Strawberry Farro Salad

Originally found in a vegetarian cookbook from Pampered Chef, I have tweaked this delicious recipe to match our personal taste bud preferences to perfection. Are you looking for a new go-to summer meatless entree' salad? Today might just be your lucky day!

Strawberry Farro Salad

• 1 cup uncooked farro
• 6 cups spinach/arugula mix 
• 8 oz fresh strawberries, quartered
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, diced
• 2 T sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 pkg of brie cheese
• 2 T whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c raspberry vinaigrette (we like Newman's Own Raspberry Walnut)

+ Cook farro according to package directions. Drain, and rinse with cool water.

+ Combine farro, spinach/arugula, strawberries, apple, onion, and enough dressing to barely coat the greens. Toss lightly. 

+ Dredge wedges or rounds of brie (without the rind) in flour, and cook in a pre-heated (medium-high) skillet coated with non-stick spray for about 45 seconds per side. Just long enough to get a nice golden crust on the cheese. 

+ Serve warm brie on top of the salad mixture. Sprinkle with nuts, and drizzle with more dressing, only if needed.

This salad is even better the next day!

Chickpea Butternut Squash Stew

• 1 medium butternut squash, cut into 1 1/2-inch irregularly shaped pieces (about 6 cups)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 8 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 3/4-inch cubes or irregular shapes
• 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (either from dry beans or from two 15-ounce cans)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 4 teaspoons Harissa, or more to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss well and roast until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes.
2. In a large skillet or pot, warm remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in cumin, and paprika, and cook for 1 minute. Add carrots and 1 cup chickpea cooking liquid (or water, if using canned chickpeas) to onion mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and chickpeas. Raise heat to medium-high and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in harissa paste, roasted squash, and remaining 1/2 cup chickpea cooking liquid (or water). Simmer, uncovered, until flavors meld, another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Herbed Orzo Salad

I found this recipe in Light and Tasty magazine, and we just love the unique blend of flavors! So light, fresh, and delicious, I adore quick recipes like this for a meal-in-a-hurry. You can serve the salad as is for a side dish, or to make it a full meal, just add some chopped smoked ham like we often do.

Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pitted Greek olives, halved
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil or 4 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I don't use parsley)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large serving bowl; add the corn, red pepper, tomatoes, olives, onion, basil and parsley.
• In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper; shake well. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (3/4 cup) equals 192 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 157 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Galette

Roasted Fall Vegetable Galette

*Adapted from this recipe...

Thin pizza crust dough
5 small carrots (or 3 medium), peeled and sliced
1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced
Half a butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 large sweet onion, peeled and roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bulb of garlic, outer layers peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 oz. creamy goat cheese

Place all vegetables and on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Place rosemary sprigs on top. Cut off the top of the garlic bulb and wrap in aluminum foil. Place the foil-covered bulb in with the vegetables, and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice or until soft.

Remove rosemary twigs (if some needles have fallen off, that's fine...just leave them with the veggies). Unwrap garlic bulb and squeeze the soft, roasted garlic into a bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the roasted vegetables and half of the goat cheese. Mix well.

Gently place rolled out pizza dough onto a stone or greased baking sheet. Pile vegetable mixture onto the center of the crust, dot with remaining goat cheese, and fold/loosely drape the excess crust over the filling. Bake for  35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden and cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve!

Old Fashioned Beans and Cornbread

 

Old Fashioned Beans and Cornbread

 

1 pkg dry pinto beans (2 cups)
1 large onion, chopped
1 habenero pepper in adobo sauce
freshly milled black pepper
chunk of smoked ham (optional)
chicken broth (if needed)
salt (if needed)

Sort and groom the dry beans to weed out any stones or shriveled beans. Rinse well. Place in a crockpot and cover with about 8 cups of water (enough to cover the beans by about 2 inches). Add in the onion, habenero, and black pepper. If you choose to add in a chunk of ham* do so now as well.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours. If the beans soak up the water too soon and you need to add more liquid, you can heat up some chicken broth and add it to the crockpot. Do NOT add cold liquid!- When the beans are done, fish out the habenero pepper to discard, shred the ham, and season if necessary.

Serve with or over warm cornbread.

*When we get a spiral ham, I save the "butt" end that is not pre-sliced, and cut it into chunks to freeze for soup use.

Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Filling:
15oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves of minced garlic
The lime juice from one lime
2 cups cubed, baked sweet potato (I cube it first, then roast the cubes in a pan - 2 cups = about 2 medium potatoes)
4 oz can of chopped green chilies
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Etc.:
1 jar salsa verde
8 corn tortillas (or can use flour if desired)
Monterey Jack or Fontina cheese - shredded

Garnish Options:
Cilantro
Avocado
Greek Yogurt

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Pour enough salsa verde into a baking dish to lightly cover the bottom. Warm up your tortillas, one by one in a skillet or all at once in a microwave between 2 damp paper towels. *This is important, otherwise they will break when you fill them! 

Add 1/8 of the filling to each tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Wrap and place seam down in your baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Top them all with more salsa verde and cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and tortillas look slightly golden. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro, and serve with sliced avocado and a dollop of Greek yogurt if desired...

Recipe adapted from HERE.

Indian Spiced Eggplant and Cauliflower

I just chop up the vegetables, and throw everything into the crock pot for 3-4 hours on high. Can also be cooked on low for 6-8 hours. Delicious alongside brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat couscous. As a side note: I don't particularly like either eggplant -or- cauliflower, but I love this dish! Just sayin'...

 

 Indian Spiced Eggplant and Cauliflower

 

• 2 tablespoons curry powder, preferably hot Madras *I used regular curry, and it was S.P.I.C.Y.
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1-pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, (optional) *Do NOT place this in the crockpot*
  

For serving, top each plate with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.

Grilled Black Bean Burgers

Grilled Black Bean Burgers

This delicious meatless recipe is from my mom. It's filling, full of good nutrition, and always satisfies the men in the group too. Just add a bun and any normal hamburger toppings!  Enjoy!

1 lg. onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T olive oil
1 medium carrot, shredded
1-2 t chili powder (depending on taste)
1 t cumin
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or you can just use 2 cans of black)
1 1/2 c quick cooking oats
2 T dijon mustard
2 T soy sauce
1 T ketchup
1/4 t pepper
 
In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, saute onion and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Stir in carrot, chili powder, and cumin; cook 2 minutes longer or until carrot is tender. Remove from heat. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mash beans. Stir in oats. Add mustard, soy sauce, ketchup, pepper, and carrot mixture. Mix well and shape into 3 1/2" patties. It will make about 8. Fry in a non-stick frying pan coated w/ cooking spray, or bake on a stone until heated through and nicely browned (about 30 minutes on 350).

Super yummy w/ salsa on top! These also freeze really well.

Spinach and Herb Linguini

A delicious, healthful way to enjoy pasta-in-a-hurry. Bursting with the fresh herbal flavors of summer! Originally inspired by a recipe from Cooking Light magazine, my adaptation is below:

 

Spinach and Herb Green Linguini

 

4 oz fresh spinach
1/4 c slivered almonds
1/4 c fresh basil leaves
1 t dried oregano
1/4 t black pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 T low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 t fresh lemon juice
2 T white wine
1/4 t salt
2 T evoo
1/4 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
8 oz uncooked linguini

Cook linguini according to package directions.

Meanwhile add the first 10 ingredients (spinach through salt) to a food processor and process well, scraping down the sides if needed. While continuing to process, stream in the evoo until mixture takes on the consistency of pesto. Stir in cheese, and toss thoroughly with the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!