Butternut Squash Casserole

This dish goes great as a side with chicken or turkey. Butternut squash is high in fibre and low in fat and has lots of vitamins A, C and B1. This recipe serves about 4 people. It can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 sweet vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 red sweet pepper, chopped
1/2 large butternut squash, roasted (see instructions for roasting in recipe for butternut squash soup)
3/4 cup baby carrots, boiled & drained
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a small 6"x6" corning ware or baking dish. Saute onion and sweet pepper in a small, lightly oiled skillet, until soft. Add garlic and saute another minute.
2) In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except walnuts. Mash squash & carrots lightly. Stir in walnuts. Scoop into baking dish and flatten a bit, then run a fork along the top to even out.
3) Bake, covered, for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

This soup is so delicious and now that autumn is here, it's the perfect accompaniment to a meal. It is low in fat, high in fibre and a great source of vitamins A, C & B1. Makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients:

2 cups baby carrots, boiled until soft
1/2 a large butternut squash, roasted
2 tsps olive oil
1 sweet vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 red sweet pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced (or 2 tsps garlic powder)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried red hot chili peppers
2 cups low fat, low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water

Directions:

1) Boil carrots until soft, drain and set aside.
2) Cut butternut squash in half and scrape out seeds. Brush one tsp of olive oil on cut side of squash. Place squash, cut side down on baking sheet and bake in a 400F oven for approximately 40 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside and cool slightly.
3) In a medium size saucepan with a heavy bottom, heat one tsp olive oil over medium heat and saute onion & sweet pepper until soft, about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and saute another minute.
4) Using a spoon, scoop out cooked squash and add to onion mixture. Add black and chili peppers and stir to combine. Add boiled carrots.
5) Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes.
6) Ladle mixture into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return to saucepan and cook on low heat, covered, for another 10 minutes.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms have a fabulous rich flavour. When you are eating these stuffed mushrooms, you feel like you are really eating something sinful, but this is, in fact, a very healthy dish. You can make this completely vegan by making some fake "parmesan" to sprinkle on top. Just use 1/2 cup of slivered almonds & 1/2 cup nutritional yeast. Grind to a powder in food processor, along with 1 tsp garlic pepper, sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Do not discard the stems. I chop them, along with 1/2 a vidalia or other sweet onion & saute them in a little olive oil, with some garlic, salt and pepper. Scoop the sauted stems onto the middle of the plate and place the stuffed mushroom caps around them. Serve my mango salad (see recipe 21July09) as a side dish for a cool finish!

Ingredients:

10 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and stems removed
extra virgin olive oil
1 plum tomato, chopped
8 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 sweet green pepper, chopped
1 vidalia onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried hot red chili peppers
sprinkle of salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
about 5 tsps grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
2) Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil & place gill side up on baking sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes to soften. Remove from oven and let cool. Drain off any juices.
3) In a skillet, over medium high heat, saute onion & green pepper until soft. Add garlic and saute one minute. Add tomato, sun-dried tomato, chili peppers, salt and pepper and saute another minute or until warmed through.
4) Top each mushroom cap with tomato mixture and then sprinkle about 1/2 tsp grated parmesan cheese over each one. Return to the oven and bake at 400F for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, saute the stems and onions in a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
5) Arrange 5 caps around the edge of each plate and scoop the sauted stems into the middle of the plate. Serve some mango salad in a side dish.

Taco Soup

This recipe is one that I made for many years when my children were young. One of my children actually cut this recipe out of a library book about 20 years ago! I know, I know, but after I read the riot act, I must admit that I kept the page with the recipe on it and it is now yellowed and sitting in my old recipe box. I still make it regularly, with some additional ingredients & serve it with grated cheddar or monterey jack cheese and a big bowl of tortilla chips. You can make this a vegan dish by omitting the cheese and using ground round (soy) instead of ground beef.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb extra lean ground beef, chicken or turkey
2 envelopes taco seasoning mix
1 jar (700ml) sugo casa stewed pureed tomatoes with basil
1 can diced plum tomatoes in their juice
2 cups frozen or canned corn (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried red hot chili peppers
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cans (14 oz each) baked beans in tomato sauce
2 cups salsa (mild, medium or hot)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
grated cheddar, mozzarella or monterey jack cheese
1 large bag tortilla chips

Directions:

1) In a large sauce pan with a heavy bottom, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add ground meat or ground round. Break up with a fork and cook thoroughly.
2) Stir in taco seasoning mix, garlic, chili peppers and beans.
3) Add remaining ingredients (except cheese and chips); bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle into large bowls and top with grated cheese. Use tortilla chips to scoop.
Makes about eight servings.

Red Beet and Kidney Bean Dip

The roasted beets add a wonderful colour and flavour to this heart healthy dip and the beans add a lot of fibre and protein. Spread this on crackers; put out a variety of fresh vegetables to dip; or use as a spread inside wraps. This recipe is also vegan. I like to keep a few roasted beets in my fridge, as they are great chopped up in salads.

Ingredients:

1 medium beet--roasted, peeled and chopped. To roast a batch of beets, preheat oven to 375F. Lay parchment paper onto a cookie sheet. Wash the beets well and trim any strings. Spread the beets out on cookie sheet and drizzle with one tsp olive oil & sprinkle with a little garlic powder. Cover tightly with foil and cook for 1 hour. Remove from oven and remove foil. Once cooled, skins slip off easily. Store in a tightly sealed container in fridge.
16 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dry red chili peppers
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 chopped vidalia onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender & blend well. Place in a bowl and cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Blueberry Apple Crumble

This is a healthy dessert recipe; low in cholesterol and high in fibre. Serve it warm with a dollop of low fat plain yoghurt, or some mango sorbet.

Ingredients:

6 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4 tbsps lime juice
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dry old-fashioned oatmeal
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup of raw pumpkin seeds, shells removed
1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a 8" x 8" baking dish.
2) Peel, core and slice the apples and sprinkle with lime juice to keep from browning.
3)Place in a medium saucepan with the blueberries. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Pour into baking dish.
4) In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon and oatmeal. Stir in the oil and then rub mixture between fingers until it resembles crumbs (if needed add one more tbsp of oil). Stir in cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle crumb mixture over fruit. Bake in oven for 25 minutes.

Serve warm with a dollop of low fat plain yoghurt or some mango sorbet.

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

This recipe is a variation on one found in the Eat-Clean Diet cookbook by Toscana Reno. These very healthy low fat, low cholesterol muffins are a perfect after workout snack or a quick breakfast! This recipe is for 12 muffins that contain about 120 calories each.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry old fashioned oatmeal flakes
1 cup unsweetened applesauce or 2 small very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup skim milk (or use soy, almond or rice milk)
2 egg whites, beaten
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup low fat plain yoghurt
2 tbsps plus 1 tsp sunflower oil

1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnut pieces
6 dried, pitted dates, chopped

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease muffin tin for 12 muffins.
2) Combine oatmeal, applesauce (or bananas), milk, eggs, flax, coconut, sugar, yoghurt and oil in a medium bowl.
3) In another medium bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients, including dried fruit & walnuts. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into it. Stir until just combined. If mixture seems dry, add another 1/4 cup of yoghurt.
3) Using an icecream scoop, using heaping scoops, fill muffin cups. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then cool on wire rack.

Banana Bread (low cholesterol)

This banana bread is both low cholesterol and vegan. It is made without eggs and instead of butter or margarine, it is made with a combination of olive and sesame oil. Delicious!

Ingredients:

1 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 to 3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup soy milk mixed with 2 tsps apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Lightly oil an 8" x 4" bread pan with a little olive oil
3. Sift together all dry ingredients, except sugar, in a medium bowl
4. Beat together sugar and oils, in a medium bowl. Add mashed banana, soy milk and vanilla and beat again.
5. Beat dry ingredients into wet ingredients, about 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping side of bowl with a rubber spatula between additions. If mixture appears too dry, add a little soy milk a tbsp at a time.
5. Stir in walnuts gently with a wooden spoon.
6. Cook in centre of preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Tent with foil and continue to cook for another 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.