In reporting on changes to school lunches last week, the new federal recommendations include offering more fruits and vegetables with the daily meals. And schools will be offering more than celery sticks and oranges each day. One of the new directives is the idea of eating a “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables each week.
It’s something that I have been trying to embrace myself – with better results some weeks than others. During the week, I bring my lunch to work so it’s loaded up with bananas, cara cara or blood oranges, and whatever variety of apple looks best at the grocery store. Most evening meals, which I bring as leftovers for lunch the next day, are loaded with vegetables as well. I find on the days I eat more fruits and vegetables, I am more full throughout the day and I don’t get the late afternoon craving for sweets.
The meals below embrace the concept of a rainbow of vegetables. They include green, red, orange and yellow in the mix. When making the rustic vegetable soup below, in addition to the carrots, onion, tomatoes, zucchini and fresh herbs, I added in some celery leftover from another meal. We skipped the butter to make it a little bit healthier. While most polenta recipes call for butter, I often find that by using chicken broth to make the dish it has enough flavor without adding in butter. We did add a little parmesan cheese on top for a little additional flavor.
The Tex-Mex chicken meal turned out to be a very easy meal for late Sunday dinner. We had leftover chicken that was already cooked so we added it in between the zucchini and tomatoes, just to warm it through. The fresh zucchini, garlic and cilantro, along with some dried herbs add a lot of flavor so that the small amount of oil in the dish isn’t noticeable.
Rustic vegetable and polenta soup
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed or chopped
3 plum tomatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 c. instant polenta, such as Gia Russa
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to brown, about 6 minutes.
Add the parsley, thyme, garlic, tomatoes and zucchini, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Slowly stir in the polenta and cook until the soup thickens and the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle into soup bowls and serve.
Tex-Mex chicken with zucchini
Recipe courtesy of Weight Watchers
1 ½ tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
¾ tsp. salt, or to taste
½ tsp. black pepper
12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch cubes
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large zucchini, or 2 medium, sliced
1 c. frozen corn kernels
1 tbsp. minced garlic
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/3 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
In a small cup, combine oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a bowl and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture; reserve remaining spice mix.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes; remove to a plate.
Heat remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and sauté until lightly browned but still crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and corn to skillet; sauté until zucchini is lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
Add garlic and reserved spice mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and their sauce; bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Add chicken and 1/4 cup water (to prevent chicken from sticking to pan); cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until chicken is cooked through about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro; serve. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving. Makes four servings.
