What's on your RD's plate?

For installment number two of “What’s on your RD’s plate?” I’d like to highlight a meal I made last week which received rave reviews from my boyfriend, Harold. For those of you who have attended some of GLC’s cooking classes, you may have heard me say that I like to test out new recipes on Harold, and when he gives a thumb’s up I know the recipe will likely be a big hit with others. He’s generally quite picky, but thanks to my influence, he has slowly broadened his food-horizons (a little bit). My poor guinea pig boyfriend! J

This recipe was inspired by Cooking Light's Greek Pasta with Meatballs recipe. Of course, I had to modify it. I almost NEVER make a recipe completely by the book. So instead, here’s what I did:

I sure could stand for some
pointers on food photography...

 

Ingredients:

·         1 cup (uncooked) pearl Barley (makes 2 cups cooked)

·         1 package Whole Foods The Original Brat Hans All Natural Gourmet Chicken Meatballs – Aged Parmesan & Fennel flavor, from the frozen foods section (we used these in October’s GLC Cooking class with spaghetti squash – anyone remember?)

·         1/2 jar Whole Foods 365 Mushroom Pasta sauce (jarred pasta sauce – lazy I know!)

·         1/2 package pre-rinsed raw Arugula

·         Low-fat Parmesan and Feta cheeses for topping

Directions:

1.    Prepare the barley with 1 cup uncooked barley and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, covered for 30-45 minutes. Stirring occasionally. This step I started right when I got home so it was all ready to go when it came close to eating time. The rest of the steps are quick!

2.    Prepare meatballs according to package directions (bake around 400° F in a baking dish for 10-15 minutes, if I remember correctly).

3.    Heat sauce in a small saucepan until desired temperature.

4.    Spoon barley across the plate, top with arugula, meatballs, and then sauce. Sprinkle with cheese if desired and enjoy!

The pictures really do not truly capture the beauty of the plate. The red of the sauce and green of the arugula with the creams and whites of the cheese and barley were a beautiful sight for hungry eyes! The peppery flavors of the arugula blended great with the spiced meatballs, plus the arugula was an easy, extra bonus ingredient to up the vegetable content. The chewy barley grains made a high-fiber and nutrient-rich substitution for the original recipe’s orzo pasta and the chicken meatballs, although not homemade were a great low-fat alternative. I hope you’ll be encouraged to try it out and let me know what you think!

Happy eating,

Chloe RD and the GLC



Have you tried any other recipes included on the GLC blog?

What's been cooking in your kitchen?

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