Erin Eats

Growing Tomatoes

2009-06-28T19:02:00.003-06:00

I planted three tomato plants about 5-6 weeks ago and they've been growing like weeds, but I'm afraid that: a) I didn't plant them deep enough b)I over-watered (it rained like crazy for a couple of weeks) and c) I didn't plant in big enough pots (I don't have a yard). Because of these things, I'm seeing some fruit, but not a lot, mostly in big clusters (this is normal, I'm sure) and the bottoms look like this:

We did have a crazy snail infestation, but that's been taken care of and I've planted marigolds to help with any bugs...

Any suggestions would be lovely!

Fresh Cherry and Apple Crisp

2009-06-28T12:08:00.004-06:00

For a few weeks now I've been on a diet, of sorts, having Isagenix Isalean Shakes twice a day and having a low calorie lunch or dinner, depending on the circumstances. This is working (though I'm realizing I'm a bit more ornery than usual), but I find myself really missing the activity of cooking, especially with so many fresh herbs out in my faux garden.

In any case, we were given a bucketful of fresh cherries, so we're incorporating them into our shakes, but Saturday is my day to make whatever I want without feeling any dieter's guilt - Saturday is my favorite day...

Fresh Cherry and Apple Crisp

Toss:
4 apples, peeled and sliced
2 c. cherries, pitted
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. sugar
zest of 1 orange
Arrange in a baking dish.

Combine:
1/2 stick butter, softened*
2 c. instant oats
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 whole nutmeg, finely grated
Sprinkle over the fruit mixture and bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

*You should probably use a whole stick of butter to get the proper crumble texture, but I only used half.

Eating Montréal - Fairmount Queen Elizabeth Hotel

2009-06-25T21:33:00.000-06:00

Our time in Montréal was interesting, but there's no doubt that the artful execution and quality of the food is unlike anything I've ever experienced. One particularly amazing dish was the cream of mushroom soup in the hotel restaurant Le Montrealais Bistro-bar which is also is where the room service comes from. When we go on vacation, we don't spend a lot of money, but we always splurge on local cuisine, particularly room service if the hotel is a little extravagant.

Steak sandwich from the restaurant inside the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth (room service). This sandwich was simply steak and bread and it was the single best thing I had to eat while in Montréal.

Scallops with sun dried tomaotes and portabello mushrooms - room service

Large Pizza - room service

Small Pizza - room service

I didn't get to taste this napoleon, but I was assured that it was incredible.

Pastry in the underground mall underneath the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth hotel. We walked down every day to take a look at the insane French pastry. I was in foodie heaven...

Marinated Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce and Pita

2009-05-14T18:58:00.000-06:00

I love, LOVE souvlaki with cucumber sauce - they have a great version of this at the Crown Burger in Salt Lake City.

I like to make my own version, but I usually just cook the full chicken breast instead of cubing it up and skewering it. Tonight's was the best we've had in a long time!

Marinated Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce and Pita

For the marinade and chicken:

Combine juice of 1 lemon and one lime with 2 TB. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 c. chopped fresh oregano and 1 TB. fresh lemon thyme leaves. Pour over chicken in a zip bag and marinate for 8 hours (I do this before work so the chicken is nice and flavorful by the time I get home). Remove chicken from bag and pat dry, sprinkle with salt then sear both sides over medium high heat until golden. Place in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until just cooked through.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 32-oz. container low fat plain yogurt
1 English cucumber or two regular cucumbers, peeled, grated and squeezed in a towel to remove water
2 cloves garlic, pressed through press then sprinkled with 1/2 tsp. coarse salt and ground to a paste with the back of a spoon (this step is critical - it removes the bitterness from the garlic)
1/4 c. chopped fresh mint or 2 tsp. dried mint (the dried brings a much stronger flavor)
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
2 TB. good olive oil

Combine and chill! This will last in the refrigerator for 5 days, or so.

Stuffed Pork Chops with Steamed Cabbage Wedges

2009-05-13T19:50:00.000-06:00

Just another Sunday dinner for two:

For the pork chops:
2 1-1/2" pork chops, marinated in soy sauce and 2 cloves crushed garlic for 20 minutes, then patted dry. Make a pocket in the porkchop, making sure to leave only a 1" opening for stuffing.

For the stuffing:
3 slices bread, cubed
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 TB olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Toss and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown. Let cool, then pour over 3/4 c. boiling chicken broth and cover until the broth is absorbed. Let cool then stir in 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Stuff pork chops and quickly brown each side, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cut 1 head cabbage into wedges and steam until tender. Serve with garlicy lemon butter: 2 cloves crushed garlic, sauteed in 1 TB. olive oil. Add 1/2 stick butter, juice and zest of 1/2 lemon, and 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper.

Eating Montréal - Dragon's Beard Candy

2009-05-12T22:49:00.000-06:00

At the first of August, I had a buisness trip that took me to Montréal, and though I was in meetings and classes for the majority of the 5-day trip, I did get the opportunity to take a food tour that lead us through the various food districts in the city, including the Greek, Jewish, Chinese, and Italian districts.

A particularly intriguing part of the tour was in teh Chinese district where, in a small booth on the side of the street, a pair of people created this ingenious candy that has a strange texture that turns out tasting a bit like nougat. It's hard to explain, but if you ever have the opportunity you have to try it!

Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls

2009-05-11T19:49:00.000-06:00

I've been obsessed with cooking lately. A lot of the dishes I'm experimenting with are hit and miss and I'm easily frustrated with a bad result. I am also in the mindset that I want to use up everything I have in the freezer and pantry before making a trip to the store, so I've been coming up with random pairings. This isn't odd or random, but it is without meat, which is a little hard for my carnivorous husband to accept. I think this is probably the first time that he's truly wanted leftovers for dinner instead of something new and fresh...

Vegetarian Lasagna Rolls

12 lasagna noodles, boiled for 9 minutes, drained, set aside.

1 12-oz. can whole tomatoes
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and let simmer until the sauce has thickened and the tomatoes have broken down. This will leave you with about 1 cup of sauce. This is an element of the filling, not the tomato sauce for covering.

15 oz. part skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine and set aside.

1 TB. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
salt and pepper
10 oz. baby portabello mushrooms, cut into medium sized pieces
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

In a medium frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium and add the onions, salt and pepper. When the onions become translucent, toss in the garlic, mushrooms and thyme. Turn the heat to medium-high; the mushrooms will release a lot of liquid, so let the liquid boil away and then allow them to brown. I like a lot of color on my mushrooms, so I let them brown, then stir, then brown then stir - the process takes about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

12 oz. diced carrots
3 large celery stalks, diced
2 TB. olive oil
salt and pepper

In the same pan (over medium heat) add 2 TB. olive oil, carrots and salt and pepper. In order to expedite the cooking on the carrots, I add 1/2 cup of water and let the carrots boil until the water evaporates - you may need to do this 3-4 times. Add the celery about half-way through. When the carrots and celery are tender and all water has evaporated, the oil left in the pan should be enough to brown the vegetables. Stir in the mushroom mixture and the tomatoes.

Line the filling about 3/4 of the length of each lasagna noodle. Spoon the ricotta mixture over and roll! You should use up all of the filling and half of the ricotta.

1 standard bottle spaghetti sauce
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Spoon a light layer of sauce on the bottom of your pan. Add the lasagna rolls and top each roll with the remaining ricotta. Pour the spaghetti sauce over and top with the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until hot and bubbly.

Mother's Day Chicken Salad and Tartlets

2009-05-10T18:29:00.000-06:00

This has been a lovely Mother's Day! I spent the morning making dessert and chicken salad for our Mother's Day dinner, then spent the afternoon with my mom and my grandma and grandpa and my siblings.

So, for me chicken salad is always a little tricky. I find the chicken is always dry and the flavors are either to mayonnaisey or too salty, overly spiced, oddly flavored (pickle relish, anyone?) or just plain bland. All-in-all, I'm not a big fan. For Mother's Day, we knew we would be eating outside on my grandma's lovely patio, so we decided we'd have picnic-type food and I have been determined to come up with a chicken salad that I love.

Erin's Chicken Salad

5 medium chicken breasts, about 3.5 lbs., poached, cooled and cut into 1/2" cubes

Combine the following ingredients and toss with cooled chicken:
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 c. chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. minced celery
1/2 c. minced green onions
1 1/4 c. sliced grapes
1/2 c. sliced almonds

To poach the chicken: add 4 whole peeled cloves garlic, 1 TB. black peppercorns, 3 dried bay leaves and 1 TB. salt to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, return to a boil, cover and remove from the heat. Let sit, covered for about 20 minutes, then remove from water and set aside to partly cool. This makes for a very tender, juicy chicken that cuts easily into cubes without shredding.

Note to self - leftover chicken salad on a bed of romaine with lemon vinaigrette - this will be delightful!

These pictures aren't great, but that's OK, I'm not really a photographer :D

-------------------------

On to dessert... A while back, I made some tarts that ended up being pretty damned tasty. I was at our local farm stand trying to decide what to make for dessert when I saw these gorgeous strawberries on sale (4 pounds for five dollars) and I decided on cheesecake. When I got home I came to the realization: Hey, dummy! You're lactose intolerant, so quit it with the cheesecake! This is what I ended up with:

Strawberry Cream Cheese Tartlets

The basics from the tart recipe are the same, but this time I added a layer of sweetened cream cheese and used the following ingredients for the coulis:

3 lbs. fresh strawberries
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange liquor
zest of 1 lemon
juice and zest of 1 orange
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 of a fresh nutmeg, grated
1 tsp. vanilla extract and juice of 1 lemon added at the end, then add
2 TB. cornstarch, dissolved in 3 TB. water - boil until thickened

Tart shell coated with white chocolate and filled with 1/4 tsp. sweetened cream cheese.

These tarts were definitely the hit of the day..

My mom

My favorite picture of the day - Grandma and Grandpa licking their plates!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2009-05-02T15:24:00.000-06:00

I love chicken pot pie, but baking the dish from scratch after a long day of work isn't really realistic for me. This week, I came home and threw this together from ingredients I already had. I wasn't sure where I was going with it until I realized I had some leftover puff pastry.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
meat from 1 whole roasted chicken
1 large onion, diced
4 large celery stalks, diced
3 c. shredded carrots
3 TB butter
3 TB olive oil
1 TB fresh thyme leaves
2 c. milk
6 chicken boullion cubes, dissolved in 4 c. hot water
4-6 TB Flour
2 bay leaves
2 c. frozen peas
1 sheet puff pastry, cut into sixths and baked until golden (400 degrees, 20 mins)

Saute the vegetables (with the bay leaves, thyme, salt, and the pepper) in the butter and oil until tender. Sprinkle in the flour and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the milk, stirring quickly, then the dissolved boullion water. When this comes to a boil and has thickened, stir in the chicken and the frozen peas. It couldn't hurt to throw in a little more fresh thyme at the end.

Lazy Turnovers

2009-05-02T14:57:00.000-06:00

Let me just start out by saying that I never have (and probably never will) attempted to make my own puff pastry. I'm far too lazy for that.

I was at lunch and overheard someone talking about the best pastry they ever had: chocolate hazelnut and cream cheese. The idea stuck.

Puff pastry (from a box), Nutella, cream cheese.

Puff pastry (from a box), Nutella, peanut butter, bananas.

These were definitely different, and the cream cheese version was the favorite. Not bad for 5 minutes prep and 15 minutes bake time.

Paula Deen's Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich

2009-04-21T13:03:00.000-06:00

Monday, I had to have a delightful (read the sarcasm) medical procedure, which required no eating for 48-hours before. Luckily, my last meal was an awesome family dinner in celebration of my grandfather's birthday. My contribution was stuffed pork chops, which turned out great! I didn't get to eat the red velvet cake (my favorite) or the Au gratin potatoes, and was starting to feel sorry for myself, but I overcame.

So, I fasted for two days, all the while watching Food Network (I'm a glutton), and though EVERYTHING looked delicious, one recipe stuck out in my mind. Well, two, actually, but this Fried Egg and Avocado Sandwich was killing me. A fried egg, tomato, bacon, avocado, on toasty bread with oniony cream cheese? Count me in. During my procedure I had been anesthetized, and apparently I'm not as susceptible to the sedation, so I was given an extra kick of sedative. I woke up an hour earlier than most people do, so I'm told, and the first thing I said was - I WANT THAT SANDWICH! In my haze, I listed off the ingredients and my lovely husband ran to the store and picked everything up.

I fried the eggs, my husband threw the bacon in the oven and after about 10 minutes we ate the single most delicious sandwiches that I've ever tasted. And then I went to sleep at 5:00 in the afternoon and didn't wake again until 8:00 this morning. I started to think, "OK, that sandwich was only that good because you were so damned hungry." Naturally, I tried the sandwich again the second I woke up and it really is every bit as good as I've already said it is. I added a little more avocado and fried the egg to over-easy - mmm perfection.

Family Macaroni Shrimp Salad

2009-04-21T12:46:00.000-06:00

My mom made this a lot when I was growing up, mainly for family parties and holidays. This is my version, made to go along with Easter dinner.

Macaroni Shrimp Salad

1 lb. salad macaroni (ditalini), boiled with 3 TB. Salt, drained
1 bunch green onions, quartered and sliced very thin (my mom hates the texture of onions)
1 6 oz. can black pearl olives, sliced
5-6 large eggs, boiled for ten minutes, chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeds removed, small chop
2 cans mini shrimp, drained

Toss all ingredients, then fold in:

Dressing

Combine:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 TB. milk
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Berries with Lemon Cream

2009-04-04T19:35:00.000-06:00

Continuing on with my lemon obsession, this is something I made last Friday for dinner with friends:

The topping is a mixture of 1 cup of cream, whipped with 2 tablespoons of honey, 4 oz. cream cheese, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste and one tablespoon lemon extract.

The berries are: 2 packages frozen mixed berries, cooked over medium heat with 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 c. coconut rum and 2 tablespoons orange liquer until a bit of liquid leeches out, but not all the way warmed through. Refrigerate for 2 hours, then add 1 pint sliced fresh strawberries and 1 cup fresh blueberries.

I made a dieters version of this a week prior, using a small amount of cream, nonfat milk, honey, plain gelatin, lemon and vanilla flavorings. I used splenda in the berries and omitted the alcohol... the full fat version was obviously much better.

Fingerling Potato Salad

2009-04-04T19:26:00.000-06:00

While I'm not very motivated to blog, I do find myself thinking, "I should blog this!" every so often. This dish is something I threw together in a hunger frenzy and it is now in my top 3 potato salads...

I didn't do any measuring here, but the gist of this is: combine the juice of 1 large lemon, 1/3 olive oil, salt and pepper. Boil mixed fingerling potatoes, drain, slice in half and while still hot, toss in the dressing. Add halved grape tomatoes and crumble in some feta cheese. It's not exactly pretty, but it IS delicious!

Green Beans Almondine for Holly

2008-08-19T15:57:00.000-06:00

During the holidays, I make a green bean dish for the family potluck. I've been making this dish for five or six years, I figure, and for the past.. 2.. years? my sister-in-law, Holly, has been asking me for the recipe. I've never written down a recipe for these green beans, so here's my best attempt (finally) - I haven't made these since Thanksgiving, but as best I can remember, it goes like this:

Green Beans Almondine for Holly

4 bags frozen green beans (cut not french cut)
2 cups chopped ham
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
2 pkgs. slivered almonds
zest of two lemons
juice of 1 lemon
4 TB. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a small skillet over medium low heat and add the slivered almonds. Toss in the dry pan until the almonds become fragrant and turn slightly golden, set aside.

In a large skillet, brown ham over medium heat until slightly dry, remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat oil and add onions and about 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Saute until translucent, then add lemon zest and garlic; continue to saute for another 2 minutes.

In the meantime, fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil. Add about 1/8 c. salt and all 4 bags green beans. Boil for about 4 minutes, then drain well and combine with the ham, onions and lemon juice. Let cook together in pan over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes. Taste to test for salt and pepper - add more as needed.

I like to sprinkle over a little extra lemon zest and garnish with lemon wedges.

***

I'll update with photos in the next holiday season.

Lemon Saffron Risotto with String Beans

2008-08-19T14:30:00.000-06:00

My absolute favorite meal at any restaurant is the Seafood Risotto at Corbin's (more for the risotto than for the seafood). This has prompted me to attempt to make a similar tasting risotto at home. Today is my 8th wedding anniversary (yay!) so I took a day off work and finally had the time to attempt my favorite dish. I looked up a few risotto recipes and couldn't decide on one - what I came up with is a hybrid of the recipes I read, along with some of my own ideas (lemon instead of wine, extra lemon).

Lemon Saffron Risotto

2 TB. olive oil
2 TB. butter
1 med. onion, chopped
1 sm. garlic clove, grated
1 c. arborio rice
3-4 c. Chicken Stock (low sodium)
1/4 tsp. saffron
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1/4 tsp. salt

Add the chicken stock, salt and saffron to a sauce pan and bring up to a slight simmer. In a separate sauce pan, melt the butter into the olive oil and add the onion and garlic; lightly saute until the onion is translucent and tender. Stir in the arborio rice and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, making sure not to brown the onions or rice. Add juice from 1 lemon and stir until absorbed. Pour in 2/3 cup chicken stock and stir constantly until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 2/3 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each batch of broth is absorbed. When the rice is tender (20-30 minutes), add the juice of 1/2 lemon and the Parmigiano - stir until melted. I also added another 1/2 cup of stock to add to the creamy texture.

String Beans (Hericot Vert)

1 lb. string beans
2 tsp. olive oil
zest of one lemon
1/4 tsp. salt

Steam green beans for 2-3 minutes. Add oil, salt and lemon zest to a frying pan and heat so the oil from the zest leeches into the oil. Toss the green beans in the lemon oil and let sit over medium heat for about 3 minutes, tossing occasionally.

***

This did come really close to the recipe I was shooting for, minus the excess of lemon juice (I even squirted a little lemon over the beans when it was all said and done), but it was perfect for my palate. This is going to be my new go-to carb when I'm having a hankering for starch!

Reintroduction to Food Blogging

2008-08-17T13:44:00.000-06:00

After a year and a half of being entirely focused on work (new job, and all), I've realized just how much I miss food blogging. It really hit me when I was on a work conference trip to Montreal; the food was incredible and all I could think was how nice it would be to post some pictures to share.

And so it begins.... (again).

Basic Pesto

2006-07-17T17:13:00.000-06:00

A while back I read somewhere that the best pestos are stone-ground. Now, I've only had pestos made with a food processor, so I decided to take the advice and give it a go. Turns out, it does make a bit of a difference - the flavors infuse into each other more, and the basil flavor is stronger because you've mashed the hell out of it and the juices have released.

A special thanks to my sister, who gave me this mortar and pestle for Christmas a few years back, and now it's become one of the most used items in my kitchen.

Basic Pesto

2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In the mortar and pestle, grind the garlic with the salt until it becomes a foamy paste; add the pinenuts and grind until they become a paste. Add the basil and grind until the basil is fine, then mix in the oil, pepper and, finally, the cheese. Refrigerate for up to a week.

I served mine over pasta with warm tomatoes - it was lovely. No calorie count on this one, I don't even want to know.

Sliced Orange Salad

2006-07-16T16:41:00.000-06:00

Summer has been hot, but fun. We even had a garage sale at my mom's house, last weekend, which turned out to be CRAZY. So many people. Anyway, I'm back, if you can believe it, and I'm cooking/making a lot of things I haven't tried before, so yay for getting out of my cooking rut.

Sliced Orange Salad

Peel and slice a few oranges into rings, then toss with finely chopped parsley and green onions, and drizzle over a little red wine vinegar.. and season to taste with salt and pepper. Different, low on calories and yummy. Maybe I'll add some nuts, next time, I dunno.

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer, or whatever the season is where you live. My basil is alive and kicking, so I think it's pesto time...

Two Summer Salads: Chick Peas, Radishes, Cucumber

2006-06-06T19:43:00.000-06:00

Oh, lovely heat. My basil died because I forgot to water it for 1 day, but that's ok, I'm not the biggest basil fan, anyway :)

I'm starting to think that I can't cook without using fresh thyme, it's a sickness, really - most things don't seem complete without it.

I've been eating a lot of garbanzo beans, lately. I'm generally not all that much in love with beans, aside from green beans, but, for some reason, I love my garbanzos. They're great with a little dressing of ranch and chopped jalapenos, but here's a salad that's got more than 3 ingredients:

Chick Pea Salad

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)(385)
2 roma tomatoes, diced (36)
1/2 cup black olives, halved, about 90 g. (150)
1/4 c. chopped vidalia onion, about 45g. (19)
1 TB. mayonnaise (100)
1 tsp. lemon juice (3)
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (3)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 TB. fresh chopped basil (1)

Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour over the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat.

Makes 4 servings, 174.25 calories per serving.

Cucumber Radish Salad

10-12 med. radishes, about 220g., sliced (36)
1/3 lg. vidalia onion, about 75g., chopped (32)
1 med. English cucumber, about 325g., sliced (50)
1 TB. fresh lemon juice (3)
1 TB. olive oil (120)
1 TB. balsamic vinegar (10)
leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme, about 2 tsp. (2)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

Serves 4, 63.25 calories per serving.

This salad was really, really good, but I don't recommend making it a day ahead - the vegetables lose a bit of their crunch, and the radishes bleed into the rest of the ingredients, as you can see by the picture. This is best served within several hours of making.

Creamy Corn Casserole

2006-05-30T08:04:00.000-06:00

This recipe comes from my husband's family cookbook. I'm not sure where it originated, but it's been in his family for years and years. I think there is probably a way to make this without wasting calories on cream cheese, because the cream cheese flavor doesn't really come through, as it is completely overpowered by the chilies - maybe a simple white sauce would suffice? It's one to work on...

Corn Casserole

3 (15 1/4 oz. cans) white corn, drained (630)
8 oz. cream cheese (1/3 reduced fat) (560)
1/4 c. milk (I use fat-free Lactaid) (23)
1 4-oz. can diced green chilies (20)
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar (1/3 reduced fat) (285)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the milk and cream cheese together, adding salt to taste, if desired, then add the chilies and the corn; stir to combine. Pour the mixture into an 8x8" casserole dish and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the temperature up to 400 degrees and bake for another ten minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese is browned.

Makes 9 servings, 169 calories per serving.

We added this as our side to our lean grilled burgers, and it worked out nicely. I'm not the biggest fan of this recipe, but everyone else who tastes it loves it.

Basic Lasagna with Turkey and Mushrooms

2006-05-29T19:56:00.000-06:00

Getting back to food blogging...

I've made several lasagnas over the years, always trying something different, but the best reviews I get are when I add too much salt to the sauce, and not quite enough to the other elements. There's something about the salty sauce that makes up for the salt missing in the other areas, and it's great.

Basic Lasagna with Turkey and Mushrooms

1 26-oz. jar tomato sauce (540)
1 c. canned tomatoes (53)
1/2 c. tomato paste (120)
15 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions (1260)
1 large (about 325 g.) vidalia onion, chopped (136)
1 8-oz. package fresh mushrooms, rinsed and roughly chopped (57)
1 TB. + 1 tsp. fresh thyme, divided
4 cloves garlic, chopped (16)
1 TB. olive oil (120)
1 1/4 lbs lean ground turkey (1100)
1 30-oz. container part-skim ricotta (1120)
1 c. (50g.) (1/3 reduced fat) sharp cheddar (160)
1 c. parmesan (400)
1 1/2 c. (1/3 reduced fat) mozzarella (480)
1 jumbo egg + 1 egg white (116)
3 roma tomatoes, sliced into 15 slices (45)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Add the tomato sauce and canned tomatoes to a sauce pan over medium-low heat, stir occasionally while preparing the other elements. Salt to taste.

Saute the onion and red pepper flakes in the oil over medium-low heat until translucent; add the mushrooms, garlic, 1 tablespoon thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat up to just above medium and continue cooking until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the ground turkey and mix thoroughly, cook through; add the tomato paste, mix thoroughly and cook for another minute, or so. Remove from heat.

Whisk together the cheddar, ricotta, eggs and the last teaspoon of thyme, and plenty of black pepper.

To assemble: Spread 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13" pan, then lay 5 noodles out over the sauce, top with half the meat mixture, then spread half the ricotta mixture over the meat, then sprinkle on 1/2 cup grated parmesan. Spread 1 more cup of sauce over the parmesan, then lay on another 5 noodles, followed by the meat, ricotta and then sauce. Top with the last 5 noodles, then the last cup of sauce, then sprinkle the mozzarella and the other half-cup of parmesan. Add 3 rows of 5 tomato slices, so each serving has a slice in the middle.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Makes 15 servings, 382 calories per serving.

This lasagna cuts very well, but if you like really saucy lasagnas, then you should serve this with a little extra sauce on the side. Serve with a small salad to make a great, lower calorie meal :)

Kalyn's Egg Muffins

2006-05-04T07:50:00.000-06:00

Like Michele and Cindy, I was inspired to make Kalyn's Egg Muffins. I made a few alterations based on what I had on hand, but these are wonderful, and, like Kalyn says, these microwave/freeze very well. I typed up my steps just so that I could remember what I did for next time - I'm sure I'll be making these weekly for my husband and me.

Egg Muffins

-adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

13 Jumbo eggs (1170)
20-30 drops Tabasco
1 TB. olive oil (120)
1 pkg. (275g.) mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (59)
2 big handfulls arugula, about 55g. (17)
1/2 med. onion, chopped, about 95g. (40)
1 bunch green onions, chopped (35)
1 TB. fresh chopped thyme (3)
16 slices ham (640)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat cheese (480)
salt and pepper

Whisk up the eggs with the tabasco and a little salt, set aside.

Saute the onions in the oil and then added the mushrooms with salt and pepper; when the mushrooms are cooked through, add the arugula and toss for a minute, or until the arugula is wilted. Remove mixture to a fine mesh sieve and press to get the excess moisture out*. To the same pan, add the ham and cook until browned and all of the moisture in the pan has cooked out/evaporated.

Toss the ham, cheese, green onions and mushroom mixture together and fill your muffin pans 3/4 of the way. Pour the egg mixture over the mixture, filling to the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Kalyn said that the muffins tend to let go of a little liquid when they're being microwaved, so I went ahead and cooked the ham until it was brown and the liquid had completely evaporated, and strained the mushroom mixture.

Makes 16 Egg Muffins, 160 calories per muffin.

Original Recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen:

EGG "MUFFINS"
(makes 12)
10-12 eggs
2 T fat free half and half
1 1/2- 2 cups diced meat: canadian bacon, ham, cooked turkey sausage or cooked veggie sausage
1 1/2- 2 cups grated low fat cheese (I like sharp cheddar or feta)
Optional, but highly recommended, 3 green onions diced small.

Preheat oven to 375. Use regular or silicone muffin pan, 12 muffin size. If using silicone pan, spray with nonstick spray. If using regular muffin pan, put two paper liners into each slot, then spray liner with nonstick spray.

In the bottom of the muffin cups layer diced meat, cheese and green onions. You want the muffin cups to be 3/4 full, with just enough room to pour a little egg around the other ingredients. Beat eggs well with the half and half (you could use milk). Pour egg into each muffin cup until it is full to the brim, nearly overflowing. Bake 25-30 minutes until muffins have risen above the rim of the muffin cups and are slightly browned and set.

These freezer well. For best results, thaw in refrigerator before microwaving. I like to wrap them in a paper towel when reheating in microwave to soak up some of the liquid that is sometimes released.

I'm going in to have my wisdom teeth removed today at 8 am, yippee! I'm glad I have a few of these muffins waiting for me when I get home.

Grandma Marilyn's Mormon Muffins

2006-05-03T17:20:00.000-06:00

I don't know exactly why these are called Mormon Muffins (a friend suggested that it's because there's one boy muffin and a dozen girl muffins), but, since I live in Utah, I can take a guess. My grandma has been making these muffins for years, and I've always loved them. They taste great, not overly sweet, and are perfect for breakfast with a banana or a pear.

I halved the original recipe and added ground flax seed, replaced the majority of the sugar with splenda, replaced some of the flour with whole wheat flour, and used applesauce instead of shortening.

Mormon Muffins

1 c. boiling water
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (600)
1 c. whole wheat flour (400)
1/2 c. applesauce (50)
1/2 c. splenda (48)
1/4 c. sugar (192.5)
2 extra large eggs (170)
2 c. buttermilk (200)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. Grape-Nuts (bran buds) (800)
1 c. Grape-Nuts flakes (bran flakes) (147)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (500)
1/2 c. ground golden flax seed (240)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Add the baking soda to 1 cup of boiling water; set aside to cool. Whisk together the applesauce, salt, sugar and splenda, then whisk in the eggs, 1 at a time, followed by the buttermilk, then flour; mix well. Fold in the bran cereals and walnuts.

Very lightly spray silicone muffin pans with cooking spray, then fill each mold to the top with the batter mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the mixture no longer looks moist. Allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then pop out and let cool completely before storing. These freeze really well.

Makes 15 muffins, about 224 calories per muffin.

Original recipe:
Mormon Muffin Mix

2 C. boiling water
1 tbsp. + 2 tsps. Baking soda
1 c. crisco shortening
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk
5 c. flour
1 tsp. Salt
4 c. 100% Bran Buds
2 c. 40% Bran Flakes
1 c. chopped walnuts
Dried fruit, if your desire

Add soda to hot water and let cool. Whip shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs slowly. Mix well. Add the buttermilk and flour; mix well; slowly stir in the soda water. Fold the two bran cereals into the mixture very slowly with the chopped walnuts. Spoon into greased muffin tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely.

**If you're using regular pans, the cooking time will probably be less - these silicone pans seem to hold the moisture in, a bit.

Grandma Marilyn's Stuffed Cabbage

2006-05-02T17:41:00.000-06:00

Monday's dinner: stuffed cabbage. This is something I've loved since childhood, I can't believe I haven't made it before now. I'm glad that my husband is someone who likes sour stuff like I do, cos I basically live on lemon juice and vinegar - nothing seems complete without it. I'm not sure on the amounts in the original recipe, but I just talked to my grandma, and she said that the original meat is ground lamb - yum. Today, I used ground turkey, and I actually counted the calories...

Grandma Marilyn's Stuffed Cabbage

This is an edited version of the ingredient list, to be sure:
16 cabbage leaves (the large outer leaves) (50)
1.25 lbs. ground turkey, 15% fat (1100)
1 med. onion, chopped (46)
4 lg. cloves garlic, sliced (12)
1 TB. olive oil (120)
1 c. minute rice (400)
1 32-oz. jar sauerkraut, 3/4 liquid drained (150)
1 quart canned tomatoes, 3/4 liquid drained (200)
juice of 1 lemon (12)

The original recipe reads:

Cut core out of a not-too-solid head of cabbage. Steam until the leaves pull off easily.

Brown ground meat (beef or lamb) and onion; season with garlic powder or garlic, salt and pepper, and ½ tsp. cinnamon. Add rice.

Cool cabbage and separate leaves; place hamburger mixture in each leaf, leaving enough room to fold and roll the cabbage around the mixture.

Layer cabbage rolls in pan, alternating layers with canned tomatoes and sauerkraut. Sprinkle with ¼ c. lemon juice. Cook slowly, until rice is done.

Note:
Amount of hamburger mixture is determined by how much you are going to fix. 1 lb. of hamburger goes a long way.

My version makes 8 servings, 262 calories per serving.