Italian Soft Tacos

Cook’s notes: An easy weeknight meal. I served these with leftover Zucchini Corn Mix. Corn tortillas are rather soft, and they will tear if you try to roll them into fat burritos. Just fold in half to make a soft taco instead.

Serves 6 (about enough filling for 13 tacos)

1 package (1.25 lbs) ground chicken or turkey
1 Tablespoon red bell pepper flakes, 3/8″ cut (Penzey’s brand)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup mushroom marinara sauce
Soft corn tortilla, 12 each
1/4 cup (0.5 oz) grated Parmesan cheese

Coat a large skillet lightly with cooking spray and heat over the skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken, red bell pepper flakes, and garlic powder to the hot pan. Saute the chicken, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off fat; return seasoned chicken to pan.

Pour marinara sauce and Parmesan over the chicken and stir well until the mixture is heated through.

Warm the tortillas briefly in the microwave. Serve immediately: Place 1/4 cup mixture on each tortilla, and fold in half.

Menu suggestion:
2 Italian soft tacos, 1 cup Zucchini Corn Mix, and a side salad.

Estimated nutritional values per 2 tortillas and 1/2 cup chicken mixture:
3.1 g fiber; dietary exchanges of 0.9 carbs, 0.3 produce, 0.1 dairy, and 3.6 oz protein.

Vegan Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

Cook’s notes: Another excellent vegan dinner that is easy to make on a week night. Once you microwave the potatoes, everything cooks in one large skillet. I ate this curry with a warm ciabatta roll and was quite satisfied. Leftovers are great for lunch.

Variations for meat-eaters: If you are not a vegan, a bowl of this mild curry is especially nice with 1 oz of sharp cheddar cheese added. (The flavors also blend well with cooked ground turkey).

Makes about 5 servings (1 cup each)

3 medium sweet potatoes (1.6 lbs), scrubbed
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
14.5 can diced tomatoes with juice
9 oz bag spinach, rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoons yellow curry powder (sweet, not hot)

Scrub the potatoes, pierce them with a fork, and cook them in the microwave on the Potato setting. When they are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop out the potato flesh. Discard the skins. Cut the firmer portions into large dice.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the drained chickpeas and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add the spinach. Cover and cook briefly until the spinach wilts. Stir in the diced sweet potato and curry powder. Stir together and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until well combined. Serve immediately.

Recommended menus:
The curry is pretty filling on its own, but you might like it paired with these items.

• Menu 1: Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry, cucumbers and tomatoes in yogurt, and pita bread.
• Menu 2: Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry, basmati rice with peas, and a side salad.
• Menu 3: Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry, naan bread, apple chutney, and brown rice.

Estimated nutritional values:
Each serving has 11.2 g fiber; dietary exchanges of 1.7 oz carbs, 2 vegetables, and 4.2 oz protein.

Source: Adapted from Nava Atlas, The Vegetarian 5 Ingredient Gourmet: 250 Simple Recipes And Dozens Of Healthy Menus For Eating Well (New York: Broadway Books, c2001)

Barbecued Chicken Burritos

Cook’s notes: Adapted from EatingWell:  February/March 2005. These burritos include tangy barbecue sauce, some roast chicken (or rotisserie chicken) and vegetables, all wrapped up in tortillas. For the best taste, look for a barbecue sauce without added corn syrup. Start with cooked chicken and dinner can be ready in just 15 minutes. Add a side salad to round out the meal.

4 cups of cooked, shredded chicken meat (from a 2-pound roasted chicken: skin discarded, and meat removed from bones)
1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup canned corn, drained
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 10-inch whole-wheat tortillas (use a brand that is marked high-fiber, 100 calories each)

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, barbecue sauce, beans, and corn; stir to combine. Cook until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.

Assemble the wraps by placing a scoop of chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla and top with sour cream. Fold the sides in, roll up from bottom to top. Slice in half diagonally and serve warm.

Best Recipe: Vegan Nicoise Salad Plus Potato Salad

Hold the eggs, please

Cook’s notes: I volunteered to cook for a friend who had surgery recently. She prefers vegan dishes (no animal products), so I went researching and found this salad: Two in one! This versatile recipe yields a large romaine salad for one (lunch) plus a potato salad made without mayonnaise for dinner. I adapted the methods from the Rosemary Potatoes in Microwave recipe to make the potatoes. The salty olives combine so well with the potatoes. If your grocery store doesn’t sell Nicoise olives, use Kalamata olives.

You can also add cucumber slices, avocado, or capers to this salad. If you are not a vegan, you may like to add either canned tuna or grilled chicken to the salad. Hard-boiled eggs are also traditional, but I don’t like the texture, so I omit them (plus, adding them means this is no longer a vegan dish). The mustard dressing is light and delicious.

Potatoes:
2 lb bag of baby red skin potatoes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Romaine Salad: Serves one
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-size squares
15 oz can green beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup cherry tomato halves
5 pitted Kalamata olives
1 to 2 Tablespoons mustard vinaigrette (see below)

Dressing:
2 teaspoons Dijon or spicy brown mustard
4 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Make the potatoes in the microwave: wash and scrub the potatoes. Pat them dry, and cut them in half. Cut larger potatoes into quarters. Toss with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt. Place potato cubes in a glass pie plate. Cover with a microwave-safe plate (instead of plastic wrap) and microwave at HIGH for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Leave the skins on.

While the potatoes cook, wash and prepare the remaining vegetables.

Make the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to combine.

Make the romaine salad: In a large bowl, combine the romaine lettuce with 1 cup of the potatoes, 1/2 cup of the green beans, 1/2 cup of the red pepper, the cherry tomatoes, and the 5 olives. Drizzle 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the dressing on the romaine lettuce, and stir to coat well. (I put the salad in a 4-cup plastic container, seal the lid, and shake it.)

Make the potato salad: In a second container, combine the remaining potato cubes, diced red bell pepper, and green beans. Drizzle with 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the dressing; stir to coat well.

Menu suggestion: Serve the Nicoise romaine salad with a ciabatta roll and 1/2 cup berries for dessert.

Estimated nutritional values: The romaine salad has 9.8 g fiber and dietary exchanges of 6 vegetable servings.

Source: Adapted from a recipe in the book The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine [Paperback] by Dynise Balcavage. One reviewer called this book “a great vegan cookbook for non-vegans”, and I would agree. She does not berate omnivores, and there are lots of clever ideas and recipes I’m eager to try.

Best Recipe: Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Whole chicken in slow cooker

Cook’s notes: I was shocked to find out how much sodium and “chemical enhancement” methods can be packed into carryout rotisserie chickens. (Read the list of nutritional negatives on the livestrong site.) Luckily, I found this recipe by Lisa Leake, who called it “The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot.” I totally agree. Lisa also notes that “after you pick off the good chicken meat, you can leave the bones in the crock pot to make some stock.” See her original post for these stock instructions.

This recipe is a winner — It’s so easy, it only has three ingredients (spice mix, onion, and chicken), it doesn’t heat up the house, and you don’t need to add any extra liquid or butter. Any spice rub combination will work as well. The chicken is just delicious. I’d like to try putting the chicken on a bed of cut-up yams or Yukon gold potatoes, instead of onions. (Lisa notes that if you use carrots, add them during the last hour. Otherwise, they are too mushy.) This recipe is already in heavy rotation at our house; we make it about every two weeks. It’s a great dish for the weekend or to bring to a potluck.

 

Ingredients

1 sweet onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 large chicken
6 teaspoons Dry Rub for Chicken

Directions

Lightly coat the slow cooker with cooking spray. Place onion pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Remove any giblets or string from the chicken, and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity.

Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to High. There is no need to add any liquid.

Cook for 4 to 5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone.

Easy to shred

(Note: we cooked it for 4.5 hours, and made sure the chicken was cooked to a USDA specs: a “safe minimum internal temperature of 165 F/75 C as measured using a food thermometer.” At 5 hours, you can shred the meat with a spoon, the onions are melted, and you have to be very careful with removing the bones.)

Be careful when you take the chicken from the slow cooker: It did indeed fall off the bones and easily pull into many small pieces. You won’t remove it in one piece.

Source: Adapted from Lisa Leake’s blog, 100 days of real food

40 Shades of Green: Ravioli and Vegetable Salad

The finished dish: serve warm or cold

Cook’s notes: I made this layered dish for a St. Patrick’s day potluck with the theme “Green Food.” Make this dish the night before so that it has time to soak in the vinaigrette. All of the ingredients are either white or green, to match the stripes on the pasta. This salad has the reverse proportions of a typical pasta salad: it combines a large amount of cooked vegetables accented with pasta, instead of having a large bowl of pasta with just a few veggies.

Serves 12. Prep time about 45 minutes.

18 oz (2 x 9 oz packages) spinach, Asiago, and garlic ravioli — only about 14.5 oz needed
10 oz bag frozen organic chopped spinach
10 oz bag frozen organic broccoli florets
10 oz bag frozen organic peas
2 lbs. green zucchini (4 each), sliced into half-moons
8 oz white mushrooms, cut into chunks

DRESSING: Makes 2 cups (can easily cut in half)
2 oz cooking liquid from squash and mushrooms
6 oz extra virgin olive oil
4 oz white wine vinegar
4 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional garnishes: Sliced green olives, sliced bunch of scallions/green onions (both the green and white parts)

The ravioli only take 4 minutes to cook. Bring a large pot of water to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Leave the water alone while you prepare the vegetables.

Cook the frozen vegetables (spinach, broccoli, and peas): steam them one at a time in a covered dish in the microwave according to package directions.

While the microwave is going, saute the fresh vegetables: Cook the zucchini slices in a little olive oil until they soften. Drain and reserve any liquid that accumulates as the zucchini cook down. Cook the mushrooms in the same way, reserving any liquid.

Make the dressing: Combine the cooking liquid from the zucchini and mushrooms with enough olive oil to make 1 cup total. Combine this oil mixture with the remaining dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake it well (over the sink, just to be sure).

Toss the veggies: Gently combine the cooked vegetables in a large bowl. Drizzle them with about 1 cup of the dressing. Stir well to combine (you will have dressing left over).

Vegetables mixed with dressing

Cook the pasta when the veggies are done: Prepare the ravioli according to package directions. Drain it.

Place half the dressed vegetables in a 9″x11″ glass pan.

The ravioli layer

Layer the cooked ravioli on top in one layer so that they completely cover the vegetables (in my pan, this required 15 ravioli in a 3 x 5 configuration; about 14.5 oz ravioli used in the dish). Save additional ravioli for another meal. Top the ravioli layer with the remaining vegetables.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Add more vinaigrette to taste the next day when serving. Each person can add their own garnishes (scallions or olives or none).

Nutrition information > Exchanges: Each serving (1/12 pan) has about 4.3 g fiber, 0.7 carbs, and 1.4 vegetable servings

Nutrition Facts from http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php:
Each serving: 217 g, 124 calories (12% total fat)
Fiber 4.3 g
Net carbs 11.1 g
Protein 5.1 g

Good points include: No cholesterol, High in dietary fiber, High in various vitamins, and Low fat (5% of calories from saturated fat)

Tortellini Primavera

Cook’s notes: I wanted to make a tortellini salad that wasn’t weighed down by a heavy cream Alfredo sauce. This pasta dish is full of vegetables, with a light dressing. You can also add a 16-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables (cooked) to it. Start this dish the day before so the flavors can combine overnight in the refrigerator.

Start this dish the day before so the flavors can combine overnight in the refrigerator

20 oz package cheese tortellini
12 oz bag “steam in the bag” chopped spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 green zucchini, sliced and quartered
4 yellow squash, sliced and quartered
1 cup Italian vinaigrette dressing (see below)
About 1 cup ripe olives, broken into pieces (half of a can that is about 5 oz drain wt.)

Italian Vinaigrette Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Prepare the tortellini according to package directions. Drain it.

While the tortellini cook, steam the spinach in the microwave according to package directions.

Saute the tomatoes, zucchini, and squash in a little olive oil until they soften.

Combine the vinaigrette dressing ingredients in a lid with a jar. Shake it well.

Combine the drained tortellini, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and olives in a large bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the dressing over the salad, and stir well to combine (you will have dressing left).

Refrigerate overnight. Add more vinaigrette to taste the next day when serving.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

Cook’s notes: We had a family-size package of fresh boneless skinless chicken breast halves that needed cooking.

This recipe was inspired by fat-free salad dressing recipes that use broth instead of oil and balsamic vinegar. It uses a broth-based sauce instead of spaghetti sauce. Because the herbed chicken is low in fat and doesn’t have tomatoes, it should not aggravate heartburn. Prep time is about 5 minutes. The chicken is ready in just 3.5 hours, which is very quick for a slow cooker.

8 fresh boneless chicken breast halves, without skin (3.25 lbs)
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
4 Tablespoons (2 oz) balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Turn the cooker to HIGH.

Make the sauce: In a medium size bowl, whisk together the broth and remaining 5 ingredients (balsamic vinegar to black pepper) until smooth.

Place half the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover with half the sauce. Place remaining chicken and sauce in the slow cooker.

Cook covered on HIGH for 3.5 hours. Do not remove the lid. Do not stir the ingredients while they cook. Shred the cooked chicken with two forks, and serve the chicken with brown rice.

Alternate method: Cook covered on LOW for 6 hours.

Adapted from the cdkitchen.com (Chicken Italiano II recipe)

Tried and Liked: Basic Sauteed Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chicken broth (or 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup dry white wine)

Follow the excellent instructions in the tutorial by Catherine Newman.

Party Menu Idea Roundup: Vegetarian Asian Flavors

Cook’s notes: A friend of mine who is vegetarian is getting married next year. This happy news inspired me to create several meatless menus based on fun themes. I love planning a good menu almost as much as actually having the party.

This party menu reflects some of the flavors of Asia. You may wish to choose the cuisine of just one country, such as China, Japan, or Thailand.

For a balanced menu, select the following:
•    3 to 4 cold hors d’oeuvres: dips, cheese, nuts, or veggies
•    4 hot dishes (small bites), including 1 to 2 main dishes
•    2 to 3 sides dishes, pasta salad, or tossed salad
•    1 or 2 sweet nibbles, served toward the end

The Livestrong site recommends a simple dinner party menu of mini-spring rolls appetizers with peanut sauce, cabbage and carrot salad tossed with chopped scallions, and a main course of vegetable lo mein.

Appetizers
Edamame (soybeans)
Mini vegetable spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce
Thai Roasted Green Peas (link)
Vegetable dumplings with soy sauce

Main Dishes
Ginger Lo Mein Noodles (link)
Sushi Rice Salad with cucumber and carrot (link)
Thai Pumpkin Coconut Soup (link)
Vegetable and potato yellow curry (link)
Vegetable stir fry with tofu

Vegetables and Side Dishes
Marinated cucumber salad
Snow peas with mushrooms
Rice: white and brown

Beverages
Cocktails made with sake, such as the Sake Martini
Green tea

Desserts
Almond cookies
Chocolate-covered crystallized ginger served with orange wedges
Green tea truffles (link)
Grilled pineapple slices

Sources: Inspired by Dede Wilson, Appetizers for Dummies, several About.com sites (Chinese Vegetarian, Japanese Food, and Thai Food), and Donna Pilato’s cocktail party site