HEALTHY NO-COOK DINNER

Well, OK, it IS cooked, but the microwave doesn't really count, right?  The main point is that there are no pots and pans to scrub, or stove to wipe down!  :)

Ingredients:
(Makes 2 servings)

1 package Trader Joe's frozen organic brown rice
1/2 package Trader Joe's pre-cooked lentils
Handful organic spinach leaves
2 green onions
Sprinkling of Trader Joe's lite Mexican shredded cheese
1/2 lime
1/4 jalapeno, diced
4 Tbsp. Trader Joe's Chipotle Sauce (or equal parts ketchup + Worcestershire sauce + Tabasco Chipotle Sauce + mayonnaise)
1/2 avocado, sliced
Few sprigs of cilantro

Directions:

1.  Snip corner of rice bag and nuke for 3 minutes.

2.  Divide rice between two bowls.

3.  Top each bowl of rice with half of lentils and half of spinach.  Cut one green onion over each bowl with scissors.  Sprinkle each with cheese and jalapeno.  Squeeze lime juice over each.  Drizzle half of chipotle sauce over each.

4.  Nuke each bowl for approximately 1 minute.  Top each with avocado slices and cilantro.

Notes:

*Find the lentils on the vegetable wall at TJ's.

*Note that if you use Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, it contains anchovies and therefore is not vegetarian, but other brands are swimmer-free.

*If you prepare this all the way to the last step but don't cook, you can easily take it with you to work or school and nuke in the kitchen there...easy, fast, cheap, delicious & healthy!

*I use scissors to cut the jalapeno, too, and I slice the avocado in its skin in my hand with a dull-ish knife, so there is literally nothing to clean after cooking this except the scissors, the knife, and the bowls and forks.  Heaven!

*Leave out jalapeno and use sweet barbecue sauce for kiddos.

GREENS & CHICKPEA STEW

Ingredients:
(Makes 2 entree size portions)

1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. crushed garlic
5 white mushrooms, crumbled
3 small red potatoes
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
Red pepper, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
2 servings brown rice, cooked

Directions:

1.  Prick potatoes with fork and nuke for approximately 3 minutes.  Chop and set aside.
2.  Heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and stir until lightly browned, approximately 6 minutes.  Add garlic, stir, and cook another 4 minutes.
3.  Add greens, toss, just until wilted.
4.  Pour in enough broth to cover vegetables.  Add chickpeas, potatoes, mushrooms, brown sugar, vinegar, red pepper, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and parsley.
5.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6.  Stir in mayonnaise until fully dissolved.
7.  Serve over brown rice.

Notes:

*Leave out red pepper when serving to munchkins.

*Stir in sliced, cooked sausage for the carnivores in your life.

CAULIFLOWER FRITTATA

Ingredients:

1/2 cauliflower, only florets broken into small bits

2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced

4  fresh sage leaves

1-2 tsp. crushed garlic

1/3 bunch chard (approximately 1 1/2 cups), removed from stems and chopped

Olive oil 

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella

Handful shredded Quattro Formaggio or Swiss Cheese

Small chunk mild blue cheese, broken/smushed into bits 

Splash Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Pepper 

8 eggs

1/2 cup non-fat milk 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a square casserole dish with olive oil spray.

2.  Cover cauliflower and a splash of water in a bowl with microwave-safe plastic.  Nuke for 1 minute.

3.  In a large sautee pan over medium-high flame, heat some olive oil.  Add cauliflower, garlic, sage and leek.  Stir frequently for 5 minutes.  Turn heat off and add chard, stirring with tongs until chard is just wilted.  Remove sage leaves.

4.  Add cauliflower mixture to casserole dish.  Sprinkle with all cheeses equally.

5.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour into casserole dish.

6.  Bake for 30 minutes or until frittata is puffy and almost browned.  Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.

Notes:

*Increase likelihood of kiddos eating by covering each serving with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese (or gummy bears, or goldfish crackers, or whatever it takes).

*Kids can help by breaking off cauliflower florets, tearing chard off of stems, or whisking eggs.

*Tastes even better the next day!

*Go easy on the blue cheese, even if you really like it...it can overpower the more delicate flavors of the chard and cauliflower.

2 EASY & YUMMY FOOD TIPS!

Here are two super-easy, super-yummy food "tricks" of sorts that I can't believe it took me nearly 37 years to figure out:

1.  To inexpensively, quickly and easily "make" fruit-flavored yogurt, just keep a big tub of plain yogurt (I like Trader Joe's Cream Line or Greek) on hand, then mix a tablespoon-full of whatever jam or preserves you have on hand for sandwich-making into about a 1/2 cup of yogurt...each kid can have a different flavor, and you get to control how much sugar they have!

2.  As a super-fast chip dip, slice a ripe avocado in half, remove the pit, pour hot sauce (I like Valentina for its authentic flavor and consistency, but Cholula or Tapatio would work, too) into the divet, and scoop some out with each chip (use hearty chips or they will break).  Instant guacamole!

Enjoy!  :)

STICK-TO-YOUR-RIBS POTATO & BROCCOLI SOUP

So good, your kids may even eat it.

Caveat:  I'm not sure how *real* potato broccoli soup is made...I've never made it nor even seen a recipe.  I totally made this up on the fly after a failed attempt to make potato pancake thingies, and I liked it a lot (and so did 1/2 of the kiddos), so here it is!

Ingredients:
(3-4 entree servings)

5-6 smallish red, purple and/or yellow potatoes
1 tomato (I used a huge heirloom)
Garlic powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 bag Trader Joe's organic broccoli florets
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese + extra for garnish
1/4 carton Trader Joe's low sodium veggie broth

Directions:

1.  Preheat toaster oven to 350.  Poke holes in tomato, cut out center and fill/sprinkle with olive oil and dusting of garlic powder.  Wrap in foil and heat in toaster oven until warmed, then thickly slice.

2.  Poke holes in potatoes.  Nuke together in a circle on a plate for 3 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on the other side.

3.  Nuke broccoli in open bag or in bowl covered with microwave-safe plastic wrap for 2-3 minutes until soft.

4.  Add 2 slices tomato, broccoli, whole potatoes, and all cheese (except garnish) to a large food processor.  Process until completely smooth (will be extremely sticky and may even stop up the processor).

5.  Scoop potato mixture into pot over low-medium heat.  Immediately add enough broth to cover and stir well.  Continue stirring and adding broth until all lumps are gone and soup has reached desired consistency.  You can use a hand blender in the pot if necessary.

6.  Serve immediately with extra cheddar cheese for garnish with toasted sourdough slices on the side.

Notes:

*Can use raw tomato to speed the process.

*Add 1/2 jalapeno to the mixture before processing to add some pizzazz.

*Letting a kid put her own cheese on top of her soup seems to increase the likelihood of said kid eating said soup (at least according to my own entirely non-scientific research).

ROASTED VEGETABLE & MAHI MAHI SALAD

Ingredients:
(Makes approximately 4 entree size portions)

1 package Trader Joe's frozen mahi mahi
1/2 package Trader Joe's fresh asparagus (approximately 5 thick stalks)
3 thick-sliced rounds eggplant
1/2 red bell pepper, thickly sliced
Several mushrooms, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 package Trader Joe's butter lettuce & raddichio mix
Olive oil
Trader Joe's poultry seasoning
Black pepper
Salt
Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Several Tbsp. balsamic and/or red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. non-fat yogurt

Directions:

1.  Thaw fish by running package under hot water for several minutes, flipping and moving occasionally.  Rinse and pat fish dry.

2.  Cover eggplant slices with salt and set aside to drain in the sink. After 10 minutes, rinse and pat dry.

3.  Heat a grill pan over a medium-high heat.

4.  Lightly brush asparagus, eggplant slices and bell pepper with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Lay on the grill.

5.  Allow vegetables to cook until just starting to blacken, flipping and rearranging as necessary.  Remove from grill pan and allow to cool.

6.  Preheat broiler.

7.  Lightly brush fish with olive oil and sprinkle each side with poultry seasoning.  Grill each piece of fish until grill marks appear on both sides.  Transfer to a foil-lined baking pan and put in broiler for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until fish is cooked through and flaky, then set aside.

8.  Once grilled veggies are cool, chop all.

9.  In a large bowl, combine lettuce mixture, mushrooms, tomato, and grilled veggies.

10.  In a small bowl, mix several tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, oregano, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir vigorously with a fork until well-combined.

11.  Pour almost all dressing over salad and mix very well with tongs until all veggies are thoroughly covered.  Divide evenly into flat bowls.

12.  Cut fish into long slices and lay several pieces on top of each bowl of salad.  Pour remainder of dressing over the top of each salad and serve.

Notes:

*Surprisingly easy & delicious!

SQUASHADILLA



This surprisingly hearty recipe may require a leap of faith on the combination of ingredients for you (like it did for me), but please trust me!  The end result is worth it.

Ingredients:
(Makes 1 lunch entree sized portion)

1/4 butternut squash
1/2 jalapeño, sliced lengthwise and diced
Sprinkle black pepper
Sprinkle chili powder
1 tsp. minced garlic
Sprinkle dried oregano
1/4 white onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Salt
Juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
1 egg
Milk for scrambling egg
1/2 avocado, sliced
Handful Trader Joe's shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Olive Oil tortilla

Directions:

1.  Cook butternut squash according to the instructions that will no doubt be included on a sticker on the thing.  (Usually slice lengthwise and bake cut-side down in a baking dish with 1/4 inch of water at 350 for 45 minutes.)  Scoop out the flesh and set aside the extra for future recipes.

2.  Scamble the egg with milk in a large-ish pan.  Set aside.

3.  Using the same pan (because seriously, who needs more dishes to do??), heat oil over medium heat.  Add sliced onion, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.  Cook, stirring frequently, until onions start to brown/blacken.  Set aside.

4.  In a small food processor (y'all know how I love me some Cuisinart handheld blender with food processor attachment), combine squash, jalapeno, black pepper, chili powder, garlic and oregano.  Blend until well mixed but not yet smooth.  Mix in the egg and the onions.

5.  Over medium heat, warm the tortilla in the pan.  Sprinkle one half of the tortilla with half the cheese.  With a spatula, scoop onto the cheese the squash mixture.  Sprinkle with the other half of the cheese and lay in the avocado slices.  Fold over the tortilla and press down with a spatula to squish the ingredients together and get the cheese to melt well.  After a minute or two, flip it and press down on the other side.

6.  Slice and serve with Valentina or Tapatio.

Notes:

*This amount of jalapeno will make it pretty darned spicy.  For less spice, remove the seeds from the jalapeno or use just the tip.

*Leave out the jalapeno and onion to make it kid-friendly.