McKinley Grapevine

Ingredients

• 32 oz jar of good quality sauce (or 4 cups homemade sauce)
• 1 3/4 lb – 2 lb chicken breasts
• pinch salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 13 oz box of spaghetti
• 4 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup part skim ricotta
• red pepper flakes, for serving – optional
• Parmesan cheese, for serving – optional

Instructions

1. Add sauce to slow cooker. Place chicken breasts on top of sauce. Season chicken with salt, pepper and oregano. Using tongs, flip chicken breasts over in sauce so that they have sauce on both sides. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
2. When ready to serve, prepare spaghetti as directed. Just before spaghetti is done, about 3 minutes, add broccoli to pasta water with pasta while it finishes its cooking.
3. When pasta is cooked, drain pasta and broccoli in a large colander. Using two forks, gently shred up chicken in crockpot and incorporate into sauce. Add pasta and broccoli to slow cooker and along with ricotta. Using forks, gently toss spaghetti with sauce, chicken and ricotta until fully incorporated. Ready to serve!
4. Serve with red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/crockpot_lasagna.html

From EatingWell:  November/December 2011

Sure, the slow cooker’s great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad.

8 servings | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours on High or 4 hours on Low

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1 15- to 16-ounce container part-skim ricotta
• 1 5-ounce package baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 3 large or 4 small portobello mushroom caps, gills removed (see Tip), halved and thinly sliced
• 1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
• 15 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces), uncooked
• 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided

Preparation

1. Combine egg, ricotta, spinach, mushrooms and zucchini in a large bowl.
2. Combine crushed and diced tomatoes and their juice, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) in a medium bowl.
3. Generously coat a 6-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the tomato mixture in the slow cooker. Arrange 5 noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly and breaking into pieces to cover as much of the sauce as possible. Spread half of the ricotta-vegetable mixture over the noodles and firmly pat down, then spoon on 1 1/2 cups sauce and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat the layering one more time, starting with noodles. Top with a third layer of noodles. Evenly spread the remaining tomato sauce over the noodles. Set aside the remaining 1 cup mozzarella in the refrigerator.
4. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on High for 2 hours or on Low for 4 hours. Turn off the slow cooker, sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on the lasagna, cover and let stand for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.

Nutrition

Per serving : 414 Calories; 14 g Fat; 8 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 63 mg Cholesterol; 48 g Carbohydrates; 28 g Protein; 7 g Fiber; 641 mg Sodium; 829 mg Potassium

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 1/2 medium-fat meat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Equipment: 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker

• Tip: The dark gills found on the underside of a portobello mushroom cap are edible, but can turn a dish an unappealing gray color. If you like, gently scrape the gills off with a spoon.

1. In the crockpot, mix together marmalade, orange juice, jalapeno, onion, broth, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
2. Add meatballs and mix to coat.
3. Set crockpot on LOW for 4.5 – 5 hours.

http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2012/12/crockpot-orange-glazed-meatballs.html

Red & White Salad

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/red_white_salad.html

From EatingWell:  December 2006, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook (2008)

Bitter, sweet and peppery flavors marry well in this confetti-like salad of wintery fruit and vegetables.

8 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each | Active Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups thinly sliced hearts of romaine
• 2 heads Belgian endive, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 bulb fennel, trimmed, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 15-ounce can hearts of palm, drained, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1/2 head radicchio, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 red apple, cored and cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
• Champagne Vinaigrette, (recipe follows)
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Toss romaine, endive, fennel, hearts of palm, radicchio, apple and radishes together in a large salad bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with pepper.

Nutrition

Per serving : 111 Calories; 7 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 11 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 424 mg Sodium; 324 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare salad without dressing, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Toss with vinaigrette just before serving.

Champagne Vinaigrette

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/champagne_vinaigrette.html

From EatingWell:  December 2006, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook (2008)

Whirring this champagne vinaigrette in the blender gives it a creamy consistency. If you don’t have a blender, just mince the shallots, then whisk the ingredients in a medium bowl.

2/3 cup, for 8 servings | Active Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar, or white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine shallot, vinegar, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth.

Nutrition

Per serving : 53 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 1 g Carbohydrates; 0 g Protein; 0 g Fiber; 182 mg Sodium; 4 mg Potassium

Exchanges: 1 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/shredded_root_vegetable_pancakes.html

From EatingWell:  November/December 2008

Red beets and golden carrots look especially festive in these zesty horseradish-and-bacon-flecked cakes. Avoid parsnips, which need to be cored, in this recipe, as trying to shred the smaller cored pieces might result in nicked knuckles. Try the pancakes with seared steaks or make them bite-size for a beautiful appetizer.

6 servings, 2 pancakes each | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups assorted root vegetables, peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds; see Tip) and shredded
• 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
• 6 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• Reduced-fat sour cream, for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Whisk egg, flour, scallions, dill, horseradish, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in vegetables and bacon (if using).
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 4 pancakes per batch: place about 1/4 cup vegetable mixture in a little of the oil and press with the back of a spatula to flatten into a 2- to 3-inch pancake. Cook until crispy and golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pancakes to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with 2 more batches, using the remaining 4 teaspoons oil and vegetable mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving : 106 Calories; 6 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 35 mg Cholesterol; 12 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 180 mg Sodium; 294 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 fat

Tips & Notes

• Tip: Beets, carrots and parsnips are easily peeled with a vegetable peeler, but for tougher-skinned roots like celeriac, rutabaga and turnips, removing the peel with a knife can be easier. Cut off one end of the root to create a flat surface to keep it steady on the cutting board. Follow the contour of the vegetable with your knife. If you use a vegetable peeler on the tougher roots, peel around each vegetable at least three times to ensure all the fibrous skin has been removed.