Broccoli Cheddar Soup

The low fat dairy in this wintery soup make this a hearty, healthy dish. Broccoli is an incredible ource of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp unbleached flour
4 c. fat free milk
1 lb fresh broccoli
1clove grated garlic
1 c. low fat white cheddar cheese
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:
1. Begin by slowly melting the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it is melted, make a roux by adding the flour and stirring until combined.
2. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring after each addition until smooth and well-combined.
3. Add the garlic, spices, and salt and pepper to the saucepan.
4. Allow the milk to simmer gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from browning.
5. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and set aside. Wash and chop the broccoli into small pieces and set aside.
6. Stir in the cheddar a little at a time until melted and smooth. Taste to adjust seasoning.
7. Add the broccoli. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. If the soup begins to reduce too much, cover the saucepan for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
8. Perfect to enjoy on a cold day with a warm blanket and a good movie!

Stuffed Bell Peppers (Vegetarian)

Many people stuff their peppers with ground beef, which seems like a silly way to ruin a good plant-based dish. This mushroom stuffing is much more flavorful. Mushrooms are an excellent source of protein and pack a load of vitamins and minerals including Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Zinc and Manganese, and are a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Selenium. Who needs ground beef?

Ingredients:
6 medium green bell peppers
2 pints baby Portobello mushrooms
1 medium tomato, chopped
¾ c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
2 c. cooked brown rice or barley
¼ c flax or sesame seeds
2 eggs

To Prepare:
1. Cut the tops off of the peppers, set aside. With a serrated spoon or knife, remove the seeds and membranes. Place the peppers in a shallow baking dish.
2. In a food processor, pulse the mushrooms and tomato until fine. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Mix bread crumbs, oregano, cheese, rice, seeds, and eggs in with the mushrooms to form the stuffing.
4. Gently fill each pepper with the stuffing until all of the stuffing has been used. Place the tops of the peppers loosely back on the filled bottoms, leaving enough open space for some air to get through.
5. Bake on center rack at 350º for about an hour or until the flesh of the peppers seems soft.

Mango-Beet Salad

The only tricky thing about this simple salad is keeping your hands from turning bright pink from the beets. This is an instant classic. The tangy flavor of the mango perfectly complements the sweetness of the beets.

Ingredients:
1 mango, firm yet ripe
2 lbs beets

To Prepare:
1. Place the beets, washed but unpeeled, in a large saucepan. Bring them to a boil and cook for 45 minutes to an hour until cooked through.
2. Rinse the beets in cold water and allow them to dry on a paper towel or other disposable surface. Beets can easily stain but they’re worth the trouble for their delicious flavor and nutritional prowess.
3. Peel the beets and cut into small cubes. Place the cubes in a large bowl.
4. Peel the mango and carefully cut the flesh away from the pith. Cut into large cubes.
5. Gently toss until the mango is slightly stained with beet juice. Serve cold.

Turkey/Eggplant Chili

This recipe is simple, healthy and delicious. It takes only twenty minutes to prepare and simmers for about an hour. Cooking instructions are the same for eggplant, except that you will want to lightly coat the pan with olive oil to prevent burning.

Ingredients:
1 lb 93/7 ground turkey meat or 1 lb eggplant, diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (low sodium)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (low sodium)
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno
½ pint mushrooms, button or Portobello, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 – 15 ½ oz cans kidney beans, drained
1 – 15 ½ oz can navy beans, drained
black pepper and salt
olive oil

To prepare:

1. Place turkey in a large fryer over medium heat with 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika, salt, and pepper. Brown.
2. Lightly coat the bottom of a medium soup pot with olive oil and set to medium heat.
3. Add diced onion, jalapeno, green onion, and minced garlic to the pot. Sweat the onions for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the remaining spices to the onions and cook until soft.
5. Gently stir the tomato sauce into the onions and add the mushrooms.
6. When the turkey has browned, drain and add the diced tomatoes and dried herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes.
7. Add the turkey to the onions and stir in both types of beans.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
9. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for about an hour until sauce thickens and beans begin to break down. Garnish with fat-free sour cream.

Zucchini Muffins

Another excellent use for garden fresh zucchini! You can also use this base for banana muffins by substitutung 4 mashed ripe bananas for the zucchini and sweet potato and reducing the brown sugar to ½ cup.

Ingredients:
2 ½ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. milled flax (use whole if necessary)
½ c. oats
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
¾ c. olive oil
3 eggs
¾ c. brown sugar
1 baked sweet potato, mashed without skin
2 c. zucchini, finely grated without skin
granulated sugar

To Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 400º
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, flax, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and eggs until well combined.
4. Stir brown sugar into the egg and oil mixture.
5. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined.
6. Add sweet potato and zucchini until just combined.
7. Spray muffin tins with olive oil spray, fill each cup about ¾ of the way full with the batter.
8. Lightly sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of each muffin.
9. Bake on center rack at 400º for 18-20 minutes until done.

Muffins will be sweet, yet healthy. They don’t rise like bakery muffins, but they are dense, satisfying, and rich in fiber. Enjoy!

Ratatouille

A healthy, easy version of the French classic.
Ingredients:
1 1-lb zucchini (or one small zucchini and one small yellow squash)
1 1-lb eggplant
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 medium Vidalia onion
1 lb fresh tomatoes, ripe
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried chives
¼ tsp dried rosemary
Garlic salt and black pepper to taste
Olive oil
Dry red wine
To prepare:
1. Set a large skillet to medium heat, drizzle a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp.) to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Coarsely chop the onion. Add onion to the pan and allow it to sweat. Add
2. Season the onion generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Begin to cut the eggplant and zucchini into ½ inch cubes, leaving the skin on.
4. Coat a second large skillet with olive oil and set to medium-high heat. Before the oil smokes, add enough eggplant and zucchini to cover the bottom. Allow to brown on about two sides.
5. When the onions have become soft, add the garlic and cook for one minute.
6. Roughly chop tomatoes and add to the onions.
7. Season with dried herbs and more salt and pepper, if desired.
8. Move the browned zucchini and eggplant to the pan with the onions. Add more oil to the free pan and repeat browning process until all of the vegetables have been added to the final mixture.
9. When all of the vegetables have been browned, deglaze the empty pan with about 2 tablespoons of dry red wine (use a beautiful Beaujolais for authenticity). Add to the final mixture.
10. Transition the ratatouille to a six quart casserole dish. Cover and bake at 325º for an hour, or until vegetables are tender. Serve with quinoa or brown rice.