MEATLESS MONDAY RECIPE

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.

Meatless dishes are full of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients that are good for your body. The following recipe is packed full of herbs, spices and delicious flavors to satisfy your taste buds.

Curried Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 med onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 c dried lentils
• 1 qt unsalted vegetable stock (we used Kitchen Basics) or water
• 1 can (14 fl oz) light coconut milk (we used Thai Kitchen Lite) or 1 1/2 c stock or water
• 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
• 1 sm zucchini, roughly chopped
• 1/2 c green beans cut into thirds
• 1/2 c chopped cilantro or fresh parsley

1. HEAT oil in deep frying pan or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in curry powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until powder is darkened and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

2. STIR in tomatoes and lentils. Add stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Partially cover and reduce heat to low so soup bubbles gently.

3. COOK, stirring occasionally, until lentils begin to soften, about 15 minutes. Stir in potatoes and more stock or water if mixture looks dry. Cover and cook about 10 minutes. Stir in zucchini and green beans, adding more water if needed to keep everything brothy. Cover and cook until lentils and all vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and salt and black pepper to taste.

NUTRITION (per serving) 446 cal, 17 g pro, 63 g carb, 20 g fiber, 15 g fat, 6.5 g sat fat, 974 mg sodium

Best Ever BBQ Chicken

A last minute BBQ chicken recipe to add to your Labor Day cookout.
Give your tastebuds a tingle with this healthy tasty BBQ chicken.

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients
1/4 - cup chili sauce
2 - tablespoons low-sodium ketchup
1 - tablespoon honey
1 - tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 - teaspoon ground ginger
1 - teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 - teaspoon black pepper
1/4 - teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 - teaspoon red pepper
12 oz. - boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions
1. Coat a grill rack with nonstick spray. Fire up the grill and heat up to 350 degrees.
Place rack on grill.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, mix the chili sauce, ketchup, honey, vinegar, ginger, mustard, black pepper, garlic powder and red pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Set aside.
3. Place the chicken on the rack over the heat. Grill, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brush with the sauce. Grill until the chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Brush with the remaining sauce before serving.

Per Serving: 120 calories; 1 g total fat; .3g sat fat; 48mg cholesterol; 233mg sodium; 6g carbs; 2 g sugars; 19g protein

Picnic Salads

Here's a few healthy salads to go with your Labor Day BBQ.

Summer Tomato, Onion & Cucumber Salad
Makes: 6 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each
Prep Time: 50 minutes (including 30 minutes marinating time)

Ingredients
3 - tablespoons rice vinegar
1 - tablespoon canola oil
1 - teaspoon honey
1/2 - teaspoon salt
1/2 - teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 - medium cucumbers
4 - medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
1 - sweet onion, halved and very thinly sliced
2 - tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon

Directions
1. Whisk vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper in a large shallow bowl.
2. Take fork prongs and run them down the sides of cucumber to make a stripped decoration.
3. Sliced cucumber into thins rounds. Add the cucumber slices, tomatoes and onion to the dressing; gently toss to combine.
4. Let stand at room temperature for a least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
5. Just before serving, add fresh tarragon and toss.

Per serving: 58 calories; 3g fat; 0mg cholesterol; 8g carbs; 1g sugars; 1g protein; 2 g fiber; 202mg sodium


Country Potato Salad
Makes: 8 servings, about 1 cup each
Prep Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
2 - pounds small potatoes
1 - cup chopped celery
1/4 - cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 - cup sliced green onions
2 - tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 - tablespoons minced carrots
3/4 - cup nonfat buttermilk
1 - tablespoon lemon juice
1 - tablespoon canola oil
1/2 - teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
1. Place potatoes in large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until just tender, 12 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Drain and let cool for about 15 minutes.
2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle cut into bite-size pieces and put them in a large salad bowl.
3. Add celery, onions, carrots, parsley and dill to potatoes. Toss to combine.
4. In small bowl combine buttermilk, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over potato salad and toss gently. Chill before serving.

Per Serving: 139 calories; 4g fat; 1g sat; 2g Mono; 58mg cholesterol; 20g carbs; 6g protein; 2g fiber; 272mg sodium

Healthy Tips for Labor Day Grilling

Everyone loves to grill out on Labor day with family and friends. Here are a few tips and tricks to enjoy these barbecue favorites guilt-free.

Chicken Brats: 148 calories, 9g total fat, 0 carbs, 60 mg sodium, 16g protein.

Hot Dogs; 98% fat-free Turkey Wieners: 40 calories, .5g total fat, 3g carbs, 470 mg sodium, 5g protein

Lean Turkey Burgers: 160 calories, 9g total fat, 0g carb, 85mg sodium, 18g protein

Whole Wheat Sandwich Rounds: 100 calories, 0g trans fats, cholesterol free

Condiments: Go light on the ketchup, sweet relish and mayonnaise. Heavy on the mustard it’s less in calories. Watch the sweet pickles they are high in carbs and sodium. Try Cucumber slices with a bit of lemon-pepper seasoning.

Hold the Sautéed Toppers: Raw bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, etc add a few vitamins and minerals and make a small burger into a thicker bite.

Boycott Cheese: Skip the cheese on hamburgers to reduce saturated fat and calories. Instead, add flavor enhancers such as salsa, hot sauce, wasabi, or Worchester sauce.

Go Topless: Hold on we're talking about hamburger buns. Use only half the bun to cut carbs. Opt for a whole grain bun when you have the choice. If available, use a lettuce-leaf topper to help keep your fingers clean. Or use sandwich rounds that are the same size as a half of regular bun.

By Hope S. Warshaw, R.D., CDE