Tomato Time: End of Summer Pasta

This time of year, there's so much great food at the farmers’ market, it’s hard not to come home with more than you can possibly eat. The mountains of late season summer tomatoes on vendor’s tables are irresistible. And right now, as our short New York tomato season draws to a close, I try to eat as many as possible before they disappear. Here’s a recipe I recently made that uses lots of the other late summer vegetables, but lets the flavor of those soon-to-be-gone tomatoes shine through.

I took a combination of eggplant, red bell pepper, yellow squash, and onion and roasted those, then tossed the roasted vegetables with hot whole wheat pasta, fresh uncooked tomatoes, and fresh basil. The combination of the sweet roasted vegetables and the tangy tomatoes is a perfect combination. If you have leftovers, they make a delicious lunch. 

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables, Fresh Tomatoes, and Basil

Makes 4 servings

1 medium eggplant (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large red or green bell pepper (or use a combination), cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium yellow squash or zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch slices  

1 medium onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

6 ounces whole wheat rigatoni or other short pasta

2 large tomatoes (preferably beefsteak), chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Combine the eggplant, bell pepper, squash, and onion in a large rimmed baking pan or roasting pan. Add the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and toss to coat. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer in the pan. Bake, stirring once, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 45 minutes.

3. When the vegetables are about half way done, cook the pasta according to the package directions.  

4. Combine the roasted vegetables, pasta, tomatoes, basil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and toss to mix well. Divide the mixture among four shallow serving bowls. Sprinkle with the cheese. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Each serving: 46 g carbohydrate, 276 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 9 g fiber, 10 g protein, 304 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 3; Exchanges: 2 starch, 3 veg, 1 fat

Summer Fruit Popsicles

This post is another in a series of food blogs brought to you by a group of registered dietitians who believe good nutrition can taste great. This month's theme is frozen desserts.

I bought some popsicle molds for some recipe development projects that I did this winter and I’ve put them to good use to make summer treats for myself. All I do is puree fruit, add a little lime or lemon juice, pour it into the molds and freeze. It’s a refreshing, sugar-free, and delicious treat to enjoy on the last of the hot summer afternoons. Try giving one of these healthful treats to your kids—they’ll probably think it’s better than any artificially colored and flavored popsicle they’ve had.

If you don’t have popsicle molds, you can make these in small paper cups. Put the puree in the cups and cover the tops with foil. Insert a wooden popsicle stick into the center of the foil and freeze.

You can also layer different fruit purees to make colorful popsicles or stir some whole raspberries or blueberries into the puree before freezing. This is the perfect time of year, when fruits and berries are at their peak, to have some fun in the kitchen and have a delicious treat as your reward.

Summer Fruit Popsicles

Makes 4 servings

4 cups fresh berries or 1-inch cubes of peeled and seeded fruit (such as cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, peaches, nectarines, or plums)

2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

1. Place the fruit and the lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth (you’ll have about 2 cups of pureed fruit).

2. Spoon the mixture into 4 (4-ounce) popsicle molds, top with the handles, and freeze at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks.

Each popsicle has about 15 grams of carbohydrate: 1 Carb Choice; 1 fruit exchange


Take a look at these frozen treats from fellow registered dietitians participating in the Recipe Redux:

Emma Stirling - The Scoop on Nutrition   
Greek Yogurt Pavlova Popsicles

Cherie Schetselaar - Grain Crazy   
Blackberry Lemon Almond Torte

Emma Cutfield-The Hearty Heart   
Coconut Ice, Blueberry and Cocoa, Joint Healing Dessert   

Carlene Helble- Carlene's Figments   
Peanut Butter Banana 'Ice Cream' Sandwich   

Janel Funk - Eat Well with Janel   
Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream   

Kat Lynch - Eating The Week   
Coconut Chia-Seed Fruit Pops   

Dr Barb, Nutrition Budgeteer   
Simply Fruit Mango-Pineapple Sorbet

Rebecca Scritchfield - MeFirst   
5-minute Frozen Peach Pie   

gretchen - kumquat   
chocolate "ice cream" bars   

Emily Greenfield - The Nutriscientist   
Honey and strawberry semifreddo   

Liz Marr - Liz On Food   
Peach Lavender Ice Cream
   
Elizabeth Jarrard- Don't (White) Sugar-Coat It   
Adult Popsicles: Frozen Boozy Treats    


Regan - The Professional Palate   
Frozen Samoa Pie   

Liz Weiss & Janice Newell Bissex - Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen   
Healthy Blueberry and Mango Snow Cones

Jessica Fishman Levinson - Nutritioulicious
Watermelon Sorbet   

Alexandra Caspero- Delicious Knowledge    
Mango & Coconut Popsicles   

Karman Meyer- Nutrition Adventures   
Coconut Ice Cream with Strawberry Puree   

Yuri - Chef Pandita   
Acerola Chia Lime Popsicles   

Kristen Bourque- Swanky Dietitian   
Peanut Butter Coffee Popsicles   

EA Stewart-The Spicy RD   
Luscious Lemonade Pie   

Danielle Omar - Food Confidence RD   
Banana Soft Serve   

Katie Caputo- East Meats West   
Auntie Rosie's Ice Cream Pie   

Alysa Bajenaru - Inspired RD   
Coffee Granita   

Kara Lydon - Peace, Love, and Food   
Peanut Butter Banana "Ice Cream" With Dark Chocolate   


Serena Ball- Teaspoon of Spice   
Splendid Key Lime Frozen Yogurt   

Nicole Ferring Holovach - Whole Health RD   
Peaches and Rum Ice Cream Pie   

Lisa @ Healthful Sense   
Peanut Butter Vanilla Soft Serve       

Audra Losey - Nutrition Know How   
Mocha Pops   

Kristina LaRue - Love and Zest   
Frozen Berry Yogurt   

The Summer Casserole

This has got to stop! The produce coming from my CSA and from the weekly trips to the local farmers’ market where eggplant and bouquets of basil are stacked in bountiful piles that I just can’t leave there have me inundated with vegetables.

This week, I made a dish that I make at least a couple of times every summer when I have these feelings of being buried in zucchini. It’s not really a recipe, per se, and the beauty of it is that you can use whatever you hand. There are no set amounts of anything to put in this dish, so if you don’t like eggplant or you you’ve got fresh thyme, but no basil, this will still turn out to be delicious.

Here’s what you do:

Pull out all the vegetables that you need to use. This can be tomatoes, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and any kind of herb. Cut the vegetables up into slices or chunks, mince the garlic and a handful of whatever herbs you have, and put them in a big bowl. Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil (not much, 2 tablespoons will do for a huge, huge, batch), sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and toss everything together. Put the vegetables in a baking dish, cover, and bake at 350F until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. You don’t need to add water or liquid to the dish, the vegetables will give off their own juices. This is not one of those crisp-tender preparations, so don’t expect crunchy vegetables. They all sort of meld together and some of the eggplant and tomatoes will fall apart, but it’s a very good thing.

What to do with it now? Serve the vegetables over pasta (as in the photo above), polenta, or grits; coarsely chop the vegetables and put them in an omelette or a frittata; or just serve them as a side dish, sprinkled with a little Parmesan cheese along with whatever you’re grilling this week. It’s a healthy, easy, delicious, low-carb way to use up whatever you’ve hauled out of your garden or home from your local market.

Crispy Potato and Spinach Salad with Parmesan

The new potatoes are finally in here at the farmers’ markets in New York. Which, of course makes me long for my mom’s homemade potato salad, full of mayonnaise and hard boiled eggs, onion, and celery, and sprinkled with paprika on the top. I will definitely make this version before summer is over (maybe lightening the mayo with some fat-free Greek yogurt), but I thought I’d satisfy my current potato salad craving with something a little lighter.

For this salad, I slice the potatoes thin and sauté them in a nonstick skillet in a bit of olive oil until they’re brown and crispy. I put them on plates, then top them with a spinach salad dressed with a sharp red wine vinaigrette and tossed with shards of salty Parmesan cheese. It’s the perfect balance of crispy potatoes, bitter greens, and rich cheese.

I used spinach in this salad, because that’s what I had on hand. I think arugula or watercress would be even better, but any salad greens you have on hand would work. And if your potatoes are freshly dug, just wash off the dirt, no need to peel. Don’t go overboard on the portion, though. Three ounces of potatoes (1 small) have about 15 grams of carbs, or 1 Carb Choice.

Crispy Potato and Spinach Salad with Parmesan

Makes 2 servings

Potatoes

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 small potatoes (about 3 ounces each), scrubbed and thinly sliced

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Salad

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Pinch of kosher salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

3 cups spinach, arugula, or other greens

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

To make the potatoes, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add the oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom.

Add the potatoes, keeping them well-spread in the pan for even browning. Cook, turning the potatoes as they brown, until tender, about 6-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the salad, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the potatoes are done, divide them evenly between 2 plates. Add the spinach to the dressing and toss to coat. Top the potatoes with the spinach and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Serve at once.  

Each serving: 18 g carbohydrate, 179 calories, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein, 263 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1; Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 fat

Grilled Prosciutto Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce

This is my first post that's part of a brand new network of dietitans who believe flavor comes first. We call ourselves the Recipe Redux and every month we'll be creating recipes on a single theme and linking to each others' blog posts. Check out all the links at the bottom of this recipe for more great-tasting, good-for-you summer grilling ideas.

I love kebabs. They make any meal look like you went to more trouble than you did. There’s something about putting food on a skewer that elevates it to a special occasion (even a marshmallow on twig!).

These kebabs are extra nice because the large shrimp are each wrapped in a little strip of salty prosciutto and then they’re alternated on the skewers with sweet peaches. The marinade and dipping sauce is a sweet/salty/spicy Asian-inspired mixture made from ordinary pantry ingredients. I call for peaches or nectarines in the recipe, but you could also use cubes of cantaloupe, honeydew, mango, or pineapple.

When you shop, look for wild or farmed shrimp from the United States. They may be a little more pricey than the imported ones, but most shrimp imported from other countries are farmed with lenient environmental regulations.

While you’re grilling the kebabs, throw some quick-cooking veggies on the grill to serve with them. Sliced yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers or small whole mushrooms are all good low-carb options. This is an easy, delicious meal that lets you do what people were meant to do this time of year: sit back and enjoy summer.

Grilled Prosciutto Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce

Makes 4 servings

1 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp (about 24 shrimp)

2 ounces prosciutto, cut into 24 thin strips

4 small peaches or nectarines, pitted and cut into wedges  

3 tablespoons orange juice or unsweetened apple juice

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon molasses

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 clove garlic, crushed through a garlic press

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Wrap each shrimp with a strip of prosciutto. Thread the shrimp and peaches alternately onto 8 (6-8 inch) metal skewers and place in a large shallow dish.

Stir together the orange juice, soy sauce, molasses, oil, garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl. Drizzle the skewers with 2 tablespoons of the orange juice mixture and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Set aside the remaining orange juice mixture to serve as a dipping sauce with the shrimp.

Preheat a grill to medium heat. Place the skewers on the grill and grill until the shrimp are opaque, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the skewers to a serving platter and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Each serving: 18 g carbohydrate, 216 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 183 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 27 g protein, 777 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1; Exchanges: 1 fruit, 3 lean protein

Here is a list of the grilling creations of my fellow registered dietitian Recipe Reduxers:
Alexandra Caspero
Grilled Summer Fruit Salad
Alysa Bajenaru – Inspired RD
Grilled Romaine Salad
Cindy Brison
Nutrition Know How
Chef Pandita
Grilled Vegetables
Danielle Omar – Food Confidence
Grilled Sweet Peppers
Diane Welland – EatWellEatClean
Grilled Beet & Onion Salad with Goat Cheese
The Nutrition Budgeteer
Dr Barb’s Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad
EA Stewart – The Spicy RD
Grilled Polenta Veggie Stacks with Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes
Emma Stirling – The Scoop on Nutrition
Char Siu BBQ Pork
Gretchen – Kumquat
Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers
Jessica Fishman Levinson – Nutritioulicious
Grilled Salmon Burgers with Cherry Chutney
Kat Lynch – Eating The Week
Portobello mushrooms stuffed with spiced couscous
Katie Caputo- East Meats West
Succulent Sirloin Kabobs
Kristen – Swanky Dietitian
Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Grilled Corn
Lisa – Healthful Sense
Grilled Veggie Bean Burgers
Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex – Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen
Mushroom Burgers with the Works, Mushroom Cannellini Spread
Marie Spano
Italian Grilled Turkey Burgers
Nicole Ferring Holovach – Whole Health RD
Grilled Eggs
Rebecca Scritchfield – MeFirst
Grilled Plantains: A Sweet Summer Side Dish
Regan – The Professional Palate
Grilled Eggplant & Two-Tomato Whole-Wheat Piadina
Serena – Teaspoon of Spice
Grilled Watermelon Salad

Local & Naked

In almost all parts of the country right now you can probably find some local strawberries at your farmers’ market, at a nearby you-pick farm, or if you grow your own, they’re right in your back yard (lucky you!). You can also, without doubt, find strawberries in your local supermarket that are grown in California or Florida. If you ever thought that eating local foods was just for snobs or all just bunch of hoo-hah, this is the perfect time of year to prove to yourself how fantastic local food tastes.

Pick up a package of those shipped-in strawberries in a plastic container at your supermarket. Then, get some locally grown strawberries and put them side by side. The locally grown ones will almost surely be much smaller than the supermarket strawberries. They’ll be fresher, because they were just picked, and did not have to spend days on a refrigerated truck. In fact, the local berries you bought have never been inside a refrigerator. Commercially grown strawberries are bred to be large and to look fresh even when they have been picked for a week. Not so with locally grown strawberries; small farmers and backyard gardeners are not choosing the same variety of berries as the big growers like Driscoll. Their berries aren’t going that far; they will be picked and sold right away close to where they are grown.

Now, take a bite from each of the berries and you’ll instantly understand why local is better. And it’s not just for strawberries—it’s every food. When you have diabetes or heart disease, when your health really does depend on every bite you put in your mouth, every bite should be delicious. And, when you take the extra trouble to seek out local produce that’s full of flavor, you’re going to be excited about eating all those fruits and vegetables that you should be piling on your plate every day. The best way to eat those strawberries: naked (the berries, that is), in a bowl, with a fork.

Summer Lentil Salad

My CSA started up last week and the local Jackson Heights Greenmarket is in full swing. It’s the time of year when there is way more produce in my refrigerator than I will ever find the stomach space to use. Neighbors don’t think you’re too weird if you show up at their door with the gift of a head of Bibb lettuce. They get used to it as the season progresses.

One of the ways I like to use fresh produce is to cook some lentils or dried beans and use those to make a salad with all the produce I have. The lentils or beans are a good source of protein and an excellent source of fiber—and they’re delicious with almost any vegetable you add to them.

The salad I made today uses what I had on hand. This recipe is just a blueprint really, to use whatever is fresh and fabulous at your farmers’ market this time of year. You can add almost anything: diced carrots, radishes, turnips, bell peppers, jicama, kohlrabi, cucumbers, green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and any herb that you have on hand.

One rule of thumb I will mention is that when you’re making salads with high carb ingredients like these lentils, dried beans, whole grains (like wheat berries or barley), or whole wheat pasta use the same amount of fresh vegetables in the salad as you do of the lentils, beans, grains or pasta. In this recipe, 1 cup of dry lentils will make about 2 cups of cooked lentils, so make sure you add about 2 cups of vegetables to the mix. This not only prevents carb overload, but it insures that you have a flavorful, colorful, and crunchy salad. And if, like me, you are up to your eyeballs in lettuce, serve the lentil salad on top of fresh greens. Ah, the joys of summer!

I will point out my flavor-infusing cooking method for lentils in this recipe. They cook so quickly (in about 15 or 20 minutes) that they need to go into an already flavorful cooking liquid so they can absorb as much flavor as possible. I simply simmer a small halved onion, a stalk of celery, a crushed garlic clove, and a bay leaf in salted water for about 15 minutes before I add the lentils. That way, the lentils are cooking in a vegetable broth that’s really going to give them an additional layer of flavor. Another trick: once they are just done, tender, yet firm to the bite, and still holding their shape, I pour the lentils, liquid, and the onion/garlic/bay leaf mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish and let the lentils cool in the cooking liquid to absorb even more flavor. Set the dish in front of a fan to cool if you’re in a hurry.

Lentil and Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese

Makes 6 servings

To cook the lentils

3 cups water

1 small onion, cut in half

1 stalk celery, cut in 3-inch pieces

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup French green lentils, picked over and rinsed

To make the salad

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil (or, if you have it, walnut oil is lovely)

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (you don’t need much, since the lentils were cooked in salted water)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small turnip, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 green onion, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

3 ounces crumbled goat cheese (crumble it while it’s cold, so a little bit can go a long way)  

To cook the lentils, combine the water, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes. Add the lentils, return to a simmer, and cook just until the lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour the lentil mixture into a large shallow dish and let cool to room temperature. Drain the lentil mixture and discard the onion, celery, garlic, and bay leaf.

To make the salad, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the lentils, turnip, carrot, cucumber, green onion, and dill and stir to combine. Serve the salad at once, or store refrigerated for up to 3 days. The salad tastes better at room temperature, so if you do make it ahead, let it sit out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving. Taste the salad before serving; it may need another splash of vinegar to brighten the flavor. Sprinkle the salad with the goat cheese just before you serve it.

Each serving: 21 g carbohydrate, 177 calories, 7 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 10 g protein, 255 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1 1/2; Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 veg, 1plant-based protein, 1/2 fat