Bulgur and Flax Pilaf

This is an alternative to rice or pasta as a side dish. It's got a great texture and flavor to accompany many meals. It's also a nice light meal with a hearty salad.

2 tbl. olive oil
1 c. bulgur wheat
1/4 flaxseed
1 small diced onion
1 small diced tomato
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

In medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in bulgur, flaxseed, and onion and cook about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato, broth, salt and seasoning. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cook another 15 minutes until all the broth is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach-Tomato Frittata

On weekends, I love a good savory brunch. And getting some spinach, olive oil, onions and tomatoes is a bonus!

Not only is this dish easily halved and doubled, but you can do all sorts of variations based on what you have on hand or prefer. If cholesterol is an issue, use an egg substitute. There seems to be some debate on whether or not Omega-3 enriched eggs are all that they promise. I've been buying them myself, but am on the fence if I'm wasting money.

Serves 2

2 eggs
2 T of milk
1 T of olive oil
1/8 cup chopped red onion,
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed (or 1/2 cup raw chopped)
1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes (can substitute any kind or use canned)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t of dried oregano (or 1 T of fresh)
1/2 t of dried basil (or 1 T of fresh)
1/4 cup plus 1 T crumbled feta cheese

Whisk eggs and milk in a small bowl, set aside. Turn on broiler.

In an oven-safe skillet, cook onions in olive oil for two minutes then add mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the eggs and seasonings, stirring constantly.

While eggs are still slightly wet, mix in the feta cheese, pushing the mixture to center of pan with spatula so that it is about an inch or so in height.

Sprinkle the remaining feta cheese and put pan under the broiler. Broil just until the eggs are no longer wet and cheese is slightly brown. Takes about 2-3 minutes, tops. Cut in half and serve.

Note if you don't have an oven safe skillet... spray a small baking dish or cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and transfer the egg mixture to it, then add the rest of the cheese. And many times, I skip the entire broiling process and just finishing cooking the eggs in the pan.

Great side: Cranberry-Walnut-Oat Bran Muffins

Tabouleh

This Middle Eastern salad is loaded with several superfoods. It is flavorful and satisfying.


1 c. fine grain bulgur wheat
2 bunches parsley
2 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
2 bunches scallions, cut into large pieces
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
4 med. tomatoes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces


Soak bulgur in 2 cups of cold water for 15 minutes. Squeeze dry. Pick the parsley leaves from the stems. Wash and spin dry in salad spinner. Mix parsley, celery, scallions, and mint and put in food processor with metal blade. Pulse chop until fine and place in large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, spices and whisk until smooth. Combine with parsley mixture. Gently blend in the tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Meat, Soy Sausage and Mushroom Sauce

This is an easy to make and very kid-friendly meal. It incorporates 1 oz per person of lean hamburger meat for a "meat sauce" flavor, but is rounded out with soy protein and mushrooms. What makes this a "SuperFood" type of meal is the high fiber pasta. Whole wheat is one option, but I've been enjoying the Ronzoni, Smart Taste pastas. Each serving has zero fat, only 1 gram of sugar and 6 grams of dietary fiber. If you're trying to lose weight, pay attention to portions. One ONE cup of cooked spaghetti and go easy on the shredded cheese.

You can also sprinkle a teaspoon of flax seed meal on each serving, but note it has a slightly nutty taste.

Ingredients:

olive oil
1/2 cup of onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound of leanest hamburger
6 oz (or 2 links) of "Smart Choice" Italian Sausage (this is soy protein product), finely chopped
1 cup of mushrooms, chopped
29 oz size can of tomato sauce (or homemade is even better)
1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
dried Italian herbs to taste

1 package of Ronzoni, Smart Taste Spaghetti
shredded parmesan cheese

Coat large frying pan with olive oil. Then saute the garlic and onions until translucent. Brown the beef. If you don't have the lean kind, drain the fat after. Otherwise, then add the soy sausage and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in the sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Then serve on the pasta.

Great side dish is Roasted Lemon-Garlic Broccoli.