Enjoy this quick, tasty veggie skillet pizza
Serve this Southwestern skillet pizza right from the pan. It’s a quick and easy vegetarian dish. Skillet cooking is very much a part of Southwestern cuisine. This unusual supper cooks the pasta and sauce together in one pan, so the pasta absorbs the sauce flavors.
Helpful hints:
■ Any type of cheese — such as cheddar or fontina — may be used in place of Monterey jack.
■ 4 garlic cloves, crushed can be used instead of minced garlic.
■ If you do not have a ripe avocado, leave it out and toss the beans with oil and vinegar dressing.
Countdown:
■ Prepare ingredients.
■ Make pasta.
■ While pasta cooks, make salad.
Shopping list:
To buy: 1 medium green bell pepper, \ pound sliced babybello mushrooms, 1 small can reduced-sodium crushed tomatoes, 2 medium jalapeno peppers, 1 small package frozen corn kernels, 1 package fresh or dried fettuccini, 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, 2 ounces Monterey jack cheese, 1 small ripe avocado, 1 small can reducedsodium black beans, 1 small head Romaine lettuce, 1 bottle reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing, 1 jar ground cumin and 1 container minced garlic.
Staples: olive oil spray, onion, salt and black peppercorns.
SOUTHWESTERN SKILLET PIZZA
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
Olive oil spray
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced baby bello mushrooms
2 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 ounces fresh or dried fettuccini
1 1/2-cups canned reducedsodium crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Place a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add the onion, green bell pepper and mushrooms. Saute 5 minutes. Add the jalapeno pepper and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the corn and cumin. Mix well. Add the fettuccini and toss with the vegetables. Add the crushed tomatoes and water and spread over the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread cheese over the top. Cover and let cheese melt 3 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro on top and serve.
Yield 2 servings. Per serving: 449 calories (20 percent from fat), 10.2 g fat (3.9 g saturated, 3.2 g monounsaturated), 18 mg cholesterol, 20.9 g protein, 74.9 g carbohydrates, 11.2 g fiber, 256 mg sodium
AVOCADO AND BLACK BEAN SALAD
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
1/2 small, ripe avocado ripe (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons reduced-fat oil and vinegar dressing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 small head Romaine lettuce, torn into bitesize pieces
1/2 cup canned reducedsodium black beans, rinsed and drained
Peel, seed and mash avocado in a small bowl. Add the dressing and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Place lettuce in a salad bowl and toss with black beans. Spoon avocado dressing over top.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 132 calories (45 percent from fat), 6.6 g fat (0.9 g saturated, 3.9 g monounsaturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 5.0 g protein, 15.3 g carbohydrates, 7.6 g fiber, 60 mg sodium Linda Gassenheimer is the author, most recently, of "The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook," "Delicious OnePot Dishes" and "Quick and Easy Chicken." Her website is dinnerinminutes.com. Follow her on Twitter @lgassenheimer.