Vegetarian White Bean and Kale Wraps
Vegetarian White Bean and Kale Wraps
makes 4-6 wraps
Ingredients:
4-6 whole wheat wraps or tortillas (I love the Ole Extreme Wellness High Fiber variety)
5 cups curly kale, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 cup cannellini or other white bean, rinsed
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise (or Vegenaise)
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey or agave sweetener
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large bowl toss kale with olive oil (use your hands and massage it into the kale). Add carrot, red pepper, and beans. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise through salt and pepper. Pour over kale mixture and toss well to coat.
Cranberry-Avocado Salsa
Healthy December Habits:
- 7 hours of sleep each night
- Breakfast
- Water, and lots of it
- Fruits or vegetables at every meal
- Yoga
- Strength training
- Your skin care regimen (stress, alcohol and lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your skin!)
- Meditation or prayer time
- Phone time with a close friend or relative
- Herbal tea as an afternoon or evening relaxation ritual
Cranberry-Avocado Salsa
serves 6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 minced jalapeno
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 ripe avocados, diced into 1/4″ pieces
3/4 cup halved fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
tortilla chips or pita crisps
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, jalapeno (remove seeds for less heat), and red onion.
2. Add diced avocados, cranberries, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to combine.
3. Serve with tortilla chips or pita crisps
Acorn Squash with Apple Walnut Topping
I am so excited to be dusting off my cool-weather recipes now that the temperature is finally dipping into the 60s. I have some perennial favorites that I simply won’t make until there’s a chill in the air, colored leaves visible from the kitchen window, and a football game playing on the TV in the next room. One of those is this acorn squash.
For those of you not familiar with all of the squash varieties, an acorn squash is the smallish green one shaped like, well, an acorn! They are super-easy to cook and are absolutely delicious. This particular recipe uses the microwave so it’s quick enough to make even for a weeknight meal – I love that!
While the squash is good prepared simply and topped with just a little butter and salt or grated parmesan, this version is sweet enough to stand in for dessert! Pair it with a roasted pork tenderloin or crispy baked chicken for a satisfying way to celebrate these first chilly fall days.
Acorn Squash with Apple Walnut Topping
serves 2
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1 Macintosh apple, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 acorn squash
3 Tbsp. chopped toasted walnuts
Directions:
1. Place apples and butter in a nonstick skillet and saute until tender. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. While apple is cooking, place whole acorn squash in microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Turn over and microwave 4 more minutes. Carefully remove squash from microwave and cut in half (from stem to tip) with a sharp knife. With a spoon, scoop out seeds and discard.
3. Fill each half of the squash with half of the cooked apple mixture and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Serve immediately.
Quick Protein-Packed Pasta Salad
- cook pasta according to package directions, drain and cool
- whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and parsley. set aside
- Mix cooked pasta with peppers, peas, and beans. Pour dressing over and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
10 Healthy Brown Bag Lunches
- whole wheat noodles sprayed with olive oil and dusted with parmesan cheese, edamame in the pods (fun!), sliced apples with cinnamon
- whole wheat tortilla with melted cheese rolled up and cut, side of salsa for dipping, jicama sticks, banana
- Vanilla yogurt with sides of granola, nuts (if allowed), berries, carrot sticks
- Whole wheat crackers with turkey and cheese, mango slices, salad greens with sliced veggies
- Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, mixture of nuts and dried fruit, cucumber slices with cherry tomatoes
- Chicken noodle soup (e.g. healthy choice) in a thermos, sugar snap peas, strawberries, greek yogurt
- Rice, Sushi, non-fried spring roll/summer roll, grapes
- Fresh fruit salad ( cantaloupe, honeydrew, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, pineapple), cottage cheese or greek yogurt, graham crackers
- Quinoa or brown rice pasta with cooked veggies and shredded cheese, a tangerine, "cutie", fresh blueberries and raspberries
- Leftovers! If you've served a healthy dinner, let it do double dut. Heat up a portion of leftovers and put in a thermos/hot food container. Add a side of fruit and lunch is served.
Oatmeal Apple Crisp
Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2001
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (white flour will do in a pinch)
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats (1 cup granola works well also)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
6 cups chopped, peeled, Granny Smith or Macintosh apples (about 2 1/2 pounds)
(Granny Smith will be more tart and will remain firmer after baking when compared to Macintosh)
Cooking spray
3 cups light vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine flour, oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Combine 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and apples in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with oatmeal mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are tender when pierced with a fork. (If crust begins to darken but apples are not yet soft, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking.)
4. Top each serving with a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt.