Tonight we prepared this delicious, easy to make stew and quinoa dish, adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine. I’d never actually made quinoa before, and was surprised at its appearance before cooking — it’s a lot smaller than I thought. It plumps up nicely when cooked, and has a unique texture — it’s light and fluffy, but the germ separates from the grain and adds a slight crunch to each bite. Delicious.

Chris says:

This is one of my new favorite vegetarian dinners. I really like the taste of the spices with the squash and carrots.

Abbie says:

Mmmmmm! Yeah, what is that spice?

Lisa says:

There’s a bunch of spices in there, but you’re probably tasting the cayenne…

Abbie says:

Gives it a little kick!

Chris says:

By the way, butternut squash seeds look a lot like pumpkin seeds… I wonder if anyone ever roasts them?

Thad says:

I’m sure you could… mmm, thanks for making us dinner!

Abbie says:

Yeah, really .. recipe please!

Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Carrot Stew
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For the stew:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup water
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4″ cubes

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups water

The stew:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in the dry spices. Add 1 cup water, the drained tomatoes, and the lemon juice, and bring to boil. Add the squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

The quinoa:
Rinse quinoa and drain. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover; cook until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

4-6 servings

Tonight I made another soup from Healthy Latin Cooking — this time, a mixed seafood chowder featuring shrimp, halibut, and cod.

Lisa says:

Now this is a broth-based soup I can get behind!

Chris says:

Huh? Why this one?

Lisa says:

It has so much other “stuff” in it — the potatoes, the carrots, 3 types of seafood… that actually fills me up.

Chris says:

Yeah, it’s filling, but I want this to be… creamier… more chowder-like. It tastes really good, but it could be thicker. Anyway, the recipe as listed calls for conger eel, but I couldn’t find it.

Lisa says:

That’s probably just as well, because if you made it with eel you wouldn’t find ME at the dinner table.

Chris says:

Oh come on, you’d try it…

Lisa says:

Maybe if you didn’t tell me what it was first.

Chris says:

So, remember when I said the store didn’t have it? Well…

Lisa says:

No! You’re kidding, right?

Lisa says:

Right?

Chilean Fish and Shrimp Stew
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1 1/2 pounds mixed seafood (shrimp, halibut, etc.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and ground pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 bay leaf
4 cups fish stock
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Cut the fish into cubes and place in a 13″ x 9″ glass dish along with the shrimp. Add a third of the chopped garlic, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, remaining garlic, and the bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions become translucent, but not browned. Turn the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, carrots, bay leaf, and fish stock, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the seafood, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Stir in the cilantro and simmer for one minute. Remove the bay leaf, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired.

4 Servings

Tonight Lisa made this labor-intensive lasagna based on a Cooking Light recipe, and added extra spices and mushrooms. I’m usually a bigger fan of tomato-sauce based lasagna, but this one hit the spot with its variety in textures and sheer number of sauteed vegetables.

Chris says:

Wow you’re on a roll with these Cooking Light recipes. Good picks.

Lisa says:

This one is delicious — and actually has portion sizes that are relatively generous for a “light” recipe…

Chris says:

I heart this lasagna.

Lisa says:

Me too! I still can’t believe it’s low fat.

Chris says:

I love that we have enough leftovers for like three more meals.

Lisa says:

Good thing we liked it, then!

Garden-Style Lasagna
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Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped zucchini (about 8 ounces)
2 cups chopped yellow squash (about 8 ounces)
2 cups thinly sliced carrot (about 8 ounces)
2 cups chopped broccoli (about 6 ounces)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
3 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
12 precooked lasagna noodles, divided

Preheat oven to 375°.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Spoon onion mixture into a large bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, mushrooms, and yellow squash; sauté 4 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown. Add to onion mixture. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced carrot; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add chopped broccoli; sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add to onion mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and oregano; toss well to combine.
Place flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stir until smooth. Stir in spinach.
Combine cottage cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella; stir well. Spread 1/2 cup spinach mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over spinach mixture in dish; top with half of cottage cheese mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), half of vegetable mixture (about 2 1/2 cups), and about 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining spinach mixture over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
Cover and bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

12 Servings

A full plate courtesy of the Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. Swordfish is baked in a lemony cilantro sauce with onions, carrots, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes. We served it over a couscous with onions and peas, a recipe also from Moosewood.

Chris says:

Lemony!

Lisa says:

And cilantro-y! I love that sauce.

Carrie says:

Wow, I can’t believe I ate this whole thing, but it actually seems pretty light!

Chris says:

It is pretty light — the fish is just baked with lemon juice, herbs, and vegetables… definitely keeps the fish moist.

Swordfish Tagine with Chermoulla
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1 1/2 pounds swordfish
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
10 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 fresh chile, seeded, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Rinse the fish fillets and set them aside. Prepare a glass baking dish with cooking spray or oil very lightly. Arrange the onions and carrots in a layer to cover the bottom of the dish and place the fillets on top. Lightly sprinkle them with salt.

In a blender or food processor, combine the cilantro, garlic, ginger, cumin, lemon juice, chile and half the chopped tomatoes and puree for form a smooth sauce. Add salt to taste. Pour the sauce evenly over the fish and vegetables and top with remaining chopped tomatoes. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork (about 140F internal temperature).

Wow, was this good. Cod is coated in crushed dried shiitake mushrooms, seared, baked, and then plated over a dish of pasta and vegetables sitting in a mushroom broth. This recipe comes from Weight Watchers, and, shock of all shocks, the portions weren’t of the usual minuscule variety.

Chris says:

I love the crust on the fish — really shroomy.

Lisa says:

Yeah, and I’m glad we didn’t toss the dried shiitakes like the recipe suggested. They’re good on top.

Chris says:

I have to say, this is actually a pretty tasty recipe, considering the source.

Lisa says:

I’m actually full!

Seared Cod over Veggies and Pasta in a Mushroom Broth
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1/2 lb green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 cup julienned rutabaga
1 white turnip, julienned
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta
5 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
3/4 lb cod fillet, in 4 pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp minced, peeled ginger
chives
green onions
enoki mushrooms

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the rutabaga, turnip, carrots, and green beans and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and run cold water over the vegetables to stop them from cooking further. Set aside.
Cook the pasta according to the directions, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Grind half the dried shiitakes in a blender until it forms a powder. Spread the powder on a piece of wax paper. Season both sides of the cod with salt and pepper, then dredge in the mushroom powder.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the cod and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cod to a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes or until done.
Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan and add the remaining dried shiitake mushrooms. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the broth and set aside the mushrooms. Add the ginger, vegetables and pasta to the broth and bring back to a simmer, until heated through. Divide the pasta, vegetables, and broth among four large soup plates. Arrange the pasta to make a bed for the cod in the center. Garnish with chives, scallions, enoki mushrooms, and the reserved shiitake mushrooms.

4 Servings.