Zuppa

There's nothing like a bowl of hot, hearty soup on a cold winter's night.  This particular recipe has become ones of my favorites.  Of course, I love anything Italian, so this fits the bill.

White Bean, Basil, and Tomato Soup

1 48 oz. jar Randall's Navy Beans
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced baking potato
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 48 oz. can chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 cups diced, seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
Grated Parmesan cheese

Spray large pot with cooking spray.  Sauté onion for 2 minutes.  Add garlic; sauté 1 minute.  Add beans and partially mash.  Add potato, thyme, broth, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 2 hours.  Stir in tomato, basil, lemon juice and salt.  Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.  Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serve with crusty bread and a Caesar salad.

Heart Healthy Valentine's Day

As a cardiac rehab nurse, I'm always looking for ways to be a bit more healthy when it comes to treats.  So I decided to make my husbands Valentine's Day gift this year.

I bought a "manly" container and filled it with a variety of yummy, somewhat healthy chocolate treats.  This was so easy.  I layered (starting with the bottom layer) cocoa dusted almonds, dark chocolate M&M's, dark chocolate covered coffee beans, dark chocolate covered pretzels, and dark chocolate raisin clusters.
He'll love it!

Boeuf Bourguignon

Not just any boeuf bourguignon--Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon.  Ever since I saw the movie Julie and Julia, I've been curious about this beef dish.  Then, last November, my husband and I were at a local restaurant, and Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon was on the menu.  My husband ordered it and it was incredible.

Fast forward to Monday.  I was at Sam's Club and I noticed they had beef chuck in the meat case.  I remembered seeing that cut of beef in the recipe.  It was a sign that my menu for the week was about to change.

I have the book Julia's Kitchen Wisdom and the recipe is in it, but just to make sure, I went online and found the recipe from her original book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  In comparing the two recipes, there were a few minor differences, so I decided to go with the original recipe.  (One difference is that the original calls for tomato paste and the other one calls for tomatoes.)  To get the recipe, click on http://www.oprah.com/food/Boeuf-Bourguignon.

This recipe is time consuming.  You'll want to make it on a day that you are going to be home.  The baking time alone is 2 1/2 - 3 hours.  You can make it the day before, which is what I did, and reheat it when you want to serve it.

Just a few notes, the recipe from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom said the bacon was optional, so I left it out.  Also, that same recipe called for 1 cup of sliced carrots instead of 1 carrot.   I used whole baby carrots and added quite a few, since I really like them.  Also, I cut the recipe in half (except for the carrots), since I was only cooking for two.

Be sure to dry the meat with paper towel before browning it.

I used a lot of baby carrots.

The finished project

If you still have questions, there is a YouTube video of Julia cooking this dish on her show.

This recipe is well worth the effort. You will hear multiple yummy sounds from everyone at the table.

(After writing this post, I can finally spell bourguignon without looking.  Now I just need to figure out how to say it.)

Breakfast Wrap

On days that I work, I like to have a hearty, well-balanced breakfast (carbs, protein, and a little fat).  Since we have back to back classes from 7-12, we don't get a break.  Breakfast needs to hold us for almost 6 hours.  Well, actually, we do have some snack food tucked away under our work area--pretzels, almonds, and food gifts our patients bring in to us.  We are never starving.

These wraps only have 90 calories but pack a whopping 13 g. of fiber.

Yesterday, I opted for scrambled egg whites with veggies rolled into a wrap.  I love the combo of tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach.  (Since I'm usually in a hurry in the morning, I separate the eggs, slice the mushrooms and cut up the tomatoes the night before.)  I saute the mushroom and tomatoes in a pan coated with cooking spray until softened.

I apologize that this is blurry.  It looked fine at 5:45 a.m.

I then add spinach (frozen if I don't have fresh on hand), the egg whites and once it's all cooked, I add a tablespoon of feta cheese.  Yum!  It's so good.  With a little fresh fruit on the side, it's a perfect breakfast.

Homemade Energy Bars

These bars are great and a real satiater (I don't think that's actually a word, but these bars really stick with you).  My husband loves them and he usually doesn't like anything that smells of "healthy".  You can whip these up in 30 minutes (including baking time).  I put most of them in the freezer and pull one out when I get the urge.

Oatmeal Energy Bars

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup fat-free sweetened, condensed milk
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut butter into brown sugar with a pastry blender until crumbly.  Stir in oats and next 5 ingredients.
Combine egg whites, peanut butter, and condensed milk in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.  Add egg mixture to oats, and stir well.
Press mixture into a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; cool completely.  Cut into 28 bars.

Calories:  130, Saturated Fat: 1g,  Dietary Fiber: 2g, Carbohydrates:  22.5g, Protein:  3.5g


Side note:  While I was making these, I found a couple of things in the refrigerator that had expired.  I know I've cleaned out the fridge in the past 6 months.  How did I miss these things--especially the sunflower seeds that expired in 2002!  Hoarders is going to be knocking on my door if they get hold of this.

Homemade Christmas Gift

I stumbled onto this recipe a number of years ago and then altered it to fit my taste.  It is soooo good.  My kids love it.  If fact, when I talked to my daughter on the phone today, she asked if I was making this.  (She's bringing her boyfriend home to meet the fam and this delectable treat will hopefully make up for any oddities in our clan.)  

White Chocolate Crunch

1 pound white chocolate
6 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
2 cups pretzels
2 cups cashews
1 cup dried cranberries
12 ounces plain M&M's (Christmas colored for the holidays)

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.  Mix together dry ingredients (except M&M's) in large roasting pan.

Pour chocolate over dry mixture and gently mix.  Add M&M's.  Pour mixture onto wax paper and let cool.

Break into bite-sized pieces and store in airtight container.

I like to package this up in Christmas food bags to give away as gifts.  I usually double the recipe as it tends to disappear quickly.  Also, feel free to change the ingredients to whatever cereals and nuts that you like best.

Festive Lowfat Torte

One of my go-to recipes for the holidays is a white chocolate torte served with a raspberry sauce.  You can't beat it for the Christmas colors.  It can be dolled up for company with some greenery.  I originally got the recipe from a cooking class, but changed it up to make it more heart healthy.  When buying an Angel Food cake mix, go for the plain white cake.  I must have been in a catatonic state when I went to the store.  I thought I bought the plain mix, but when I got home, I had the funfetti flavor in my bag.  It must be perimentalpause perimenopause .

White Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Sauce

1 box Angel Food cake mix
1 large container Cool Whip
4 ounces White Chocolate
12 ounces frozen raspberries
Sugar or sweetener to taste

Mix angel food cake according to package directions.  Line a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool in pan on wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt white chocolate in top of double boiler over low heat.  Mix into Cool Whip.

Loosen edges of cake from pan with a knife.  Cut cake into thirds with a serrated knife.  Invert one layer onto serving platter.  Spread layer with Cool Whip mixture.  Repeat procedure with remaining layers.  Frost top and sides of cake with remaining Cool Whip mixture.  Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.

For raspberry sauce, puree raspberries in a food processor.  Strain raspberries to remove seeds.  Add sugar to taste.  Serve sauce with cake.  Enjoy!

Not Your Mother's Meatloaf

I normally am not a fan of meatloaf.  But years ago, I found this little gem and have made this recipe several times every year since.  Even my kids liked it when they were growing up.

Pizzaburger Meat Squares

1.5 pounds lean ground beef
1    (15 ounce) can pizza sauce
3/4 cup fine Ritz cracker crumbs (about 20 crackers)
1    egg, slightly beaten
      salt, to taste
4    ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix 1 cup of pizza sauce, ground beef, cracker crumbs, egg, and salt in large mixing bowl.  Pack firmly into 8x4 inch loaf pan.

Bake 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  Drain grease.  Spread remaining sauce on top of meat.  Sprinkle cheese over sauce.  Bake for 10-15 minutes more or until cheese melts.  Cool 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.

Serves 4-6

Thanksgiving Rehash

This was my second year to host Thanksgiving.  Last year, my mom handed off the baton to me, but last year I had a secret weapon--my son.  He's a really good cook and he helped a lot--especially with the gravy.  He couldn't come home this year (bummer), so I was on my own.  Thankfully, I found a little book tucked away that I had totally forgotten about.  It's from Cook's Illustrated on sauces and gravies.  I followed the instructions and my gravy came out pretty tasty.

Also this year, I used a cooking bag for the turkey and I'm sold on it.  The turkey was moist and so flavorful.  And it produced enough juice so that I didn't need to use any canned broth for the gravy.

But the best thing on the menu was the sweet potatoes.  It was a new recipe and everyone raved about it.  It was so simple and I was able to make it the day before, store it in the refrigerator and just pop it in the oven.  The orange juice is what made it.  Although my husband and brother would say it was the praline topping.

Praline Sweet Potato Casserole

1 (16 ounce) can sweet potatoes or yams, drained
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons chopped nuts
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Lightly grease a 1-quart glass baking dish; set aside.  Mash the sweet potatoes.  Add the melted butter and orange juice; blend thoroughly.  Spoon into the casserole.  Combine the brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon; mix well.  Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Makes 4-6 servings.  [They must be really small servings, because I more than doubled the recipe (we had 8 people) and it was gone.  Either that or we're a bunch of gluttons.]

If you make this ahead, you may need to bake it longer since it will start out cold; bake approximately 45 minutes.

Yummiest Pumpkin Muffins

This morning, one of my co-workers (Donna, if you must know), brought in the most incredible pumpkin muffins I've ever had.  When she told me the ingredients, I had to ask her to repeat it three times.  It was too easy to be so good.  I forgot to ask her the official name, so I'm making one up.

Easiest, Yummiest Pumpkin Muffins Ever

1 Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake mix
1 29 ounce can pumpkin
1 12 ounce package white chocolate chips

Mix together.  Spoon into greased muffin tins.  Bake 375 degrees for 17 minutes.  (Take them out of the oven even if they don't seem quite done.)

I figure they can't be that bad as far as fat content goes.  These muffins are truly incredible.  I promise you will get rave reviews when you make these.  

Guilt-Free Pumpkin Dessert

Since I decided to join the HEART Center team for "Holding it Through the Holidays", and have to weigh in every week between now and New Year's, I thought I'd better pull out some low fat recipes.

Here's one for a pumpkin ice cream dessert.  When I first made this (back in the stone age), I don't believe I had ever seen pumpkin ice cream in the store.  Well, now they have it.  But I haven't seen low-fat pumpkin ice cream, so maybe my recipe isn't obsolete.

I whipped this up last night.  The beauty of this recipe is you can make it days ahead of the holiday and throw it in the freezer until you need it.  It's really quite scrumptious, aside from the brain freeze I always get from inhaling eating it too quickly.

Guilt-Free Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

Filling:
1/3 cup honey
1    cup canned pumpkin
1    teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 quarts fat-free vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Crust:
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Mix crust ingredients together.  Press into 9-inch pie pan.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Cool

For filling, combine the honey, pumpkin, spice, and salt in a saucepan and mix well.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Cool completely

Add pumpkin mixture to the ice cream and mix well.  Spoon into the pie shell.  Sprinkle with the pecans.  Freeze until firm.

Must Have Kitchen Gadgets: Part 7

I love french fries, but I rarely order them due to my cholesterol issues.  So in order to satisfy that occasional craving, I purchased a french fry maker.  Instead of deep-frying them, I bake them.  That way I can have guilt-free french fries.  

Last night, I decided to have sweet potato fries.  They were great.  I cut the potatoes, spread them on a baking sheet and sprayed them with olive oil Pam.  Then I sprinkled them with salt and baked them for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees.  Yum!

I Love Pasta

My husband gets so excited when I make this pasta recipe.  If he was keeping track of his daily "three good things" (see blog from yesterday), this would definitely make the list.  Unfortunately, we don't live near the ocean, so I use canned clams instead of fresh, but it still tastes great.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

1     clove garlic, minced
2     tablespoons butter
2     tablespoons flour
2     cups bottled clam juice
1/4  cup minced fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4  teaspoon salt

       pepper to taste

2    cups fresh minced clams or 2 10-ounce cans clams

12  ounces linguine, cooked al dente and drained

In large skillet, saute garlic in butter over medium-high heat for 1 minute.

Whisk in flour until smooth.

Add clam juice.  Whisk until mixed. Add parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce is reduced by 1/3.  Add clams and heat through.  Place warm linguine in heated serving dish.  Pour sauce over linguine and toss gently.  Serve immediately.

4-6 main dish servings

Potato Suprise

I love making recipes that disguise healthy ingredients.  My husband doesn't like cauliflower and I usually end up tossing his portion down the disposal.  And since he's an adult, I can't threaten him with no dessert if he doesn't eat his veggies.  He eats dessert anyway.  It's amazing that he's still alive with the scant amount of fruits and vegetables that he eats in a day.  So to remedy this, I made "mashed potatoes" for dinner tonight.  He had no idea what hit him.

Cheesy Smashed Potatoes

1    lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks (with skins on)
1    cup cauliflower florets
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt to taste

Place potatoes and cauliflower in large saucepan.  Add enough water to cover.
Bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Drain.
Add sour cream and mash until vegetable mixture is light and fluffy.  Stir in cheese.

Makes 6 servings, 1/2 cup each.

Great Old/New Recipe

This past week, I was going through some old recipes I had torn out of magazines but had never tried, and I came across this one.  Now mind you, this came out of Bon Appetit, the RSVP section, in June 1993.  That means it survived two moves (we moved into a rental home in 1994, while building our current home).  I'm so glad it came with us, because both my husband and I made multiple yummy sounds while eating this.

Chicken with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms and Spinach

4 servings

1 large head garlic, cloves separated (unpeeled)
3 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
All purpose flour

1/2 pound button or stemmed shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place garlic on small baking pan.  Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil over; toss to coat.  Bake until soft, about 20 minutes.  Cool garlic.  Press garlic between fingertips to release from peel.  Transfer garlic to bowl.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Roasted Garlic

Using meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to thickness of 1/2 inch.  Coat chicken with flour; shake off excess.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and saute until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to plates.  Tent with foil to keep warm.  Add mushrooms to skillet and saute 4 minutes.  Add wine to skillet and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.  Add tomatoes, spinach, rosemary, and roasted garlic and saute until spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.  Add butter and mix just until melted. Spoon mixture over chicken and serve.

Changes
Since fresh tomatoes are out of season, I used canned.  I reduced the wine due to the juice in the tomatoes.  I also cut the butter in half just to reduce the fat and calories.  It doesn't look like anything special at first glance, but this was so good.  It must be the butter and roasted garlic.

I ended up wearing this recipe on my shirt.  I need an apron.

Healthy Fall Treat

Pumpkin + Yogurt = Fun Healthy Treat

Mix one cup of plain or vanilla yogurt with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin.  Add sweetener or honey to taste.  Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice and enjoy!

Spoon leftover pumpkin into ice cube trays and freeze.  Once frozen, store in ziplock bag.

Summery Chicken

Is summery even a word?  Anyway, it's Labor Day weekend (boohoo) and summer is almost over.  I just discovered this recipe in a cookbook that I've had for years.  It is so refreshing on a hot summer evening.  You can refreeze the concentrates and use them again when you repeat this recipe (and believe me, you will want to have it again).

Lime Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine orange juice, limeade, salt, and pepper in a plastic bag.  Add chicken and marinate 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare grill.  Grill chicken until brown and firm to the touch.  Top with Mango Salsa and serve.

Mango Salsa:

2 mangoes, peeled pitted and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

No Bake Dessert Bars

When it's hot outside, I hate turning on the oven.  Thankfully, in the summer, I can get my homemade chocolate fix with these easy bars.  The recipe is one that my mother has made for years.  In fact, I remember the day she got the recipe.  It was 1967 and we were on our way home from Montreal, where we had been to the world's fair.

We were camping in Lake Placid, NY and my mother came into the trailer all excited about this recipe the lady next door had given her.  That was the beginning of scotcheroos for our family.  Since then, my mother has brought them to every family reunion.  I, in turn, introduced them to my husband's family, and  now I have the burden of bringing them to every family gathering.  My nephew, Joe, even made them for a class in high school where he needed to do a demonstration.  He calls them "Aunt Mindy's Scotcheroos".  They are so easy and so good.  Enjoy!

Scotcheroos

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups rice cereal
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Measure cereal into a large mixing bowl.  Bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Remove from heat.  Stir in peanut butter.  Pour over cereal and mix.  Press into a greased 9x13-inch pan.

Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a double boiler over hot water, stirring to blend well.  Spread over the peanut butter mixture.  Cut into bars.  Let stand until firm.

A few notes from my past mistakes:
Do not use natural peanut butter.  It will not blend well.  I made this mistake and put it back on the stove to try and get the peanut butter to blend.  The scotcheroos came out so chewy, they could have been used to remove loose teeth.
That brings me to the next point.  Once the sugar and corn syrup comes to a boil, remove it from the heat right away.  Again, if it is left to boil too long, they will be hard to chew.  
Last point, cut them into bars right away while they are still warm.  If you let them cool first, it's more difficult.  And if you've ignored the other two points, you will need a crow bar.

Must Have Kitchen Gadgets: Part 3

I love my food chopper.  It's a quick and easy way to chop small to medium amounts of food without getting out the food processor.  I probably use this more than any other gadget.  It's great for nuts, onions, crackers, and as shown here, artichoke hearts.  Here is a great pasta salad recipe I hope you'll try.  If you make it the day before, it will be more flavorful.  Just wait to add the fresh tomatoes and cheese until you're ready to serve it.

Antipasto Salad

1/2 cup coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 small shallots, quartered
2 cloves garlic, halved
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil or one teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
1/2 cup coarsely chopped black olives (optional)
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
12 ounces penne, cooked al dente
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes
1 cup diced fresh mozzarella

Puree the sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, garlic, vinegar, thyme, and basil in a food processor.  With the blades running, slowly add the oil and process until smooth.  Add salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing into a medium bowl, add the mushrooms, olives, and artichoke hearts, and stir to coat.  Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Add pasta, chicken, tomatoes, and mozzarella and toss to evenly mix.  Serves 6 to 8

Grilled Vegetables

This is a great recipe for summer.  You can use any or all of the vegetables in the recipe.  I just happened to have zucchini, mushrooms and bell peppers around, so that's what I used.  You can easily vary the amounts to accommodate however many you are serving.  Also, you can serve this at any temperature, so you can make it ahead if you need to.

Grilled Vegetables

3 red or orange bell peppers, seeded and quartered
3 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise
3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise
12 button mushrooms
1 pound of asparagus, trimmed
12 green onions, trimmed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat grill.  Brush the vegetables with 1/4 cup olive oil.  Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.  Grill the vegetables until crisp tender and lightly charred all over, about 12 minutes for the peppers, 7 minutes for the yellow squash, zucchini, and mushrooms, and 4 minutes for the asparagus and green onions.  Cut the zucchini into 1/2 thick slices.  Toss in a serving dish.

In a small bowl, whisk the last five ingredients together with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6.