In season: Pineapple

I have had a hard time finding a salsa recipe that works for me. I love black bean and corn salsa because of the smoky flavors, but I also enjoy a sweet and spicy version as well.

This is where pineapple comes in. To my surprise most tropical fruits - pineapple, kiwi, mango etc - are considered some of the most nutritious fruit you can eat. Pineapple's high vitamin C, magnesium and anti-oxidant power contribute to better eye sight, digestion and works as an anti-inflammatory.

Pineapple is prime in late winter/early spring so find yourself some FRESH pineapple at the grocery store. You can buy a pineapple corer/slicer for less than $10 at Target or other kitchen-aid stores and it's worth the freshness. Canned fruit can often come with added sugar and unnatural preservatives. Once you have your pineapple tower, cut into quarters and use for a breakfast fruit salad or this wonderful salsa recipe.

This recipe is rather simple and you can easily adjust the ingredients to impact the flavors you prefer in a salsa recipe.

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

1 ripe pineapple

1 green apple, finely chopped

1 shallot, mined

1 ripe lime

fresh cilantro

pickled jalapeño

cumin

chili powder

salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Chop pineapple slices - mine was a fine consistency. Mix with apple and let drain in a strainer while you prepare other ingredients. I liked using green apple because it's crisp and firm - you can use other cooking apples as well, such as Fuji.

Mince shallot and jalapeño. Add as much or as little jalapeño as you care for - the pineapple has an overwhelming sweetness so I prefer more pepper. I use pickled peppers because the raw pepper is not appealing to me in salsa. Clean cilantro and chop.

Add onion, pepper and cilantro in a bowl. Mix in 1/2 tsp cumin and chili powder each. Also add 1 tsp coarse ground salt. Add pineapple and apple to mixing bowl. Stir in olive oil and juice from one lime. Taste to determine if more spice or salt is needed.

This salsa is great for just chips but also pairs well with meats such as pork and chicken. For a vegetarian option, make fish tacos on corn tortillas and add pineapple salsa. This is also a great pot luck item for a tropical party theme.

Martha Stewart has a version in her March Everyday Food magazine that includes black beans.

Vegetable Enchiladas

This is sort of a cheater's recipe, but I learned a new trick: red sauce. Remember when I was complaining that my tortilla pie was good but it didn't serve a lot of people? I figured out that I can use the same ingredients to make vegetable enchiladas, which go further with guests and leftovers.

I do make chicken enchiladas with a green sauce, but I knew that would not go well with this new dish. So I finally tried my hand at Mexican red enchilada sauce. This recipe was completely improvised but was a surprising success! To be fair, I do not use any chilies in my enchilada sauce to tame the heat, so it's not exactly authentic. I do not recommend store-bought sauce because it contains a lot of needless salt and preservatives. However, enchilada sauce can be made with a lot of kitchen staples.

Red Enchilada Sauce

2 tbsp butter

1/2 minced onion

2 tbsp flour

2 cups vegetable or beef broth

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

2 tbsp chili powder

cumin

oregano

garlic powder

salt

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Saute minced onion in butter in a large frying pan. You can use any kind of onion for this recipe. I buy yellow onions because they are so versatile but red onion is also very Mexican and will go well. Once butter is melted, add flour. Slowly pour broth and whisk well. Flour should dissolve and the mixture will become thick. Season with cumin, oregano, garlic and salt - 1/2 to 1 tsp each. You can also include fresh garlic in this recipe - add with onions. Mix tomato paste with water or more broth - about half a cup - and stir into sauce. If you like a thinner enchilada sauce, substitute plain tomato sauce for paste. Be sure to note if the tomato sauce is seasoned with Italian spices - that will not make for a tasty sauce.

Mix cocoa with 1/4 cup water and whisk into sauce. Some people shy away from cocoa in red sauce but it honestly didn't taste like enchilada sauce without this key ingredient. Cocoa does not equate to chocolate. Have you ever tasted unsweetened cocoa? It's not sweet or chocolaty. The cocoa also improves the color. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools so add broth or water to get preferred consistency.

Vegetable Enchiladas

As I mentioned before, this recipe is a copy cat to my tortilla pie recipe:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
small can corn, rinsed and drained
bag baby spinach, slightly chopped
1 cup salsa
1/2 medium onion, red or white
1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
fresh cilantro (optional)
1.5 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

10-12 corn tortillas

8 oz pepper jack or Mexican blend cheeses, shredded

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Saute onion and pepper in minced garlic, cumin, salt and red pepper. Once pepper and onion are soft, add beans. Add 1/4 cup water to beans and cook until beans start to break. Slightly mash beans to speed up the process. The mixture should be "refried" with some whole beans still in tact.

Stir in corn and spinach leaves. Stir until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. Stir in salsa. Trader Joes has a fantastic Double Roasted salsa that goes with about any dish I prepare. I highly recommend this salsa for cooking because it is flavorful and chunky. If you are using salsa with a lot of cilantro, than adding fresh cilantro is unnecessary. Otherwise, add cilantro now.

Heat your tortillas in a damp, clean dish rag for about one minute. Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce into a 13x9 baking dish. Fill each tortilla with 2-3 tbsp filling - depending on the number of guests you plan to feed (I like mine FULL). Top filling with 1 tbsp cheese and lay seem-side down in pan. Make sure tortillas are warm, otherwise the corn tortillas tend to fall apart. Top prepared enchiladas with red sauce and more cheese.

Bake enchiladas 20 minutes. If cheese is not brown, turn on broiler for 1-2 minutes. Serve enchiladas with salad - it goes together surprisingly well. I mix chopped spinach with a lite dressing and top with Mexican cheese and pepitas.

Pasta with Spicy Vegetables and Vegan Tomato Sauce

Pasta is a great ingredient for recipes when trying to take out leftovers - pasta stores easily and practically forever. This is a recipe I threw together after days of Thanksgiving turkey leftovers and we needed a turkey break. Additionally, I am featuring a vegan "creamy" tomato sauce that foodie friend recommended.

Vegetable Pasta

8-10 oz. whole wheat penne, or other short pasta (about half a box)

1-2 carrots, shredded

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

big handful baby spinach, stemmed

vegan tomato sauce:

5-7 cloves garlic, minced

24 oz. can whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes

1 cup roasted nuts, such as almonds or cashews

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (cheese substitute)

crushed red pepper

fresh basil (or frozen)

rosemary

Nutritional yeast is typically used as a cheese or cream substitute in vegan meals. Although referred to as "yeast" it is more of a thickening agent than a leavening ingredient. Toast your nuts at 425 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until fragrant. You will want to use a fatty nut like cashews or almonds, but do not use peanuts. These nuts contain good fats and will make for a heartier sauce.

Saute garlic in olive oil. If you are using frozen basil packed in olive oil, you do not need to add any oil. Add crushed red pepper, rosemary and basil (if using fresh). Once garlic is golden add soy milk, tomatoes and nuts. Let tomatoes heat through and use a submersion blender to cream the tomatoes and nuts. I found it difficult to blend the nuts to a consistency that I liked, so I would recommend crushing your nuts in a coffee grinder or rolling pin (in a plastic bag) before adding to the sauce. If you like a nuttier texture, blend the nuts whole. Once you have a texture you like, stir in nutritional yeast.

Boil pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining pasta.

This is also a great opportunity to take out some leftover vegetables or frozen vegetables. I have frozen shredded carrot, leftover celery from Thanksgiving stuffing and a little bit of spinach that was about to go bad. I also have jalapeños growing in our garden, finally. You can add other vegetables that you think will partner well. Carrots, celery and onion, known as mirepoix, are quite universal but add a little sweetness to any recipe. That is why this recipe has a lot of herbs and some spice.

Saute vegetables in olive oil until soft. Stir in tomato sauce and heat to a simmer. Stir in spinach until leaves wilt slightly. Pour modest amount over pasta - add reserved pasta water, or soy milk, if needed.

For a quicker version of this recipe, use spicy Arrabbiata tomato sauce.

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

Any of you who know me personally know that my weakness is Mexican food. Something about tortillas, cheese and beans that I can't get enough. But it is rough on my cholesterol and waistline. One option I have been able to use is vegetarian tortilla pie. This recipe is an Amy original. It calls for a ton of vegetables, high protein beans and light on cheese (so sad). It doesn't go very far though and usually only makes 2-4 servings. It is perfect for kicking a Mexican food craving though.

When you go to a Mexican food restaurant and order "refried beans" you are usually getting a lot of lard-fried beans. They taste so good, but honestly making beans at home is the best way to get the good nutrition without the unnecessary fats. Pinto beans are actually one of the MOST nutritious beans you can eat, just behind soybeans, with their fiber, folic acid and iron content. Black beans are also high in fiber and folic acid. Beans are also one of the healthiest foods for you that you can get for cheap. Canned beans run about $1 per can and have a lasting shelf life. I stock up any time they are on sale. If you can, buy organic or preferably low-sodium. You should rinse and drain your beans to ensure all preservatives and added salt are washed away.

Lastly, beans are great for vegetarians because they provide high levels of protein with no dependence on meat. Beware my friendly vegetarians, tofu is not as potent with protein levels as beans and also fails to provide adequate levels of fiber for a daily diet. Tofu and other processed soy products lose a lot of nutrition of natural soy beans because of the heavy processing it undergoes. For more about the awesome-ness of beans, catch Cooking Light's September 2010 issue.

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

small can corn, rinsed and drained

bag baby spinach

1 cup salsa

6-9 corn tortillas

1/2 medium onion, red or white

1 jalapeño, chopped

fresh cilantro

8 oz pepper jack or Mexican blend cheeses, shredded

1.5 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Saute onion and pepper in minced garlic, cumin and red pepper. Once pepper and onion are soft, add beans. Add 1/4 cup water to beans and cook until beans start to break. Slightly mash beans to speed up the process. The mixture should be "refried" with some whole beans still in tact.

Stir in corn and spinach leaves. Stir until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. Stir in salsa. Trader Joes has a fantastic Double Roasted salsa that goes with about any dish I prepare. I highly recommend this salsa for cooking because it is flavorful and chunky. If you are using salsa with a lot of cilantro, than adding fresh cilantro is unnecessary. Otherwise, add cilantro now.

Oil a 1 quart round casserole dish (small and tall if you have one). Layer two tortillas on the bottom of the dish, trying to cover as much space as possible. Top tortillas with half bean mixture and 1/3 cup of cheese. Repeat once more. Top cheese with two more tortillas and remaining cheese.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Heat oven to broil for a few minutes to brown top cheese. Cut into fourths and serve with more salsa and sour cream.

Italian Pasta Salad

Happy Labor Day weekend! Here is a quick recipe to include in your holiday celebrations.

Sometimes it is easy to let vegetables go bad before you have something to make with them. That has been especially difficult this year with gathering CSA vegetables every week. I try not to meal plan until Tuesday's pick-up, but not everything in-season is always the most convenient.

One trick I have learned is making pasta salad with leftover vegetables and cabinet staples. And you don't have to make a ton of it either. Just boil enough pasta to about half the amount of vegetables you plan to use. I will not include measurements so you can use your own portions based on what you have and what you like. This also makes a great side dish for weekend barbecues and outdoor dining.

Italian Pasta Salad

rotini pasta

fresh tomatoes and/or jarred sundried tomatoes, chopped

red or green bell pepper, chopped

red onion or shallot, chopped

shredded carrot

jarred, pitted black olives, sliced

dried or fresh basil

Italian dressing, low fat

shredded Parmesan cheese

I prefer Trader Joe's rotini pasta because it is multi-colored and makes for a more colorful presentation. I never use an entire bag of pasta in one setting because I am usually only making food for two people. It is easy to pour what I want to use and store the rest. Be aware that pasta swells when it is cooked so use less than what you think you need.

I've said before I do not care for raw vegetables, although most vegetables are more nutritious when they are served raw. I sauté the bell pepper, onion and carrot and let them cool before mixing my salad. You may even want to boil or steam the vegetables to avoid added fat and over heating. Any of these techniques are acceptable, even if you want a quick side dish that calls for raw vegetables.

Once vegetables cool to room temperature, mix with pasta and basil. Slowly add Italian dressing one teaspoon at a time until you get a coating that suites you. If you do include olives, their natural fat will make up for taste from low-fat dressing. Mix in shredded Parmesan last.

Hummus Wrap

The good thing about summer is that it invites light meals to avoid packing on warm fat. This results in a lot of lunch salads and cold sandwiches, but you can easily get burnt out of those quickly. Rachel, my roommate foodie before I got married, was impeccable about making homemade hummus every week to make wraps with for lunches on campus. I had her sit down with me and go over her "recipes" before she moved out. I say "recipes" in quotations because Rachel is a open-the-cabinet-and-make-something kind of cook. She literally had to make the hummus in front of me to know what measurements to give me. So she got to do all the experimenting and I get to enjoy fool-proof hummus - as well shall you.

Hummus ala Rachel

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small bunch parsley

1 tbsp. flax seed (or flax seed meal)

juice of one lemon

Cayenne pepper

cumin powder

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp peanut butter

add ins: one jarred roasted red pepper and/or feta cheese

Boil chickpeas for about 3 minutes or when skins start to come off - drain and move to blender. Reserve 1 cup water. Add 2 tbsp oil, lemon juice and flax seeds and blend. Flax seeds need to be "damaged" to release their beneficial fats, so blend the seeds or buy flax meal. If chickpeas get "chalky" add another tbsp oil or reserved water. Add red pepper, cumin, garlic, parsley and peanut butter. I know you are supposed to use tahini paste in hummus, but Rachel tried the tahini and it really didn't taste as good. You get more of an earthy taste with the peanut butter. Use natural peanut butter if you can, or TJ's reduced-fat peanut butter. You can also use almond butter for healthier fat. Blend your add-ins if using.

The best variety Rachel ever made was to add a jarred, feta cheese stuffed red pepper. I accidently bought some at the sore and didn't intend to use them so Rachel added them to her weekly hummus and it was amazing. You don't have to use feta-stuffed peppers, or you can just add feta cheese - it comes in Mediterranean-seasoned also. Fermented cheese are the least processed cheese because the "process" is natural. Cheeses like goat cheese, feta, cottage cheese are all probiotic cheeses that come with great benefits, especially for women.

Store-bought hummus contains a lot of unnecessary oil. I like that Rachel uses a modest amount of oil and substitutes water. You can also add more peanut butter for a smoother consistency. Rachel is also great about hiding flax seed in her meals and shakes. Flax seed is a good cholesterol-building fat. Rachel suffered from awful cholesterol regardless of her all-natural diet, and she had great tips for increasing good cholesterol to maintain a healthy balance.

Mediterranean Wrap

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

4 Roma (or similar sized) tomatoes, chopped

1 English cucumber, chopped

parsley, chopped

shallot, chopped

coarse salt and pepper

feta cheese, crumbled

homemade hummus

tortilla wraps or Naan bread

This wrap is great for the summer because it uses so many in-season vegetables. I am not a huge fan of cucumbers, but for some reason the CSA cucumbers are more appealing - or maybe my tastes have just changed. I like to make this the day before I eat it to let the tomatoes and cucumber "pickle" in the marinade.

Combine lemon juice, oil and salt/pepper. Set aside. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, shallot and parsley. I know I've said I hate the taste of raw onion, but shallots give off the aroma of red onion without having an overwhelming aftertaste. And let's face it, if you are eating Greek for lunch, your breath is not going to be saved from anything. Drain any excess juices if possible. Slowly add oil mixture to vegetables. Do not oversaturate the vegetables. Let sit overnight preferably.

To make your wrap, spread hummus on a tortilla wrap or Naan. Top with marinated vegetables - use a fork to limit juices from transferring to the wrap. Top with feta crumbles. Wrap and enjoy.

Perfect Potato Salad

How many of you have tried to make your own potato salad? I love potato salad, but I am so picky it's hard to order some and know how it will turn out. Some are dry and tasteless and others are drown in cheese and sour cream. I think I have finally found a recipe combination that works for me, except for one odd quality - it's served warm.

When I think of potato salad I think of BBQ side dishes and eating outside in the summer, but honestly this recipe only works so well because it is served warm. You do have a lot of flexibility in what you can include in potato salads. I don't like many raw ingredients - red onions have an after taste that take days to fade. And hard celery bites in my potato salad is such a turn off. But there are also ways to add some nutrition to this party side that can pretty much go unnoticed by those anti-vegetable family members of yours.

Potato Salad

2 lb. red potatoes

1.5 tbsp cider vinegar

2 eggs

1/4 c. mayo e.g. Kraft's olive oil

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 red pepper, diced

1-2 carrots, shredded

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 tbsp dill pickle relish

paprika, for serving

fresh parsley, for serving

You should definitely use red potatoes for this recipe. Someone did a test to see which potatoes were most absorbing and would take on the most flavors for potatoes salad, and red potatoes won hands down. I know they are cheap but don't use russet potatoes - it will not taste the same. Boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until able to easily pierce with a knife. Let potatoes cool. Cut the potato in half long-ways and then into thirds, or approximately bite-sized pieces. Stir in vinegar and set aside.

While potatoes are boiling, put two eggs into a shallow pot and cover with water. Set stove to high until water boils. Once boiling, cover pot and turn off stove - do not remove pot from heat. Time for 13 minutes. This is Martha's full-proof hardboil egg instructions and you will never have an overcooked egg. Once cool enough to handle, shell eggs and chop.

Mix your mayo and mustard together. Add seasonings. Add relish. Set aside.

In a frying pan add celery, onion, red pepper and carrot. Sauté until celery starts to become soft and vegetables are slightly brown. Add salt and pepper to vegetables.

First mix the warm potatoes and vegetables. Start with half your mayo mix and stir into potatoes. The heat of the vegetables will "melt" the mayo slightly and you will better be able to tell how much more you need. Add egg last. Top salad with fresh, chopped parsley and paprika. Serve immediately.

Some other tips: I like sautéed sweet onion in my salad, but you can also use sliced green onions since it is not so powerful. I am a big fan of dill relish but other recipes called for sliced cornichons if you prefer that taste to dill. Also, I never peel my potatoes, even for masked potatoes. As long as you clean the potatoes you are actually getting more nutrition from the skins. But if you dislike your potato skins remove them once they have boiled and are cool enough to handle.

Yummy Fish Tacos

YEA! I got my cholesterol results back and I am finally under 200. My good cholesterol rose two points, and I dropped from 162 to 107 in bad cholesterol without prescription pills! Thank you yummy vegetarian meals.

If any of you are vegans, you are probably not going to appreciate my "vegetarian" fish tacos. But these little tacos have so much filling, you don't need the fish to enjoy. I also recently found a friend's "pure vegetarian" blog for those of you who are hard-core veggies.

Fish tacos was a foreign concept to me five years ago. And when I say "foreign" I mean Californian, where I had my first taste at seafood Mexican. Since then I have been very attracted to this dish. Cheesecake Factory (several locations), Black Cat Burrito (Boone) and Cafe Capistrano (Raleigh) are the best restaurant fish tacos I have had to date. But these tender tacos are easy enough to make at home.

I first made fish tacos from Martha's Stewart's recipe. I have since made a few adjustments based on the other taco experiences I have had.

Fish Tacos

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 small red cabbage, thinly shredded
1 lb tilapia or other firm fish (I find tilapia on better sales than most other fish)

1 jalapeno, cut in half

2 tsp olive oil

1 can refried beans or homemade beans

1 box Spanish rice (optional)

6 inch corn or whole wheat toritillas

favorite salsa (tropical varieties taste best e.g. peach or pineapple)

Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Mix sour cream, lime juice and spices together and let sit. Slowly add sour cream mix to cabbage until you have a consistency you like, but don't drown your food. Cut tilapia in half long ways. Heat refried beans in a small pot with 1/4 cup of water or make your own. Make boxed rice according to package instructions. Add oil to hot pan and add jap pepper. Push pepper around to get pan flavored with the spice. Add fish to pan and sear, turning once, until fish is done. Depending on the thickness of the fish, this will not take very long.

Steam tortillas in a damp hand towl for one minute. Layer tortilla with beans, fish, rice (if using) and slaw. Top with salsa and pepitas. You might learn now that 6 inch tortilla is not going to hold a lot of these fillers, so be sparing.

This taco recipe also goes well with cut pork chops and shredded chicken.

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.

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!

Vegetarian Burritos ala Ross

Yea, an original recipe for once! This is my mother's vegetarian burritos recipe. This meal will convert any meatatarian, even for one night.

Vegetarian Burritos

1 box Uncle Ben’s wild rice, original recipe (not the quick cooking kind)
1 can black beans, preferably organic
1 small white onion, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped and seeded to liking
Cumin
Chili powder
Garlic, freshly crushed or minced
Velveta cheese slices (I know! but it’s not the same without this wonderful cheese food)
6’ or 8’ tortillas, preferably whole wheat or low carb
Burrito toppings: low fat sour cream/2% Greek yogurt, favorite salsa, cilantro, guacamole (preferably homemade)

Cook rice according to box instructions. Drain and rinse black beans. Sauté chopped onion and pepper in oil and garlic until soft. Season with salt/pepper and cumin and chili powder. I like it hot, so keep the seeds if you prefer. The rice in the burritos will mild the spiciness.

Once the rice is done, stir in the black beans and vegetables. Steam tortillas according to Amy’s instructions (see Tupelos). Layer tortilla with one (1) slice of velveta. The velveta slices come in normal and super thickness. It actually tastes better with the thinner slices. Top the cheese with the bean and rice mixture. Let sit until cheese melts. Fold and lay seam-side down.

Top burritos with your favs. I prefer sour cream, salsa and cilantro (see why cilantro is kickbutt in blog post). My husband prefers salsa and guac. I have learned to interchange Greek yogurt and sour cream, especially the 2% kind. You get a much better bang of protein with Greek yogurt and less fat. The creaminess is about the same with low fat sour cream and 2% yogurt. Beware, this is not a universal exchange – some recipes require sour cream.

Trader Joes offers a can’t-beat double roasted salsa, which might be a number one staple in our home. It is not a chunky salsa, like I prefer, but the taste is unbeatable. TJs also has a homemade guacamole kit for when avocados are in season. It’s easy and floors all other prepackaged guac.

I know that velveta is a no-no in the healthy world, but I’ve tried other low-fat Mexican cheese blends, and they are just not the same. If you have leftover cheese, use it, but I like this recipe if I have leftover cheese dip or queso from a party and “have” to get rid of it. Better than fried chips right? The velveta slices are only 60 calories per slice, so you can just skip the cookies for dessert.

This recipe is a great staple because it uses so many cabinet items. If you don’t have fresh jalapenos, you can use jarred just to keep from going to the store.

Which vegetables do you love?

Nutrition Action is a journal I subscribed to for a while. My favorite aspects are the journal was to take similar products on the market and compare them according to nutritional value v calories and fat content. It saves so much time at the grocery trying to read calories per serving and ingredient lists. You get accustomed to know what brands are better for what products.

Another edition I loved was a comparison of vegetables and how they scored in their content of calories, vitamin K, lutein, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Because of this list, there are vegetables I have learned to embrace because of their intense health benefits. I have also enjoyed the fact that if I don’t particularly like a vegetable and it’s low on the list, I don’t force myself to try use it. I do think the more variety, the better you are able to get the vitamins and nutrients you need without a vitamin supplement.

Top choices:
Kale is far and away the biggest powerhouse vegetable you can find. My sister marks it as a food garnish, but there are so many great sides you can make with kale. NA score: 1389. Most leafy greens are top choices, including baby spinach at 672 point for 2 cups raw.

Interesting notes: canned pumpkin (raw, not the seasoned pie variety) is more wholesome than fresh (117) and is the first non-green top scorer on the chart at 570 points. Also, South Beach and Atkins got it wrong - sweet potatoes (485) pack in more vitamins and are nine times healthier than white potatoes (53). Don’t let the name “sweet” keep you away from these wonderful roots.

Not just for seasoning:
I found a surprisingly high number of herbs on this list as well. A quarter cup of raw parsley packs out enough vitamins that beat out green leaf lettuce and ½ cup cooked broccoli. Cilantro, just 2.5 tbsp, still brings enough vitamin K to your meal to compete with zucchini and lima beans.

Learned to love:

For a good while, I convinced myself that supplementing parsnip for carrot was an acceptable exchange . . . not so much. Carrots give me much-needed fiber and vitamin K and tower vitamin richness over parsnips by 350 points. The non-pepper bell pepper has also had to sneak its way into my menu because of scores like 340 for red and 193 for green. I was quick to replace bell peppers in recipes with the spicier pablano or green chili pepper, which was only scoring 53 in vitamin richness.

Learned to live without:
No need to fret over not getting enough sprouts. These seedlings only scored an 18 for half a cup. I’ve also gotten over my distaste for eggplant (19), cucumber (29), beets (32), radishes (34) and corn (47). No need to worry, I will still present recipes with these fine vegetables.

What are your favorite vegetables? Did your favorite make the cut? What are you told you need to eat more of but can’t stand? Maybe it’s not worth fighting. Let me know your thoughts.

Vegetable Burritos with Smoked Gouda - Tupelos World Cafe

Tupelos is a fantastic eatery in Boone, NC. For those old timer Mountaineers, it is the old Angelicas vegetarian café on King Street. Tupelos added meat to their menu but didn't lose their touch on fresh ingredients and organic products. Their spring special included Smoked Gouda Enchiladas, but below is a modified version for the meatless eaters.

Vegetable Burritos with Smoked Gouda

2 lbs red or gold potatoes (or whatever amount you have growing twigs in your cabinet)
Mashed potato staples e.g. milk/cream, butter, salt/pepper etc
1 small can yellow or white corn
2 handfuls of spinach ('cause let's face it, who measures 5 cups of leaves?)
garlic - freshly crushed or minced in a jar
1/2 onion (favorite kind)
2-3 ripe zucchini or yellow squash
1/2 red pepper, chopped (or roasted red pepper)
1/2 cup smoke gouda, shredded
pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
6' or 8' whole wheat tortillas
ripe avocado
favorite salsa

Boil and make mashed potatoes. Typically that consists of cleaning potatoes, cut into quarters, boil until skin starts to come off (about 20 minutes) and mashed with potato masher with tasty add-ins like milk (1%) or light half-n-half and Brummel & Brown butter. There will be so much yummyness in this meal you can probably cut back on the cream and butter. I use a potato masher over a hand blender just to give the potatoes a hearty texture. Don’t forget garlic salt and pepper.

Prep vegetables while potatoes are boiling. Slightly chop spinach and drain and rinse corn. Cut zucchini into 1 inch rounds and then quarter. You want hearty-sized vegetables for this dish so don’t chop too finely. Also chop onion. And fresh red pepper, if using. Sauté vegetables with 1 tsp olive oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

While potatoes are still steamy hot, stir in cheese, corn and spinach until wilted. If using roasted red pepper (from a jar, not the fresh, sauted pepper), also stir into potatoes.

Steam tortillas by wrapping only the number you intend to use in a damp dish towel - make sure it’s clean and not the one you’ve been wiping your hands with all week ;) Microwave for 1 minute. Layer tortilla with mashed potato mix, vegetable mix and top with pepitas. Fold over and lay seam-side down. Top burritos with sliced avocado and favorite salsa.

Pepitas are yummy pumpkin seeds, but not the kind you pull out of the jack-o-lantern. They are tiny, crunchy and solid green. They are surprisingly great on most Mexican dishes. I bought the roasted, salted kind, but the raw, unroasted are a much better pick since you can do more with them raw (there is a dessert I will share with you in the fall).

For a non-vegetarian meal, layer tortillas with sliced, smoked chicken sausage. The Tupelos burrito was so huge it really didn’t need the meat, but it was nonetheless tasty.

Trader Joes now has a reasonably-priced ($4) bag of shredded, smoked cheddar, gouda, mozzarella and provolone - perfect for this recipe. TJs also has wonderful whole wheat tortillas. The other whole wheat I have found in the grocer has been dry and tears easily but TJ’s are unbeatable in taste and texture. Plus they are only six inches so you know you won’t overstuff.