Seasoned Popcorn

1 cup Popcorn (unpopped)
2-3 TB coconut oil melted
3-4 TB nutritional yeast
popcorn salt*
1 large paper bag

*to make popcorn salt, just blend salt into powder in your blender. It sticks to the popcorn so much better.

Pop the popcorn in an air popper 1/2 cup at a time.  Pour it into the paper bag.  Pour in the coconut oil (trying not to get it all over the bag) and sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and popcorn salt.  Shake and serve.


This recipe makes a A LOT of really good popcorn.

Spaghetti Sauce

This spaghetti sauce was so much better than Ragu or Hunts brand.  I threw it together last night and it turned out so good I thought I'd better write it down so I can make it this way from now on.

Ingredients:
1/3 onion, chopped
4 oz (half a package) fresh mushrooms, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
olive oil
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste (1/2 of a 6 oz can)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
pinch of baking soda

Fry the onion, mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until onion is soft.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer while your pasta is cooking.  Top with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: Freeze the remaining tomato paste for next time so you don't waste the rest of the can.

Potato Salad

2 lbs Potatoes (6 medium)
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
1 tsp salt
dash pepper
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
1/2 cup celery


Wash Potatoes, peel and cut in half. Put in salted water.  Cover and boil until you can easily stab them with a fork, but not mushy.  Cool completely and cut into chunks.  Combine with onion, salt, pepper and Italian Dressing.  Refrigerate for 2 hours. (I've skipped this and done it all at once.) Stir in miracle whip, celery and eggs.  Refrigerate.

Cookie Dough Brownies

Brownies:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour (whole wheat or all-purpose)
1/4 tsp baking soda
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cups sugar
3 TB milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour (whole wheat or all-purpose)
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips. Or substitute regular sized

Preheat oven to 350. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips. Cool slightly.  In separate mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in melted chocolate.  Combine flour and baking soda and add to batter.
Spread into a greased 13 x 9 pan.  Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely.

For frosting: Cream butter and sugars. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add flour. Stir in mini choc chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls over cooled brownies. Carefully spread over top. If using mini choc chips it will spread much more easily.  Store in the fridge.  I love these even more the next day when the cookie dough layer is cold. 

This recipe adapted from Taste of Home June/July 2001.

Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry over brown rice

Ingredients:
Canola oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
9 cups TOTAL of the following vegetables. Or whatever you like.
carrots, broccoli, green onions, crookneck squash, mushrooms, zucchini, snap peas and cabbage
6 TB chicken or vegetable broth
5 TB soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
Cooked brown rice. About 4 cups when cooked.


Start with the sauce:  Mix together the chicken broth, soy sauce and corn starch.  Set aside for later.
Then get your rice cooking.  I add the rest of the can of broth to my rice in place of some of the cooking water.

Pour a couple tablespoons oil into a heated wok.  Cook and stir your chopped chicken along with the garlic.  When chicken is no longer pink inside, take it out of the wok and keep warm.

Add a little more oil to the wok and stir fry the veggies for about 3 minutes. You can add little water or chicken broth if they start to stick.  Then pour on your sauce and stir it in.  Cover and cook at medium heat until veggies are as tender as you like.  Add the chicken back in and heat through.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 6
You can adjust this recipe to fit your family by using less (or more) vegetables and rice.
Most of your time is spent in cooking the rice and chopping the vegetables. I'll chop them earlier in the day so I can cook this up pretty quickly at dinner time.

Baked Oatmeal

This recipe is pretty tasty.  The texture is different from regular oatmeal, which is why I like it.

2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins
2 T dried cranberries
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well.
3. Pour oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.


This keeps in the fridge for few days. I always chop up an apple, scoop the oatmeal on top and microwave to reheat it.  
This recipe came from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

Cashew Pasta Bake

2 1/2 cups dried penne or other pasta
dash of olive oil, plus 2 TB
2 TB butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 heaping TB tomato paste
3/4 cup roasted cashews
1/2 of a small zucchini or yellow squash sliced
salt and pepper
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Boil  pasta and dash of oil for 10 minutes. Drain. Return to pan and stir in butter. Keep Warm.
While pasta is cooking, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat remaining oil in large frying pan and saute' onion, garlic and oregano for 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and zucchini or squash and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cashews and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to greased shallow oven proof dish. Spoon the buttered pasta on top and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Cheese will turn crisp and golden.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Chocolate Chip Waffles

• 4 eggs
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (I chopped mine smaller. Or use the mini ones)
  

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, applesauce oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.Stir in chocolate chips.
   
2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot. Makes 20 belgian waffles.

Suggested toppings: vanilla yogurt and fresh berries, butter and powdered sugar, peanut butter and jelly, or flavored syrup.

Black Bean Burgers

I found a better black bean burger than this. 
Go to this link.  It takes longer because it calls for brown rice, but it's worth it.
I made up a recipe for black bean burgers today. Pretty tasty!
1 can black beans rinsed, drained
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (mine were Italian)
1 egg

Pour rinsed, drained beans in a bowl and chop them with your Pampered Chef chopper or mash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients. Form into 4 patties. Grill in greased foil pouches. I did mine 6 minutes on each side.
I've also made them in the oven, still using greased foil packets. 350 degrees, 10 minutes on each side.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Not low fat, but very tasty. Next time I might try it with lite mayo. This dish will be on the menu often. Everyone liked and and would have eaten more.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 203 | Total Fat: 11.4g | Cholesterol: 59mg

Chicken Tomatillo Soup

• 
  
• Shredded chicken meat (about 1-2 breasts worth)
• 4 c. chicken broth (I used low-sodium)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1 cup corn
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 tomatillos, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, including liquid
• 1 heaping TB dried cilantro
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Top soup with:

• shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, mexican blend), if desired
• 1 avocado, diced
  
• sour cream, if desired
• tortilla chips

Add a little cooking spray to your soup pot and set over medium heat. Add onions and the tomatillos and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the onions have softened and are beginning to turn a light brown. Stir in the chopped garlic cloves and cook for another 2 minutes. Next, add the chopped tomatoes with liquid, beans, corn, chicken, cumin, paprika, cilantro, and finally the chicken broth.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Top with sour cream, tortilla chips, chopped avocado and grated cheese.

This recipe swiped from Average Pantry Gourmet on Just A Mom, HA.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1/3 cup canola oil (original recipe called for shortening)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 heaping cup mashed bananas
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (originally white flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soda
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream first 3 ingredients together. Sift together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with bananas, beating well after each addition. Add choc chips.
Pour into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 bread pan. (I usually double or triple recipe)
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Berry Smoothie

I never measure, so this is my best guess.
7-10 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 a banana
1 tsp flax seed (optional, but adds omega-3's)
equal parts OJ and skim milk. Maybe start with 1/4 cup each.

I add the OJ and milk just enough to get my blender going. This makes enough for a large smoothie for me and a taste for anyone who is hanging on my legs asking for some.
Pictured with banana chocolate chip bread.

Pizza Rolls and Bread Sticks

This picture is before baking. They rise in the oven like sweet rolls. (My camera ate my "after" picture.)
Pizza dough
spaghetti sauce
grated cheese
toppings of your choice: I did pepperoni's and fresh mushrooms. I've also had BBQ sauce and chicken.
Use your favorite pizza crust recipe or use this recipe.
These are made like sweet rolls, except with Pizza toppings.
Preheat to 350 degrees.
After first rise take half the dough and roll out to 1/4 inch. Mine was about 28 inches long, maybe 14 wide. Spread with spaghetti sauce. Chop up your toppings and sprinkle over the sauce. Sprinkle on the cheese and roll up starting on the long end. Pinch closed, then use floss to cut into 2 inch sections and place on greased baking sheet. You can let them rise a little or just bake them immediately for 25 minutes. I ended up with 14 pizza rolls. They're big, so one was plenty for me.
I used the other half of the dough to make breadsticks.
Roll out another rectangle a foot long and 1/4 inch thick. Brush with butter, sprinkle with parmesan. Use pizza cutter to slice in one inch slices. Twist and place on greased baking sheet. Let rise or bake immediately 16 minutes at 350.
Serve with ranch and/or pizza sauce.

Chocolate Oat Squares

1 cup plus 2 TB butter, softened, divided
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla, divided
3 cups quick-cooking oats
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp baking soda
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In mixing bowl, cream 1 cup butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Combine oats, flour, 1 tsp salt, and baking soda. Stir into creamed mixture. Press 2/3 of the oat mixture into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan.
In sauce pan, combine s.c. milk, chocolate chips, remaining 2 tsp butter and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and add 2 tsp vanilla.
Spread over the oat crust. Sprinkle w/ remaining oat mixture. Bake 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.
Original recipe came from Taste of Home magazine November 2000 and contained 1 cup chopped walnuts.

La Minestra (Minestrone Soup)

1/2 lb bacon

1 whole onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

2 cans (14.5oz) stewed tomatoes

2 cans beef broth (14 oz)

1 can (11.5 oz) tomato juice (or 2 small 6 oz cans)

1 can (150z) Northern (white) beans, Drained

1 can cut green beans, Undrained

3 whole carrots, sliced

2 cups shredded fresh cabbage, not the bagged kind, it gets too stringy.

2 cups water

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp basil

1/4 tsp oregano

1 cup pasta (shells, farfalle, macaroni, etc)

Cook up the bacon, saving a little grease. Cut it up.

Saute the celery and onion in bacon grease. Add everything to a soup pot, except for the pasta. Bring to a boil, then simmer until veggies are tender. Add pasta and cook until done.

Serve with grated parmesan.

This recipe is from Tasty Kitchen website.

Veggie Lasagna

9 Whole wheat lasagne *

1-2 TB oil (to stir fry the veggies)

2 garlic cloves chopped or pressed

1 crown of broccoli chopped

14 baby carrots chopped

4 medium mushrooms chopped

1/2 onion chopped

1 26.5 oz can spaghetti sauce. We like Hunt's

16 oz cottage cheese

4 oz cheese (mozarella, monterey jack or cheddar)

grated parmesan cheese

1 egg (or 2 egg whites) beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the veggies pretty fine while you're cooking the lasagne. I've noticed the Ronzoni whole wheat noodles taste better. I usually use 9 of them.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and stir fry for a minute. Add all veggies and stir fry until they're cooked. Add spaghetti sauce and heat through.

Mix cottage cheese with egg, salt and pepper.

Spray 13x9 with cooking spray. Spread a little sauce around in the bottom of the pan. Layer noodles, 1/3 of sauce, 1/3 of cottage cheese, parmesan and 1/3 of grated cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. (take off foil for last 5 minutes)

If you assemble this ahead of time and refrigerate, you'll need to bake it at least 45 minutes.

*FYI: Lasagne is the plural of lasagna- as in, the noodle is called a lasagna. More than one is lasagne. But the dish itself is Lasagna.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (Mexican Style)

SERVES: 4
2 whole large peppers
2 cups cooked rice
2 TB olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced or pressed
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can sweet corn, drained (or used frozen)
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili powder
1 heaping TBS freeze dried cilantro
5 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375.
Wash and cut peppers in half. Set aside in greased baking dish.
Mix cooked rice w/ cilantro and most of the cheese.

Heat olive oil and saute onions for 6 minutes, add garlic and stir for 1 more minute. Add beans, corn, cumin, chili powder and tomato sauce. Heat to combine flavors. Stir in rice. Taste and add salt if desired. Fill peppers really full with the mixture. Sprinkle grated cheese on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes uncovered. (I added a little water in the bottom of the pan.)

I double this recipe for my family. They also like to scoop the filling onto tortilla chips.

Original recipe came from Tasty Kitchen website. I changed some of the seasonings and added tomato sauce. They recommend serving with sour cream, hot sauce and pico de gallo, but I thought it was tastier this way.

Cowboy Caviar

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can black-eyed peas, drained

3/4 of an onion, chopped

3-4 medium tomatoes, diced

2 avocados, cubed

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

handful of freeze dried cilantro (or 1/2 - 1 bunch chopped fresh)

1/2 - 3/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing or **

Mix together. Marinate at least 2 hours, better overnight.

Eat with tortilla chips.

**alternative dressing:  2TB lime juice, 1 TB Red Wine Vinegar

Kettle Korn

1/2 cup (unpopped) popcorn
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

Pop 1/2 cup popcorn in air popper. Set aside in large bowl.
Heat next 3 ingredients in small sauce pan, stirring constantly until boiling.
Boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn. Stir and sprinkle on the salt.

This recipe tastes like kettle corn, but has the consistency of caramel popcorn (just a little gooey). It's the perfect balance of sweet and salty, which is bad, because I can eat the whole bowl.