Spinach and Lentil Stew

Meatless, easy and fairly quick to make.  Everyone liked it, though Elliot and Cole tried to pick out the spinach.

Spinach Lentil Stew

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB Olive Oil
5 cups homemade chicken stock (or use water and vegetable bouilon granules)
1 cup lentils, rinsed
3 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped carrots
1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
1 (10oz) package of fresh spinach
1 TB red wine vinegar

Saute onion & garlic in oil until tender. Add water, lentils, Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add carrots, tomatoes and spinach; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer 15-20 minutes longer or until lentils are tender. Stir in vinegar

Quesadillas

Nothing fancy, just an easy light dinner.  Elliot will eat anything he gets to dip

two whole wheat flour tortilla
shredded cheese
filling - could be almost anything - cooked veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, peppers...),
             avocados, shredded cooked chicken, shrimp, beans, etc.


Heat a large fry pan to medium.  Thinly coat with a pat of butter or oil and place the first flour tortilla in.  Add a little cheese, the filling, and a little more cheese then put the second tortilla on top.  Adjust the heat as needed, until the bottom tortilla is crisp and lightly browned.  Flip, adding a little more oil or butter to the pan if necessary, and cook second side.  Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.

The key is to not put too much filling.  My favorite quesadilla is probably fresh spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and fontina cheese.  The heat is just right to slightly wilt the spinach but still keeps it a beautiful bright green.

Hummus and Pita chips

Update - I made this for our community group and lots of people commented how good it was and several asked for the recipe.

The first few times I tried hummus I did not see what all the fuss was about.  Then one day at a friend's house they served Sabra brand hummus with wheat thins and we loved it.  I bought some and discovered Elliot loved the stuff.  We were buying it so often that I decided to try making my own since it was $4 for a little tub.  The first few times Elliot wouldn't touch it.  I even tried rinsing out the Sabra container and putting my homemade hummus in but he wasn't fooled  :)  I couldn't blame him though, mine simply lacked flavor.  I looked up lots of recipes and tweaked them until I came up with one we like (and Elliot eats!)

1 can chickpeas (or just over 1 cup if you cook them yourself)
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2-3 Tablespoons tahini (I use three because I like the nutty flavor of tahini, but start with 2 and add more if desired)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup water or reserved chickpea liquid
olive oil to drizzle

In a food processor combine first five ingredients.  With processor running, slowly add the water until you get desired consistency.  You might need more than 1/4 cup water.  Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley.  Serve with wheat thins or pita chips.  I got the recipe for pita chips straight from my friend's blog, here.

You can add all sorts of stuff to hummus.  I'd like to try roasted pine nuts.  I've also seen roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and artichoke, lemon juice, paprika and a variety of other spices used.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

The best stuffed peppers I've ever had.  I've found I don't like ground beef in stuffed peppers - the grease just doesn't seem to go well with the other ingredients - leaving a slick feeling in my mouth that I don't like at all.   I love the chewy texture of the quinoa in these, plus they are loaded with veggies.  Elliot eats them too!  They are healthy, can be assembled ahead, make a large batch, and freeze well.

The recipe makes a lot of the stuffing.  You could use 7 peppers instead of the 4 that's called for, or you could use the leftover stuffing to make quesadillas or something the next day.

* 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
* 2 Tbs. olive oil
* 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
* 1 Tbs. ground cumin
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
* 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
* 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 3/4 cup quinoa
* 3 large carrots, grated (11/2 cups)
* 11/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
* 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Directions

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Oven Roasted Vegetables

One of my favorite side dishes.  I always think I've made way too many but we eat every bite.

Cut zucchinis, colored peppers, onions and mushrooms into bite size chunks.  Toss with olive oil and either salt and pepper, Lawry's seasoning salt, or whatever seasoning you like.  Roast in shallow roasting pan on 425 for about 15 minutes or until tender.

VEGGIE WRAPS
If you make enough to have leftovers an easy and favorite lunch is to spread some cream cheese on a whole wheat flour tortilla and fill with veggies.   Serve cold or at room temp, can be made ahead.  Even Elliot eats these delicious wraps!

Spinach and Lentil Stew

Spinach Lentil Stew

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB Olive Oil
5 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed
4 tsp vegetable bouillon granules
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cans (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
5 oz fresh spinach
1 TB red wine vinegar

Saute onion & garlic in oil until tender. Add water, lentils, Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add carrots, tomatoes and spinach; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer 15-20 minutes longer or until lentils are tender. Stir in vinegar.

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups (or shells)

Elliot loves these spinach lasagna roll ups! They are very healthy, the cottage cheese is an excellent source of protein.

If I'm short on time I'll just use a jar of spaghetti sauce instead of making the sauce.  You could also make this using pasta shells which present better, but I liked the spinach mixture to pasta ratio better using the lasagna noodles.  If you really like the filling and want to taste that more you might want to try the shells.

6 whole wheat lasagna noodles, or about 18 jumbo shells
1 small onion, diced
1 (14-1/2 oz) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles or shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Stir in whole tomatoes and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain spinach, pressing out excessive moisture. Combine spinach, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Spread 2 cups tomato mixture in a glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread spinach and cheese mixture along each lasagna noodle and roll up, placing seam side down in dish. Top with remaining tomato mixture. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until heated. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.