CHASING AWAY THE POST HOLIDAY BLUES

I know that many people feel let down after the holidays. Decking the halls is fun; "undecking" them is work. Personally, as much as I enjoy the festivities, I am relieved to have life back to normal. Once I pack away the decorations for next time, I like to give things a good cleaning before putting back my everyday knickknacks. Having things clean and back in order is very satisfying.

January can be sort of a gift to yourself. After all the holiday bustle, I think of it as an unpressured time to do what I want to do. Brisk walks on cold days are invigorating. Long evenings are a good time to pick up hobbies and projects that have sat neglected. (Art projects and bits of needlework keep me entertained when my husband has the TV on ESPN or the golf channel.)

I also like to cook comfort food on cold days, but many of the foods I once cooked do not fit into our diet today. Below are some old favorites that I have adapted to healthier eating:

Spicy Fiesta Casserole

The spicy, creamy sauce makes this yummy. Because I try to control sodium in our diet, I cooked my own beans and poached the chicken breasts. Then I cooked the rice in the poaching liquid from the chicken. If you are not particularly concerned with sodium, you can make this recipe easier by cooking the rice in canned broth and using canned beans and purchased cooked chicken.

2 large, cooked chicken breasts, cubed
2 cups cooked brown rice (preferably cooked in chicken broth)
14.5-ounce can no-salt-added corn, drained
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained
14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, rice, corn, black beans and tomatoes with liquid.

Add the olive oil to a sauce pan and heat to medium high. Saute the onion and green pepper in the olive oil. Add 1 1/4 cups of the skim milk and season with the cumin, coriander, garlic powder, oregano, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Dissolve the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and whisk it into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Pour the sauce over the other ingredients in the large bowl. Toss gently to mix.
Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole. Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the cheese. Bake another 5 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

White Chili

I made this once just before we were leaving town. I had leftover chili so I decided to take the rest to a friend. She liked it so much that every time I saw her she kept whispering, "Make more white chili!" as a sort of subliminal message. It was something I had just thrown together so the next time I made it, I wrote down what I did. I took her some and was able to give her the recipe and to share it with you.

2 cups dried Great Northern beans
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 small hot pepper–such as harabenero*-chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups low-fat, low sodium chicken broth
pinch of salt, optional
Cayenne pepper to taste
Grated Swiss cheese, optional

Rinse and pick over the beans. Put them in a large sauce pan and bring them to a boil. Cover the pan and let the beans sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse them.
Put the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pan. Add the onion, garlic, peppers and turkey. Saute over medium heat until the turkey is brown and the onions are translucent. Add the cumin, oregano and chicken stock. Stir in the beans and salt, if using. Cover and simmer 2 hours or until the beans are soft and done.

Serve hot topped with a bit of grated Swiss cheese, if desired.

*You could use jalapenos but use 2. Harabeneros and Scotch Bonnets are small and fiery hot. One little one gives this dish just enough "kick."

Whole Grain Mac’n Cheese

The difficult part of making a healthy macaroni and cheese is controlling the cholesterol and sodium in the cheese. I was very careful and added up the sodium in the pasta, the milk and the cheese. I came up with 768 mg. Since this makes 6 generous servings, I figure 131 mg. per serving, below the 140 mg. per serving guideline for a low sodium diet. Because I reduced the cheese, I decided to zip up the flavor with peppers and onion.

2 cups whole grain rotini or macaroni
12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 cup skim milk, divided
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 ounce grated 2% sharp cheddar (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 ounce grated 2% medium cheddar (about 1/3 cup)

Cook the rotini or macaroni according to package directions. It will absorb liquid from the sauce so make sure to only cook it al dente. Drain.

Add the evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of the skim milk to a sauce pan. Season with the tumeric, paprika, dry mustard and black pepper. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup milk and whisk into the milk in the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. While it is hot, stir in the sharp cheddar stirring until it has melted into the sauce. Stir in the onion and pepper.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20 minutes and sprinkle on the remaining cheddar. Bake another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.