Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait....

Trying to find a dessert that is not outside the dietary limits is hard.  I wanted something decadent and that reminded me of the peanut butter pie at our favorite local diner.  This is what I came up with.

Ingredients:   (makes six servings)

1 large box Jello Instant Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding
3 cups 2% milk
1 Teaspoon instant espresso
1 8 ounce block of low fat cream cheese
2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons 2% milk
6 Tablespoons granola
whipped cream

Prepare the pudding per box instructions adding the espresso powder to the mix
Cream the cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and milk.

Put on tablespoon of granola in each of the six small bowls.  Divide the cream cheese mixture in the bowls.  Do the same with the pudding.  Allow to set in fridge for 10 minutes.  Add the whipped topping when serving.

Each serving has 350 calories, 47 carbs, 13g fat (7 saturated) and 3.6g fiber

Surprisingly good!  My BFF said he would like to have it every night.

It's time for Thanksgiving so it's time for sweet potato casserole!!!  This is one of my favorite things to eat at the holidays.  Not my creation but one I have to share!

the casserole recipe is as follows:

3 cups mashed sweet potato (fresh, not canned!!)
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk (or evaporated milk if you like)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice if you have it on hand)
combine all this and put in a baking dish bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees

topping (the best part)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecan
combine all this and put it on top of the potatoes and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes still at 350 degrees.

I am trying to branch out in our flavor palate and also trying to use items that are getting close to the "use by" date.  I had kalamata olives from our venture into changing up the tuna salad that was getting boring and with that in mind, and a brand new Cooking Light Magazine on the table, I went for the Mediterranean Chicken recipe.

You will need:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts filleted in half ( I used 6 tenderloins...seemed like less work)
spray oil of your choice
salt
pepper
1 onion cut in half and then sliced vertically
2 cloves garlic minced
1 medium tomato chopped in large pieces (I used 14 grape tomatoes the I quartered)
1 ounce kalamata olives chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice
small amount of crumbled cheese (I used queso fresco but they called for feta.  Any crumbly cheese would do)

Salt and pepper your chicken and grill it either on a table top grill or a grill pan, your choice.  (You will need to spray your pan with the spray of your choice.) I have a panini maker that has grill plates so that is what I used.  It only took five minutes for the chicken tenders but it may take up to ten if you use the filleted chicken breasts. When they are done take them off and set them to the side. While the chicken  is cooking put about a tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for about four minutes.  Then add the olives and tomatoes and cook for another four minutes.  Take the skillet off the heat and add the lemon juice and parsley and nestle the chicken down in the mixture to bring it back up to temp.  Let it sit for a few minutes while you finish up the roasted veggies.
When the veggies are done plate the chicken with the onion and tomato mixture on top and then put some of the crumbled cheese on top of that.  It was really easy and very tasty!!!

Roasted veggies are just the potatoes and carrots sliced and the broccoli cut into just florets.  Toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh minced rosemary.  Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes.

The muffins were just your standard cornbread recipe with one chopped jalapeno pepper and one cup finely shredded cheddar cheese added and cooked in a mini muffin pan.

Yummy and now in the rotation.

The beginnings of the great soup diet!!!  We decided to start out the new year with a cleansing diet of just broth based, veggie heavy soups to see if we could kick start a weight loss trend.  The only item other than any veggie you can imagine that I will be using is tofu.  We really like tofu so that will not be a problem.  The first soup for the endeavor is the following...happy eating!!!

Spicy Tofu Soup

10 oz extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 T veggie oil (or peanut or olive, whatever you like to use)
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 cloves garlic minced
2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
6 cups veggie broth (or chicken stock if you prefer)
1/4 cup light soy
2 T lime juice
1 T hot sauce (sriracha is our preference)
1/2 T szechuan paste
1 T lemon pepper
1 t powdered ginger
5 white mushroom, sliced thin
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3 fresh plum tomatoes seeded and chopped)
prepared seaweed (about 1/3 package) (or how much you want) (or not at all)

heat oil in pot (large enough for the broth and can of tomatoes) on medium high and cook tofu at least 10 min
I like mine crispy so I usually do a few more minutes than that but it is to your taste.  Add the onion and garlic and peppers and sweat for 5 minutes.  Add all the other ingredients and let simmer for 30 minutes.  If you like you can add some ramen noodles but we are noodleless at this point.  This is a really tasty soup!  And hot!!!  You may want to add the hot sauce in small increments, tasting as you go, so as not to overpower your heat level.

Happy souping!!!  I will try to post every time I have a new offering.  If I make enough to last a few days then no post.  I will have to make something else for tomorrow so see you then!!

Frittata...

This is actually the second time for making a frittata.  It turned out so well that I just had to make another one.  I think this is my new favorite breakfast.  We are trying to cut down on carbs in this house and this just seemed the way to go.  Full of smoked turkey sausage and bacon (no carbs) and fresh veggies (no to low carbs) and eggs (so low I consider them no carbs).  I did add a few carbs with some grated Parm but hey, you can't cut them out completely!  And who knew how simple making this fancy sounding dish actually would be...not me...

So here is the recipe for my take on the frittata.

You will need:

12 eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup of milk
four or five strips of bacon, cut into small strips
1/2 of a smoked turkey sausage link, diced pretty small
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sweet pepper, I used a fourth of a yellow, red, orange and green pepper for the color, chopped
1 cup of fresh mushrooms chopped up (about the same size as you cut the peppers, I go small)
1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary and thyme minced (if you have it) (one of each)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get a nonstick ovenproof pan and put the bacon and turkey sausage on medium heat.  Cook until crispy (I like mine well done but since you are the cook you do it as you like it) then take it out of the pan and set aside.  Leaving about a tablespoon of the fat from cooking the bacon and sausage put the onions, garlic, peppers and mushrooms in the pan.  Salt and pepper the mixture, add the rosemary and thyme and allow to cook for about three to five minutes.  You want it to be a little softened but not cooked to death.  While this mixture is cooking start beating your eggs with the milk.  At this point I added half  of the grated Parmesean  to the eggs.  Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and let it cook on the stove top for about 4 minutes to get it set.  Then put the pan in the oven (which should be preheated by now) and set you timer for 12 minutes.  When the timer goes off, pull out the pan a bit and add the remaining cheese on top and put the pan back in but change your oven from bake to broil.  Put the timer on 4 minutes and watch the frittata.  You want it to not jiggle when you shake the pain and you want the cheese slightly browned.  If the cheese gets brown before the jiggle stops just take it out of the oven and let it sit for a few minutes.  It will "carry over" cook a bit.

I hope you try this...it may seem a bit complicated but once the chopping is done it's a breeze!

Full, satisfied and have half a frittata to add to my left over big salad for lunch!  Yummm

Meatballs...

 I've been wanting to make meatballs for a while now.  For some reason I have only done this once before, many many many years ago, and it was not very successful.  I thought that maybe now I have more experience with cooking and flavors that they just might turn out...and they did...

It started with the usual google search on recipes for the best meatballs and then some tweaking on my part. My darling husband/best friend says they are the best meatballs he has ever had and is just hopeful that, on the second occasion I make them, they turn out just as good.  I made my usual sauce with just the addition of some fresh basil and flat leaf parsley since I had them on hand.  And I used Dreamfield Spaghetti because I just can't have meatballs on any other form of pasta.

Meatballs
1 pound of ground sirloin
1 package of Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage (it's a little over a pound)
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the milk and breadcrumbs and set aside while you get everything else ready.  The chopping time will probably be long enough for the crumbs to absorb the milk.

Take the sausages out of their casings and put in a mixing bowl with the ground beef.  Add the cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.  I did four grinds of salt and 6 grinds of pepper.  Probably 1 teaspoon of salt and two of pepper.  We don't eat a lot of salt but if you do, please add more.  Mix this well.

Add the chopped parsley, sage, onion, garlic and grated cheese.  Mix well.  Then add the eggs and breadcrumbs.  Remember while you are mixing this that you want to thoroughly combine everything so there are no clumps of any one ingredient when you bite down into the meatball.  But at the same time, be gentle.  If you press the meat together too roughly your meatballs will be tough.  It's a fine line to walk...
Just take your time and it will all come together beautifully!!

I used my cookie scoop so that they would all be approximately the same size and rounded them as I placed them on the cookie sheet.  This recipe makes 30 meatballs.  Count them...it's 30.

before baking...

You don't need to grease your pan.  There is enough moisture in the mix they don't stick.  They cooked in 20 minutes.  I used my thermometer and they were perfectly at temp!  I did, however, broil them for one minute for just a little more color.  Place them on top of a pile of spaghetti, add some sauce and grated parm and enjoy!!!  Yummmmmm

Because the recipe makes 30 meatballs (did you count them?) there are leftovers.  Yay!!!  It occurred to me that the perfect use for them would be a meatball sub.  I adore subs.  Bread stuffed with goodness...what's not to love.  I found the perfect rolls at Wal-Mart.  They are called bolillio rolls.  They look like little footballs, don't they?  Hey...they would be perfect for a tailgate party.  I'll have to remember that.  Anyway, I took a can of fire roasted tomatoes and added 2 cloves of garlic and half an onion chopped up and about a tablespoon of chopped fresh basil and cooked that down with the meatballs in it so they could get warm.  This took about 15 minutes.  I split the top of the bun, shoved three meatballs and some sauce in it and then topped it with a mix of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  About a minute under the broiler and you have the best meatball sub I have EVER eaten.  I think I like them better in the sub than I did on the pasta.  If not better, equally.

Two meals in one cooking.  That's is a winner.  And to have two wonderful meals.  That is priceless.

Very satisfied!!  And can't wait to have them again...and again...and again....

Drunken Noodles

We went to Blacksburg over the weekend to eat at a fish taco place after shopping at our favorite store, World Oasis.  However, we did not know that the whole town was going to be blocked off for a street fair and there would be no easy way to get to the fish taco place.  Fortunately for us, World Oasis has opened their own Thai/Vietnamese restaurant right next door to their store.  We went in and ordered the Pad Thai and the Drunken Noodles.  We liked the drunken noodles so much I asked the fellow at the check out if we could get the ingredients at the store and he said sure, just tell the clerk you want what was in the drunken noodle dish.  We did, they showed us and we purchased!!

They really have nothing to do with alcohol.  At least, not in the dish itself. I looked up the history of the name and there are two prevailing thoughts.  One, eating it helps a hangover.  The second, a man who was quite often drunk told his wife that the food she cooked was too bland.  In response (or revenge?) she came up with this recipe.  NOT BLAND!!!  Very hot but you can control that heat a bit by making it yourself.  The joys of cooking...

Drunken Noodles
1/3 cup sodium free rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup low sodium soy
1/3 cup fish sauce
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 lime juiced
3 tablespoons sriracha
  combine and set aside
5 cloves garlic
2 shallots
10 thai chilis
  mince and then grind into a paste.  If you have a mortar and pestle this is the time to use it.  If not you can put it in a food processor.
meat of your choice (I used a pound of flank steak cut into small pieces)
1 can baby corn rinsed and drained
2 eggs beaten
2 tomatoes sliced thinly
1 onion sliced thinly
small bunch of thai basil (or regular if that is all you can find, that is what I used)
8 ounces rice noodles

Get your wok hot with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil and add the paste of garlic, shallots and chilis.  Cook for about a minute and throw the meat into the pot.  Cook that for about two minutes stirring it around.  You want it to still be pink at this point because it is staying in the wok.  Add the onion and cook for a minute.  Make some room in the middle of the wok and add a teaspoon of oil and then put the eggs in.  Stir so they are like scrambled eggs.  Add noodles, sauce, tomatoes and corn to the mix and stir gently so as not to tear up the noodles.  Tear up the basil and add it in and you are done.  Dish it up!!

We bought fresh rice noodles in a sheet from the store so I cup them about 1/4 inch wide.  I don't know where to find fresh except at World Oasis so I will try a noodle I can find locally next time.  I don't think the noodle is going to make a huge difference to the flavor of the dish.  This dish is not for the wimpy at heart.  I only had seven chilis and that was enough heat for me.  If you are brave use all 10 and if you are a chicken cut it down to 5.  That is why you cook it yourself, right?  I really liked this dish.  It was not exactly what we had at the restaurant but it was good enough to be a do-over until I can get the original.

Satisfied yet again!!