Cheesy Pasta with Summer Veggies

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced, assorted vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, peas)
1 cup grape or fresh tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed
8 ounces whole-wheat pasta (rotini, bow tie, penne)
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
½ cup onion, chopped (about ½ medium onion)
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup parmesan cheese
½ shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Wash and prepare vegetables.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain water from cooked pasta and save ¼ cup of water.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet as pasta cooks. Add garlic and onion to skillet. Saute over medium heat about 1-2 minutes or until soft.
4. Add any uncooked hard vegetables and cook for 3 minutes. Add soft vegetables and continue to cook. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add tomatoes last and cook until warm.
5. Add cooked drained pasta to the vegetables. Add a little of the water from the pasta if needed.
6. Add cheeses to mixture. Stir until cheese is mostly melted.
7. Serve immediately.

Serving size: 1 ½ cups
Serves 6

Nutrition information (per serving):

250 calories
8 g total fat
2 g saturated fat
10 mg cholesterol
240 mg sodium
35 g total carbohydrate
5 g dietary fiber
5 g sugars
10 g protein

Winter Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:  

3 cups cooked black beans
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ cup onion, chopped (about ½ medium onion)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1 can (14.5-ounce) Mexican-style diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice (optional)
Nonfat yogurt or lowfat sour cream and cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare beans as directed on package.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook. Stir until onion begins to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add chili powder. Add cumin, if you like. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add tomatoes, beans, and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes covered.
4. Remove from heat and stir in lime or lemon juice, if you like.
5. Garnish before serving.

Serving size: 1 ¼ cup
Serves 4

Nutrition information (per serving):

230 calories
3.5 g total fat
0 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
240 mg sodium
39 g carbohydrate
13 g dietary fiber
6 g sugars
13 g protein

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

12 packets Splenda®
Dash paprika
½ tsp prepared mustard
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp onion, minced
¼ cup vinegar
1 (9-ounce) bag of fresh spinach
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
¼ cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Dressing Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except spinach, strawberries, and nuts.
2. Blend with a fork or wire whisk until blended.

Salad Directions:

1. Clean spinach and pat dry. Cut off stems and place in bowl.
2. Add sliced strawberries.
3. Drizzle with dressing lightly to taste over spinach and strawberries. Toss to coat.
4. Sprinkle nuts over top.

Note: You may add other fruits like drained pineapple chunks, grapes, or blueberries.

Serves 6.  Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition Information (per serving):

Calories: 196
Total Fat: 16 grams
Saturated Fat: 2 grams
Protein: 4 grams
Total Carbohydrate: 12 grams
Dietary Fiber: 3 grams
Sodium: 140 mg

Super Stir Fry

Choose 5 vegetables (1/2 cup of each)

• Onion
• Broccoli
• Celery
• Carrots
• Peppers
• Mushrooms
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Cauliflower

Choose 1 sauce (about ¼ cup)

• Lite/Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
• Teriyaki Marinade
• Bottled Stir Fry Sauce

Choose 1 starch (1 cup cooked per person)
Cook according to package directions

• White rice
• Brown rice
• Rice noodles
• Whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Directions:

1. Wash and chop selected vegetables into small evenly sized pieces. You may cut them into circles, strips, or cubes as desired. A variety of shapes will make the stir fry more pleasing to the eye.
2. Heat a small amount (1 tablespoon or less) of vegetable oil over high heat in a 10-inch frying pan, electric skillet, or wok.
3. Keeping the heat high, add vegetables to the pan in order of firmness—harder foods first and ending with the softest foods.
4. Toss vegetables to keep from sticking until they are cooked. When stir frying, vegetables should still be crisp and retain their bright color.
5. Add sauce to taste (about ¼ cup). Stir Fry until all vegetables are thoroughly coated.
6. Serve with starch of choice.

Serving size: 1 cup
Serves 2

Nutrition information (per serving)*:

270 calories
0.5 g total fat
0 g saturated fat
6 g protein
9 g total carbohydrate
2 g dietary fiber
2 g sugars
560 mg sodium

*Recipe was analyzed using onions, green pepper, broccoli, celery, carrots, and low-sodium soy sauce. Nutritional information will vary with other vegetable combinations. Analysis does not include rice or noodles.

Tortellini Tuscan Stew

Ingredients:

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large zucchini, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 large yellow summer squash, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
4 ounces thin green beans, trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth
2 tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp chopped garlic
¾ tsp salt
1 package (9 ounce) fresh cheese tortellini
1 bag (5-ounce) baby spinach
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach and Parmesan cheese, in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low 6 hours.

Uncover. Turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover and continue to cook 15 minutes,  or until pasta is almost tender.

Uncover. Gently stir in spinach and Parmesan. Cover and cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender.

Nutrition Information (per serving):

254 calories
5 g Total Fat
48 g Carbohydrate
12 g Protein

Slow Cooker New Orleans Red Beans

Ingredients:

1 lb dry red beans
2 quarts water
1 ½ cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 bay leaves
1 cup chopped sweet green pepper
3 Tbsp chopped garlic
3 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Pick through beans to remove bad beans. Follow soaking directions on bean package.
2. After soaking, drain and rinse beans.
3. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cook over low heat for 8 to 9 hours, or until beans are tender.
4. Stir and mash beans against side of slow cooker until creamy. Remove bay leaves.
5. Serve over hot cooked brown rice, if desired.

Serves 8.

Nutrition Information (per serving):

171 calories
0.5 g total fat
0.1 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
285 mg sodium
7.2 g fiber
32 g carbohydrates
10 g protein

Slow Cooker Supper #2

Here is the second in a series of slow-cooker recipes.  It smells wonderful (sort of like autumn in your kitchen) and tastes even better.

 

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Apple Stew (Serves 6)

Ingredients: 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces 2 medium green apples, cored and diced 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 1/4 cup diced onion 1 cup chicken broth or bouillon 1/2 cup apple juice 2 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca 1 Tbsp maple-flavored syrup 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp white pepper 1/2 cup light sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt (optional)Directions: Combine all ingredients, except sour cream or yogurt, in a 3-1/2 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or until sweet potatoes are tender. Serve in bowls with a dollop of light sour cream or plain nonfat yogurt.Per serving: 274 calories, 2 g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 58g carbohydrate, 7g protein, 172 mg sodiumTip: If you don’t have a 3-1/2 quart slow cooker, you may use another size cooker as long as it is filled no less than half and no more than 2/3 full. A word about white pepper: white and black pepper taste very similar and can be used interchangeably in this recipe. White pepper is used mainly for aesthetic reasons, so if you don’t want to spring for white pepper (it’s pricey) and don’t mind the sight of black pepper, the color doesn’t matter.

Slow Cooker Suppers

Wondering what’s for dinner? Without a plan its easy to divert to the drive-thru for dinner when headed home from work. Your slow cooker is a great tool to answer the “what’s for dinner” question. This recipes was used recently at a foods program for diabetics. It’s healthy AND delicious. And I promise, it is easy to prepare.

Tortellini Tuscan Stew 1 (2-lb) butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks 1 large zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 large yellow squash, cut into 1-inch chunks 1 large onion, diced 1 large red bell pepper, diced 4 ounces thin green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes 1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth 2 tsp dried oregano 1-1/2 tsp chopped garlic 3/4 tsp salt 1 package (9 ounces) fresh cheese tortellini 1 bag (5-ounce) baby spinach 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Combine all ingredients, except tortellini, spinach and Parmesan cheese, in a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 hours or on low 6 hours.Uncover. Turn slow cooker to high and stir in tortellini. Cover and continue to cook 15 minutes, or until pasta is almost tender.Uncover. Gently stir in spinach and Parmesan. Cover and cook 5 minutes until spinach is cooked down and tortellini is tender.