Monday, September 29, 2008

Roasted red pepper hummus

I dont remember where i got this recipe, but it's really good

4 whole wheat pitas cut into triangles
cooking spray
garlic powder
1 can chickpeas drained (regular sized can)
1C sauteed Red Peppers
1/4C tahini sauce
2T lemon juice
3-4 garlic cloves
1t cumin
2T fine chopped parsely

400*F season pita with garlic powder bake 6-8 minutes golden brown and crisp

Place can chickpeas in blender with red peppers, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin. Process until smooth
Season to taste with salt and pepper
transfer to bowl top with parsely
serve with toasted pita triangles.

pasta salad

This is great for a picnic to the park on a hot day. Got the recipe out of taste of home magazine.

1 pkg (12oz) tricolor spiral pasta (I used wacky mac)
2C cubed part-skim mozzarella cheese (I used colby jack and some pepper jack)
2C cubed cooked chicken (I used terriyake and pineapple sausges instead, 2 of them)
1 lrg green pepper chopped
1 lrg sweet red pepper, chopped
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cans (2 1/4 oz each) sliced ripe olives, drained
6 green onions (i used red instead, and about 1/2C maybe)
1 pkg sliced pepperoni, halved (used turkeyroni, and only about 1/2pkg)
1/2C vegetable oil (Canola oil)
1/3C red wine vinegar ( i used red wine vinegar infused with pomegrant)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (omitted, had plenty of salt already)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. rinse with cold water and drain well. Place in large serving bowl, combine all meat and veggies.
Mix together seasonings, canola oil, and red wine vinegar. pour over salad and toss. refrigerate until serving.
Makes a lot!

Birthday Cake

Went to a new friends birthday party it was her 21st birthday so i made the cake, it actually turned out really but but very sugar loaded. I had a little trouble with the frosting since it was pretty warm in the kitchen, but after frosting some and then placing in the frig for a short time it turned out rather well. Still trying to find the inside picture, but it's a white cake and there is the blue frosting in between the 2 layers.
Found the recipe in my taste of home baking book

White layer cake

1/2C butter, softened

1 1/2C sugar

4 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

2C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/3C buttermilk (I didnt have any so i subbed 1 1/3C plain Lowfat Yogurt, worked great and tasted very moist.)

2 1/2C frosting of your choice (recipe below)


Directions
1. in large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg whites one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in Vanila. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternating with buttermilk/yogurt beating well after each addition.

2. spread evenly into 2 greased and floured 9 in round baking pans. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick is inserted near the center come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. spread frosting between layders and over top and sides of cake.


Butter cream Frosting
from taste of home baking cook book

1/2C butter, softened
4 1/2C confectioners sugar
1 1/2tsp vanilla (I left out)
5 to 6 Tbsp Milk

in large bowl cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency

oatmeal raisin yogurt cookies

I found this recipe on the lid of my yogurt container they were really good. I took some to meanttobewed for her birthday. I put the recipe as i made it a little different from the directions

1/2C WW flour
1/2C white flour
1C old-fashioned oats
1/2C firm packed brown sugar
1 1/2tsp double acting baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2C raisins
1C yogurt (vanilla or strawberry)
1lrg egg
2Tbsp canola oil

1. preheat oven to 375*
2. lightly grease 1/2C muffin tins or use paper liners. In bowl stir together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and the raisins. in another bowl whisk together yogurt, egg and oil
3. Stir the yogurt mix into the flour mixture and stir the batter until it is just combined.
4. Divide the batter amoung 10 cavities and bake the muffins on the middle rack for 22-25 mintues

Yeild 10 muffins.

country potatoes au gratin



I got this recipe from cookinglight.com
this is my modified recipe these were really good.


Ingredients
1 teaspoons butter
1 medium onion (about 5 1/2 ounces), thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
3 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 1/2 cups), divided
6 ounces diced ham (about 1 1/4 cups) (omitted)
1 1/2 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 T brown mustard
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Add 4 ounces cheese and ham, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in potatoes.
Place the potato mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle potato mixture with remaining 2 ounces of cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 15 minutes before serving

Sunday, September 28, 2008

veggie ham Rice n cheese casserole


I found this recipe for Veggie Mac n cheese in my taste of home magazine and I thought i would make something of it. I cooked up some Brown Rice, I had some ham in the frig and some broccoli in the freezer that i cooked up.
I used the cheese sauce recipe from the magazine. This was really good and went quick at dinner time.
2 cups cooked brown rice
~1 1/2 C broccoli cooked if its frozen
1/2 Red Pepper cut into pieces
1/2 C corn
1/2 C ham
1T butter
1/4C flour
1C milk
1C chicken broth, low sodium I believe i used veggie broth
3C shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 dijon mustard I used spicey brown mustard
pepper
paprika
cook rice according to directions, cook broccoli according to directions
mix broccoli, peppers, & rice
place in 8x8 SPRAYED baking dish after cooked and drained
melt butter sprinkle in flour until blended gradually add in milk and broth. Bring to boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese and mustard, add pepper. Pour over rice, and veggies sprinkle some cheese and paprika
Bake uncovered @ 350* for 15-20 minutes or until heated thru.

chicken salad

I cooked up some chicken the night before in mrs dash seasoning. Added it to mixed spring greens in the morning, topped with some carrots, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, and walnuts. and added a raspberry dressing at lunch time. was pretty filling and good.

Strawberry Yogurt Scones


Found this recipe on cookinglight.com it is a great one for breakfast in the morning, really moist and tastey!
I did cut the recipe in half as i wanted to make sure it would turn out and they would all get eaten. Here is the whole recipe though...
Yield
12 scones (serving size: 1 scone)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup diced strawberries
2/3 cup strawberry fat-free yogurt
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Combine strawberries, yogurt, butter, rind, and egg white; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times with floured hands. Pat into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut into 12 wedges, cutting into but not through dough; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 152 (20% from fat)
Fat: 3.3g (sat 1.9g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 3.6g
Carbohydrate: 27.7g
Fiber: 1.5g
Cholesterol: 8mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 227mg
Calcium: 78mg


Pasta Fagioli Soup

I got this recipe from Brown Eyed Bakers blog aka Chelly This soup is really good and makes a lot so you have plenty to freeze for work day lunchs or a cold rainy day.
I got this recipe recently in a recipe exchange, as a Rachel Ray Recipe, I will post her recipe at the end of this blog post so you can choose between hers or Chelly's recipe. Both look very good.




2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 package sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (i used Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage)
½ large (or 1 medium) onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, thinly sliced
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes (used no salt added)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
64 oz. beef broth (used some veggie and some chicken, both low sodium)
28 oz. can tomato sauce (no salt added)
2 teaspoons dried parsley (I used 1Tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (1/2T itlian seasoning, didnt have any basil)
1 teaspoon salt (omitted)
4 oz. small dry pasta (I used elbow)


1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large stockpot over medium high heat, and brown the sausage, crumbling it as it cooks. Once brown, remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon and discard any grease that remains in the pot.
2. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pot, and add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add sausage back to the pot, add the can of diced tomatoes (do not drain), stir briefly, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans, and add the beef broth and tomato sauce. Add in all of the seasonings, stir well, turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it boils, turn down to low heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
4. Add the dry pasta and continue to simmer on low for another 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread or crackers.


Pasta e Fagioli ~ Rachel Ray
Yields 6 big servings
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 pound (about 3 slices) pancetta, chopped
2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left intact
1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact
1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped (I usually omit this as small portions of celery are hard to come by and I don't eat the whole head if I buy it!)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
Coarse salt and pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
1 cup canned tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/2 cups ditalini
Grated Parmigiano or Romano, for the table
Crusty bread, for mopping
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks. Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet. Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Pass crusty bread for bowl mopping.

skillet potatoes

1 good sized sweet potato
1 good sized baking potato
Scrub well
slice into thin slices
put a little canola oil into frying pan on med heat, place potatoes in pan, cook until soft, add seasonings of choice. I use Mrs Dash usually tomato, garlic kind.

Baked fish

This is brad's recipe but it's very good.
1 egg, beaten
panko crumbs
lemon pepper seasoning, we like mrs dash

Roll the fish in the beaten egg
shake the fish in panko crumbs with the seasoning, or mix seasoning in a bowl with the lemon pepper and roll fish in the seasoning.
Cook on 375 for about 20 minutes i think is all it takes, works using fish that is frozen also, just cook a little longer.

Mississippi Hush Puppies



Found this recipe on cooking light for our movie night, these were really good i was sort of surprised.

Yield
1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup self-rising cornmeal mix
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk or beer (i used soy milk)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (omitted)
Vegetable oil (canola oil)

Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture.
Combine egg and next 4 ingredients, stirring well; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
Pour oil to a depth of 3 inches into a Dutch oven or large saucepan; heat to 375°.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into hot oil, and fry in batches 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; serve immediately

lasagna

6 lasagna noodles
cottage cheese
mozerella cheese
spaghetti sauce (I used my homemade sauce i had in the freezer)

Cook noodles according to package, drain and lay 3 noodles in a Sprayed 9x13 pan. Mix cottage cheese and mozzerella together, top noodles with mix. Lay 3 more noodles on top cottage cheese mix. Top with sauce, and top with cheese. Cover with foil bake for 45 minutes on 375. Uncover bake until cheese is golden.
Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Continue layers and cook more noodles for a thicker lasgna.

Shrimp Quesadillas



We had movie night with some friends and we made these to go with the corn dogs, and hush puppies. they were pretty good. I prefer mine without the shrimp.

2 tortilla shells spray one side with cooking spray place in warm skillet, top with cheese, veggies of choice and shrimps, place other shell on top sprayed with cooking spray side up, flip half way between cooking.

we used red onions, tomatoes, and shrimps, with mozzerella cheese

oven baked corn dogs

I got this recipe from Rachel Ray off Food networks sight. These were very hard to get the dough to form around them, but they were really good.

Ingredients

2 boxes corn muffin mix, 8 1/2 ounces each (recommended: Jiffy brand) i used store brand
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon chili powder, eyeball it in your palm
2 teaspoons cumin, eyeball it
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot) I just used a dash of cayenne pepper
2 scallions, finely chopped omitted
8 jumbo pork or beef franks

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a shallow dish, combine muffin mix with flour, then stir in eggs, milk and melted butter. Season the mix with chili powder, cumin, cayenne and scallions.
The batter will be a thick, sticky biscuit dough. Place a hot dog in the bowl of batter and swoosh it around to coat it. Remove coated dog to a nonstick cookie sheet and use your fingers to spread batter on any exposed dog spots. Don't coat it too thick, just shy of 1/2-inch should do the trick. If it's too thick it will just slide off the dog while it's baking, leaving the dog exposed. If that happens don't sweat it, they will still taste great.
Repeat until all 8 are coated.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until evenly deep brown all over.

Cuban Pork Chop Rub


Time again for yet another recipe exchange. I'm a little late getting this posted, but it certainly was really good.
Cuban Rub

2 tablespoons grated lime zest (didnt have any limes so i used lemon, still tasted good)
1 tablespoon cumin seed or ground cumin
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted as always)
2 tablespoons EVOO
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 boneless pork loin or rib chops, about 1 inch thick (about 2 pounds)

Mango slices, if desired


1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Remove excess fat from pork. In small bowl, mix all Cuban Rub ingredients; rub evenly on both sides of pork.

2. Cover and grill pork 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until pork is no longer pink and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F. Garnish with mango slices.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

My little came over and we decided to make buffalo chicken pizza, made it a little different this time.

roll out crust
Sauce
Top with blue cheese dressing and about 1/4C ricotta cheese mixed together
Top with Chicken that has been cooked in fry pan with hot sauce (we use Crystal brand)
Top with Veggies of choice, mushrooms, red onion, green peppers, tomato
Top with cheese, we used colby and montery jack, and some mozerella
Cook on 425 until cheese is browned.
let cool for about 5-10 minutes before cutting into.

BBQ Beef Ribs


I placed these frozen into the crockpot on low with grape jelly on them. cooked on low for about 4-5 hrs, then i mixed

2t worchestshire sauce

1/2C honey

1/2c spicey brown mustard

2T BBQ sauce

placed ribs onto the grill basting in sauce as they cook for a few minutes. i think i only had them on for about 5 min per side.

Open faced Chicken and muenster Sandwhiches with Apricot-Dijon Spred


Yet another cookinglight recipe. These were really good. i didn't have any muenster cheese so i used swiss and pepperjack, one of each i have to say much better with the swiss cheese, but really really good.
Ingredients
4 teaspoons apricot preserves
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard (i used spicey brown mustard)
4 (2-ounce) slices country bread (used dark wheat bread)
Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced peeled Ambrosia or Fuji apple (about 1/3 pound)
1/4 cup prechopped onion
2 1/2 cups bagged prewashed spinach
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 12 ounces)
4 (1-ounce) Muenster cheese slices
Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine preserves and mustard in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Spread 1 side of each bread slice with 2 teaspoons mustard mixture. Place bread slices, mustard mixture side up, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add apple and onion to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach begins to wilt. Layer each of 4 bread slices with 1/4 cup spinach mixture, 1/2 cup chicken, and 1 cheese slice. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 1 1/2 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Remove from heat, and serve immediately.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwhich)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 440(27% from fat); FAT 13.2g (sat 6.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 1.4g); IRON 3.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 100mg; CALCIUM 286mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40g; SODIUM 750mg; PROTEIN 38.7g; FIBER 2.4g

cider glazed carrots

found this recipe on cookinglight.com
this was really good.
I added come chopped mushrooms to the mix b/c i had a lot in the frig. i just used 2 XL carrots and sort of just estimated the rest of the recipe. I subbed ground ginger for the mustard and it was really good.

Ingredients
9 cups (3-inch) julienne-cut carrot (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (i didnt have any so i used ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Place carrot in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 minute or until tender. Drain.
Combine brown sugar and remaining ingredients except parsley in a large nonstick skillet over low heat; cook until butter melts, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium; add carrots. Cook 3 minutes or until carrots are glazed and thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with chopped parsley; toss to combine.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 75(26% from fat); FAT 2.2g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.2g); IRON 0.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 31mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14g; SODIUM 103mg; PROTEIN 1g; FIBER 2.8g

honey mustard Chicken wings, Crock pot

I used 1/2 C Honey, with about 1/2 C spicey brown mustard, mixed together and thrown in the crockpot over some frozen chicken wings, cooked on low heat for about 5 hours, then places in the oven on a cookie sheet to crisp up a little bit. just put oven on broil and watch closely, doesn't take long.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Found this recipe on cookinglight.com
the taste was a little bland but they were still good.

Ingredients
6 medium red bell peppers
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped shallots
4 cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons dry sherry (i omitted b/c i didn't have any, used a little veggie broth)
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
2 1/2 cups hot cooked brown rice
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut tops off bell peppers; discard seeds and membranes. Cook peppers in boiling water 5 minutes; drain.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add parsley, almonds, sherry, and chile powder; sauté 3 minutes. Add rice, tomato juice, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt; sauté 3 minutes. Spoon 3/4 cup rice mixture into each bell pepper. Top each bell pepper with 2 teaspoons cheese. Place stuffed bell peppers in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; bake at 350° for 15 minutes.


Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed pepper)
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Nutritional Information
CALORIES 234(23% from fat); FAT 5.9g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.3g); IRON 3.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 3mg; CALCIUM 112mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.2g; SODIUM 402mg; PROTEIN 8.4g; FIBER 6.7g

Pigs n Blanket


1 pkg crescent rolls, 1 package hot dogs, sliced cheese
take 1 crescent roll and lay flat on sprayed cooking sheet, place 1 slice cheese on it, and a hot dog, roll up
continue with rest of the hotdogs and crescent rolls.
Bake on 350* until golden brown.