Podcast 90: Casseroles with a Twist

by The Meal Makeover Moms on January 19th, 2010

Gooey and gloppy are just two of the words that come to mind when we think about classic casseroles.  Typically made with creamy soups and lots of butter and full-fat cheese, casseroles get a bad nutrition rap because they have a tendency to stick to the ribs … and to the waistline. In this week’s Cooking with the Moms, we add a contemporary twist to casseroles by skimming away some of the bad fat and the excess calories and by incorporating some good-for-you ingredients … and we do it without sacrificing the time-honored flavors. The inspiration for the show came from a casserole article we just wrote for Kiwi magazine.  The February issue hits newsstands soon, so be on the lookout.

For the Kiwi story, we featured three recipes: Crushed Tortilla Chip Casserole, Sweet & Nutty Rice Casserole, and a makeover of the classic kid favorite, tuna noodle casserole. For this recipe, we added an updated twist by switching from tuna to boneless, skinless canned salmon (salmon is one of the richest sources of brain-boosting omega-3 fats), using a whole wheat blend pasta versus white, and by adding peas for a kick of color and fiber. We also topped it with a mixture of Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. We promise you won’t miss the crushed potato chips on top!

Silly Salmon Noodle Bake

Makes 8 Servings

The soy sauce in this recipe may surprise you, but it adds a deep, rich umami flavor to the dish. Leftovers freeze really well.

  • 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • One 12-ounce package whole wheat blend egg noodles
  • Two 5-ounce cans boneless, skinless pink salmon, drained and flaked
  • 1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 ½ cups 1% lowfat milk
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and set aside.

2. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to saucepan. Stir in salmon and peas and set aside.

3. While pasta is cooking, add butter to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until melted. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, dill, and onion powder and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes (there may be liquid from the mushrooms in the saucepan, but that’s okay).

4. Stir in olive oil and flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly (it may look lumpy at first, but keep whisking). Whisk milk slowly into flour mixture. Add soy sauce. Raise heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Pour sauce over pasta mixture and stir to combine.  Place mixture evenly into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or dish. Top with breadcrumb mixture.

6. Bake until casserole is bubbly and topping turns golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 370 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated, 0.4 omega-3), 600 mg sodium, 22g protein, 47g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 25% calcium, 10% iron

Print Recipe

We have other heatlhy casseroles on our website and blog.  A few you may want to check out include Simply Delicious Shepherd’s Pie, Chicken & Broccoli Casserole with Crunchy Almond Topping, and The Whole Enchilada Bake.

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5 Comments | Filed Under Dinner, KiwiMagazine, Pasta, Podcast, Seafood 

Podcast 74: Kid Food Makeovers

by The Meal Makeover Moms on September 30th, 2009

For lots of families, dinnertime is a stressful exercise in figuring out something healthy to make, and then getting the kids to actually eat it. What if, instead of trying to get your child to taste a new veggie tonight, you gave in and had mac & cheese? You can do just that, minus the guilt, thanks to our healthy updates of some tried-and-true kid favorites. Recently, we wrote an article for Kiwi magazine on kid food makeovers.  In it, we took four traditional “kid” foods — mac & cheese, hot dogs, pepperoni pizza, and milk ‘n cookies and gave them all a “rescue.”

For this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we featured two of those recipes: Mac & Cheese & Carrots and Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies. Read on for the recipes or take a look at our Kiwi magazine story.

Mac & Cheese & Carrots
Makes 5 Servings

The carrots in this recipe are tiny so they blend right in.  Another option is to shred the carrots.

  • 8 ounces dried whole wheat blend elbow pasta (about 2 cups)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup 1% lowfat milk
  • 1 cup all-natural chicken broth
  • 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and carrots and cook according to package directions until the pasta is done and the carrots are soft. Drain and set aside.

2. In the same saucepan, heat the canola oil and butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly (it may look lumpy at first, but keep whisking until smooth).

3. Whisk the milk and broth slowly into the flour mixture. Raise the heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and honey until the cheese melts.  Stir in the cooked pasta and carrots, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Reheat if necessary, and serve in individual bowls.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 cup): 340 calories, 11g fat (5g saturated, 0.4g omega-3), 390mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 19g protein, 80% vitamin A, 30% calcium

Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 3 Dozen Cookies

Liz’s 11-year old son describes these cookies as “creamy.”  Tell us what your kids think of them!

  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup  dried blueberries
  • 1/4 cup  ground flaxseed or wheat germ
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup  canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly oil or coat two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Whisk together the oats, pecans, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, dried blueberries, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, and stir until just moistened.

4. Working in batches, scoop the batter by rounded tablespoon and place on the prepared baking sheets, flattening slightly with the heel of your hand, leaving about 1 inch between.

5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 cookie): 120 calories, 6g fat (0.5g saturated, 0.5g omega-3), 75mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 2g protein

For other kid food makeovers — things like fish sticks and chicken nuggets — check out the Kid Food Makeovers Recipe section of our website. By the way, whenever we make “kid” foods for dinner, the whole family eats them – including adults!

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5 Comments | Filed Under Desserts, Dinner, Pasta, Podcast 

Podcast 72: Lunch Box Salads

by The Meal Makeover Moms on September 15th, 2009

Now that kids everywhere are finally back in school, we suspect that many may already be suffering from brown bag boredom. To shake things up in the lunch box, we created two new cold noodle salads that we hope they’ll all love. We feature them on this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast and dish about a bunch of other fun ideas to keep the troops happy.

Today, Liz’s 10-year old, Simon, took our new Better-Than-B-Plus Pasta Salad to school. When he got home, he said (and this is no lie), “the flavor of the bell pepper was heaven in my mouth.”

Better-Than-B-Plus Pasta Salad
Makes 5 Servings

  • 8 ounces dried bow tie pasta (3 generous cups)
  • 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
  • 8 ounces cooked chicken, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup Italian or Caesar salad dressing

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, drain, rinse with cold water and drain well.

2. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, chicken, feta cheese, and salad dressing and stir to combine.

3. Serve in individual lunch box containers.

Moms’ Tip > Add a little bit more dressing if the pasta gets dried out the next day.
Moms’ Tip > If your kids don’t like bell peppers, add a cup of peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber instead.

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 ½ cups): 330 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 460mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate,2 g fiber, 23g protein, 20% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 10 % calcium, 15% iron

Our second recipe for this Asian-inspired noodle salad took a lot of tweaking and retooling before we gave it our Meal Makeover Moms’ seal of approval. We took a photo of Janice’s kitchen to prove how hard we worked to get it right!  Can you guess who did the dishes (hint: it wasn’t Liz)?

Squiggly Chow Mein Salad with Snow Peas & Tofu
Makes 4 Servings

  • 3 tablespoons lite soy sauce, divided
  • 2 tablespoons honey, divided
  • 2 tablespoons tahini (also known as ground sesame seeds) or 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
  • One 8-ounce package cubed super firm tofu (we like Nasoya), drained and patted dry with paper towels
  • 4 ounces snow pea, strings removed and sliced on the diagonal into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • One 6-ounce package chow mein stir-fry noodles

1. In a large bowl, make the sauce by whisking together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, the tahini, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, and ¼ teaspoon of the ground ginger. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon ginger. Gently stir in the tofu and snow peas until well coated.

3. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and snow peas and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 minutes. Set aside.

4. Cook the chow mein noodles according to package directions. When done, drain, rinse in cold water and drain again.

5. To assemble the salad, mix the noodles in with the sauce and stir well to combine (we find that tongs work well for this task). Once the noodles are well coated with the sauce, gently stir in the cooked tofu and snow peas.

6. Chill and serve in individual lunch box containers (or heat and store in a lunch box thermos).

Moms’ Tip > If you can’t find chow mein noodles, use 6 ounces of linguini or spaghetti, broken in half before cooking (we like the whole wheat blend options from Barilla Plus)

Nutrition Information per Serving (1 ½ cups): 330  calories, 12 g fat (1.5g saturated), 550mg sodium, 45g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 15g protein, 25% vitamin C, 10% iron

If you have a favorite lunch box salad, sandwich or snack recipe, feel free to share it by posting a comment to the blog.

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4 Comments | Filed Under Lunch, Pasta, Podcast, Vegetarian 

Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award: Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

by The Meal Makeover Moms on September 13th, 2009

Ever since discovering Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy, we’ve gone ga-ga over the blog’s exquisite food photography, mouth-watering recipes, and colorful prose.  Susan, who writes the blog, is a professional musician, aspiring chef, wife, and mother, and we absolutely love the way she describes her recipes. Here’s what she said about her recent recipe for Break-Up Bars:  Break-Up Bars have a tender, buttery shortbread base which is studded with crunchy toffee bits and topped with layers of voluptuous, golden caramel and creamy, deep, dark chocolate. Yum!

Susan’s bars are made with 4 sticks of butter, so you can bet your bottom dollar each bite is sure to be voluptuous (and then some). While dessert recipes appear frequently on the blog, there are plenty of other recipe categories — things like seafood, pasta, casseroles, and beans. One recipe that caught our eye was Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli, her grandmother’s favorite “go to” dish.  In the post, she says it can either be a thick, stewy dish or more like a soup. Her grandmother preferred the former.

This stick-to-your ribs dish takes minutes to make. It’s kid friendly (all four of our kids gobbled it up happily) and nutritious thanks to the fiber-rich beans. For all of those reasons, Susan’s Pasta e Fagioli is the official winner of this month’s Healthy Meal with Kid Appeal Award.

Pasta e Fagioli (from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy)

  • 1 pound dried ditalini pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups marinara sauce (fresh is best, but any good quality jar sauce will be fine)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  When boiling, cook the ditalini until al dente, about 10-11 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and saute a few minutes more.

3. Add marinara sauce and water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans and continue to simmer until heated through.

4. Add pasta and mix well. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin it out a little, if desired.  Serve in a large bowl with grated cheese and parsley sprinkled on top.

Here are a few additional cooking notes from The Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen:

> When we drained the pasta, we reserved some of the pasta water. We then added some to thin the sauce a bit.
> The next time we make this, we’ll probably sauté a finely diced large carrot with the onion.
> If you don’t have cannellini beans, you could also use Great Northern beans.
> You could serve this dish with fresh basil if you think your kids would prefer it over parsley.

We hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as ours did.  Thanks Susan for sharing it!

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5 Comments | Filed Under Awards, Beans, Dinner, Pasta, Vegetarian 
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