Meatless Monday's, Issue #1

I feel that having a meat-free meal on occasion has great benefit... Brian looked at me funny when I told him to expect this once a week, but oh well, he's not doing the cooking... So here is Issue #1 of Meatless Mondays...

Farro, Avocado, Cucumber & Cherry Tomato Salad from Cooking Light

I could have eaten the WHOLE bowl - delish! I had never had Farro before, but it has a nice nutty, sweet, chewy texture. Oh, I don't love Cilantro, so I substituted Parsley which I was chopping for the soup anyhow.

Bean and Pasta Soup from Issue #7, November 2003 Everyday Food Magazine

Yummy!

Spinach Chicken Bake

Makes about 6-1 cup servings

2 cups diced boneless skinless chicken breasts (3-4)
Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
1 10 oz. package of frozen spinach
½ cup of Fat Free Sour Cream
½ Cup light Mayo
¼ cup low moisture part skim Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup shredded fat free parmesan
2 tsp. garlic powder
Breadcrumbs

Season Chicken Breast with Mrs. Dash and cook for 30-40 minutes in 350 oven. When chicken is done, start the cheese mixture. Mix sour cream, mayo, cheese and garlic powder in medium bowl.

When Chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into small pieces (about 2 cups) and pour into medium bowl. Drain 10 oz. package of frozen spinach, then add to chicken and mix together.

Once spinach and chicken is mixed well, add HALF the cheese mixture. Mix well. Pour into baking dish. Add remaining cheese mixture and spread across the top. Sprinkle breadcrumbs across the top.

Bake at 450 for 45 minutes.

Calories: 263.7
Fat: 13.9g
Protein: 27.8g
Carbs: 6.5g
Recipe from http://www.sparkpeople.com/

Served with brown rice and veg.

Up North Meat Pasties

The Crust (enough for 5 BIG pasties)

4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2/3 cup solid white vegetable shortening
2/3 cup lard (makes a sturdy, yet crumbly crust)
3/4 cup cold water

Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off. Stir flour and salt together. Add shortening and lard and work the fats into the flour with your fingers or a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle cold water over these crumbs and gather dough into one large ball. Do not overwork, but be sure and incorporate all crumbs from the bottom of the bowl. Divide into five or ten equal size balls, depending on how large you want your pasties. Roll each ball between two sheets of floured wax paper. Fill with 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups of filling for the larger pasties and fold top over and seal. Place on a greased baking sheet, do NOT vent the crust. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. If frozen, bake and additional 25 minutes. (internal temperature of 165 degrees)

The Filling (enough for 5 BIG pasties) 1 ¾ cup filling per pastie
2 cups (1 lb) ground chuck
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 cloves of crushed garlic
2 cups rutabaga (chopped or shredded)
2 cups potato (chopped, sliced or shredded) (pre-boil for 10 minutes then shred in food processor)
1 cup onion (chopped or sliced)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup shredded carrot
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter
Worcestershire sauce


Season with red wine vinegar and crushed garlic. (1 ½ cup of meat per pastie)

Mix ingredients together and fill pastie, add 1 tbsp butter on top, fold crust over and seal.

You can freeze the pasties easily, however you do need to cook them first since the veggies give off some liquid. Bake the pasties as directed and wrap in foil or freezer paper.