Fat Fat Fat?

So for the past few weeks I have been tracking my calories on the Daily Plate website.  The great thing about this site (for me) is it allows me to enter in a recipe and find out the nutritional information for the meals I cook.  This has been pretty eye opening and have since been trying my best to cut the fat (both literally and figuratively).  You would be surprised how much difference casual application of olive oil and parmesan can make to a meal.  That said, I strongly feel that a little fat can sometimes be a good thing in one's diet, especially if it comes in the form of vegetable or fish fat (omega fatty acid, yo!).  I have, in the past 2-3 weeks entered in about 20 or so recipes (some of which I have already posted to this blog), so I thought I would post a few of them starting off with a recipe for a lower fat lasagna.  Using low fat ricotta and nonfat cottage cheese you can really reduce the fat content in this meal.  Using whole wheat lasagna noodles and spinach this lasagna ends up being really high in protein and fiber.  Its a zone dieter's dream at 40% carbs 34% protein and 21% fat.  See below the recipe for complete nutritional data:


Lower Fat Spinach Lasagna
makes 8 generous servings


Wine Sauce


1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup onions, diced
• 3 clove garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine 
• 
  
  
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp fennel seed
• 2 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt to taste

Cheese and Spinach Filling

1 tbsp olive oil

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 4 cup washed baby spinach
• 2 1/2 cup reduced fat mozerella
• 1 3/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
• 
  
• 16 oz whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 
  
• In a deep saucepan heat oil and cook onions over low heat for 5-7 minutes. Add oregano, basil, fennel and cook 2 more minutes.  Add tomatoes, wine, and peppers and gently simmer for 20 minutes or so.  Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the noodles according to directions on box (al dente). Lay out on waz paper to avoid them sticking to each other.
• 
  
• Heat olive oil in deep saucepan. Cook onions and garlic over medium head. Add wine, basil and cook for a few more minutes until half of the wine has cooked off. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. In a blender or food processor blend ricotta, cottage cheese, and 1/2 cup mozerrella. Combine cheese mixture with spinach and salt and pepper to taste.
• 
  
• Layering the lasagna is really a personal art but as long as you start with marinara and a layer of noodles and end with a layer of noodles and marinara on top you will be doing well.  Just make sure to use all the ingredients.  This will fit nicely into on 9"x12" tray or two 8"x8" trays. Once you have everything layerd sprinkle remaining mozeralla on top, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  If desired the last 5 minutes of cooking can be under the broiler.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 servings

Amount per Serving

Calories 524

Calories from Fat 114.6

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 12.73g

19%

Saturated Fat 6.44g

32%

Cholesterol 38.13mg

12%

Sodium 826.68mg

34%

Total Carbohydrate 52.27g

17%

Dietary Fiber 10.17g

40%

Sugars 7.96g

Protein 44.92g

89%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat

21%

Carbs

39%

Protein

34%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.

Wedding in January - or February

A few weeks ago I posted a status update on Facebook that I was weeding in January. Most everyone conveniently misread this to say "Wedding in January". In order to avoid a similar problem let me get out of the way that no, we didn't make Wedding Soup for any reason other than it sounded good. Actually, Italian Wedding Soup is apparently thus named by result of a mistranslation. It really is meant to be minestra maritata ("married soup"). In any case, Italian Wedding soup is basically brothy soup with greens and meatballs. There are, of course, many variations, and while I made our version with fake meat, I think ground turkey would work really well this recipe. I adapted the recipe from an Ina Garten recipe. Ina Garten is otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa and is a protege of Martha Stewart. I don't hold that against her, and her Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is one of my favorites...

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey or Gimmie Lean ground beef style meat substitute

1/4 small red onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

2 tbsp fennel seeds (Jay thought this was slightly too much, I liked it... adjust accordingly)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1 tsp salt

Broth:

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup whole wheat pasta (rotini, elbows, or even orzo would work)

1 bunch lacinato kale, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine ingredients for meatballs and mix thoroughly. Using a tablespoon or just your hands roll meatballs into 1" balls and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Take out of the oven and set aside.

While the meatballs are cooking assemble soup. In a large soup pot heat olive oil and cook onions, celery, and carrots over medium heat for 5 minutes until onions are slightly translucent. Add wine and let the alcohol cook off for a minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add pasta and lower heat to a simmer. Cook until pasta is cooked and add kale. Turn the heat off and let the soup sit for 2-3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. To serve ladle soup into a bowl and drop three meatballs into broth. Garnish with Parmesan and red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

The Kitchen Sink

So the Italian version of tortilla soup turns out to be Minestrone. So vague is the definition of this soup I have yet to find a codified recipe nor an agreed upon pronunciation. Is it Min-e-stron-ee, rhymes with knee? or Min-e-stron rhymes with throne? I really couldn't say. All I know is that making Minestrone is a dangerous endeavour. Dangerous because when including everything but the kitchen sink, one is likely to make far too much soup, which is what happened tonight. Seriously, if anyone in the area needs some soup, feel free to stop by. So Jay and I had many arguments (err, conversations) about what exactly constitutes Minestrone. He seemed to have more rules than me. Must have pasta. Must have tomatoes, but not a tomato broth. I looked at probably 4-5 minestrone recipes and have created the following. A few recommend garnishing with pesto, which I store bought (I know, for shame):

Minestrone with Pesto

2 tbsp olive oil

1 med onion diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 small potato, cubed

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried marjoram

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 lb green beans, stemmed and cut into 2 in pieces

1 red bell pepper

1 zucchini, chopped

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

8 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 lb whole wheat rotini pasta

1 15 oz can beans (great northern, kidney, or cannellini will all work)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store bought

In a large soup pan heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add potatoes and cook for 2 minutes more. Add thyme, marjoram and bay leave and cook for 1 minute. Add green beans, bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, broth, wine and dried pasta and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until pasta is cooked. Add beans and cook for a few minutes to heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of pesto.

Something a little different, a little like everything else

It's rare for us to go out to eat Italian food. We did the other day when were randomly in Capitol Hill with J's dad. We stopped by one of his old haunts in his old hood, Palermo, which i have just discovered is in Ballard as well (cool!). Palermo serves pretty basic but reliable Italian fare and has better than average pizza. They also serve vegetarian dish that seems to make J happy. He ordered it the other day and it occurred to me that not only could I easily make it, I wouldn't mind eating it. I took my best guess at the recipe and this is what I came up with. Not exactly what you get there, but J seemed to like it just fine.

Vegetable Parmesan

Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp marjoram

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Filling

2 cups lowfat ricotta cheese

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

4-6 slices fresh mozzarella

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium eggplant, sliced

1 large or 2 small zucchini, sliced

1 red bell pepper

Slice eggplant and spread out on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and let sit 10 minutes or more. This will drawn out some of the moisture as well as get rid of some of the eggplant's bitterness.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in olive oil till just soft. Add spices and cook for 2 minutes to release flavor. Add tomatoes and vinegar, cover and let simmer over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes.

In a bowl combine Ricotta cheese, spices and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a 8"x 8" baking dish spoon enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan about 1/2" deep.

Using your broiler, roast the zucchini and the bell pepper by spreading them out on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper and place under a broiler for 5 -10 minutes. Allow them to brown but do not cook thoroughly (they will cook more in the casserole). Rinse the eggplant. Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat and brown eggplant on each side. Lay pan fried eggplant out in the dish. Spread ricotta cheese over the eggplant. Layer zucchini and red pepper over the cheese. Cover with marinara sauce and top with mozzarella slices. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Pasta with beans and greens

I traveled to the Piedmont region of Italy six years ago with a group of fellow students in order to study and document ancient stone building techniques. Overlooked by many, this northerly region combines the warmth of Italian hospitality with the crisp and clean simplicity of Switzerland. While there, we stayed in the small village of Canova - a collection of stone houses interconnected by stairways and alleys. Hosted by the husband and wife team who had renovated the medieval structures, we ate very well - hearty meals of pasta and fresh vegetables usually followed by espresso and little chocolate cookies. These days, when I want a quick but satisfying meal I copy a meal the lady of the house often served at lunch: Pasta with beans and greens.

When I make it in my kitchen I use whole wheat pasta (kamut, quinoa and spelt are nice as well). I find that these pastas don't weigh me down quite as much as traditional semolina pasta. I prefer a chunky shape to a noodle (rotini, penne or orecchiette). I alternate between using hearty greens (curly kale, collards, or rainbow chard) and other more "exotic" options (rapini, beet greens, or lacinato kale). Depending on what is in my crisper I will even make this pasta with something as simple as broccoli and peppers, as I did tonight. Regardless of the exact ingredients the recipe generally goes something like this:

Pasta with Beans and Greens

1 lb whole wheat pasta shapes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut in wedges
6 large cloves garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch greens (curly kale is my favorite), loosely chopped
1 15oz can great northern or other white bean
1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes (depending on how much kick you like)
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Boil water for the pasta and cook per instructions. Saute onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil till slightly cooked (2-3 min). add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute till onions are thoroughly cooked. add chopped kale and cook until just wilted. add beans, toss together and heat until beans are heated through. salt and pepper to taste.

When pasta is cooked strain and rinse with cold water. Put in a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper pasta to taste. Add beans and greens, as well as the grated Parmesan. Toss until combined. Serve with crusty bread and a hearty red wine.