Healthy comfort food does exist!

You may have noticed a trend in my posts recently... Lots of comfort food!  My guess is it's the time of year... I mean we all reach for comfort food in the fall and winter when the weather gets a little cooler and you feel like snuggling under a blanket instead of going out.   I figured if I am going to keep this up through the winter, my comfort food needs to be healthy... lower in fat and sugar and higher in fiber and vegetables!  I think I found my first truly healthy lasagna!

Cooking Light (online and magazine) has been a favorite of mine for years.  I especially love the magazine this time of year as they help us lighten up holiday dishes! They don't push "diet" foods, just healthier options.  They also profile exercise in addition to nutrition.  CL helps us to become less round and more well rounded. :)  I knew I could find some great comfort foods on the website.

My friend came over for dinner last night and we decided because of the cool night to make lasagna!  How can lasagna be healthy, you ask?  You do this by cutting out the whole milk cheeses, béchamel and high fat ground beef and including skim cheeses and making it a vegetarian dish, using butternut squash to bulk it up!  At only 254 calories, 8.5 grams of fat and 18.6 grams of protein per serving (if you follow the cooking light version of the recipe), you still get the lasagna taste without the lasagna hips.

I made some changes (shown in my version of the recipe below), such as roasting the squash instead of microwaving it, but kept it as close to the original as I could.

Butternut Squash Lasagna 
(original from www.cookinglight.com)

Yield:  2 lasagnas, 6 servings per 8x8 pan

Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion
10 cups fresh spinach
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese (not pre-shredded)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 (15-ounce) cartons part-skim ricotta cheese
3 cups diced peeled butternut squash
6 cups marinara sauce (I used CL's smoky marinara sauce)
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place cubed butternut squash on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes (check with a fork to see if it is tender).  Remove from the oven when done, season with salt and pepper and using a potato masher, mash until smooth.  Set aside.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; sauté 1 1/2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Combine mozzarella, parsley, salt, pepper, eggs, and ricotta cheese in a large bowl.

4. Coat the bottom and sides of 2 (8-inch-square) baking dishes with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup Smoky Marinara in the bottom of one prepared dish. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups squash over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over squash.

5. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup cheese mixture over the noodles. Arrange 1 1/2 cups onion mixture over cheese mixture; spread 3/4 cup sauce over spinach mixture.

6. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; spread 1 cup Smoky Marinara evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients in remaining pan. Cover each pan with foil.

7. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

To freeze unbaked lasagna: Prepare through Step 6. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked lasagna: Thaw completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 375º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover lasagna with reserved foil; bake at 375º for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly.

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This lasagna is not your Italian grandmother's gooey, cheesy, meaty lasagna, but the flavors and textures are still there, and you can have a second serving (or dessert!) and not feel bad about it!

Do you wish you had a "lighter" version of a not so healthy family recipe?  Feel free to post here and I'll do my best to help make it a little healthier.

Chow for now!  :)

Get your kids to eat healthy food!!

photo by Jennifer Zappia

I knew that title would get your attention!  I have been helping out my friends with their toddler since he was born; babysitting, hanging out with and from time to time, cooking for the family.  One of the most difficult dinner time issues has been to get him to eat more vegetables.  Fruit?  No problem.  Cookies?  More, please!  Spinach?  EWW!  No way!  So, I thought I'd pick up a book to help me with some healthy recipes that would change his mind, or at least trick it!

The Sneaky Chef is a series of books written by Missy Chase Lapine, a woman who has had plenty of experience making two or three different meals each night since her kids wouldn't eat any of the healthy options she prepared.  I picked up "Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals." The beginning of the book would make anyone dealing with a picky child feel better, confirming that you aren't alone in dealing with picky eaters.  Combining foods that kids like (white pasta, cheese, hot dogs) with foods that are good for them (rolled oats, beans, green veggies) will get your kids to eat more healthy meals!

The author does a great job telling us which fruits and vegetables we should buy organic (basically any fruit or vegetable that has an edible skin).  She also tells the reader what staples are important to have in the house (various meats/fish, produce, cereals, rice/pasta, canned goods, dairy, nuts, oils ,etc).  The first 92 pages before the recipes are truly informative.

I loved the author's idea of using visual decoys to make food look FUN.  Who wouldn't want to eat a bowl of tomato soup if their name was written on it with a pureed vegetable mixed with cream?  I also thought calling smoothies "breakfast ice cream", for kids who don't like to eat fruit, was genius!

I can't wait to dive in and experiment with some of the recipes.  She breaks them down into "make ahead" recipes (like purees and juices), healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners, snacks, treats and drinks.

If you can't wait until I write about my kid friendly recipes, check out Missy's website and check out her tips, recipes and her regularly updated blog.

Have you ever pureed spinach with blueberries?  What about adding wheat germ to your turkey meatball recipe? How about adding cauliflower, sweet potatoes and carrots to mac and cheese?!  What are some of your favorite ways to "sneak" nutritious foods into your kids' diets?

 Chow for now!  :)

Healthy(ish) dinner with friends!

A while back a few of us decided to start an impromptu Friday Night Dinner Club... simply because on Fridays we were exhausted from the work week but still needed to eat - why not do it together over wine!  Some of us had kids so if we just all stayed in at one house and cooked dinner and drank wine and caught up, it would be a really fun night. Due to my career change, I end up doing a lot of the cooking (happily, I might add) while the others bring wine or help chop vegetables or clean up. On these nights our group ranged in size from 2-8 people.  Of course after a number of weeks, a few of us would end up busy or on vacation or have some other good excuse and we ended up putting the FNDC on hiatus for a short time.

Last night we started up again, a small group of three, we made such a delicious meal found on the NY Times food column a couple of weeks back.  Our dinner was based on the recipe for Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber and Tomato Salad.  I made some changes to the original recipe based on items we had on hand and limited the spice because this would be a leftover lunch for my friend's toddler the next day. The recipe I made follows.

If you are wondering "what the heck is farro?" this blog does a good job of discussing and also provides another great recipe to try. 

Farro Salad with Cucumber and Tomato

1 cup farro, rinsed
3 cups water
Salt to taste
2 cups diced cucumber
1/2 small red onion, finely minced (optional)
2 cups finely diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado, sliced, for garnish

1. Boil 3 cups of salted water then add rinsed farro.  Bring back to a boil then lower flame to simmer, partially covered for 20-25 minutes (depending on consistency - we liked our slightly chewy, not mushy).  Drain and set aside covered.

2. Meanwhile, place the finely diced cucumber in a colander, and sprinkle with salt. Toss and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Rinse the cucumber with cold water, and drain on paper towels. If using the onion, place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for five minutes, then drain, rinse with cold water and drain on paper towels.

3. Combine the tomatoes, vinegar, lime juice, spices and olive oil in a bowl. Add the cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the farro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve garnished with sliced avocado. The dish can be swerved warm, cold or room temperature.
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Although this dish turned out to be delicious, I would definitely add fresh herbs and maybe some feta cheese next time.  The original recipe had it right by using cilantro and jalapeno for a little kick.  My version of the recipe ended up becoming greek in flavor with the addition of dried oregano.  Even with the changes we gobbled this up!  I thought the colors were beautiful and also that this dish would be great to bring to a picnic since you can eat it at any temperature.

For dessert I served yummy Puff Pastry cups filled with fresh fruit and a fresh whipped cream with mascarpone and a little sugar.  This is another dish that could be brought on a picnic or made ahead.  Make the puff pastry ahead of time and wrap in tin foil, then keep the berries and whipped cream mixture cold until serving. Every dish was empty when we were done and we were all content and happy.  The wine may have helped that, too.

Thanks to M for hosting and C for bringing the lovely wine.  All in all a good night.  Now what will we make next time?

Do you ever meet up with friends specifically to cook dinner together?  It's a fun way to catch up for those of us who have busy lives.  Each person can bring a different dish or different ingredients.  For those who aren't self proclaimed chefs, you can bring a gourmet store bought dessert or wine.  If you have any Supper Club dinner recipes to share, please do so here!

Chow for Now!  :)