HEALTHY IN A HURRY

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It's All in the Pantry

Featured Recipe: Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta

5 quick recipes for healthy weeknight dinners

By Jessie Price, Food Editor, EatingWell August/September 2008

Even if I got stranded at my house for weeks, I’d still eat like a queen. I would make hearty soups and black bean-barley salad. I’d nosh on nuts, tapenade-topped crackers and hearts of palm, all from items stored in my pantry. I admit, I get a tad overexcited at the grocery store. But you don’t have to take it to my extreme (I have seven kinds of unopened mustard at home) to keep a well-stocked pantry. And when you do make the small effort to keep your pantry stocked, you save time getting dinner on the table.

The well-stocked pantry starts with your cabinets and extends to your refrigerator, the fruit basket and the dark drawer where potatoes, onions and garlic are stored. (For a complete list of healthy foods to keep on hand, visit eatingwell.com/healthypantry.) For these five recipes, most of the ingredients are pantry staples; you need to pick up just a couple perishable items to supplement. I add red pepper, tomatoes and goat cheese to my shopping list for Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta. For Curried Scallop-Apple Salad I only need to stop at the store for scallops—I always keep apples on hand in the fall and salad greens year-round.

I probably won’t get stranded at my house anytime soon. But I do know that when it comes to getting my grocery shopping done and making a delicious, healthy meal in a hurry, I’ve got what it takes.

• MONDAY: Curried Scallop-Apple Salad—Curry complements seared scallops, tart apples and sweet dried cranberries while toasted almonds add crunch in this quick fall dinner salad. Serve with toasted whole-wheat baguette and a glass of sauvignon blanc.
• TUESDAY: Steak Diane—A brandied mixed mushroom sauce tops seared strip steak in our healthy version of the classic dish Steak Diane. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.
• WEDNESDAY: Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta—Here’s a way to use the “power vegetables” sweet potato and red bell pepper in a satisfying vegetarian pasta dish full of fresh herbs and creamy goat cheese. Any fresh herbs you have on hand, like basil, oregano, sorrel or chives, can be substituted for the tarragon. Serve with a garden salad.
• THURSDAY: Moo Shu Vegetables—This vegetarian version of the classic Chinese stir-fry, Moo Shu, uses already-shredded vegetables to cut down on the prep time. Serve with warm whole-wheat tortillas, Asian hot sauce and extra hoisin if desired.
• FRIDAY: Salmon Pinwheels—Don’t be intimidated by this fancy-looking breaded-salmon pinwheel, it’s quite easy to do. This technique works best when you use “center-cut” salmon fillet. If you don’t have a center-cut fillet or want to simplify the preparation, leave the fillet whole, spread the mayonnaise over it, top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake. To cut down on prep time, ask your fishmonger to skin the salmon for you. Serve with garlic-rosemary roasted potatoes and wilted spinach.

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