FRIDAY FARE: Bean Bolognese - (Vegetarian Style)

Lately, I've been thinking about going a little bit vegetarian - I'm kinda tired of meat. So, I searched around for some good vegetarian recipes, and here is one I'm dying to try... hope you like it.

Bean Bolognese

This recipe comes from Eatingwell.com, and here's what they have to say about it:

"Fiber-rich beans stand in for the beef and pork in this surprisingly rich-tasting vegetarian take on pasta Bolognese. Without the meat, the dish has only a third of the fat and 80 percent less saturated fat. To make the perfect meal, serve with a peppery arugula salad and warm, crusty Italian bread."

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can salad beans, (see Shopping Tip below) or other beans, rinsed, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Mash 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl with a fork.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil until most of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, 2 tablespoons parsley and the mashed beans. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the remaining whole beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water until just tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.

Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Discard the bay leaf and top the pasta with the sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining parsley.

Tips and Notes

Shopping tip: A can of salad beans, a mixture of chickpeas, kidney and pinto beans, adds depth and variety to this recipe

FRIDAY FARE: Recipe Re-Do... Mac and Cheese

Another comfort food - made over to be healthier... Macaroni and Cheese. I LOVE what I call "Grown-up" Mac and Cheese - made from scratch and NOT Kraft! But, it's always pretty high in fat and calories. So, I thought I'd try to find a few healthier mac and cheese recipes. I found this first one on Myrecipes.com... (it's from Cooking Light, June 2006)

Creamy Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 cups uncooked medium elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Preparation

• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
• While pasta cooks, place flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Add milk, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes or until thick and cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic; simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl; toss well.

The second recipe is from one of my favorite cooks - Rachael Ray. Her recipe is a little bit unusual because it uses cauliflower...

Whole-Wheat Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
1½ cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 pound whole wheat pasta, cooked to al dente
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed until almost tender, 6-7 minutes

Instructions:
In a saucepot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, add flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock and milk. Thicken the sauce for 5 minutes and stir in cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the secret ingredient (the mustard).

Toss sauce with whole wheat pasta and cauliflower. YUM-O!

Let me know which one you liked!

-Kara

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Tortellini Dish...

Guest blogger - Shanna Stahura - sent this recipe in to share with you...

This recipe has it all...its healthy, has amazing flavor and its fast... you can make it in under 15 minutes. This recipe is a hit! Every time I make it everyone wants the recipe.

Ingredients

1 bunch or bag of fresh spinach
1 package of cheesy tortellini (from refrigerator section)
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 large carton of chicken broth
fresh basil (can substitute dried)
salt
pepper
fresh shredded Parmesan

Directions

1. Cook tortellini according to packages directions.
2. Place tomatoes in a large pot and blend with hand blender ( you can also cut or mash tomatoes)
3. Add chicken broth and bring to boil then simmer.
4. Add cooked tortellini to broth mixture.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste, turn off heat and then stir in spinach and sprinkle with basil.
6. Sprinkle each serving with fresh Parmesan

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Farfalle with Tomatoes, Onions, and Spinach

I've been surfing the web today, looking for yummy healthy recipes that will use some of the things I've got in my fridge - feta cheese and tiny tomatoes. The following recipe is from the Cooking Light website. It's a Mediterranean pasta recipe - using one of my favorite pastas - Farfalle. Add chicken, if desired. ENJOY!

Farfalle with Tomatoes, Onions, and Spinach


Total: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups pasta mixture and 3 tablespoons feta)

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 8 ounces uncooked Farfalle pasta
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 5 garlic cloves, sliced (Whoa - that's a lot of garlic! Yum!!)
* 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
* 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
* 3 cups baby spinach
* 3 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions; drain.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and oregano; sauté 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar; sauté 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Add pasta and spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with feta.

FYI - Nutritional Information

Calories: 374, Fat: 13.3g (sat 5g,mono 6.2g,poly 0.9g), Protein: 13.7g,
Carbohydrate: 51.1g, Fiber: 3.8g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Iron: 2.6mg, Sodium: 632mg,
Calcium: 212mg.

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Fettuccine Spinach Salad

Guest blogger, Shannon Stahura...

This week's recipe is definitely a keeper. Fettuccine Spinach Salad was served for years at the old Peery Hotel in downtown Salt Lake. One evening the chef shared the recipe with us. I love it because it is unique and its another great way to work in those veggie servings. Enjoy!

Dressing:

2 Tb olive oil
1 Tb cider vinegar
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic minced
1 part cream to 1 part vinaigrette

Salad:

Baby spinach
2 green onions chopped
1 pkg feta cheese, crumbled
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 can sliced black olives
Ham, julienne sliced
1/2 box fettuccine (cooked)

Directions:

Mix all of salad ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk all of dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss and serve.

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

Guest blogger, Shannon Stahura...

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

Your probably thinking... "Oh no! Not another pasta salad." Let me assure you, this one is different. I have been making this salad for thirty years and it is hands down the best, everyone's favorite, never any left over kind of salad. And, of course it is healthy! This salad calls for lots of steamed broccoli, which is full of vitamin A, vitamin C and has a high content of potassium and calcium. I guarantee this is one you will want to add to your recipe book and make again and again.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 bag of multi-colored spiral pasta (wheat is optional)

1 head of broccoli

5 oz. pepperoni diced (optional)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

4 T red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cook chicken in simmering water for 20 min.

2. When cool enough to handle, cut into chunks.

3. Steam broccoli florets until tender (5-7 minutes)

4. Combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, pepper and olive oil in a jar with tight-fitting lid. Shake well and set aside.

5. Cook noodles according to package directions and drain and rinse with cold water.

6. Combine chicken, broccoli, pepperoni and pasta in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Sprinkle in feta cheese and serve.

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Pasta Toss

We had a great nutrition class last night for our Sister Survivors. I promised to share my most recent yummy recipe, so I thought I'd post it here. Something you need to understand - I just throw things together, so I don't really have measurements. ;-)

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts - all fat cut off
Cherry tomatoes - about 3 cups - cut in half (I use the container that Costco sells - they are very sweet!)
Onions - sliced - probably about 1 cup
Paul Newman Oil and Vinegar dressing
3-4 cups of fresh fettuccine noodles, cooked (cook just until they are barely soft.)
Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
Marsala cooking wine
Salt and pepper

Using a large wok-type pan, I cooked the chicken breasts in the dressing (I used this instead of plain olive oil, because I love the additional taste of the vinegar, but you could use just light olive oil and some red wine vinegar!) Once the chicken was cooked about half-way through, I sliced each breast in half (so that it was not as thick) and then cut each half into large pieces. I threw in the onion slices and cooked those while the chicken finished cooking. Once it was done, I tossed in the tomatoes and stirred for a few minutes until they were tender, and then splashed some Marsala cooking wine into the mix. Sprinkle with a little freshly ground salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes more to blend the flavors, and then toss with the noodles, and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.

That's about it - to make it more healthy, you could use whole grain pasta. ENJOY!

Friday Fare: Healthy Recipe - Grilled Veggie Pasta

Sorry this is a little late today. Our guest blogger, Shannon Stahura, sent me this recipe last night, AND she showed up at my door with some for me to taste! Oh, the perks of living right by the recipe guru! It's super yummy AND healthy...

Shannon:

Grilled Veggie Pasta

"This is yet another great way to get your veggie servings. In the summertime I grill the vegetables with a grilling tray (available at Walmart), and in the off-season I recommend sautéing them in olive oil and garlic. Summertime is a great time to forego the heavy sauces and go light. This pasta is tossed in olive oil and topped with fresh lemon juice. It is also full of vegetables, so it provides an excellent source of Vitamins A, K , C, B6, and Folate .(Nutrition & You, Joan Salge Blake). I also love using the Barilla multigrain pasta in this dish. It has a texture that is lighter than the wheat pasta so it’s a lot easier to fool the family into thinking they are eating the regular enriched pasta and it has a higher protein content. This recipe is definitely one you will want to make again and again."

Ingredients

Barilla plus multigrain pasta
Olive oil 4 TB
4 cloves crushed garlic/ and or garlic salt
1 cup fresh parmesan
1 lemon
Fresh basil (dried will do too)
asparagus
spinach
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms

* chicken another great option with this recipe

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat grill.

2. Cut asparagus and toss in a bowl with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, olive oil, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste. (and if you prefer you can add zuccinni, peppers, garlic salt or whatever you like)
3. Put vegetables in grilling tray and grill for 5-8 minutes.

4. Heat a frying pan with 2 Tb of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic. Strain pasta and add pasta to frying pan stirring for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add vegetable mixture to frying pan,

(if using steamed spinach add add it at this time) toss veggies and pasta with juice of one lemon and top with fresh parmesan and sliced basil. Sliced basil makes a lovely garnish. Just pick the leaves, roll them and then start slicing.