GERMAN RED CABBAGE

This has to be my favorite way to eat cabbage.  I used to make it with bacon, but this healthy version is just as good!  This recipe is a combination of a couple of recipes I had, with some additions of my own, so I guess it's original! 

6 cups diced red cabbage

1 medium apple, sliced

1/2 cup chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey or agave
1 tablespoon Smart Balance or Earth Balance spread

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 1 tablespoon water

salt to taste

Place cabbage in a large skillet.  Cover with salted water and bring to a boil.  Boil for one minute.  Drain well.  Stir in remaining ingredients, except salt.  Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45-60  minutes or until tender.  Remove bay leaf.  Add salt to taste.  Makes about 6 servings.

AVOCADO AND COUSCOUS SALAD

I love this recipe!  It's really simple to make and tastes great, too!  The original recipe came from a favorite magazine, but I changed it to add more flavor by cooking the couscous in chicken or vegetable broth instead of water, adding garlic, and increasing the lime juice.  We eat it as a main dish, but it makes a nice side dish as well.

1 cup whole wheat couscous

1 14.5 ounce can chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup water

1 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 large avocado, diced

1/2 cup chopped onion or 4 green onions, sliced, with tops

1-2 teaspoons minced garlic 

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 

Bring broth and 1/4 cup water to a boil.  Stir in couscous and cover for 5 minutes.  Uncover, fluff with fork, and let cool to lukewarm.  Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir in couscous.  Serve immediately or chill.  Makes 3-4 main dish or 6 side dish servings.    

COMFORT SOUP

This soup is almost as easy as opening a can, and certainly more nutritious.  I came up with this recipe late last fall when I was not feeling well and wanted some chicken noodle soup.  I've made it several times since and my husband enjoys it too.  Budget-friendly tip:  Canned broth usually goes on sale around Thanksgiving.  I stock up by buying a couple dozen cans at about half the normal price.

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon Smart Balance, Earth Balance, or butter

1 quart (32 ounces) natural chicken broth

1 1/2 cup whole grain noodles

1 cup frozen peas and carrots or mixed vegetables

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon dried leaf oregano

1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (opt.)

1 10-ounce can natural chicken in water, drained (opt.)

In a medium saucepan, saute onion in Smart Balance or butter until tender.  Add remaining ingredients, except chicken.  Simmer until noodles are tender.  Stir in chicken and heat through. Makes about 4 servings.

QUICK CHILI

This is a recipe I came up with for lunch one cold day because I wanted to use what I had on hand in the fridge and in the pantry to make chili.  I have made it many times since.  I like the Kroger (Private Selection) brand of natural chili beans and they recently changed the name to "Simple Truth Organic Hot Chili Beans."  I like to use a brand without unhealthy additives and this is a budget-friendly one!  When I don't have multicolored peppers on hand, I just use chopped green bell peppers.  If I happen to have fresh mushrooms on hand, I add those, but I often leave them out.

 

2 cups chopped multicolored sweet peppers

3/4 cup chopped onion

1-2 teaspoons olive or canola oil

1 15.5 ounce can natural hot chili beans

2/3 cup cooked red, kidney, white, or pinto beans 

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (opt.)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup water or broth

Saute peppers and onion in oil until tender.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer a few minutes.  Makes 3-4 servings.

      

SESAME VEGGIE PASTA

Sometimes I like to tweak pasta recipes by cutting down on the amount of pasta and adding extra veggies.  This is one we really enjoy that I changed.  It tastes a bit like Pad Thai.  If you don't like raw mushrooms and/or onions in this recipe, saute them in a teaspoon of oil before adding them to the mixture.

6 ounces uncooked whole grain thin spaghetti

2 cups broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach or 3/4 cup frozen, thawed chopped spinach

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup cashews

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

4 teaspoons agave or honey
2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cook broccoli with pasta in boiling water.  Drain and keep warm.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame seeds, agave or honey, lime juice, garlic, and cayenne.  Place pasta  and broccoli in a large bowl with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, onion, and cashews.  Pour sauce over mixture and toss gently to coat.  Makes 4-6 servings.

      

 

EASY MAIN DISH TABOULEH

When I found some fresh mint on clearance at the supermarket recently, I immediately thought of making tabouleh. We love it served on a bed of leaf lettuce and alongside  a cucumber, tomato, and yogurt salad.  Adding a can of chick peas makes it a nice main dish, but served as a side, the beans can be omitted.

1 cup bulgur

3 1/2 cups boiling water

1 1/2 cups minced fresh parsley (about one bunch)

1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves

2 or 3 tomatoes, chopped

1 15.5 ounce can chick peas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped onion or green onions

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (opt.)

In a large bowl, combine wheat (bulgur) and boiling water.   Let stand at room temperature about two hours.  Drain well, return to bowl, and stir in remaining ingredients.  Chill 2 hours or more.  Serve on lettuce leaves.  Makes about 6 main dish or 10-12 side dish servings.

 

MARINATED CHICKEN AND VEGGIE PIZZA

Although we eat vegetarian most days, we like to have chicken or fish a couple of times a week.  This is our favorite pizza recipe.  It's delicious even without cheese!  The original recipe has always been one of our family favorites and called for fewer veggies and cooked roast beef instead of chicken.  When we changed our eating habits, I decided to tweak the recipe a bit and it turned out great!

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3-4 large garlic cloves, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt (opt.)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1 large onion, sliced

3-4 cups julienned  red, yellow, and/or green peppers

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 recipe pizza dough (preferably whole grain--see below)

In a large zipper bag, combine the first five ingredients for marinade.  Add chicken and veggies.  Seal bag and toss to coat.  Chill for 2 hours or more.  Spread dough on a large oiled pizza pan.  (Mine is a 15 1/2 inch pan.)  Drain marinade and arrange chicken and veggie mixture over crust.  Bake at 375 degrees about 40 minutes.  Makes one large pizza.

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA CRUST (Bread Machine)

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon agave or honey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons gluten

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine pan in order given and process on dough setting.  Makes enough for one large pizza.