Veggie Lasagna

Ingredients:
• 1-2 large eggplant, sliced ½” thick
• 1-2 large zucchini,sliced ½” thick
• 1-2 large yellow squash, sliced ½” thick
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 ½ cup part-skim ricotta (you can sub cottage cheese if you like it better)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6oz shredded mozz cheese
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 2 tsp grated parm cheese
• Optional – sliced mushrooms and chopped fresh spinach

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375. Baked sliced eggplant, squash and zucchini for 30 minutes in a single layer.

Meanwhile, over medium heat, sauté onions (and mushrooms) until soft. Add garlic (and spinach) and cook for 2 more minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and add ricotta (or cottage cheese), parm and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add non-stick spray to a baking dish (I used 8x8 because I didn’t have enough eggplant, squash and zucchini…but I had lots of the cheese filling leftover. Next time I will have extra veggies so that I can either make a full 9x13 or a second 8x8 to freeze.). Place veggies in a single layer, adding ricotta mixture between each layer. Top with mozz cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30 more minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

(Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili With Sweet Potatoes

From Real Simple January 2011

Since the hubs decided to go vegetarian (well more like pescatarian) we have been trying more veggie only dishes. This one was simple, cheap and delicious. My one word of caution is that it was SPICY- to the point where we added a can of tomato sauce to dilute it out. I would add 1/2 of the chili powder and cumin it calls for and up it from there depending on taste.

It stores well the next day for lunch but I am not sure about freezing- the sweet potatoes may be too mushy.

Ingredients
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
kosher salt and black pepper
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 15.5-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
2 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
sour cream, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, and tortilla chips, for serving

Directions
In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the tomatoes (and their liquid), beans, sweet potato, and 1 cup water.
Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total recipe time).
Serve the chili with the sour cream, scallions, radishes, and tortilla chips.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

These are my favorite side dish ever.  My husband had never had a sweet potato (or yam, I guess) before I tried this recipe, and he requests these now on a weekly basis.  So easy and so good.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium yams, cleaned and skin on
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut the potatoes into wedges and place in a bowl. 
3. Pour olive oil onto wedges and toss to coat completely. 
4. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
5. Sprinkle half of the mixture of salt, pepper, and brown sugar over the wedges.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, flip and sprinkle the remaining mixture.  Bake for 10 more minutes or until the wedges are cooked through and golden brown.

Baked Zucchini Sticks

I love french fries. I was really skeptical that these could ever replace them, but I was surprised that I really liked them! I had a bit of trouble breading them the way the recipe tells you to. The bread crumbs were getting all wet and clumpy and not sticking so I just ended up putting the bread crumbs on a paper plate and rolling the egg coated zucchini around. Seemed to fix the problem for me. I also used used more breads crumbs then the recipe called for. This made a full cookie sheets worth of sticks.

This recipe came from http://www.skinnytaste.com/ If you're on weight watchers this is a great website to get recipes from.

Servings: 3

Points Plus: 3

3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks

1 large egg white

1/3 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated pecorino romano cheese

cooking spray

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt

fresh pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

3. Dip zucchini sticks into eggs and then into bread crumbs and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

This recipe calls for a homemade marinara to dip the sticks in but I was short on time so I just used a jarred marinara.

Cheddar Stuffed Burgers

Serves 4

Points Plus: 9

1 lb lean ground beef 7% fat or less

1 small vidalia onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

8 tbsp shredded low fat cheddar cheese

4 english muffins, split and toasted

1 cup thickly sliced romaine lettuce

16 small tomato slices

1. Mix meat, onion, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl just until combined. With damp hands, shape into 4 equal balls. With your finger, make a deep indentation in the center of each ball. Fill each hole with 2 tbsp of cheddar. Enclose filling by pinching meat together. Shape into 4 (3/4 inch thick) patties.

2. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium high heat. Add patties and cook until instant read thermometer inserted into the side of the burger reads 145 degrees for medium. About 4 minutes per side.

3. Place bottoms of muffins on 4 plates. Top each with lettuce, burgers, and tomato slices. Cover with tops of muffins.

Salted Caramel Frosting

This came from the Brooklyn Kitchen Blog, and it's actually part of a recipe for cupcakes, but this frosting is quite possibly, the best frosting I have ever made. Ever.

Salted Caramel:

4 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat—stir with a wooden spoon to combine
Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium/medium-low heat for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
(Do not stir from this point on, but once it starts to turn brown at the edge you should carefully shake/swirl the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.)
Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Be careful. The mixture will bubble up!
Stir the mixture. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
Pour into a Pyrex measuring cup.
Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick and warm, about 20 minutes.

Frosting:

1.5 sticks butter at room temperature
6 ounces cream cheese
4-5 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup salted caramel

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar into the cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
Add 3/4 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.
Sift rest of powder sugar, in 1 cup increments and beating between each, until you arrive at the thickness and sweetness you desire.

Rugelach

My mom, who has always used her mom's recipe, loved these. They can be made in advance and frozen in ziplock bags. (I made these when I was waiting to go into labor with Max, and we served them at the Bris)

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 9 3/4 hr (includes chilling dough)

Yield: Makes about 44 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter,softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup plus 4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup apricot preserves or raspberry jam

1 cup loosely packed golden raisins, chopped

1 1/4 cups walnuts (1/4 lb), finely chopped

Milk for brushing cookies

Special equipment: parchment paper; a small offset spatula

Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined well.

Add flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.

Gather dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then flatten (in wrap) into a roughly 7- by 5-inch rectangle. Chill until firm, 8 to 24 hours.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of a 1- to 1 1/2-inch-deep large shallow baking pan with parchment paper.

Cut dough into 4 pieces. Chill 3 pieces, wrapped in plastic wrap, and roll out remaining piece into a 12- by 8-inch rectangle on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin.

Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment, then transfer to a tray and chill while rolling out remaining dough in same manner, transferring each to another sheet of parchment and stacking on tray.

Whisk 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon.

Arrange 1 dough rectangle on work surface with a long side nearest you.

Spread 1/4 cup preserves evenly over dough with offset spatula. Sprinkle 1/4 cup raisins and a rounded 1/4 cup walnuts over jam, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar.

Using parchment as an aid, roll up dough tightly into a log. Place, seam side down, in lined baking pan, then pinch ends closed and tuck underneath. Make 3 more logs in same manner and arrange 1 inch apart in pan.

Brush logs with milk and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of remaining granulated sugar.

With a sharp large knife, make 3/4-inch-deep cuts crosswise in dough (not all the way through) at 1-inch intervals. (If dough is too soft to cut, chill until firmer, 20 to 30 minutes.)

Bake until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool to warm in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes, then transfer logs to a cutting board and slice cookies all the way through.

WW Chicken Cordon Bleu

I love this WW recipe. Instead of using eggs to get the breadcrumbs to stick you use honey mustard dressing. It makes a great flavor for the chicken and I even make my own baked "chicken strips" using this method. I have also found that using panko bread crumbs really ups the crunch factor of this dish. You also may want to have a few toothpicks handy to hold the chicken together while it's baking.

Serves: 4

Points: 8 per serving

4 sprays of cooking spray, or enough to coat chicken

1 lb uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces

3 oz deli ham, four 3/4 oz slices

3 oz lowfat swiss cheese, four 3/4 oz slices

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup honey mustard

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, Italian-style (or panko)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray

2. Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thickness; remove plastic wrap. Arrange 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese on each breast.

3. Starting from shorter end of the chicken, roll up each breast into a tight pinwheel. Tuck in the ends. Secure with toothpicks.

4. Place flour, honey mustard and bread crumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Add chicken to flour; turn to coat. Transfer chicken to honey mustard; turn to coat. Place chicken in bread crumbs; turn to coat.

5. Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Remove toothpicks and serve.

Walnut Crescent Cookies

This was a new recipe I found online that I tried for Christmas cookies this year. I will definitely be making these again. They were easy to make and really good. They are buttery and delicate and rolled in powdered sugar.

Makes 4 dozen crescents

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup of ground walnuts

2 cups all-purpose flour

powdered sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and walnuts. Add 2 cups of flour and combine. Break off tbsp sized pieces and shape into crescents. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 13 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are set and have just started to take on color. Cool completely and then roll into the powdered sugar until they are coated. Store in airtight containers.

Hash brown Casserole

I made this for Christmas morning this year. I made everything the night before and just put it in the fridge until the next morning.

Ingredients:

1 (2 lb) package of frozen hash browns defrosted

1/2 cup butter softened

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (10.75 oz) can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray one 9x13 inch pan with non stick cooking spray.

2. In a saute pan melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent.

3. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, softened butter, salt, pepper, cooked onions, soup and cheese. Gently mix and pour into prepared pan or dish. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.

Vidalia Onion Dip

I chop the vidalia's in the food processor so it's nice small pieces of onion and you don't get any big chunks.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped Vidalia onion
2 cups shredded Swiss Cheese
1 1/2 cups mayo
1 Tbsp. chopped scallions for color (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until slightly browned. Use crackers, veggies, bread or chips to dip.

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

• 1lb box Rotini pasta
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups montery jack cheese, shredded
• Half of a large block of Velveeta cheese
• 3 cups milk
• Garlic salt
• 1/2 stick of butter
• breadcrumbs (any flavor) - optional but recommended

1. Cook pasta in boiling water for 1/2 the time on the box, usually about 7 minutes. Strain.
2. Place pasta and all other ingredients except breadcrumbs in the crockpot and mix well.
3. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
4. If cooking on low, check periodically as it is sometimes done sooner.
5. Approximately 30-45 minutes before end time, sprinkle top with breadcrumbs.
6. When the breadcrumbs become crispy, it is ready.

Okinawan Takoraisu (aka Taco Rice)

I found this recipe on the blog Tasty Kitchen. Interestingly enough this is a Japanese dish even though it's mainly Mexican ingredients. I liked this one because it was easy to swap out higher calorie ingredients with low-cal ones like brown rice, ground turkey etc.

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup of onion, chopped

1 lb ground beef

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 cups steamed Japanese rice (sometimes labeled "sushi rice")

2 cups lettuce, shredded

2 cups of tomatoes, chopped

12 oz Queso Blanco cheese, crumbled (I used shredded Mexican blend cheese)

1 cup of salsa

4 tbsp of sour cream

Prep:

1. Prepare rice

2. Heat the veggie oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until the onions are barely soft. Add the ground beef ad break it into small chunks. Once the meat is cooked, add the soy sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Let this simmer until the liquid reduces.

3. Spread 1/2 to 1 cup of the steamed rice on each plate. Top with the seasoned beef. Then top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, queso blanco and salsa. Finish it off with a dollop of sour cream.