Simple Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 – 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes; not drained
3 – 32 oz. boxes vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper


Place the olive oil into a large soup pot and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes with their juices, broth, oregano, cumin, coriander, thyme and rosemary and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately one hour.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Baked Eggs with Black Beans, Tomatoes and Green Chiles

1 small red onion, diced
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes with jalapenos, undrained
1 can (14.5 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
4 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a pie plate or small baking dish with Pam.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan and sauté onion, about 2 minutes. Add ground cumin and chili powder and sauté 3 minutes more. Add tomatoes with their juices, beans, and diced green chilies to the pan and let cook at very low simmer about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is slightly thickened.

Spoon 3/4 of the tomato-bean mixture into the bottom of the dish and carefully break the eggs on top of the mixture. Spoon the rest of the mixture around the eggs, avoiding the yolks.

Bake the casserole 6 minutes, or until the eggs are starting to look set but are still fairly wet looking. Remove dish from oven and turn broiler on high. Sprinkle cheese over the top and put dish back in to broil for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and started to brown.

Serve hot with salsa and sour cream.

Shrimp Stuffed Roasted Pasilla Peppers

4 large pasilla peppers
3/4 lb. precooked baby shrimp, thawed and drained
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar jack cheese, divided

Move top oven rack about 6 inches away from heating element and preheat broiler. Place passillo peppers on a baking sheet and broil, turning often, until tender and blackened all over, 20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl or baking dish, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to let steam for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put shrimp, sour cream, green onions, parsley, cumin, salt, ½ cup cheese and ½ cup salsa into a large bowl and toss to combine; put in fridge until you're ready to stuff the peppers.

Heat oven to 425 F.

Using a paring knife, scrape off and discard skin from peppers. Make one incision down the length of each pepper and carefully remove seeds. Pour remaining 1 cup salsa into a large baking dish and spread out with a spoon to cover the bottom. Stuff each pepper with the shrimp mixture.  Arrange stuffed peppers in dish and top with remaining ½ cup of cheese. Bake peppers 10 minutes, until hot throughout, and then broil until cheese is bubbly and browned, 2-4 minutes.

Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli

• 2 pounds broccoli, cut up into florets
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½. tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. chili powder

• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails in tact
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Zest from one lemon
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Heat the oven to 425.

In a large bowl, toss together the broccoli and next 6 ingredients. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss together the shrimp and last 5 ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Once the broccoli have roasted for 10
 minutes, take the pan out of the oven and add the shrimp. Toss carefully and put back into the oven and roast another 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the shrimp are cooked and the broccoli is tender.

Serve over brown rice.

Zucchini & Squash with Chilies and Cheese

2 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow squash
1 onion, chopped
1- 7oz. can diced green chilies
1 cup grated low fat Mexican cheese blend
1 T olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Wash squash and cut lengthwise into fourths, then into slices about 3/4 inch thick. Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan. Add onion and sauté 2-3 minutes, until starting to wilt. Add squash and sauté about 4 minutes, or until squash seems not quite half cooked.

Add canned green chiles with juices to the pan and cook 8 minutes more, until squash is cooked.

Sprinkle one cup of cheese over and cook 1-2 minutes more, stirring until cheese is melted and squash is partly coated with cheese. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Baked Snapper with Onions, Peppers, Capers, and Feta

2 medium-sized Snapper filets
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons diced capers
1/3 cup crumbled fat free feta cheese
1-2 tablespoons light mayo

Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and sauté red pepper and onion about 3 minutes. Add capers and sauté about 2 minutes more. Turn off heat.

Put fish on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Spread a small amount of mayo evenly over the surface of each piece of fish. Stir feta into red pepper/onion/caper mixture and spread that over the top of fish.

Bake until fish is opaque and white throughout and topping is starting to brown, 10-15 minutes, or longer depending on the thickness of the fish.

Zucchini & Pesto Elbow Pasta

• 1 box Dreamfields Healthy Carb Living Elbow Pasta
• 3 small zucchinis, cut into thin half-moon slices
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup pre-made Basil Pesto
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup pasta cooking water
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Fill a large pot with water, add about 2 tsp. salt, and let the water come to a boil. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and slice into half-moon slices.

Cook pasta as long as directed on the package, then measure out 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.

While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (big enough to hold all the pasta when it's cooked.) When oil is hot, add the minced garlic, turn heat down to medium, and sauté just until you can start to smell garlic, about 1 minute. Then add the sliced zucchini, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and sauté until the zucchini is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the pesto and red pepper flakes and gently stir to combine.

Add the pasta to the zucchini/pesto combination and gently mix together, adding the pasta cooking water to combine the mixture. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.