've been making this a lot recently... and its great to have in the freezer for a quick dinner or lunch on the weekends. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 26 oz jar marinara sauce (recommended: San Marzano brand)
- 2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth (we use vegetable broth in ours)
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
**you may be tempted to add more, but be careful, this really blows up in the soup
- salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, this usually takes about 5-7 minutes at our house (depending on how large you chop your carrots, it may take longer). Add the jar of marinara sauce, broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve. Goes great with warm crusty bread!
this is a great appetizer or dip to put out when entertaining. and, its easy to make. just pop most of it into a food processor and you're all set!
Feta-Mint Dip with Yogurt
makes 1 1/4 cups
ingredients:1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 1/2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 medium scallions, roughly chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
directions:
1. place yogurt in fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth-lined colander set over bowl. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours; discard liquid in bowl below. this should leave you with a very, very thick yogurt consistency.
2. process all ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Transfer dip to serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until flavors are blended, at least 1 hour. serve cold with crudites.
* can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days
I know this recipe may sound a little weird to some of you, but its a great meatless option for mexican night. And, a low cal one at that. We've even shared it with my parents who are big fans of the recipe also. Bon Appetit!
Spiced Lentil Tacos
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
1 package (2.25 oz) taco seasoning (we use low sodium)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (use half for less heat)
2 tsp adobo sauce 8 taco shells or soft taco wraps
1 1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic and salt until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute.
Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 25-30 minutes.
Mix sour cream, chile and adobo sauce in a bowl.
Uncover lentils and cook until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Mash with a rubber spatula.
Spoon 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with sour cream mixture, lettuce, tomato and cheese.
another great fall recipe... this one's a dessert. i'm a bit partial to pumpkin flavor, if you couldn't tell. enjoy!
pumpkin bread pudding
courtesy gourmet magazine, ian knauer
makes 6 servings
ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
pinch of ground cloves
5 cup scubed (1-inch) day old baguette or crusty bread
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted
directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle.
whisk together cream, pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, yolk, salt, and spices in a bowl.
toss bread cubes with butter in another bowl, then add pumpkin mixture and toss to coat.
transfer to an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish and bake until custard is set, 25-30 minutes.
a great treat for fall and its from the "healthy cooking lady" (as I call her). these are really tasty. bon appetit!
pumpkin muffins
courtesy of ellie krieger
ingredients:
cooking spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole grain pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tbsp unsulphered molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds (optional, you could also frost them with cream cheese or something else if you like)
Directions:
preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray
in a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
in a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. whisk just until combined.
pour the batter into the muffin pan and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds. tap pan on counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.
let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. run a knife around the muffins to lossen them and unmold. cool completely on the rack.
Courtesy of Michael Chiarello
Note: These peppers are definitely spicy, but nothing out of this world. If you like spice, these are great! We're serving them on rolls for game day, but they'd be great with pasta, sausage, etc. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
7 green peppers, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound jalapenos, sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds
56 oz. canned crushed tomatoes or 7 cups fresh tomato concasse
small bunch basil leaves
salt to taste
Directions: Heat oil in a large pot. Add green peppers and let them sweat 2-3 minutes. Add jalapenos and salt to taste. Cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or until peppers have softened and are partially tender. There will still be some liquid left in the pot.
Add the tomatoes and the basil leaves. Lower the heat and continue to cook for about 30 minutes, until the peppers are tender. Add additional salt, if needed. Remove from heat. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
** if canning, add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, place in canning jars and process according to manufacturer's instructions.
We've just had a special request for a recipe I made recently from a lovely reader (Hi, Mom!). This is an easy recipe and a wonderful accompaniment to an Asian style dinner. Serve it up with your favorite stir-fry or potstickers and you've got a great meal, or just add chicken and its a perfect lunch. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 package cole slaw mix (we added more shredded carrots, but that's at your discretion)
1 package Ramen noodles, oriental flavor (uncooked)
1 cup almond slivers (toasted)
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (can substitute others if you don't have this)
1/2 cup sugar (I cut this down to 1/4 cup to reduce calories)
Oriental flavor packet from ramen noodle mix
Directions:
Stir together oil, vinegar, sugar and flavor pack. In separate bowl, mix together cole slaw mix, almonds, scallions. Pour vinaigrette topping over mixture and make sure well coated. Crush up and break apart Ramen noodles (uncooked) and add to cole slaw mixture. Mix all ingredients together.
** the noodles will get soggy if they sit in the dressing for too long, so if you're planning to serve for dinner or for a party, you probably want to put this together at the last minute.
** this makes quite a bit of salad. For Jamey and I, you could easily halve the recipe.
Today's fun recipe is Fresh Basil Pesto. Pesto is great on pasta, on fish, on vegetables, and on sandwiches as a spread. It is so useful and is so simple to make. Our basil plant just got big enough to harvest enough for a fresh batch of pesto. Yummy! Bon Appetit.
Fresh Basil Pesto
1 garlic clove
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Into the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, basil leaves, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the blender still running, slowly pour 1/2 cup of olive oil into the mix. Check for a thick, yet smooth consistency, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan.
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