Recipe: Pasta Casserole with Meatballs

Simple homemade tomato sauce and vegetarian options for the meatballs make this dish a winner for many different food preferences.
Food weight: 5.0

Ingredients

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/10^th of the recipe, 338 grams or ~ 1 ½ cups)
Homemade tomato sauce:

·         2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·         8 ounce container of slices white mushrooms

·         2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thinly

·         2 large garlic cloves, chopped

·         1 leek, the white section and 1-inch of the green, cleaned and sliced thinly

·         2 large basil leaves, shredded

·         1 (35 ounce) can Italian peeled tomatoes

·         1 (26.455 ounce) container of Parmelat “Pomi” chopped tomatoes

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the tomato sauce:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium-high heat. Add  mushrooms and cook until browned and much of the liquid has evaporated. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Add remaining olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté onions, carrots, garlic, leeks and basil leaves for approximately 6 minutes until carrots are soft. Stir in tomatoes. In a food processor, add tomato/vegetable mixture and puree in batches. Add in sugar, salt and pepper and place pureed tomato sauce back in saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until just boiling, reduce to simmer and cook uncovered for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Directions

For the pasta dish:

·  1 box (16 ounces) 100% whole wheat rotini pasta (I use Gia Russa® brand imported   Italian pasta)

·  Tomato sauce

·  2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (or Veggie Shreds® mozzarella flavor shredded soy cheese)

·  1 pound ultra-lean ground beef , seasoned with bread crumbs and rolled into meatballs  (or 1 container Veggie Patch® (9 ounces) meatless meatballs)

·  Freshly shredded parmesan cheese to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, pre-cook meatballs over medium heat until they are no longer pink inside. In a large mixing bowl add, pasta, all of the tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, soy cheese, and meatballs. Mix and pour into a very large baking dish (I use a large lasagna pan). Bake uncovered in oven for approximately 20 minutes until cheese melts. Serve warm, sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information per Serving (338 grams or ~ 1 ½ cups pasta with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese):
Food weight: 5.0, Calories: 491, Fat: 16 g, Cholesterol: 9 mg, Sodium: 1113 mg,
Carbohydrate: 56 g, Dietary Fiber: 9 g, Sugars: 10 g, Protein: 34 g

Recipe: Thick and Rich European-Style Hot Chocolate Treat

Sometimes on these cold winter days, nothing (and I mean nothing) quite compares to the pleasure of sipping a sinfully rich cup of sweet, hot cocoa by the fireplace. Now this is loving life!
 
Food weight: 2.0
Makes three servings, ~½ cup each

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups vanilla soy milk
• ½ cup natural unsweetened dark cocoa powder (or three squares of unsweetened baking chocolate, melted)
• ¼ cup sugar (or 1/8 cup Splenda® Sugar Blend)
• 1 ½ tbsp corn starch

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat, pour immediately into three mugs and top with fat-free whipped topping and a dash of cocoa powder, if desired.

Nutrition (Per serving):
Food weight: 2.0, Calories: 190, Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 90 mg, Carbohydrate: 31 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 22 g, Protein: 7 g


Note: one serving provides 25% of the DV for calcium, 15% for iron and 8% for vitamin A.

Recipe: Roasted Baby Eggplant with Tomatoes

Food weight: 1.0

Ingredients

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/8^th of recipe, 223 grams or ~ 1 cup)

      ·   4 baby eggplants

      ·   8 plum tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

·   4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

·   ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

·   ½ cup balsamic vinegar

·   ½ teaspoons salt

·   ½ teaspoon pepper

Directions

Nutritional Information per Serving (223 grams or ~ 1 cup):
Food weight: 1.0, Calories: 121, Fat: 8 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 158 mg,
Carbohydrate: 14 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 4 g, Protein: 2 g

Sweet, Sweet Potatoes.

Packed with nutrients, especially the antioxidant pro-vitamin beta-carotene and the blood pressure lowering mineral potassium, this potato is your best bet for a low-calorie, high-fiber, complex carbohydrate. Next time you’re faced with a potato decision, orange or white, choose the orange for a nutrition-packed sweet treat.

Recipe: Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Love those artery-clogging, deep-fried French fries? Start the New Year off right by putting a healthy twist on those fries. Baking these sweet, sweet potatoes at a high heat ensures a soft inside and slightly crisp and caramelized skin without all the added fat of frying. Plus, one serving supplies all your daily vitamin A and a third of your daily vitamin C—with the extra bonus of FIBER.

Food weight: 1.5

Ingredients

·    6 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds)

·    Canola oil cooking spray

·    2 teaspoons sugar

·    1/2 teaspoon salt

·    1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

·    1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Servings: 6

Nutrition Per Serving:

Food weight: 1.5, Calories 162 , Fat 5g, Protein 6g , Carbohydrate 22g , Fiber 2g, Cholesterol 17mg, Iron 2mg, Sodium 505mg, Calcium 102mg

Recipe: Roasted Anti-Cancer Vegetable Medley

Using a bag of pre-washed, precut veggies makes this nutritious side dish simple to make and fast! 
Food weight: 1.5

Ingredients

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: ¼ of the recipe, 99 grams or ~ ½ cup)

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (12 ounce) bag of “Eat Smart” vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), available in the supermarket produce section
• 6 cloves of garlic, sliced 

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, soy sauce and black pepper. Whisk together until blended. Add in bag of vegetables and garlic and stir to coat. Spread veggies in a single layer on baking sheet. Roast vegetables for ~ 10 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of the recipe or ~ ½ cup):
Food weight: 1.5, Calories: 124, Fat: 7 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 202 mg,
Carbohydrate: 13 g, Dietary Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 3 g, Protein: 3 g