Recent recipe reviews

Looking back over last week, I didn't cook an awful lot. I've been in a lunch rut as of late and am seeking some new inspiration for lunch ideas. The lunch rut means a fallback to cleaning out the freezer. I did try a couple of new frozen meals though, which I liked- Healthy Choice's panini with chicken, apples and onions and Lean Cuisine's tortilla crusted fish. Apparently the only way I like fish is overly processed or just deep fried.

Got an abundance of food this weekend on the farmers market run. Along with my first winter squash of the season (an acorn & butternut squash), a box of edamame, some delicious cinnamon roll apple butter, summer squash, kale, broccoli, more potatoes, red peppers to roast this week & make hummus with, my favorite find was local grapes. Oh, they are so good- I'm nibbling on them now as I write this.

The overall winner, recipe wise, this past week was the baked gnocchi with spinach and ricotta. I love gnocchi, but somehow as of late I haven't got too thrilled about just cooking it and topping it with sauce. This dish was easy to throw together, reheated very nicely and will definitely be repeated. I got this off of Joe's blog- Culinary in the Desert- I did not have fresh basil on hand when I made this so I just added a liberal amount of Penzeys Tuscan Sunset blend.

Baked Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta

(Adapted from Prevention)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
3 ounces shredded mozzarella, divided
1 ounce fresh grated Asiago cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and fresh ground black pepper3 cups marinara sauce, divided
1 pound packaged potato gnocchi, divided
2 cups baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In small bowl, whisk together ricotta, basil, 1/3 cup of the mozzarella, Asiago, egg and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

In an 8" square baking dish coated with nonstick spray, spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce over the bottom. Arrange one-half of the uncooked gnocchi in a single layer - scatter half of the spinach on top. Using a spoon, add small dollops of half of the ricotta mixture on top of the spinach. Spoon a layer of marinara over the ricotta, leaving enough sauce behind for another layer on top. Repeat layering, adding all of the remaining sauce on top.

Scatter the remaining mozzarella on top.Place into the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly browned, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and let sit 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with additional grated Asiago cheese before serving, if desired.Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

My other winner was Ellie Krieger's sloppy joes from her cookbook Healthy Appetite. Since my roomie had a date on Friday, I had the option of going to yoga and then making me dinner. I've been craving sloppy joes for a long time. A couple of years ago, when I came home armed with a new recipe and all of the ingredients for them for dinner that night, I told Angel what I was fixing and she looked at me like I announced we're having poop pancakes. She hates sloppy joes- major childhood trauma there. These would make her change her mind (if she tried them)

I made these with ground turkey and red kidney beans. I also added a heaping tsp of Penzeys Chili con carne seasoning in lieu of the dry mustard and a dash of chipotle too.


Sloppy Joes
Healthy Appetite by Ellie Krieger

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic,
minced 1 jalapeno,
minced 1 red pepper,
diced 1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 whole-wheat burger buns

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories 248
Carbohydrates 37 grams
Total Fat 4 grams
Saturated Fat 1.1 gram
Protein 18 grams
Fiber 7 grams
Sodium 535 milligrams

Enjoy- have a good week!