Potatoes, Rice, & Other Starch Dishes

 Yummy, healthy, low fat...and I might add…comforting.

 If you’ve ever over-estimated your family’s salad capacity and have ended up with a bag of fresh spinach that’s going a bit weak, this is a terrific way to recycle the greens before you have to pitch them.  Low in fat – high in flavor – leaves you feeling better for having eaten it.  Could you ask for anything more?

 Quinoa (pronounced: keen wa) is a high protein grain that can be found in most large grocery stores near the rice.  Rinsing is said to be important because it removes the bitter tasting hull.  However, I didn’t have a sieve with small enough holes to do a good job of rinsing, so I just skipped that step.  We all thought the dish was very good.  I may have gotten lucky on that short cut, or it may be an unnecessary step.  Either way, this is a tasty, quick, starch and vegetable combination.

 This is a quick and yummy all-in-one dinner or lunch dish that has many options.  I honestly began preparations at 5:30 and easily had it on the table by 6.  I substituted corn for peas and used more like ½ pound of turkey kielbasa for 4 dinner servings.

I found this recipe in Cooking Light (10-09) and tried it for lunch on a snowy fall day.  Everyone thought it was delicious.  It’s very low fat and full of healthy vegetables.  I had some fresh spinach that wasn’t going to be good enough for a salad, but it was perfect in this soup.

There weren’t any leftovers when I made this potato recipe for staff dinner the other evening.

I didn’t grow up on macaroni and cheese, so my taste buds as well as my family’s don’t clamber for mac and cheese from a box.  This is a relatively healthy version that’s pretty easy to make.  I sometimes will prepare it at lunch and put it in a crock pot on low until dinner.  If you don’t give yourself that much time, you can also bake it uncovered for 30 minutes at 350.