Cannellini Bean Paté Appetizer

Sweet Potato with Cranberries

Baked Spinach

Harvest Vegetable Corn Muffins

Autumn Apple Pear Bake

Turkey Rice Soup

Cannellini Bean Paté Appetizer

Recipe by Cyndi Reeser, MPH, RD, LD

This bean paté(paste) is fat-free and an excellent source of protein and iron. It can be made of just about any type of bean; however, the cannellini bean (white kidney bean) mashes up easily by hand and has a particularly suitable moisture and texture for this dish. Use it as a sandwich spread or as a dunk for assorted raw vegetables and crackers.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound can of white kidney beans
• 1Tbsp. finely chopped celery
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder                  
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Rinse and drain the canned beans and place them in a mixing bowl.

Mash the beans with a potato masher until uniformly smooth

Stir in all the remaining ingredients and blend well.

Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste. Transfer to a storage container or serve right away with assorted raw vegetables, whole grain bread, or crackers.

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Sweet Potato with Cranberries

Ingredients:

• 4  medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
• 1 cup raw cranberries, washed
• 1/2 cup orange juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large casserole dish. 

Cover and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender.

Makes 8 servings
Per serving:

90 calories
20 g carbohydrate
3 g fiber
0 g fat
1 g protein

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Baked Spinach

Ingredients:

•  1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 - 10oz. packages of frozen chopped spinach (thawed & drained)
• 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil

Directions:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden. Remove from heat.

Stir in spinach, parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Spoon into a 9-inch pie pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine tomato sauce, oregano and basil. Spread evenly over spinach mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving:

• 195 calories
• 14 g protein
• 15 g carbohydrate
• 10 g fat

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Harvest Vegetable Corn Muffins

Use squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato to make these muffins both moist and lower in fat.

Ingredients:

•  1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk or soymilk
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 cup of one of the following fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables that has been cooked and mashed: butternut squash, sweet potato, or pumpkin.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Mix together wet ingredients in a small bowl.  Add to the dry mixture and stir until just blended.

Pour mixture into muffin tin, filling cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins
Per muffin:

• 120 calories
• 20 g carbohydrate
• 3 g protein
• 2 g fiber
• 3 g fat

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Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 medium apples
• 2 medium pears

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together water, lemon juice, ginger and cinnamon.

Peel and core apples and pears and cut into halves.  Place in a casserole in a single layer.  Pour water mixture over all, cover, and bake until fruit is tender (about 30 minutes).

Put an apple half and a pear half in each of 4 dessert dishes.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving:

• 80 calories
• 21 g carbohydrate
• 2.5 g fiber
• 0 g fat
• 0 g protein

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Turkey Rice Soup

A satisfying dish to use up any left-over Thanksgiving Day turkey!

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups of Defatted Chicken broth (can use chicken bouillon as well)
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ounces cooked turkey, cubed (discard any skin and fat)
• 1 cup cooked rice

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine broth, celery, carrots, onions and seasonings. Cover and cook over medium low heat until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add turkey and rice. Heat through.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving:

• 11 g protein
• 2 g fat
• 16 g carbohydrate

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