Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap

Slightly adapted from EatingWell: July/August 2009, http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/creamy_avocado_white_bean_wrap.html

Eating Well says:  White beans mashed with ripe avocado and blended with sharp Cheddar and onion makes an incredibly rich, flavorful filling for this wrap. The tangy, spicy slaw adds crunch. Serve with tortilla chips and salsa.

4 servings | Prep Time: 25 minutes (I don’t think it took me that long!) 

2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 Tablespoons minced pickled jalapenos
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded red cabbage (red’s prettiest, but green works fine)
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons minced red onion
4  8- to 10-inch whole-wheat wraps, or tortillas

Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle chile and salt in a medium bowl. Add cabbage, carrot, cilantro, and jalapenos; toss to combine.

Mash beans and avocado in another medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in cheese and onion.

To assemble the wraps, spread about 1/2 cup of the bean-avocado mixture onto a wrap (or tortilla) and top with about 2/3 cup of the cabbage-carrot slaw. Roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut the wraps in half to serve, if desired.

Add sliced turkey to make these even heartier.

Not-Fried Tortilla Chips

From Nestle’s Very Best Baking web site.  Originally by Pam Anderson?

12 servings (yeah, right)

12 corn tortillas
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 400 degrees.

Leaving tortillas in a stack, cut into 6 wedges. Toss tortilla wedges in the oil and arrange in a single layer on two cookie sheets. Bake, rotating each sheet from front to back and from upper to lower positions after 8 minutes, until crisp and golden brown, about 12 minutes total. Season hot chips with salt and serve.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size

1/12 servings of recipe

Calories 80

Calories from Fat 35

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 4g 6%

Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 90mg 4%

Carbohydrates 11g 4%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 0g

Protein 1g

Vitamin A 0%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 2%

Iron 2%

Marinated Bean Salad

6-8 servings

1 15-ounce can green beans, rinsed, and drained
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed, and drained
1/4 small red onion, minced, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes and drained
1/3 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen/thawed)
1/3 cup minced green pepper
1/3 cup minced red pepper
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

 

freshly ground black pepper
minced flat-leaf parsley to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the beans and vegetables. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, vinegar, oil, and salt to a simmer. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture. Marinate the salad at room temperature for 1 hour, tossing several times. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste, add the parsley. Serve.

Roast Pork Tenderloin

Roast on a sheet pan at 325 degrees F for 35 minutes.

Lightened-up Hollandaise Sauce

 http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/hollandaise_sauce.html

From EatingWell: April 1998

Bring back eggs Benedict with our lightened-up Hollandaise sauce. Here we thicken buttermilk with cornstarch; a touch of butter and fresh lemon creates a pleasant, tangy sauce that has only 1 gram of fat per tablespoon. It’s great drizzled over steamed vegetables.

 

About 1 cup | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip), divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk 1/4 cup buttermilk, cornstarch, salt and cayenne in a heavy medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in egg along with the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk.

Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook the sauce, whisking constantly, until it comes to a simmer. Cook, whisking, for 15 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice and the reserved butter. Serve hot or warm. Classic

Variations
To make Sauce Moutarde, add 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard.
For Sauce Maltaise, use 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice in place of the lemon juice.

 

Nutrition

 

Per tablespoon : 17 Calories; 1 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 15 mg Cholesterol; 1 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 0 g Fiber; 87 mg Sodium; 6 mg Potassium

 

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a microwave on High for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring once.

Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

 

Turkey Cauliflower Burgers

I can hardly believe how well these turned out.  Score!

First, the cauliflower:

1/3 of a large head cauliflower

Chop into large pieces, then process to rice- or couscous-size pieces in the food processor. Saute in a little olive oil.  Set aside to cool.

3/4 lb ground turkey
3 oz. feta, crumbled
2 green onions, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded & minced
1/2 cup minced parsley
salt & pepper

Coat a large baking tray with cooking spray.  Mix all ingredients well.  Form 6 patties and place on a baking tray.  Broil for about 5 minutes on each side.

To Try: Frances’ Pumpkin White Bean Soup

6 servings

1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
15 oz canned pumpkin
4 cup(s) fat-free chicken or beef broth or bullion
16 oz canned white beans, rinsed and drained
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Coat a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.

Stir in pumpkin, broth, and beans, salt and pepper; simmer 10 minutes or until beans are tender. Can puree if desired.

Sloppy Joes

Based on a recipe by Ellie Krieger: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/sloppy-joes-recipe/index.html

8 servings

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (omit for kids)
1 red pepper, diced (omit for Sean)
1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed (omit for Sean)
1/4 cup bulgur, softened in 1/2 cup very hot water for 15 minutes
1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
1/2 cup Trader Joe’s ketchup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 whole-wheat burger buns

Brown the meat  in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour any drippings out of the pan and discard. Meanwhile, saute the onion in a large skillet until it is completely soft.  To the onion, add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper, cover and cook a minimum of 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the meat and the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 5 minutes more. Broil buns if desired. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture on each bun and serve.

Oodles of Orzo Zucchini Bake

From No Whine With Dinner by the Meal Makeover Moms, Liz Weiss & Janice Newell Bissex

4-5 servings

1 cup dried orzo pasta (I was out, so substituted broken spaghetti, which worked nicely)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 small onion, 1/4″ dice (1/2 cup)
1 medium zucchini (about 9 oz), unpeeled, and shredded (1.5 cups)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup coarsely chopped or shredded cooked chicken (6 oz)
1 cup shredded reduced fat Italian blend cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 8×8″ baking pan with cooking spray.  Cook orzo per package directions.  Drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, heat 1/2 teaspoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Cook the onion about 7 minutes until softened.  Rasie heat to medium-high, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Beat the eggs in a large bowl.  Add the cooked vegetables, chicken, 1/2 cup cheese, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg and pasta.  Stir well.  Spread in prepared pan, top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until cheese melts and casserole is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Per serving: 360 calories, 13 g fat (5g sat, .2g omega 3) 380mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 29g protein, 10% vitamin A, 35% vitamin C, 25% calcium, 15% iron.

Cranberry Oat Muffins

From Vegetarian Classics, by Jeanne Lemlin, with some small adaptations

These are just what I was hoping for, with a nice tangy sparkle from the cranberries.

yield:  11 or 12 muffins

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup quick oats (although I’m sure old fashioned would work just fine)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (her recipe just says “sugar”, so I assumed white.  maybe I’ll try brown next time.)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen thawed cranberries, washed and dried
1 large egg
1 cup milk (I used non-fat, which seemed fine)
6 Tablespoons canola oil (or butter, melted & cooled, if you’re feeling that way)
cinnamon-sugar for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a 12-muffin tin with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the 2 flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Chop the cranberries roughly.  I used a large knife.  She says you can use a food processor, but I was afraid the pieces would be too small.  Mix the cranberries into the flour mixture.  Measure the milk and oil into a large measuring cup.  Add the egg and beat well with a wire whisk.  Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just enough to evenly moisten.  Do not overmix.  Using an ice-cream scoop, portion batter into prepared pan.  I think a cinnamon-sugar topping would be nice next time.  Bake 18 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.