Sorry for the ridiculously long hiatus! My last post was about the Banana Bread Oatmeal. Sad news...I never got to taste it! During the cooking process, there was a slow-cooker malfunction and I ended up burning my hand. :-( If that didn't stink enough...it was 2 weeks before my wedding! Good thing I work with nurses that treated me as if I were just in a serious fire!
So after the slow-cooker incident, I took a small break from cooking. Then we got married. Then we went to Italy. Then I came home and cooked a TON! I just keep forgetting to blog. So here we go!
I just finished making Apple-Pear Sauce and I have some Extra Veggie (however, not vegetarian) Chili on the stove.
Apple-Pear Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tsp. Smart Balance Light (or any other light "butter")
3 Bosc pears, peeled and chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. Splenda
1/2 c. water
Instructions:
1. In a large skillet (not a non-stick), melt Smart Balance over medium heat.
2. Add pears, apples, cinnamon, Splenda, and 1/4 cup water. Stir and cover.
3. Cook apples and pears for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add rest of water. Stir, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Remove skillet from heat. Mash with potato masher to desired texture. Chill and serve.
Serves 3-4
Extra Veggie (however, not vegetarian) Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 c. green beans, diced
2 medium bell peppers, green, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed (or minced)
29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
43 1/2 oz. can tomato sauce
8 3/4 oz. can corn kernels, drained
15 1/2 oz. can small red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 1/2 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package chili seasoning
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. In a large dutch oven, prepared with cooking spray, brown ground turkey over medium-high heat.
2. Once turkey is browned, add onions, carrots, celery, green beans, peppers, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, beans, chili seasoning, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Serve hot. Is delicious with fat-free sour cream, reduced-fat shredded cheese, and baked tortilla chips.
Serves 8
Fresh Green Pea Soup
Ingredients:
3 1/2 c. vegetable stock, fat-free, reduced sodium
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, raw, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 1/2 medium leeks, chopped, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
10 oz. green peas, frozen, thawed
1/4 c. fresh tomatoes, diced
Instructions:
1. In a large saucepan, combine broth, potatoes, leeks, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are almost tender, about 12 minutes.
2. Add peas to saucepan, stir and cook until vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool about 5 minutes.
3. Puree soup in a saucepan using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor.
4. To serve, ladle 1 cup of soup into each of 6 soup bowls. Top each with 2 teaspoons of tomato.
Serves 6
Hearty Vegetarian Stew
Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
14 1/2 oz. canned diced tomatoes
1 c. canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. canned white beans, rinsed and drained
4 c. vegetable stock
1 1/4 c. tofu, low-fat, extra firm, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, kidney beans, white beans, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 30 minutes.
3. Add the tofu, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is heated through, about 5 minutes.
Serves 4
Oven-Fried Paprika Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 c. Greek yogurt, plain, fat-free
1 Tbsp. paprika
15 saltine crackers, crushed into crumbs (I use my mini food processor)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 4-oz. chicken breasts, thin-sliced
1/4 medium lemon, cut into 4 wedges
Instructions:
1. Preheat broiler and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place yogurt and 1 teaspoon of paprika in a small shallow bowl; mix to combine. Combine cracker crumbs, salt, pepper, and remaining 2 teaspoons of paprika on a large shallow pie plate; stir to combine. Place each chicken cutlet in yogurt mixture and turn to coat. Next, place chicken in crumb mixture, turning to coat both sides and pressing lightly to make crumbs stick.
3. Place coated chicken on prepared baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat source until golden brown and cooked through, flipping once, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. To serve, garnish with lemon wedges.
Serves 4
Quick Beef Stew
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin, trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 c. dry red wine (I used merlot)
8 oz. canned tomato sauce
10 1/2 oz. can condensed French onion soup
3 c. water
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
24 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned.
2. Transfer the beef to a soup pot. Add the wine to the skillet. Cook over high heat, stirring and scraping, until reduced by half. Pour over the beef.
3. Add tomato sauce, French onion soup, water, Worcestershire sauce, vegetables, and salt to the pot. Stir. Heat to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the parsley and serve.
Serves 4
Stracciatella alla Roma (We had this in Italy and I NEEDED to make it. So yummy!)
Ingredients:
3 c. chicken stock
1 egg
1 1/2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Instructions:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring stock to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, whisk egg, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic together until blended. Stir this mixture rapidly into the simmering stock and stir until the egg is set, 30 to 60 seconds.
Serves 2-3
I know I've made some other things in the past few weeks, but I can't think of them. As I do, I will let you know!
