CURRIED WILD RICE & CHICKEN CHOWDER

Ingredients
1/4 cup wild rice
3/4 cup water

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 carrots, shredded or diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup flour

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups 2% milk (Skim would work…will be less rich, but will taste fine, if you’d rather)*
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon yellow curry powder
2 cups shredded chicken breast
2 teaspoon fresh, minced parsley (optional)

*I used skim milk and needed to add cornstarch/water towards the end.

In a small saucepan bring wild rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until tender. Drain if necessary. Set aside.

Over medium heat in a large pot add olive oil, butter, onion, and garlic. Cook for 15 minutes or until golden and soft, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery, and zucchini. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in flour very well and cook for an additional minute. Add the cooked wild rice, chicken broth, milk, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, chives, thyme, sage, nutmeg, and curry powder.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and soup is thickened. Remove bay leaf. Stir in chicken and fresh parsley. Heat through. Makes approx eight 1-cup servings.

Serve with warm, Sweet Multigrain Rolls from Walmart! (80 calories each)

Only 155 calories per cup

Tomato and Spinach Strata

6 servings

Ingredients
 olive oil spray
1/2 medium onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 Cup low fat cottage cheese
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, or 1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, cooked, squeezed dry and chopped
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups prepared marinara or spaghetti sauce, divided
8 slices whole-grain  bread,  (80 cal each) Cut off crusts. Baked 5 minutes to dry out like day-old
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 Cup Egg Beaters
1 cup low-fat milk
3 Tbls  freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)


Nutritional Info for 1/6  of pan

Calories 281, Fat 8g, Sat. Fat 1.1g, Cholesterol 17 mg, Sodium 761g, Carbs 35.9g, Fiber 8.9g, Sugars 10.5, Protein 22.5g, Vitamin A 80%, Vitamin C 23%, Calcium 32%, Iron 20%

Preparation

Coat a 7-by-11-inch (or similar-size) baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat olive oil  spray in a small  nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms,  cook, stirring often, until the moisture has evaporated. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt and stir to combine.

In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, spinach, nutmeg and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper .

Spoon 1/2  cup marinara sauce into the prepared baking dish.
  Spread spinach ricotta mixture on 4 of the 8  pieces of bread and arrange these on the sauce (the bread doesn’t have to completely cover the sauce).
Arrange the remaining bread over the spinach ricotta mixture. Scatter the mushroom mixture over the bread. Top with mozzarella. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the top. The pan will be very full.
Whisk egg substitute and milk in a small bowl. Pour the mixture slowly over the casserole, poking the filling gently with the tip of a knife until the egg mixture is evenly distributed and the bread is saturated. Coat a piece of foil with cooking spray on one side and cover the casserole, sprayed-side down. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and bake until puffed and golden brown, 10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

makes 16

16 egg roll wrappers (roughly 4 square inches)
3-4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2- 2/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (we used southwestern style BBQ sauce)
1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)
2-3 cups broccoli slaw or cole slaw (dry)(before chopping)
Small bowl of water
Nonstick cooking spray
Blue cheese dressing, for serving or Peppercorn Ranch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. In a small bowl, stir chicken* (see note below) and hot sauce until well coated, using more or less sauce depending on your spice preference. The meat should be moist with sauce.

Begin by placing one tablespoon of the broccoli slaw on the diagonal of the bottom right corner of one of the wrappers. (I used my food processor to chop it up to make it easier to work with.) Next, place 2 tablespoons of shredded spicy chicken evenly on top of the slaw. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese crumbles over the chicken. Do not overfill.

To fold: Fold the bottom left corner over the stuffing mixture so that it covers it completely, with the tip of the corner now pointing to the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold in the bottom left corner, followed by the right, so that you now have formed an envelope. Roll the wrap upward one time, tucking and forming, leaving the top left corner open. Wet your index finger in the small bowl of water and press to moisten the top left corner. Now fold that down on top of the filled roll, sealing it like you would an envelope.

Repeat with remaining rolls.

Place the rolls on a wire rack set on top of a cookie sheet (or just on a greased cookie sheet) coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spritz each roll evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the rolls crisp and turn a light golden brown.






Nutrition Information for 1 roll: Calories: 103, Fat: 3.2g, Cholesterol 19.5mg, Sodium 237.7mg, Carb: 9.9g, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugars: 0.3g, Protein: 8.1g

Quinoa Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

1 Cup Quinoa, uncooked
3 1/2 Cups Water, divided
1/2 lb. lean ground Turkey
1 large sweet Onion, chopped
1 cup chopped green, red, yellow Peppers-your choice
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbls. Chili Powder
1 Tbls. ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. ground Cinnamon
2 cans (15 oz each) Black Beans, rinsed and drained, patted dry
1 can (28 oz) crushed Tomatoes
1 medium Zucchini, chopped
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped  (It's in a small can in the ethnic aisle)  I freeze the rest.
1 Tbls. Adobo sauce
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 cup frozen Corn, thawed

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, bring quinoa and 2 cups water to a boil.  Reduce heat: cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat; fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion, peppers and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain.  Stir in the chili powder, cumin and cinnamon; cook 2 minutes longer.
3.  Add the black beans, tomatoes, zucchini, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper and remaining water.  Bring to a boil.  reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir in corn and quinoa; heat through.  Discard bay leaf.

Nutrition Facts:  1 cup equals 264 calories, 5 grams fat, 9 grams fiber, 15 grams protein

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients
8 strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup skim milk
 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
 3 tablespoons  Sugar substitute like Splenda, Equal, or Truvia
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 6-8  cubes ice
Directions
 In a blender combine strawberries, milk, yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Toss in the ice. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into glasses and serve.  Makes 2 servings.

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich

makes 1 sandwich
Ingredients

2 slices bread (we used a white bread, but one filled with lots of different whole grains and seeds would be *awesome*)
2-3 tablespoons Green Goddess Herb Pesto (recipe below)
2 slices mild white melty cheese like mozzarella
handful fresh baby spinach
¼ avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
olive oil (and butter if you’re so inclined)
Directions

Spread about 1 tablespoon of Green Goddess Herb Pesto onto each slice of bread (2 tablespoons total, but if you’re sensitive, go light, the pesto is STRONG).

On one slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, spinach, second slice of cheese, then top it with second slice of bread. Press together gently.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. (If you want to use butter, add it to the oil and let it melt). Add the sandwich to the oil and cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip the sandwich over and cook until second side is golden brown.

Green Goddess Herb Pesto
Ingredients

1 clove garlic
1 (or 2 if you’re ballsy) anchovy fillet (in oil)
½ small shallot, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
handful chopped kale (I didn't have this, so I used baby spinach)
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (I left this out. I don't like tarragon)
1 tablespoon chopped chives
¼ cup olive oil (add slowly. you might not need it all depending on your idea of "handful")
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pulse garlic, anchovy, and shallot in food processor until chopped. With the food processor running, add lemon juice, parsley, kale, tarragon and chives. (It won’t process very well yet, don’t worry).

Very slowly drizzle in olive oil until kale and herbs get sufficiently chopped and everything is the consistency of a pesto. You may need more or less of the olive oil depending on how big a “handful” of herbs is to you. You can also turn off the food processor and push herbs down the side of the bowl with a spatula every once in a while.

Season to taste with salt and pepper (You probably won’t need too much salt if you used 2 anchovies).

(This makes a lot, but you will use it all for other things. We added more olive oil to make it back into a salad dressing.)

Banana Bread

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4 to 5 medium)
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, bananas, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in nuts if desired.
Transfer to two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

Nutritional Facts
1 slice (calculated without nuts) equals 230 calories, 10 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 292 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.