Quinoa & Egg Enchilada Skillet

Quinoa is an ancient grain that is high in fiber and protein.  A perfect grain for the vegetarian and the carnivore alike.  This dish is a snap to make during a busy work week. For those who are wanting to create a healthier lifestyle and lose weight, choosing foods high is plant proteins is a great way to start.  Foods high in fiber (plants) move through the digestive tract in a more timely manner than animal protein.  This efficiently in the digestive system will help keep the body disease free.  This dish is both flavorful and hearty. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 cup corn
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper
2 cups enchilada sauce
2/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
6 eggs

For Serving:
Cilantro, chopped
Green onions, sliced
Ripe avocado, sliced
Hot sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. To a mixing bowl, add the cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, and onions.  
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together the cumin, garlic, oil and lime juice. Pour over the quinoa and toss everything to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Pour the enchilada sauce over the quinoa then sprinkle everything with cheese.
5. Make six small indentations in the top of the cheese for the eggs. Crack the eggs over the cheese, evenly spacing them out. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
6. Bake the skillet in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until the egg whites are completely set, but the yolks are still runny and the edges of the skillet are bubbly.

Serve promptly with fresh cilantro, green onions, and avocado slices on top, and hot sauce on the side.

Serves 4-6

Pumpkin Bread (a lighter version)

In the summer, I make zucchini bread often as a way to make use of the over abundance of this multi-purpose vegetable. Occasionally, I’ll over purchase bananas leaving me some less desirable, soft, brown fruit. At that time, I’ll whip up some oatmeal banana bread. Scrolling around on the Internet, I ran across a pumpkin bread recipe but the sugar and oil levels were too high for my liking. Instead, I created a version that both lower in sugar and fat. Thankfully, I doubled the recipe because our family ate the first loaf in a matter of minutes. I quickly froze the second before it met the same demise.

Pumpkin Bread

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup sugar or xylitol*
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. allspice
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 TBSP oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tsp. molasses
• 1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
• ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 . In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, the melted better, beaten eggs, ¼ cup of water, molasses, and orange zest (if using). Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined and there is no more dry flour in the batter. Do not over mix batter. Stir in nuts.
3. Butter the insides of a 8x4x3 inch loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Loosen from the pan and remove.

Yield: 1 loaf

*Xylitol is a natural sugar substitute that can be used. It has many healthful benefits.

Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal has many qualities that lend itself to be deemed a healthy food.  Unfortunately, most of us tend to add so many unhealthy ingredients, it's no longer considered healthy.  In this version, there is no added sugar.  The bananas and blueberries add enough sweetness for my taste, but if you have a sweet tooth, you may need to add a sweetener.  If this is the case, add 1/4 cup of maple syrup into the wet ingredients.  Don't be surprised when it disappears so quickly.  I double the recipe and heat up the leftovers the next morning.  You can also add it to your smoothie for some added goodness!

BLUEBERRY BANANA BAKED OATMEAL

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced
• ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 cups rolled old fashioned oatmeal
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk (I use almond milk)
• 1 egg
• 3 TBSP coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ¼ cup walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.
2. Lay the bananas in a single layer in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle ½ cup of the blueberries over bananas.
3. In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, baking power, and salt. Stir and sprinkle over fruit.
4. Whisk milk, egg, oil, (maple syrup, if using) and vanilla. Pour over oats, coating evenly. Sprinkle remaining blueberries and walnuts over top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly and set in the center.

Serves: 4

Adapted from alaskafromscratch.com

Low Fat Chocolate Zucchini Bread

When my youngest daughter was small, she would ask for "bikini" bread! My mother was always kind enough to accommdate this small request and enjoyed declious, sweet bread.  Most sweet bread recipes call for a lot of oil, which turns me off in baking this type of bread for my family.  However, because of the addition of applesauce in the recipe, the fat is marginal in this moist dessert.  The chocolate satisfies those cravings for those of us who need a little chocolate from time to time. Enjoy!

Low Fat Chocolate Zucchini Bread

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 TBSP vegetable
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
3. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until just moist. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean.
4. Cool before serving.

Low Fat Cranberry & Blueberry Muffins

Thankfully cranberries last a long time in the refrigerator.  During the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, I do a lot of cooking and baking.  There are quite a few desserts that call for fresh cranberries and duing this time of year, they are easily found in the grocery stores.  Any leftovers can be frozen and added to recipes later.  Using unsweetened applesauce eliminates the need for added fat.  Instead of refined sugar, I have replaced it with honey.  Using almond milk will further cut out calories and making this treat dairy-free. Hint:  use foil-lined cups to prevent sticking.

Low-Fat Cranberry and Blueberry Muffins

1 egg
3/4 cup almond milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except berries.  Once combined, stir in berries.  Pour into prepared muffin tin.  Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Yield: 12 muffins

Scalloped Potatoes and Carrots

This recipe is adopted from one of the many Moosewood recipe books I purchased while in Ithica, NY. Moosewood is a popular restaurant that features vegetarian cuisine.  Their menus change daily using fresh foods available in the area. This particular recipe is much lower in fat than traditional scalloped potato recipes. Reduce the glycemic index by cooking the potatoes the day before. Changes in the starch happen during the cooling process but don't change the flavor or taste.

Scalloped Potatoes and Carrots

• 1 cup thinly sliced onions (1 medium onion)
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 TBS butter
• 1 1/2 cups evaporated skimmed milk (12-ounce can)
• 1 1/2 TBS unbleached white flour
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 3 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes (about 4 potatoes)
• 1 cup peeled and thinly sliced carrots (about 2 carrots)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a heavy skillet, saute the onions and thyme in the butter on low heat for 5-7 minutes, until translucent, stirring regularly.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the evaporated milk, flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Lightly oil a 2-quart baking dish.
5. Combine the potatoes, carrots, and sauteed onions in the dish and pour the milk mixture evenly on top.
6. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees, uncover, and bake for about 30 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown.