Quick-fix suppers with healthy ingredients

IN THE KITCHEN by Ann Harwood: Here are a few recipes that are easy to make but won’t tack on the calories.

   As I was dutifully trotting on my treadmill the other morning, I heard a lead-in for a health guru talking about eating healthily when you have to eat out.
   As most of us still eat in more than out, it got me thinking about eating healthily when you have to eat — and cook — in, but don’t have much time.
   Unless I have the luxury of a whole day to cook and test recipes, this is my usual quandary. Busy, busy, grab a snack. Snacks add up to big calories.
   One of my nemeses in the low fat snacking and eating regimen is cheese, which I love and try to keep to small portions. I also love melted cheese. Therefore I love quesadillas but needed to make them less disastrous to eat than the laden-with-cheese, served-with-sour-cream version you often get in restaurants.
   When testing cooking methods for these gooey delights, I tried cooking them three ways — on a griddle with just a little olive oil, sautéed in a little fat, and cooked without fat in a large nonstick skillet. I actually preferred those cooked without fat — a good thing, as there is plenty of fat in the melted cheese.
   I found those cooked in the nonstick skillet easier to pick up and eat in my fingers, less greasy. They are great for lunch or a light supper when served with a big salad.
   I offer here two more nutritious supper dishes that can be made vegetarian with one simple ingredient switch. The vegetarian versions are not too fatty. The kielbasa is a bit.
RIGATONI WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH
(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s "Healthy Quick Cook")
   ½ pound rigatoni
   1 tablespoon olive oil
   1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
   1 tablespoon brown sugar
   1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
   2 cups nonfat, reduced sodium chicken or vegetable stock
   Pinch cinnamon
   1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
   2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or just a couple pinches dried thyme
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
   Cook rigatoni in 4 quarts boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt until al dente. Drain in colander and set aside.
   Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet over medium heat add olive oil and onion. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add squash and chicken stock, reduce heat to low and cook until sauce is thickened and squash is fork-tender.
   Add cinnamon, lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pasta and serve.
   Serves 4.
   Note: I think a green salad with Boston or Bibb lettuce, peas, avocado, finely chopped green onion and fresh parsley would be a beautiful accompaniment for this golden main dish.
KIELBASA (OR TOFU DOGS) AND BEANS
   1 pound kielbasa or tofu hot dogs, cut into 1-inch diagonal chunks plus 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
   ½ large Spanish onion, sliced into crescents
   1 stalk celery, diced
   2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed with cold water
   ½ teaspoon dried savory
   A little water or stock
   Freshly ground black pepper
   2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
   If using kielbasa, place in large nonstick skillet with onion and celery and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown. If using tofu hot dogs, which are less fatty than kielbasa, place olive oil in skillet and begin to cook onion and celery. When vegetables are transparent, add tofu hot dog chunks and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown.
   Add beans, savory, a little water or stock to keep from sticking, and some freshly ground black pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 10-15 minutes to blend flavors. Sprinkle with parsley and serve alongside mashed potatoes, brown or white rice. (Spinach sautéed with a little olive oil and garlic makes a good accompaniment to this dish.)
   Serves 4.
QUESADILLAS
(Thanks to Rick Bayless, "Authentic Mexican," David Rosengarten, "The Dean & DeLuca Cookbook," and Sheila Lukens, "USA Cookbook" for their inspiration)
   The key to making quesadillas savory and wonderful, but not messy and impossible to eat, is to use just a little of the flavoring ingredients and not tons of cheese. These should not be laden with toppings. Less is more in this case. Keep it light.
The Basic
   8 flour tortillas*
   1 cup, loosely packed, grated mild cheddar
   1 cup, loosely packed, grated Monterey Jack
   ¼ cup mild salsa
   1 jalapeño pepper, sliced crosswise wafer thin
   Place four tortillas on the counter. Sprinkle lightly with cheese. Dab on a little salsa here and there, then scatter jalapeño slices around. Top with remaining tortillas.
   Heat two large nonstick skillets until fairly hot over medium heat. Place one quesadilla in each and cook about 2 minutes, until underneath is flecked with brown.
   Use a nonmetal spatula to turn quesadilla over. Cook 30 seconds to a minute, until second side is beginning to brown underneath. Slide onto plates and cook remaining two quesadillas.
   Serves 4.
The Not-so-Basic
   1. Omit salsa and jalapeño. Scatter a little cooked spinach and browned diced onion or not-browned cooked garlic on top of the cheese.
   2. Omit salsa and jalapeño. Add a little crumbled, cooked chorizo sausage or very thinly sliced pepperoni over the cheese.
   3. Omit salsa and jalapeño. Add strips of roasted poblano chile and cheese.
   4. Add drained, rinsed canned beans or refried beans and salsa, plus cheese.
   5. Add fried onions and shredded cooked chicken, turkey or pork, along with the cheese.
   6. Omit salsa and jalapeño. Add sautéed onion with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar, shredded cooked dark meat of turkey, chicken or duck (all dark) and fresh parsley, along with the cheese.
   7. Omit salsa and jalapeño. This is a nod to the Whole Earth Center’s Cheese Melt. Use whole wheat tortillas or whole wheat pita bread split in half. Omit salsa and jalapeño. Spread a little whole grain mustard on one tortilla. Top with the cheese. Scatter on a little sautéed onion, a little grated carrot, a little chopped cherry tomato, some thinly sliced zucchini, a little thinly sliced red or green bell pepper, then the other tortilla.
   * The brand I like best, "Mex America," is available at McCaffrey’s, the Shop Rite in Montgomery and the Pennington Market. It is made with soy oil, no hydrogenated fat, and even comes in a whole wheat version.
   Ann Harwood is a columnist for The Princeton Packet. For more stories from The Princeton Packet, go to www.princetonpacket.com.