ROMA BROCCOLI AND FUSILLI SALAD



This salad is too easy! I made it for lunch today using a purchased salad from Whole Foods. It's filled with lots of delicious Mediterranean flavors. I've listed the salad ingredients (my closest guess) in case you don't have a Whole Foods Market nearby.




Ingredients


1/2 or 1 full package Fusilli, cooked and drained

½ to 1 cup Roma Broccoli Salad from Whole Foods (contains broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic cloves, olives, oil and vinegar and a little grated Parmesan cheese)

A dash of balsamic vinegar (I like golden balsamic)

S&P




Directions


Toss all ingredients together and serve.

SPICY NACHOS


This recipe is soooo good! It can be a meal or a snack, and also makes a great party food. The saltiness of the chips and the heat and spiciness of this particular brand of cheese alternative are what really makes this dish. The cheese would be considered one of your 3 condiments for the day because of its fat content, and the fact it contains minimal amounts protein and carbohydrate.


Ingredients


1 package of Plain Bagel Chips, each chip broken into 2 or 3 large pieces

2 ounces Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheese Alternative, Nacho flavor (you can find it at Whole Foods Market)

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

1 scallion, both the green and white parts snipped into rings

1 little bit of plain low fat yogurt



Directions

1. Place bagel chips on a plate, and arrange the chopped tomato on top.

2. Melt the cheese in the microwave for about 20 seconds max. Be careful because it melts very fast. Drizzle over the chips and tomato.

3. Top with the scallion rings and a few dollops of yogurt.


Enjoy!

DIJON SPREAD



I discovered this by accident one day when I was trying to come up with a spread for a ham sandwich. I’ve never been a big fan of mustard (an understatement!), but I do like the flavor the Dijon varieties in some salad dressings. I started playing around with different ways to cut down on the mustard flavor and came up with this. Everyone at my house likes it, including me! It’s also very good with both varieties of pretzels.



Ingredients


Dijon mustard

Light cream cheese

Low fat yogurt




Directions


Mix together equal parts of mustard, cream cheese and yogurt. Use it as you would the foods on the ZoneFast plan condiment list, a tablespoon or two per serving.

ROASTED MUSHROOM, ARTICHOKE HEART AND ORZO SALAD


This meal takes no time at all to make, especially if you keep one of your favorite mixed veggie salads on hand. Any Mediterranean type of salad will work.



Ingredients


1/2 or 1 full package orzo, cooked and drained

½ to 3/4 cup roasted mushroom and artichoke salad from Whole Foods (contains roasted mushrooms cut in quarters, halved artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, baby spinach, oil and vinegar dressing and sesame seeds)

A dash of red wine vinegar

S&P



Directions

Toss all ingredients together and serve.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE PIZZA


I just put this together for the first time a few days ago, using items I happened to have on hand on hand at the time. We love it!



Ingredients:


1 Zone white pizza crust

A handful or two of frozen grilled eggplant and zucchini, thawed slightly, use enough to almost cover the crust in a single layer (I use Trader Joe’s Marinated Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini, and rinse some of the oil off; it’s not a Zone friendly oil)

Sliced mushrooms, cooked; use an amount to suit your liking (I buy the fresh baby bellas already slices, cook them and store them in the fridge for easy use)

1 or 2 cloves fresh or frozen finely minced garlic, to you taste (I use Dorot brand frozen crushed garlic cubes when I'm in a hurry)

1/2 to 1 tablespoon of sun dried tomato strips

Oregano

Freshly ground pepper

A little bit of Himalayan pink sea salt

1/2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Place pizza on a baking sheet and layer all the items on the crust in the order given, except for the olive oil, which will be used after the pizza is baked.
3. Place on the middle rack of the oven; bake for about 7 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, drizzle with the olive oil and enjoy!

OLIVE TAPENADE PIZZA

I put this recipe together when we wanted fast lunch and were in the mood for pizza. I opened the fridge, looked for some likely pizza toppings among the leftovers and had a delicious pizza about 10 minutes later. It’s great for a quick meal or snack.



Ingredients (given in amount per person):



1/2 Zone white pizza crust

1 to 1 ½ teaspoons Trader Joe's Original Olive Tapenade

A handful of sliced mushrooms, cooked (I buy the fresh baby bellas already slices, cook them and store them in the fridge for easy use)

1/2 to 1 tablespoon of sun dried tomato strips

Oregano

Freshly ground pepper

Sea salt to taste

1/2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese




Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet and spread with the tapenade.

3. Arrange the mushrooms and tomatoes on the crust and, and sprinkle the rest of the ingredients on top.

4. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 7 minutes.

SHUCKS....NO BROWNIE SUNDAES HERE EITHER

BROWNIE SUNDAE

Oh yeah...this brownie sundae is goooood.




Ingredients:

(These are approximate amounts, and I use Trader Joe's brand.)


scant 1/4 cup thawed OG frozen raspberries
a few Tbsp. OG nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp. chunky almond butter with roasted flax seeds
1Tbsp frozen pomegranate seeds




Directions:


Zap the brownie in the microwave to warm it slightly, cut it into cubes, and layer it along with rest of the ingredients. I like to layer it in a clear glass. You could also add a little agave or some vanilla extract to the yogurt if you like.

OK SUE...I HAVE THE BROWNIE...NOW SEND OVER THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS! LOL
I WROTE IT DOWN FOR THE NEXT SHOPPING TRIP! THANKS!!
FOR TONITE I WILL TRY YOUGURT AND A MASHED STRAWBERRY...OH & I HAVE SMOOTH ALMOND BUTTER. YUM

That'll do Mel. Whatever you have on hand is fine. :-)

FRANK'S PEAR SANDWICH

This is something I made for my husband, Frank, on the spur of the moment, when he took a nice ripe pear out of the fridge and was trying to decide what else to have with it. It's become one of his favorites.

Toast 2 slices of Zone Cinnamon Swirl Loaf. Spread one slice with some peanut butter or almond butter (we like Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Roasted Flax Seeds, Crunchy Salted), place some thinly sliced pear on it (approx.1/4" thick slices), and top with the other slice of bread. A small glass of milk goes good with this sandwich.

Wow, thank you so much for posting these recipes. MY kind of food!

Sheryl, glad you're enjoying these! :-)

Sue, just a question to clarify,

If the ZoneFast plan is supposed to lower inflammation levels lower than that of regular food, then wouldn't it be counter-intuitive to use a product with flax in it? Just wondering... I would probably use a plain almond butter rather than one with flax in it.

But, the recipe does sound delicious, thanks for sharing.

Hi Zoners!

"If the ZoneFast plan is supposed to lower inflammation levels lower than that of regular food, then wouldn't it be counter-intuitive to use a product with flax in it? Just wondering... I would probably use a plain almond butter rather than one with flax in it."


The specific product I mentioned contains whole flax seed (intact flax seeds added to prepared almond butter; you can read more about it in this month's Trader Joe's flyer). Typically you will absorb negligible amounts, if any, of the oil when eating whole intact flax seed. Add to that the fact there is a miniscule amount of flax seed in the small amount of this product a person would use for the Zone, and it quickly becomes apparent that this would be fine to include in your Zone diet for some variety.

Sue,

I have read your advice regarding the almost total elimination of omega-6 in one's diet, I think I even read it somewhere today where you posted this very advice for zoners to do everything to eliminate omega-6. Yet, it is fine to use products with small amounts of omega-6?

Sorry, I am really trying to understand where the line is drawn. Can you qualify it for me? How much is ok, how much is too much?

(and you must have missed my compliment on your recipe idea with the pear...)

I had to look up Fusilli and found that it is defined as "Twisted Spaghetti. LOL

Hi Zoners,


"Yet, it is fine to use products with small amounts of omega-6?"

For those who might be confused by the questions being asked here about omega 6, it is an essential fatty acid occurring in many foods, including fruit and vegatables. Essential means it is needed for life and the body cannot manufacture it. The only way to get it is from the things you eat. Most foods that contain fat contain a little omega 6 fat. The most favorable Zone foods contain some, foods such as tomatoes, green beans, mushrooms, strawberries, apples, olive oil, olives, avocados and almonds.

Sue,

Yes, it is a given that we all need some omega-6 fat.

But, you haven't answered my question--where do you draw the line on it, and how much should a person have?

Here is a link and a quote from a post to someone else:

http://www.zonediet.com/Community/F...fault.aspx

"Keep your focus on eating to lower inflammation and insulin levels (that means lots of veggies, little to no omega 6, eating your fish oil and Sea Health Plus daily) and you'll have the best results."

When I read that post, I assume that the "little" amount of omega-6 is what we get in our diet from eating zone-favorable foods, and not what we add to it.

I hope you treat this question as a legitimate question, I think that it would be helpful to other zoners to know, as well; basically, it seems confusing to me to read when you say "don't add any omega-6 to your food" on one hand, and then post that you have just added some on the other hand.

MEDITERRANEAN DIP

This is a scaled down version of a recipe on the Whole Foods Market site. The original recipe called for pita chips, which I've replaced with Zone bagel chips. This makes a very satisfying fun Zone meal or snack. It makes one serving, but can be multiplied by 8 to fit in an 8 inch square baking dish. The larger version can also be layered in a glass bowl or small trifle dish, if you like. Be sure to drain the wet ingredients well, to prevent the dip from becoming watery. I've included some substitutions, for those times when you don't have all the ingredients on hand.



Ingredients

1/8 cup hummus (I like to use roasted red pepper hummmus in this.)

1/8 cup firmly packed baby spinach, roughly chopped

1/8 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers, drained

1 artichoke heart, (either marinated or not), drained and roughly chopped

1/8 cup plain low fat or nonfat Greek-style yogurt (or any low fat or nonfat yogurt)

a couple sliced pitted black olives, such as Kalamata (or little organic extra virgin olive)

1 tablespoon of crumbled low fat or fat free feta cheese

1 package Zone bagel chips (the plain variety)




Directions

1. Spread hummus slightly on a small dish or in the bottom of a dessert size bowl.

2. Scatter spinach over the top and press down lightly.

3. Arrange peppers, then artichokes hearts over the top.

4. Drop dollops of yogurt over the artichokes, then spread out to make an even layer.

5. Sprinkle with olives (or olive oil) and feta.

6. Serve with the bagel chips on the side.


Enjoy!

PEANUT BUTTER BREAKFAST SUNDAE


Ingredients

1/3 to 1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt (low fat is fine, too)
1/2 Tablespoon peanut butter
A little bit of vanilla flavoring, if desired
1 package Zone Peanut Butter Granola


Directions

Stir the peanut butter and vanilla flavoring into the yogurt and top with the granola.

Voila, you’ve got a delicious sundae!

ORZO WITH FRESH HERBS AND TOMATO



Ingredients

1 package Zone Orzo
¼ cup roughly chopped assorted fresh herbs (I like to use rosemary, oregano and thyme)
1 small handful fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
A dash of your balsamic vinegar, (I like golden balsamic)
S&P to taste



Directions


1. Cook orzo following Zone directions, and drain.
2. Toss all ingredients together, let stand for a few minutes for flavors to blend, and serve.

This dish is also very good when prepared ahead and chilled.

SUE'S ZONE BREAD PUDDING
(makes 8 dessert size servings, or 4 lunch or snack size servings)


This was my contribution to the dessert table this past Thanksgiving and eveyone loved it! It's based on a recipe for bread pudding found in THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING COOKBOOK (1973 edition).


Ingredients:


whites of 4 eggs
1 scant tablespoon blue agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk
1 cup unsweetened low carb soy milk
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (or to your taste; don't leave it out becasue it’s very important to the flavor of the pudding)
A sprinkling of cinnamon
4 slices of Zone white bread, cubed
½ to ¾ tablespoon butter (2 or 3 pats), plus a little extra butter for greasing the dish

optional: replace the white bread with 4 slices Zone Cinnamon Swirl Loaf, cubed



Directions:


Preheat oven to 325. Lightly butter a 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Spread ½ of the bread cubes evenly in the bottom of the casserole dish and dot with the butter. Spread the other ½ of the bread cubes on top of this and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, agave syrup and vanilla bit with a fork or wire whisk. Add the milk, soy milk, nutmeg and cinnamon to the egg mixture, continuing to whisk until well mixed. Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the bread cubes.

Set casserole in a baking pan; fill the pan half way up the side of the casserole with very hot water (hot tap water is fine). Bake 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.


This can be served warm or cold; store in the fridge.

"RICE" PILAF WITH MUSHROOMS

This is a conbination of my favorite parts fo several ZoneFast recipes. It's an easy and tasty dish that takes only about 10-15 minutes to get ready, and most of that is preheating and cooking time.



Ingredients:

1 small container sliced portabello mushrooms
1 package Zone Orzo
Herbs and spices of your choice (I keep it simple with parsley, onion powder, garlic powder and chives)
S&P to taste
1 to 1 ½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil


Directions:

1. Rinse mushrooms to clean, and spread them on a baking sheet. Place in a preheated 425 oven for 8 to 10 minutes to roast. (A tip: use parchment paper on the baking sheet for easy cleanup.)

2. While mushrooms are roasting cook the orzo al dente according to Zone pasta cooking instructions, and drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.

3. Toss orzo with the mushrooms, spices, S&P and enough cooking water to keep it moist.

4. Transfer to a dinner plate and drizzle with olive oil

CHICKEN AND “RICE” SOUP

Here’s nice soup for a meal or snack on a cold day, made with leftovers from” RICE” PILAF WITH MUSHROOMS”.


Ingredients:

1/2 of my “RICE“ PILAF WITH MUCHROOMS recipe, prepared
½ cup of your favorite chicken broth (Trader Joe’s Free Range Chicken broth is good in this recipe)
S & P, if desired
Optional, ½ to 1 oz. diced cooked chicken breast and/or diced leftover veggies

Directions:

1. Stir the broth and leftover “rice“ recipe together, adding S & P and optional ingredients if desired.

2. Heat in the microwave.