Side DIsh

Farmer’s Market Grill

Farmer’s Market Grill
Serves ?

We went to our local farmer’s market to see what fresh veggies were available. I bought some baby beets (about 1 inch in diameter) and small carrots (1/2inch in diameter, 4 inches long).

I washed the veggies, peeled the beets and cut off all the greens, reserving the beet greens. (The carrots had such a soft skin that I didn’t feel they needed to be peeled.) I steamed the carrots in the microwave for 1 minute, and the beets for 4 minutes. Then I place them in separate Ziploc bags. To each bag I added 1 tablespoon olive oil and some spices and herbs. (The carrots got dehydrated onion and garlic flakes, the beets just some fresh cracked black pepper.)

I let them rest for about a half hour and then I got my grill hot. I laid everything on the grill and turned them every few minutes. They took about 15 minutes to cook. I brought them off the grill and let them rest, covered.

I put a non-stick grill on medium high heat and added 1 tablespoon olive oil. When it was hot, I put the washed beet greens in the pan with a little pepper. I sauteed them until the greens began to wilt and removed them to the plate. (The meat was some pulled pork from last Friday.)

I added a few splashes of flavored vinegar. I made blueberry-lemon on a white wine vinegar base, and  blackberry-basil on a red wine vinegar base. The blueberry-lemon was excellent on the beets, and the blackberry-basil really complemented the pork.

I’m not going to give any nutritional data for this meal, because whatever you make will depend on what you can find.

The recipe for the vinegars are simple:

1 cup vinegar (your choice of types, just not white distilled)
1 pint berries, mashed
The zest of a lemon–OR–four fresh basil leaves, torn.

Mix the vinegar, berries and other flavor together in a lidded jar. Shake well and place in the refrigerator for 4-7 days. (Shake once a day.)

When you are ready to use it, strain the juice through a double layer of cheesecloth. Store in the fridge. I’m not sure how long it will last, but in the fridge, I’m guessing it will last quite a while. (Also, I specified a “double layer” of cheesecloth. For the first recipe, I accidentally used four layers, and it took forever to strain.)

These vinegars will have a few more calories than pure vinegar, but I can’t calculate how much. I honestly don’t think it will be enough to worry about.

Other flavor combinations that would taste good:
Mango-chipotle
Orange-cinnamon
Sweet cherry-lime
Raspberry-lemon
Cherry-vanilla

Mexican Corn

Mexican Corn (healthier version)
Serves 4 (approximately 1 cup portions)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (about 30 tomatoes)
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cumin and black pepper, to taste
1/2 ripe avocado, diced

1. Heat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When hot, add onions.
2. Saute onions for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add minced jalapeno, sauteing this for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add cherry tomatoes, cumin and black pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add corn.  Saute until everything is heated through (about 8-10 minutes.)
6. Stir in avocado.

Nutritional data:
Calories:     149
Fat:             6.9g
Sat fat:           1g
Chol:             0mg
Sodium:         9mg (This is why this version is healthier!)
Carbs:       33.5g
Fiber:          4.8g
Protein:       3.6g

Salmon and Spinach Pasta Toss

Salmon Fillets
1 pound salmon fillets (4 ounces each)

Season the salmon with your preferred seasoning.  Heat a non-stick skillet, pan fry until cooked, about 3 minutes per side.

Nutritional data, per serving:
Calories:      190
Fat:               9.0g
Sat fat:          1.5g
Chol:            70mg
Sodium:        50mg
Carbs:            0g
Fiber:             0g
Protein:        24g

Spinach Pasta Toss (makes 6 servings, approximately 1 cup each)

1 tablespon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
Black pepper, dried oregano, and dried basil to preference
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 cups whole wheat penne pasta
1 cup water
6 ounces V8 (low sodium) juice
2 ounces white wine
4 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
6 ounces raw baby spinach
2 tablespoons (6 teaspoons) romano cheese

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet (10-12 inches).  Add onion.  Saute for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat, until it begins to turn translucent.
2.  Add garlic, and spices.  Saute for another minute.
3.  Carefully pour V8, water and wine.  Turn heat up, and bring to a near boil. Add pasta, stir and return to a boil.
4.  When boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and let cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta cooked to your preference.
5.  Bring heat back to medium. Add half the spinach.  Toss pasta and spinach until the spinach begins to wilt.  Add remaining spinach, and toss until the spinach is wilted.
6.  Serve, with 1 tsp romano cheese on each portion.

Nutritional data, per serving of the Spinach Pasta Toss:
Calories:      159
Fat:               3.7g
Sat fat:          0.7g
Chol:            1.2mg
Sodium:       120mg
Carbs:         25.6g
Fiber:           4.4g
Protein:        5.7g

Green Salsa Chicken and Cumin Corn

Green Salsa Chicken
4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts, 5 ounce each (approx.)
8 tomatillos, husks removed
½ cup onion, sliced
1 cup diced bell peppers, any or all colors
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Herb blend (ideally a southwestern spice blend)
1 lime
Cooking spray
Sprinkle chicken breasts with spice.  Place in preheated non-stick skillet.  Cook approximately 5 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet, cover and set aside.
Spray the skillet with cooking spray.  Place tomatillos, skin side down in skillet.  Do not stir, let them begin to lightly char (5 minutes over med-high heat) then flip over.  Let them continue to cook for additional 5 minutes.  When done, remove from skillet and roughly chop.  Place in a bowl.
In a separate small skillet, coat with cooking spray and add onion and diced pepper.  Cook until beginning to soften, then add to bowl of tomatillos.
Grate the lime to remove ½ tsp zest.  Squeeze lime to get 2 tablespoons juice.  Add juice and zest to tomatillo-pepper-onion mix.  Toss.
Serves 4 (1 chicken breast and approximately ¼ cup of salsa)
Nutritional data:
Calories:          183
Fat:                  9.8g
Sat fat:              2.6g
Cholesterol:     75mg
Sodium:           223mg
Carbs:              8.7g
Fiber:               2.4g
Protein:            17.3g
Cumin Corn
1 cup (5 ounces) frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
¼ cup onion, diced
¾ cup bell pepper, diced, any colors
2 tsp olive oil
¼ tsp ground cumin (or more, to taste)
Black pepper to taste
Serve 4 (1/2 cup portions)
1.       Heat non-stick skillet with 2 tsp olive oil.
2.      Add onion and bell pepper to oil.  Stir frequently, until heated through, and beginning to get tender.
3.      Add cumin and black pepper.  Stir in thawed corn.  Stir until the corn is beginning to get tender and is heated through.
Nutritional Data
Calories:      63
Fat:            2.8g
Sat fat:       0.3g
Chol:            0mg
Sodium:    1.9mg
Carbs:        8.6g
Fiber:         1.7g
Protein:     1.6g

Zucchini-Potato Pancakes

Make 4 pancakes, each about 4 inches
1 small (6 inch) zucchini, shredded, skin on (approximately 1 1/3 cup)
2/3 cup shredded cooked potatoes (approximately 5 ounces)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp black pepper
1.  Gently mix together.
2.  Pre-heat a non-stick skillet over medium and spray with cooking spray.
3.  Divide batter into four portions (approximately 1/2 cup each.)
4.  Fry until the edges begin to brown (4-5 minutes).  Turn and continue until finished cooking.
Top with plain Greek yogurt, applesauce, or butter and maple syrup. Or serve at breakfast with a single fried egg on top of each pancake.


Nutritional Data:
Cal:  86
Fat:  3.3g
Sat Fat: 1.2g
Chol: 107.2mg
Sodium: 105.4mg
Carb: 8.7g
Fiber: 0.4g
Protein: 5mg

Pan-Fried Fish with Spinach and Quinoa

Fish:
Season with your preferred spices. I do not use breading (it keeps the calories down and showcases the fish).  Heat a non-stick skillet and use cooking spray (or 1 tsp olive oil). Lay fish in skillet, turning once. The fish is done when it begins to flake. The time will depend on the type of fish and the thickness. These catfish fillets were 4 ounces, about 3/4 inch thick and took a total of about 6 minutes.

Nutritional data will vary with the species of fish.

Quinoa:
Make 3 servings, 1/2 cup each

1/2 cup dried quinoa
1 cup water

1.  Put quinoa in water.  Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer until the water is absorbed (approximately 15 minutes.)

Nutritional data:
Calories:   111
Fat:            1.8g
Sat fat:       0.0g
Chol:          0.0mg
Sodium:    6.5mg
Carbs:      19.7g
Fiber:         2.6g
Protein:      4.1g

Garlicky Sauteed Spinach:
Serves 2-4, depending on how much everyone likes spinach.  In our case, this made three servings.

15 ounces baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, sliced thin

1.  Heat your non-stick skillet (large, 11-12 inches).  Add olive oil.
2.  Add garlic, stir until it begins to brown (1-2 minutes.)
3.  Add half the spinach, tossing frequently for 1 minute. It will begin to wilt.
4.  Add remaining spinach, tossing constantly until the spinach is uniformly wilted (another 60-90 seconds.)  Serve immediately.

Nutritional data:
Calories:  83
Fat:          5.3g
Sat fat:     0.8g
Chol:          0mg
Sodium:  119mg
Carbs:      7.4g
Fiber:       3.4g
Protein:    4.7g

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash and Cranberry Relish

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash

1 large spaghetti squash
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
3 scallions, diced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Pierce squash with fork. Microwave on high for 12-15 minutes, turning over halfway through the cooking. Slice in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds. Using a fork, remove the flesh. This will create strands that look like spaghetti. Place in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, toss gently, serve immediately.

Make 6-8 servings, 1 cup each

Nutritional data:
Calories:     100
Fat:                 3g
Sat fat:            2g
Chol:            10mg
Sodium:      160mg
Carbs:           16g
Fiber:             2g
Protein:          6g

Cranberry Relish
1 pound fresh cranberries, washed
1 apple, quartered and cored
1 navel orange, peeled
3 packets Stevia (or other sweetener)

Place all ingredients in food processor. Process until evenly chunky. Chill and serve.

Makes 6 half-cup servings.

Nutritional data:
Calories:    44
Fat:            0.1g
Sat fat:          0g
Chol:            0g
Sodium:    1.1mg
Carbs:     11.6g
Fiber:           3g
Protein:     0.4g

(The pork is a 3 pound “half loin” roast. The portion size on the plate is four ounces. I season it with one of my salt-free blends from Penzey’s.com.  Today I used 33rd and Galena St.  I preheat my grill, and use indirect heat at approximately 300F for one hour, or until my instant-read thermometer reads 160-165F in the center.)

Mushroom-Herb Chicken and Potatoes Alfredo w/ Gruyere

Mushroom-Herb Chicken
4 boneless-skinless chicken breasts, 5 ounce each (approx.)
8 ounces brown (crimini) mushrooms, sliced
½ cup onion, sliced
¼ cup white wine
Pepper
Herb blend (your preference)
Cooking spray
Place chicken breasts in a heavy duty ziplock storage bag, and pound flat (to ½ inch). Season with pepper and herb blend (both sides.)
In a large non-stick sauté pan, spray with cooking spray, heat over medium-high heat and place chicken in pan.  Cook for 5-6 minutes per side.  They should be nicely brown. Remove from pan, set aside.  Spray with cooking spray again, add onions. Saute for 1 minute, add mushrooms.  Saute another 2 minutes, add wine and return the chicken to the pan. Cover, and cook over medium for another 3 minutes.  Remove, serve topped with mushrooms.
Serves 4
Nutritional data:
Calories:          187
Fat:                  0.1g
Sat fat:                0g
Cholesterol:     80mg
Sodium:           94mg
Carbs:              4.6g
Fiber:               0.6g
Protein:          31.4g
Potatoes Alfredo with Gruyere
4 potatoes (1 pound) I like using Yukon Gold potatoes
½ cup prepared alfredo sauce
¼ cup milk (I used 2%)
¾ ounce gruyere cheese, shredded
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350F
Wash potatoes.  Slice thinly (with skins is my preference.) Place in bowl. Top with alfredo sauce and milk.  Stir together.
Spray small baking dish (1.5 quart round worked for me, as would an 8×8 baking pan) with non-stick spray. Layer potatoes.  Top with shredded gruyere.
Serves 4
Nutritional data:
Calories:          205
Fat:                  5.6g
Sat fat:             3.3g
Cholesterol:      26mg
Sodium:          233mg
Carbs:            33.5g
Fiber:               2.2g
Protein:            6.8g

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Salmon
 1.5 pound boneless, skin-on salmon fillet

Heat your grill on high for 10 minutes.  Clean grate and rub with oil.  Lay salmon, skin side down on grill.  Season with your preferred seasonings.  Turn heat to medium.

Fish is done when it begins to flake as you lift it in the middle (10-12 minutes.)

If serving 4 ounce portions, this will feed six.

Calories:  190
Fat:         9.0g
Sat Fat:   1.5g
Chol:       70mg
Sodium:   50mg
Carbs:        0g
Fiber:         0g
Protein:    24g

Roasted Vegetables
6-8 cups of any vegetables (This time I used mushrooms, onions, leek, bell peppers and Brussels sprouts.)  Clean the vegetables as needed. (Leeks can hold a lot of mud.  Cut them in half lengthwise, and rinse completely under running water.) Place in large ziplock bag, add 3 Tablespoons olive oil and your preferred seasoning, and let rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 450F.  Put vegetable in a 9×13 pan, and place in the oven.  Toss veggies every 10 minutes.  Veggies will be done in 30 minutes. You are looking for some vegetables to begin browning.

Serves 6-8 in one cup portions

Calories:   85
Fat:         5.5g
Sat Fat:   0.8g
Chol:        0mg
Sodium:   9.5mg
Carbs:      8.2g
Fiber:       2.1g
Protein:       2g