Italian-Style Steamed Winter Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 3 red potatoes, cubed
• 3 rutabagas, peeled and cubed
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and cubed,
• 1 small turnip, peeled and cubed
• 2/3 cup cauliflower florets
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• dried oregano
• dried basil
• pepper

Put the potatoes in a steamer for 10 minutes, then add the other root vegetables and steam for five more, then add the cauliflower for another 3-5 minutes. When all vegetables are tender, turn them out into a bowl, and toss them in a light dressing of olive oil, a touch of balsamic vinegar, oregano, basil,  and pepper to taste. Easy and delicious!

Craving Something Creamy? Here are some tricks...

If you are watching your calories or the amount of fat and cholesterol you consume, here are a couple of neat tricks to satisfy those cravings without blowing your diet:

1. Use low-fat or non-fat yogurt instead of sour cream. My husband and I love the Stonyfield Farms brand. You can also use it instead of mayonnaise in some dishes, but you will definitely notice a lighter flavor (yet still delicious!)

2. Make your own smoothies. There are so many wonderful recipes on the internet, there is no point in repeating them here. Frozen fruit and (non-fat or low-fat) milk or berries or yogurt or juice or some combination thereof plus a blender or food processor will give you the idea. This recipe is a typical example.

3. In the summertime, make your own frozen yogurt. Again, there are plenty of recipes online. Here is an example.

So, if you are watching fat, cholesterol, and calories, feel free to splurge... on a treat that's delicious and healthy. Go right ahead!

Two Easy Salmon Recipes

Recipe #1: Microwave Steamed Salmon

Start by purchasing a microwave steamer. My husband, Don, found one he likes at Walmart:

Take 4 oz. of frozen salmon, wet it, put a little water in the steamer. With a 1250 watt microwave, cook for 5 minutes on high. Let it sit for a minute before removing carefully and eating. To double the recipe, cook the fish for 6 minutes.

Recipe #2: Salmon Baked in Tomato Sauce

Take an 8 oz. can of no-salt-added tomato sauce. Mix in about 1 tsp. of any flavor of Mrs. Dash seasoning.
Form a good-sized piece of aluminum foil into a bowl in a pan. Put a little bit of the sauce mix in the bottom of the foil, put the 4-oz. frozen salmon on top of the sauce, then cover the rest of the salmon with sauce.  You may crimp together the top of the aluminum foil if you wish but this is optional.

Turn on the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit; do NOT preheat. Bake for 45 minutes. Be careful opening the packet because it will steam.

Kale Carrot Lasagna Recipe

This recipe was different but really good.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Start heating up a big pot of water for the lasagna noodles.

Ingredients:

• One 14 oz. package organic soft tofu, drained
• One 14 oz. package organic firm tofu, drained
• fresh kale, cleaned, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped (about four cups)
• One 1-lb. package lasagna noodles.
• One large carrot
• One small apple, cored and quartered
• One 15-oz. can no-salt-added chopped tomatoes, drained
• Two  8 oz. cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• Red pepper flakes and/or freshly ground pepper to taste

Steam the kale and set aside. Using a food processor, finely dice the carrots and apple. Stir in the lemon juice and nutmeg. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

In the same food processor, mix together the tofu, sage, and garlic.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, and oregano, plus the pepper(s) to taste.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions (what I do is heat them up just long enough to soften up; they finish cooking in the oven and look prettier, although they tend to absorb a lot of liquid).

Put a very small amount of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 3x9" baking pan. Cover the bottom with a single layer of noodles. Then spread a layer of the carrot mixture over the noodles and spread out half of the kale over the carrots. Cover with another single layer of noodles, then half the tofu mixture, then noodles, then sauce, then more carrots and kale, then noodles, then the last of the tofu, then noodles, and cover the top generously with the rest of the sauce.

Bake for 30 minute or until hot and bubbling and heated through. Allow to stand to cool for at least ten minutes before serving.

Cabbage and Sweet Potato Salad with Teff

Cabbage and Sweet Potato Salad with Teff

Teff is a traditional grain from Ethiopia, but other whole grains can be substituted. Try quinoa or brown rice instead.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (dry) teff, cooked according to package directions = about 2.5 cups cooked.
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• five or six small green onions, white and light green sections, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely diced fresh ginger
• 1 15 oz. can low-sodium garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 a medium-sized head of green cabbage, outer leaves removed and chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves
• pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons white wine (NOT cooking wine, which is high in sodium; may substitute water).
• 2 tablespoons oil

Heat the oil, add the sweet potatoes until they begin to soften, stirring often, then add the onion and ginger. If the sweet potatoes or other ingredients start to stick to the bottom of the pan, add the wine. Cover between stirring.  When the onion softens, add the cabbage. If you haven't yet added the wine, now is the time to add it. When the cabbage has softened considerably, stir in the parsley and cook for two to three minutes, then stir in the beans and heat through. Season with pepper to taste. Remove from heat and put mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked teff.

My husband likes this hot, but I think it tastes best when cold.

To make the recipe even lower in sodium, soak and cook your own garbanzo beans, but this takes a little advanced preparation.