Today’s recipe is a simple, hearty  and healthy dinner salad that boasts high protein and high fiber.  If you skip the added chicken, you could serve this as a pretty and creative side dish.  Or sub tofu for chicken, and create a vegan one-dish meal.  In any case, this’ll cost you only 30 minutes of your time, counter to table.

Orange Chicken Quinoa

Boil 1 1/4 c. water in a small saucepan.  Add rinsed quinoa, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for approximately 12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed by the quinoa.  Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes and then fluff.

While the quinoa is cooking, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Trim the scallions and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Saute the chicken and scallions in a skillet with 1 t. of olive oil, until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Cut 1 inch off each end of the orange.  Squeeze the orange ends into a small bowl, to get about 2 T. of juice.  Whisk together the orange juice, the lemon juice, 3 T. olive oil, salt and pepper.  Peel the remainder of the orange and slice it very thinly.

Add the chicken mixture, the dressing, sliced orange and the pistachios to the quinoa and toss.  Taste for seasoning – add more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper if desired.  Arrange 1 c. of salad greens on each of four plates, garnish each with 1/4 of the chicken mixture.

Serves 4.

Adapted from the Nutrition Action Healthletter, April 2009

Tip: Are you using non-stick cookware?  It’s more than suspect from a health-standpoint, it could be downright dangerous.  Did you know that a properly seasoned cast iron frying pan is virtually non-stick?  The secret is to heat it up before you begin cooking your food.  The 1 teaspoon of oil in this recipe more than coated my cast iron frying pan and created a non-stick surface for my chicken – all for only 10 extra calories per serving.  And bonus!  If you use cast iron cookware, you’ll get a little extra iron in your diet.

© 2011 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

I suspect that lima beans aren’t on your top 10 favorite veggies list, but who knows?  You might surprise me.  I have a great recipe for you today that that just might convince the haters out there . . . trust me, OK?  This is easy, very tasty, and very quick – 15 minutes max from counter to table.  How’s that for incentive to try?

Lima Bean & Feta Salad

Cook the limas according to package directions until just tender – do not overcook them!  Drain them and set them aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy frying pan and add the tomatoes and garlic.  Cook over medium-high heat until the tomatoes are beginning to color.  Add the feta to the pan and toss the ingredients together for about 1 minute.  Tip into a large bowl and mix with the beans, dill and olives.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

This serves 4-6 as a side dish, but it’s a great light lunch or dinner if you serve it with some nice fresh Syrian bread.   How do you tell it’s fresh bread?  Do like all the little old ladies do and squeeze it . . . if it feels soft and slightly springy, it’s the good stuff.  Don’t be shy!

© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Cabbage is in season!  Cabbage is sturdy, abundant, inexpensive, plus it’s tasty, and a nutritional powerhouse.  Do you like cabbage?  Have you ever eaten cabbage in anything but cole slaw?  If you’re ambivalent about it, I urge you to give cabbage another shot. 

There are three main types of cabbage: green, red and Savoy. Both green and red cabbage have smooth-textured leaves. Savoy cabbage leaves are more ruffled and yellowish-green (that’s it in the photo above).  Red and green cabbage have a more defined taste and a crunchy texture, whereas Savoy’s is more delicate.  Savoy is my favorite.

What should you look for in a cabbage?  Choose cabbage that’s firm and dense with shiny, crisp, colorful leaves without cracks, bruises and blemishes.  There should be only a few outer loose leaves attached to the stem. You should also know that pre-cut cabbage, either halved or shredded, loses its valuable vitamin C content.

When you get home, keep your cabbage cold:  this helps keep it fresh and retain its nutrients.  Put the whole head in a plastic bag in the crisper of your fridge.  Red and green cabbage will keep this way for about 2 weeks, Savoy will keep for about 1 week.

Here are three of my favorite ways to prepare cabbage – two involve curry powder, but each has a completely different taste.  Each of these recipes was originally intended as a side dish, but I eat each of them as a main course often.  Give them a try, and feel free to post your own in the comments.

 Curried Cabbage

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the onion and cook until it’s translucent, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is wilted and soft to the bite, about 7 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and yogurt.  Salt to taste.

Serves 4.  Chickpeas are a great addition for added protein and fiber, as are chunks of well-pressed extra-firm tofu.  If adding tofu, I’d saute that in the oil/curry powder mixture ’til it’s crispy, then remove it from the pan before adding the onions, etc.  You might need a touch more oil in this case because the tofu will sop up your initial oil.  Adapted from Eating Well Magazine.

Curried Red Cabbage Slaw

Combine the cabbage, bell pepper and onion in bowl and toss to mix.  In a small pan, combine the vinegar and sugar and heat to dissolve the sugar;  pour over the vegetables and leave to cool slightly.  Combine yogurt and curry powder and mix this into the cabbage mixture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Mix in raisins.  Chill.  Just before serving, pour off any accumulated liquid and briefly stir the slaw again.

Serves 4.  Adapted from The Half Hour Cook by Jenni Fleetwood.

Sauteed Savoy Cabbage With Walnuts

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the cabbage and saute, stirring frequently, until soft to the bite.  If the cabbage starts to brown and/or the pan starts to get too dry, lower the heat and add approximately 1-2 T. of chicken broth.  Remove from heat, stir in walnuts and salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 2 but is easily doubled.  Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten.

© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.

It’s getting chilly more often here in Massachusetts, and my tastes are transitioning from cool crisp salads to warm comfort foods.  That pasta I posted  a couple weeks ago is great, but you can’t eat rich foods like that all the time – you need to balance those out with some lighter selections.

This is a recipe adapted from one in Eating Well Magazine.  Eating Well is great – if you haven’t seen it, you might want to try to snag yourself a copy to check it out.  Their emphasis is on whole foods and seasonal ingredients, but also on relatively quick preparations (most are ready in 45-minutes or fewer).  Nutrition information is included for each recipe.  A subscription is a great way to keep yourself from getting into a rut with your cooking and might encourage you to try new combinations and ingredients.  There’s also an iPhone app, available for $2.99, which looks great for meal ideas on the fly.

This “salad” really isn’t “salady” at all, but rather a warm mixup of sausage, arugula and red potatoes.  Despite the ingredients, it cooks up quickly into a healthy, hearty weeknight dinner, perfect for these cool autumn days.  Enjoy!

Warm Chicken & Potato Salad

Bring 2-inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam, covered, until just cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl and add arugula, tent with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook until browned and heated through, about 5 minutes.  Add this to the potato/arugula mixture and re-cover.  Save the pan!

Using the same skillet in which you just cooked the sausage, add vinegar, maple syrup and the mustard, and scrape up any browned bits.  Gradually whisk in the oil.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until the arugula is wilted.  Season with pepper.

Serves 4.  Great with some crusty bread – I often get a bake-at-home loaf or French rolls (better portion control with these!) from the freezer at Whole Foods.

© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.

This is another super quick recipe. I found the inspiration for this from a thread on Chowhound, which, if you don’t use it already, is a GREAT resource for home-cooking ideas (also for area-specific dining ideas).

Mexican Quinoa

Cook quinoa according to the package directions, using the broth (not water).

Meanwhile, heat the kidney beans with the salsa.   Add the spices above, or tweak to taste.  Add the heated salsa mixture to the cooked quinoa and stir in the green onion and spinach until the spinach is wilted.

Serves 4.

© 2009 – 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

This is a staple at our house.  If you use prepared ingredients, it’ll take you approximately 20 minutes to get this from counter to table!  That’s less time than ordering take-out, and this is a low-cal, high-fiber one-dish meal that’s fresh and flavorful.  You can’t say that about anything at your local pizza house, can you?

Chicken With Broccoli & Bulgur

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and the garlic and cook until chicken is almost cooked through, approximately 2-3 minutes.  Stir in broth, bulgur and lemon peel.  Arrange the broccoli florets on top.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 7-10 minutes until the chicken, broccoli and bulgur are tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 1.5-cup servings.

Adapted from the American Heart Association Quick and Easy Cookbook.

© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Not everyone reading this blog wants to follow my current low-cal craze, so if you’ve got the urge to splurge, especially since the temps have dropped here in the Northeast, here’s a recipe for you to cook up this weekend.

My husband’s birthday was last week, and because it was chilly and rainy on Saturday, I indulged D’s love for my baked pasta.  My master recipe is below, but know that this is an easy one to riff off of if you want to.  Does your crew like mushrooms?  Quarter some nice buttons and throw them in.  Other veggies?  Zucchini perhaps?  Would be great in here.  Love a particular type of cheese?  Add more of that, please!   This is the basic version, which is what I usually make.  We have a nice spinach salad with Dijon vinaigrette on the side, and of course, crusty bread from Iggy’s.  Bon appetit!

Sarah’s Pasta Bake

Preheat oven to 350.

Remove the sausages from their casings and add them to a large skillet that’s been lightly coated with a little olive oil.  Start breaking the sausage apart to brown it, and once it’s gotten going, add the onion and garlic.  Cook this until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are translucent.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until it’s a little less than al dente – it should taste slightly under-done.  It’ll cook up more in the oven with the sauce, and you don’t want soggy pasta, do you?  As a certain 6-year-old would say, “eeeeeeew!”  Drain this and return it to the pan.

Add the sausage/onion/garlic mixture to the pasta along with all your sauce and mix the whole mess together gently in the pot. 

Spray a 9X13 casserole dish with cooking spray.  Put a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta mixture into the pan, then scatter some of your cheeses over the top.  Add more pasta mixture, more cheese, etc. until you use up both – it really doesn’t matter if you have cheese on top or not.

Cover this with foil and throw it in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until it seems to be getting warmed through.  Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes or so, or until the top gets browned and crusty.

Remove from oven and eat it up!  This’ll serve approximately 6 people as an entree, depending on the appetites of those you’re feeding.

A couple of notes:  You can assemble this ahead of time, cover it, and put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.  Remove it about 1 hour before you want to bake it and let the casserole come to room temperature.  Follow the baking directions above . . . this is great for get-togethers where you actually want to visit with your guests.  

I have two favorite sources for sausage.  Either DePasquale’s in Newton, or the garlic rosemary sausages from Formaggio in Cambridge.  Both of these are intensely flavorful sausages – you get a lot of bang for your buck with these.  Both are housemade and therefore super fresh.  But use whatever’s your favorite in here, and if you want to make your life even easier, buy bulk so you don’t have to peel off the casings.

© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Some of you who know me know that I’m currently sporting this crazy brace – I have terrible tendinitis in my left leg/ankle and this thing is supposed to give my leg a rest and help decrease the inflammation.  The jury’s still out on whether it’s making any difference in the tendon, but the verdict otherwise is that it’s a huge pain in the a** to wear around.  It weighs over 5 lbs. on its own, and comes up to just below my knee.

For some, takeout would be the way to go, but now, more than ever, I want a healthy meal at dinnertime.  I can hardly exercise at all, and, well, I’m “of a certain age” such that exercising is pretty much a necessity – unless I want to show off everything I eat on my lower-half.  So I’m trying to find more convenient dinners that minimize prep but which also emphasize healthy components.  And where do I go for inspiration?  Trader Joe’s, of course. 

Here’s what I do – I go into the store and hit the protein section first.  I check out the meat/sausage/tofu selection and see what strikes my fancy.  Note:  this is exactly the opposite of the way I usually shop: I usually have a detailed list made up, based on my menu plan for the week.  I am naturally incredibly anal. 

Anyway, I choose however many proteins I need, then double-back to cheese and pick up whatever might go with a particular protein – goat cheese is one I often buy . . . goes well with chicken, also on salads or in a quiche.  Then on to produce (for those of you who’re wondering, this is the Memorial Drive, Cambridge TJ’s).  Prepared green beans make life easy, as do broccoli florets.  Bagged and pre-prepared mustard/kale/spinach are super handy (although they never have this as an organic option – I buy it anyway).  And bagged mixed baby greens are a good thing to have on hand at all times.  TJ’s often has bags of sweet potatoes that contain fairly small potatoes – I love these because it keeps portion sizes sane.  Also in the produce section are the packages of pre-prepped lentils and baby beets – these make great sides. 

Frozen food – there are a plethora of options here, but many have high calorie and/or sodium counts, so I steer clear of many of these things.  The one thing I get fairly regularly is frozen chicken quesadillas – they come two to a package, and one paired with a big salad makes a decent dinner.  I don’t really care for their flash-frozen fish or their individually wrapped frozen chicken breasts – for me, the texture is off in both of these.  I have enjoyed some of the Asian frozen stuff in the past, but I don’t buy those items regularly, either. 

Not a frozen item, but located above the frozen cases, are lots of yummy cookies and crackers, along with the genius 100 calorie chocolate bars . . . seriously, these are super.  They come in milk and dark varieties, and they might save you from devouring something huge – like a jar of that dark chocolate peanut butter madness I told you about last month.

There’s nothing particularly exciting for me in the dairy section – but decent prices on yogurts, eggs, milk, etc.  I often stock up on Fage here.

TJ’s has great prices on nuts.  If you stock up, store what you’re not using immediately in the fridge – they won’t go rancid as quickly.  And also in grocery are my favorite (yet admittedly hardcore) bran muffins – depending on flavor, either 80 or 100 calories per muffin and 12 grams of fiber.  Little fiber bombs, really.  I keep these in the freezer at all times and stick one in the micro for 1 minute to thaw.  Pair this with a bowl of Fage in the a.m. – you’ll be rockin’ ’til lunchtime.

So . . . what did I make the last few days?  I told you last Friday about how much I was loving the pumpkin butter – still haven’t had that on anything but 0% Fage w/the toasted pecans, but it’s still lighting my fire.

Wednesdays are soccer practice days for us, and we don’t get home until 6:20.  That’s super late when your kid needs to hit the rack by 7:30 in order to be a pleasant human the next day, so I nuked two of those chicken quesadillas for me and D and whipped out a bag of mixed baby greens, divided it between two big salad bowls, topped it with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced yellow bell pepper, some cukes on mine (D is a cuke-phobe) and topped it with a tablespoon of light ranch dressing that’d been mixed with 2 tablespoons of hot salsa.  Ole!  (L ate leftover pasta and some cubed baked tofu).  Dinner on the table in 15 minutes flat.

Thursday I topped another ginormous salad with TJ’s pre-cooked balsamic chicken breasts – cold and sliced.  More halved cherry tomatoes, more cukes for me and bell pepper andcrumbled bleu cheese for D.  Used Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette on this – not sold at TJ’s but a staple in our fridge.

Friday I salt & peppered organic chicken breasts from TJ’s  and then basted them with a mixture of the juice of 1/2 lemon, a couple dollops of Dijon mustard, and approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of EVOO.  I threw these in a lightly oiled baking dish and baked them in a 425 oven for about 25 minutes.  Prior to that, I washed and pricked a few of those sweet potatoes and threw them into the oven for about 40 minutes (your time will vary depending on the size of the potato).  I topped those with a little light butter (TJ’s sells Balade brand, pretty good), a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice and a drizzle of agave nectar.  I teamed all this up with some steamed pre-prepped green beans topped with a drizzle of garlic EVOO (Annie’s brand, from Whole Foods (formerly Conzorio)), a squeeze of lemon juice and salt & pepper.

Other side dish ideas – I’ve done these in the past but not this week – pair the lentils with some steamed greens and a little drizzle of melted butter and Dijon mustard and you’ve got a tasty little side.  Or use the beets:  quarter each one and heat them slightly in the microwave.  Then salt & pepper them and crumble a little goat cheese over the top – just delicious and so so easy.

I’ll let you know what else I come up with in the coming weeks!

© 2009 – 2010, Sarah. All rights reserved.

I know some of you are afraid to cook fish at home.  I’m not really sure where this comes from, because aside from the fact that you need to buy it day-of cooking (in most cases), I find fish to be a quick and easy answer to the “what’s for dinner?” question.

In our house, we eat a lot of cod.  I know, I know, cod has historically been  over fished, but it’s the only fish that we all consistently agree on.  My daughter won’t eat any of the greens associated with a fish recipe, but she’ll often eat some of the cod itself, along with her ever-present noodles.

Here’s a staple recipe from our house, along with ideas for sides.  It’s a very fast menu to pull together – about 30 minutes from counter to table.

Steamed Cod With Ginger & Scallions

In a large skillet, combine 3 T. rice vinegar, 2 T. low-sodium soy sauce (or lower sodium Tamari if you are gluten-free) and 2 T. bottled minced ginger.  Season both sides of 4 skinless cod fillets (6-8 oz. each) with Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper.  Place the fillets in the skillet with the vinegar mixture, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until fish is almost opaque, approximately 6 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the green parts of 4-6 scallions into 3-inch lengths, then thinly slice them length-wise.  Scatter over the fish, and cook, covered, until the fish flakes easily and the scallions are just wilted, approximately 3 minutes more.

Serves 4.

Asian Slaw

Combine 4 t. rice vinegar, 1 t. bottled minced ginger, 2 T. toasted sesame oil, 2 T. vegetable oil and 2 t. low-sodium soy sauce and toss it with pre-bagged coleslaw mix.  Use as much slaw as you think you’ll need to make generous side-servings (we love this stuff, and so I use about 3/4 lb.!).  Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Simple Noodles

These are my daughter’s #1 favorite comfort food.  Prepare a package of wide Chinese wheat-flour noodles (the ones made without egg) according to package directions and toss them with a bit of toasted sesame oil and some low-sodium soy sauce.

© 2009 – 2014, Sarah. All rights reserved.

Have you seen all those articles that say that if you get your kid(s) in the kitchen, they’ll be more invested in trying the foods they make?  That they’ll suddenly become more adventurous and maybe even like to eat <gasp!> a wide variety of foods? 

Well, in my case, it’s hogwash.  My daughter has been cooking with me since she was 2-years-old, and since then, she probably eats fewer foods.  This is a child that used to eat EVERYTHING with gusto.  Then at 2, the list of foods she’d eat got progressively smaller and smaller.  I used to scoff at picky kids and figure that it was nurture, but we are living proof that it’s not always the case.  She was, for a period, on that dreaded American “beige diet” – it’s mortifying, I know.  It’s interesting that all this time, she has clamored to be cooking with me, yet she has no interest in tasting the final product.  I keep at it though.  I’m stubborn.

But I digress. 

There are some things she loves to make and eat.  They’re all in the dessert category, surprisingly enough.  Yesterday we made a great and easy s’mores bar cookie recipe.  The Brownie troop leaders (of which I’m one – no snickering) and their kids got together to plan some meetings, and I offered to bring dessert.  What’s more Girl Scouty than s’mores?  This is a nice recipe for a 6-year-old because there are no electronics involved in the preparation, save for the oven.  It’s just a smash, stir, dump, press, spread, sprinkle operation. 

Enjoy!

Smore’s Cookie Bars

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put several whole graham crackers (approximately 7) in a large zip-top bag and squeeze the air out.  Pulverize the crackers with a rolling pin/meat mallet until they form a fine crumb.  In a large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until a soft, crumbly dough forms. Press into a 13×9-inch pan that’s been coated with cooking spray.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.

Set oven to broil. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the melted chocolate. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 20 to 30 seconds or until the marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.) Cool 10 minutes or longer.

Serve warm or room temp, and store any remaining bars tightly covered – those marshmallows will get hard & chewy if you don’t.

© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.