Healthy Recipes for Healthy Living

A quick note about my recipes. My husband and I are currently lacto-ovo vegetarians moving towards being ovo vegetarians. I do not impose my choices on others; however, if you are looking for recipes with meat you will not find them here. With only two people in our house and most recipes making four or six servings, I only cook a few times a week. Therefore, recipes will be posted accordingly, but not every day. I hope you are inspired to think outside the box and enjoy just one meatless meal a week.

Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili

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*Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine (January 2010)

This is not my picture--I swiped this one from the Cooking Light Web site because it is much prettier than the ones I attempted.










Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients

* 2 red bell peppers
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
* 2 cups organic vegetable broth
* 1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
* 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added tomatoes, undrained and chopped
* 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place pepper halves in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop peppers.
3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cumin and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers, broth, squash, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with green onions.

Nutritional Information
Calories:264; Fat: 8.3g (sat 1.2g,mono 5.2g,poly 1.3g); Protein: 9.5g Carbohydrate: 40.9g; Fiber: 10.7g; Cholesterol: 0.0mg; Iron: 4.4mg; Sodium: 787mg; Calcium: 145mg

Braised lentil stew with roasted vegetables

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This recipe is courtesy of Cathy Erway. She is the author of “The Art of Eating In: How I Learned To Stop Spending and Love the Stove.” This is the memoir based on her blog Not Eating Out In New York.








1 cup lentils
3 to 4 cups vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
About 2 pounds assorted root vegetables — carrots, turnips, rutabaga, celery root, chopped to about 1- to 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoon tomato paste (or substitute 1 ripe tomato, chopped)
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to tastePreheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread chopped root vegetables on a baking tray and coat with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 10 minutes; check and flip around on the pan with tongs. Roast another 10 minutes, or until just crispy on edges. Meanwhile, cook the onions in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent (about 6 to 8 minutes). Add the lentils and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Add the tomato paste, garlic and a ladleful of stock, and stir over medium or medium-low heat until absorbed. Continue adding stock (like when making risotto) and stirring until absorbed and until the lentils are tender and the consistency of the dish is that of a thick soup. Season with salt, pepper and optional cayenne pepper, to taste. Melt in the optional butter. Serve in individual dishes topped with the roasted vegetables and the optional parsley to garnish.

My own creation using up ingredients on hand.

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My own creation using ingredients on hand.

I took the last of my tofu and crumbled it. I sauteed it in canola oil with garlic, black pepper and Italian seasoning like you would with beef or turkey. I sauteed it until it became golden brown and a little crispy. I then added to the pan the broccoli with dried minced onion. I served over one cup of Barilla Plus thin spaghetti (I break the pieces in half to give the illusion of more food, but it weighs out to the 2 oz. serving size) and topped with Parmesan cheese. From beginning to end this recipe took about 15 minutes.

This was delicious and filling. Quick, easy and a great way to use items up without throwing out food. :)

Curried Vegetables and Rice (the rice is not in this photo)

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*Courtesy of Better Homes and Garden Crockery Cooking













Prep: 15 Minutes
Cook: 8-10 hours plus 30 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (3 cups)
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices (2 cups)
1 large red onion, cut into strips
1 1/4 cups apple juice
2 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 12.3 ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup golden raisins (I left them out)
Chutney (optional)

Method:
1. In a 3.5 to 4-quart crockery cooker combine potatoes, carrots, onion, apple juice, tapioca, curry powder, fresh ginger and salt.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Cook rice according to package directions. If using low heat setting, turn to high heat setting. Add tofu, zucchini, peas and raisins. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. Serve vegetable mixture over the cooked rice. If desired, serve with chutney.

Vegetarian Lasagna

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*Courtesy of Better Homes and Garden Prize-Winning Recipes







Prep: 40 minutes Bake: 35 minutes Oven: 350 F
Stand: 10 minutes Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients:
9 or 10 dried lasagna noodles
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups cottage cheese
1 15-ounce carton ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I used baby portobello)
1 cup chopped onion (1 large--I used a sweet onion)
4 gloves garlic, minced (I used six)
2 Tablespoons olive or cooking oil
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk (for this recipe I used 2%)
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
1 cup shredded carrot
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (3 ounces)
1 8-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese (I bought block cheese and shredded it myself)

Method:
1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
2. In a bowl combine eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning; set aside.
3. In a large skillet cook mushrooms, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in the flour and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper; add milk all at once. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in the spinach, broccoli, carrot and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. *note--I added zucchini to my mixture.
4. In a greased 3-quart rectangular baking dish layer one-third of the noodles, trimming or overlapping as necessary to fit. Spread with on-third of the cottage cheese mixture, then one-third of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat layers twice. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
5. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven about 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Variations:
Quick Vegetable Lasagna: Prepare as above, except substitute 12 no-boil lasagna noodles for the dried noodles and skip Step 1, increase milk to 2 cups, and spread 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture in the bottom of the dish before adding the first layer of noodles.

Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through Step 4. Cover unbaked lasagna; chill for up to 24 hours. Cover unbaked lasagna; chill for us 24 hours. To serve, bake, covered in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. To serve, bake, covered, in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake about 20 minutes more or until heated through Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serving Size: 3 1/4x3-inch piece: 322 cal., 15 g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 78 mg chol., 388 mg sodium, 25 g carbo., 3 g fiber, 22 g protein
Daily Values: 107% vit. A, 24% vit. C, 37% calcium, 10% iron
Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 starch, 2 med-fat meat, 1 fat

Black Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa

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*Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine--Reader Recipes--Marina Delio









Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups chopped peeled mango (about 1 medium)
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro and the next 7 ingredients (through egg whites). Shape bean mixture into 6 (1/2 inch) thick patties. Arrange patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, carefully turning once.
3. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, mango, and the next 4 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a medium bowl. Serve salsa over burger OR place on a burger bun with a slice of leaf lettuce.