Bean & Corn Salad

I'm seven months pregnant and always looking for good-for-me and filling snacks. This one is a keeper, and it's really easy.

1 can of corn, drained
1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup light Italian dressing

Mix everything together. Chill to let the flavors come out, and serve. Next time, I think I'll add some cilantro or parsley.

It would be really good tossed with some spinach or romaine.

Washing Romaine

For Easter dinner this past weekend, I made an amazing chopped salad with romaine, hard-boiled organic eggs, diced tomatoes, crispy bacon, smoked turkey, sharp cheddar, and chopped cucumbers. It was delicious and beautiful, but of course I forgot to take a photo of it.

I remembered, though, to take a picture of my romaine as I was washing it. I love cutting up and washing romaine. It tastes so much fresher than the bagged stuff, and I have to admit my salad spinner rocks.

Broccoli Calzones

I love calzones because they're like pizza, only more elegant. Only they're not really all that elegant, because they always turn out misshapen and interesting-looking. Anyway, this is one of my favorite recipes ever.

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 10-ounce bag frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 Teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Flour, for rolling dough
1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Prepared tomato sauce, (optional)
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion; cook until softened. Add broccoli, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees;. Form calzones: Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, stretch each piece out, first to a 3-by-4-inch oval, then stretch again, this time to a 6-by-8-inch oval. (Let dough rest a few minutes if too elastic to work with.)

Stir cheeses into cooled broccoli mixture; season generously with salt and pepper. Assemble calzones: Spread a rounded 1/2 cup broccoli mixture over half of each piece of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; fold over to form a half-moon. Press edges to seal. Transfer to baking sheet.

Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce, if desired.

Vegetable Pot Pie

OK, I know, not the classiest of dinners, but trust me, it's delicious--and comforting. Putz around with the veggies and add whatever you like best. You could add chicken, too, of course.

1/2 cup sliced celery
4 small red potatoes, diced
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup green beans
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-3/4 chicken or vegetable stock
2/3 cup milk
2 unbaked pie crusts

Oven to 425.

Cut up veggies and either a) cook them in water on the stovetop (I don't like doing this because you lose vitamins) or b) nuke them in the microwave until they are tender (the elegant method I prefer). Set them aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in stock and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Set aside.

Place the vegetable mixture in the bottom of a pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over that. Cover with top crust and flute the edges to seal. Make several small slits in the top to let steam escape.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My favorite type of cookie ever is oatmeal raisin. I think it's because they trick me into thinking I'm eating something nutritious. Anyway, here's a great recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies that features a good amount of delicous spices.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Delicious recipe. Very nutritious, very filling, just the right amount of spice.

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1-1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (or 1 small fresh chile, seeded and chopped)
15-ounce can black beans
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon chile powder
salt and pepper
2 cups enchilada sauce
8-12 flour tortillas
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
Sour cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Reduce oven to 350. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the beans, tomatoes, Sriracha, chile powder, and salt and pepper. Stir in the sweet potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Spread a think layer of enchilada sauce over the bottom of a lightly oiled 9x13 dish and set aside.

Fill tortillas, roll them up, and place them seam side down in the dish.

Top with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with the onions. Cover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream.

NOTE: I bake half of these and freeze the other half (sans sauce). Thaw them and bake as normal.

Wisdom From Julia

Always remember: If you're alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who's going to know?

Spinach Salad With Avocados And Grapefruit

Here's a delicous, nutritious, and gorgeous spinach salad, perfect for spring and summer, when grapefruit are in season. Use canned grapefruit segments for a winter treat, too.



Spinach Salad With Avocados And Grapefruit


12 ounces of washed baby spinach
1/4 grapefruit, segmented
1 mandarin orange, segmented
1/8 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 avocado
Tangerine Shallot dressing (see below)

Place spinach in a bowl or serving platter, and then arrange grapefruit and orange segments on top. Peel and chop avocado and sprinkle those over the spinach and citrus. Sprinkle sesame seeds over that. Pour dressing over salad, toss, and serve.

Tangerine Shallot Dressing (from Joy Of Cooking)

1 garlic clove, peeled
2-3 pinches of salt
1/4 cup fresh tangerine or clementine juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, minced
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Mash clove and salt together to form a paste. Add juices and shallots, and whisk until well blended. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Low-fat cupcakes

I know what you're thinking: Get those damn low-fat cupcakes outta my face. I don't blame you. I don't usually care for low-fat or lite anything, but I'm really trying to eat less sugar now that I have Il Bambino coming. These cupcakes are so easy and so good that you won't miss the fat--or the butter, the eggs ... .

All you need is a cake mix and a can of Diet Coke. I swear. That's all you need. (I used Betty Crocker's Chocolate Fudge SuperMoist cake mix.) Anyway, you use the soda in place of the eggs, oil/butter, water, and whatever else the mix might call for. The carbonation in the soda is what helps the cake rise and stay nice and fluffy. Then you bake it according to the directions, and you can bake it in a 9x13 cake pan, two cake rounds, or cupcakes, whatever the box says you can do. Obviously I baked them as cupcakes, and they turned out truly delicious. Very moist, very full of flavor. Yummy!

One of my favorite parts of this "recipe" is that you can let your imagination run wild with it. I used Diet Coke and chocolate cake, but you can do cinnamon cake with Diet Pepsi Jazz, lemon cake with Diet 7-Up, vanilla cake with Orange Crush, whatever you can think of.

Guilt-free sweet snacking. Sounds very good to me!