More About SUNNYCALIGIRL

I would not call this health food! It does not fit into the "healthy" guidelines of the Mediterranean Diet as it is high in fat and sodium, but yes, it is Italian. Save it for a special occasion.

Threw together what was on hand and I have a delicious Mediterranean Diet meal!

What do I have on hand to make a casserole...

This is really good!

I love pumpkin pie all year round, not just for Thanksgiving!

Adapted from 12 Tomatoes online.

A minor difference from Classic Tuna Salad.

Easy to put together, cover with foil, keep in the frig and cook later or the next day for dinner. May serve with salad.

This is simple to make, but then what crockpot recipe isn't?

Just grabbed some stuff from the pantry for a quick meal.

Sometimes the best things can made from what's in the pantry!

Just premium canned chicken, mayonnaise, curry, and fresh lime juice.

Using items from the food pantry!

I tried to duplicate my mother's cooking, using less butter, and less time--I ended finishing up in the microwave!

Using up odds n'ends in creative ways!

This is the sauce only part of an online recipe. It is intended to four servings when served with prepared 1 lb. of penne pasta, but as I am one person I cook the sauce and save it for single portions. I changed the recipe by adding beans to increase the protein content.

This is a standard Ashkenazi (European) Jewish recipe, served both as a dessert and as a side. I have reduced calories by using Neufchatel rather than standard cream cheese, part-skim rather than whole milk ricotta, 1% milk rather than whole milk or heavy cream, margarine rather than butter, and yolk free egg noodles. This is a holiday dish, may be served with fish or vegetable entrees.

This is my go-to Tuna Salad recipe, at 288.80 calories per serving.

Best tasting vegan tomato sauce, made from ALMOST scratch!

Instead of mostaccioli pasta, I substituted penne pasta for it. as it was more readily available as whole grain. This is a complete meal, it does not need salad as a companion. Baked Mostaccioli is far easier to make than lasagna, because the noodles are easier to cook and you don't need to layer the ingredients.

I am not a big fan of sweet, I usually put curry and butter in baked squash and sweet potatoes, but this time I went with a more complex sweetness by using an Indian spice mix called Garam Masala. McCormick brand makes their own version for the American market, that is what I have used in this recipe.

Thick and creamy slow cooker mac n' cheese!

A touch of Indian spices with a sweet accent.

Just like Grandma used to make, with a modern alteration--Truvia Cane Sugar Blend for baking replaces half the brown sugar.

I believe this is the first one-pot spaghetti dish I have made. I like it, very healthy. Can be either vegan or vegetarian.

Got a smaller family? Family of one or two? This smaller size is perfect for a meal, and leftover portions can be frozen.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention!

Can be used as a pasta sauce, or even as a vegetable dip, but warm first before serving if using as dip.

Apple pie without the crust!

To decrease sodium further, eliminate the Morton Lite Salt 50% Less Sodium and increase the No Salt by 1/4 a tsp.

You can look at this recipe for ideas, but I am just doing this for my own convenience with my Nutrition tracker.

This is an attempt to make the original recipe found online more vegetarian and lower in sodium, although the sodium is still quite high. I made a mistake with the refried beans, they contain lard and are a Con Agra product (genetic modification). Look for low sodium or no sodium vegetarian refried beans instead. You can veganize this recipe by using vegan cheese and sour cream.

Easy peasy!

I used a Martha Stewart recipe, and changed it somewhat as this was my Thanksgiving entree.

This recipe is from the Food Network kitchen, but I only used the filling, not the crust. I bought a premade crust.

Modified for low sodium from organizeyourselfskinny.com

Adapted from Epicurious.

Comfort food!

Be advised to serve right away; you can expect the noodles to absorb all the soup if less than six people are served and you store any soup in the refrigerator to be reheated and served later.

Quick and easy sauce with on-hand ingredients. You may substitute seasoned rice vinegar if you have it for the apple cider vinegar, or crunchy peanut butter for smooth. Your nutritional values will change.

I fiddled with a recipe online and came out with my own version. AND--homemade coleslaw is quick and easy to make. It doesn't have as many preservatives and is much more fresh! Economical, as well.

This is my version of Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad from the website littlespicejar.com

This is a modification of a traditional recipe in that it uses cholesterol-free liquid egg product and vanilla soy beverage instead of a whole egg and dairy milk. This lowers the cholesterol.

This is a great meal anytime of year, but very comforting and warming for winter if using the cayenne.

This is the "sauce" to be used in the modified Buffalo Hot Sauce Tofu Wrap recipe.

Several years ago now, I found a vegetarian recipe riff on a favorite chicken sandwich served at whichever college or university the student "chef" attended. I have modified it slightly because it was so very high in sodium. It still comes out at almost 1,400 mg--which may very well exceed or meet your sodium limits for the rest of the day. Just watch your sodium in your other meals!

Use as a spread on raisin bread toast, bagels, or Carrot Cake Waffles.

Original recipe is from Willow Bird Bakery. I have adapted the recipe slightly and used ATK's blooming techinque.

A healthy breakfast with protein (soy milk and yogurt) and fiber (oatmeal and banana).

I have riffed here off of another member's recipe which has meat in it, and changed it to a vegan recipe.

Adapted from Peta's White Bean Alfredo Sauce, http://www.peta.org/recipes/white-bean-alf
redo-sauce/

This recipe is from Emilie Eats online. The only alterations I have made are by using low sodium products, kosher salt, and canned tomato instead of fresh.
http://www.emilieeats.com/chickp
ea-pumpkin-coconut-curry-vegan/

Except for the rice, I made this rice loaf from leftover ingredients in my refrigerator. Next time, I will add egg (or two egg whites) to make it hold it's shape--without that ingredient it is more of a casserole.

This recipe is adapted from a butternut squash and spinach lasagna @juliasalbum.com. I made this as my Thanksgiving entree this year (2016)

I have adapted this recipe from flavormosaic.com.

I said I would make calculations for rice using vegetable broth, and here they finally are!

Sazon seasoning is used in Mexican cooking to flavor soups, chicken, and more. It is available commercially packaged in the Hispanic section of most upscale grocery stores, but I am watching my sodium and decided to make my own using this online recipe, so that it uses less sodium. Kosher salt has less sodium than regular table salt and how much is listed with the package ingredients. Sodium content may vary depending on coarse or fine blend etc. ALTERNATELY, you can omit salt from this recipe entirely and adjust whatever recipe you add it to using salt substitute or a smaller amount of sodium in that other recipe. It's up to you.

This recipe is not original, it is from theveglife.com with a few modifications. I don't like it, I think the cookies are dry (although weirdly soft) and don't anticipate making it again. This was my first vegan baking experience. I was very disappointed. I was also quite shocked that a vegan cookie--just one cookie!--would have so many calories.

This recipe is adapted from Big Oven.com's crockpot recipe for Vegetarian Split Pea Soup. Vegetarians/Vegans who are unconcerned about sodium intake may use all vegetable broth. I was unable when I went to the store this time to find unsalted vegetable broth (I shop at Walmart). The original recipe also includes 1/4 cup of snipped parsley. I have left it out--it was probably included to intensify the color, add some flavoring and as a nutrient boost. If you want to add it to this recipe, go ahead.

Quick week night dinner

I adapted this recipe from The Midnight Baker (bakeatmidnite.com) to accommodate my lower sodium and cholesterol needs.

I have adapted this recipe from skinnytaste.com.

I adapted this recipe from Real Simple's Classic American Chili Mac with Elbows, http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/bro
wse-all-recipes/classic-american-chili
-mac-elbows

The original recipe uses 15 oz of canned beans, or 1 can. The USDA serving of beans is 1/2 a cup and the recommendation of servings per a 2,000 calorie diet is 5.5 oz. I have used 16 oz of cooked dried beans instead to equal 4 servings of beans per USDA.

Unlike a taco, this meal doesn't have to be assembled at the table! All preparation is done before baking.

For the Nutrition tracker, I just took information from the Chipotle Mexican Grill website.

This recipe is provided by www.melissas.com

Uses prepackaged food to create a fast burrito or taco filling. Note: Morning Star Farms Grillers Crumbles is NOT vegan, as it lists egg white and nonfat milk as ingredients.

Go-to breakfast if you wake up late or need a quick pick-me up before an early morning workout. Use caution or use decaff coffee if you do not do well with caffeine before a workout, as it can elevate your blood pressure. I adapted this recipe from Self magazine online. But using my brand ingredients has reduced this recipe by 51.8 calories!

This is adapted from the banana bread recipe featured at simplyrecipes.com. I have made it healthier and lower in calories by adapting traditional ingredients. I also add options for additions.

This recipe is straight off the web from the Minimalist Baker. She attributes the recipe to numerous other recipes on the web and does not claim that it is her original recipe.

Morningstar Farms Grillers, a cholesterol-free meat substitute available at most groceries, replaces the ground beef in this recipe.* No cholesterol means less than 1 mg per serving! By not topping your chili with cheese, you are cutting the cholesterol as well. Or, try a vegan shredded cheddar to top off your delicious chili!

A side dish.

This recipe is adapted from At the Immigrant's Table http://immigrantstable.com/

I use this recipe as a topping for a dish I make with lentils & rice. It could also be used with roast beef sandwiches or in onion soup, any recipe requiring caramelized onion. My recipe has less sodium and cholesterol. You may substitute veggie broth for the chicken broth; you will need to recalculate the nutrition information then.

Adapted from www.gimmesomeoven.com