Cherry tomato and sweet pepper spaghetti

I found this recipe on the back of a Barilla noodle box and thought I would try it. We ended up really liking it. It is very easy and it tastes great.
Prep and cooking time approximately 25 minutes

What you need:
1 box of Barilla whole grain thin spaghetti
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cups onion, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups green bell pepper, sliced thin
Salt and peeper to taste
3 cups (1 1/2 pints) cherry tomatoes, halved
4 leaves fresh basil, torn
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add onion and saute' for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Cook whole grain thin spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, add peppers to the skillet and saute' for 3 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Toss in cherry tomatoes, and continue to cook until the tomatoes are heated through and the skins are slightly blistered, about 2 minutes. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Add basil and cheese and toss agin.

Nutritional information: The peppers are excellent sources of vitamins A and C. Along with vitamin B6 and many other nutrients. Onions are low in calories and contain vitamins B and C and several anti-oxidants. The noodles are multi-grain. 

Note: I used smaller portions to feed my small family. I used about a third of the box of pasta. The  peppers, tomatoes, and onions I used a bit less of as well. I also chopped the onions very finely and the peppers finely as well. The tomatoes I sliced into three parts.

Black Bean Soup

This soup is very tasty and surprisingly low in calories. I tried it at a friend's house and thought it was delicious. I was amazed when I saw the list of ingredients. There are some "hidden vegetables" that make this soup super healthy -- and you can't even taste them. So, if you have a hard time getting vegetables in, this is the soup for you.

Preparation and Cooking Time: About 45 minutes 

Yields 4-5  (1 cup) servings

What you will need:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 minced garlic cloves

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

Saute these ingredients in a large pan for 4-5 minutes on medium to high heat. Then add:

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1  (3.5 oz) can chopped green chilies

2 cans beef broth

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 dash black pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. oregano

1 bay leaf 

Simmer all ingredients uncovered for 20-25 minutes until carrots are soft. Remove the bay leaf. 

Place soup in food processor or blender. (This part is always weird to me--but the end product is really good.) Blend until smooth. Transfer soup to a more "appetizing" dish.

I serve this soup with low fat sour cream, Weight Watcher's mexican cheese blend, and baked tortilla chips.  

Loaded Tacos

My brother Chris makes these tacos for us. They taste very good and they are good for you.

Prepare and cook time: Approximately 45 minutes

What you need to get:

2 lbs extra lean ground beef
2 or 3 bell peppers (all colors)
1 pack sliced mushrooms
1 onion
1 can sweet whole kernel corn (optional)
1 taco seasoning packet
tortillas ( we like La tortilla Factory Hand made style corn tortillas: white corn. They are soft corn tortillas and very tasty)
1 tomato
1 avocado

Chop up the peppers and onion

Cook the ground beef in one pan

In another pan saute' the chopped peppers, onions, and mushrooms. The peppers take the longest so put them in first followed by the onions and mushrooms.

When meat is browned and the vegetables are done cooking mix them together in the same pan and add taco seasoning and sweet corn if desired.

Mix thoroughly on low heat

Put the taco meat on a tortilla and top off with chopped tomatoes and avocados and eat up!

We had these with whole kernel corn that wasn't sweet and that was good too. Also if you get spicy taco seasoning it will spice them up a bit. These make great leftovers too, I really enjoyed them warmed up the next day.

Health benefits: With extra lean ground beef the meat is a good source of protein. The peppers are excellent sources of vitamins A and C. Along with vitamin B6 and many other nutrients. Mushrooms are low in fat, high in fiber, and a good source of B vitamins. Onions are low in calories and contain vitamins B and C and several anti-oxidants.  Combined with the other ingredients this meal is nutrient packed.