At Structure House, we take the mystery out of healthy eating. Check out these recipes for fresh and flavorful meal ideas.
Vegetarian Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 1 lb zucchini, peeled, sliced
- 2 ¼ lbs mushrooms, sliced
- 7 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 6 oz low fat ricotta cheese
- 2 ½ cups veggie protein crumbles (like Morning Star Farms)
- ½ cup egg substitute (or 4 egg whites)
- 2 cups onions, chopped
- 13 oz of (dry) lasagna noodles, preferably whole grain
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp ground oregano
- 2 Tbsps reduced fat parmesan cheese
- 2 ¼ cups tomato sauce (See Fats & Sauces, OR use jar low sodium sauce)
- Cooking spray
Preparation:
- Sauté onions, mushrooms, and herbs in pan coated with cooking spray for 3 minutes; add zucchini and cook until soft. Drain water off and let cool.
- Start 6 cups of water boiling in a large pot. Shred mozzarella. Mix ricotta, egg substitute, and mozzarella in a bowl (reserving 1/3 of the mozzarella). Cook pasta in boiling water for about 8 minutes, until semi-soft (al dente). Drain.
- Spray 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray. Pour 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup of the veggie crumbles on bottom of pan. Put down one layer of precooked noodles to cover sauce. Spread ½ of vegetable mixture on top of pasta. Spread ½ of the cheese mixture on vegetables. Repeat pasta, vegetable mix and cheese mix. Finish with another layer of pasta on top, then the remaining tomato sauce and veggie crumbles. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella & parmesan. Cover with foil.
- Bake at 375ºF for about 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145ºF. Remove cover and bake for another 5 minutes. Cut into 9 equal squares.
This recipe freezes very well, so you can portion the leftovers into individual containers and pull them out of the freezer for lunches and dinners as needed.
Serving: about 1 ¼ cups
Serves: 10
Nutrition Facts: Calories 310, Fat 9g (Saturated 4g), Carbohydrate 38g, Protein 21g, Sodium 410mg
Choices: 1.5 Starch, 2 medium fat Protein, 2 Vegetable
Suggested Pairings: 1 cup Black Bean soup OR 1 cup Bean Chowder
Shrimp Pad Thai with Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds spaghetti squash
- 22 oz raw, deveined shrimp
- 2 tsps vegetable oil
- 2 tsps garlic, minced or pureed
- 2 tsps ginger, minced or pureed
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup carrots, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsps fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 cup bean sprouts or shredded cabbage
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 4 Tbsps scallions, finely chopped
- 4 Tbsps cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, quartered
Preparation:
- Cut spaghetti squash in half and remove seeds. Then EITHER: Preheat oven to 350 ºF and bake squash halves on baking sheet until done, approx. 45 minutes, OR microwave halves on the plate for 10-15 minutes until soft. Rotate every 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add minced garlic and ginger when the oil is hot. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add sliced mushrooms and carrots, along with water, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, tomato paste, and peanut butter. Stir, wait until bubbling and cook for ~6 more minutes. If the mixture starts to dry out, add water until a little liquid remains in the bottom of the saucepan.
- Add shrimp to saucepan, along with cayenne and sprouts. Stir, and cook with liquid bubbling for 2-3 minutes, making sure all shrimp firm up. Meanwhile, make sure scallions, peanuts, and cilantro are diced. Remove saucepan from heat.
- Scoop out (warm) spaghetti squash halves with as few scoops as possible to leave strands intact. Add squash to saucepan and press and stir into mixture to distribute the squash “noodles”. Plate 1+2/3 cups onto each plate, and top with 1 Tbsp each of cilantro and scallions. Serve with one wedge of lime on the side.
Serving: about 1 & 2/3 cups (including about 8 shrimp)
Serves: 4
Nutrition Facts: Calories 300, Fat 5g (Saturated 0.5g), Carbohydrate 27g, Fiber 5g, Protein 37g, Sodium 680mg*
Choices: 1 Starch, 4 very lean Protein, 2 Vegetable, 1 Fat
Suggested Pairings: 1/3 cup brown rice & ½ cup Sautéed Bok Choy OR 1 cup Sesame Snap Peas
Chicken Tinga
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lbs raw, skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 12 corn tortillas (about 6 inches in diameter)
- 3 Tbsps (canned) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsps garlic, minced
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup sweet onion, chopped
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, rinsed
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth (or make Broth, see Vegetables-Soups section)
- ½ tsp salt
Preparation:
- Bake chicken breast at 375ºF until thermometer reads 165ºF in the center, then set aside. Peel and dice onion. Add the oil to a pan on medium heat on the stove. When hot, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring.
- Add the finely chopped garlic, cumin, and oregano to the pan and stir, cooking for 3-4 more minutes. Mince any chipotle peppers that come with the adobo sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers & adobo, salt, and broth to the pan, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for at least 5-10 more minutes, until thick. While the mixture is cooking, use two forks to pull apart and shred the chicken breast.
- Add the sauce mixture to a blender and blend until just smooth, about 15 sec. Pour the sauce back into the pan and thoroughly stir in the chicken. Cook for about 3-5 minutes more.
- Make sure the stems are removed from cilantro, and (optionally) finely chop the cilantro. When ready to serve, warm or lightly microwave corn tortillas to keep soft, and fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup of the chicken-sauce mixture, plus 1 Tbsp of cilantro on top. (To prevent tortillas from getting soggy, you may want to serve the chicken mixture on the side, with a spoon for the diner to portion into tortillas).
Serving: 2 tortillas, plus 2/3 cup (total) chicken mixture and cilantro (about 8 oz.)
Serves: 6
Nutrition Facts: Calories 315, Fat 8g (Saturated 1g), Carbohydrate 31g, Fiber 4g, Protein 31g, Sodium 375mg
Choices: 1.5 Starch, 3 very lean Protein, 1.5 Vegetable, 0.5 Fat
Suggested pairings: Side salad with 1 oz dressing OR 2/3 cup Pickled Vegetables or Pico de Gallo
Salmon Salad with Glazed Walnuts
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets
- 6 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 4 cups salad greens
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 2 tbsp blue cheese
Preparation:
- Brush salmon with 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette; sprinkle with pepper.
- On a greased grill rack, cook salmon, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat until fish begins to flake easily with a fork (3–4 minutes on each side).
- In a bowl, toss salad greens with remaining vinaigrette.
- Divide salad between 2 plates. Sprinkle with walnuts and cheese.
Serves: 2
