More Veggies in the New Year

Like many of you I'm sure, we've all have broad declarations of "I'm going to be healthier in 2011!" over the past month. I'm happy to say, David and I are off to a pretty decent start. I cook almost every night.....basic stuff like steamed vegetables, a salad, and David will grill whichever meat or fish we're having. I try to plan meals at the beginning of the week when we know just which nights we are going to be at home. Sometimes, we'll sneak in a Breakfast-for-dinner supper too. :) I mostly use my Gena Knox Gourmet Made Simple cookbook and my Weight Watchers cookbook. But, when we have company or a weekend meal, Ina Garten never fails me and neither does Martha's Original Classics tome. Here are some of our favorites so far in 2011! Here's to happy, healthy eating!

We like to use chicken tenders on the grill sometimes instead of the traditional chicken breast. They don't take as long to cook, and they are very tender. Here, I prepared a sauteed zucchini and red bell pepper dish with the delicious asparagus.

Asparagus via Jamie Oliver:
This is a great combination. Parmesan, olive oil and lemon are wonderful with asparagus. Heat a large griddle pan and dry-griddle the asparagus spears on both sides until nicely marked. As soon as they're ready, put them on to four plates and dress with a good squeeze of lemon juice and three times as much olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then take a block of Parmesan to the table and either grate or shave some over the asparagus with a peeler.

On this night, we prepared a panko crusted fish, Brussels sprouts and sauteed spinach. It was all tasty!

Brussels sprouts via Rachel Ray:
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
Salt and pepper, to your taste
1 cup chicken broth

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, 1 turn. Add shallots to the pan and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels spouts and coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook Brussels sprouts 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften, then add broth. Bring broth to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with cooked bacon bits.

Sauteed Spinach via Maggie:
5 to 6 tablespoons golden or dark raisins
2 packages (each 10 ounces) fresh spinach or 2 medium-size bunches fresh spinach, tough stems discarded
3 to 4 tablespoons fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
6 to 8 whole small peeled garlic cloves, lightly smashed
5 tablespoons pine nuts
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Place the raisins in a small bowl, add very hot water to cover, and soak until plump, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels, then set aside.
Rinse but do not drain the spinach. Place the spinach in a large saucepan over medium heat and cover the pan. Cook the spinach until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Transfer the spinach to a colander, and squeeze out the excess moisture by pressing on the spinach with the back of a spoon. Chop the spinach coarsely. (The spinach can be prepared a few hours ahead up to this point.)
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over low heat. Add the garlic, pine nuts, and soaked raisins, and cook until the nuts and the garlic are light golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the chopped spinach, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to combine evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.


And for this past Monday Night Girl's Dinner, we dined at Lauren and Renee's apartment in Atlanta. Lauren made this amazing coconut soup with rice and beans, roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, Hollie brought a salad, and I made Roasted Vegetable Crostini via Weight Watchers. I love using my WW cookbook for easy, quick, healthy recipes. It uses a ton of healthy proteins and vegetables and makes use of many spices.

1 small eggplant (about 3/4 pound)
1 medium zucchini
1 medium red onion
2 medium red bell pepper
2 plum tomatoes, seeded
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 loaf french bread, whole wheat
Grated reggiano cheese to taste in the vegetable mix, and a bit for garnish

1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray nonstick baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2.Trim ends from eggplant and zucchini; discard. Cut all vegetables into 1/4-inch pieces; place in large bowl. Add garlic, oil, rosemary and black pepper; toss to coat evenly. Transfer to ungreased nonstick 15X10X1-inch jelly-roll pan.
3.Bake 45 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 15 minutes.
4.Trim and discard ends from bread. Cut bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake 3 minutes on each side or until crisp and lightly browned on both sides.
5.Spoon vegetable mixture evenly onto toasted bread slices; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Continue baking 5 minutes or until mixture is heated through and cheese is melted. Transfer to serving plates.