Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This recipe is from a Nutrition Action Magazine I used to have a subscription to.

Ingredients (to serve 4)

4 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow), halved lengthwise and seeded
3/4 cup quinoa well rinsed
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1 15 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
10 oz baby spinach
1 small garlic clove
1 oz (about 6 TBSP) parmesan cheese
Pesto to top (make your own or buy a jar!)

Directions:
1. Put the peppers, skin side up, on a lightly oiled baking sheet and broil on high until slightly charred and starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and set aside.
2. While the peppers are roasting, simmer the quinoa with the broth and tomatoes in a medium pot for 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach in batches.
3. Spoon quinoa mixture into the peppers.
4. Top the filled peppers with the pesto and garnish with crushed pistachios if desired.

Broccoli with Carmelized Onions & Pine Nuts

from Jenn's recipe blog

Ingredients

3 tablespoon nuts, pine nuts, or chopped slivered almonds
2 teaspoon oil, olive, extra virgin
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cup(s) broccoli florets
2 teaspoon vinegar, balsamic
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Toast pine nuts (or almonds) in a medium, dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
2. Add oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add onion and salt; cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as necessary, until soft and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, steam broccoli until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the nuts, onion, vinegar, and pepper; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

from Jillian Michaels (serves 4)

Butternut Squash Quesadillas

these are from my sister, and they are SO yummy! These make a bunch too!

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• 1 large garlic clove - minced
• 2 packs of large flour tortillas
• 1 large chopped red bell pepper
• 1 bag grated jack cheese
• 
  

Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place in a roasting pan, cut side up, with 1" of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pan with foil. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-40 minutes until fork is easily inserted into squash. Scoop out inside of squash and set aside. (Note: The squash does not need to be mashed, it can be in large chunks.) Saute chopped onion and garlic in a large skillet. Add butternut squash and mix together. Remove from heat. Spread squash mixture on a tortilla. Top with some jack cheese, red bell pepper, and another tortilla. Grill in a frying pan, over medium heat, like making a grilled cheese sandwich, until the tortilla is slightly brown and crispy. Careful flipping! If you flip before the bottom tortilla has crisped up you will lose all the innards. Slice into wedges and serve with sour cream.

For the chipotle lime sour cream dipping sauce:

• 1 Tbls of chipotle seasoning blend (I like Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle blend which can be found with all the other spices)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 cup sour cream

Yummy Yammy Fries

Ingredients:
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
4 x medium sweet potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Combine all spices: grated parmesan cheese, ground cumin, chili powder, paprika chipotle chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder, in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Wash potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Do not peel them.
Slice each potato into french-fry-like wedges (about 10 fries per potato, depending on the size of the potato). Toss fries in a large bowl with olive oil until well-coated, then toss with spice blend.

3. Spread fries evenly on a non-stick baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn fries over and bake an additional 7 minutes, or until tender. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fries. Make sure you don’t over-bake them, or they’ll be soggy.

Gazpacho Salsa

Ingredients:
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
1 Kirby cucumber, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon each Kosher salt and black pepper
dippers (crostini, veggies, pita chips)

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, vinegar, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Serve with the dippers.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Finger and Zucchini Sticks

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
salt and pepper
1 12-oz bag whole grain pretzels
2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 large eggs
2 zucchini, halved crosswise and cut into sticks
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
3/4 cup EVOO
carrot sticks, celery sticks, and dill pickle spears for serving

DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the chicken broth and milk. When the milk begins to bubble, stir in the cheese and mustard. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
2. Preheat the oven to 250°. Using a food processor, finely grind the pretzels. Transfer to a shallow bowl and add the thyme. In another shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Coat the zucchini with the pretzel crumbs, then the egg, then the pretzel crumbs again. Repeat with the chicken.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Cook the chicken in 2 batches, turning, until firm, about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels; keep warm on a baking sheet in the oven. Repeat with the zucchini, adding more oil if necessary.
4. Serve the chicken fingers and zucchini sticks with the cheese sauce, along with the carrot sticks, celery sticks and dill pickle spears.

Lemony Tuna Salad

Serves: 4 Prep: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
salt and pepper
1 6-oz can solid white tuna, drained
1 cup canned white beans, rinsed
1/2 english cucumber, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 large head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon peel; season with salt and pepper. Add the tuna, breaking it apart slightly with a fork, then the beans, cucumber and onion. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange the romaine on 4 large plates and top with the tuna salad and tomatoes.

Cheesy Potato Corncakes

Serves: 8 Prep Time: 25 minutes From: Rachel Ray

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds peeled yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled and chopped
salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped chives
1/2 cup cornmeal
one 10 oz box frozen corn kernels, thawed
6 oz pepperjack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
Pepper
3/4 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Salt the water and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, then mash the potatoes in the pot. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Let cool, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, stir together the eggs and chives. Place the cornmeal on a large, shallow plate.
3. Combine the potatoes with the corn, the cheese and the egg mixture; season with pepper. Scoop out 2 rounded tablespoons and roll into a ball. Set on a sheet of waxed paper; repeat with the remaining mixture (you should have 30 pieces). Flatten each ball into a 1/2-inch-thick patty, coat in the cornmeal and transfer to a baking sheet.
4. On a griddle or in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Working in 3 batches, add the corncakes and cook until golden-brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt.

Sarah's very favorite holiday recipe--Sweet Potato Gratin

from the kitchen of Renata Riley (my great aunt)
Serves 8 (this can be halved for a smaller crowd)

Ingredients
3 TBSP butter
4 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into ¾ in thick slices
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400.
Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish w/ 1 tbsp butter.
Arrange a third of the sweet potatoes, overlapping slightly in the dish.
Sprinkle w/ ¼ cup cheese.
Repeat with two more layers of sweet potatoes and cheese.
In small bowl combine cream, salt, pepper & cayenne. Pour over potatoes. Dot with the remaining 2 tbsp butter.
Cover dish w/ foil & bake 20 min.
Remove foil & continue baking until sweet potatoes are tender & top is browned—20-25 minutes.