Tag Archives: Healthy Cooking

Lentil Rice Supper

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If you’re like me, then you’re often on the lookout for recipes that are filling, nutritious, easy to make, and easy on the pocketbook.

Here’s one that satisfies all of those criteria, and it’s a cinch to modify based on taste.  It can function as a side dish or, if you’re like us, work as a main meal.

Lentil Rice Supper

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 – 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 C lentils {I’ve used brown and French green}
  • 1/2 C uncooked rice {I prefer wild rice}
  • 6 – 7 button mushrooms, chopped with stems
  • 1 2/3 C broth {veggie, chicken, or beef – you choose}
  • 2 – 3 T of extra virgin olive oil

Put the olive oil, onion, and carrots in the pot.  Sauté for a few minutes, till onions begin to soften.

In the meantime, put the lentils in a small bowl and cover with very hot water.  Let them soak for a few minutes and then drain off the excess liquid.

Add lentils, rice, and broth to the pot.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.  Add mushrooms, replace cover, and simmer for a further 20 minutes.  Season to taste.

Some Variations: You can add a chopped green capsicum {bell pepper} or some chopped cooked chicken.  Throw a cup of peas in there.  You could also cook up some Italian sausage at the very beginning, add the veggies, and follow the rest of the recipe from there.

The lentils in this dish aren’t soft and smushy, so if you like your lentils that way, then leave them in the hot water for a bit longer.  This is a great dish for putting together and then forgetting about while I’m doing other stuff.  You don’t need to stir it while it’s simmering away.

Chris and I aren’t the only ones who like this particular dish.  I’ve taken a couple of spoonfuls out, pulsed them a few times with a hand blender, and served it to Joe.  He loves it, but no surprises there.  The boy eats pretty much everything we put in front of him!

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Easy, Naturally Sweet, Homemade: Carrot Raisin Breakfast Cookies

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This week’s recipe is a good one – Carrot Raisin Breakfast Cookies.  They remind me of a sweet  muffin or bread, only in cookie form.  And I love muffins and bread!  They do have added sweetener, but the sweetener is real maple syrup – something that’s naturally occurring.

I’ll admit that they’re a little on the plain-looking side…

…but who cares about looks, right?  The important thing is: how do they taste?

In a word, they taste delicious.  They’re yummy and healthy and easy to make.  Oh, and they’re vegan – nice to know for when you happen to be entertaining vegan friends!  I don’t think that I’ll be using these to replace my morning cereal, but they’re a great little snack.  Like the granola bars, I store these in the freezer and just take one out when I have a craving.

And if you happen to be on the WW plan, you’ll be happy to know that 1 of these sweet little morsels is only 2 WW ProPoints.  Nice.

Carrot Raisin Breakfast Cookies

  • 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour {you can substitute with all-purpose, if you prefer}
  • 1 C rolled oats
  • 3 T dry millet
  • 1 1/2 – 2 tsp ground cinnamon {I love cinnamon, so I always tend to add a bit more!}
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C light coconut cream {not the same as coconut milk, but can be subbed with melted coconut oil}
  • 1/2 C real maple syrup
  • 1 heaping cup of finely shredded carrot
  • 1/2 C raisins
  • 1 – 2 tsp fresh grated ginger {I prefer a less gingery taste, so I only used 1 tsp}

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.  Prepare baking tray by coating with non-stick spray.

In large bowl, combine all of the above and mix thoroughly, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.  Place medium-sized scoops onto prepared trays.  Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, or till cookies are slightly firm and golden on top.  Remove from oven and let sit on trays for a further 10 minutes.

Yield – 2 dozen cookies

Notes – The original recipe called for dried cherries, but I happen to prefer raisins.  I’m guessing that you could substitute them for other complimentary dried fruits and it would still taste good: cherries, cranberries, apple chunks, or something else.  Just make sure that the dried fruit is chopped down to about the size of a raisin.

With the coconut cream – be sure to shake the can before opening.  The coconut cream has a tendency to separate into layers, as I discovered after opening it.  Bummer, but easily fixed by pouring the can into a bowl and giving the whole thing a good stir.

Another thing – if you don’t have fresh ginger or you just don’t like ginger, you could leave it out and bulk up the flavor by adding a few other complimentary spices or more cinnamon.  I’m not a huge fan of ginger, but I’ll admit that adding 1 tsp made the cookies taste a-mazing.

Adapted from Joy the Baker’s “Vegan Carrot Cherry Breakfast Cookies”

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Easy, Unsweetened, Homemade: Applesauce

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I had a whole bunch of apples that were starting to get a bit soft.  Rather than letting them go completely bad, I decided to make applesauce.

Applesauce is easy to make in a slow-cooker.

And it tastes so delicious and looks so yummy.

To make the applesauce, follow these 5 steps:

  1. Peel, quarter, and core as many apples as will fit into your slow-cooker
  2. Pour in just enough water to cover the bottom – you can always add more later if you want
  3. Liberally sprinkle the apples with cinnamon
  4. Cook on “high” setting for 4 hours
  5. Mash with a fork or hand-held blender

That’s all there is to it.  I made 2 crock-pots of applesauce.  The whole apartment smelled delicious and I was able to bag and store some of it in the freezer for later.  Unsweetened applesauce is a great ingredient to use when baking without sugar, and I like to keep some on hand.

Pay extra attention to step #2 – if you like runny applesauce, then add more water, but you can’t take the water out once it’s in there.  I learned the first time I made applesauce that adding too much water makes for apple drink, not apple sauce!  Use the water sparingly, and if you want, you can always add more at the end.  It’s also tastier if you use more than one variety of apple.  For example, I used New Zealand Rose, Fuji, and McIntosh apples in my latest batch of applesauce.  I generally grab whatever is on sale and use that.  Also, I tend to leave a little bit more of the peel on around the apple base than what I would leave on if I were, say, making an apple pie.  The extra bit of peel softens and is good for you, but some people might not like the texture of it in the applesauce.

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Menu Monday

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Hey everyone – I hope that you’ve had a great weekend!  Joe and I have a few things going on this week.  We’re going to a Plunket parenting class where we’ll hopefully meet some other mums and bubs.  The menu for the week will be pretty low-key with lots of veggies and healthy options.  Here’s what we’ve got on our plate:

MONDAY

Southwestern Goulash

I’ve made this before and have always added more pasta than what’s called for in the recipe.  Without it, it just reminds me of pasta with too much sauce!

TUESDAY

Homemade Chicken Soup

My recipes varies depending on what I’ve got in the kitchen.  This time around, I cooked roughly 1kg {2.2lbs} of chicken breasts in a stockpot with water.  I strained the water into a colander over a bowl, diced the chicken, put it + the water back in the pot, added 4 large stalks of celery, a lot of carrots {I used just under 2lbs/1kg this time}, 1 diced, red capsicum {bell pepper}, 1 diced onion, and a bag of frozen corn.  I add enough extra water to the pot to cover the whole mixture, then add 2 vegetable bouillon cubes and simmer till the veggies are soft.  Add salt + pepper to taste, then serve.  Delicious, and a great soup for the freezer.

WEDNESDAY

Lentil & Cheese Wedges – this is another new recipe.  I’ve been experimenting with lentils and have seen this one on several websites.  We’ll see how it turns out.  The ingredient list seems pretty basic… 8 oz (225g) red lentils, 3/4 pint (450mL) water or vegetable stock, 1 large onion, 1 T oil, 4 oz (1oog) grated cheese, a tsp of mixed herbs, 1 egg, 1 oz (25g) breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper.

Cook lentils in water till soft and all liquid is absorbed.  Saute onion in oil.  Combine all ingredients and press into oiled 9″ round baking tin.  Cook at 190C/375F for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly, then cut into wedges.

THURSDAY

Panko Breaded Eggplant

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I saw this recipe and thought it sounded like a yummy, healthier version of eggplant parmesan.  I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m hopeful that it turns out well!

FRIDAY

Leftovers and a “clean out the fridge/freezer” night.  I’m planning to do some cooking and freezing later on, so I want to make sure we’ve got space :-)

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Easy, Unsweetened, Homemade: Granola Bars

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Moving to NZ has forced me to pay a lot more attention to what we eat.  Food is more expensive here, and things that are readily available in the States aren’t on the shelves of our local grocery.  While I wouldn’t mind if the food prices came down a bit, overall, this increased attention to food has been a good thing.  We eat a lot more vegetarian-style than when we were in the States, and I’ve gotten quite handy at making things that I used to buy pre-made.  Things like pasta sauce, salsa, and cereal are all part of my usual cooking routine.  I make crock-pot applesauce and homemade tortilla chips.  I love to make soup rather than buy it canned.  I prefer to bake our own bread and rolls over those at the bakery.  We’re eating healthier, and I’m enjoying it.

My latest quest has been to find a healthy, no-added sugar granola bar recipe.  And I’ve found it.

Everyone, meet my granola bars:

Aren’t they lovely?

I’ve been goofing around with a couple of different recipes.  I wanted something that both Chris and I liked that was easy, that was healthy, and didn’t take long to put together.

This one definitely satisfies those criteria.

I like to wrap them individually in cling-wrap and freeze them.  I’ll take one out in the morning and have it with lunch or toss it in the diaper bag when I’m taking Joe for a walk.  Or if you want one ASAP but don’t want to wait for it to defrost, just pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

They’re healthy, easy, and oh-so-delicious.  A bit more chewy than crunchy, which is just how I like ‘em :-)

UNSWEETENED GRANOLA BARS

Dry Ingredients

  • 3 C rolled oats {regular or gluten-free}
  • 2 C coconut flakes
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 C sesame seeds
  • 1 C chopped nuts {I used walnuts}
  • 2 C unsweetened dried fruit {I used 1 C of cranberries and 1 C of peaches}
  • Dash salt

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Wet Ingredients

  • 6 ripe bananas, mashed {use 7 bananas if you want it a bit more moist}
  • 1/2 C canola oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla essence

Mix the above ingredients together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients {I like to mix it with my hands – this ensures that the banana is good and mashed}.  Press into a large baking sheet that’s coated with non-stick cooking spray.  Bars should be about a 1/2 inch thick.  Bake in preheated oven at 175C/350F for 20 minutes till edges are golden.  Allow to cool, then slice with a pizza cutter.  Wrap individually in cling-wrap and freeze.

Yield: 24 good-sized bars or 32 small bars

Feel free to adjust this recipe as you so choose.  Maybe you don’t like coconut, or you want something with extra cinnamon.  That’s the beauty of this recipe – I can make granola bars with raisins or dried blueberries or whatever I feel like.  And I cannot tell that they don’t have sugar – they taste so sweet and yummy!  They’re also much more economical than buying the boxed bars at the grocery.  Realizing that makes them taste just a bit sweeter ;-)

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Menu Monday!

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It has been a long time since I’ve posted a “Menu Monday”.  Time to resurrect that tradition.

Lately, I’ve been making a lot of recipes from Eating Well.  I’ve subscribed to their email service and have been pleasantly surprised with the suggestions that they send.  I’m trying to do a better job of using fresh vegetables and making food that is “fiscally friendly”!  I think that all of these recipes meet those criteria, with the exception of maybe one :-)

1. Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

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Split Pea Soup – it’s easy, tasty, and healthy.  What more could you want?  I’ve used this recipe in the past and can vouch for its yumminess :-)

2. Buffalo Chicken Casserole

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This is an “Eating Well” recipe, but I have to say that I can’t see how something called “Buffalo Chicken Casserole” can be all that good for you.  Chris loves buffalo chicken, though, and so I thought that I would give it a try.  I’m planning to put blue cheese on top of only half of the casserole, as I’ve never cared for the stuff.  We’ll see how it turns out!

3. Zucchini Rice Casserole

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I love this recipe!  Since they don’t have Pepper Jack cheese over here, I make mine with a few splashes of Kaiatia Fire thrown into the sauce.  Also, I use reduced fat beef sausage in place of turkey sausage, as I haven’t located any of that in New Zealand, either.  I also leave off the Neufchatel topping, and I happen to think that it tastes delicious despite {or perhaps because of?} those modifications ;-)

4. Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casserole

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Mmmm, lots of veggies and spice!  Since I’m breastfeeding, I’ll probably cut out the jalapenos in this recipe.  I like stuff that’s spicy, but I’d rather not give Joe indigestion.  I’ll use my homemade salsa in this casserole rather than store-bought, too – it’s much tastier and easy to whip together.

5. Salad Night

Continuing with our veggie theme, I’ll end out the week with leftovers and salads.  Greens, tomatoes, capsicum {bell pepper}, some dressing, a bit of Parmesan… sounds good to me :-)

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Cheesy Pasta with Roasted Squash and Bacon

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I’ve mentioned before that since moving to New Zealand, I’ve started branching out in some of our recipes.  One particular ingredient that I’ve been using a lot of is squash {or pumpkin, as it’s called over here}.  I’ve turned to Cooking Light many times for meal ideas and recipes, and they were the source for my latest creation.  If you like pasta with creamy, cheesy dressing, roasted veggies, bacon, and shallots, then you’ll love this…

First, start off with some pumpkin/squash.

Cut the squash into small chunks {approximately 1 inch} and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Take some salt…

And then a little rosemary…

And then some pepper…

Mix it all up…

And then sprinkle it onto the chopped squash…

Once you’ve spread the spices, pop it into the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, start makin’ some bacon!  I looked for turkey bacon in New Zealand, but the closest that I could fine was this:

It looked a little strange, but it still tasted yummy!

While the bacon’s frying and the squash is roasting, you can start making the pasta…

Once the bacon’s cooked and the pasta’s made, but while the squash is still roasting, you can get to chopping!

You’ll need some shallots:

It’s at times like this that I’m grateful for my Pampered Chef chopper.  It makes chopping a breeze!  A bit of peeling and a few minutes later, you’re left with this:

So now you’ve got your shallots, your bacon, your pasta, and the squash is ready to come out of the oven!  Combine the squash, bacon, and shallots…

Doesn’t that look pretty?  All those colors!  Makes me think of Autumn :-)

After mixing the shallots, squash, and bacon, set aside and get out the milk.  Pour yourself 2 cups’ worth.

Then measure out some flour and salt into a saucepan…

Bit by bit, add the milk into the saucepan, stirring constantly and cooking over medium-high heat.

I forgot to take a photo of this next step, but once the milk, flour, and salt have thickened, remove from heat and stir in shredded provolone cheese till melted.  Take the whole mixture and pour over pasta that’s been placed in a prepared casserole dish.  It looks so good…

But we’re not done yet!  You have to add the toppings:

A little bit of cheese…

Pop it in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, and you’re done!

Don’t worry if the squash looks a little burnt.  I promise you, it tastes fabulous.

So tell me, are you hungry yet?

**Recipe can be found here on CookingLight.com.  I modified their version by using crown pumpkin, skim milk instead of 2%, mozzarella cheese, and chicken bacon instead of regular!**

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Menu for the Week

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Since starting the night shift, the amount of time that I have available to devote to cooking has gone way, way down.  However, I’ve noticed that if I shop from a menu, our grocery bill is much more manageable.  So it’s a quandary – to cook and save, or to spend and have extra time on my hands?

I had five glorious days off in a row this week, so I figured that I had better make sure that some of that time was spent cooking meals that could be frozen.  I love the “Taste of Home” publication group, and one of my favorite magazines of theirs is Healthy Cooking.

Healthy Cooking Magazine

Healthy Cooking Magazine

The food in here is made with busy, health-conscious people in mind.  A lot of the recipes are user-submitted, then refined and tested by “field editors”.  I like the fact that all of the recipes aren’t created by a chef, but come from everyday people.  They also have an online portion which is handy and useful.  I can search by cuisine type, meal, ingredients, preparation time, etc.  It’s definitely worth the cost of a subscription.

Since I mainly shop from a menu, I don’t have a lot of extra food lying around.  I have my staples, of course.  These include frozen chicken breasts, a box of pasta, chicken and/or beef broth, a package of freezer rolls or frozen bread dough, a bag of shredded cheese, an onion, lots of spices (I haven’t been able to find a spice rack that comes close to being big enough to hold all of my spices… I love flavor!), garlic, condensed soup, bread, peanut butter and jelly, and of course flour/sugar/oil.  I can make some meals from these, but I keep them around for emergencies.  I try to incorporate chicken and some other type of meat into all of our meals.  This week, my meals include chicken, ground turkey, and pork.  Mmm mmm :-)

Here’s what I decided to make this week…

Enchilada Lasagna

Enchilada Lasagna

Rather than making one 9×13 pan of the lasagna, I split it into two 8×8 pans and froze both of them.  This way, when Chris wants one he can take out a small pan and make it in the toaster oven rather than having a lot left over.  The nutritional value for this meal is 282 kcal, 11 g fat, and 2 g fiber.  I’ll add more vegetables to this if I make it again in order to boost the fiber content.

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

This one called for an 8×8 pan, but I doubled it and make one large 9×13 pan.  The thing that I really like about this dish is that it uses chicken, so it’s not just potatoes and cheese.  Chris really likes this kind of dish, and I knew that he could eat some for breakfast and dinner meals.  I was planning to freeze it, but about 20 minutes after putting it into the freezer Chris pulled it out.  He’s already planning to have some for breakfast tomorrow morning!  The nutritional value for this meal is 220 kcal, 6 g fat, and 1 g fiber.  I modified my version by adding more veggies than called for, so I’m sure that the fiber content in my version is higher than the published version’s.

The last recipe I made is something that my mom has done for years – pulled pork barbecue sandwiches.  Here’s a picture that looks sort of like the end result.

Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwiches

Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwiches

This meal is healthy, delicious, and easy to make.  Buy a lean pork loin roast and cook in a greased crockpot for 6-8 hours, depending on the size of the roast and crockpot.  Be sure to add at least 1/2 a cup of water so that it doesn’t stick or burn.  If you’re unsure about the water, just keep an eye on it and add more if you notice that it’s all evaporated.  When the time is up, put the roast in a bowl and pull it apart with a fork (it should shred easily).  Add enough of your favorite barbecue sauce to suit your taste and obtain the desired consistency.  As with many dishes, the flavors are better combined if it’s allowed to sit overnight.  I typically make a large amount using a 3 lb pork loin roast, then freeze it in several containers for up to 3 months.  This way, whenever we want some we can defrost a small container rather than having a bunch lying in the fridge.

These meals, combined with a garlic chicken penne dish that I have leftover in the freezer, will be more than enough for the next 5 days (and probably longer).

I was going to include the recipes from Healthy Cooking, but then I realized that they are only available in the “subscribers only” section.  I don’t think that it would be fair to include them, so I’ll just direct you to the December/January issue or to their website.  A subscription is only $12.98 per year.  They also offer a trial issue, so you can make sure that it’s something you really want before committing.

Alright, my lovely readers – have a great night!

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