Manly Vegetable Medley

I am sure there are many men who enjoy hearty, healthy vegetables, but my husband is not one of them. I have a difficult time getting him excited about whole vegetable sides that are better for us than some veggies stirred into rice. So I was excited when I came upon a frozen vegetable side at Trader Joes that seemed "manly": roasted potatoes with green beans. I bought it for a steak he was going to grill.

This got me thinking about other vegetable medleys I can create with preferred vegetables. I was always under the assumption that sauteing vegetables required a lot of oil, but then I learned a new trick: broth. I found that I would add oil when my vegetables were sticking to the pan, but broth offers the same relief without the added calories.

This side is great for fish, vegetarian meats, such as soy nuggets, or any excuse to get your man to eat more whole vegetables.

Vegetable Medley

1 tsp minced garlic

1 minced shallot

1 pint sliced mushrooms

5-6 fingerling potatoes

1 bunch petite asparagus

1/4 broth (chicken or vegetable)

coarse salt and pepper

universal seasoning mix, such as Mrs. Dash

Set a pot of water to boil. Boil potatoes, whole, for 10-15 minutes or until they are easily pierced with a knife. The skins should not be coming off or you have boiled too long. Let potatoes cool.

Saute garlic in a nonstick pan. Add mushrooms and onion and 2 tbs broth. Cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces - be sure none of the asparagus is mushy. Cut far down the stalk until the centers are mostly white. Slice cooled potatoes. Once mushrooms are tender add asparagus and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and seasoning mix. Trader Joes has a grinder with generic seasonings that works great. Stir vegetables until asparagus is bright green, 3-5 minutes. Add more broth if necessary to keep vegetables from sticking. Do not overcook or your vegetables will lose their nutrients. Be sure to taste test - I over-seasoned my first batch.

Romantic Ravioli

It is very easy for us to make reservations and go out to eat during the holidays - especially the romantic ones. However, a homemade dish can be more sentimental and calorie-reducing that it's commercial competitor.

A romantic dinner can be an ally of passion. One woman in four believes that a man can be seduced by a romantic dinner.

"Food has two important senses of sexuality - sense of smell and taste. It gives a sense of satisfaction. But the only true aphrodisiac - the imagination," - says the University of Italian literature professor Falko Portinari. Thus an aphrodisiac may be anything that is capable of stimulating the human imagination.

What makes a romantic meal in my mind is anything that has a thick aroma and is savory and entices one to linger in the meal - this is heavily brought on by inclusions of herbs and spices. Basil, garlic and other savory herbs are mythically considered aphrodisiacs. Thus I have planned a rich, savory pasta dish for our Valentine's dinner.

Romantic Ravioli

ravioli, or other stuffed pasta

homemade Alfredo or low-fat store bought version

minced garlic

2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 pint baby bellow mushrooms, sliced

baby spinach

fresh bail, for serving

shredded Parmesan, for serving

Trader Joes has excellent ravioli, including a lobster version. Prepare any preferred pasta. I like stuffed pasta because it is more filling for a vegetarian dish. Boil according to package instructions.

Prepare Alfredo according to my Resolution Alfredo recipe. This tasty reduced-fat version will allow you to enjoy your evening with less guilt and less cash.

Saute minced garlic with 1 tsp olive oil. Add mushrooms and saute until tender and juicy. Add chopped tomatoes and spinach and stir until warm and slightly wilted.

To prepare your plate, spoon about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Alredo sauce onto a large dinner plate. Top with ravioli and vegetable topping. Top with more parm and basil, if desired.

I also plan a side salad with this meal for added nutrition. Choose from my Side Salad options or create something you prefer. Just be sure to prepare your meal when you are feeling good and charitable - don't ever cook as if it is a chore - your dinner guest will taste the difference.

Happy Valentine's Day and have a wonderful, romantic evening.

Wild Rice Casserole

Alright folks, it's Christmas and you can't cut-back ALL year. This is my family's wild rice casserole and I have plenty of friends and family who will contest to the greatness of this dish. It's almost a meal in itself but it makes an excellent side to Christmas dinner. I was introduced to the term "sidesgiving" for vegetarians who don't eat turkey or other meat main courses for Thanksgiving, so this should be a great recipe for those who are having a side dish holiday feast.

In all honesty, this dish does not resurrect well, so I highly recommend making it for a large group and taking it out in one night. Hopefully that won't be a problem ;)

Wild Rice Casserole

2 box Uncle Ben's traditional wild rice

1 pint slice mushrooms

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

2-4 tbsp butter

minced garlic

1 pint heavy cream or evaporated milk or combination of both

1/4 block of Velveta cheese, cubed

Cook rice according to package instructions. For some reason the "quick rice" doesn't work as well with this recipe - probably because it is also baked. So use the traditional recipe box.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Melt butter into pan and add garlic, onion and celery. I hardly ever saute using butter, but it just tastes so much better in this recipe. And after all the heavy cream and Velveta, you're not saving much on calories. Once celery is soft, add mushrooms and saute. Season with garlic salt and pepper.

Once rice is done, stir in vegetables. Spread into a 2 quart baking dish - preferably glass - and pour cream over rice. I've always made this recipe with cream, but one year Mom used leftover evaporated milk and it was great and also make the dish more of a traditional casserole. I normally have both in the house during the holidays so a mix is probably best. The rice mix should be well saturated - the rice will still absorb a lot of the cream when it bakes. Evenly spread the Velveta cubes over the casserole.

Bake casserole for 45-60 minutes or until the top starts to brown. Let the casserole sit to cool! I can't count how many times I burnt my tongue waiting for that thing to cool. It's just so good.

Happy Holidays everyone and enjoy all your Christmas goodies.

Pasta Ghosts with Pumpkin Sauce

The perfect Halloween meal.

Martha Stewart is great about creating festive meals for Halloween and other holidays, but I have yet to see this unmistakable ghost-shaped pasta featured in any spooky dishes. I found a wonderful pumpkin pasta sauce last year after I discovered how healthy and nutritious pumpkin is for us, especially canned pumpkin . . . regardless of how much my husband insists we can simply eat pumpkin pie to fulfill our vitamin needs. Canned pumpkin is just short of the nutrients of raw spinach and beats out raved vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and mustard greens.

Canned pumpkin is without a doubt the easiest way to get your pumpkin pure. You can get pumpkin at it's peak ripeness

and even organic pumpkin pure is reasonably priced. Be sure to check the ingredients carefully - do not get pumpkin pie filling, which includes spices. The ingredients should only include pumpkin and perhaps salt or other preservative.

Recently, I was craving pumpkin before the season was ready. Having mid-90 degree temperatures on the first day of fall will do that to you. So I had to buy a sugar pumpkin and make my own. If you also find yourself in this predicament, here is how to pure a whole pumpkin: stab pumpkin and microwave for five minutes or until soft. The pumpkin will "whistle" because it is letting our moisture but don't be alarmed. Once cool, cut pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, rub with olive oil a

nd sprinkle with salt (be sparing). Place face down on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, turning half way through. Time will vary depending on size and weight of pumpkin. Scrape pumpkin squash out and mash using a potato masher or food processor. This also works well with all fall squashes to make pure for soups or pasta bakes.

Pasta Ghosts with Pumpkin Sauce

12 ounces perline pasta, cheese or mushroom flavored

1/2 bag baby spinach, stemmed (optional)

1 quart baby bellow mushrooms (optional)

Coarse salt

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, ground

1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree OR one sugar pumpkin

5 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 cup half-and-half OR soy milk

1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish

I normally take a recipe and add tons of fresh and nutritious vegetables to get a heartier meal. but what I've found with pumpkin is that it doesn't go with everything, so less is more in this case. Some options are to add spinach and mushrooms, but allow for the pumpkin to be the masking taste of the meal. Using stuffed pasta also adds depth but simple cheese flavors do not compete with the fall aroma of pumpkin.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta, cover and set aside.

In pasta pot, heat oil over medium. A

dd garlic and mushrooms, if using, and stir until brown and soft. Add pumpkin puree, half-and-half (or soy milk), Parmesan, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, and 1 cup reserved pasta water to pot. Season with rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. If using, stir in spinach until wilted. Assuming you don't have to make your own pumpkin pure, this is a fairly fast meal.

Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water. I also added a little more soy milk

since I had not saved enough pasta water. Season with salt or garlic salt. Serve pasta sprinkled with grated Parmesan and red-pepper flakes. Enjoy your ghostly treat and have a happy and safe Halloween.

Savory Manicotti

Since my last low-fat Italian disaster with the vegetarian lasagna, I was skeptical about posting another pasta dish. However, this recipe is fool-proof for tasting good.

This recipe came from a combination of Martha Stewart and William Sonoma, although I cannot find where I got either recipe. I swapped a few hearty ingredients and added roasted pine nuts to give this lighter dish a savory flavor that stands up to any meaty competition.

The only disappointing part of this meal is that its not very plentiful. This recipe makes enough servings for maybe three people and more likely two hungry people. So I do not recommend this recipe for serving company.

Savory Manicotti

1 package manicotti, cooked and cooled (in luke warm water)

1 (15 oz) container of ricotta cheese - as always, I recommend TJs but Sorrento's low-fat is a close second choice

1 egg, beaten

dried thyme

dried oregano

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

minced garlic

1 pint baby bello mushrooms

3 cups favorite tomato sauce

9 oz. baby spinach

3 tbsp. pine nuts

I've never found whole wheat manicotti pasta, but after my lasagna disaster I am going with the safe white flour pasta. Be sure to handle with care when transporting from the grocery store to home - manicotti pasta breaks easily and it's unusable after that. Also be sure to not over boil. Over boiling pasta will cause it to crack and tear and make stuffing manicotti much more difficult than it already is. Let noodles cool in luke-warm water until filling is prepared.

Sauté minced garlic (about a tablespoon or less) in olive oil. Once garlic browns, add mushrooms until softened. Stir in pine nuts. Once nuts have browned slightly and they have a strong aroma, add spinach and stir until spinach wilts. Remove vegetables from heat.

Preheat oven for 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, oregano and thyme. You can substitute Italian seasoning. Stir in 1 tsp salt and pepper. Once vegetables have cooled slightly, stir vegetables into cheese mix. If the cheese is not cool enough, the mixture will melt the plastic bag. Using a rubber spatula, spoon mixture into a one gallon ziplock bag. Cut a small triangle from the bottom of one corner to use as a filler for the manicotti.

Spoon about one cup of pasta sauce into the base of a large baking dish. Cupping the manicotti to ensure the bottom is covered, squeeze the cheese mixture into the open end of the manicotti pasta. Do not overfill or the manicotti will break, or worse, leak cheese all over the place. Layer the manicotti together in the baking dish. Top prepared manicotti with remaining pasta sauce and parm cheese.

Bake manicotti for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. This recipe uses about 1/3 the amount of cheese normally called for in manicotti. I've also adjusted the recipe to bring more vegetables and hearty fillings. I high recommend a side salad since this is such a light meal. The pine nuts make the true difference in taste. If you are short on pine nuts, roast walnut pieces.

Sasquash Sandwich

I was sad to learn recently that the Bear Rock Cafe had closed down near my office. I also saw that their website is "under construction". I hope they resurface soon because they have a great selection of breads and vegetarian options.

I was first introduced to the Sasquash sandwich at Bear Rock. I liked it so much I wanted to make it at home, with a few alterations. I buy the pumpkin seed bread at Panera Bread. They will pre-slice your loaf but be sure to store it properly to keep from molding prematurely. I also found a similar-tasting Vidalia dressing with Ken's. It is offered in low-fat, which is actually just as good and significant fat-reduction. The original sandwich comes with sprouts and eggplant, but as you can tell from the Ultimate Vegetable list, they don't count for much, so I leave them off since I don't care for them much.

Sasquash Sandwich

sunflower-seed bread, sliced

vidalia onion dressing

fresh rosemary, crushed

garlic, minced

1 yellow squash, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1 pint mushrooms, preferably baby bellows

eggplant, sliced (optional)

sprouts (optional)

romaine lettuce

tomato, sliced

provolone or Havarti cheese, low-fat

Crushing rosemary is not that simple. I used to use a butcher knife but the roasmary would shoot all over the place. I finally invested in a tiny mortar and pestle. It was fairly cheap and makes crushing herbs the only means available. Rosemary is a strong herb so use sparingly. I use about one teaspoon.

Saute garlic in 1 tsp oil. Add sliced zucchini and squash and mushrooms. If using eggplant, add here. Sauté vegetables until slightly browned but not wilted.

Spread dressing on two slices of bread. Top one side with cheese and toast in a toaster oven or convention oven (at 400 degrees) until cheese is melted and bread is slightly toasted. Spread sautéed vegetables on cheese side - the cheese keeps the vegetables in tact - and top with lettuce, tomato and sprouts (if using).

The taste-maker in this recipe is the dressing. Do not short-change this meal without it.

Vegetable Pad Thai (Quick Meal)

This is a recipe I found in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I was actually somewhat disappointed in the description of "vegetable" which only consists of three scallions. So we had to fix that.

Continuing my excitement over my CSA vegetables, I picked up a pound of pak choi, which is a kind of baby bok choy with more leafy greens and less stalk. They could be related, but I am not sure. I also picked up some summer onions, which look like over-sized green onions. The ones I picked up even came in red onion. So cute. So this was my first real CSA dinner.

Vegetable Pad Thai

8 oz (half a box) of linguine pasta or flat rice noodles

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 bunch spring onions (more or less depending on the size)

1 tsp garlic or one minced garlic clove

1 pint whole mushrooms

2 eggs, beaten

1 lb bok choy or pak choi (about 2), lightly chopped

cilantro

cashews or peanuts, roasted and salted

Wisk together brown sugar, lime juice and soy sauce and let sit. Boil pasta or noodles until aldente. Drain and keep covered to retain moisture and heat.

Heat oil in skillet and add garlic and onions. I used six spring onions and about 4 scallions I had leftover in the fridge. I had a good bunch of onions. Trader Joes sells huge scallions so you can get a lot of onion from those too. The State Farmer's Market sells big spring onions as well.

Stem and half the mushrooms. A trick a friend told me was to keep the mushrooms rather big so they have a meatier texture to them. Add mushrooms to pan and sauté. Once vegetables look soft add beaten eggs and slowly stir until eggs are almost set, maybe 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan and keep in a bowl. Add another tsp of oil to pan and add leafy bok choy to pan. I did not chop very deep into the root so I had just the tender leaves. Sauté until vegetables are reduced to 1/3 original size. Add bok choy to vegetable bowl.

Add warm pasta to pan and pour soy sauce mix over pasta, mixing well. Make sure pasta is coated with sauce and add vegetables back to pan. Mix thoroughly but remove from heat quickly. Leaving the meal on stove top too long will dry out the pasta. Serve with roasted nuts and cilantro. I don't keep peanuts in the house (one of the few nuts/legumes I don't keep in stock), but I did have cashews, which I think matched the meal better.

I have seen versions of pad thai with chicken and shrimp. You can also garnish with chives from your green onions, but I think that is a tad too much onion for me. I thought the mushrooms and the eggs gave this meal a meaty taste. I was really surprised how much I liked it. I only made it because pak choi was with my CSA and it looked like it would be a good add-in.

Not to mention how fast this meal takes. I was rushing to cook for some company coming in and it was done in 15-20 minutes. The pasta took the longest at 9 minutes. Everything else sautés fast and then you just mix.

Homemade Ravioli

This was a Martha Stewart "Quick Ravioli" recipe that is not so quick. It is faster than making the pasta sheets yourself but not a 30 minute meal either. This recipe is still somewhat time-consuming, but worth the effort. It makes dozens so it is perfect for a nice dinner for hosting a small group or a special occasion for a significant other. It also works great for leftover won tons or egg roll wrappers that you struggle to use before they go dry.

My mother and I have since revamped Martha's recipe to include more goody fillings and some variations on sauces. A friend reminded me of these raviolis when I realized I don't have a big variety of vegetables in my recipes, especially broccoli. When it occurred to me that my ravioli recipe is vegetarian, I was so excited to post it.

Homemade Ravioli

1/2 pint of ricotta cheese

Italian herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley, etc)

1 pint mushrooms, preferably baby bellos

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 head broccoli, steamed

garlic salt/pepper

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 pack of egg roll sheets (available in the vegetarian section)

2 chicken or vegetable bullion cubes

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

Steam broccoli by snipping broccoli florets from the stem and laying them in a single layer in a steam basket over a shallow pot of boiling water. Cover and check on after 5 minutes. When broccoli is bright green and tender it is done. If you do not have a steam basket you can put broccoli in a Ziplock bag with some water (1 inch) and microwave for one minute. This is not preferred since cooking plastic can put toxins in your food, but there are great alternatives that are now on the market.

Preheat oven 400 degrees and toast walnuts until fragrant, no more than 10 minutes. Sauté mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil and minced garlic over medium heat. Season with garlic salt and pepper. I love garlic but if you think fresh, minced and garlic seasoning are too much, just use coarse salt and pepper to season. Chop broccoli florets and mushrooms and add to 1/2 cup ricotta cheese. Mix well, adding Italian seasoning or fresh Italian herbs, if available. If you want to use some grated parm to add a little more taste, do a few tablespoons in the ricotta mix.

Martha uses won ton wrappers for her ravioli, which I did for the longest time, but find that they are much more time-consuming. I take one egg roll wrapper and cut in half with a pizza cutter, or any straight cutter, and fill one side of the half-wrapper with one tablespoon mix. I wet a square around the mix and fold over. The won ton wrappers are not square and are more likely to break when boiling. Do not use more than 1 tbsp of the mix or the ravioli will bust from the moisture of the ricotta. Since this is the most time-consuming part of the meal you will allow plenty of time for the wrappers to stick together before you boil them.

Start a pot of boiling water and add a bullion cube. The chicken adds the most flavor but if you are a strict vegetarian the vegetable bullion also adds flavor. Boil no more than three raviolis at at time or they will get too crowded or you might lose them. Time the raviolis for 2-3 minutes. It will not take long for them to boil and over boiling will cause them to break. These are very delicate raviolis so be careful and don't get frustrated. Pile the raviolis on top of one another on a rimmed plate to keep them moist while you boil the rest. Do not put down a paper towel because they will stick.

Serve raviolis with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, toasted walnuts and julienne-cut basil or some more parm if you prefer. For a lighter sauce use 1/4 cup pasta water with 1-2 tbsp of pesto.

Stuffed Pablano Peppers (Cheap Meal)

Yeah! We get to collect our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) starting today. To celebrate, I am giving you a great recipe that is made cheap with cabinet staples and local produce.

Chiles Rellenos Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

The only stuffed pepper recipe I made was my mother's, which is stuffed with habaneros, meat and goat cheese. It is very rich and set-your-mouth-on-fire. So this "lighter" version was a pleasant surprise.

Stuffed Pablano Peppers

4 pablano peppers

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 pint button mushrooms, sliced

1 can roasted tomatoes, drained

1 box prepared rice e.g. wild rice, Mexican rice or dirty rice

3 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded

salt/pepper

1 can refried beans or homemade beans

Prepare rice according to package instructions. Set oven to broil. Spray each side of the peppers with oil. Broil peppers 10 minutes and turning after 5 minutes. Be careful not to leave the kitchen while peppers are broiling. The skin should be slightly charred and blistered. Let peppers cool completely. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.

Heat a non-stick, large frying pan on medium. Add garlic and chopped onion. You may not have to add any oil depending on the quality of your pan. If needed, add no more than one tsp oil. Once onion has browned, add mushrooms. Once mushrooms have sautéed, add canned tomatoes. I used Hunt's roasted tomatoes and you can really tell they're roasted. Using canned items also helps to keep this dish cheap and convenient. Once the rice is done, stir in adequate amount of rice to pan.

The original recipe does not include rice, but I felt rice was a good way to make the meal more filling and stuff the peppers full. A healthy option was Uncle Ben's wild rice. However, the last time I made these I used a dirty rice mix, sans meat, and it was delicious! Zatarain's actually has a fat free dirt rice, but the salt content is outrageous. Be sure to check your rice nutrition list to alter your salt or fat additions. You also don't need to use the entire box of rice; I used about 3/4 of a prepared box. Have a good mixture of vegetables and rice, and likely you will have leftover stuffing for breakfast burritos or some other dish.

Stir in shredded cheese until mixture is warm and cheese melts. This is a great recipe if you are needing to use that little bit of cheese sitting in your fridge. You don't necessarily need to use the pepper jack since the peppers are hot as they are. So any type of Mexican cheese mix will do. The last time I made these I definitely went overboard with the cheese and it is truly not as appetizing, so be sparing.

The one pain in the boot about this recipe is the stuffing. You want to lightly cut the pepper so that you don't cut all the way through like I did with two of them. Make sure the peppers are cool so that you don't tear them as easily and you don't scold yourself. Getting the seeds out was definitely the most difficult part. I don't have much of a suggestion: cut the "bulb" of the seeds and get as many out as you can. I did a poor job of removing the seeds. I didn't think it would make much of a difference with so much stuffing and rice. But they lit me up! And I am pretty good with hot stuff. When stuffing, hold the pepper in your palm and spoon stuffing into one side and try to open the other side and fold over. The more you get in the pepper, the easier it gets.

And you definitely want to make the beans as a side dish. It made a huge difference to the combination of peppers, vegetables, and rice. And it's a good source of protein for this dish. You can buy canned refried beans (makes a cheaper meal if you do), but of course it is always better to make them yourself. If using canned, I add the beans to a small sauce pan and stir in vegetable broth over low heat. You want the beans creamy when you top your hot peppers.

Refried Beans

1 can pinto beans

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed

1.5 tbsp olive oil, separated

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

1 shallot, chopped (or 1/4 red onion)

cumin

chili powder

salt/pepper

Rinse beans and add to small pot of boiling water. Boil for about 10-15 minutes or until beans are soft. You can add a cube of chicken broth or beef broth if you are okay with that, just to add some more flavor. Meanwhile, sauté onion and pepper in garlic and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Season with cumin and chili powder. Drain beans, reserving some liquid. Process beans in food processor. Slowly pour in remaining tbsp oil. Add pepper/onion and process; add some reserved liquid if mixture becomes too thick. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

We got all our vegetables from the farmer's market and had the canned goods already at home. This can be a very cheap meal if you stock up on canned goods when they go on sale at your grocer. This was a big hit in my house, so I hope you enjoy.

What's in Season? Asparagus

Okay, I have a cholesterol/blood pressure check this week, so I need to be ultra-conscious of saturated fats this week. To celebrate my new William Sonoma "it costs what?" gourmet pizza cutter, we are making pizza his week.

Let me preface by saying I do not like asparagus. It was one of those vegetables on the ultimate vegetable list that I was hoping would be at the bottom. However, it is packed full of folate and other vitamins I don't regularly get in my every day diet. So when I learned that asparagus was in season right now, I figured I needed to find a recipe I like with the little pegs. I was inspired by this photo.

Yes, another pizza, but I did go out on a limb and use the whole wheat dough that is sold at Trader Joes. I tried this kind several months ago and hated it, but I figured if we are going all vegetarian, then there is no sense in adding white flour to the recipe. Since I hardly leave a crust on my pizza and I have wall to wall toppings, it was not so bad as I remember. This pizza is so packed with flavor, you really can go with the whole wheat without effort.

When I buy basil, I get it in huge bunches that I can hardly use in one setting before it goes bad. You have one of two options here: make your own pesto or freeze for a later use. At first I thought there is no way frozen and revived herbs are going to taste good, but Martha has a tip for freezing herbs with oil in ice cub trays. This works great for the same tiny trays you use for freezing tomato paste. I used two cubes and sautéed with garlic until melted before adding vegetables. Groceries have also started to sell tubes of herbs for easy storage. Can be expensive though.

Colorful Asparagus Pizza

1 serving whole wheat pizza dough (homemade or Trader Joe variety)
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 ice cubes of frozen basil or fresh or tube basil
1 bunch asparagus, cut in 1.5 inch stems starting from the top (don't use think end of stalk)
1/2 - 1 pint grape tomatoes (yes grape, not cherry), cut in half
1/2 - 1 pint mushrooms (I used baby bellos but whatever you prefer will work)
2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
handful baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Italian seasoning
Asiago/Parm cheese blend (Trader Joes has the best but Sargento has great-tasting low-fat Italian cheese blend too) Nutrition Action has some good cheese recommendations.

Heat your pizza stone, if using, in the oven at 450 degrees. Normally I will just turn on the oven and shove the stone in while the oven preheats so you don't lose any cooking time. Roll out your dough into a thin crust. Dust cooking sheet with corn meal to keep dough from sticking. Put dough on hot pizza stone or baking sheet. Stab with a fork several times to let air bubbles out and bake for 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Saute basil oil cubes with garlic until melted and brown. First add asparagus and saute until bright green. Add grape tomatoes and cook until soft. I chose grape tomatoes for this recipe for two reasons (1) tomatoes are not in season and the grapes were the only ones available at TJs and (2) the grapes are less juicy and keep their shape better when soft or baked. Add mushrooms when vegetables are about done. Stir in vinaigrette. The dressing should have enough salt for the vegetables, but you might want to add some black pepper.

When the crust is slightly cooled, spread the ricotta edge to edge. I like using ricotta for pizza because vegetables need some "stick" to the pizza and it makes for a lighter taste. You can use tomato sauce if you like. You can add the Italian seasoning to the ricotta or top the pizza with it. Top ricotta with fresh spinach and vegetables. I used a slotted spoon for the vegetables to avoid too much of the dressing from getting on the pizza. Top with asiago cheese blend.


Bake for 15-20 minutes or until you get the desired browning. I tried to take photos while I made my dish to give some direction. I look like a messier cook than I really am. But this pizza was a perfect color and texture. I thought it would feed us for days but it goes fast. Enjoy!

Vegetable Panini

As some of you know, I do not have cable. I have not had cable or satellite since the invention of TiVo, so The Cooking Channel and other wonderful food stations are not part of my routine. However, since we got our converter boxes, we have found that network television is attempting to complete with their cable rivals with their own versions of The Weather Channel, American Movie Classics and The Food Network. Live Well hosts "Let's Dish" which features a lot of low-calorie, everday foods. The Grilled Vegetable Panini is one of their better dishes. I made a few adjustments, but there is a video online if you want visual instructions.

Vegetable Panini

1 zucchini, sliced 1/2 inch
1 pint baby bellos, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp reduced fat Italian dressing
pumpernickel or whole grain bread (the sturdy kind)
low-fat slices of provolone cheese
sliced tomato
lettuce

I did not grill my vegetables; however, if you have an in-home grill or leftover grilled vegeies, those are great for this sandwich.

Mix 1/4 cup of Italian dressing with zucchini, mushrooms and red onion. It is better to use a reduced fat or low fat dressing with this meal as opposed to fat as opposed to fat free so that you don't have to add any oil to saute the vegetables. Saute vegeies in hot pan until soft.

Brush one slice of bread with remaining Italian dressing. Top other slice with vegetables and cheese. Toast in toaster oven (or conventional oven at 375 degrees) until cheese is melted and toast is brown. The cheese melting with the vegetables helps to keep the vegetables in tact. Nothing is more frustrating than food falling apart as you eat it. Layer vegetables with sliced tomoato and lettuce.

Grilled Portobellos with Summer Couscous

Hopefully you all had as wonderful a week as we did. The spring warmth and sunny skies can only mean one thing: it's grillin' time! Grilling is a wonderful and tasty way to cut down on oils used for cooking. However, new studies have shown that overcooking food has damaging health effects, so be cautious (look in Nutrition Action archives under September 2009).

Nutrition Action (look for July/August 2009) features some recipes in their journal. There are very few recipes I have tried from this journal because, frankly, they are too healthy. I wish I was one of those people who only ate the fruits and vegetables needed to get through the day, but I LOVE food; I love to cook food, read about food, try different foods, etc. For this reason, I need food that tastes and sometimes no oil, steamed vegies with a side of quinoa does not do it for me.

Quinoa has been all the craze lately because of its grain consistency and overwhelming nutritional value in iron. Unfortunately, due to a bad experience in my home, we have not caught onto the hype. Yes, quinoa is good for you, but the texture is too close to contemporary couscous and cooking it was a disaster. Not to say you won't have a wonderful experience with quinoa, but for this recipe I have substituted Israeli couscous. The consistency is closer to rice or orzo.

Grilled Portobellos with Summer Couscous

4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crush or 4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 c balsamic vinaigrette
2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium if you have it)
4 portobello caps
2 red bell peppers, ribs removed and sliced (green bells are cheaper but I think red are better for this recipe)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2 box prepared Israeli couscous (about 2 cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 bunch basil, julienne cut
2 oz feta cheese crumbles (seasoned for plain)

Make marinade: whisk 3 tbsp oil, garlic, vinaigrette, and soy sauce. Season with fresh pepper (the soy sauce makes up for the salt, don't add in addition). Using a pastry brush, saturate mushrooms, peppers and onions with marinade. If you don't have a pastry brush, add marinade and vegetables in a plastic bag and soak for a few minutes. Marinades help keep grilled foods from overcooking.

Set grill to medium (or whatever you call 'medium' on your charcoal grill). The vegetables will grill much better in a grill basket. Continue to baste vegetables with marinade until soft and slightly charred, about 5-10 minutes.

Toss prepared Isreali couscous with 1 tbsp oil, tomatoes, basil and feta. Season with fresh ground salt and pepper. You can add other vegetables to this side dish as well. I added some leftover zucchini that I slightly sauted. Also try cucumber, mushrooms or minced shallot. Serve couscous side with vegetables.

This is one of those recipes that you make when it's a warm night and you don't want a heavy meal OR you want to gorge into some dessert but not take on too much guilt for it. Enjoy!