Pumpkin soup

 

Ingredients

• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2kg pumpkin, peeled, chopped
• 4 cups (1L) chicken stock
• Pure (thin) cream and chopped fresh chives, to serve

dIrections

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add pumpkin. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until starting to brown slightly.
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  Add stock. Season with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until pumpkin is tender.
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  Remove from heat. Using a stick blender, carefully blend soup until very smooth. Serve drizzled with cream and sprinkled with chives.

Roasted Tofu and Peanut Noodle Salad

 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup lime juice

• ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 1 14- to 16-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti

• ½ cup smooth natural peanut butter

• 3 tablespoons water

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

• 6 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage

• 1 medium orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

• 1 cup thinly sliced trimmed snow peas

• Directions

  1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Put a large pot of water on to boil for spaghetti.

  2. Combine lime juice, soy sauce and oil in a large bowl. Stir in tofu; marinate, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.

  3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tofu to the prepared baking sheet; reserve the marinade. Roast the tofu, stirring once halfway through, until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes.

  4. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.

  5. Whisk peanut butter, 3 tablespoons water, garlic and ginger into the reserved marinade. Add the spaghetti, cabbage, bell pepper and snow peas; toss to coat. Top with the tofu.

Turkey and Bean Burritos Recipe

 

Ingredients

• 8 (7 to 8 inch) flour tortillas

• 1 pound ground turkey breast

• 1 cup chopped onion

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup no-salt-added black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained

• ½ cup salsa

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

• ½ cup shredded lettuce

• 1 teaspoon Fresh pico de gallo

• Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stack tortillas; wrap in foil. Heat in the oven for 10 minutes to soften.

  2. Meanwhile, for filling, in a large skillet, cook turkey breast, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender, using a wooden spoon to break up meat. Drain off fat. Stir beans, salsa and chili powder into meat mixture in skillet. Heat through.

  3. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the filling onto each tortilla; top each with 1 tablespoon cheese and 1 tablespoon lettuce. Roll up tortillas.

  4. If desired, serve with pico de gallo.

Italian-Herbed Chicken and Mozzarella Melts

 

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total)

• 2 medium green sweet peppers, thinly sliced

• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

• 1 cup bottled spaghetti sauce

• ½ cup coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives

• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

• ¼ cup snipped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 8 slices whole grain Italian bread

• 8 slices Apple slices

• Directions

  1. Lightly coat a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 2 minutes or until light brown on both sides, turning once.

  2. Place sweet peppers in prepared slow cooker. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with rosemary. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken.

  3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 1/2 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours.

  4. Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. Using a slotted spoon transfer peppers and chicken to a medium bowl, reserving cooking juices. Using two forks pull chicken apart into coarse shreds. Add olives to chicken. In a small bowl combine mozzarella cheese, basil, and Parmesan cheese.

  5. Place bread on prepared baking sheet. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted. Turn over bread slices. Top each slice with some of the chicken mixture; drizzle each with about 1 tablespoon of the cooking juices. Sprinkle each with cheese mixture. Broil 1 to 2 minutes more or until toasted and cheese is melted. If desired, serve with apple.

Chimichurri Noodle Recipe

 

Ingredients

Chimichurri Sauce

• 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 5 cloves garlic

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (Optional)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Noodle

• 4 ounces whole-grain spaghetti

• 8 cups zucchini noodles (from 3 medium zucchini; see Tip)

• 12 ounces peeled cooked shrimp

• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

• Directions

  1. Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

  2. Meanwhile, prepare sauce: Place parsley, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, crushed red pepper (if using), salt and pepper in a food processor. Puree until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in oil. Scrape down the sides, then process again until well combined. Place 2 tablespoons of the sauce in each of 4 small lidded containers and refrigerate. Refrigerate any remaining sauce separately for another use.

  3. To prepare noodle bowls: Cook spaghetti in the boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then drain again and transfer to a large bowl; add zucchini noodles.

  4. Using tongs or two large forks, gently toss the spaghetti and zoodles together until well-combined. Divide among 4 lidded single-serving containers. Top each with 3 ounces shrimp and 1 tablespoon feta.

  5. Seal the containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Toss with chimichurri sauce just before serving.

Avocado and Shrimp Chopped Salad

 

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• 1 tablespoon minced shallot

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ¾ teaspoon dry mustard

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 pound raw shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste

• 2 ears corn, husked

• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

• ¾ cup finely chopped red cabbage

• ¾ cup diced red bell pepper

• ½ cup diced red onion

• ½ cup assorted cherry tomatoes, chopped

• ½ fennel bulb, halved again, thinly sliced

• 1 avocado, diced

• 2 slices crispy cooked bacon, diced

• Directions

  1. To prepare dressing: Puree the dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

  2. To prepare shrimp & salad: Preheat grill to medium or heat a grill pan over medium heat.

  3. Toss shrimp with 2 teaspoons oil, lime zest, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

  4. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until slightly charred, 6 to 10 minutes. Grill the shrimp, turning once, until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer corn and shrimp to a cutting board. Cut the kernels off the cob. Chop the shrimp into bite-size pieces.

  5. Combine lettuce, cabbage, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, fennel, avocado and bacon in a large bowl. Add the shrimp, corn and dressing; toss to coat. Season with pepper.

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak Salad

 

Ingredients

Cilantro Dressing

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot

• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon water

• 2 teaspoons honey

• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and quartered

• ½ teaspoon chili powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Grilled Flank Steak

• 8 ounces beef flank steak

• 2 small yellow and/or red sweet peppers, stemmed, seeded, and halved

• 1 ear fresh corn, husked and silks removed

• 2 green onions, trimmed

• 1 Nonstick cooking spray

• 4 cherry tomatoes, halved

• ¼ small avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and thinly sliced (Optional)

• 2 cups torn romaine lettuce

• 1 tablespoon Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

• Directions

  1. For Cilantro Dressing, combine lime juice, shallot, cilantro, olive oil, water, honey, garlic, chili powder, salt, and ground cumin in a blender or small food processor. Cover and blend or process until combined. Divide Cilantro Dressing into two portions.

  2. For Grilled Flank Steak, trim fat from steak. Score both sides of steak in a diamond pattern by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals. Place steak in a resealable plastic bag. Pour one portion of Cilantro Dressing over steak in bag; set remaining dressing portion aside. Seal bag; turn to coat steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

  3. Coat sweet pepper, corn, and green onions with cooking spray.

  4. For a charcoal grill, grill steak and corn on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals until steak is desired doneness and corn is tender, turning steak once halfway through grilling and turning corn occasionally. For steak, allow 17 to 21 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees F) to medium (160 degrees F). For corn, allow 15 to 20 minutes. Add sweet pepper halves to the grill for the last 8 minutes of grilling and green onions to the grill for the last 4 minutes grilling, turning frequently. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place meat and, later, vegetables on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)

  5. Thinly slice meat against the grain. Coarsely chop sweet peppers and green onions; cut corn from cob, leaving kernels in "sheets." Serve meat, vegetables, tomatoes, and, if desired, avocado slices over romaine lettuce. Drizzle with the reserved portion of the Cilantro Dressing. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Couscous and Chickpea Salad

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped kale

• ¾ cup cooked whole-wheat couscous 

• ⅔ cup rinsed canned chickpeas

• 4 tablespoons basil vinaigrette 

• Directions

  1. Combine kale, couscous, chickpeas and dressing in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or refrigerate in a sealable container for up to 4 days.

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  3. Whole-Wheat Couscous

  Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup water

  • ½ cup whole-wheat couscous

  • Directions

    1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add couscous, stir and return to a simmer. Cover, remove from heat and let stand until the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

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    3. Basil Vinaigrette

    4. Ingredients

       • 1 small shallot, peeled and quartered

       • ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

       • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

       • 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

       • 2 teaspoons honey or agave syrup

       • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

       • ½ teaspoon ground pepper

       • ¼ teaspoon salt

       • Directions

         1. Combine shallot, basil, oil, vinegar, honey (or agave), mustard, pepper and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth.