Grilled Cheese BLT ♥

OH MY. May I just say that there are far too few sandwiches in this household? Perhaps it's no wonder, then, that on the rare occasion that bread, bacon, cheese and tomatoes were on hand at the same time, there was no deciding whether to make a grilled cheese or a BLT -- and so I combined them. Thank you, Sandwich Gods, thank you.

MAKE IT A MEAL Nothing like soup and a sandwich for lunch, perhaps the light, fresh-tomato Summer's Tomato Soup?

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FROM THE VEGETABLE RECIPE ARCHIVES Hmm. I do have bread and tomatoes. Maybe it's time to 'update the photos' (always a good excuse ...) for 2005's luscious Eggplant, Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwiches and Artichoke & Pepper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

TWO YEARS AGO Tomato & Rice Salad, a tasty combination that I re-made this summer, still tastes great.

Grilled Cheese BLT

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 15 minutes
Serves 1 (easily multiplied)

2 slices bacon
2 slices bread
Thin slather of mayonnaise
Sprinkling of a good melting cheese (I loved the chipotle cheddar)
Sprinkle of good pepper
1 wonderful tomato
Lettuce if you have it

In a non-stick skillet, cook the bacon til crispy. Pour off the bacon grease into a glass jar. (Save it for another use. If you want ideas, just search on 'bacon grease' or 'bacon fat' in the Search Box on top.) Spread mayonnaise, cheese and pepper on the bread slices. Top one side with bacon, then the tomato and lettuce. Use your best balancing skills to combine the two slices and put in the hot skillet. Cook for a couple of minutes per side, til the bread crisps up and the cheese melts. Slice and chow down.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 427 Cal (41% from Fat, 18% from Protein, 41% from Carb); 19 g Protein; 19 g Tot Fat; 6 g Sat Fat; 5 g Mono Fat; 44 g Carb; 6 g Fiber; NetCarb36; 8 g Sugar; 138 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 969 mg Sodium; 40 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 9 points (yikes)

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

Mashed Butternut Squash

A few weeks ago I made a variation of Greek mousaka using butternut squash instead of the traditional eggplant. I only used half of a butternut squash for the recipe, and wrapped the other half in plastic and placed it in the freezer to use later for some distant, unknown recipe. Well, my freezer has been pretty packed lately and that butternut squash was taking up quite a bit of space, so I took it out to thaw and began brainstorming about what to make with it. I've been craving mashed potatoes like crazy lately, but I'm also trying to stay away from empty, nutrient-less starches like potatoes, so I decided to try mashing up the butternut squash with some spices and butter and sour cream. I also added garlic, both fresh and powdered, since it goes surprisingly well with butternut squash. Butternut squash is a bit stringy in texture, even after you roast it, so after I mashed it by hand with my potato masher I then put it in my food processor to give it that really smooth and fluffy texture that's such a staple of good mashed potatoes. I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, but when I tasted it all of my squash-related anxieties were put to rest. The sage, butter, garlic and  squash  went together wonderfully, and the sour cream really helped to give it that nice and fluffy texture. Definitely a tasty and healthy alternative to mashed potatoes. Makes about 3 Cups of mashed butternut squash.

Ingredients:

1/2 of a Butternut Squash

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/3 Cup Fat Free Sour Cream

3 Tablespoons Butter

3/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Sage

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the squash is soft when poked with a fork but hasn't quite started to brown on the outside yet.

Remove the squash from the oven and scoop out the squash using an ice cream scooper. Place the squash flesh into a bowl and discard the empty skin once you have successfully carved all the squash from it.

Add the butter to the squash and mix with a potato masher until the butter has melted. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue mashing with the potato masher until the ingredients are completely combined. Scoop the mixture into a food processor and blend it until it becomes
fluffy and smooth. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

Power Food Broccoli Salad

Power Rangers and broccoli salad: who knew they would meet on the dinner table? They do, in this week's Kitchen Parade column for Power Food Broccoli Salad.

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SO WHAT IS KITCHEN PARADE, EXACTLY? Kitchen Parade is the food column that my Mom started writing for our family newspaper when I was a baby. Today it's published in my hometown newspapers in suburban St. Louis and features 'fresh seasonal recipes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences'.

Where A Veggie Venture is 'pure food blog', full of experimentation and exploration, Kitchen Parade features recipes a modern cook can count on. All are thoroughly tested by a home cook in a home kitchen and many are family and reader favorites. All recipes feature easy-to-find ingredients, clear instructions and because I believe so strongly in informed food choices, nutrition analysis and Weight Watchers points. Want to know more? Explore KitchenParade.com, including Kitchen Parade's Recipe Box!

WHY DOESN'T THIS POST ACCEPT COMMENTS? Because I hope that you'll click through to the actual column and comment there!

E-MAIL & RSS SUBSCRIBERS You may subscribe to Kitchen Parade directly. Just sign up for Kitchen Parade via e-mail or Kitchen Parade via RSS -- then you'll receive the complete column and recipe directly in your In Box or RSS reader.

A Veggie Venture is home of the Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and award-winning vegetable inspiration from Asparagus to Zucchini. © Copyright 2007

Julia Child's Lentil Salad ♥ Recipe

Today's recipe: Julia Child's Lentil Salad, lentils in a garlicky vinaigrette, served warm, at room temperature or cold. Low carb and high fiber. Weight Watchers 2 points. Salad itself is vegan.

When my book club and a friend's book club met earlier this week to discuss The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, the conversation was lively but the food -- oh my -- the food was fabulous. I'm still prying the recipes from the group but here's the first of what I hope are several great recipes, ones I just know that readers here will find appealing.

This is a simple lentil salad that's just perfect for fall, especially since it's laced with autumn-ish herbs, thyme and sage.

Lentils are typically just a mess of brown-ness, but this salad lends itself to simple but dramatic garnishing, just using wedges of perfect hard-boiled eggs and, if you have some, cherry tomato halves. At this week's potluck, the lentils were placed in a leaf-shaped bowl lined with the tomatoes, with slices of egg arranged in the center, a big sprig of thyme emerging from the base -- very pretty!

LENTILS FOR KIDS My favorite neighbor friend, age 8, popped in for a taste test. She loved the lentils!

JULIA CHILD'S LENTIL SALAD

Hands-on time: 20 minutes over an hour
Time to table: 1 hour (or more if lentils are soaked before cooking and/or served at room temperature or cold, see NOTES)
Makes 3 cups

6 cups water
1-1/2 cups lentils, rinsed (see NOTES)

THYME, SAGE & GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
2 large cloves garlic, smashed and skins removed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon good mustard (a prepared mustard such as Dijon)
2 tablespoons or so of fresh herbs, I used thyme and sage from my garden
1/2 cup good olive oil

Bring water to a boil in a large kettle. Add lentils and cook until done, testing after 20 minutes or so. Drain (see NOTES).

While lentils cook, mix the vinaigrette ingredients in the food processor cup of an immersion blender.

ASSEMBLY
Salt & pepper to taste

Stir the vinaigrette into the (drained) hot lentils, stirring well to coat. Season to taste. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per 1/4 cup (smaller than normal, this is a rich hearty salad): 109Cal; 9g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 56mg Sodium; 5g Carb; 3g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 2g Protein; Weight Watchers 2 points

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
The Way to Cook by Julia Child, a terrific reference book, more a cooking lesson than a recipe book, complete with basic recipes, each one with dozens of variations. I think this would make a great wedding gift, graduation gift, even a housewarming gift for new homeowners.

KITCHEN NOTES
Julia Child's recipe and my friend both used just regular brown lentils. Julia's instructions suggest soaking the lentils for an hour before cooking. I used black lentils from Trader Joe's, whose label specifically mentioned that there is no necessity to soak the lentils, so I didn't.
Julia suggests saving the cooking liquid for using in soups -- so I have, it's in the fridge, awaiting the next batch of soup.
UPDATE: A reader who made the salad suggests adding salt to the cooking water. I don't, since I've read that this makes the lentils tough. Since I've not done side-by-side tests, I'll leave other readers to make their own calls!

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MORE LENTIL RECIPES
~ Summer Lentils ~
~ Oven-Cooked Lentil Soup ~
~ Veggie Burritos with Cilantro Sauce ~
~ Two-Way Lentil Skillet from Kitchen Parade ~
~ Lentil Soup Vincent from Kitchen Parade ~

~ more recipes with lentils, beans & legumes ~

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Looking for healthy ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Alphabet of Vegetables. Healthy eaters will love the low carb recipes and the Weight Watchers recipes.
© Copyright 2008

Farmgirl's Swiss Chard Tuna Salad ♥

It's hard - here, anyway, really hard - to eat enough greens. So I'm ever on the look-out for ways to incorporate greens into stuff that we're already eating. This easy tuna salad - it could be your tuna salad recipe, even a tuna salad from the deli - was easily transformed.

And I was quite surprised that even with the addition of three large Swiss chard leaves, this was still 'tuna salad', just a little greener -- and very good, definitely worth a try.

Many thanks for the inspiration to my pal from Farmgirl Fare, whose recipe was featured last spring on NPR's Kitchen Window, Letting Greens into Your Life.

NUTRITION NOTES If you've ever wondered how many Weight Watchers points there are in tuna salad, look out! Even bulked up with greens, a half cup (just a half cup - this recipes makes SEVEN half cups) made with full-fat mayonnaise is four points! (The low-carb people are happy, however, since there are just 2 net carbs, joining a growing collection of low-carb vegetable recipes, too.) Even using low-fat mayonnaise, a half cup still adds up to two points. For salads with low Weight Watchers points, check Kitchen Parade's Weight Watchers recipes and A Veggie Venture's Weight Watchers recipes.

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HOMEMADE SANDWICH BREAD My family's recipe for Swedish rye bread, adapted for the bread maker, would make great tuna sandwiches.

MORE VEGETABLE RECIPES See the Recipe Box for more Swiss chard recipes (specifically) but since greens are often interchangeable, check the leafy green recipes too.

A YEAR AGO How funny is this?!! Swiss chard gratin, "one of the most satisfying vegetable dishes I've made in a long while"

TWO YEARS AGO Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Pizza, "the deliciously salty and pungent eggplant, a perfect pizza topping and a definite keeper"

SWISS CHARD TUNA SALAD

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 25 minutes (Susan recommends letting it sit a bit for flavors to meld)
Makes 3-1/2 cups

About 3 large Swiss chard leaves, to yield about 1 cup chopped & tightly packed leaves
About 1 rib from a Swiss chard leaf
Fresh cilantro, about 1/4 cup chopped & loosely packed (Farmgirl uses Italian parsley)
5 small green onions, about 1/2 cup chopped, white & green parts
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
8 ounces canned/packaged tuna - have you SEEN what they've done to the tuna 'products' these days?

DRESSING
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (Farmgirl uses 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Wash the chard leaves and cilantro well, shake (or run through a salad spinner or dry on paper towels). [I usually start mixing the mayo mixture at this point, to let the greens have a few minutes to dry.] Cut the ribs and "little ribs" (what are they called, the ones that extend into the leaves themselves) from the leaves. Chop one rib very small for the salad. [I found the ribs more fibrous than palatable to use more than one. One was good, however! I saved the others for something else.] Cut the leaves into narrow strips. [Some times it's easier to stack the leaves, then roll into 'cigars', then cut cross-wise.]

Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add the olives, tuna and green onion. Gently fold in the greens. Season with salt and pepper.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Half Cup (assumes full-fat mayonnaise, water-packed tuna): 164 Cal (76% from Fat, 20% from Protein, 4% from Carb); 8 g Protein; 14 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 2 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; NetCarb2; 0 g Sugar; 21 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 296 mg Sodium; 20 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 4 points

Per Half Cup (assumes low-fat mayonnaise, water-packed tuna): 109 Cal (60% from Fat, 30% from Protein, 10% from Carb); 8 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 3 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 1 g Sugar; 19 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 344 mg Sodium; 20 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

PRINT JUST A RECIPE! Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how.

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007

Green Beans with Mayo-Soy Sauce ♥

At coffee with a new friend the other day, the conversation leaned to books and recipes. (Yoohoo, a new reading friend, yay, a new foodie friend!)

Marie shared a colleague's recipe from some 25 years ago. It's so simple, it's not even a 'recipe' -- just beans tossed in a sauce of mayonnaise and soy sauce. But I've made it twice now and it's amazing to me that something this easy can be this good.

Would the same mayo-soy sauce work with steamed broccoli? cooked cabbage? Brussels sprouts? cauliflower? I think so. And frozen vegetables? For sure.

The first time, I whipped up enough sauce for it to be clearly visible on the beans - to my taste, this was good but 'too much'. So the second time, I used only a tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise, which, split four ways, means that a serving yields zero Weight Watchers points -- making this recipe a happy addition to the collection of this website's zero point vegetable recipes in addition to the collection of low-carb vegetable recipes.

MAKE IT A MEAL These simple green beans would pair up with so many of the Quick Supper Recipes but this time of year, I'm partial to the idea of these Thick Chops with Sauerkraut.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES See the Recipe Box for more green bean recipes.

A YEAR AGO These pretty little parsnip cupcakes for my contribution to Sugar High Friday, the 'surprise inside' edition hosted by, well, me!

TWO YEARS AGO A cute little Mini Tomato Pesto Torte, made with a sun-dried tomato pesto.

GREEN BEANS with MAYO-SOY SAUCE

Hands-on time: 7 minutes (with fresh beans)
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Salted water (1 quart water, 1 tablespoon kosher salt)
1 pound fresh green beans, washed well, stem ends snapped, strings removed if seem 'stringy'
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise (I love Hellman's ...)
Splash of soy sauce

Put the water on to boil, covered. Add the cleaned beans, cover and cook for 7 minutes or until reach the desired amount of doneness. Drain and return to hot pan. Separately, stir together the mayonnaise and soy sauce. (I actually do prefer the mixture/texture better when mixed first OFF the beans but really, save a dish, it's fine either way.) Toss beans with mayonnaise mixture. Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 49 Calories; 1 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 0 g Mono Fat; 9 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb5; 2 g Sugar; 43 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 265 mg Sodium; 1 mg Cholesterol; 2 g Protein; Weight Watchers Old Points 0, PointsPlus 1

PRINT JUST A RECIPE! Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how.

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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Eat more vegetables! A Veggie Venture is the home of Veggie Evangelist Alanna Kellogg and is the award-winning source of free vegetable recipes, quick, easy, and yes, delicious. Start with the Alphabet of Vegetables or dive into all the Weight Watchers vegetable recipes or all the low carb vegetable recipes. © Copyright 2007