Cowboy Caviar

Okay, so I admit I haven't actually made this one, but there is no way this tastes bad. I'll let you know what I think once we give it a taste test.

15 1/2 oz can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
11 oz. can corn, drained
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 green onions, minced
1 large or 2 small avocado , diced
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup prepared salsa
3/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss gently. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Serve on a bed of greens or as a dip with tortilla chips.

Source: delish.com

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

I make a big batch at the beginning of the week so that there are easy, go-to lunches in the fridge. This would also be a good pot-luck dish. Great for hot summer days. Add other veggies and seasonings to make it your own.

1 box (16oz) whole wheat rotini pasta
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 chopped red onion
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

Cook pasta according to directions on the box. When there are two minutes left on the pasta, add the frozen peas to the boiling water. Once pasta and peas are cooked, strain and rinse with cold water to cool the pasta down.

Dump pasta and pea mixture into a large bowl (preferably one that can be sealed for refrigerator storage). Add onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. I would guess I use ¼ cup vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 t salt, 1 T pepper, and 1 T garlic powder, but we really like our seasonings!

Colorful Vegetable Lasagna

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped onion
4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
2 (8-ounce) packages presliced cremini mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
5 cups marinara sauce
12 precooked lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell peppers, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and mushroom liquid evaporates. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and egg, stirring well.

Spread 1 cup Basic Marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with 3 noodles. Spoon 1 cup Basic Marinara evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third of ricotta mixture and one-third of vegetable mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with remaining 1 cup Basic Marinara. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes.

Spinach, Pesto, and Artichoke Sandwiches

These ingredients are divided among 4 sandwiches:

8 slices hearty wheat artisan bread
4 slices mozzarella cheese
1 small can diced artichokes
1/2 cup fresh spinach
2-4 T pesto sauce (or a mixture of basil and olive oil)
Sliced tomato (optional)
Light butter or olive oil

Heat grill pan or griddle. Spread light butter or olive oil on the artisan bread (on the side that will touch the pan). To assemble sandwiches, spread pesto sauce (or basil and olive oil mixture) on the bread, layer spinach, artichoke, cheese, and tomatoes.

Place the assembled sandwiches on the pan and cook until the bread is golden brown on each side and the cheese has melted.

This sandwich is great with soups and salads.

Spinach Quiche (Light)

Quick Note: Of course, you can bake your own crust, or go crust-less, but I usually purchase frozen whole wheat crusts from Sprouts. Since they come in 2 packs, I double the recipe and eat leftovers all week.

1 12oz. can of evaporated skim milk
2 eggs
3 egg whites
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 10oz. box of frozen spinach, thawed with extra water squeezed out
1 whole wheat frozen pie crust, pre-cooked according to package directions

Preheat oven to 450.
Mix together milk, eggs, egg whites, cheeses, salt and pepper in a bowl. Layer spinach in the cooked pie crust. Pour egg and cheese mixture on top of the spinach. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until egg mixture is set.

(Source: Adapted from Weight Watchers)

Baked Egg Rolls

Quick Note: I am not a fan of all of the shredding, so I buy a bag of the pre-shredded coleslaw mix and count the cabbage and carrots done. You can find that next to the bagged salads. The egg rolls reheat really well in the oven or toaster oven.

1 head Chinese cabbage, outer leaves removed, shredded

2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 medium scallions, white and green parts, chopped

1 Tbsp ginger, fresh, minced or 1/2 tsp dried

1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp sesame oil

8-12 average egg roll wrappers, about 1/2 oz each

Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Place cabbage in a microwavable dish and cover. Microwave on high until wilted, about 4 minutes; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add carrots, garlic, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch and oil; mix well.

Arrange egg roll wrappers on a clean, dry surface. Spoon cabbage mixture diagonally onto each wrapper. Fold over one corner to cover filling. Fold up both corners. Moisten edges of remaining flap with water and roll up wrapper jellyroll style until sealed. Transfer egg rolls to prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

(Source: Weight Watchers)