Toasted Pita & Bean Salad

I've been trying to eat clean since starting to work out.  This salad is the perfect fit for my new lifestyle.  I hope you enjoy it too.

2 6-inch whole-wheat pita breads, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups cooked pinto beans, well drained and slightly warmed (see Tip)
1 cup diced plum tomatoes or 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley*
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint*

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Spread pita pieces out on a large baking sheet. Bake until crisp and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool on the pan.

3. Mash garlic and salt with the back of a chef’s knife to form a paste. Transfer to a bowl, add lemon juice and ground cumin and whisk to blend. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking continually. Season with pepper.

4. Place beans, tomatoes and cucumber in a serving bowl. Add the toasted pita, lettuce, feta, parsley, mint and the dressing; toss to mix. Season with more pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving: 442 calories; 21 g fat (7 g sat, 10 g mono); 33 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrates; 18 g protein; 13 g fiber; 697 mg sodium; 658 mg potassium.

*I sometimes forget to put the parsley and mint on the salad and it still tastes just as good..

Stir Fry

I've tried a lot of different recipes for stir-fry before finding this one.
In fact, Granny introduced me to this recipe. She used a "secret" ingredient that she wouldn't tell me about, (but it was only because she thought I wouldn't eat it if she did)

The secret to this yummy stir-fry is Oyster sauce.
Now all you non-seafood eaters like me, do not fret. It is so yummy and you can't even tell it's in there except to make it delicious.

Now the quantities will vary depending on how many you are feeding.

  I just make enough for the 4 of us so if you want more, just double the amounts :) 

Stir- Fry

2 Chicken Breasts (cut into bite size pieces)

Stir-fry vegetables (cut into bite size pieces) (use whatever you have on hand or your favorites)

  red & green peppers

  broccoli

  carrots

  snow peas

   green onions

  zucchini

  water chestnuts

   etc... (really anything goes here)

Chicken broth

corn starch

soy sauce

Oyster sauce

Start by cooking the chicken pieces in olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add in about 1/2 cup chicken broth to pan and all vegetables (ok, so granny never gave me exact measurements so I'm just making this up as I go along :)
Cover pan and simmer until vegies are almost finished stirring occasionally
Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup chicken broth in small bowl, add 3 Tbs (or so) of corn starch and a lot of shakes of soy sauce and 2 Tbs of oyster sauce (again, not exact measurements, just guessing)

Stir cornstarch mix in with vegies and simmer until thickens.
mix chicken back in with vegies to re-reat.
Serve over rice.

See, super easy and soooo yummy!

Balsamic Spinach sauce

I saw this recipe in a magazine and it just jumped out at me and I just had to try it!
We grilled some sirloin steak and I prepared the sauce to go over the top. It was a big hit with our family and I will certainly try it again soon.
Balsamic Spinach Sauce

1 Tbs olive oil
1 lg onion - chopped
1 red pepper - chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs fresh rosemary chopped
7oz bag fresh baby spinach

Heat oil in skillet.
Add onion, pepper and garlic and cook until vegies are tender-crisp, stirring often.
Stir soup, water, vinegar and rosemary in skillet and heat to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, and stir in spinach
Cover and cook 2 minutes or until desired doneness.

Roll With It

I can't remember if it was Ginger or mom who first introduced me to Hungry Girl.  Well, I'm so glad she did.  I found these little gems on the website Hungry Girl and have now become a staple in my mealtime planning.  I hope you'll try and love them too!


Exploding Taquitos

8 small (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas

One 9.75-oz. (or 10-oz.) can 98% fat-free chunk white chicken breast in water, drained well

1/2 cup salsa

1/3 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix

Optional: red enchilada sauce, additional salsa, fat-free sour cream, for dipping

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and salsa, and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. 

Remove chicken mixture from the fridge, and drain any excess liquid. Add cheese and taco seasoning, and mix to combine. This is your filling. Set aside.

Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with nonstick spray, and set it aside.

Dampen two paper towels, and place tortillas between them. Microwave for about 1 minute, until tortillas are warm and pliable.

Take one tortilla (keep the rest between the paper towels), spray both sides lightly with nonstick spray, and lay it flat on a clean dry surface. Spoon about 2 heaping tbsp. of filling onto the tortilla. Spread it evenly across the entire surface, and roll tortilla up tightly, so that you have a cigar-shaped tube. Secure with toothpicks and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Bake for 14 - 16 minutes, until crispy. Allow taquitos to cool for 5 minutes. If you like, dunk in enchilada sauce, salsa, or sour cream!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS          

           

Serving Size: 2 taquitos

Calories: 197

Fat: 2.5g

Sodium: 594mg

Carbs: 22.5g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 2g

Protein: 20.5g

POINTS® value 4*

Crockpot Lasagna

With it being so hot this summer, Amy and I decided to use the crockpot more often as to not have the oven heat up the kitchen. Luckily we had on hand the Fix it and Forget it Lightly cookbook. This was the first recipe we tried out of the book and it was mighty tasty.


CrockPot Lasagna

This makes 8 serviings
(Ideal slower-cooker size: 4 or 5 quart)

4/12 cups fat-free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
1 pound ground turkey
16 oz container fat-free ricotta cheese (I could only find a 15 oz...it worked fine)
2 cups shredded park -skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning (I didn't have this so I mixed oregano, basil, onion powder and parsley together)
8 oz. box no-cook lasagna noodles

1. Brown ground turkey
2. Mix spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup water and browned ground turkey together in a bowl
3. In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, egg, garlic and italian seasoning.
4. Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in botton of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles, breaking if needed to fit (yes...you will need to break them)
5. Spread with 1/2 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
6. Repeat layers twice more. (we did 5 layers and we still had noodles left over)
7. Spread top with remaining sauce.
8. Cover. Cook on low for 5 hours.
9. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover. Let stand 10 minutes to allow cheese to melt. (I let it cook for 20 minutes with the cheese so that it would get a little brown)

For those of you who need the breakdown here it is:

Per Serving: 360 calories (90 calories from fat), 10g total fat (4.5 saturated, no trans fat) 40 mg Cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total Carbohydrate (6g fiber, 10g sugar), 25 g protein.

The Everything Salad

I discovered this salad while planning a Stake Young Women dinner.
The name is so appropriate because it truly has a little bit of everything in it.

I tested it out on my family before feeding 150 people and it was so yummy!
Totally a full meal itself... just add some rosemary rolls (recipe to follow)

EVERYTHING SALAD
Lettuce - 1 head Romaine & 1 head Iceberg combo is good
1 c. chopped celery
1 avocado, sliced
1 bunch green onion, diced
1/2 c Craisins
1 apple, chopped
1 can Mandarin oranges
1 /2 c slivered almonds, sugared*
1/3 c Feta cheese, to taste
To make this salad more hearty I added a couple grilled chicken breasts (George Forman style) ...yummy!

DRESSING:
6 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. light extra virgin olive oil
3 T. sugar
Salt, pepper and chopped parsley to taste

Toss and serve! Serves 6-ish

*To sugar almonds, heat 4 T. sugar in small pan on med. high heat.
Add almonds and stir a few minutes until golden brown and tacky.

Tortellini Soup

OK, this soup is the BEST I've tasted in a very long time. It is quickly becoming my favorite go to soup, and it's super easy to make. Plus it's good for you too.



1 (14.5oz) can Fat-Free Chicken Broth: reduced sodium
1 tsp minced garlic
1 c. Cheese tortellini (the whole wheat version is a tasty way to add some fiber)
1 (14.5oz) can crushed tomato**
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Combine broth and garlic in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add tortellini; reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and oregano. Simmer 5 minutes or until tortellini is tender. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkles with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Makes 4 servings

** you can substitute an equivalent ounces of tomato sauce instead of the crushed tomato for a smoother soup.

Sister Smith's Ulam

Ulam is just about anything that can be imagined and served over/with rice in the Philippines. It can be as simple as coffee, can have veggies or meats, broth or banana ketsup. So pretty much anything qualifies. For a recent FHE I dreamed up a couple that were actually pretty dang tasty. Both were served over plain old white sticky rice.
The Elder's named this one:

Sister Smith's Yummy Chicken Ulam
to serve 6 (approx)
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
2 medium diced onions
4 or 5 minced garlic cloves
cook all three ingredients in a wok stirring frequently.
Salt and pepper to taste.
If you need can add 1/4 cup oil to this part of the cooking process.
add 2 or 3 chicken boullion cubes and 1/2 c. water.
Let simmer, covered on low heat until chicken is done.
add 2 thinly sliced green peppers, a large can of sliced mushrooms (opt.), and continue simmering for a few..
Stir in 2 to 3 cans of Campbells Cream of Chicken Mushroom soup.
Simmer on low heat for a few more minutes.
Then serve over rice.

The second one is Sister Smith's Hamburger/Veggie/Cheesy Ulam
2 pounds lean ground beef browned with a medium diced onion,
1/2 cup soy sauce,
4 or 5 minced garlic gloves.
Add 1 cup water and 2 -3 beef boullion cubes and let simmer till the cubes dissolve.
Add a 1 pound bag of frozen mixed vegetables. I used corn, carrots, potatoes, green bean combination..
Let it simmer for a few minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
I used a couple packages of Magic Sarap in mine but since MSG is not used in the States any more you can just add more salt and pepper.
Just before serving add 1 pound (or to taste) melting cheese (like Velveta).
Stir it in and melt it completely.
It's yummy and great with the ever popular rice.

Buca Pasta

I really can't take the credit for this one. I got the recipe from Shelley and Stacie. It's named after Buca de Beppo's version of a similar recipe.
It's become a regular family favorite in our house.

Buca Pasta

1 box penne pasta
2 chicken breasts
1 bunch broccoli (or frozen is fine too)
Half & half (I usually use fat free)
butter
1 container grated Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes

Cook pasta according to directions
Cut chicken into 1" pieces and cook until golden brown in saucepan
Remove chicken from pan and add Broccoli to pan - steam cook with oil until tender
Stir chicken back in with broccoli.

Drain Pasta and add about 4-5 Tbs butter and about 2 cups half & half
(I really don't have exact measurements, I just eyeball it)
Stir Parmesan cheese into pasta .
Once cheese is melted, add chicken & broccoli.
Stir all together and sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes for a little kick!
(you can add more to your dish if it's not hot enough for you)

Cabbage and Rice Casserole

Ok, I've made this particular dish 4 times in the last couple of months.  It just gets better and better.  It's a little time consuming with the prep work, but certainly doable.  I know it's one that Loney has started to crave.  

Cabbage & Rice Casserole

1 sm. head of cabbage, washed, drained and coarsely shredded
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (optional)
3/4 c. water, divided
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c. finely chopped onion (I just use dried onion flakes)
1/4 c. finely chopped green bell pepper (optional)
1/4 c. finely chopped celery (I have added carrots as well)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
Dash of garlic powder or chopped garlic for more flavor
3 c. cooked rice
2 cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce
3/4 c. shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. cracker crumbs or fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 c. cooked, crumbled bacon

In a large sauce pot or Dutch oven, steam cabbage in oil and 1/4 cup water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, lightly brown ground beef; drain off fat. Add onion, green pepper, celery, black pepper, salt and garlic powder; mix well. Continue cooking a few minutes until vegetables are tender. Layer steamed cabbage, cooked rice and browned meat mixture in a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Pour tomato sauce and remaining 1/2 cup water over all. Top with shredded cheese, cracker crumbs and crumbled bacon.

Bake, covered, in a preheated 325 degrees oven for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. (Or, simmer, covered, on top of stove for 20 minutes.)

Pork Chalupa

I got this tasty zesty recipe from a good friend. They invited us over for dinner and blew me away with this yummy and simple crock pot recipe. These are great wrapped up in a tortilla or top a salad. Either way is a fiesta in your mouth!

Pork Chalupas

Pork Loin
Seasonings
1 jar Green Salsa
1 jar Red Salsa
1 can Black Beans

Place Pork loin in Crock pot with 1/2 cup water and cover with seasoning of your choice
(I like to use fajita seasoning, pepper flakes, pepper)
Let cook on High 5-6 hours til tender
Pull apart Pork and add beans, and both salsa's
Let simmer 30 min more.

Serve like tacos or taco salads.
YUMMY