Begin a healthy new year with these flavor-rich nutritious eats

Kapers from January 2, 2014

Christmas and New Year, those wonderful holidays, once again have come and gone, too quickly.

Tree ornaments and all our other celebrative seasonal decorations have been packed up again and put away for another year.

Faded away now, too, are all the wonderful December days and nights of chocolate candies, fruitcake and all those other traditional sugary sweet treats some of us allowed ourselves to indulge in, just a little bit, just briefly, because it was the holidays, because it was Christmas!

Now, with Christmas gone now, until this time next year, it’s back to the reality of healthful balanced diets again.

If we want to stay alive long enough, through another 12 months, to treat ourselves once again to the seasonal joys of all that once-a-year brief-but-beautiful temporary sweet culinary escape from reality next December 25.

On the other hand, the return to healthful eating can be just as delicious in a different way. While it can take a while for small children to grasp the concept, carrots and peas and broccoli and beans can be just as pleasant and pleasurable good eats as peppermint candy canes or cinnamon drops. Potatoes cooked via interesting creative recipes can be just as delicious as a Christmas-tree-shaped green and red-frosted cookie, less sweet yes, but just as good tasting or even better.

Our Apopka area’s community cookbooks are filled with such healthful recipes. Start off your New Year 2014 most tastefully with some of those flavor-rich nutritious recipes below from a Habitat for Humanity International cookbook Partners In The Kitchen: From Our House To Yours.

Have a happy healthy year 2014 enjoying the great tastes of health-giving vegetables and fruits in these recipes.

Christmas is gone for now, but let the season’s good cheer and joy continue year round till Christmas comes again.

 

SPINACH AND MASHED POTATOES

6 to 8 large potatoes, cooked and peeled

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons chopped chives

1 teaspoon dill weed

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Shredded cheese (optional)

Mash the potatoes with the sour cream and butter until light and fluffy. Stir in sugar, chives, dillweed, salt and pepper. Fold in the spinach. Pour into a three-quart baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with shredded cheese if you like.

 

SPINACH MANICOTTI

6 tablespoons margarine

1/4 cup flour

2 cups half-and-half

1 (14-ounces) can chicken bouillon

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon mace

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

2 cups cottage cheese

1 four-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained

1/4 cup chopped green onions

12 uncooked manicotti noodles

8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt margarine in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, stirring to form paste. Add half-and-half slowly. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken bouillon, basil and mace. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently; set aside. In bowl, combine spinach, cottage cheese, mushrooms and green onions; mix well. Fill manicotti shells with mixture. Spoon half the sauce into 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Place shells in sauce. Cover with remaining sauce. Top with Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheeses. Bake, covered, at 325 degrees for one hour.

 

CARROT SOUFFLE

1 pound cooked carrots

3 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup melted butter

Nutmeg (amount to your taste)

1/4 to 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons butter, softened

Process carrots and eggs in blender until pureed. Add sugar, flour, vanilla, melted butter and the nutmeg. Process until smooth. Pour into greased 1-1/2 quart soufflé dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Top with mixture of cornflake crumbs, brown sugar and two teaspoons butter. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer.

 

LOW-FAT SPINACH LASAGNA

30 ounces no-fat ricotta cheese

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

8 ounces no-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup grated no-fat Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup egg substitute

2 tablespoons parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/2teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (32-ounce) jar chunky spaghetti sauce

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

Combine ricotta cheese, spinach, half the mozzarella cheese, one-fourth cup Parmesan cheese, egg substitute, parsley, garlic powder, basil, oregano, nutmeg, salt and pepper in bowl; mix well.

Pour one cup spaghetti sauce into 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Layer three noodles, 1 cup spaghetti sauce and one-third of the ricotta-spinach mixture in prepared dish. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, remaining sauce, remaining Mozzarella cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is light brown.

 

BROCCOLI WITH ALMONDS

2 (10-ounces each) packages frozen broccoli, cooked and drained

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup canned cream of mushroom soup

1 cup crushed cheese crackers

1 (2-ounces) jar chopped pimiento, drained

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Place broccoli in buttered baking dish. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, cheese and soup in bowl. Mix well. Pour mixture over broccoli. Top with cracker crumbs, pimiento and almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

 

CORN SALAD

4 (8-ounce) cans Shoe Peg corn, drained

1 medium red onion, chopped

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

7 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and pepper (amounts to your taste)

Combine corn, red onion, tomatoes and chopped green peppers in bowl. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper; mix well. Chill salad for 30 minutes.