Veggies Noodles

We finally got a noodle shredding device and have been making lots of veggie noodles. My favorite are zucchini. You can use any shreddable vegetables. I saute them in a little oil and spices, depoending on what I am going to serve over them.

Here is the shredder we got:

http://www.amazon.com/GEFU-13460-Spirelli-Spiral-Cutter/dp/B0026RMEK4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380644377&sr=8-2&keywords=vegetable+noodle+maker

Here is a fancier version:

http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380644490&sr=8-1&keywords=vegetable+noodle+maker


Here are some massive amounts of raw noodles:

 

 And In the process of being sauteed:

 

So far I have had chicken and Thai peanut sauce over them and red curry pork over them. Any type of saucy food you might serve over noodles can be served over veggie noodles, if you are looking for a no-grain, low carb choice. We like lots of vegetables for their nutrient content, as well as for their bulk. I can cut weight and still have a large volume of food with lots of vegetables.

Spinach Gratin - warning! No nutrient info, just super yummy and you may have to use as a cheat :)

Spinach and Parmesan Gratin...just the word Gratin brings up thoughts of creamy, buttery dishes. I don't do a lot of dairy or wheat, so this is a treat dish. If I really wanted to take the time, I coulod figure out substitutes for the flour. It is only 2 tbsp. oh well. I did health-it-up a little by using half broccoli and half spinach. I pre-blanched the broccoli in boiling water after finely chopping it.

The recipe says you could also use this as a filling for crepes. That does sound amazing. We had it as a side dish with beef patties.

Serves 4-6

2 lbs fresh spinach, washed and drained (or 1 lb spinach, 1 lb broccoli)
1 1/2c milk  or chicken broth (I used milk)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, more to grease baking dish
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 2/3c)
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt (I used sea salt)
pinch fresh ground black pepper
pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 1/4 c (3oz) freshly grated parmigiano reggiana, I used parmesan and asiago mixed

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a medium (1 1/2 qt) shallow baking dish.

Fill a large pot halfway with lightlkuy salted boiling water and bring to a boil over high heat. add the spinach  by large handfuls and when it is all in the pot, blanch 1 minute. drain in colander (repeat with minced broccoli, if using). Run cold water over spinach (so you can handle it) and squeeze as much water out as possible, then chop it coarsely.

Heat the milk or broth in a small saucepan or in the microwave so it is hot. set a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the butter, once butter is melted, add the onion and cook until translucent and softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt and peppers, stirring constantly and cook 2 minutes (this gets rid of the foury taste). Slowly add the hot milk, stirring frequently, until sauce bubbles and thickens.

When the sauce is ready, add 1 cup of the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped spinach, mixing well.
Scrape into the buttered dish, sprinkle remaining 1/4c cheese on top and bake until bubbly and golden on top, about 35-40 minutes.
 Let it cool a few minutes before serving.

2 Veggie Pancakes - Both yummy! Carrot-Ginger and Potato-Zucchini!

These recipes are both from Cooking Light Magazine,  we put them in containers with 4 oz cooked chicken breast for fast and healthy lunch options, served with a green salad on the side it makes a really filling and satisyfying meal.

Potato-Zucchini Skillet Pancakes
3 cups shredded Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 lb)
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 8 oz)
1 cup shredded onion (about 1 small)
1/2 cup egg substitute (I used 2 whole eggs)
1/4 cup matzo meal (I used bread crumbs)
1/4 tsp salt
dash fresh ground pepper
4 tsp canola oil, divided (I used coconut)

Place potatoes, zucchini and onion in a strainer in the sink and press out excess liquid (the original recipe has you wrap them in a clean towel and squeeze, I find this gross, so I strain them while I prep the other stuff). Combine potato mixture, eggs, crumbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl and stir gently to blend.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Spoon about 1 cup mixture onto hot pan; spreading to a 6-inch diameter. cook 3 minutes a side, or until lightly browned, then transfer to a plate to keep warm (if serving as a meal, we let them cool for meal packing). repeat with remaining mixture.

The nutritional info includes a cherry tomato salad that we didn't make, so it is a little less than this:

Calories (Approximate) 242
Fat 8g
Protein 8g
Carbs 34g
Fiber 3g
Iron 2.7mg
Sodium 504mg
calcium 35 mg

Carrot-Ginger Pancakes with Asian Dipping Sauce

Let me just say... these smell amazing, taste amazing and are my new favorite cold lunch as well as warm meal. I had a hard time packing them up for the week because I wanted to eat them all right away. paul agreed they will be made again!

I recommend doubling this recipe, so you have lots :)

Pancakes:
2 1/2 cups coarsely shredded carrots (about 1lb)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/2c egg sub (I used 2 whole eggs)
3 tbsp cracker meal (again, I used bread crumbs, you can get gluten free ones)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil, divided (I used coconut oil)
cooking spray
green onion strips for garnish (optional, fou-fou)

Sauce:
2 tbsp low-sodium soy (or regular)
1 1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced/grated ginger
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Combine first 4 pancake ingredients in a large bowl. Combine eggs, crumbs and salt in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to carrot mixture and stir to blend.

Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over med-low heat. Using about 1/4 cup mixture per pancake, spoon 4 pancakes into pan and spread to 4" diameter (we had two pans going at once for speed of prep). Cook 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate to keep wearm, if serving, or just let cool for packing meals. Repeat with remaining oil/pancake mixture.

To prepare dipping sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk.

For meal prep we put chicken in a container, topped it with two pancakes and about a tablespoon sauce over both.

Per 2 pancake serving and 1 tbsp sauce:
Calories 129
Fat 4g
Protein 5g
Carbs 18.1g
Fiber 3.9g
Cholesterol 0
Iron 1.3mg
Sodium 562mg
Calcium 60mg

Brown Rice Stuffing

I love stuffing but wheat doesn't love me! this is made from ingredients on my current plan, if you have different stuffing add-ins that you love, feel free to add them in, nuts or raisins or lean sausage would all be yummy.

This makes 5 servings for my current calorie allowance.

Ingredients:

5 tsp olive oil
2 1/2c chopped celery
1 2/3c chopped green onions (I chopped 3 bunches)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tbsp paprika

4c cooked brown rice

1c chicken broth or boullion

In a medium nonstick pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. add celery and saute until satrting to soften. Add green onions and herbs/spices and saute 2 minutes. Add rice and stir and cook to blend and heat through. Add broth and cover, turn heat to low and cook 5 minutes, until rice fluffs up and softens. Salt to taste.

1 serving is about 7 1/4 oz or just over a cup.

Saag (Indian Spinach)

This is one of my favorites at the Indian Restaurant. I change the ingredients a little, depending on what I have on hand, but its is a tasty way to get more vegetables. I will write the original recipe and put my changes in parenthesis next to it. This recipe if from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. The original rceipe includes homemade Indian Cheese, I don't use that. This recipe is great over brown rice with chicken.

1 3/4 lbs fresh spinach, trimmed, washed and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (I just used a little ground fenugreek, it has a very strong flavor, maybe 1/2 tsp)
1 fresh hot green chile, coarsely chopped (or half a small can of chopped green chilies)
1 tsp cornmeal
3 tbsp peanut or canola oil (I use coconut oil and just 1/2 tbsp)
1/4c finely chopped onion
1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and finely grated to a pulp (I buy pre-mashed ginger in a jar, use 1 tbsp)
1c finely chopped tomatoes (I use canned most of the time)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 to 2 tsp roasted cumin seeds (I use ground cumin, 1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Indian cheese (look up a recipe, lol)

bring 1c water to a boil in a large pan, ad the spinach, fenugreek and green chile. Cover the pan and cook gently 25 minutes. Now mash the spinach with a wooden masher or potato masher until you have a coarse puree. Blend in the cornmeal and cook gently for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a separate frying pan, heat the oil over med-high heat. When hot, add the onion and stir and fry until it begins to brown. add the ginger and stir once or twice, then ad the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes over low-med heat until the color of tomatoes intensifies. Stir the tomato mixture into the spinach mixture, then add the salt, roasted cumin, cayenne and cinnamon and stir to mix. Cook gently for five minutes. Serve hot.

Black Beans and Spinach

another quick and tasty side dish.

makes one serving (you could multiply everything for more servings at once..)

1/4 tsp olive oil
1oz chopped onion
1 oz chopped baby spinach
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2c black beans, drained
hot sauce of choice, to taste

heat med nonstick pan over med heat. add olive oil and heat, then add onion, cook until tender, starting to brown, add spinach, when it has wilted, add garlic, stir and cook one minute. Add beans. stir and cook 1-2 minutes to heat through, then add hot sauce.

yummy

Spiced Quinoa

1c quinoa (rinsed and dried, but the brand costco has is pre-rinsed to get rid of the saponins)
1 tsp ginger (I was out of ground ginger, so I subbed a tbsp minced fresh)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander ( I smashed seeds, lol)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (or less to taste)
2 c water or chicken broth, heated to boiling in microwave (about 4 minutes)

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over low/medium heat.

Add all the spices and stir and cook until fragrant, about a minute. add quinoa and stir and roast 1-2 minutes.

Add hot water/broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. take lid off, stir and let stand 5 minutes. yummy.

this makes about 4 servings, depending on your calorie allowances.

Cajun Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Yams

weird formatting is because I entered the recipe on a calculator site to get nutritional data...sorry.

30oz Sweet Potato

2tsp Paprika

0.5tsp, leaves Thyme, Dried

0.5tsp Garlic Powder

0.5tsp Onion Powder

0.25tsp Pepper, Red Or Cayenne

0.5tsp Rosemary, Dried

1tsp Olive Oil

1tsp Soy Sauce

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 375.

2.cut sweet potatoes into 1" cubes. place in large bowl and toss to coat with olive oil and soy sauce.

3mix all spices together , then add to sweet potato cubes and toss well to coat.

4place in single layer and bake 40-45 minutes, until tender.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 serving (171.6 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 206 Calories from Fat 10

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1.1g 2%

Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%

Sodium 60mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 46.5g 15%

Dietary Fiber 5.5g 22%

Sugars 0.3g

Protein 2.0g

Vitamin A 10% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 1% • Iron 2%

* Based on a 2000 calorie die

2 Summery Salsas

Finally back to trying new recipes! I love salsas - they spice up eggs, fish, chicken, beef, everything! They are also a great source of nutrient rich veggies and herbs, so eat up! healthy and tasty - double bonus!

These are from the cookbook "The Great Salsa Book" by Mark Miller I am considering cooking my way through the entire book, but a few of the recipes look iffy, so we will see!

The salsas are rated on a heat scale of 0-10, 0 being no heat at all, 10 being very hot.

Tomatillo Salsa Verde - Heat 5 Yield: 2 cups

This is a bright, citrusey medium hot salsa. he says it is good with chips, most seafood and eggs. I made it in the food processor, very quick and easy, so a good party food if you are making double batches.

1 lb tomatillos (about 15), husked, rinsed and roughly chopped
3 Serrano chiles, with seeds
3/4c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (1 bunch)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

throw it all in the blender or food processor and puree.

Salsa Romana - Heat 0 Yield about 3 cups

This tastes like bruschetta topping, or caprese salad without mozzarella (I think cubes of fresh mozzarella would be perfect mixed into it..). The fresh basil flavor is fabulous. it is great over burgers, in an omelet, on fish or would be good as a fresh pasta topping, or on grilled bruschetta. mmm. make sure you use a good quality olive oil - the flavor is awesome.

8 Roma tomatoes (about 1 lb), diced
3 tbsp finely diced red onion
3/4c loosely packed julienned basil leaves
1 tsp finely minced garlic (or more if you love garlic like I do)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt (I think real sea salt tastes better)

Thoroughly combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Allow to sit at room temp for 1 hour before serving.

variation: add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar for a tarter flavor. Mark Miller notes that "true Italians would double the salt" I found the amount in the recipe perfect.

These both got the Adam stamp of approval ;) and I could eat both with every meal and not get tired of them.

Shrimp, Corn and Black Bean Salad

Shrimp, Corn and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• Yellow Corn, 1.5 cup , thawed from frozen

• Shrimp, cooked, 10 oz , chopped

• Beans, black, 2 cup , drained

• Onions, raw, 1.5 cup, chopped

• Cilantro, raw, 1 bunch chopped

• Olive Oil, 1/4 cup , water 1/4 cup

• Jalapeno Peppers, 1 pepper, minced

• Avocados, California (Haas), 2 diced

• McCormicks Chipotle Marinade Mix

• juice of one lime

Mix everything but the avocado thoroughly, then gently fold in the avocado.

this is good as a salad, you could scoop it up with chips, put in in wraps like tacos, or use it as a topper for chicken..this morning we used it as filling for our omelet. Yummy.

Nutrition Info

Amount per whole recipe

Calories 2,133.2

Total Fat 115.2 g

Saturated Fat 16.5 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 14.3 g

Monounsaturated Fat 75.2 g

Cholesterol 552.5 mg

Sodium 1,199.6 mg

Potassium 4,407.7 mg

Total Carbohydrate 186.0 g

Dietary Fiber 63.1 g

Sugars 1.6 g

Protein 106.0 g

Vitamin A 35.1 %

Vitamin B-12 70.4 %

Vitamin B-6 103.1 %

Vitamin C 134.0 %

Vitamin D 0.0 %

Vitamin E 68.4 %

Calcium 31.5 %

Copper 109.3 %

Folate 252.7 %

Iron 117.9 %

Magnesium 128.3 %

Manganese 147.6 %

Niacin 96.1 %

Pantothenic Acid 88.5 %

Phosphorus 130.1 %

Riboflavin 62.0 %

Selenium 172.7 %

Thiamin 93.1 %

Zinc 81.4 %

8 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 260.4

Total Fat 14.4 g

Saturated Fat 2.1 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.8 g

Monounsaturated Fat 9.4 g

Cholesterol 69.1 mg

Sodium 150.0 mg

Potassium 551.0 mg

Total Carbohydrate 22.4 g

Dietary Fiber 7.9 g

Sugars 0.2 g

Protein 13.3 g

Vitamin A 4.4 %

Vitamin B-12 8.8 %

Vitamin B-6 12.9 %

Vitamin C 16.8 %

Vitamin D 0.0 %

Vitamin E 8.6 %

Calcium 3.9 %

Copper 13.7 %

Folate 31.6 %

Iron 14.7 %

Magnesium 16.0 %

Manganese 18.5 %

Niacin 12.0 %

Pantothenic Acid 11.1 %

Phosphorus 16.3 %

Riboflavin 7.8 %

Selenium 21.6 %

Thiamin 11.6 %

Zinc 10.2 %

Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Gold Potatoes have a wonderful, buttery flavor of their own, so you don't have to add much.

Allow a 3oz potato for most women, a 5oz potato for most men. I like to make these in batches so i have leftovers to add to meal packets for lunch during the week.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub yukon gold potatoes and cut into 1/2" thick strips or cubes, place in a large bowl and toss with enough olive oil to coat lightly and seasoning of choice - I like sea salt, garlic and fresh ground pepper.

spread potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet.

bake 15-30 minutes, checking every 15 minutes. Once the potatoes are browned and soft through, they are done. Cooking time varies depending on thickness of cut.