Lemon Couscous with Toasted Pine Nuts

Ingredients

1 cup water
2/3 cup uncooked whole-wheat couscous
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Bring 1 cup water to boil in small saucepan. Stir in couscous and lemon. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Add pine nuts, olive oil, and salt; fluff with fork. Serves 4.

From Cooking Light
Submitted by Shelli Howells

Grilled Halibut with Lemon-Basil Pesto

Ingredients

4 6 oz halibut or other firm white fish fillets
Cooking spray
1/4 tsp salt, divided
1/8 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup firmly packed basil leaves
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 T olive oil
1 T grated lemon rind
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled

Directions

Prepare grill. Place fillets on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp salt and pepper over fish. Cover and grill 4 minutes each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Combine remaining 1/8 tsp salt, basil, and remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until finely minced. Serve pesto with fish. Serves 4.

From Cooking Light
Submitted by Shelli

Penne with Spinach, Peppers and Beans

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups multigrain penne pasta
1 T olive oil
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers
1/2 15-oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes to pan; cook 3 minutes or until skins begin to wrinkle and burst. Add garlic, cook 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Add spinach, peppers, and beans; cook 3 minutes or until spinach is slightly wilted. Stir in pasta, basil, vinegar and salt; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.

From Cooking Light
Submitted by Shelli

Taco Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups prechopped tricolor bell pepper
1 cup prechopped onion
1 16-pz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1.25 oz pkg taco seasoning mix, divided
1 8.8 oz pouch microwavable brown rice
1/2 cups reduced fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Directions

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add bell pepper and onion; cook 7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add beans and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in half package of seasoning mix.

Place rice in medium bowl; heat according to package directions. Stir remaining half of seasoning mix into rice. Spoon mixture over rice; sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.

From Cooking Light
Submitted by Shelli

Vietnamese Noodle-Vegetable Toss

Ingredients

6 cups water
6 oz linguine-style rice noodles
1 T sugar
2 T water
1 T fish sauce
1 T fresh lime juice
2 cups packaged tricolor slaw mix
1 cup grated English cucumber
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

Cook rice noodles in water according to directions.

Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients in small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine noodles, slaw mix, and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add sugar mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serves 3.

From Cooking Light
Submitted by Shelli

Soba Noodle Salad with Chicken and Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

3 oz uncooked soba noodles
1 8 oz pkg sugar snap peas
3 cups shredded lemon-pepper rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup light sesame ginger dressing
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)
Shredded napa cabbage (optional)

Directions

Prepare soba noodles according to directions.

Microwave peas in package at HIGH 1 minute. Rinse peas under cold water. Combine soba, peas, and next 3 ingredients in large bowl; toss well. Garnish with sesame seeds and onions; serve over cabbage. Serves 4.

From Cooking Light
Submitted by Shelli

Cheese Tortellini and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

3 cups water
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 16-oz pkg frozen Italian-style vegetables
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1 11 1/2 oz can condensed bean with bacon soup, undiluted
1/2 9-oz pkg fresh cheese tortellini
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta; reduce heat to medium. Cook, partially covered, 7 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese. Serves 6

From Cooking Light
Submitted by Shelli

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package macaroni
• 1 egg
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. In a large pot of salted water, lightly boil the macaroni for about 5 minutes until half-cooked.
3. Layer macaroni, season lightly, add cheese, then repeat steps until macaroni is finished and end by topping with cheese.
   
4. Mix milk, egg and butter. Pour over the macaroni and cheese.
5. Cover and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing cover final ten minutes or until the top is brown.

From Allrecipes.com
Submitted by Shelli

Spanish Tortilla

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes peeled and chopped
1 onion chopped
4-5 eggs
salt

Similar to a fritatta it can be adapted by adding veggies and meats as you like.

Directions

Cook potatoes and onion in olive oil on med/hi until tender (you can pre-boil taters to save time). In a large bowl whisk eggs. Add potato & onion mixture, stir , add salt (here is where you add shallots, zuchinni or whatever you like). Pour entire mixture back into pan (add oil if needed to recoat the pan) Cook slowly on med/lo heat. When the tortilla is mostly solid with just a small pool of egginess get ready for the flip.

Slide a spatula around the edges of the tortilla to free it from the pan; then place a plate or a large lid over the top of the pan; hold tightly and flip the pan over onto the plate; slide the tortilla into the pan to cook the other side (usually just a few minutes). When the tortilla is done slide it onto a cute plate, garnish and serve either warm or cold (I like room temp).

From Wendy Pearl, Circle of Moms Recipe Swap

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

Ingredients

4 tilapia fillets
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse tilapia fillets under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle butter on top. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pepper. Bake about 30 minutes or until fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with a fork.

From Jen Piotrowski, Circle of Moms Recipe Swap

Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients

4 - 6 Boneless chicken breasts
1 jar apricot preserves
1 lg bottle fat free french dressing
1 envelope onion soup mix
2/3 c water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large pan 9 X 13 " pan with Pam or pan release. In a bowl, mix the preserves, dressing, onion soup mix, and water and mix well. put chicken in pan and pour sauce over chicken. do not cover. Bake for 1 /14 - 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is done.

Serve with Uncle Ben's Wild rice.

**if doubling the sauce recipe, do not double the water.
Optional: I do this without the water and bake for only 50 minutes to 1 hour...it's one of our favorites! It also works well in the crock pot.

From Audrey Nelson, Circle of Moms Recipe Swap

Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients

1 pound penne pasta
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary leaves (I use closer to 2 Tbsp)
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 Cup water
1 Cup white wine ( or you can use 2 cups water)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup grated Parmesan ( or fresh pecarino romano is really good)

Directions

Prepare pasta according to directions. Combine oil, rosemary, pumpkin puree, water, wine, cream, and garlic. Let the sauce simmer for a couple hours for a better taste. Pour over your penne and top with fresh rosemary or grated cheese. My kids LOVE it. They think its more of a snack than a meal. Hope someone tries it and enjoys it!

From Carisa Brewer, Circle of Moms Recipe Swap