Double-Post Monday

Besides being Meatless Monday, it's Double-Post Monday. Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Monterey Chicken Fajitas and Lentil Minestrone With Greens. Enjoy!

SOY GOOD SMOOTHIE

This recipe, as well as the next one (Mango Madness), is from “20 Super Healthy Smoothie Recipes” on the Runner’s World website. Both are originally from The Editors of Prevention.

This one begins, “Skipping breakfast can leave you starving mid-morning—and reaching for the junk food temptations. Instead, sip this on-the-go soy smoothie.”

Servings: 1

1 cup calcium-fortified vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup corn flakes cereal

1 frozen banana, sliced

Combine the milk, blueberries, cereal, and banana in a blender for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides and blend for an additional 15 seconds.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 350; Protein: 9 g; Carbs: 74 g; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 44 g; Total fat: 3.5 g; Saturated fat: 0.1 g; Sodium: 192 mg

MANGO MADNESS

This recipe begins, “Take advantage of a ripe mango’s disease-fighting ability with this delicious smoothie recipe.”

Servings: 2

1 can (8 oz) juice-packed pineapple chunks

1 cup fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt

1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped

1 ripe banana, sliced

Crushed or cracked ice

Combine the pineapple (with juice), frozen yogurt, mango, and banana. Blend until smooth.

With the blender running, gradually drop in enough ice to bring the level up to 4 cups. Blend until the ice is pureéd.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 251; Protein: 6.5 g; Carbs: 60 g; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 50 g; Total fat: 0.5 g; Saturated fat: 0.2 g; Sodium: 68 mg

MONTEREY CHICKEN FAJITAS

This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Stir-fried chicken strips, peppers and onions are simmered in a zesty sauce and wrapped in warm tortillas.”

Serves: 8 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound), cut into strips

1 medium green pepper, cut into 2-inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 can (10 3/4 ounce) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup Pace® Chunky Salsa

8 flour tortillas (8-inch), warmed

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)

Directions

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the pepper and onion to the skillet and cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soup and salsa and cook until the chicken is cooked through.

Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with the cheese and additional salsa. Fold the tortillas around the filling.

SPICE-RUBBED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “A spatchcocked chicken, also called a butterflied chicken, cooks more quickly and evenly than a whole bird, giving you juicy white meat as well as dark meat in less than an hour. Here the chicken is marinated in a brown sugar and chile spice rub before being roasted until its skin is crisp and deeply flavored. If you aren’t up for spatchcocking your own bird, you can ask your butcher to do it for you.”

Yield: 4 servings

This was featured in “A Chicken-Roasting Method All Good Cooks Know” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds, patted dry

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ancho or New Mexico chile powder

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 bay leaves, torn or cut into pieces

Lime or lemon wedges, for serving

Preparation

Spatchcock the chicken by using poultry shears or kitchen scissors (or a sharp knife) to cut along one side of the backbone until the chicken opens. If you like you can cut along the other side of the backbone and remove it, or leave it attached to roast with the rest of the bird. Open up the bird and place it so it lies flat, breast side up. Press hard onto the center of the breast until you feel a pop, and the breast lies more or less flat.

In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, chile powder, paprika, mustard powder, oregano, pepper, allspice and bay leaves. Smear the mixture all over the chicken. Lay chicken, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet (or plate) and refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. If the chicken isn’t on a rimmed baking sheet, transfer it to one. Roast chicken until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pricked with a fork (an instant-read thermometer plunged into the thickest part of the breast will read 150), 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove from oven, cover bird with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with lime or lemon wedges on the side.

LENTIL MINESTRONE WITH GREENS

This is from Martha Rose Schulman, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “A number of greens work well in this hearty Italian dish. Chard and turnip greens are growing in my garden, so those are ones I’m using now, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use kale, either.”

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

This was originally featured in “Lentils: A Versatile Staple Flavors Classic International Dishes” and can be viewed online here.

Check out Melissa Clark’s guide “How to Cook Beans”.

Ingredients

For the Lentil Minestrone with Greens

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with liquid

1 pound lentils (brown or beluga), washed and picked over

2 1/2 quarts water

A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, 2 sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a Parmesan rind

1/2 pound Swiss chard, mustard greens or kale, stemmed, washed in two changes of water, and roughly chopped (about 6 cups)

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup elbow macaroni or other soup pasta (optional)

Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Preparation

For the Lentil Minestrone with Greens

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add half the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir together for a minute, just until the garlic is fragrant, and add the tomatoes and their liquid. Turn up the heat slightly and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the lentils, water and bouquet garni, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, salt to taste and add the greens. Continue to simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the pasta, and continue to simmer until the pasta is tender, five to 10 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni and serve, passing grated Parmesan at the table.

Tip

Advance preparation: The soup can be made up to a day or two ahead of time, but do not add the pasta until you are ready to serve. Reheat and add as directed. A note about salt: From now on, I will indicate a preference for kosher salt in my recipes. Because of its crystalline structure, kosher salt is not as salty as fine sea salt.

GRILLED BARBECUE CHICKEN AND POTATO KABOBS

This is from Tablespoon (tbsp.), and begins, “You don’t need to slave over the grill for delicious barbecue flavor. These kabobs get the job done fast!”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 (10-inch) bamboo or metal skewers

Slaw

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 package (14 oz) shredded tri-color coleslaw mix

1 unpeeled apple (Fuji or Gala), cut into matchstick pieces

Kabobs

1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into 1-inch wedges (1 cup)

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch wide strips (about 6 thighs)

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions

Heat gas or charcoal grill. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water 10 minutes; drain.

In large bowl, beat vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt with whisk. Beat in 1/4 cup olive oil in a thin stream. Add coleslaw mix and apple; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

In large microwavable bowl, mix quartered potatoes and water. Cover; microwave on High 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once, until just tender when pierced with a knife. Carefully uncover and drain; set aside to cool.

In large bowl, mix 1/4 cup olive oil, the barbecue seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt. Add potatoes and onion; toss to coat. On each of 4 skewers, alternately thread potatoes and onion, leaving 1/4-inch space between each piece. In same bowl, place chicken; toss with remaining oil and seasoning in bowl. On remaining 4 skewers, thread chicken.

Place kabobs on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 5 minutes. Brush kabobs with barbecue sauce; turn, and brush other sides with sauce. Cook 3 to 6 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender and browned in places. Serve with slaw.