Gazpacho Salad With Whole Grain

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 cup wheat berries
• 6 slices whole grain bread
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, snipped
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, snipped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces manchego cheese or 3 ounces parmesan cheese, shaved
• 15 ounces chickpeas, cooked rinsed and drained
• 1 cup tomato, chopped
• 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
• 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, snipped
• 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, snipped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• cracked black pepper

Recipe

• 1 prepare wheat berries, or other grain, according to package directions; drain and let cool.
• 2 preheat oven to 300 degrees f.
• 3 place bread on a baking sheet; in a small bowl, combine remaining crouton ingredients excluding salt and cheese.
• 4 brush bread with oil mixture, the sprinkle with salt; bake until bread is crisp, about 20 minutes.
• 5 sprinkle with cheese and set aside.
• 6 meanwhile combine salad ingredients in a large bowl; add wheat berries and toss.
• 7 once croutons are done, place on individual serving plates, spoon salad on top, then season with black pepper.

Healthy Eggplant (aubergine) Pasta

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 eggplants
• 4 cups spaghetti sauce (one jar)
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 8 cups cooked pasta (penne, rotini, etc)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt

Recipe

• 1 wash eggplant, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices (keep skin on). brush both sides of each slice with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. place into broiler for 7 minutes or until golden brown. flip over all slices and broil agian.
• 2 in the mean time cook pasta and heat sauce.
• 3 when both sides of the eggplant slices are light brown, cool for a few minutes and cut into chunks.
• 4 drain pasta.
• 5 mix together pasta, sauce, eggplant, feta.
• 6 note: cooked chicken could be added for protein.

Fettuccini Alfredo

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 8 ounces fettuccine pasta
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Recipe

• 1 cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
• 2 in same pot pasta was cooked, melt butter and add flour. stir until pasty.
• 3 add chicken stock, cream cheese, nutmeg, pepper and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until it starts to boil and thicken.
• 4 return pasta to pot, add parsley, toss well to coat.
• 5 top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Fresh Tomato Farfalle

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime zest, grated
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 lbs tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
• 9 ounces farfalle pasta
• 1 1/4 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen

Recipe

• 1 combine lime juice, olive oil, lime zest and cumin in large bowl. add tomatoes chickpeas, and basil , and toss to coat. set aside.
• 2 cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. add corn to pasta water 2 minutes before end of pasta water 2 minutes before end of cooking time. drain, and toss with tomato mixture. serve warm or and room temperature.

Jen's Chicken Alfredo

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cup italian salad dressing
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon basil
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb of your favorite style pasta

Recipe

• 1 cut your chicken into strips or bite size pieces, mix in italian dressing and marinate in the fridge for 4-8 hours. after marinating heat oil in skillet add garlic and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese sauté for 3-4 mins and add chicken and sauté 10-15 minute pour chicken mixture in large pot and add rest of ingredients expect pasta. bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes cook your and drain pasta and toss in your sauce.
• 2 please feel free to use fat free italian dressing, skim milk, low fat cheese, and whole wheat pasta to make this yummy dish lower in calories and fat. if you would like your sauce thicker you can add a little cornstarch or flour. happy cooking!

Healthy Lasagna

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 red onion, peeled and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled (1 minced, 2 left whole)
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans tomatoes, crushed
• 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 6 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
• 1 lb kale
• 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 400°f.
• 2 in a large pot over medium heat heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. stir in onion and minced garlic (1 clove). cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
• 3 stir in tomatoes, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until thick. set aside.
• 4 while the sauce is cooking in a 12 x 15 inch baking pan, place squash and sprinkle with the thyme, remaining olive oil and remaining salt and pepper. add whole garlic cloves (2) and toss. bake for 10-15 minutes or until squash is soft. while squash is cooking in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil.
• 5 reduce oven temperature to 350°f.
• 6 transfer squash mixture to a food processor and puree.
• 7 tear kale leaves from ribs --discard ribs. boil leaves for 5-10 minutes or until soft. drain and let cool.
• 8 in the same pot bring another 3 quarts of water to a boil. add noodles and cook according to package directions (10 minutes); drain and rinse with cold water.
• 9 in a bowl mix together the ricotta, nutmeg, 1 cup of mozzarella and the remaining salt and pepper (1/2 tsp each).
• 10 in a 9 x 13 inch pan pour in 1/3 of the tomato sauce, lay 3 noodles over and top with squash. sprinkle 1/2 of the kale over. arrange 3 more noodles on top and top with ricotta and remaining kale leaves and the noodles. cover with remaining tomato sauce and remaining mozzarella.
• 11 bake for 30 minutes and let stand 10 minutes before serving. for make ahead directions see description.

Fried Mac-n-cheese-n-hot Dog Balls

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 1 cup cold prepared macaroni and cheese, preferably left over
• 1 hot dog, cut into 8 bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Recipe

• 1 mix together bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. set aside in a shallow dish.
• 2 shape macaroni and cheese into 8 balls with a piece of hot dog in the center. roll in the bread crumb mixture coating well.
• 3 fry in a pan with 350 degree oil until golden brown. drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
• 4 serve with every kids best friend -- ketchup!
• 5 note: i've also made this before with a piece of broccoli in the middle, to sneak in something healthy.