Asparagus or Green Beans

I was not a fan of asparagus until I found this recipie.
Take asparagus, was and remove woody ends (this is easy to do, bend stem until you find the point atwhich it snaps)
Line on foiled covered pan, spary with olive oil (or Pam) then sprinkle lemon pepper.
Bake 425* for 10-12 minutes.

This is also great for fresh green beans.

Acorn Squash

Cut squash in half & clean.
Dice apples & sausage, toss with cinnamon.
Fill the center of the squash with mixture. Top with syrup or brown sugar. Wrap in tin foil. Place in crock pot (add a little water to bottom of crock pot)
Cook on high until squash is tender & done, about 3 hours.

Edamame Fried Rice

2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups brown rice
1 med onion, diced
4 oz sliced water chestnuts
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, defrosted
2 eggs-scrambled
1 scallion -green onions
2-3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce *depending on your taste

Cook rice according to package directions. Scramble eggs, set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft about 5 minutes. Add garlic & saute 2 more minutes. Reduce heat to low. When rice is rooked, add to pan along with water chestnuts, edamame, eggs, scallion & soy sauce. Toss & serve.

*This is a great one to add cooked chicken or more stir-fry veggies

Irish Brown Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 cups quick oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk *To make 1 cup of buttermilk add 1 Tbsp vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup, fill the rest of the way up with milk. Let sit 5 minutes.2 Tbsp honey

1. Heat oven to 425*. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix flours, oats, wheat germ, baking soda & salt.
2. Whisk together buttermilk & honey. Add to flour mixture, stir to combine until soft dough forms.
3.Turn dough out onto floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf. Place loaves 3in apart onto prepared baking sheet, bake 10 minutes.
4. Reduce temperature to 400*. Continue baking 10 minutes longer or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool 15 minutes.

Beef Tenderloin & Bluecheese Butter

This recipe has nothing to do with veggies, besides the zucchini you can saute & serve on the side. But it's DELICIOUS! You don't even have to used the tenderloin, we have done a top sirloin for a smaller meal also. I also used SmartBalance instead of butter & added a sprinkle of garlic powder to the beef.

Beef:
1 Beef tenderloin (about 2 1/4lbs) trimmed & tied
1 Tbl unsalted butter, softened
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat over to 350*. Pat beef dry & spread with butter, sprinkle salt & pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes until temp reaches 135*- flipping halfway through cooking

Blue Cheese Butter:
1/4 crumbled Blue Cheese
3 Tbl unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbl fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried

Stir together while beef is roasting.

Remove roast, place on serving platter, top with 1/3 butter, let sit 10 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining butter.

Zucchini Pie

4 cups raw zucchini
1/2-1 cup butter
1/2-1 chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil
2 Tbp parsley flakes
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 pkg crescent rolls
2 tsp yellow mustard

Cook zucchini, onion and all spices in butter until tender. Meanwhile, press crescent rolls into pie or 8x8 pan to make a crust. Brush with mustard. Remove zucchini mix from stove and add eggs & cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes at

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

½ cup Peanut Butter
½ cup cream cheese
6 Tbl chocolate syrup
1/4 cup carrot puree
½ teas. salt
Fruit slices, for dipping

Stir all ingredients until smooth.

Creamy Hot Chocolate

Creamy Hot Chocolate

2 ½ cups Milk
1 cup sweet potato puree
4 Tbl Chocolate Syrup
1/2 -1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
dash of salt

Blend together in blender. Place in saucepan and simmer. (Or heat in micro if you prefer)

Sneaky Brownies

1 prepackaged brownie mix
¼ cup sweet potato or squash puree

Prepare as directed. You may omit oil in the recipe.



Even Sneakier Brownies

1 prepackaged brownie mix
¼ cup of carrot puree
¼ cup of spinach puree

Mix brownie ingredients as directed on box, add purees, and bake as directed. Do not eat brownies warm. The spinach flavor doesn’t disappear until cooled.

Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Marshmallow Crispy Treats

Nonstick Cooking Spray
¼ cup of butter
1 package of marshmallows
6 cups brown rice cereal
¼ cup flaxseed meal

Coat 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove pan from heat. Add rice cereal and flaxseed and stir until all in combined. Press into pan and let cool before cutting and serving.

Avocado Dip

1 cup avocado puree
½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tbl. lemon or lime juice
½ teas. salt
1/8 teas. garlic powder
Hot sauce to taste (we like El Pato - found in the Hispanic Food aisle)

Combine all ingredients. Store in air tight container up to 2 days in refrigerator or freeze up to 1 month. **Can also be made without Hot Sauce and used as a spread**

Deviled Eggs

6 large eggs
3 tbl. of reduced fat mayo
¼ cup of cauliflower or carrot puree
1/8 teas. salt
Pepper & paprika to taste/presentation

Hard boil eggs. Let cool in cold water and peel. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolk. Combine yolks with remaining ingredients and mash with fork. Fill each half egg with yolk mix.

Brownies

3 oz semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup carrot puree

1/2 cup spinach puree

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbl margarine

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 cut all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven 350, spray 8x8 baking pan with nonstick spray. Melt chocolate in double boiler or over low flame. In large bowl combine melted chocolate, vegetable puree, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, & vanilla. Whisk until smooth & creamy. Whisk in eggs, stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into pan, bake 35-40 minutes. Cool completely. DO NOT SERVE WARM. As it cools the veggie flavors disappear. Frosting optional.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sweet potato or squash puree

1 tbl butter

dash of salt & pepper

4 slices whole wheat bread

Combine 1st 4 ingredients, spread over bread & make a sandwich. Grill as you would normal grilled cheese.

French Toast

3-4 eggs

1/4 cup sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, or carrot puree

1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (my favorite)

4 slices whole wheat bread

Whisk first 3 ingredients together, soak the bread for 30 seconds to 1 minutes, careful not to get it soggy. Cook until golden brown about 2-3 minutes per side.

Scrambled Eggs

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons cottage cheese

1/4-1/2 cup cauliflower puree

2 tablespoons shredded cheese

pinch of salt

Whisk all together & cook as you would scrambled eggs

Pink Pancakes (with beets)

I used canned shoestring cut beets, and let me forewarn you-I opened the can at 6:30am on an empty stomach and could not stand the smell! I thought how am I going to eat this! But they turned out really well! You could detect a slight flavor when they were hot off the pan but as they cooled the flavor went away! I bet serving them with raspberries would be delicious!

Pink Pancakes

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used low fat cottage cheese)

1/4 cup beet puree

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon (I added more)

1 cup pancake mix

1/4 cup grated apple (I chopped mine-which tasted great to me but Turner didn't like that chunks)

In a blender for food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla & cinnamon & blend. Dump the mixture into a bowl & add pancake mix & apple until combined. Do not over mix-batter will be lumpy.

Cook as you would normal pancakes-until bubbles form on top- 1 to 2 minutes then flip. Serve with fruit or syrup.

Carrot Sandwiches

My grandmother used to make these for road trips (there was a day when McDonald's didn't dot the highway-in fact there wasn't a highway!)

This makes about enough for 1 sandwich. Change the amounts to your taste.

2 shredded carrots, peeled

1 pickle shredded

1-2 oz shredded cheese

enough mayo/miracle whip to your liking

Salt & pepper

Whole wheat bread

Mix it all together, it should have the consistency of a tuna sandwich.

3 Ways with Sweet Potato

*Note: True Sweet Potatoes are more white/pale yellow in color inside & out. And have a true sweet/honey smell when cooked. Most "sweet potatoes that people think of are actually yams, the brown/orange outside & bright orange inside. But they are interchangeable ( I think the true sweet potatoes are actually sweeter)

Biscuits: Mix 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato with 1/3 cup buttermilk. Combine 2 1/4 cups all-purpose baking mix(Bisquick) with potato mixture & another 1/3 cup buttermilk. Mix to form dough. Knead 12 times on a surface coated with the baking mix. Roll out to 1/2 in. cut into rounds. Bake on an ungreased baking pan for 10 minutes in a 450* oven.

Stuffed: Microwave 2 sweet potatoes for 6 minutes. Mix together 2 Tbsp each coconut flakes & chopped pecans & 1 Tbsp each melted butter & brown sugar. Make a slit in potato; top with filling. Bake 400* oven for 12 minutes.

Roasted: Peel & cube 3 sweet potatoes. Toss with 1 slice red onion, 2 Tbsp canola oil, 1 tsp each cinnamon & cumin, & 1/2 tsp salt. Transfer to a baking sheet & roast in 400* oven for 25-30 minutes until fork tender.

More Whole Grain

Joseph and Tiffany said...
I know this site is about adding veggies to dishes, but here's a tip for adding more whole grain: When making pancakes, muffins, bread, or cookies replace half of the white flour with whole-wheat flour. You can also replace one-third of the flour in any recipe with quick oats. Anyway, I'm going to try a couple of these recipes. Thanks for sharing them.

"Apple" Crisp

Since the summer time is famous for an over abundance of zucchini I have been seeking new ways to use up our supply. I came across this recipe & decided to give it a try (what's to lose, it's not like I don't have plenty of the stuff!) I have to admit, I can not tell the difference!
I made it one night and served it up for dessert with some coolwhip on top. I anxiously watched Dare while he ate it searching for any sign that he knew I pulled a fast one on him. After he had cleaned his bowl I asked him how it was and he said it was really good, after I asked him if he knew what was in it he stated "apples". Nope. Zucchini. My sister & I did the same thing to 2 of my brother-in-law in Snowflake (Dare was in on it this time & to his credit kept the secret) After finishing the dessert Dare told them and they thought we were joking. Try this recipe, I challenge you!
Zucchini Crisp
4 cups diced Zucchini (I peel the zucchini as to not give it away with the green skin)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (I add more for my taste)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (ditto)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
Place the first 5 ingredients in a 8x8 pan & mix until the zucchini is well coated with sugary goodness. In another bowl mix the topping of brown sugar, oats,& flour. Sprinkle ontop of the zucchini & pour the melted butter over. Bake 375 for 45minutes-until the zucchini is cooked.
Posted by NewBini

Carrot Pancakes

Carrot Pancakes
Puree 1 can carrots or use baby food carrots
Add pancake mix such as Krusteaz Butermilk-just add water pancake mix
Mix about 1/4 cup puree to about 1/8 cup pancake mix. Until you have the consistency of pancake batter; add cinnamon to taste.
Cook until no longer gooey in the middle. They take a little longer than normal pancakes & will be more moist. Serve with syrup!

Zucchini Burgers

Zucchini Burgers
1 lb ground beef
2 cup shredded zucchini
your choice of hamburger seasoning-McCormick Montreal Steak is excellent!
Mix together, grill & serve. They will never know!

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Waffles
1 cup + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I also added 1/4 tsp ground cloves & 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (if you use whole wheat you can add almost 1/4 cup more pumpkin)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
In large bowl combine first 6 ingredients. In another bowl mix eggs, milk & pumpkin. Add to dry ingredients until combined. Bake in preheated waffle iron until golden brown.

Mac&Cheese

Mac&Cheese cals.before 727/after 295 You save: 432 cal, 37g fat (21g sat fat), 398 mg chol, 475 mg sod
1 box high fiber rigate pasta
3Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp each onion powder & salt
1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cups 1% milk
2 jars (4ozeach) pureed carrots (baby food)
1 bag (8oz) shredded reduced fat extra sharp Cheddar
1 Tbsp plain dry bread crumbs
1. Cook pasta as package directs. Meanwhile, mix flour, onion powder, salt & pepper in medium sauce pan. Whisk in milk until smooth. Cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils & thickens, about 5 min. Remove from heat.
2. Heat broiler. Coat 1 1/2 qt shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Stir pureed carrots & 1/2 cup Cheddar into white sauce until cheese is melted. Drain pasta & return to pot; stir in sauce. Spoon half the pasta into prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup Cheddar. Top with remaining pasta, cheese and sprinkle on the crumbs. Broil 4-6 inches from heat about 6-7 min until top is lightly brown.