Corn and Avocado Salad

If you want to bulk this recipe up, try adding rinsed black beans or halved cherry tomatoes.

3c fresh corn kernels
2t canola oil
1/4c red bell pepper; diced
1/4c orange bell pepper; diced
1 jalepeno; diced
1/4c scallions; sliced thin
1/2 avocado; diced
3T fresh squeezed lime juice
1t cumin
1t kosher salt
1/2t black pepper

- Sautee the corn and peppers in canola oil until corn is cooked through and slightly toasted.
- Cool the corn mixture and add the remaining ingredients
- Serve cold or at room tempurature

Serves 4

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Creamy Pasta and Chicken Casserole with Spinach & Sundried Tomatoes

To make this a vegetarian dish, omit the chicken and use soy cheese instead of the cream cheese and parmesan.

Looking for a gluten free meal? Use brown rice pasta instead of the whole wheat!

3c cooked whole wheat pasta
2c broccoli florets
1c mushrooms; sliced
1c onion; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
3/4c sundried tomatoes; julianned
2c fresh spinach
2t olive oil
1c evaporated skim milk
4T reduced fat cream cheese
4T parmesan cheese; grated
1/2c panko breadcrumbs
2T sherry
1t kosher salt
1t black pepper

- Sautee onions, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil with salt & pepper until onions are softened.
- Add the tomatoes, broccoli, and sherry and continue cooking until sherry has evaporated.
- Add the cream cheese and evaporated milk and simmer on low until broccoli is tender.
- Toss pasta with the sauce and the spinach.
- Move the mixture to an oven safe casserole dish.
- Top the casserole with the parmesan cheese and panko
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the panko topping is golden.

Serves 4

Did You Know?
Panko is a variety of breadcrumb from used to create a crunchy coating. It is made from bread without crusts, thus it has a crisper, airier texture than most types of breading. Look for Panko in the Asian section of your market.

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Refrigerator Lo Mein

I call this refrigerator lo mein because I make it using whatever is in the refrigerator at the time. You can follow the recipe as written below or sub your own vegetables and protein. This dish works well with shrimp, chicken, beef, or pork. Omit the meat for a great vegetarian meal, or a side dish.

1/4c red bell pepper; julianned
1/4c onion; julianned
1/4c celery; sliced
2T scallion; diced
1c broccoli florets
1c baby corn
1c shiitake mushrooms; sliced
1/4c water chestnuts; sliced
1c pork tenderloin; cooked and diced
3c whole wheat fettuccini; cooked
2 clove garlic; minced
1T ginger; minced
1T canola oil
3T teriyaki sauce
2T sherry
1t dark sesame oil

- Sautee vegetables in canola oil, starting with the hardest vegetables first
- Add garlic, ginger and sherry. Continue cooking until vegetables are just undercooked
- Add pasta, teriyaki sauce, and sesame oil
- Toss with scallions and serve.

Serves 4

(Nutrition Information Pending)

Grilled Potato Salad

Want to try something a little different? Try making this salad with a mixture of red, white, purple, and/or sweet potatoes.

20 small baby potatoes; red or white; cooked
1c green beans; blanched
4t olive oil
3t rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic; grated
2t whole grain mustard
1t sugar
1/2c sweet red bell pepper; finely diced
1/2c celery; finely diced

- lightly spray the cooked potatoes with olive oil or cooking spray and grill them on high until lightly browned on all sides.
- combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar, celery, and red bell pepper in a bowl
- add the green beans and grilled potatoes
- serve hot or at room temperature

Helpful Hints

What is the best way to grate your garlic? Use a microplane! Microplanes can be used for zesting citrus or grating cheese, chocolate or garlic. The microplane is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend picking one up at your local kitchen store. You may even be able to find them at your nearest hardware store (ask for a rasp).

http://us.microplane.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=158

Serves 4

Apricot Couscous

This makes a great side dish for chicken or pork. It’s even good as a cold salad.

1/3c celery; diced
1/3c red onion; diced
1/4c scallion; diced
1/3c red bell pepper; diced
1/4c dried apricot halves; diced
1/4c dried cranberries
2T rice wine vinegar
1c broth (chicken or vegetable)
1c whole wheat couscous; uncooked
2T slivered almonds; toasted
2t olive oil

- sautee celery, onion, and bell pepper with olive oil in a sauce pan until translucent.
- deglaze the pan with the vinegar and then add the apricots and cranberries
- add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil
- once the broth has boiled, add the couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.
- add the scallions and almonds to the couscous and fluff with a fork

Helpful Hint
You can toast almonds on the stove in a dry pan or on a cookie sheet in a 350* oven. Whichever method you choose, be sure to keep an eye on them. When nuts start to warm, they release their oils and can go from almost ready to burned in a very short amount of time.

Serves 4

Spinach and White Beans

The is a very versatile recipe that is high in vitamins and protein. It's great with nearly every animal protein as well as on it's own. You can even top it with an egg for a yummy breakfast.

Did You Know?

Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin E. In addition, AND it is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, niacin and selenium. Wow, that's good stuff!
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1c onion; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
1c canned white beans; drained and rinsed
4c chopped spinach; frozen
4T grated parmesan
4t olive oil

- Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent
- Add beans and cook until beans are softer and lightly browned on some edges
- Add spinach and cook until spinach is defrosted and hot
- Add cheese and serve

Optional Add-Ins

- 1tsp crushed red pepper before serving
- cooked chicken
- sundried tomatoes

Serves 4

Garlic-Cheese Polenta with Fresh Sweet Corn

2 ears fresh sweet corn
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2c skim milk
1/2c polenta
1t olive oil
5oz soy cheese; shredded or diced

- sautee corn and garlic in olive oil until corn is lightly toasted
- add milk to the corn and simmer on low for 15m
- slowly whisk in polenta and stir continually until polenta reached desired texture. If its too thick and a bit more milk.
- stir in soy cheese and serve

Serves 4

Whole Wheat Orzo with Vegetables and Lemon Zest

2c cooked whole wheat orzo
1c onion; diced
1c red bell pepper; diced
1 clove garlic; minced
1c mushrooms; diced
1c zucchini; cored and diced
1c summer squash; cored and diced
2t olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
zest of 1 lemon

- Sautee onion, pepper, and garlic in olive oil until onion is lightly caramelized.
- Add mushrooms, zucchini, and squash.
- Sautee vegetable mixture until zucchini and squash are just cooked through.
- Toss vegetables and orzo together with lemon zest.

Optional Toppings

- cooked shrimp
- goat cheese
- feta cheese

Serves 4

Whole Wheat Vegetable Couscous

This recipe also works well with bulgur instead of the couscous

Note: the nutrition information will vary slightly when subbing bulgur for the couscous.

Couscous

1 ¼c broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 clove garlic; smashed
1 bay leaf
1c whole wheat couscous; uncooked

- Bring chicken broth, smashed garlic clove, and bay leaf to a boil.
- Add couscous, cover, and remove from heat.

Vegetables

1c onion; diced
1c red bell pepper; diced
1 clove garlic; minced
1c mushrooms; diced
1c zucchini; cored and diced
1c summer squash; cored and diced
2t olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper

- Sautee onion, pepper, and garlic in olive oil until onion is lightly caramelized.
- Add mushrooms, zucchini, and squash
- Sautee vegetable mixture until zucchini and squash are just cooked through.
- Toss vegetables and couscous together.

Serves 4

Spicy Red Cabbage Slaw

This makes a good side dish for grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp. It is AMAZING on top of grilled shrimp tacos!
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2c red cabbage; shredded
1/4c corn kernels; grilled
1T scallions; minced
1/4c red bell pepper; minced
3T reduced-fat sour cream
2T fajita sauce
2T chipotle in adobo
juice of 1/2 lime

- mix fajita sauce, sour cream, lime juice, and chipotle.
- toss dressing with the cabbage, corn, scallions, and bell pepper.

Helpful Hint

Don't have time to grill some corn? This recipe works very well with pan roasted corn. Simply heat the corn in a pan with 1t of canola oil until the corn is lightly browned.

Gluten Free

To make this recipe gluten free, replace the chipotle in adobo with a bit of chipotle powder.

Serves 4

Spicy Teriyaki Green Beans

These make a great side dish for chicken, steak, or pork. Add shrimp and server over brown rice, whole wheat couscous, or bulgur for a complete meal.

2 cloves garlic; minced
2t ginger; minced
4c green beans; lightly steamed
1/4c teriyaki sauce
2T scallions; minced
2t red pepper flakes
4t canola oil

- On high heat, add oil and green beans to pan. Allow the green beans to get lightly browned.
- Add garlic, ginger, scallions, and red pepper flakes to the green beans.
- Add teriyaki sauce and continue to cook until sauce is thickened.

Gluten Free

To make this recipe gluten free, replace the teriyaki suace with gluten free soy or tamari.

Serves 4

Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Leeks

Want to try something a little different? Try using sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash. For a creamier soup, add 1c of evaporated skim milk at the end.

Did You Know?
Chicken stock and broth are not the same. Chicken stocks are made from the entire chicken (meat and bones). Chicken broth is made with only the meat. You will get a richer flavor from using stock than you would from broth. Stock should also have a thicker mouth feel due to the release of gelatin from the chicken bones.

1T + 1t olive oil
1 1/2c leek; sliced
1T garlic; minced
1c celery; diced
6c butternut squash; cut into 1” pieces
3c apple; sliced
6 1/2c stock or broth (chicken or vegetable)
1t cinnamon
1t dried thyme
2t kosher salt
1t pepper

- toss the squash with 1t of olive oil and 1t of salt. Roast in the oven, on a foil lined cookie sheet, at 400* for approximately 30 minutes (or until squash is tender and lightly caramelized)
- in a large pot, sautee leeks, celery, and garlic in 1T of olive oil until tender.
- add the roasted squash, apples, thyme, salt, pepper, and cinnamon to the leeks and continue sautéing until the apples begin to tender
- add stock and simmer until apples and squash are very tender
- blend in batches until smooth

Gluten Free
To make this recipe gluten free, be sure to use a gluten free stock or broth.

Serves 8