Menu planner: Spinach and artichoke heart two-potato casserole should hit the spot

Spinach and artichoke heart two-potato casserole

Makes 8 servings

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 pound red potatoes, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced

1 pound yellow potatoes, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced

1/4 cup unsalted chicken broth

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 ounces less-fat cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded 50% light cheddar cheese

1 (7 1/2-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (6-ounce) package baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup sliced green onions

Heat oven to 425 degrees; coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Place potatoes in large bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat broth, parmesan, garlic powder, cheeses and artichoke hearts on medium until cheeses are melted. Stir in spinach; cook until wilted. Stir mixture and green onions into potatoes, mixing well to coat potatoes as evenly as possible. Spread into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes, uncovered. Reduce heat to 375 degrees; cover loosely with foil and cook 1 more hour or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Per serving: 184 calories, 8 grams protein, 8 grams fat (36% calories from fat), 3.7 grams saturated fat, 22 grams carbohydrate, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 323 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Carb choices: 1.5.

Cinnamon-pineapple pork

Makes 4 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 9 to 11 minutes; standing time: 3 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 8 crosswise pieces

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 medium red bell pepper, julienned

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in natural juice, with liquid

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Sprinkle each pork piece with salt; press each piece to 1-inch thickness with the heel of your hand. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add pork; cook 2 to 4 minutes per side or until internal temperature is 145 degrees; let stand 3 minutes. Place on serving platter; keep warm. To same skillet, add remaining butter and bell pepper; cook 3 minutes or until softened. Reduce heat to low. Stir in pineapple and juice, wine, ginger, jalapeno pepper and cinnamon; simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup. Spoon mixture over cooked pork; sprinkle with cilantro.

Per serving: 223 calories, 22 grams protein, 9 grams fat (36% calories from fat), 4.6 grams saturated fat, 11 grams carbohydrate, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 224 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.

Carb choices: 0.5.

Three berry pie

Makes 10 servings

Preparation time: 25 minutes; standing time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 55 to 60 minutes; cooling time: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

1 (2-crust) package refrigerated pie crusts, softened

1 1/4 cups plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided

5 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1/4 teaspoon table salt (not coarse)

3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thawed and drained

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed and drained

1 tablespoon any milk

Place large foil-lined cookie sheet on lower oven rack to catch possible spills. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Make crusts as directed for 2-crust pie, using 9-inch pie plate. In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/4 cups sugar, cornstarch, tapioca and salt; add all berries and toss gently. Let stand 15 minutes. Spoon into crust-lined plate. Cut second crust into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Arrange in lattice design over filling. Trim; seal edges. Brush lattice with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Place pie on middle rack (above rack with cookie sheet); bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent over-browning; bake 40 to 45 more minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool 2 hours before serving.

Per serving: 346 calories, 3 grams protein, 12 grams fat (29% calories from fat), 4.8 grams saturated fat, 62 grams carbohydrate, 5 milligrams cholesterol, 281 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber.

Carb choices: 4.

Jicama-orange salad with lime

Peel 1 medium jicama (about 1 pound), then halve and slice 1/4 inch thick; cut slices in half diagonally. In a large bowl, toss jicama with 2 small cucumbers (peeled, halved, seeded and sliced), 3 oranges (peeled, halved, seeded and sliced), 8 radishes (thinly sliced) and 1/3 cup fresh lime juice. Season to taste with coarse salt. Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili powder and 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves.

Mesquite beef skewers

In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine 2/3 cup mesquite marinade with lime juice (or another flavor) and 1 pound trimmed top sirloin steak cut into chunks; seal and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes; remove steak and discard marinade. Meanwhile, core, seed and cut 1 green bell pepper into 1-inch pieces and cut 1 red onion into similar-size chunks. Alternately thread steak, bell pepper, onion and 16 whole fresh mushrooms on 8 (12-inch) skewers. Grill or broil 8 to 10 minutes, turning once and basting often with an additional 1/3 cup marinade.

TIP: If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water 45 minutes before grilling.

Steak salad

Chop sirloin steak into bite-size pieces and toss with a packaged green salad, 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms, 2 hard-cooked eggs, 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes and a reduced-fat vinaigrette.

Peppers and pasta

Cook 12 ounces rotini pasta according to directions; drain and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium. Add 2 red, 2 orange and 2 yellow bell peppers (cut into thin strips), 1 medium chopped onion, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; cook vegetables, stirring several times, 20 minutes or until softened. Stir in 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach leaves, 4 ounces crumbled Greek feta cheese and 1/4 cup reserved hot pasta water; toss 1 or 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Add rotini to sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Accompany the tricolored pepper combo with dressy cucumbers: In a large bowl, combine 3 cucumbers (peeled, seeded and sliced) and 1/3 cup finely chopped onion; toss with 2 tablespoons reduced-fat vinaigrette.

Chicken fingers

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts into wide strips. In a large bowl, beat together 2 egg whites, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; soak the chicken in the egg mixture 5 minutes. Open the corners of 2 (6-ounce) bags baked potato chips and crush chips with a rolling pin as finely as possible. Pour chips into a shallow baking dish and turn the chicken in the chips until well-coated. (Discard milk.) Place chicken on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes or until cooked through. Serve with ranch dressing or any other dipping sauce.

Sausage gumbo

Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Add 2 chopped green bell peppers and 1 chopped medium onion and cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup long-grain rice, 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped kale (thawed), 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut okra (thawed), 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes with liquid and 7 or 8 ounces reduced-fat kielbasa (sliced and halved). Return to simmer, cover and cook 10 more minutes or until rice is tender. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Snowballs in summer

Scoop vanilla ice cream into balls; roll in toasted sweetened flaked coconut. Store airtight in freezer. To serve, drizzle dessert plates with caramel syrup, add a snowball, and top each one with crushed chocolate chips.