Curried Carrots

1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled, sliced to ½ inch thickness

2 cups orange juice

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon canola oil

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon prepared curry powder

½ teaspoons turmeric

1 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds

4 whole cloves

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ripe banana, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons golden raisins

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

Put carrots and orange juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Add canola oil and place over low heat. When oil is warm, add the spices. Heat stirring 1 to 2 minutes, then add the carrots and their liquid, the banana and raisins. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until carrots are tender.  Place cornstarch in a small bowl with about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid and mix. When you have a smooth, thin paste, add to carrots and stir well. Heat a few minutes longer to thicken sauce.

Yield 6 servings; Calories 156; Protein 2 grams, Fat 3.1 grams, Fiber 1 gram

Devilled Peanuts

2 cups peanuts, shelled

1 teaspoon canola or peanut oil

Salt and paprika, or Cayenne pepper to taste

Blanch the peanuts in boiling water for 1 minute, then dry in a warm oven.
When dry, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a skillet over low heat (don't allow the oil to smoke).
Add sufficient peanuts to make a single layer in the skillet and cook them over low heat, stirring constantly until the nuts are evenly-colored (don't allow them to brown). Drain the nuts on paper towel and while they're still hot, sprinkle them generously with salt and paprika, or cayenne pepper. Cool before storing.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries
1 Tablespoon olive oil (divided)

4 small sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise – 8 wedges each

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground red pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush large shallow pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place in oven.
Combine 2 teaspoons oil and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Carefully remove pan from oven. Spread potatoes in pan in a single layer. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes or until crisp, turning occasionally.

Serving size: 8 wedges

Calories 150; Fat 3.5g; Fiber 3.4g; Protein 2g;

Curried Cauliflower

Cooking Spray

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Caramelized Root Vegetables

3 cups parsnips, sliced diagonally, 1/2" thick

3 cups carrots, sliced diagonally, 1/2" thick

3 cups rutabaga, sliced in wedges

water

2 tsp organic extra virgin olive oil

2 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

Steam parsnips, carrots and rutabaga over boiling water for 6 minutes, until half cooked.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Drain vegetables and toss with thyme, olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Spread on cookie sheet over parchment paper and roast for 35 minutes, until caramelized and tender.

Yield: 8 servings

Serving size: 1/2 cup: 160 calories, 3g fat, 3g protein, 7g fiber

Fruit Stew

Serve this on its own, over ice milk or frozen yogurt, slices of angel food cake or with graham crackers. It can also be used as a side dish with poultry, as a fruit sauce. In the morning, mix it into hot or cold cereal or serve over yogurt and granola.

12 ounces dried fruit mixture (e.g. peaches, apples, raisins, dried plums, cranberries and/or apricots)
1/8 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup peeled and diced green apple
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp apple juice concentrate

Place all ingredients in a medium pot and add two inches of cold water. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples and carrots are soft (about 30-40 minutes). Serve hot or refrigerate until ready to use.

Calories 100;  Fat 0.2g;  Fiber 2.6g;  Protein 1g

Holiday Tossed Salad

6 cups romaine lettuce or mixed greens

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup cranberries, dried or fresh, chopped

½ cup fresh orange segments or canned mandarins, diced

¼ cup red onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons pecans, chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Black pepper to taste

Toss lettuce and parsley in large salad bowl.  Top with cranberries, oranges, pecans and onion.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Toss with oil, vinegar and pepper at service time. 

Yield: 4 servings 

Serving size: 2 cups.  Calories 92;  Fat 6g;  Fiber 3.5;  Protein 2.5g

Asian Cabbage Salad

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
pinch cayenne pepper
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded bok choy
1 cup cooked snow peas
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 carrot, sliced thin

Combine first 5 ingredients in medium sized mixing bowl and mix well to make dressing. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.

Yield: 4 servings; Serving size 1 cup;  Calories 85;  Fat 4.7g;  Sodium 70g;  Fiber 2.5g;  Protein 2g

Three Grain Casserole

2 Tablespoons Canola oil

8 oz white mushrooms, chopped fine

2 carrots, thinly sliced

¼ cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup uncooked pearl barley

¼ cup uncooked brown rice

¼ cup bulgur

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (11 oz) corn, rinsed and drained

1 ¼ chicken broth, low sodium

1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ cup jack cheese, grated

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Cook mushrooms, carrots, onion & garlic 5 minutes.  Stir in barley, rice & bulgur; cook 1 minute.  Add beans & corn and transfer to a 1 ½ qt baking dish.  Stir in the broth and soy sauce and cover tightly.

Bake 60 – 70 minutes or until grains are tender.  Stir once halfway through baking time.  Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with cheese.  Re-cover and let stand 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Fresh Fruit Compote

½ medium lemon

½ cup water

¼ cup honey

2 cups sliced peeled apples

2 cups sliced peeled peaches

1 cup sliced peeled pears

1/3 cup 100% apricot spreadable fruit

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup seedless red grapes

7 tablespoons reduced-fat vanilla yogurt

Cut two 1-inch long strips from lemon peel. Squeeze juice from lemon.

In a saucepan, combine water, honey, lemon juice and lemon peel strips. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until mixture is reduced by two-thirds. Add apples, peaches and pears; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until fruit is softened.

Remove from heat; discard lemon peel. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fruit to a bowl; discard poaching liquid. Stir in spreadable fruit, strawberries and grapes. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Serve with a slotted spoon. Top each serving with yogurt.

Yield: 7 servings; Serving size: ¾ cup

Per serving: 166 calories, 2g protein, 1g fat, 4g fiber, 14mg sodium.

Guava Fruit Salad

1 guava

1 banana

1 orange

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

Peel orange and cut into bite sized pieces.  Slice banana into bite-sized chunks.  Cut guava in half, scoop out pulp.  Mix fruits together in a bowl, add lemon juice, toss, drizzle with honey.