Green Lentils with Wine-Glazed Vegetables

I am very excited to start a new project - cooking through the recipes friends and family gave me for my bridal shower. My mom put them in a cute recipe binder, and I managed to read through them several times but haven't made anything yet!

The first recipe is from Katrina, a dear friend from middle school. Even though I moved to Michigan at the beginning of high school, we have stayed in touch and even vacationed together one summer. We both got married last year and attended each other's weddings too (hers in California and mine in the D.C. area!). Katrina is probably one of the smartest, if not the smartest, person I know. She and her husband Michael are moving back to the east coast, so she can begin medical school - and she already has a PhD in psychology!

Katrina is a vegetarian, so she gave me this great recipe for green lentils. I don't think I've cooked lentils before, so this recipe provided a great reason to try it out! The red wine and Dijon mustard in the glaze totally make this recipe. The red wine flavor intensifies over time, so this meal makes fantastic left-overs. I even ate the lentils cold for lunch. I recommend making the recipe on a weekend night when you have some extra time to stand over the stove as the sauce takes awhile to reduce. If you want to add some extra protein, I think the lentils would be a great base for grilled chicken or salmon.

Chop up your veggies and the garlic.

Then, bring the lentils and water (it's a 2 to 1 ratio of water to lentils) to a boil. Add in a bay leaf for added flavor. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes.

When the lentils have about 10-15 minutes to go, start sauteing the celery, carrot and onion in a large pan (I used a healthy drizzle of olive oil here). Saute until the veggies start to brown.

Then, add in the tomato paste and garlic (I just love this tomato paste in a tube - so much easier to store the leftovers!).

Add in the wine followed by the Dijon mustard.

Add the lentils back in and then simmer until the liquid is reduced. I added in about a tablespoon of butter to add some richness to the sauce.

Katrina offers up two "fancy" variations on the recipe. You can serve the lentils in individual ramekins topped with puff pastry dough (just throw them in the oven to bake the puff pastry). I chose to serve the lentils over some wilted rainbow chard for some added green vegetable goodness!

Green Lentils with Wine-Glazed Vegetables
From Katrina's Kitchen
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups green lentils
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 or 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1-2 tablespoons tablespoons butter or olive oil
• Parsley (optional)

Bring lentils, 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and bay leaf to a boil, then return to simmer and cook for about 25 minutes.

Heat oil in pan. Add onion, carrot and celery and season with salt. Cook over medium heat until browned. Add garlic, tomato paste and cook a minute more.

Add wine (Katrina mentions that you should pour some in a glass for the cook as well). Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until the liquid is syrupy. Stir in the mustard and add the cooked lentils with the broth. Top with fresh parsley if desired.

Fancy Variations:

1) Put finished dish in ramekins and top with puff pastry. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

2) Serve over a bed of wilted chard.

Simmer until sauce is reduced, then stir in the butter or olive oil and season with pepper.

Luciously Lo-Cal Lasagna

I practically ran home from work yesterday because I was so excited to make this little gem of a recipe for the second night in a row (well, that, and it was a frigid evening). This cheesy lasagna recipe from Hungry Girl is made with real noodles and will only cost you about 250 calories and 4 grams of fat! Definitely delicious and definitely New Year's resolution friendly. Nick, who has many Italian relatives, loved this lasagna and seemed satisfied even though this dish is so low in calories.

The recipe calls for eggplant and mushrooms - two meaty vegetables that add bulk to the dish without piling on extra calories. I really didn't miss the ground beef at all. The basil in the ricotta mixture adds some layers of flavor and a surprising freshness to a usually heavy meal.

The first time I made the recipe, I couldn't find crushed tomatoes, so I used diced. The recipe still worked well, but the consistency of the sauce is much better using the crushed tomatoes. If you like spice, I'd recommend adding some crushed red pepper to the tomato sauce mixture.

While this recipe took me about an hour to make start to finish, the baking time enables you to clean up most of the mess before sitting down to eat. It makes meal time more peaceful knowing you have a clean kitchen (or maybe we're just that OCD!).

I promise the next recipe will have some meat action in it. But, I must say, I've been enjoying all the veggie goodness. A nice way to detox after the holidays.

EZ Cheesy Lasagna
From Hungry Girl
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

• Two 1/4-inch thick eggplant slices (cut lengthwise from a long eggplant), patted dry
• 2 tablespoons liquid egg whites
• 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Additional salt, black pepper, to taste
• 2 sheets oven-ready lasagna noodles
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

Preparation

Preheat over to 425 degrees. 

Spritz both sides of each eggplant slice with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through, until browned and softened.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine egg whites, ricotta cheese, basil, garlic, salt, and nutmeg. Stir well and set aside.

Bring a skillet sprayed with cooking spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add mushrooms and, stirring occasionally, cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir mushrooms into ricotta mixture and set aside.

Add Italian seasoning to crushed tomatoes, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Set aside. 

Spray a large loaf pan (about 9" x 5") with nonstick spray. Pour 1/4 cup tomatoes evenly into the bottom of the pan. Top with 1 lasagna sheet. Spread half of the ricotta-mushroom mixture on top, followed by another 1/4 cup tomatoes. Top with 1 eggplant slice.

Repeat layering with 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1 lasagna sheet, remaining ricotta-mushroom mixture, remaining 1/4 cup tomatoes, and remaining eggplant slice.

Evenly top with mozzarella and grated topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until cheese starts to brown.

Per serving: 238 calories, 4 g fat, 5 g fiber, 17.5 g protein.

Green & White Minestrone

Nick and I were in the mood for something on the lighter side after over-indulging a bit during Christmas. We've been eating a lot of soup this fall and winter, so a hearty minestrone seemed like just the ticket. This recipe isn't your classic tomato-based minestrone, but it is packed full of vegetables (including brussels sprouts!) for a satisfying yet low-calorie dinner. We served it with white toast (drizzled with olive oil and toasted in the ever-useful Cuisinart Griddler) and some apple slices. You'll still have room for dessert too!

My wonderful husband chopped and diced most of the vegetables beforehand (except the onion), so it was pretty easy to throw this together once I got home from work. Nick threw in a diced jalapeno pepper to add some a little heat.

I didn't have any dried sage on hand, so I scoured our spices and decided on dried thyme as a substitute (no particular reason). I think it was a pretty old bottle because I didn't notice much of the flavor in the finished product. Guess it's time to purge some of my old spices! Though I try to watch my sodium, I would recommend being generous with the salt (maybe if you have better dried herbs that would help too). Getting fancy with my amateur food photography here - action shot!

Next, add the potatoes and the sprouts. Pretty complicated recipe, right?

Finally, add in the macaroni and cook about 20 minutes more. We used Barilla Plus macaroni which tastes almost exactly like regular pasta but contains extra protein, Omega-3s and fiber. We served the finished product with some beautifully toasted bread on the side. I'm guessing the soup + bread is only about 250 calories! The leftovers will also make a great lunch for work tomorrow.  

Green & White Minestrone
Adapted from Healthy Cooking for Two (or just you) by Frances Price, RD
Serves 4


Ingredients

• 1 c. chopped onions
• 1/2 c. diced green peppers
• 1/2 c. diced celery
• 1 diced jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 t. dried sage
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5 small new potatoes
• 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered (you can also use shredded cabbage)
• 1/2 c. elbow macaroni

Preparation

In a heavy 3 quart saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions, green pepper, jalapeno and celery in the oil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but not brown.

Stir in the garlic. Add the broth, sage, salt and pepper; raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.

Cut the potatoes into 3/4" cubes and add them, with the brussels sprouts, to the soup. Bring the soup back to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the macaroni. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables and pasta are tender.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition Index (approximate since the original recipe uses water instead of broth and some different vegetables)

Per serving: 157 calories, 4.1 g total fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 35 mg sodium, 4.3 grams protein, 27.5 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber