Simply Southern Grilled Veggies

If you don’t like cooking vegetables or fish on the grill because you lose pieces through the grill grates, try a grill basket!  A grill basket makes cooking vegetables or fish on the grill a breeze!  You can flip all of the vegetable at one time, and tender fish stays in one piece.  Choose vegetables that you enjoy, and veggies that are in season.  Squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, carrots, asparagus, and broccoli cook wonderfully on the grill.  Fruit can also be grilled: pineapple, peaches and plums hold up well and develop a sweet and smoky flavor. Experiment to find your favorites.  Grilled vegetables are super tasty and full of flavor!  

8 (4-inch) portobello mushroom caps 

4 medium red bell peppers, quartered 

2 medium Vidalia or other sweet onions, each cut into 4 slices 

2 teaspoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon The Delicious Dietitian Southern All Purpose Spice Blend

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Arrange mushrooms, gill sides up; bell pepper quarters; and onion slices on a baking sheet. Coat vegetables with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with spice blend.  Place vegetable in a grill basket or place vegetables on grill rack; grill 5 minutes on each side or until tender.

Lightened Up Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie might be the ultimate easy comfort food, and if it's made the right way, you can have that hearty, filling meal without the guilt.  Blending the potatoes with cauliflower, using lean ground beef, and increasing the vegetables in this classic casserole cut the calories, carbs, fat, and sodium, from more traditional recipes.  

1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey breast) 

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped 

3 medium carrots, diced 

1/2 pound white mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup no sodium added beef broth

1 tablespoon The Delicious Dietitian Southern All Purpose Spice Blend

1 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

2/3 cup 1 percent or skim milk

2 tablespoons heart healthy spread

In a large skillet cook the meat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. Drain any fat remaining in the skillet.

Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, covered, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and their liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add the meat to the pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, add the Southern All Purpose Spice Blend, and bring to a simmer scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peas. Pour the mixture into an 11X9 casserole dish. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Wash potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. Put the potatoes in a steamer basket, and steam for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower to the basket and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes. Mash the vegetables with a potato masher until smooth. Combine the milk, butter, and a pinch of pepper and stir into the potato mixture.

Spread the potato mixture on top of the meat and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.

Mushroom and Pepper Omelet

Omelets work wonderfully for breakfast, or make a fantastic dinner option if you are running short on time.  One of the best things about omelets is that you can use whatever you have on hand to change up the flavor.  This vegetable omelet uses peppers and mushrooms for flavor, but onions, spinach, broccoli, and squash all make wonderful veggie omelets.  

This recipe makes 4 servings in one pan, so you don't have to stand over the stove to make each individual omelet...perfect for feeding a family when time is running in short supply.  

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

Cooking spray

1/4 cup chopped green onions 

1/2 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms 

1/2 cup chopped plum tomato 

1/2 teaspoon The Delicious Dietitian Southern All Purpose Spice Blend

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

8 large eggs 

2 large egg whites 

1/2 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add green onions; sauté 1 minute. Add bell pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato and black pepper; cook 30 seconds. Remove vegetable mixture from pan; cover and keep warm.

Place spice blend, eggs, and egg whites in a bowl; stir well with a whisk to combine.

Place 1 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add egg mixture to pan; cook until edges begin to set (about 2 minutes). Slide front edge of a spatula between edge of omelet and pan. Gently lift edge of omelet, tilting pan to allow some uncooked egg mixture to come in contact with pan. Repeat procedure on opposite edge of omelet. Continue cooking until the center is just set (about 7 minutes).

Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over 1/2 of omelet; top vegetable mixture with cheese. Loosen omelet with a spatula; fold in half. Carefully slide omelet onto a serving platter. Cut omelet into 4 wedges.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4. 

Hearty Beef Stew

This beef stew is perfect for cold winter nights!  It can be cooked on the stove top by following the recipe, or you can brown the beef and sauté the onions and garlic, than add to a crockpot to cook all day.  If you opt for the crockpot, cook on high about 4 hours, or low about 8 hours.

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 pound small mushrooms (any type)

Cooking spray

2 cups chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)

2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces 

1 cup dry red wine (may substitute no sodium added beef broth)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 (14-ounce) cans no sodium added beef broth

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled white potato

1 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices carrot 

2 tsp The Delicious Dietitian Southern All Purpose Spice Blend

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Spoon mushrooms into a large bowl. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add onion mixture to mushrooms.

Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge beef in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of beef mixture; cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned beef to mushroom mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining beef mixture.

Add 1 cup wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add thyme, broth, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in beef mixture. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is just tender.

Stir in potato and carrot. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beef and vegetables are very tender and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in Southern Spice Blend. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Mini Breakfast Quiche

For years we have been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for many people, it seems to be the hardest meal to get in each day.   It's an afterthought, something to be crammed in between getting ready for the day and rushing out the door.  But the right breakfast can really set the tone for the day.  Eating soon after waking revs the metabolism and boosts energy. A breakfast high in carbohydrates, like a bowl of cereal, can leave you feeling hungry midmorning, but balancing carbs with protein helps to keep you full until it's time to eat again. 

These mini breakfast quiches are a great source of protein, just add a piece of fruit or a glass of skim milk for an energy boosting carbohydrate.  These quiches will stay good in the refrigerator for about a week, or freeze for several months.  Just pop in the microwave to heat.  

Mini Breakfast Quiche

1 container  (16 oz.) low fat Cottage Cheese or part skim Ricotta cheese

1 pkg.  (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup  shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

4 eggs, beaten or 1 cup egg substitute

1/3 cup  freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp.  The Delicious Dietitian Italian Spice Blend

Non-fat cooking spray

Heat oven to 350ºF.  Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.  

Spray non-stick skillet with cooking spray, add onions and mushrooms and saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft.  

Mix all ingredients until blended.

Spoon mixture evenly into muffin tin.  

Bake 20 min. or until centers are set and edges are slightly browned.  Serving size, 1 quiche.  

Four-cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

With the Super Bowl this weekend, you may be in the market for a new appetizer recipe. Well look no more because here is a great one for crowd-pleasing cheesy stuffed mushrooms.

The great thing about this appetizer is that it doesn't taste healthy, and it's full of vegetables! If you like mushrooms, you need to make this recipe! Even if you aren't making anything for a Super Bowl party, you can eat these for a light lunch. They are filling without making you stuffed.

Mushrooms have a lot of health benefits even if they aren't very colorful:

• One cup of mushrooms has only 15 calories, no fat or cholesterol, and a very low amount of sodium.


• Mushrooms can be used to replace meat in some dishes, or they can add bulk to meat dishes while adding beneficial nutrients with very few calories.


• This versatile veggie is high in many vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, multiple B vitamins, potassium, copper, selenium, and phosphorus.

Four-cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 12 mushrooms

12 medium to large mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 TBSP The Delicious Dietitian Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar
½ tsp The Delicious Dietitian Southern All-Purpose Spice Blend
¼ cup reduced-sodium 2% cottage cheese
2 TBSP neufchâtel cream cheese (or reduced-fat cream cheese)
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Clean mushrooms. Remove stems, scrape out gills, and set aside. Place mushrooms on foil-lined baking sheet, open side down. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheet, and dry mushrooms. Dry baking sheet.

Meanwhile, make the mushroom filling. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add bell pepper and onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in reserved mushroom stems and gills. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until mushrooms release their juices. Add in garlic and spinach, and cook until spinach is wilted. Add Red Muscadine Wine Vinegar and Southern All-Purpose Spice Blend to vegetables. Cook for 3 more minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Transfer vegetable mixture to a bowl, and stir in cottage cheese, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combined.

Stuff each mushroom with 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable-cheese mixture. Place stuffed mushrooms on baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Top mushrooms with ½ tsp Parmesan cheese each, and bake for 2-4 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Meme Inge is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist, and has a private practice as a Regional Delicious Dietitian in New Orleans, LA. She holds a Bachelor of Science in food and nutrition from The University of Alabama and a Master of Science in clinical nutrition from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Follow her on Twitter @memeinge!