Cold Sesame Noodles

This recipe is another one of those that’s been in my recipe binder for years…the printed date at the bottom of the page is September 5, 2004.  I’m almost positive my mom printed it out and told me that it looked good and that we should make it.  And it is! So good!

I loved to make this when I lived with friends in college.  Who doesn’t love pasta?  It’s one of Tyler Florence’s recipes, which are always really good but sometimes lacking in the health department.  Did he really think 2 green onions were enough vegetables?  And the original recipe also included 5 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 a cup of peanut butter…a little too much fat for me!  Not that fat is a bad thing!

The original recipe looked like this:

4 servings
729 calories
78 g carbs
5.5 g fiber
35 g fat
21 g protein

My version looks much better:

4 servings
410 calories
61 g carbs
9 g fiber
13 g fat
16 g protein

You could add shredded chicken to it for a little more protein, or just leave as is for a vegetarian meal.  Either way it’s delish!

Cold Sesame Noodles
adapted from Tyler Florence

makes 4 large servings

8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups snow peas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red chili sauce, such as Sriracha, optional
1 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (preferably natural and unsweetened)
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a large bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together.  Add all of the sliced vegetables and cilantro; toss to combine. 

In a blender, combine the ginger through the soy sauce.  Blend until smooth.  Toss the pasta and vegetables with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Note - Other things you could add:  edamame, cucumber, chicken, chopped peanuts

Per serving - 410 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated), 61 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 16 g protein (exchanges: 2 vegetable, 3 starch, 1/2 protein, 2 1/2fat)

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

I get a kick out of finding a recipe that uses up multiple things in my refrigerator and pantry…not sure what that says about me?  I enjoy being thrifty?  I hate letting things go to waste?  I’m way too type-A?
As you can see below I am WELL stocked with lasagna noodles…and have been for over a year (remember two Christmases ago when I made lasagna for 100 people?? Well I bought too much then and have had it since). 

I also had half a container of cottage cheese leftover from last week’s overnight oats.  Whole Foods now carries their own line of organic CC and I had to try it.  Pretty good…but favorite is still Breakstone’s.  I wish it was organic!

So I used up two things…plus I already had the parmesan and spices.  Like the nutmeg.  Did you know nutmeg is actually a seed that you can buy whole and grate yourself?  My dad just learned this (from Dr. OZ no less) and was very impressed with his new discovery.
 
The recipe is one that I tore out of Cooking Light in 2003 and have never made.  I left it mostly unchanged, with the exception of doubling the mushrooms.  There can never be too many mushrooms!  I also omitted the parsley and used a little extra salt to season the mushroom and leek mixture.  Don’t be scared of leeks if you’ve never used them.  They are just like a big green onion.  Once sliced, make sure you rinse them well…they are very sandy/gritty.
You would never know this is a “light” recipe.  Don’t be tempted to add extra cheese…you don’t need it, promise!  I suggest doubling the mushrooms too.  Adds a little more substance the layers.  And extra veggies can't hurt either!

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
Makes 9 servings
9  uncooked no-boil lasagna noodles (Barilla is my fave)
1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
3  cups  1% low-fat milk
1  cup  (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1  cup  1% low-fat cottage cheese 
1 teaspoon  salt, divided
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
1  (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
2  teaspoons  butter
1 1/2  cups  thinly sliced leek (2 medium)
2  (each 8 oz*) packages button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano 
3  garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400°.
Place the flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook until thick (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, cottage cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt and next 3 ingredients (cottage cheese through spinach).
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Drain well, and return to pan. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, and garlic.
Spread 1 cup spinach mixture onto the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over the spinach mixture, and top with 1 1/2 cups of the mushroom mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Top with 1/2 cup spinach mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and fontina. (order: spinach, noodles, mushrooms, spinach, noodles, mushrooms, spinach, noodles, spinach, cheese)
Cover with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes.
* I LOVE mushrooms so I double the amount…2 16oz packages
Per serving (1/9th) - 262 calories, 8.5 g fat (5 g saturated), 18 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 30 mg cholesterol, 353 mg calcium; (exchanges – 1 veg, 1.5 starch, 2 protein, 1 fat)

Cold Sesame Noodles

Last week I made Cold Sesame Noodles with one of my clients who likes Asian food.  She took half home and I kept the rest.  It was Hil's birthday and that night we went to the Bulldog to celebrate.  Afterwards, a group of people ended up at our house...all I can say is that this makes a great late night snack!

Cold Sesame Noodles

adapted from Marthastewart.com

Makes 8 servings

salt
1 pound whole wheat linguine or fettuccine

1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

8 ounces snow peas, slivered lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, cut into long thin strips

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup hot water

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, toss drained pasta with sesame oil (to prevent sticking).  Add snow peas, bell pepper, scallions, carrots, and cilantro. *At this point you could also add any type of cooked protein, such as shrimp or chicken.

In a blender, puree peanut butter, garlic,soy sauce, vinegar, hot water (this helps thin out the pb), and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Pour dressing over noodles and vegetables; toss to coat.  Serve chilled or at room temperature (it's good hot too).

Per serving - 331 calories, 11 g fat (2 g saturated), 44 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 14 g protein (exchanges: 2 fat, 1 vegetable, 2 1/2 starch, 1/2 protein )

Notes - 

• One of the ways I altered this recipe was by adding A LOT more veggies - this is something I always try to do...and in this recipe it will help fill you up so you don't have to eat so much pasta
• Speaking of pasta, did you know the whole wheat kind has 5 - 6 grams of fiber per serving (as oposed to 2 grams in white pasta)?
• I added shrimp when I made this recipe (you may have noticed them in the photo)...I bought boiled shrimp (about 1 pound) from Whole Foods and cut each in half
• I used natural peanut butter and it worked fine, but because it had no added sugar, I added a little brown sugar (about 1 tbsp) to the blender
• Martha says this serves 4...I have news for her, no one needs to eat 4 ounces of pasta at one sitting - I say it serves 8!  And if it's not enough food for you (after adding a protein), serve it with a salad...or leave the protein out and serve the pasta with teriyaki marinated chicken

Lagniappe...

Did you notice the new Google Search tool at the top right corner...now you can search Deliciously Golden for recipes, ingredients, nutrition info, etc!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

I came across this recipe for Chicken Ravioli Soup the other day and I knew it would be perfect for this week's menu (that is, once it cooled off again - is anyone else getting tired of this back and forth weather???).

I love chicken noodle soup, although I hardly ever make it (have I ever made it?). Tiny flecks of colored vegetables, buttery broth, and moist, tender chicken...could it get any better? Yes, just add ravioli!

At Whole Foods I found Rising Moon Tortellini on sale so I decided to swap it out for the ravioli. I used canned broth, although making your own would be extra delicious.


Chicken Tortellini Soup
adapted from CulinaryCory.com and CooksIllustrated.com

Makes 8 1-cup servings

1 lb chicken breasts (about 2)
Salt and pepper
1 cup diced carrot (about 2)
1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon oil (olive, canola)
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
8 oz cheese tortellini

Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat chicken dry, season with salt and pepper, and bake on a baking sheet for 25 - 30 minutes. Cool and shred.

Over medium-high heat, melt butter and oil. Once the butter is melted, add the carrot, celery, red bell pepper, and onion. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken (once cooled and shredded), chicken broth, and water to the pot; bring to a simmer and cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Carefully add the tortellini. Simmer for 5 – 8 minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked through.

Per serving - 208 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 19 g carbohydrate, 3 g sugar, 2 g fiber, 19 g protein (exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 protein, 1 fat)

Notes - My chicken wasn't cool enough to add when I added the broth and water, so I just added it later on; any kind of filled pasta would be great and if there would have been a whole wheat option I would have bought it

Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna

Sometime before Christmas I had a large bag of fresh spinach from the farmer's market that needed to be used ASAP. I was about to head home for the holidays and knew I wouldn't be able to eat it all before I left...and it didn't look very fresh either. I hate wasting food, especially produce because its so expensive.

After a little brainstorming and looking through my pantry/fridge to see what else I had on hand, I decided on this lasagna. I had never heard of a spinach and artichoke version, but it sounded good and I was sure it would work. I did a google search, reviewed a few recipes, and headed to the grocery.

My inspiration recipe was this Spinach Lasagna from cookinglight.com, and I used the recipe on the back of the Barilla Oven Ready Lasagne Pasta (i.e. no-boil) box for my layering method and proportions.

I love lasagna...my way. I really don't care for the traditional ricotta cheese and my mom used cottage cheese and I didn't like that either. I leave both out of my recipe. As with any dish, adding veggies lightens the calories and fat per serving...so I always add some kind of vegetable (I have a really good recipe for a roasted vegetable lasagna). Sometimes I add a protein, but if I do its usually shredded chicken (although I'm not opposed to ground beef, I just prefer chicken...I usually buy a rotisserie chicken to save time).


My brother Adam, who thinks I'm turning into a vegetarian (I'm not!!), wasn't excited about eating my meatless version. I should have known better!


Things to note:

• no-boil noodles are the way to go...so easy! Barilla is my favorite brand...their noodles are flatter; and realize you can't substitute regular lasagna noodles (even if you have already boiled them) in this recipe
• you could make your own pasta sauce, but if you do buy it from the store read this past post first (there are 2 links for homemade sauces too)
• I used ½ fresh spinach that I sauteed and chopped and ½ frozen that I defrosted...the recipe below is for all frozen/thawed
• this is a make-ahead recipe, so you can refrigerate or freeze it for a later use

Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna
create by me!

makes 4 servings

4 ounces low-fat cream cheese (or 1/3-less fat neufchatel)
8 ounces fat-free Greek yogurt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
2 15-ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 27.5-ounce jars low-fat pasta sauce (5 g of fat or less per serving)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

If baking right away, preheat oven to 400°.

Beat the cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until smooth; add the yogurt, Parmesan cheese, and eggs, beating well. Add the spinach, artichokes, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning; beat well.

In a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer in the following order, spreading well:

• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 3 noodles
• 1/3 of the spinach mixture
• 1/3 of the cheese
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 3 noodles
• 1/3 of the spinach mixture
• 1/3 of the cheese
• 1 ½ cups pasta sauce
• 3 noodles
• 1/3 of the spinach mixture
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 1/3 of the cheese

If baking right away: Cover with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray, and bake at 400° for 15 - 20 minutes until the sauce is bubbly around the edges. Uncover and continue baking for an additional 25 - 30 minutes, until the cheese is browned in spots. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

To store without baking: Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. If frozen, the lasagna must be thawed completely in the refrigerator, for about 24 hours. Bake as described above, increasing the covered baking time to 30 - 40 minutes.

Per serving - 331 calories, 13 g fat (6 g saturated), 36 g carbohydrate, 7 g sugar, 6 g fiber, 26 g protein (exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetables, 3 protein, 2 ½ fat)

Notes - If you have a "meat eater" in the family, you could add layers of shredded cooked chicken between the cheese and spinach layers; the servings are pretty big...you might be able to get 10 servings out of it

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

The Jan/Feb issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine is always a "light" issue. This year there are several recipes that I'm excited to try. First on the list? Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps.

The recipe calls for flank steak, but I used another cut that was on sale at Whole Foods...maybe it was top-round or sirloin (both are lean cuts as is flank). As long as the piece of beef is relatively thin, anything will work.

I bought a mango against my better judgement (it's not mango season!) and it was horrible so I tossed it. I wanted to use something else sweet in its place, so I sliced up a red bell pepper, tossed it in olive oil, salt, and pepper and cooked it on my grill pan.

If you can't find cellophane or bean thread noodles, substitute rice noodles or angel hair pasta.

These past few days, I've been using the leftovers to make a salad...I had to make more of the cilantro-lime dressing. Tear up the lettuce and top with the beef, mango (in my case red bell pepper), scallions, cilantro and dressing...I actually added the rice noodles to the salad as well. I think chopped peanuts would be a nice addition to the salad.

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps
adapted from Everyday Food magazine

Makes 6 servings

1 ½ pounds flank steak (or another lean, thin cut of beef)
salt and pepper
6 ounces cellophane or bean-thread noodles (or rice noodles, angel hair pasta)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided (use half sesame oil if you have it!)
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3 scallions (green onions), sliced
¼ cup lime juice
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
12 leaves Boston/butter lettuce
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into strips

Preheat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Place steak on a large rimmed baking sheet; pat dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Broil until medium-rare, 10 t0 12 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain.

While the steak is cooking, cook noodles according to package directions; drain, and return to pot. Add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sliced scallions, and half of cilantro; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

In a small bowl (or jar), combine lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and remaining tablespoon of oil and soy sauce; season with salt and pepper.

Fill lettuce leaves with beef (about 2 ounces per leaf) and mango; drizzle with sauce. Serve with noodles.

Per serving - 350 calories, 13 g fat (4 g saturated), 31 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 26 g protein (exchanges: 4 protein, 2 fat, 1 ½ starch, ½ vegetable)

Notes - I added freshly grated ginger to the sauce; although I didn't, the original recipe says to add green onions to the wraps with the beef and mango; if your rice noodles look dry after you add the oil and soy sauce, add more soy