Healthy Meal of the Week

Hi all!  Tonight is the first installment of “Healthy Meal of the Week”.  Sometimes I may have a link to the recipe and nutritional information; sometimes I may just put the entire thing right in the post.  This week I’m including the recipe as well as the nutritional value here.

Tonight’s meal was “Mediterranean Quesadillas with Pear and Red Onion Salad” from my Eat Well, Lose Weight magazine.  This magazine is a Better Homes and Gardens special issue that states it will be on newsstands until March 26 if anyone wants to pick it up.  This meal was very yummy and unlike many recipes it is a full course meal.  It includes the main dish, a salad and a side (beans with vinaigrette) and only takes 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish.  Check out the recipe, nutritional value and picture below!  If anyone has any questions or comments let me know.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

8 cups baby spinach (about 9 ounces)

Nonstick cooking spray

½ cup snipped dried tomatoes (not oil packed)

4 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1 ½ cups canned Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained and warmed

4 tablespoons Essential Everyday Vinaigrette (recipe below) or desired bottled vinaigrette salad dressing

2 Bartlett pears, cored and sliced

4 cups torn mixed salad greens

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 cup reduced-sodium pasta sauce with basil and oregano, warmed

Directions:

1.  In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is tender.  Add spinach to skillet; cover.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring once; remove from skillet and set aside.  Wipe skillet with paper towels; coat with cooking spray and place over medium heat.

2.  For quesadillas, divide spinach mixture and snipped tomatoes among tortillas.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  Fold tortillas in half.  Add tortillas, one or two at a time, to skillet; cook 2 to 4 minutes or until browned, turning once.  Remove from skillet; cut into wedges.

3.  For beans, in a small bowl toss beans with 2 tablespoons f the Essential Everyday Vinaigrette; set aside.

4.  For salad, in a bowl combine pears and the remaining 2 tablespoons Essential Everyday Vinaigrette.  Add greens and cranberries; toss.  Serve quesadillas with sauce, salad and beans.

Makes 4 servings (1 quesadilla, ¼ cup pasta sauce, 1 ½ cups salad, and 1/3 cup beans each).

Essential Everyday Vinaigrette: In a screw-top jar combine 6 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ cup red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon honey; 1/8 teaspoon salt; and dash freshly ground black pepper.  Cover and shake.  Use immediately or store in refrigerator up to 5 days.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before using.  Makes 2/3 cup.

Per serving:  563 calories, 19 g. total fat (5 g. saturated fat), 18 mg. cholesterol, 999 mg. sodium, 81 g. carbohydrates, 15 g. fiber, 23 g. protein.

There it is, healthy and delicious!  If you try it out, let me know in the comments how you liked it.  I’ll talk to everyone later! J