Category: Main Dishes

Lemony Beans and Greens

I admit, at first I was going to use bottled lemon juice for this recipe, but I am so glad I picked up a fresh lemon at the produce market. There is no substitute for a squeeze of fresh lemon juice! I was inspired by this recipe from 101 Cookbooks, but I made a few changes. The can of beans I had in my cabinet turned out to be white beans instead of chick peas. And while I like kale, I spotted Chinese broccoli at the produce market, and it is one of my favorites, so I decided to use that instead.

If you’ve never tried Chinese broccoli, it has lovely green leaves, and tender stalks. You will most likely find it at produce markets and Chinese supermarkets.

I used about 2-3 cups of Chinese broccoli, so I reduced the amount of zucchini. The final product was wonderful, and a recipe I know I will make again and again.

Spinach Salad with Scallops and Mango

I’ve posted a few scallop recipes recently including Seared Scallops with Balsamic and Spicy Scallops. The scallops are good here, but the mango steals the show. I was initially inspired by this recipe, and while I am sure that I would like the sugared macadamias, I wanted to keep things light.

The recipe as I prepared it, for 2 salads:

8 oz. scallops, sauteed in 1 t canola oil
4 c. spinach
1/2 c. sliced red onion
3/4 c. diced mango, divided
2 T lime juice
1 t fresh ginger
1 T water

Toss spinach, onion, and 1/2 c. diced mango in a bowl. Top with scallops. Place remaining mango, lime juice, ginger, and water in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour dressing over salad.

Stewed Vegetable Gratin

I saw this recipe in Real Simple, but wanted to lighten it up. It ended up being a nice vegetarian summer meal. The recipe calls for a whole bunch of Swiss chard, which may seem like a lot but it does cook down. Here is the Swiss chard, ready to go into the pan:

And here is the final product, just out of the oven:

1 T olive oil
1 red onion, sliced thinly
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 c. water
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and leaves torn
1 (15 oz.) can white beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. + 1 T shredded Parmesan cheese
3 slices light bread, such as Arnold Sandwich Thins, torn
1 t dried thyme

Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute for 10 minutes until soft. Add tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, and add Swiss chard and beans. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add Parmesan cheese.

Pour vegetables into a 13″ x 9″ pan, and cover with torn bread slices. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and thyme, and bake for 20 minutes at 400F.

White Broccoli Pizza

I really wanted to make a creative pizza with the Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough, but didn’t have all that much in the refrigerator. Then I opened the freezer, and saw a package of frozen broccoli. And a very short time later, I enjoyed this broccoli pizza.

4 oz. whole wheat dough
1 c. broccoli, steamed in microwave and drained
1/4 c. mozzarella
Garlic salt

Let dough sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. With floured hands, stretch dough as thin as possible into a circle, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Top with broccoli, cheese, and garlic salt, and bake for 10 minutes at 425F.

Stupendous Stromboli

I can’t believe I let this recipe wait in my “Recipes to Try” queue for so long! I followed the instructions, but changed the ingredients to include 1/3 c. diced zucchini, 1/4 c. diced mushrooms, and 1/4 c. fat free mozzarella. As you can see, I topped the whole thing with about a 1/2 c. of tomato sauce. I probably should have taken a photo pre-sauce, but you get the idea.

It was so easy to use the whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s, I’d highly recommend it. I separated it into 4 pieces, and put 2 in the freezer. That means there is one left in the refrigerator, stay tuned. Green Lite Bites has other pizza ideas which look great!

Braised Chicken with Baby Vegetables

I was originally inspired by this recipe, but made some changes in the interest of saving time. I had never used baby turnips before, and it’s always fun to use new produce.

The recipe overall was good, however, the gravy did not thicken up as I expected. Either I needed to add more flour, or use cornstarch. The turnips have a very mild flavor, comparable to parsnips. You won’t know if you like them until you try…..

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
14 oz. vegetable broth
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 t thyme
6 baby turnips, peeled
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2″ chunks
8 pearl onions, peeled
1/4 c. parsley leaves
1 T flour
1/2 c. green peas

Coat chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and brown them in a large frying pan over medium heat. Remove chicken and set aside. Add broth to pan and cook for 1 minute. Place chicken back in pan, and add wine, thyme, turnips, carrots, pearl onions, and parsley. Simmer covered for 25-30 minutes. Remove 1/2 c. broth and place in a small bowl; whisk in flour. Add the mixture back to the pan along with the peas. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes more until sauce is slightly thickened.

Squash and Potato Torte

I think this is my favorite new recipe of 2009 – it’s that good. The torte was very thin, but bursting with flavor. The original recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, a wonderful site with many great recipes and food photos. I only made a few changes, substituting whole wheat flour for white, and using dried thyme instead of fresh. Although the instructions look long, this was very easy to make. I highly recommend that you try this one soon!

3 Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced, divided
1 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
3 t olive oil, divided
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 T whole wheat flour
1/2 bunch scallions, sliced
1 t dried thyme
3/4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Mix cheese, flour, scallions, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Lightly coat a cake pan or pie plate with cooking spray. Add the following layers in order:
1/3 of potatoes
1/2 of summer squash
1 t oil
1/3 of cheese mixture
1/3 of potatoes
1/2 of summer squash
1 t oil
1/3 of cheese mixture
1/3 of potatoes
1 t oil
1/3 of cheese mixture

Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 40 minutes at 375F. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 20 minutes at 375F.

Portobello Pizza

Portobello pizzas are so easy to make, and you can add whatever toppings you like. The one pictured below is a basic version with tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and mozzarella cheese. These do need to be enjoyed with a knife and fork though, especially since I always use extra sauce.

First, bake the mushrooms on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray for 10 minutes at 400F. Then, add the toppings and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes at 400F.