Exercise Contest and Recipes

I realize that there are some pretty excited people out there waiting to find out who won, however, you will have to wait just a bit longer. Wendy, over at The Whole Way, has been trying out the submitted recipes and will decide on a winner by the end of the week. So stay tuned. To hold you all over, here are the recipes that were submitted. Try them out in our menu when you see the items go on sale.

BROCCOLI RIGATONI BAKE

-12 ounces uncooked rigatoni or large tube pasta
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1/4 cup butter, cubed
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-2-1/2 cups fat-free milk
-5 cups fresh broccoli florets
-2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions
-Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; set aside. Drain pasta and toss with oil; set aside.
-In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water and broccoli to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.
-In a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer 1 cup white sauce, half of the pasta and broccoli and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
-Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings.




Lentil Soup/Stew

This is cheap and good for you and EASY and really tasty, and it makes a huge amount--freezes well--reheats well. It doesn't look like it should taste as good as it does--real comfort food--my Mom used to make it when we were little:

2 cups red lentils (washed)
8 cups of vegetable bouillon (or 8 cups of water and 4 bouillon cubes)
4 large potatoes (cubed)
1/2 lb of carrots (chopped) (about 4?)
1 large onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (pressed)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice (stuff from bottle is fine)

1) wash and drain lentils
2) bring bouillon to boil
3) add everything EXCEPT lemon juice
4) simmer 30 mins
5) add lemon juice and simmer 15-30 more minutes ('til veg is nice and tender)
6) taste and adjust seasoning
7) serve in big bowls
8) make appreciative noises while eating :)

**it can be pureed to make a potage (but I like it in its chunks)
*** you can add more potatoes next time if it's too thin




Super Low (everything but taste)
Banana Bread

*1 cup sugar substitute (can use raw or regular sugar or mixture if you wish)
*1/3 cup applesauce (or margarine)
*7 tbsp egg sub (or 1 egg plus two whites)
*1 tsp baking soda
*2 cups wheat flour (or sub your fave flour)
*4 tbsp milk (I use skim)
*3/4 tsp vinegar
*3 bananas, ripe, mashed
**options: cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, choc chips, carob chips

Blend sugar and applesaue, add egg and mix well.
Add flour and soda and stir (will seem too dry here but don't worry!).
Mix milk and vinegar together and then add to mixture.
Stir in bananas.
I like to add cinnamon, maybe tbsp? and some nutmeg, maybe tsp? and I like to add a couple or three handfuls of choc chips sometimes!!

Bake in a 9x5 loaf in 350 degree oven (I use convection setting) for about an hour (give or take ten minutes)

Cool and serve. If you like, add some maple flavor to some buttercream icing and ice your bread BUT this takes away all the low parts!!


SQUASH MUFFINS KIDS ACTUALLY LIKE!

2 CUPS mashed squash
3/4 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. sugar (or more if U like!)
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (I add a little more cause I love it)
1 tsp salt
1+ cup chocolate or carob chips

I use fresh squash (here's a tip: wash a whole squash. Stab it deeply several times with a big knife. This can be fun! Put in the microwave for 10 mins. Remove, split open, let cool, THEN peel and dice, cook in mic til done then mash. If it very dry add up to a cup of water).
Combine the first four ingredients-for fluffier muffins use a hand mixer.
Add dry ingredients, mix, then add choc. chips.
Put in greased muffin tins, bake at 350 for about 15 mins.
Makes 2 dozen small muffins.
They freeze well too!


Veggie Chili

This dish is so easy to make, and perfect for a wintery day!

In crockpot or large saucepan on stove mix:

1 pkg Veggie Ground Round
2 cans stewed tomatoes (approx 3 cups total)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cayene
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp sugar or sugar sub.
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup kidney beans, rinsed
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup pearl onions, whole (remove outer skin)
Whole garlic cloves, to taste (I use 3-4)

Stovetop:
Bring all above to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

Crock Pot:
Low for 6 hours, or high for 3.

This is a great recipe to use up vegetables in your fridge! Veggie Ground Round is a great sub for ground beef- I served this dish to my boyfriend and he didn't even notice the difference!

If you like a sweeter taste, add 1/2 c. of organic ketchup during the last hour of cooking.


Enjoy your day!