High Protein Cottage Cheese and Oatmeal pancakes

1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup frozen, warmed berries with their juices as a topping or sugar free syrup
Splenda to taste

1. Blend first four ingredients until smooth (I use the magic bullet; if you use a blender be sure to put the wet ingredients in first). Pour approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto heated griddle or non-stick pan (check to see if its hot enough with a splash of water-if it sizzles, its hot enough).
2. When pancake bubbles, flip and cook the other side.
Top with frozen strawberries, warmed and sliced and poured over the top with their juices. Or substitute fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or bananas.  You can use Splenda to taste.

Makes 2 Servings (Three ¼ cup pancakes with ¼ cup strawberries)

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 254.5
Total Fat: 3.3 g
Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1.0 g
Cholesterol: 2.3 mg
Sodium: 280.0 mg
Potassium: 297.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 33.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.3 g
Sugars: 2.5 g
Protein: 21.3 g

Recipe from answerfitness.com

Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

Makes 8 cups

1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white sugar
6 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced green bell peppers
Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
Place the cucumbers, onions and green bell peppers in a large bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe from all recipes.com

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Slaw

Serves 6

For the cilantro slaw:
½ head cabbage, either green or red, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ red pepper or some carrots, thin julienne
½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons orange juice (I didn’t have any so I pureed a ripe pluot)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
A little fresh lime juice
For the fish tacos:
1 pound halibut fillets
About 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 Tablespoon canola oil
Whole wheat flour or stone ground corn 8” tortillas

1. Mix all the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. Season the fish fillet with a little salt and pepper. Liberally coat the first side with ancho chili powder. Heat the canola oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sprinkle some salt and pepper from a height in the hot oil also. This really helps keep the fish from sticking. Cook the fillet ancho side down. Sprinkle the top with the remaining ancho chili. Fish takes about 10 minutes per inch of thickness to cook no matter how you do it. So guess what half the total cooking time should be for one side and don’t try to turn the fillet before then. Heat the tortillas. Flake the cooked fish and place in the tortillas. Top with the slaw. Enjoy.
Note: I have heard that fish tacos are excellent with a little mango chutney. I'll let you know when I give it a try.

Recipe from Dr. Maring

Quinoa Risotto

Serves 3 as a main course

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh arugula
1 medium carrot, shredded (if you have a food processor, try the shredder disk)
1/2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 bunch skinny asparagus, trimmed of the thick ends and sliced into 1″ pieces
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Using a large saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the quinoa
and garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute.

2. Add the broth and bring to a boil then simmer for about 12 minutes. The grain will be almost tender at this point. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms and skinny asparagus pieces in a non-stick skillet using the remaining teaspoon of oil until the mushrooms are almost cooked and the asparagus is crunchy tender. Stir the arugula, carrot, mushrooms, and asparagus into the grain and simmer for another couple minutes. Stir in the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Unbelievably good.

Recipe from Dr. Maring

Potato Salad with Watercress and Fresh Herbs

Serves 2 as an entree

4-5 Yukon gold or baby red potatoes
1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
drizzle of olive oil
splash of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. honey (or to taste)
salt and pepper
Bunch of watercress leaves (or another flavorful salad green)
Green Goddess bottled dressing

1. Wash the potatoes, peel if you like, and cut into cubes. Boil in salted water until they are tender, but not falling apart. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Whisk together the mustard, oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the warm potatoes. Toss to coat. Dress the arugula with Goddess dressing and serve on the side.

Recipe adapted from http://freshcleanstart.blogspot.com/2010/05/potato-salad-with-fresh-herbs-and.html

Orichiette with Spinach, Onions and Lentils

Serves 4

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large cippolini or yellow onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup French green lentils
8 oz orecchiette, fusilli, or penne
1/2 lb baby spinach leaves
1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, about 1/2 cup, finely grated

1. Start the pasta water in a large pot.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Stir in onions, garlic, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and caramelized (20 to 25 minutes). Discard the bay leaf.

3. Meanwhile, cover the lentils with water by 1” in a small saucepan. Simmer them covered until they are tender and the water is absorbed. This step takes about 25 minutes also. Salt and pepper them, leaving them covered until used.
Bring about 6 qts of salted water to a boil in a pasta pot. Cook the pasta until al dente. Orecchiete takes 16 to 20 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. All the little ears collect water so you have to shake the colander more so than with linguini.

4. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the onions, lentils and spinach to the pasta with just enough cooking water to wilt the spinach and moisten the pasta. Stir in the cheese and adjust seasonings.

Recipe from http://recipe.kaiser-permanente.org

Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad with Cilantro

Serves ?

6 ears fresh corn, husked
1-1/2 lb plum or cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Cook the corn in boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, cool, then cut the kernels off the cobs. In a large bowl, mix the other ingredients with the corn. Season to taste.

Spinach Pizza with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Sweet Onion, and Fontina

Serves two for dinner and one for lunch the next day

Rolled out dough for a 12″ pizza or a pre-made crust
1 head garlic
1/2 cup olive oil (you will only use about 2 tablespoons of it so you will have roasted garlic oil leftover for another use — takes advantage of the fact you went to the trouble to roast the garlic)
1 sweet onion
1 bunch fresh spinach
2 ounces fontina cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Drizzle garlic clove with olive oil. Wrap the whole head of garlic loosely in aluminum foil. Roast it in a 400 degree oven for one hour. When cool enough to handle, cut the tops off of the cloves. Squeeze garlic out of papery wrappers into a bowl. It’s best to do this step ahead of time so the garlic and oil can sit for a while.

2. Preheat your oven and pizza stone if you are using one to as hot as it can go without broiling. Thinly slice the onion. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a saute pan gently, add the onion, and cover. Stir the onion every now and then until it caramelizes. This takes maybe fifteen minutes. Wash and dry the spinach leaves from the whole bunch. Coarsely grate the fontina.

3. Roll out the dough to a 12 inch circle and place in on a lightly floured baking sheet. If using a pre-made crust, follow the instructions. Brush the crust lightly with about a tablespoon of the garlic oil, but try scoop out a lot of the roasted garlic and spread it around. Scatter the caramelized onions. Add a thick layer of spinach leaves. Top with half the cheese. Add another layer of spinach leaves and top with the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle and little salt and a liberal amount of freshly ground black pepper.

4. Bake pizzas in two steps. That way you just need to finish it in the oven when everything else is totally ready —- like the table is set, the salad has been made, and your partner is close by and ready to eat. Try baking this spinach pizza for about 6 minutes first, getting everything else ready and the kitchen cleaned up, and then finishing it for about three minutes. Cut it into six pieces and serve.

Recipe from http://recipe.kaiser-permanente.org

Indian Lentil and Rice Pancakes

Makes 10 pancakes
Note: Recipe must be started the day before it is to be served.

3/4 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup red lentils
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1. Place rice, lentils and water in a juice pitcher. Cover and let sit overnight.

2. Drain water off (reserve) and blend rice and lentils with an immersion blender. Then, blend water back into the lentils/rice until smooth. Cover and let ferment in a warm place for 24 hours. (Or, you can soak everything in a bowl, and blend in a food processor. I find the first method easier and less messy).

3. Heat a non-stick frying pan (like a well-seasoned cast iron pan) over medium heat. Mix salt, tumeric, pepper, and cilantro into the batter.

4. Brush the pan with oil, and pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter on the pan. Spread/thin out batter with the back of a spoon (you can make 3 pancakes at once, depending on the size of your pan). Cook for 1-2 minutes, until dry around the edges, flip, and cook another minute or so. Keep cooked pancakes wrapped in a towel while you cook the others. Serve at once.

Potato and Oyster Mushroom Curry

2 tbsp oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
8 oz oyster mushrooms, cut into large pieces
salt to taste
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 lb potatoes, cut into small chunks
2 large tomatoes, small dice
1/2 cup water, more if needed
1 tsp lemon juice

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry onions and cilantro for 5-7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add mushrooms, salt, and spices. Fry for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms release their water. Add a splash of water if spices stick too much.

2. Add potatoes, tomatoes, and water and mix well. Bring to bubbling, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are cooked. Add more water if it gets too dry, then stir in lemon juice and serve.

Recipe courtesy of http://vegandad.blogspot.com

Red Pepper Frittata Squares

Serves 6

2 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
10 large eggs
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 oz soft goat cheese
salt
black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil in a non-stick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook until peppers are soft, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Mix in the parsley. Pour over the vegetables in the skillet, stir once, and crumble the cheese over the top.

3. Transfer to the oven and bake until the center is set, 18 to 20 minutes. Slide out of the skillet and cut into squares before serving warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

Low-Carb Barbeque Sauce

Leon, this one's for you.

Makes 4 cups.

1 tsp. canola or olive Oil
1 cup minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 cup hot water
3 6-oz cans tomato paste
1 cup granular Splenda
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. Hickory flavor Liquid Smoke
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce, more to taste

1. Place oil in large saucepan. Add onions and garlic, and saute over medium heat until translucent.

2. Mix the bouillon cubes and hot water until partially dissolved. Add bouillon mixture and all remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Stir well using a wire whisk.

3. Simmer uncovered 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently. Refrigerate overnight in a non-metallic container, sauce is best if prepared a day before using. May be refrigerated for up to a week.

Note: This recipe is fantastic. My dad made it for ribs the other day, and it is officially my favorite sauce in the world--suitable for vegetarians to carnivores, no-carb diets to all-carb diets. Yum.

Recipe courtesy of diabetesforums.com

Man Soup

(This is named for my husband, who only likes really hearty soup)

1 package dried tortellini
2 cans of vegetable broth
1 cup of water
frozen green beans, french cut
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
boullion to taste
mix of rosemary, oregano, italian seasoning, and a salt-free spice blend (basically I just raided the spice cabinet until the broth smelled good and wasn't too salty.)
This recipe is very adaptable. If you like corn, add it, if you hate garbanzos, leave 'em out, etc. Even the spices are flexible--I think oregano is a keeper though.

1. Bring the water and broth to a boil. While it is heating up, open the chickpeas and rinse them under running water until they stop foaming. Then add them to the broth.
2. While the broth is heating up, add spices and bouillon to taste.
3. When the broth is boiling, add the frozen greenbeans. They heat through really quickly.
4. Bring the broth to a boil again.
5. Add the tortellini and cook to the manufacturer's instructions (mine took about 12 minutes)
6. Serve.
This whole thing takes about 25 minutes, and used just stuff we had in the kitchen. Its very filling, and makes good leftovers--although by the next day, this is way too thick to still qualify as soup. :)

(Another way to do this is to cook the tortellini separately, and add them to each serving, so they don't absorb all the water in the pot before you can eat this as leftovers.)

Crockpot Enchiladas

1-3/4 lbs. canned crushed tomatoes in tomato purée
14 ounces chunky style prepared salsa
6 ounces tomato paste
2 lbs. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 lb. corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1/4 lb. canned diced mild green chilies, drained
1-1/2 Tbs. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
5 corn tortillas
2 ounces olive slices, drained

Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Pour about 1 cup of mixture into the bottom of an electric slow cooker on low heat. Spread evenly and top with 1-1/2 tortillas, cutting to fit pot. Spread 1/3 of remaining tomato mixture over top. Repeat layering process, ending with tomato mixture. Spread top evenly. Sprinkle with olives. Cover and cook about 5 hours. Serve hot. This recipe serves 5 people.

Mushrooms à la Grecque

Serves 4

1/2 pound small white button mushrooms
1/2 pound small cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8 slices country white bread, for grilling (try brushing a peeled garlic clove lightly over the bread)
2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley

1. Slice off and discard the mushroom stems. Rinse and drain the mushrooms. If the mushroom caps are larger than three-quarters inch in diameter, cut them in half vertically. Put the mushrooms, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, coriander seeds and one-fourth cup water in a 3 1/2 - or 4-quart pot. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat, gently shaking the pan a few times during the first few minutes of cooking. Simmer gently, covered, for 12 minutes to cook through.

2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms from the pot and put them into a bowl to cool. Return the mushroom liquid to a good simmer, adding any remaining liquid that the resting mushrooms have released back to the pan to reduce. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to one-fourth cup, then remove from the heat.

3. Pour the reduced liquid over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. The recipe to this point can be made ahead and the mushrooms stored, refrigerated, for 1 to 2 days.

4. Heat a grill over medium heat. Grill both sides of the bread until lightly browned. Divide the mushrooms with the juices among four small bowls. Sprinkle each with fresh parsley and serve with the bread.

Mulligatawny Soup

Serves: 6

In addition to the 30 minutes of prep time, this recipe requires 8-10 hours in the crockpot.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled, medium dice
2 celery ribs, medium dice
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tart apple, peeled and diced
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
4-5 red bliss potatoes, diced
(optional) 2 cups chicken tenders, cut into about 1 inch slices
¾ cup lentils, dry
2 ½ quarts stock

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, carrots, celery, and seasonings. Stirring often, cook the vegetables until just begin to soften and brown.

2. Transfer the vegetables to the Crock Pot along with the remaining ingredients. Cook on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally.

Recipe from crock-pot.com

From-Scratch Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 and 2/3 cups unbleached flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tin.

2. With a blender, thoroughly blend the oil, syrup, egg, and pumpkin in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the blended mixture, and stir gently to form a thick batter.

4. Immediately spread the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.

5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Recipe courtesy of Ashley Marquardt, who was in my nutrition class.

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

Serves 6 as a side dish, 2 as a main course

Note: Although the preparation of this dish takes only 30 minutes (much less than that if you use pre-shredded cheese), this recipe does require 2 hours in the slow cooker.

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups shredded medium Cheddar cheese (sharp cheese will add more flavor)
1 12-fluid-oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
(some people like to add grated onion, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, or a little spicy paprika. Another variation is to add two beaten eggs to the milks in step 1, and add broccoli florets when the cheese is added, for a kind of quiche.)

1. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, stir together fresh and evaporated milks. Mix in uncooked macaroni and 3 cups shredded cheese. Add garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Stir until well mixed, and transfer to slow cooker.

3. Cook on low for approximately 2 hours. Stir halfway through to prevent browning on the bottom and sides.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Serves 6

Note: Prep Time is 30 minutes, but it takes 2 more hours in the crockpot to cook.

2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
16 oz fresh ricotta (cottage cheese is good too)
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
12 oz dry lasagna noodles
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and torn into pieces (spinach would also work)
12 oz mozzarella, grated
Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.

2. In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

3. Spoon 1/3 cup of the tomato mixture into the bowl of the slow cooker. Top with a single layer of the noodles, breaking them to fit as necessary. Add half the Swiss chard. Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and a third of the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, and repeat with the other ingredients. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining ricotta mixture, tomato mixture and mozzarella. Set the slowcooker to low, and cook, covered, for 2 hours, or until the noodles are tender.

Recipe from "Real Simple" Magazine

Mom Brown's Corn Bread

Serves 6

1 and 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup oil
(If desired, add 1/4 cup sugar)

1. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In another bowl, mix together milk, egg, and oil. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture. Stir only enough to mix.

3. Fill greased baking pans half-full. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

This recipe is courtesy of Judy Greaves.