Crustless Leek, Greens, and Herb Quiche

• 2 Tbs. fine dry breadcrumbs
• 2 small leeks, white and light green parts halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 2 cups chopped Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, or mustard greens
• 4 egg whites
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh basil
• 2 oz. soft goat cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat bottom and sides of 9-inch glass pie dish with olive oil cooking spray. Scatter breadcrumbs over bottom of pie dish.
2. Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil in large pot. Add leeks; boil 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat, add Swiss chard, and let stand 30 to 45 seconds, or until greens are wilted. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again, squeezing out excess water with hands. Set aside.
3. Whisk egg whites until frothy. Whisk in eggs. Whisk in milk and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Whisk in tarragon and basil.
4. Scatter leeks and Swiss chard over breadcrumbs in prepared pie dish. Dot cheese on top. Pour egg mixture into pie pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves: 4

Serving: 1 wedge

Calories: 159

Fat: 7g

Protein: 13g

Carbs: 11g

*** (Star-rating out of 5) from the not-a-huge-goat-cheese-fan husband

**** (Star-rating out of 5) from me, who is a fan of the goat cheese

I made this for lunch for myself, knowing the husband probably wouldn't enjoy the goat cheese, however, after smelling it come out of the oven he actually asked if he could pack a piece for his lunch the next day. The verdict was favorable. He states he would eat it again, but did admit to dumping hot sauce over the top of it. I snuck some on mine the following day at lunch and have to admit, it did add a nice zing!

Black Bean & Toasted Corn Tacos

• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, divided
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 6-inch corn tortillas
• 12 baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup jarred roasted red pepper strips
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 small green onions, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring beans, salsa, garlic, and 1 tsp. cumin to a simmer in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft. Remove from heat, and mash with fork to crush beans for creamier filling, if desired.
2. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil cooking spray. Wrap corn in paper towels, and squeeze out excess water. Add corn to skillet in single layer, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden and crispy, stirring frequently.
3. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Toast tortillas in toaster oven 1 minute to soften. Alternately, bake tortillas on taco baking rack in oven 7 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup beans, 1/4 cup corn, 3 spinach leaves, red pepper strips, cilantro, and green onions. Top each taco with 1 Tbs. cheese.

Serves: 4

Serving: 2 Tacos

Calories: 362

Fat: 4g

Protein: 14g

Carbs: 74g

****1/2 (Star-rating out of 5)

The husband really liked these and said he would most certainly eat them again! Hooray! A winner. I found the cotija cheese at Trader Joes. Warning: These are really cumin-y (I like to make up words) so if you don't favor cumin so much maybe cut it in half. Fresh cilantro is a must- dried just won't cut it in these.

Artichoke and New Potato Packets with Pesto

• 8 oz. new potatoes, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 12-oz. pkg. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (2 cups)
• 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen baby peas
• 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts chopped (1 cup)
• 3 Tbs. prepared pesto
• 3 Tbs. grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of aluminum foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular “bowl” with 1/2-inch sides. Coat insides of foil with cooking spray.
2. Arrange overlapping slices of potatoes in oval shape over bottom of each packet. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and drizzle each with 2 Tbs. broth.
3. Combine artichoke hearts, peas, leeks, and pesto in medium bowl, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Divide artichoke mixture among packets. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and seal edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer to baking sheet, and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Transfer packets to serving plates. Let each person open packet slowly and carefully—escaping air will be hot. Sprinkle with Romano cheese and basil.

Serves: 4

Serving: 1 packet

Calories: 237

Fat: 8g

Protein: 11g

Carbs: 31g

***1/2 (Star-rating out of 5)

I recently read somewhere that artichokes are a "miracle food", chock full of good stuff for our bodies, so with that in mind I decided to try adding some more artichokes into my diet. This recipe was good, however, I have decided that I personally like artichokes either cut up very small or mixed in with other things. I think that when I make this again I will substitute asparagus for the artichokes and try it that way. I think I'll save my artichokes for spinach-artichoke dip! The potatoes, however, with the pesto were delicious and the packets of tinfoil cooked them very nicely!

Jewel-Tone Pancakes with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Sauce

Yogurt-Dill Sauce

• 6 oz. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Pancakes

• 3 medium beets (1 lb.), trimmed and scrubbed
• 2 medium carrots (6 oz.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. To make Yogurt-Dill Sauce: Whisk together yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 days.

2. To make Pancakes: Preheat oven to 250°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside. Shred beets and carrots in food processor fitted with grating blade, or grate with box grater. Place beet-carrot mixture in large bowl, and toss with garlic and salt. Add egg and egg whites, and mix well.

3. Lightly spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Drop 1/4 cup beet mixture into skillet, and flatten slightly to form 3-inch-diameter pancake. Repeat, forming 3 other pancakes in pan. Cook 4 minutes, or until undersides are golden brown. Flip pancakes, and cook 3 minutes more. Respray pan, and repeat process with remaining batter, keeping prepared pancakes warm in oven. Drizzle with Yogurt-Dill Sauce, and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Serving: 1 pancake and 2 Tbs. sauce

Calories: 44

Fat: 1g

Protein: 4g

Carbs: 6g

** (Star-rating out of 5)

I have never really eaten or cooked with beets before so I've been trying out different recipes with beets trying to decide if I like them. I wasn't too crazy about these. They smelled really good and, truth be told, I didn't hate them but I definitely put less than the 2 tablespoons of dill sauce on them. I like dill, but this was really dill-y. Surprisingly my co-workers really liked theses and I was able to get rid of the rest of them. A few asked for the recipe which is I why I'm posting it here even though I probably wouldn't make them again. I'll have to keep trying out the beet-thing until I find one I like.

Baked Ziti with Zucchini, Chickpeas, and Olives

• 8 oz. whole wheat ziti, rigatoni, or penne pasta
• 1/2 lb. zucchini, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, or
• 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, juices included
• 1 cup tomato purée
• 1/4 cup chopped green olives, divided
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 Tbs. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 11- x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cook ziti according to package directions for al dente in large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Return ziti to pot, and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, combine zucchini, chickpeas, tomatoes and juices, tomato purée, 2 Tbs. olives, oil, tomato paste, and garlic in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken, stirring occasionally. Stir zucchini mixture into ziti, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
4. Transfer ziti mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining 2 Tbs. olives. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until pasta is heated through and breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Serves: 6

Serving: 1/6 of casserole dish

Calories: 349

Fat: 9g

Protein: 14.5g

Carb: 53g

***1/2 (Star-rating out of 5) From the meat-eating, fast-food-loving husband

****1/2 (Star-rating out of 5) From me

I made this for dinner tonight. The husband actually said it was pretty good. I think he gave it 3-1/2 stars because he's not a big fan of beans with pasta but he knows I always like to throw in protein with each meal so he's trying to get used to it. I thought it was delicious! I love, love, love green olives and think they give everything a nice flavor but you can substitute black olives if you prefer.

Roasted Vegetable Wrap

• 12 thin asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips (1 cup)
• 1 small yellow pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips (1 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (1 cup)
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup white beans
• 1 small clove garlic, minced (1/2 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. red chile sauce, such as sriracha
• 2 8-inch whole-grain tortillas
• 6 small whole basil leaves
• 8 thin slices red onion
• 1 cup baby arugula leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Toss together asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, onions and oil in a large bowl and then spread evenly on large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cook for 15 minutes and then check- vegetables should start looking brown or caramelized. If not done- keep cooking and checking veggies every 5 minutes until done.
2. Mash together beans, garlic, and chile sauce in small bowl until smooth.
3. Spread half of bean mixture over each tortilla. Top each with 3 basil leaves, 1/2 cup roasted vegetables, and 1/2 cup arugula. Fold bottom third of tortillas over vegetables, and roll up tightly, tucking in sides as you go. Cut wraps in half on diagonal. Serve immediately, or wrap each half in foil or wax paper, and chill until ready to eat.

Serves 2

Serving: One whole wrap

Calories: 228

Fat: 3g

Protein: 11g

Carb: 51g

**** (Star-rating out of 5)

Made this for dinner- husband liked, but didn't love, but said he would eat it again. When I asked why he didn't love it his answer was "it's not Chipotle". Oh well- can't win em all!!!

Hominy Salad with Basil-Shallot Vinaigrette on Arugula

• 
  
• 1 small shallot, minced (2 Tbs.)
• 2 Tbs. white wine or champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 15-oz. can white hominy, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen soybeans, thawed
• 1 cup halved grape or teardrop tomatoes
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese or shaved Asiago cheese
• Arugula
• 
  

• DiRECTIONS

1. Whisk together shallot and
vinegar in small bowl. Whisk in
oil until emulsified, then whisk
in basil. Add white pepper and salt,
if desired.

2. Toss together hominy, soybeans, tomatoes, and bell pepper in serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing, and toss again to coat. Sprinkle with cheese,
and serve over arugula.

Serves: 6

Serving size: 1/2 cup

Calories: 200

Fat: 12g

Protein: 6g

Carb: 18g

***** (star-rating out of five)

I made this for my lunch today, last night, and I threw all the veggies in with the dressing and left in a tupperware overnight. This afternoon I emptied out veggies onto arugula and topped with goat cheese. Everything stayed crisp and wasn't soggy at all!