Sweet Potato, Kale and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed



• 1 onion, chopped



• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed



• 8 c. Kale, removed from stalks and chopped (this seems like a lot, but it really shrinks!)



• 1 tbsp of fresh garlic (or 1 tsp of garlic powder)



• 1 tbsp chili powder



• 1-1.5 tsp cumin



• 1 tsp paprika



• 1 tsp oregano



• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicey)



• salt and pepper



• 1 can of enchilada sauce (with mexican or international food at grocery store)



• Shredded cheddar cheese



• green onion for garnish



• Tortillas (5-8, depending on how much filling you use)

Directions:

1. Cook and mash sweet potatoes.



2. In a skillet, soften the onion.



3. Add black beans and seasoning, stirring to coat. Heat black beans through.



4. Add kale about two cups at a time and fold it in. It will wilt as you do this.



5. Spray a pan. Pour a little enchilada sauce into the bottom and swirl it around until the bottom is coated.



6. Put a little bit of shredded cheddar and a scoop of filling in a tortilla, fold it up and place in the pan.



7. When the tortillas are all rolled up an in the pan, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with more cheese and the green onion.



8. Bake for 25 mins at 350 covered in foil. Remove foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes.



9. Serve garnished with sour cream, salsa and/or guac.

Comments:

My husband was skeptical of these, but OH WOW. They are seriously delicious. They feel sinful, but with low carb wraps, they are really quite healthy and diet friendly. My parents are pretty meat-and-potatoes type folks and even they really enjoyed them.

Serve with a side salad or some spanish rice for a complete meal.

Asian Chicken Salad

Source: Me!
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs


• 1/2 c. flour, seasoned with salt and pepper


• 2 tbsp EVOO


• 1/4 c. mango chutney


• 1 head of Boston lettuce, shredded (or greens of your choice)


• 1 carrot, shredded


• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin


• 1 c. sliced mushrooms


• 2 stalks of green onion


• Asian toasted sesame ginger dressing


• Optional topping: chow mein noodles

Directions:

1. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces. In a ziplock bag, toss chicken in seasoned flour until coated.


2. Heat up oil in a non-stick skillet. Brown chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until the chicken is almost cooked, just a tiny bit pink in the center.


3. Add the mango chutney and toss the chicken until coated. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about another minute or two.


4. Meanwhile, make up the salad of shredded lettuce, sliced red onion, sliced mushrooms, chopped green onion and shredded carrots.


5. Let the chicken cool a little. Top the salad with the chicken, asisan toasted sesame dressing and crushed chow mein noodles (optional).

Comments:

This almost felt like a restaurant main course salad that would be really bad for you, it was so good! Next time, for a change, I might try tossing the chicken in sweet chili sauce and adding some mandarin oranges. Definitely a make again!

Eggplant Lasagna

Source: Skinnytaste.com, with modifications

Ingredients:

• 3 c. tomato sauce (see below)


• Olive oil


• 1 large or 2 smaller eggplants


• 1 container of fresh spinach


• 1 package of portobello mushrooms (4-5)


• 12 oz (1 package) of light ricotta cheese


• 1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped


• 1 egg


• salt and pepper


• 1/4 c. parmesean cheese


• 2 c. mozzarella cheese

Tomato sauce:

• 1 large onion, chopped


• 1 tbsp jarred garlic


• 1 carrot, minced


• 1 celery stalk, minced


• 2 c. sliced baby bella mushrooms


• 1/2 c. dry red wine


• 1 c. crushed tomatoes


• 1 c. diced tomatoes


• Basil


• Oregano


• Italian seasoning


• Red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Prepare tomato sauce. On medium heat, heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until softened. Add mushrooms and cook until moisture releases. Deglaze with red wine. Add tomatoes and spices to taste. Simmer for at least 40 minutes.



2. While sauce is simmering, roast the eggplant. Heat oven to 400 F. Slice eggplant into 1/4" pieces. Brush with EVOO and place on a cookie sheet. Roast it on each side for about 10 minutes. Watch it VERY CLOSELY because it burns easily. Do the same with the portobello mushrooms. Slice and roast.



3. In a bowl, mix together ricotta, parsley, egg, salt and pepper.



4. In a lasagna pan, layer sauce, portobellos, eggplant, ricotta, mozza, spinach x 3.



5. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes covered in foil. Bake for an additional 10 minutes with foil off. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Comments:
We don't eat meat on Friday's during Lent, so I have been on the look-out for good vegetarian recipes. This is vegetarian AND gluten free! My batch of sauce was large enough to yield some extra for a baked ziti. You could use a jar of store-bought sauce though. It was really delicious and I barely noticed the lack of noodles or meat. I served it with a caesar salad. The leftovers were almost better then the first serving.

Green Pea and White Bean Soup

Source: Chatelaine Magazine

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, minced

540 mL can of navy beans, rinsed and drained

4 c. frozen peas

900 mL carton of chicken broth

Garnish: crumbled goat cheese, pancetta or bacon crumbles

Instructions:

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Sautee for about 3 minutes, stirring continuously until the onion is soft.

Add beans, peas and broth. Bring to a boil over the medium heat. This will take about 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Simmer on very low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Serve garnished with crumbled bacon or pancetta and goat cheese.

Comments:

This soup was different, but really nice. It is a great lunch or served as a side or appetizer. It came together really easily and quickly too.

Caesar Salad Dressing

CAESAR SALAD DRESSING
Ingredients:

• 1 c. low-fat mayo (I used Hellman's low-fat olive oil)


• 1 tbsp lemon juice


• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce


• 1 heaping tsp of jarred garlic


• 1 shake of garlic powder


• 1/4 c. grated parmesean cheese


• 1/2 tsp dry mustard


• 1/4 c. milk


• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients and whisk together. For optimum flavour, let sit for 1-2 hours before serving.

Comments: This was simple, made from ingredients I already had in the house. The original recipe only called for 1 tbsp of milk, but it needs at least 1/4 c. to be used as dressing, maybe even more if you want it fairly thin. I used this to make a caesar salad with romaine, sliced red onions and mushrooms. I will make this again!

Banana Carrot Muffins

Source: Combined several internet recipes and added my own spice!
Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 2 over-ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 small carrots, grated
• 1/4 c. butter, room temperature
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. almond milk (or regular milk)
• 2 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 12 muffin tin.
2. Mash bananas and grate carrots. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
4. Cream butter and brown sugar, until fluffy.
5. Beat in an egg.
6. Just mix in milk and banana.
7. In thirds, add flour mixture until just mixed in.
8. Hand stir in in the carrots.
9. Divide equally in the muffin tin to make 12 muffins. Bake at 350 F for about 25 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

**Do not over mix! That's the key to nice muffins :)

Comments:

These were very good and quite healthy for baked goods! They are about 160 cals, 3.5 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber per muffin. You could add nuts, coconut or raisins too.

I think these will make a great pre-gym snack or a quick breakfast with a piece of fruit.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Source: Skinnytaste.com, with a few modifications
Serves: 6 large servings, 8 smaller servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1.5 c. chicken broth
• 1.5 c. skim milk
• 1.5 c. frozen peas
• 1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 2 can of tuna, packed in water, drained
• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• salt & lots of black pepper
• 1.5 c. shredded old cheddar (the older and sharper the better!)
• 4 c. whole wheat yolkless egg noodles
• Toppings: 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese, paprika, bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Boil the egg noodles until around 2 mins from done.
2. In a dutch oven or large sauce pan, melt butter and cook onion until softened.
3. Add the flour and coat onions, stiring continuously for about 1 min.
4. Add the chicken broth and whisk in. Add the milk. Boil for 3 mins.
5. Add the peas and mushrooms. Simmer for 7 mins until sauce starts to thicken slightly.
6. Add the tuna, salt and pepper and dry mustard. Cook for 1 min, to heat tuna.
7. Sprinkle in the shredded cheese 1/4 c. at a time, stirring continuously to melt cheese into the sauce.
8. Stir in the egg noodles.
9. Pour into a greased rectangular baking dish, like a lasagna pan. Top with parmesan cheese, paprika and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20-30 mins.

Comments:

I served this with a side of asparagus, sauteed in evoo, s&p and garlic. We really enjoyed it as a nice, comfortable meal. It didn't have crazy ground-breaking flavors or anything, but it was a light version of an old favorite. Definitely beat boxed tuna helper!