Quick & Easy Meals
- Pasta with vegetables and parmesan cheese
- Pasta with stewed tomatoes, mushrooms, and capers
- Pasta with ground turkey and tomato sauce
- Baked potato with cottage cheese and salsa
- Baked potato with broccoli and cheese
- Sweet potato with cottage cheese and pineapple
- Sweet potato with raisins
- Boboli or Pita bread pizza
- Vegetable omelet
- Fruit and yogurt smoothie
- Canned soup and sourdough bread
- Stir-fry with vegetables and lean meat or tofu
- Frozen dinner and salad or steamed veggies
- Quesadilla with beans, cheese and salsa
- Pita bread filled with turkey, chicken or tuna
- Waffles or pancakes topped with fresh berries
- Veggie burgers and soup or salad
Quick & Easy Recipes
Grilled Salmon with Tomatoes and Corn
Get barbecue ready.
Cooking spray oil
2 Salmon fillets or steaks
2 lemons
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-3/4 t. dill weed
Wash salmon, place in dish. Cut one lemon into wedges. Juice one lemon, add garlic and dill. Pour lemon juice mixture over salmon, turning salmon to coat both sides. Place in refrigerator while you get vegetables ready.
4 roma tomatoes
Wash tomatoes and gently pierce skin with knife.
2 ears of corn
2 ice cubes
Shuck and wash corn. Wrap corn and ice cube in foil. Spray grill with cooking oil. Place fish, tomatoes and corn on grill. Turn tomatoes and corn every 5 minutes. Grill approximately 15-20 minutes. The tomato skin will char. Grill salmon 7-10 minutes on each side (depending on thickness). Be sure fish is cooked through. It should flake with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 2. Halibut or other steak fish can be used. Fish can be broiled instead of grilled.
Stuffed Trout
Cooking spray oil
3-4 Whole fresh pan trout
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced olives
Wash trout. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Mix vegetables in bowl. Stuff trout with vegetable mixture, place any remaining around trout. Cover dish. Cook at 425 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until fish flakes with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 3-4.
Rosemary Chicken and Rice
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups brown rice
1/2 cup wild rice
1/2-1 t. rosemary
1/4-1/2 t. black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Pour chicken broth, brown and wild rice, and spices in to a baking dish, stir. Wash chicken, place in baking dish, cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until rice has absorbed water. Serves 4.
Summer Squash Pasta
Cook pasta per package instructions
Cooking spray oil
1 medium chopped onion
6 summer squash cut into 1/8 pieces
1/3 cup cooking wine or dry sherry
1 cup broth
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup pine nuts
grated parmesan cheese
Spray cooking spray in non-stick sauce pan, with medium heat quickly sauté onion. Add wine, sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add squash, broth, seasoning and pine nuts, continue to sauté, stirring occasionally until squash is tender. Serve over pasta, sprinkle with parmesan. Serves 2.
Asparagus and Sundried Tomato Pasta
Cook pasta per package instructions
1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
Cooking spray oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cooking wine or dry sherry
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
6 sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted in water
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
dash salt
dash pepper
1 T. pinenuts
2 T. parmesan
Wash and cut asparagus. Place in steamer and steam for 3-5 minutes, until slightly tender. Spray cooking spray in non-stick sauce pan, with medium heat quickly sauté garlic. Add wine, sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and pine nuts, continue to sauté, stirring occasionally until asparagus is tender, approximately 7-9 minutes. Serve over pasta, sprinkle with parmesan. Serves 2.
Zucchini and Tomato Pasta
Cook pasta per package instructions
Cooking spray oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup onion
1/4 cup cooking wine or dry sherry
2-3 zucchini, sliced thin
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
6 roma tomatoes, chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted in water
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
dash salt
dash pepper
1 T. pinenuts
2 T. parmesan
Spray cooking spray in non-stick sauce pan, with medium heat quickly sauté garlic and onions. Add wine, sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and pine nuts, continue to sauté, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, approximately 7-9 minutes. Serve over pasta, sprinkle with parmesan. Serves 2. Any other squash or eggplant can be used instead of zucchini.
Butter Beans with Pesto Sauce
2 cups fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 T. olive oil
3 15 ox cans large butter beans, rinsed and drained
6 lettuce leaves
2-4 green onions, thinly sliced
Tomato wedges and/or red bell pepper slices as garnish
In a blender or food processor, process basil until finely chopped. Add garlic, walnuts, cheese and oil, process until smooth. In a small bowl, mix pesto and beans. Place lettuce leaves on serving platter or individual plates. Spoon on bean mixture. Sprinkle green onions on top. Garnish with tomato and/or peppers. Can be served with crusty French bread or pita wedges. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6.
Black Beans
1 T. oil
1 medium chopped onion
2-4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup cooking wine or dry sherry
2 cans Black Beans
2-3 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 t. ground red pepper flakes
1/2 t. cumin
Heat oil on medium heat and quickly sauté onion and garlic. Add wine, sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add beans, bay, pepper flakes and cumin. Stir and heat until bubbling, lower heat and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-6. Serve with tortillas, salsa, rice or corn.
Easy Burritos
1 can corn
1 can refried beans (nonfat usually available)
Salsa
Sour cream (optional)
Grated cheddar cheese
Tortillas
Drain corn, place in microwave safe bowl with beans, stir. Heat on high for 2 minutes, until hot. Place Tortilla on plate add corn and bean mixture and remaining ingredients as you desire. Makes approximately 4 burritos.
Herbed Tomatoes
8 ripe, firm tomatoes
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. minced cilantro
1 T. minced parsley
2 T. red wine vinegar
Pinch cayenne or red pepper (optional)
Core 6 tomatoes, cut into 1 inch thick slices. Arrange in large shallow dish, set aside. Core remaining 2 tomatoes, cut into large chunks. Place into food processor or blender, puree. Add remaining ingredients, stir to blend. Pour over sliced tomatoes. Cover and chill before serving if desired. Serves 6 as a side dish. Can be served over French bread.
Greek Tomatoes
6 ripe, firm tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 T. olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. basil
Ground pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Stir Fry
**Note: You can vary this recipe by using different vegetables, or using chicken, shrimp or beef in place of the tofu. Save time by using pre-chopped & sliced veggies.
1-2 T. oil (you can use canola oil or red pepper oil if you want it spicy)
1 onion, chopped
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 can broth, cold
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground pepper
1 package tofu, drained & cubed
1 1/2 T. corn starch
Soy sauce to taste
Heat oil in wok or fry pan on medium heat, add onion, stir & cook until slightly tender. Add broccoli, cook & stir for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1/2 can of broth, cooks until veggies are slightly tender (about 2-3 minutes). Add ginger, pepper and tofu, cook until bubbling. Add corn starch to cold broth, stir well. Add about 1/2 of broth mixture to stir fry. Sauce will thicken as it heats. Add more of the broth mixture if it needs to be thicker. Serve over a mixture of brown & white rice.
Blueberry Mango Banana Smoothie
Makes 3 servings. One serving smoothie provides a serving of fruit and _ a serving of dairy. If you use yogurt with live active culture, you get the added benefit of probiotics too. You can get creative and use any fruit to get a mix and add interest. By using some frozen fruit, it will keep the consistency thicker.
In a blender add the following and blend on high until smooth:
1 banana (the riper the tastier)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen mango
3/4 cup low fat plain yogurt with live active cultures
3/4 cup low fat or non fat milk
Nutrition info: 156 Cals, 1.5 g fat, 6 g protein, 32 g total carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 34 % vitamin C, 18% Calcium (179 mg).
Super Veggie Pasta Salad
Makes 6 servings. One serving of this pasta provides 2 servings of veggies, _ serving of protein and 1 _ servings of grain. This is a pretty versatile pasta salad. You can use just about any vegetables you would like. Focusing on the bright intense colored veggies will bring in more nutrition. You can add some nuts and/or seeds and use feta in place of the parmesan cheese. You can add some of your favorite fresh herbs as well.
Using a whole grain or whole wheat pasta will increase the fiber and add a bit of protein. You can also use a store bought Italian salad dressing in place of the vinaigrette.
Boil a package of Rotini whole grain (multigrain) pasta (about 4 cups cooked)
Par boil 1 cup chopped broccoli, then chill
Place 2 cups of packed spinach in a colander and pour 2 laddles of hot pasta water over it to wilt, then chill right away
Mix above ingredients in a large bowl and add:
1 cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup packed raw spinach
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
1 cup canned black beans (rinsed)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 green onions , chopped
Vinaigrette
Mix the following in a jar with tight fitting lid:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
3 T water
2 cloves chopped garlic
Shake vigorously and add _ of contents to above pasta salad. Add salt and pepper to season.
Nutrition info: 180 Cals, 2.7g fat, 10 g protein, 31 g total carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 253 mg sodium, 113 % vitamin C, 8% Calcium (80 mg), 21% folic acid, 22% iron.