Recipe Exchange

[Elizabeth Carpenter]

Thought that it would be nice to share healthy recipes that we all enjoy and find easy to make. So with that let the recipe exchange begin!

[Krysta]

Garden Lentil Salad Pita
1 serving

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup canned lentils, rinsed and drained
* 1/4 cup chopped carrots
* 1/4 cup chopped celery
* 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 3 tablespoons light Italian salad dressing
* 1 whole-wheat pita pocket (61/2-inch), cut in half

Directions

Make it: Combine lentils, carrots, celery and pepper with salad dressing. Fill pita with mixture.

Nutrition facts per serving:

* Servings Per Recipe 1 serving
* Calories 396
* Total Fat (g) 11
* Saturated Fat (g) 2
* Carbohydrate (g) 64
* Fiber (g) 15
* Protein (g) 16

[Krysta]

Southwestern Black Bean Cakes with Guacamole

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2 medium avocado, seeded and peeled
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt
Ground black pepper
2 slices whole wheat bread, torn
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1-2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 egg, beaten
1 small plum tomato, chopped

Directions
1. Mash the avocado in a small bowl. Stir in lime juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Place torn bread in a food processor. Cover and process until bread turns into coarse crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
3. Place cilantro and garlic in the food processor. Cover and process until finely chopped. Add the beans, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and cumin. Cover and process until beans are coarsely chopped and mixture begins to pull away from the side of the bowl or container.
4. Add mixture to bread crumbs. Add egg, combine, and shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.
5. Lightly grease the rack of a grill pan. Place patties on the rack. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until patties are heated through, turning once.
6. To serve, top patties with guacamole and tomato.

Nutrition facts per serving: 178 calories, 11g protein, 25g carbohydrate, 7g fat (1g saturated), 9g fiber

[Christina]

Sounds yummy!

[Elizabeth Carpenter]

Tilapia And Summer Vegetables

Serves: 2


½ cup quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
½ cup summer squash, sliced
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
12 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. oregano
½ tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. capers, rinsed
½ tsp. salt, divided
½ tsp. pepper, divided
½ pound tilapia fillets, 2 equal portions


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine tomatoes, squash, onion, green beans, olives, lemon juice, oregano, oil, capers, ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper in a large bowl.

3. To make a packet, lay 4 sheets of foil on top of each other; generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Place one portion of tilapia in the center of the foil. Sprinkle with some of the remaining ¼ tsp. salt and pepper, then top with about ¾ cup of the vegetable mixture.

4. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Repeat with more foil, cooking spray and the remaining fish, salt, pepper and vegetables.

5. Grill the packets until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. To serve, carefully open both ends of the packets and allow the steam to escape. Use a spatula to slide the contents onto plates.


Serving Suggestions:
Serve with a sweet potato and small spinach salad with Italian dressing.

[Krysta]

Zucchini Ribbon Gnocchi

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 pound fresh or frozen gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 pound zucchini (about 3 small), very thinly sliced lengthwise (see Tip)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi until they float, 3 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add the gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 424 calories; 10 g fat (6 g sat, 0 g mono); 25 mg cholesterol; 66 g carbohydrate; 17 g protein; 5 g fiber; 753 mg sodium; 539 mg potassium.

TIP: Tip: To make “ribbon-thin” zucchini, slice lengthwise with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline slicer.

[Elizabeth Carpenter]

Gluten Free Buttermilk Pancakes


Serves: 4


¾ cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbs. canola oil
½ cup tapioca flour
¼ cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1⁄8 tsp. salt


Directions:


1. Whisk together buttermilk, egg and oil in a medium bowl until smooth. Sift together tapioca flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; stir into buttermilk mixture just until ingredients are moistened (mixture will be slightly lumpy).

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop 1⁄4 cup batter per pancake into skillet and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.


Serving Suggestions:

Serve with honey, bananas and walnuts or spread with cream cheese and slices of fresh strawberries.

[Christina]

Thank you, ma'am!!! Is buttermilk considered dairy?

[Krysta]

Greek Quinoa and Avocados

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded fresh spinach
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Spinach leaves
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions
1. Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together quinoa, tomatoes, spinach, and onion.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, and salt. Mix with quinoa.
4. Place spinach on plates with avocado slices and quinoa. Sprinkle with feta.

Nutrition facts per serving: 332 calories, 7g protein, 27g carbohydrate, 24g fat (5g saturated), 8g fiber

[Krysta]

Egg-cellent Asparagus Salad

Ingredients

* 8 asparagus spears
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 1 garlic clove
* 2 cups mixed greens
* 1 hard boiled egg
* 1 tbsp vinegar
* Salt
* Pepper

Directions

Cut 8 asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces; saute with 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove. Top 2 cups greens with cooked asparagus, 1 chopped hard-boiled egg, 1 tablespoon vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition facts per serving:

* Calories 209
* Total Fat (g) 15
* Saturated Fat (g) 3
* Sodium (mg) 108
* Carbohydrate (g) 10
* Fiber (g) 5
* Protein (g) 11

[claudia martinez]

I want to share a recipe, I hope you like it as much as I do, I found it in a free recipe site and I wasn't sure of it until I tried.

lemon dill egg salad

Ingredients
6 hard cooked eggs, chopped 2 green onions, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 2 strips bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled ½ c. red bell pepper, chopped ½ tsp. lemon pepper 1 tsp. dried dill weed ¾ c. reduces fat ranch salad dressing

Directions
Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour. Good with sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves on a French roll.