Fettuccine Alfredo

I have two variations for this. Neither one is "real" alfredo, both are much healthier than "real" alfredo. The first one is lower fat, but the second one is closer to the creamy texture of real alfredo. (The fat in #2 is from cashews, which is unsaturated better for you fats, while real alfredo uses butter and cream, which are saturated fats, not so good for you.)

I usually serve this with chicken, and often I'll stir in broccoli or spinach.

#1. Fettuccine Alfredo Lite

12 oz. fettuccine

1 1/2 T margarine

3 cloves garlic

1/8 t nutmeg

pepper to taste

1/4 c grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 t basil

1 can evaporated skim milk

1/4 c parsley, chopped

Cook fettuccine and drain. Return to pan, stir in margarine and garlic, mixing gently to coat pasta. Add milk, cheese, basil, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until just thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper and parsley.

#2. Cashew Alfredo

My dietician friend has a vegetarian recipe blog that she and some friends do together. You can see this recipe here and be sure to check out the other recipes. I've found several great recipes there.

You'll notice he says it needs salt, and it does. In fact, I think it needs CHEESE. (He didn't because he was making it vegan.) I added grated parmesan instead of adding salt.

No surprise that 5-yo doesn't eat it, but I just make sure to leave some plain pasta for her. The other kids like it, as long as I go easy on the pepper.

Hawaiian Toast

I doubt this is actually Hawaiian. An old roommate of mine had a recipe, but I don't know what the actual measurements are anymore. Very simple to make. Unfortunately, this recipe isn't really healthy but it is very tasty (even though it sounds weird).

Crumbled bacon
1 can crushed pineapple, drained very well
grated cheddar cheese
plain yogurt (her recipe called for mayo)
Buttered toast
Lettuce
Sliced tomatoes

Combine bacon, pineapple, cheese, and yogurt. Spread on toast, top with lettuce and tomato.

Honeybaked Chicken

I liked this recipe, but I think I need to tweak it a little. It would be nice to reduce the amount of butter, or substitute with oil. I also thought the curry flavor was really strong, I'd reduce it by half at least next time.

1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c honey
1/4 c mustard
1 t curry powder
Salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first four ingredients together. Cut chicken into strips and place on rimmed baking sheet. Pour honey sauce over chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink.

My friend who gave me the recipes says to serve with baked potatoes and broccoli. I never really realized it before, but broccoli and curry go really well together.

Lemon-Mustard/Pepper-Lime Chicken

I made this recipe by accident once because I thought it was a different recipe, but my husband liked it, so I make it pretty often. Then since I was a little bored of it, I tried one of the recipe variations, and he like that one too. So here are two recipes for the price of one.

2 to 2 1/2 lbs. chicken (I've done just about every kind, bone-in, boneless, whatever)

Lemon-Mustard Glaze:
2 T cooking oil
1 T Dijon-style mustard (I usually use spicy brown)
1 T lemon juice
1 1/2 t lemon pepper
1 t oregano or basil
1/4 t onion salt
1/8 t ground red pepper

OR:
Pepper-Lime Glaze
1/2 t lime peel (I think I left this out because I didn't have any)
1/4 c lime juice
1 T oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 t coursely ground black pepper
1 t thyme or basil
1/4 t salt

Rinse chicken, pat dry. Broil chicken on a broiler pan about 4-5 inches from heat for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir together the ingredients for one of the above glazes. Brush chicken with glaze, broil for about 5 more minutes. Turn, brush again with glaze, and cook 5-15 more minutes until no longer pink.

Elaine's Chicken Enchiladas

Several years ago when I lived in Oregon, I had a friend named Elaine Rasmussen. I'll tell you about her after I share the recipe. I know that everyone has their own favorite recipe for chicken enchiladas, and everyone swears theirs is the best. Even if you already have a recipe that you love, try this one. It is different and very tasty.

1 c mild green salsa
1/4 c fresh cilantro
1/4 c fresh parsley
1 T lime juice
2 cloves garlic
2 c chopped, cooked chicken
3/4 c shredded mozzarella (or more, I don't measure)
6 tortillas (I prefer corn)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place salsa, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth (I like leaving it a little bit chunky). Reserve half the mixture. Mix remaining mixture, chicken, and 1/4 c cheese. Spoon about 1/4 c chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling, place seam side down on baking dish. Pour reserved sauce mixture over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake covered for 20-25 minutes.

First of all, I always double this recipe. Second, sometimes for the green salsa (especially if I can only find medium heat) I drain a small can of tomatillos and put that in for half the salsa. Also, once a friend of mine whose grandmother was from Mexico made some enchiladas for me and when she served them she just cut them and served them in squares, not as individual rolled enchiladas because that is how her grandmother always did it. So now I use that as my excuse that this authentic Mexican grandmother didn't bother with individual rolled enchiladas, I just layer everything in the pan--so much faster! (Never mind that my authentic Mexican mother-in-law serves the individual rolled enchiladas.)

And now about Elaine. I moved from Oregon about five years ago, but during the time that I lived there I loved talking to her, we shared so many common interests, and I always felt like she really understood me. Sometimes I felt like she was the only one who understood me. Definitely someone Anne Shirley would call a kindred spirit. The interesting thing about all this is she is probably thirty years older than me. I'm not sure exactly what it was about her that made me think of her as a peer instead of my grandma, but it was probably because she just cared so much about people that she could relate to them even if they were young and silly. Unfortunately I'm really bad about keeping in touch with people and haven't heard from her for about three years. But I think of her every time I make her enchiladas.

Roasted Sweet Potato, Mango, and Edamame Salad

Another recipe from Poor Girl Eats Well. No one even tried it but me, but it was so tasty.

http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/2009/05/recipe-roasted-sweet-potato-mango-and.html

I loved the dressing, very simple but addicting.

A tip about cheap produce, go to those small Mexican grocery stores. Especially for something like mangos. I prefer the freshness of farmers markets, but you can't find unlocal things (like mangos) or unseasonal things there. Supermarket produce is of course convenient, but doesn't taste as good.

Opinions: Whole Grain Sides

I know that most people don't appreciate my nutrition opinions, my husband being the first in line. But he just got the results from blood tests from the doctor (luckily he is healthy, this was just a check-up) and the doctor says they need to keep an eye on his cholesterol, and please follow the attached guidelines. He read the guidelines out loud to me, and I just laughed and laughed. Because they are exactly what I try to tell him all the time that he thinks are "too extreme." So even though I do want to reiterate that my nutrition training is very informal and should be taken with a grain of salt, I'm not completely crazy if doctors are mailing very similar information to their patients. And since my husband doesn't listen to me much, this will be very interesting to see if he listens to the doctor.

So, building on what I wrote about proportion control, I wanted to talk about that one small portion (1/4 of your plate) that is grains. At least half of your grains should be whole, and since I figure I get plenty of white flour here and there throughout the day, I try to do whole as much as possible. But some meals just need white, like stir fry or other asian style food just isn't the same with brown rice, or a meal that needs potatoes for a side. Don't want to be "too extreme" ya know. If it isn't every day, it is still a good balance.

Here are some of the things that we do:

Brown rice--takes much longer to cook, but you can freeze leftovers in a ziplock bag and next time it is ready in a flash.

Quinoa--be sure to rinse well because it has a bitter coating

Whole Wheat Couscous--I cooked couscous for the first time a few years ago. I had no idea it was "instant!" (The kids love it, but they make a mess with it.)

Millet--kind of like couscous, although not instant

Barilla Plus Pasta--This is a brand (and the Safeway Eating Right brand equivalent) we have found that is multigrain, but still pretty similar taste/texture to regular pasta. Some of the whole grain pasta is grainy and tough, but I'm sure there are other good brands.

Whole grain bread--make sure the first ingredient is whole grain (unbleached, enriched, or wheat without the "whole" are NOT the same thing) and it is best to avoid high fructose corn syrup, or make your own. There are also other bread products like pitas (my kids like them toasted into chips), bagels, etc.

Crepes--we sometimes eat these with fruit or applesauce, but once I used some leftover chicken and vegetables and it was very tasty. My friend Emily has a recipe she calls Whole Wheat Flat Pancakes that I use (although they take some practice to flip them if you aren't used to making crepes):

3 eggs

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 t salt

1 1/4 c milk

1 T sugar

1 T oil

Beat eggs until thick. Stir in milk. Add dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Pour 1/4 c of batter in hot, oiled pan, lifting and tipping pan to spread batter around. Turn when bottom is slightly brown. Serve with sweet or savory filling.

Tortillas--again, read the ingredients. First ingredient should be whole. Avoid hydrogenated oils, shortening, and lard. I shop around until I find a brand I like, there are a few at Trader Joes that meet all my criteria. Corn is a whole grain as long as it isn't degermed, so corn tortillas are also a good option.