Asian Cabbage

2-3 cups shredded red cabbage
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray (try to use an organic olive oil) and throw in onions and cabbage. Saute 2 minutes, then add bean sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Pour in soy sauce and cook on medium high until sauce is pretty well absorbed, about 5 minutes. Serve hot (bean spouts go rancid fast, so don't bother refrigerating leftovers).

Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes it is difficult to get all your carbs in when you pack your lunch or have a late dinner. Mike has an especially difficult time because he is trying to eat nearly 400g of carbs per day. His aunt Sarah gave us this idea to make sweet potatoes in advance to eat alone as a quick carb. Sweet potatoes are low-glycemic and extremely healthy.

Heat your oven to 350. Individually wrap each sweet potato in tin foil, then place in a baking dish (the potatoes will emit a syrup-like liquid, so make sure you cook in a baking dish). Cook 1.5 to 2 hours, flipping potatoes over halfway through cooking.

When you take them out of the oven, carefully open tin foil and place potatoes on a wire rack to cool. After 10 - 15 minutes, remove the skin (it will come off extremely easily) and cut in half. Store in a ziplock or Tupperware for up to a week.

Squash Casserole

My mom is famous for her squash casserole, so this is my quick and healthy version.

3-4 cups squash or zucchini, cut
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 half and half
3-4 tbsp jack or cheddar cheese

Heat oil in large skillet, then add onions and squash/zucchini. Stir fry 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then remove from heat. Add half and half to slightly cooled veggies, stir well, then add cheese (except about 1tbsp worth).
Pour into a small baking dish and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, turn on broiler, top with last tbsp of cheese and put under broiler until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Curried Okra

In the south, okra is usually served deep fried or added to soups for thickening. Okra is, however, a low-carb vegetable that, when prepared correctly, has a wonderful texture and depth of flavor.

1-2 tbsp light colored oil
2-3 cups fresh okra, rinsed and diced into large pieces
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt

Heat a skillet to medium-high, then add oil and turn around in pan. Add okra and stir fry 2-3 minutes, then add seasoning. Cook another 2 minutes, then serve hot.

Stuffed Zucchini

2-3 zucchini
salt and pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 lemon
1 egg white
2-3 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
2-3 tbsp mozzarella

Slice zucchini in half, then cut down the length. Scoop out the seeds on the inside, then season with salt and pepper and place under broiler 4-5 minutes.
Mix ricotta, juice of lemon, egg white, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Once zucchini cools, fill with mixture and place in 375 oven. Cook 15-20 minutes, then top with mozzarella and put under broiler until cheese browns.

Borscht

This gorgeous soup is a great way to use up leftover roasted beets. Although beets are higher in sugar than some carbs, they are an excellent source of fiber.

3 or 4 medium beets
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 onion
2-3 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp sour cream
1 green onion, chopped

Cook the beets using the previously posted recipe.
In a large skillet, add onion and butter. Cook 5-6 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Add beets and vegetable stock, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes.
Pour soup into blender and puree until smooth. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and diced green onions.

Grilled Pears

Sometimes, you just need dessert.

1 ripe Bartlett pear
1/2 tsp butter or cooking spray
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp organic chocolate sauce

Halve pear and remove pit and skin. Heat grill or skillet to medium and grease with spray or butter. Add pears, face down and cook until just starting to brown and carmelize; about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and top with ice cream and chocolate sauce (optional)

Real Gyro Meat

Gyro meat is flavorful and can be a healthy dish when paired with tzatziki sauce and veggies. You could make this with ground turkey, chicken or lean beef.

1 onion, chopped
2 lb ground lamb
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper

Put onion in food processor for 10 seconds, then remove and squeeze out excess liquid. Return to processor with lamb and seasonings and blend about 1 minute. You will probably need to stop and move everything around a couple of times (my processor got stuck at one point from so much food). Pack mixture into a meatloaf pan (well greased with olive oil or spray).

Heat oven to 325. Place meatloaf pan in a larger baking dish and fill that outside dish with water, about halfway up the meatloaf pan's sides. Cook 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven, drain off fat (don't put it in your sink!), then place a heavy object on the gyro meat while it rests (a brick wrapped in tin foil works perfectly). Let the gyro meat compress for about 10-15 minutes, then shave thinly with an electric knife.

***This recipe is based off an episode of my absolute favorite Food show, Good Eats, which features the hilarious and intelligent Alton Brown. AB advocates the idea of compressing the meat, which I think is genius.