Gemelli Salad with Green Beans, Pistachios, and Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

• 8 ounces uncooked gemelli (short twisted tube pasta)
• 1 cup (1 1/2-inch) cut haricots verts (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup chopped shelled pistachios
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ounce shaved fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup)
  

Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add haricots verts during the final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse pasta mixture under cold water; drain well.

Place the pasta mixture, pistachios, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon lemon rind in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon rind, shallots, Champagne or white wine vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add salt and black pepper; stir with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture, and toss gently to coat. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 (1.25 cups w/1 tbl. cheese), 491 calories.

VERDICT: Holy lemon and garlic! Quite thyme-y, as well, for that matter. It also doesn't seem particularly light. Toss.

Pear Crisp with Streusel Topping

• 7 3/4 cups cubed Bartlett or Anjou pears
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 1 cup regular oats
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of salt
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 375°

To prepare crisp, combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to combine. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and dash of salt in a small bowl; stir to combine. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles very coarse meal. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over pear mixture. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned on top. Serve with whipped topping.

Serves 8 (1 cup). Calories: 303

VERDICT: Nothing outstanding, but I love that this recipe doesn't ask you to peel the pears and that it uses on-hand ingredients. I used regular raisins, and that worked just fine. Cooking Light claims that a serving of this crisp has a quarter of your day's fiber requirement. Keep.

Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 poblano chiles
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with chipotles, undrained
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable juice

Preheat broiler.

Cut bell peppers and chiles in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, and flatten with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and paprika; sauté for 30 seconds. Add roasted peppers and chiles, 1/2 cup water, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.

Servings: 4 (1.5 cups), Calories: 258

Verdict: Incredibly huge pain in the ass to roast the peppers, but quite good, and super-healthy. I substituted yellow peppers, since they were on sale at Lund's. They also didn't have fire-roasted tomatoes with chipotles, so I used plain fire-roasted tomatoes, and that was fine. Keep.

Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for skillet

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup oats and pulse a few times to coarsely grind oats. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and oil. Add dry ingredients and 1 cup oats and whisk just until moistened.

Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Lightly oil skillet. Using 2 to 3 tablespoons for each pancake, drop batter in skillet and cook until a few bubbles have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until browned on undersides, 1 to 2 minutes more. Repeat with more oil and batter.

Makes 20. Serving (4 pancakes)=296 calories.

VERDICT: Substituted apple butter for one egg, as one egg was all I had. Possibly as a result, a little heavy, but not bad. The bits where the pancakes got crispy and crusty verged on delicious. Still, given that I'm not a huge pancake fan to begin with, toss.

Classic From the Vault: Lemon Bars

For the Crust:

• Vegetable oil, for greasing
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

• 4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)

Make the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; grease the foil with oil. Pulse the butter, flour, both sugars and the salt in a food processor until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks. Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the whole eggs and yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

VERDICT: My go-to potluck dessert and the best lemon bars I've ever had. They take a long time, but are worth it.

Spelt Salad with White Beans and Artichokes

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked spelt (farro), rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  

Combine spelt and 2 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender and liquid is absorbed. Combine cooked spelt, mint, and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Cover and store in the refrigerator.

VERDICT: I substituted wheat berries for spelt--Cooking Light also suggests that you could substitute bulgur. I love that this is largely made out of a can, but still feels healthy and fresh. Keeps well. Keep!

Whole-Grain Toast with Yogurt and Pistachios

• 4 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 slices whole-grain toast
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoon shelled pistachios

Spread nonfat Greek yogurt on whole-grain toast. Drizzle each with honey. Sprinkle each with shelled pistachios. Serve immediately. (Serves 2.)

VERDICT: I'm not sure this qualifies as a recipe, since one doesn't make the yogurt, the toast, or the pistachios, but it's easy enough and not disgusting. I might try maple syrup instead of honey tomorrow. Keep.