Zucchini spaghetti with eggplant, tomato and basil

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/zucchini-noodles-with-eggplant-and-tomatoes

This summery play on ratatouille includes a bright mix of zucchini and summer squash turned into "noodles" along with quick pan-seared cherry tomatoes and eggplant.

The lemon dressing for this really brightens up the 'vegetti'.  Alternatively, a red sauce of your preference would probably do well, and save you time.  When we see Rao's sauces on sale, we buy them for a quick meal.  They are made with natural ingredients and are lower in salt and sugar than most of the alternatives.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
2 medium yellow squash (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

Dressing:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (packed) basil leaves, chopped, divided

For the skillet:
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 large long Chinese eggplants (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1/4" slices on the bias
2 cups cherry tomatoes, divided

1/4 cup pitted cured black olives, halved, divided (optional)
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions:

1) Place zucchini and squash in a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. salt and toss to combine. Let sit 10 minutes, then shake in strainer, pressing gently, to remove any excess liquid.

2) Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, honey, pepper, 1/2 cup basil, 3 Tbsp. oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl.

3)Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic until it begins to sizzle and turn golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with dressing.

4) Increase heat to medium-high, add eggplant and 1 cup tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is browned and cooked through and tomatoes begin to burst, about 6–8 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and transfer to bowl with dressing.

5) Cut remaining 1 cup tomatoes in half lengthwise and add to bowl with dressing. Add zucchini and squash; gently toss to combine.  I prefer to throw the zucchini and squash into the pan that is still warm, without the heat on, just to dry it a bit more.

6) Add 3 Tbsp. olives and 2 Tbsp. basil, then transfer with tongs to a platter, letting extra liquid drain and remain in bowl. Lay mozzarella on 1 end of platter and drizzle with oil. Top dish with remaining 2 Tbsp. basil and 1 Tbsp. olives.

Banana Pineapple Yogurt Smoothie

From Torrent Kitchen Aid Blender recipe book

There are endless variations you can do with this, but here's a start.  I enjoyed it with nutmeg and cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
12 ounces crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 banana
1 cup ice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, more to sprinkle on top
sprinkle of cinnamon on top

Directions:
It's difficult -- put all ingredients in a blender with ice-crushing capabilities.  Blend, pour, sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon.

Makes 4 servings

Peaches and Green Smoothie

I must start by saying that I am NOT a fan of green shakes!  I had a few bitter awful ones years ago and have avoided them ever since.  HOWEVER, my blender finally died from my ice-crushing activities for chocolate peanut butter smoothies, banana berry yogurt smoothies, and the like.  With my new Torrent Blender by KitchenAid, which I love, there was a cookbook with loads of blender recipes, including smoothies, soups and other blended foods.  It was a steal because evidently its magnetic base with no moving parts hasn't really taken off, so I got it at 2/3 off - including this new recipe book.  The magnetic base turns the blade without them actually having to twist into each other - that connection is what started leaking - after many years of use, mind you.

Having my son home for a week, I had a live-in taster, so I made the most of it.  Here's a green smoothie that's refreshing and tasty.  If you want more protein, just change the almond milk to soy.

Ingredients:
1 cup ice
1 cup packed torn fresh spinach
1 cup fresh or frozen peach slices
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 Tbsp honey (add more honey if using plain almond milk)
juice from 1/2 small lime
1 tsp dried mint, or a few fresh mint leaves - the more the better!

Directions:
Using a blender with ice crushing capacity - blend and pour!

Lentil and Vegetable Salad

Lentils are my new favorite protein source - a great component of a plant-based diet.  They are very filling, with lots of folate and iron, and naturally gluten-free.  Very versatile, they can be eaten alone, on a salad, or in soups or stews.  This recipe is the equivalent of my end-of-the-week stir fry that uses up any odds and ends in the refrigerator.  As written, it is just a suggestion.  I think the red onion is key in providing flavor.  For the dressing, you can use any vinaigrette, but make sure there’s enough vinegar, salt and pepper to provide a burst of flavor.

Soon, Dr. Aruna Nathan will share her wisdom about sprouted lentils.  She made toasted lentils for a crunchy snack and a different kind of lentil salad to share at our recent health fair.  Stay tuned for her recipes.

Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked lentils (green or mixed variety - 1 cup lentils to 3 cups of water)
1 cup chopped arugula or spinach
1-2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 scallions, sliced

DRESSING:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp lo sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1) Mix all salad ingredients, keeping lentils separate.
2) Mix all dressing ingredients, whisk, add half to the lentils and mix.
3) Add lentils to salad, add the remainder of the dressing to the salad, as needed.

Pumpkin Crunch

From Canyon Ranch Nourish

This is such a good crunchy snack!  I decreased the cranberries, because I prefer the crunch to the sugar.  After toasting them, the nuts stick together a bit and are like granola.  Just watch them carefully because there's a only a short interval between 'toasted' and 'burnt'!  One is good, the other not so much!!

Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of 'good fats', i.e.  mono- and poly-unsaturated oils, as well as a good source of fiber, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.

Dried fruit is notorious for being full of sugar.  Look for the lowest sugar content you can find.  Trader Joe's and Nature's Promise at Giant have varieties that have 26 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup (versus up to 32 grams for some of the others).  I tried substituting other dried fruit, but the tart taste of cranberries fits perfectly with the seeds.  I just decreased the measure from 1 1/4 cups to under a cup.

I didn't let my family taste this before I brought it to our health fair because I was afraid there might not be enough left for anyone else.  I'm looking for more of these healthy snack recipes to make on my own in order to avoid the 'extras' in many of the packaged snack bars.

Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
1 1/3 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp sea salt
less than a cup of dried cranberries.

Tried another variant - used 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (which is actually cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice with ginger added; and 1/4 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp cardamom along with 1/2 tsp salt and maple syrup.  Smells good from the cardamom.  Probably like the original better.  12/11/16 Then added more maple syrup, cayenne, sugar -- maybe just stick with the original!

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with canola oil spray.

2) Toss the seeds and canola in a small bowl.  Spread the coated seeds evenly on the baking sheet.  Roast for about 20 minutes, or until almost dry.  Watch carefully!

3) Place the seeds in a medium bowl and stir in the maple syrup until coated.

4) Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt in a small bowl. Add the spice mixture to the pumpkin seeds.  Stir to combine.

5)  Return the pumpkin seeds to the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes or until dry, stirring occasionally.  Turn the pan several times to ensure even roasting, checking frequently.  Set aside until completely cool, about 30 minutes.

6) Combine the seeds and dried cranberries in a large bowl.  Store in a tightly sealed container.

Black bean, corn and tomato salad

I wanted to prove how I could make a simple refreshing veggie salad by just opening a few cans from Costco, but of course I can never leave well enough alone.  I'm fine using their canned tomatoes in chili, but when you get the full taste in a cold salad, they retain the taste of the citric acid despite rinsing them.  So I decided to use fresh tomatoes.

Then I decided the dried basil and cilantro really needed to be replaced with fresh herbs for a brighter taste.  Start chopping those herbs.

So it's still relatively simple, but not exactly what I intended.  But if you have canned tomatoes that you like, and you don't happen to have fresh herbs on hand, all of this can be prepared simply with cans and spice shakers.

This particular recipe is a blend of several that I found with these ingredients.  It is a good mix of protein and carbs and is quite filling.  It can be used as an appetizer or a BBQ side dish.

Since Trader Joes is my other favorite place to shop, I must tell you that serving this salsa / side dish on TJ's Veggie and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips is excellent!  The chips are nice and large and can hold a lot of the corn & bean mix.

INGREDIENTS:

15 oz can black beans
15 oz can sweet corn
2 tomatoes
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
3 scallions
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 heaping Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1) Rinse the black beans and corn.  Chop the tomatoes, peppers, scallions and combine all in a large bowl.

2) Chop the herbs.  In a small bowl, mix the dried herbs and salt and pepper.  Sprinkle over the mix and let it sit for a few hours or overnight before serving to let the flavors blend.  Good for a few days.