Pumpkin, Leek, and Mushroom Pita Pizzas

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 small or 2 medium leeks, halved or quartered and thinly sliced (4 cups)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup white wine
• ¾ cup pumpkin or butternut squash purée
• ¼ cup prepared pesto
• 4 whole-wheat pita rounds
• 6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and salt, cover pan, and cook 5 minutes, or until softened. Add wine, and simmer uncovered 2 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

Stir together pumpkin purée and pesto in small bowl.

Spread each pita with 1/4 cup pumpkin mixture. Top with 1/2 cup leeks, then mushroom slices. Place pitzas on ungreased baking sheet, and bake 8 minutes, or until crust is crisp and edges are browned.

Serves 4: 333 calories.

VERDICT:  Super-easy and good.  Also surprisingly amenable to toaster-oven cooking at work, once all the components are made.  Keep!

Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio

• 2 medium oranges
• 1 head radicchio, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced (4 cups)
• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise (2 cups)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1 cup French or Puy lentils, rinsed
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• ½ cup toasted walnuts
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

 

Trim orange ends all the way to juicy flesh. Stand fruit upright, and remove peel and pith with paring knife, following curve of fruit from top to bottom. Hold fruit over large bowl, and cut sections along membranes to release each wedge. Set segments aside, and squeeze empty membrane over separate bowl to capture any remaining juice.

 

Add radicchio, shallots, and 1 Tbs. oil to bowl with orange segments. Season with salt, if desired, and toss gently. Spread mixture in single layer on baking sheet, and roast 25 minutes, or until oranges begin to brown and caramelize, stirring once and rotating tray halfway through.

 

Meanwhile, bring lentils, 11/2 cups water, and orange juice to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

 

Drain lentils, and transfer to large bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Return liquid to saucepan, and simmer over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Pour over lentils.

 

Add roasted orange-vegetable mixture to lentils with remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil, walnuts, and mint. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.  

 

Serves 6 (1 c.); 279 calories.

 

VERDICT:  I was intrigued by roasting oranges, but I don't think I did it right--they just seemed like orange segments, but hot.  On the whole, not bad, considering it has radicchio in it, but not really worth the effort.  Perhaps if I had served it over peppery greens as suggested, it would have been stunning, but I did not.  Toss.

Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Chowder

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 medium leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed, then thinly sliced (1 ⅓ cups)
• 1 ¾ lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into ½-inch cubes (4 cups)
• 1 small head cauliflower florets, chopped or broken into bite-size pieces (4½ cups)
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 ½ cups low-fat milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• ⅔ cup frozen corn
• 2 Tbs. grated lemon zest

Heat butter in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek, and sauté 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add butternut squash, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Add cauliflower, and sprinkle with flour. Stir in broth, milk, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in corn and lemon zest, and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove thyme sprigs.
 

Serves 6 (1.5 c.); 172 calories.

 

VERDICT:  Pretty--creamy and pale orange--but a little bland.  Ramp up the seasoning or toss. 

Smoky Black Bean and Butternut Ragoût

• 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 3 tsp. pure maple syrup, divided
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. peeled butternut squash, cut into ½-inch dice (4 cups)
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into medium dice (½ cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp. adobo sauce from can of chipotles in adobo
• ⅓ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
• 2–3 Tbs. chopped or whole cilantro or mint leaves
• ¼ cup toasted pepitas or toasted chopped pecans, optional

Combine lime juice and 1 tsp. maple syrup in small bowl. Set aside.

 

Heat butter and 1 Tbs. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add squash, and season with salt, if desired. Cover pan, and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Uncover pan, add onion, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until squash is tender and lightly browned. Remove from heat, and gently stir in lime-maple mixture.
Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds, or until softened and fragrant. Add beans, adobo sauce, remaining 2 tsp. maple syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a simmer, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until liquid is mostly absorbed.

Gently stir together bean mixture and squash. Serve garnished with queso fresco, cilantro, and pepitas (if using).

Serves 4; 277 calories.

VERDICT:  Very good.  A bit mushy in texture, but rich and savory.  Don't skimp on the garnishes.  Keep.
 

Blueberry-Cucumber Smoothie

• 2 large garden cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks (2 cups)
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1–2 Tbs. honey or agave nectar
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice

Place all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.

 

Serves 4; 102 calories.

 

VERDICT:  Used up the BOGO blueberries and cucumber and was surprisingly good.  Further proof you can throw anything in a smoothie and have it turn out relatively well.  Keep. 

Black Bean/Red Bean Chili

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup hot or mild chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 15.5-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15.5-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. honey or maple syrup
• 2 5.5-oz. cans diced green chiles
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 14.5-oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup cooked corn kernels (fresh or frozen), as garnish, optional

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrots and garlic. Cover and cook to soften the vegetables, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, beans, honey, chiles and water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cook until vegetables are tender and chili is thick, about 45 minutes. Stir in hominy, and cook to warm through.

 

To serve, ladle into bowls, and garnish with corn kernels, if desired.  

 

Serves 6; 380 calories.

 

VERDICT:  Not going to set the world on fire, but straightforward and incredibly easy.  Keep.

Black Bean Tostadas with Kiwifruit Salsa

• ½ cup chopped white onion, plus ⅓ cup minced white onion, divided
• 1 Tbs. lime juice
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and diced
• ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped jalapeno chile
• 3 dried New Mexico chiles, seeded and cut into small pieces
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 4 tostada shells
• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Toss together chopped onion, lime juice, and salt in bowl. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in kiwifruit, cilantro, and jalapeño.

 

Grind dried chiles to fine particles (like sugar) in spice mill or coffee grinder; set aside.
Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add minced onion, cover, and cook 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add beans, ½ cup reserved bean liquid, and 2½ tsp. ground chiles. Mash beans, leaving some whole for texture. Cook 5 minutes, or until mixture is thickened, but moist, stirring often.

Place 1 tostada shell on each plate. Divide bean mixture among tostadas, leaving ½-inch border. Top each with 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup salsa; dust with ground chiles. Serve with remaining salsa.

Serves 4; 241 calories.

VERDICT:  Back to tostadas, to use up some of the leftover tortillas from last time.  These are even better, I would say--the kiwi salsa and the beans are really good together.  Keep! 

Honey-Mustard Broccoli Salad

Salad

• ½ cup black beluga lentils, rinsed and soaked 8 hours or overnight
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets (4 cups)
• 1 small red onion or shallot, sliced into rings (⅔ cup)
• ¼ cup chopped almonds, toasted

Honey-Mustard Dressing

• 4 Tbs. cold-pressed olive oil
• 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. raw honey or agave nectar
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard

To make Salad: Drain and rinse lentils, then place in a medium stockpot with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 18 minutes. Add broccoli, cover pan, and steam 2 to 3 minutes, or until broccoli and lentils are al dente.
Meanwhile, to make Honey-Mustard Dressing: whisk together all ingredients in bowl until smooth.

Drain off any remaining liquid from broccoli and lentils, and transfer to large bowl. Add dressing, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve garnished with onion and almonds.

Serves 4; 301 calories.

VERDICT:  You know it's good for you, but that's about all it has going for it.  Utilitarian.  Toss.
 

Pumpkin-Pear Bread

• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c. low-fat milk
• 3/4 c. pumpkin puree (or 1/2 15 oz. can)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 15 oz. can pears, drained and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat 8- or 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together sugar, flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in bowl.  Set aside.

Whisk together oil and egg in bowl until smooth.  Whisk in milk, then pumpkin and vanilla.  Stir flour mixture into oil-egg mixture until just combined.  Fold in pears.  Spread batter in prepared loaf pan, and bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serves 12; 272 calories.

VERDICT: I made what turned out to be fatal substitutions--regular whole-wheat flour for whole-wheat pastry flour and fresh pears for canned (guessing how much pear that might be).  The bread never cooked all the way through and fell apart when I tried to take it out of the pan.  However, the crunchy top pieces that I picked off the soggy mess showed enough promise that I'm going to try it again as written.  Keep.

Egg and Veggie Salad with Dill Green Goddess

• 5 large eggs
• 10 small purple potatoes, halved lengthwise (14 oz.)
• 16 medium orange cauliflower florets
• 4 Persian cucumbers
• 1/3 c. plus I Tbs. finely chopped fresh dill
• 3/4 c. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. white balsamic vinegar
• 1 bunch large radishes, sliced or quartered, radish leaves, optional

Set large vegetable steamer rack in pot over boiling water.  Place eggs on rack, surround with potatoes.  Cover pan, and steam 10 minutes.  Scatter cauliflower over potatoes.  Cover, and steam 3 to 4 minutes more, or until vegetables are just tender and eggs are hard-boiled.

Meanwhile, cut 1-inch piece from 1 cucumber.  Peel, and place piece in blender.  Add 1/3 c. dill, 1/4 c. yogurt, oil, and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.  Puree in blender until smooth.  Place remaining 1/2 c. of yogurt in medium bowl.  Stir puree from blender into yogurt until smooth.

Slice remaining cucumbers thickly on diagonal.

Peel eggs under cold running water.  Quarter eggs.

Divide radish leaves (if using) among plates.  Top with eggs, potatoes, cauliflower, cucumbers, and radishes.  Drizzle each salad with dressing.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 T. chopped dill.

Serves 4; 288 calories.

VERDICT:  This really did only take 30 minutes to prepare, as advertised!  I was a bit skeptical about steaming an egg to hard-boiled status, but it was the most perfect hard-boiled egg I've ever made.  Steaming from here on out.  This didn't really seem like a salad so much as pre-dipped crudite, but it was easy, interesting, and chock-full of nutrients.  Keep!  (Note: I used white cauliflower and non-Greek fat-free plain yogurt, which were both fine.  I also left out the radish leaves, as Target only had sad plastic bags of naked radishes.)

Creamy White & Green Speckle Dip

Purée 1 c. silken tofu and 1 6 oz. container of plain Greek yogurt in blender until smooth; add 1/4 c. fresh chopped dill and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Refrigerate at least one hour to allow flavors to meld.  Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

VERDICT:  This was meant to be an enticement to eat more vegetables, but the texture is more like cold soup than dip.  Maybe I should have used the firm silken tofu?  Toss.

Butter Lettuce Salad with Radishes, Chives, and Toasted Hazelnuts

• 1/3 c. chopped toasted hazelnuts, divided
• 3 T. cider vinegar
• 1 T. honey
• 1 t. whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 large head butter lettuce (8 cups)
• 2 large radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced (1/2 c.)
• 1/4 c. finely chopped chives

Blend 2 T. hazelnuts, vinegar, honey, mustard and 1 T. water in blender until smooth.  Slowly drizzle oil in running blender until mixture emulsifies.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Combine lettuce, radishes and chives in a large bowl.  Add 3 T. hazelnut mixture and toss to combine.  Sprinkle salad with remaining chopped hazelnuts.

Serves 8 (1 c.); 46 calories. 

VERDICT:  This didn't make a very successful main-dish salad--there just wasn't enough there, and the dressing was a little acidic for my taste.  Since I almost never make side salads, toss.

Paella Primavera

• 2 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 3 c. broccoli florets
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. crumbled saffron threads
• 1 c. short-grain white rice, such as Valencia
• 1 c. fresh or frozen baby peas
• 1 c. halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 12 pitted green olives, halved
• 12 pitted black olives, halved
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli, pepper, and green onions, cook 5 minutes. Stir in broth, garlic, and saffron; bring to a boil. Sprinkle rice over ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, ten minutes.

Sprinkle peas, tomatoes, and olives over rice. Cover, and cook paella 8 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and let rest, covered, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

To serve, spoon paella into 6 bowls, and garnish each with lemon wedges and parsley.

Serves 6 (1 cup); 211 calories.

VERDICT: Blech. At least 50% of the problem is operator error, as I have never in my life correctly cooked rice, but I should have realized that vegetarian paella was problematic from the beginning. Everything was kind of mushy and bland, even with $11.86 worth of saffron in it. Toss and forget it ever happened.

Fennel and Tomato Soup

• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, diced (4 cups)
• 3 vegan Italian sausages, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (2 cups)
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 2 Tbs. dry vermouth, dry white wine, or water
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• 3 Tbs. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add fennel, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in sausages and fennel seeds, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until fennel seeds are slightly softened and bits of sausage are stuck to bottom of pan. Add vermouth, and cook 5 to 10 seconds to deglaze pan, scraping up any brown bits. Add broth, tomatoes, and parsley; cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

VERDICT: Easy, easy, easy. Nothing revolutionary, but good enough for the amount of effort invested. Vegetarian Times claims it freezes well. Keep.

Mushroom and Pappardelle Soup with Gremolata

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick (2 cups)
• 1 large onion, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 7 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 4 oz. pappardelle noodles
• 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

Gremolata

• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1. To make Soup: Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning, then broth. Cover, and bring to a boil. Set aside 1/2 cup broth, then add noodles; simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green beans, and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk reserved 1/2 cup broth into mascarpone in bowl. Slowly stir mascarpone mixture into Soup.

3. To make Gremolata: pulse parsley, garlic, and lemon zest in food processor until finely chopped.

4. Ladle Soup into bowls. Garnish each with 2 tsp. Gremolata.

VERDICT: Once again, Lund's let me down, so I replaced pappardelle with multigrain bow-ties, which seemed fine. I also wanted to finish up some ricotta lying around in the fridge, so I used it in place of the mascarpone. That might have been a mistake, as it got kind of granulated in the soup. The real revelation here was the gremolata, which brought an unexpected freshness and zestiness. Toss, but remember to make gremolata in the future.

Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower

• 1 large head cauliflower (1 1/2 lb.), cut into medium florets (8 cups)
• 2 Tbs. butter or margarine
• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
• 2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, and boil 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside.

2. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, garlic, and reserved cooking liquid, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks until cheese is melted. Fold in cauliflower.

3. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture in baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly and breadcrumbs are crisp and brown.

VERDICT: Lund's didn't have any nutritional yeast, so I left it out. This might have contributed to its blandness, which a little salt fixed right up. Keep, for its easiness and resultingly few dishes. (Note: it also reheats well, unlike regular macaroni and cheese.)