'gluten free' posts

Everyone needs a basic chili recipe for big gatherings. Here’s ours. What’s fun about this one is that it’s heart healthy and guilt-free, so make extra for second helpings! Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• ½ 4-ounce can whole green chilies, seeded and chopped fine
• 8 ounces ground turkey breast
• 1½ 14.5-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 12-ounce can whole tomatillos, seeded and chopped with juice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
• 2 green onions, chopped fine with green portion
• ¼ cup cheddar cheese, low sodium, low-fat, shredded

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, chilies, and ground turkey. Sauté until turkey is lightly browned and vegetables are soft, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Add white beans, tomatillos, and chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Serve and add sour cream. Garnish with cheddar cheese and green onions.

Per Serving: 408 calories, 31 gm protein, 56 gm carbohydrate, 6 gm fat, 1 gm sat fat, 3 gm mono fat, 38 mg cholesterol, 12 gm fiber, 136 mg sodium

How quick? How about 15 minutes? That’s all it takes to create this very satisfying and heart-friendly family dinner. And, after work and the kids’ soccer practice, it just hits the spot. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• Olive oil spray
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 14.5-ounce can no-salt chopped tomatoes with juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 15-ounce can red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon green onion, sliced

Directions

1. In a large pot, sauté onion and pepper until softened. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and spices.
2. Add the rice and beans. Simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve and garnish with sliced green onion.

Per serving: 277 calories, 12 gm protein, 52 gm carbohydrate, 3 gm fat, 1 gm sat fat, 1 gm mono fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 11 gm fiber, 32 gm sodium

THE SEASONED COOK Brown rice is the whole rice grain and is the only form of rice that contains vitamin E and dietary fiber. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and chewy texture.

This soup is unexpectedly creamy, thanks to the potato. Just one portion is loaded with nutrition, including half the daily requirement for folate and iron, along with much more in vitamins K and A, plus B as well. Serve as a first course or as a complete meal with sandwiches, as pictured here. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of spinach, stems removed (8 ounces)
• 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch of cilantro (approximately ¼ the size of the spinach bunch), stems removed
• 1 cup of low-fat milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste

Garnish:

• ¼ cup of toasted shaved almonds
• nutmeg

Directions

1. In a small pot, bring water to boil and cook the potato until soft.
2. In a medium pot with boiling water add the spinach and cook for 3 minutes. Drain the spinach and discard the water.
3. In a blender add the spinach, potato, cilantro, and milk. Blend until smooth.
4. Transfer soup to the pot where the spinach was boiled, season with salt and pepper, and reheat.
5. Serve with a sprinkle of almonds and nutmeg.

Per serving: 175 calories, 9g protein, 20g carbohydrate, 8g fat, 1g sat fat, 5g mono fat, 3mg cholesterol, 5g fiber, 257mg sodium

THE SEASONED COOK If you don’t like cilantro, substitute parsley with a little green onion for some zip.

This is a fun vegetarian “one dish meal” that is combined with lentils. The maple syrup adds a hint of sweetness. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• ½ cup dry lentils
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1½ cup onions, chopped
• ¾ cup mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ¼ cup golden raisins
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Put lentils in pot and pour water over them until an inch above the lentils. Bring to boil and then let simmer with the lid on, about 20-25 minutes. The lentils should be tender but not mushy. Add more water if needed. Drain and add salt.
2. Meanwhile, bake squash halves, cut side down, on a spray-oiled cookie sheet at 375° for 30 minutes or until flesh is soft.
3. Heat olive oil and sauté onions and mushrooms until onions are transparent, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Transfer cooked lentils and onion mixture to a large bowl. Use a spoon to scrape flesh from squash leaving skin intact and add to lentils and onions. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Spoon mixture into squash shells and reheat just before serving.

Per Serving: 343 calories, 10 gm protein, 52 gm carbohydrate, 14 gm fat, 2 gm sat fat, 4 gm mono fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 gm fiber, 310 mg sodium

Our heart-healthy and well-balanced paella sacrifices none of the flavor. We’ve used sausage, chicken and shrimp, but in moderation. Coriander and turmeric contribute beautiful color and flavor for an impressive but simple dish that looks like you spent hours preparing. Toss a salad, and ring the dinner bell. Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 6 ounces low sodium turkey or chicken sausage, cubed
• ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 3 cups cooked brown rice, moist
• 1½ cups frozen peas, thawed
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoon each coriander and turmeric
• 12 ounces small frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled

Directions

1. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat olive oil. Sauté onion, sausage, chicken breast, and red pepper until sausage is cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked rice, peas, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, and turmeric.
3. Add rice mixture to the skillet and stir until combined. Place shrimp on top, reduce heat to low, and simmer until shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes. If rice mixture is drying out, add a few tablespoons of water to keep it moist.

Per serving: 371 calories, 35 gm protein, 33 gm carbohydrate, 10 gm fat, 2 gm sat fat, 5 gm mono fat, 146 mg cholesterol, 5 gm fiber, 633 mg sodium

THE SEASONED COOK This is a great recipe for festive occasions. It's fast and easy but looks like you took a long time in the kitchen. Shrimp is high in protein and low in calories and fat. Read the label carefully for fat content in sausage.

This is a dessert that most people love from their childhoods, but for some reason today it gets overlooked as not “special enough.” But special is exactly what it will be called when you make it. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 4 baking apples such as Rome or Jonathan Gold
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped candied ginger
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup hot water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Core apples to ½ inch of bottom.
3. Combine the dry ingredients plus ½ teaspoon of the water in a small bowl and mix, then spoon into the cavities until full.
4. Set apples in an 8" x 8" baking pan, pour remainder of water in pan bottom, seal in foil and bake 30 minutes or until apples are soft.
5. Serve warm. Optional toppings include a dollop of nonfat frozen yogurt or nonfat sour cream.

Per serving: 93 calories, 0 protein, 24 gm carbohydrate, 0 gm fat, 0 gm sat fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 gm mono fat, 2 gm fiber, 5 mg sodium

THE SEASONED COOK Use the remaining mixture by simmering 5-10 minutes and spoon over apples before serving. Make extra apples for breakfast too!

 Remember twice-baked potatoes—yummy but oh, so fattening? Here’s a richer and sweeter version that’s much more heart friendly. Sweet potatoes are a rich source of antioxidants; pears are high in fiber. Next time you’re tempted to serve baked potatoes, think sweet.

Try this with: Honey Grilled Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 3 large pears, peeled and sliced into bite size pieces
• 1 tablespoons olive oil, extra-light
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• chopped hazelnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Bake whole sweet potatoes at 425° for 45 minutes, or until done. Cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet sauté pears in olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir well for about a minute until sugar dissolves.
3. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop out pulp, leaving skin intact. Mash pulp.
4. Mix mashed potatoes and pears together and stir well. Stuff mixture back into shells.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with chopped nuts if desired.

Per serving: 170 calories, 2 gm protein, 35 gm carbohydrate, 4 gm fat, 0 gm sat fat, 3 gm mono fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 gm fiber, 12 mg sodium

THE SEASONED COOK Extra-light olive oil has the same number of calories as regular olive oil, but has a very light flavor making it quite useful in sweet dishes. Sweet potatoes are often referred to as yams, but they’re actually two different vegetables. To save time, you can prepare ahead through step 4.