Friday, July 20, 2012

Zucchini Pot Pie

Adapted from Skinny Taste.

4 small zucchinis sliced thin (I used a mandolin)
green onions
4 slices bacon (4 points plus)
4 Tbs Parmesan (2 points plus)
1/2 c. milk (1 point plus)
1/2 c. flour (6 points plus)
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs (4 points)
garlic salt
pepper

Put the zucchini in a greased pie pan, top with green onions, bacon, and Parmesan. Mix milk, flour, baking powder, eggs, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl. Pour mixture over zucchini. Bake at 400 for 35mins. or until topping is golden.

Total Points Plus: 17 

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Cream Cheese Pancakes

2 oz cream cheese (2 points plus)
3 egg whites (1 point plus)
1 packet stevia sweetener
vanilla
cinnamon (optional)
Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Let sit for a couple mins so the bubbles can settle. Cook on a skillet like pancakes.
Serve with fruit or syrup.
Total Points: 3 points plus (excludes toppings)


Blender Tortilla Soup

Adapted from Blendtec

2 tomatoes, quartered
carrot
1/3 cup red pepper
1/4 avocado (3 points plus)
1/4 onion
1 oz pepper jack cheese (3 points plus)
2 sprigs fresh cilantro
salt
garlic powder
2 c. warm water

Mix in a blender until smooth. Add chicken, corn, etc for variation or add basil rather than cilantro for tomato basil soup.

Total Points plus: 6

Monday, July 9, 2012

Spinach Burgers

We really like these. You won't be fooling anyone trying to pretend like they taste like hamburger, but they definitely satisfy a burger craving.

Approx. 10oz pkg frozen spinach, thawed and chopped or 10oz fresh spinach, blanched, drained, and chopped
1/2 onion, sautéd
green pepper, sautéd
3 egg whites (1 point plus)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup reduced-fat mozzarella (4 points plus)
1/2 cup Panko (4 points plus)
garlic salt
pepper
crushed red pepper (optional)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Divide and form 4 large patties. Cook on a non-stick pan over med-high heat for approx 5 mins per side or until golden. Serve on buns and dress like hamburger.

Total Points Plus: 9
2-3 Points/patty

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Kathy's Shower Pavlova

2 egg whites, room temp (1 point plus)
1 1/2 c. sugar (24 pointsplus)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cornstarch
4 Tbs. boiling water

Mix all ingredients and whip in a mixer for at least 10 mins, until you get glossy, stiff peaks. Bake at 300-degrees for 10 mins then reduce heat to 100-degrees and cook for 1 hr. Allow to cool in the over.

Top with whipped cream and sliced fruit.

25 Total Points Plus (excluding toppings)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Green Onion Vinagrette

1 ¼ White Sugar
1 cup Olive Oil
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2 green onions (or about a quarter/half caramelized sweet onion)
1 tsp salt
1Tbsp mustard
Poppy seeds (Optional)

Put all ingredients but the poppy seeds in a blender, blend. Add poppy seeds. Store in the refrigerator.

Really good on a strawberry spinach salad.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Veggie Mash


Adapted from KraftRecipes.com
 
3 potatoes, cubed (about 1.5 lbs) (14 PointsPlus)
1 head cauliflower
3 carrots (about 1.5 cups)
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 c. (6 Tbs) fat free cream cheese (1 PointPlus) (6 PointsPlus for light)
garlic
rosemary
salt
pepper
 
Boil veggies in broth, turn down to simmer for 15 mins or until veggies are tender. 
Drain veggies, saving 6 Tbs broth. Add cream cheese, garlic, and seasonings to potatoes. Beat with a mixer, gradually adding the remaining broth.
 
Total PointsPlus: 1 PointPlus per 3oz (fat free), 1 PointPlus for 2oz (light)

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Black Bean Burgers

adapted from Annie's Eats.

Yield: 6 burgers

¾ cup panko
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 large eggs
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 green onion, minced
Seasonings to taste

TOTAL PointsPlus: 4/each

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Toast the panko, stirring frequently, until light golden brown.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place 2½ cups of the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth.  Add the egg mixture, seasonings, toasted panko, the remaining ½ cup beans, bell pepper, cilantro and green onion to the bowl with the mashed beans.  Stir together until evenly combined.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about ½ cup each.  Lightly pack into 1-inch thick patties.  (At this point the patties can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.)  

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Carefully lay patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8-10 minutes total.  Serve warm.

Cauliflower Poppers

Adapted from delightedmama.com

2 heads cauliflower
non-stick spray (I'm not sure how to count it, but I always count it for 1 PointPlus)
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Chop the cauliflower into bite size pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Coat cauliflower with pan spray, salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 1 hour, tossing cauliflower every 20 mins.

Serve hot and dip like fries.

TOTAL PointsPlus: Based on non-stick spray and dip.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Portobello Philly

Adapted from eatingwell.com 
These were super yummy! I didn't miss the steak one bit.

2 tsp. olive oil (2 points plus)
1 8oz pkg baby bella mushrooms. sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 TBS flour (1 point plus)
1/4 cup broth (any kind)
1 TBS soy sauce
2 oz reduced-fat cheese, divided into 2 servings (2-3 points plus)
Seasonings (oregano, pepper)
2 hoagie buns (toasted if you like) (6 points plus/each)

Heat olive oil in pan, and sauté onions until they begin to brown (2-3 mins). Add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until limp (about 7 mins).

Reduce the heat to low. Coat the veggies in flour, then add soy sauce and broth. Place cheese slices over the mix and cover for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve on buns.

Points Plus: Approx 10/each

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

4 egg yolks + 1 egg
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Roman cheese (I often use parmesan, cause that is what I usally have on hand)
5 1/2 oz of diced guanciale or a good quality smoky bacon (I always use bacon cause that is what I have on hand)
12 oz of spaghetti
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

The first thing you will need to do is to boil you spaghetti in lightly salted water at a steady boil. Keep the salt low because both the meat and the cheese are already salty. Saute the meat in a thin layer of olive oil. Once the meat is golden and crispy, take it off the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes.

In a bowl, put the 4 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg. Whisk them together until completely mixed. Add the cheese, mix it in well, add the pepper. If the sauce seems too dense. you can thin it by adding some of the water from the pasta a little bit at a time. Now add the cooled meat. Mix sauce ingredients together. Drain the pasta, leave a little moist--don't get rid of all the water. This will help to thin out the sauce so it coats all the pasta. Now, mix it together, and once the pasta is coated, serve it right away.

Andrea Chun's Chinese Pork Ribs- Hawaiian Style

3 lbs pork ribs
4 cloves of garlic 9or more- depending how much your family loves garlic)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. vinegar (Andrea uses apple cider vinegar)
1 cup water
1 can pineapple tidbits (or slices, cut into pieces)+ juice
frozen peas
cornstarch

Cut meat into individual ribs. Brown the garlic and the meat. In separate bowl add water, vinegar, pineapple juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and mix well until sugar is all dissolved. Pour over browned ribs and cook in pressure cooker for about 20- 30 minutes or in regular pot for several hours on low heat. When it's all done the meat should fall of the bone or at least slide off of it very easily. If it doesn't it has not cooked long enough yet. Andrea takes the meat off the bones before serving. After all bones are off add frozen peas and the pineapple(which Andrea doesn't add the pineapple she serves it on the side cause her children don't like it). Then you thicken the sauce with some corn starch and water. That is it. Pretty easy but usually a hit.

Tripled recipe for 12 people and had maybe 2 servings left. Also Andrea buys her ribs at costco (pork tenderloin baby back ribs) I have used boneless pork ribs (much cheaper) and they are good.

Mrs. Carroll's Cha Cha Chili

I got this recipe off of
pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com
Yummy!

MRS. CARROLL’S CHA CHA CHILI
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped {optional…I used ‘em, of course!}
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped {pressed}
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 {15 oz.} can of black beans
1 {15 oz.} can of pinto beans
1 {10 oz.} can of Rotel {we used mild, but next time we’ll use HOT!}
Salt & pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar or monterrey jack cheese
Fritos
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add beef and cook for 7-10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, & jalapenos and cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add beans {DON’T drain!} and Rotel. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, covered {stirring often}. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Top with cheese and Fritos and ENJOY!! I promise you will!!!

Homemade Chicken Fettuccine (Kevin's Favorite)

8 ounces fettuccini pasta
2 tablespoons butter
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2.In a large skillet, brown chicken and mushrooms in butter until chicken is cooked through. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Add whipping cream and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add parmesan cheese when at desired consistency. Serve over noodles.

Refried Beans without the Refry

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups water

Directions
1.Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2.Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers
Recipe from Jeff O’Neill, Mar-a-Lago Club

These are sooooo delishious


*Note this recipe makes 8 half-pound burgers. A half-pound burger is very large! You can easily half the recipe and get 6 good sized burgers. I cut the recipe down to work with one 20 oz package of turkey and it yielded 6 large sliders.


2 tablespoons canola oil (I used butter)
1/2 C finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced (I grated my apples)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 lbs ground turkey breast (I used 85/15 ground turkey)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney, pureed (I think pureeing is unnecessary)

Saute the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool. Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sauteed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve on your favorite toasted bread, pita, or hamburger bun.

*The recipe calls for a side of this chutney to spread on top of the burgers. I skipped that step and just used straight Major Grey’s from the jar. I make an easy spread using a 50/50 mix of Major Grey’s Chutney and Mayo. Play around with it and you might like just plain chutney instead of mayo, or mostly mayo with a touch of chutney. I like it 50/50. I also topped it with a crisp lettuce leaf and a slice of juicy tomato.

Rasberry Filled Ebelskiver

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup Raspberry filling
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Maple syrup for serving
Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Put 1/2 to 1 tsp raspberry filling in the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries.

Dust the pancakes with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with maple syrup. Makes about 40.

Frog's Eye Salad

OLD-FASHIONED FROG'S EYE SALAD

In medium saucepan, stir together sugar, flour and salt. Drain pineapple, reserving juice to equal 1 cup. With whisk, gradually stir juice and egg into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in lemon juice. Cool mixture to room temperature. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well. In large bowl, stir together pineapple juice mixture and pasta. Cover; refrigerate several hours or overnight. Add crushed pineapple and chunks, oranges, 2 cups whipped topping, marshmallows and coconut; mix gently and thoroughly. Cover; refrigerate until cold. Top with remaining whipped topping; garnish with cherries. 12 servings (about 1 cup each). 1-1/3 cups (8 oz.) P & R Acini di Pepe, uncooked~ ' RONZONI AMERICAN BEAUTY ACINI PEPE, uncooked~ ' SAN GIORGIO Acini di Pepe, uncooked~



Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/3 cups (8 oz.) AMERICAN BEAUTY ACINI PEPE, uncooked
2 cans (11-oz. each) mandarin orange segments, drained
3-1/2 cups (8 oz.) frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed and
divided
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Maraschino cherries

cooks note: we add more pineapple and less oranges and no Marashino cherries (if it were up to me I would add the cherries, Ky doesn't like them or the oranges, we refuse to omit the mandrine oranges)

Cowboy Charro Beans (Frijoles Charros con Tocino Y Chorizo)

Serves 6
these are some yummy beans!

6 oz sliced uncooked bacon, chopped
8 oz fresh, uncooked Mexican chorizo, casings removed, chopped
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded if desired), finely chopped, more or less to taste
1/2 lb roma tomatoes, about 2 to 3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt, plus more as needed
5 cups cooked pinto beans and their cooking liquid (or substitute with black or Peruvian beans)

Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes,untill it is lightly browned and starting to crisp. Add the chopped chorizo; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until it starts to brown and crisp. As it cooks, use a wooden spoon to break it into smaller pieces.

Add the chopped onion and jalapeno; mix well and cook for 1 or 2 more minutes, letting them soften a bit. Add the tomatoes and mix well; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes soften and appear mushy.

Add the cooked beans and their cooking liquid; mix well and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the beans are moist but not soupy. Add a bit more water if needed. Taste, and add more salt to your taste. Serve hot.

Crispy Chicken Taquitos

4 to 5 servings

3 to 4 pieces Rotiseree Chicken, deboned, deskinned and shredded
Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
14-16 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
salt, pepper garlic powder

Mix together shredded chicken and cheese. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Soften tortillas in warm oil. Place small amount of chicken mixture on to each tortilla and roll cigar style (if needed secure with tooth pick). Fry in oil till crispy. Serve with salsa and gucomole.

Kiana's Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(from melskitchencafe.com)


*Note: if you like extra sauce, double the sauce ingredients - pour half over the chicken and follow the baking directions in the recipe and pour the other half in a small saucepan. Cook the sauce on the stovetop at medium heat for 8-10 minutes until it simmers and thickens. Serve it on the side of the chicken.


*Serves 4-6


Chicken:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil


Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.


Sauce:

¾ cup sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup

½ cup vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt


Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes so it is evenly coated with the sauce. Serve the chicken over rice.

Kung Pao chicken (done simple)

1 lb. boneless-skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

Combine chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl and toss to coat. Heat sesame oil in wok over medium heat, andd chicken and stir fry 5-7 min. or until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from pan.

Add green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and powdered ginger to the pan and stir fry for 15 seconds.

Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and add the sauce to the pan.

Return chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Stir in roasted peanuts. Heat thoroughly. Top with additional green onions if desired and serve over white rice.