Caprese Salad

I am obsessed with caprese salad.  Big chunks of mozzarella, tomatoes and my favorite herb - basil!  Yum!  Traditionally caprese salad is made by layering big slices of tomato, cheese and basil leaves, then drizzled with olive oil.  However, I wanted a recipe that would be easy to take to a potluck or barbecue, and would be easy to eat.  So here's my "remixed" version.  It is not terribly healthy, although by using a vinegarette instead of just straight olive oil, you get a lot of flavor without eating as much oil!

Remixed Caprese Salad
2 c. basil leaves, washed
2 c. grape tomatoes
1 lb of mozzerella

Vinegarette:
1 c. basil leaves, washed (in addition to the 2 c. above, 3 c. total)
1 garlic clove
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. water
7 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Rip (or chop) the basil leaves and chop the mozzerella into small (1/2 inch) cubes.  Put basil, tomatoes and mozzerella into bowl and toss together.

Using a blender or small food processor, puree basil leaves, garlic clove, balsamic vinegar, water, olive oil and salt and pepper together until fairly smooth.

Pour vinegarette over basil, tomatoes and mozzerella mixture and toss gently.  Let sit for a half hour to marinate!  Serve!

This is great with steaks or chicken.  Or in the middle of the night with a spoon.  Whatever works for you... :D

Healthy Sausage and Lentil Soup

Here is an amazing recipe for a sausage and lentil soup.  It was seriously one of the best soups I've ever made!  And it's got low-fat sausage and no thickening agent, so its healthy!

4 cups of water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes
3 1/2 cups of water
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
3 stalks of celery, sliced
1/3 of a bag of baby carrots, cut into quarters
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound of Jimmy Dean reduced-fat pork sausage
1/2 of a bunch of green onions, chopped into slices
 
1. Put water, bouillon cubes, lentils, celery, carrots, thyme, cayenne pepper and garlic into a big stockpot.  Bring to boiling, then let simmer over medium-heat for about 20 minutes.  Add sausage (since its in a tube, I mushed it with my hands into small chunks as I dropped it into the pot) and green onions and cook for 5-10 minutes more (until everything is soft and sausage is cooked).
2. Serve! 
 
So easy!!!!!  It was soooo flavorful, and about 250 calories a bowl!

Super Easy Turkey Meatloaf

I really dislike meatloaf....my mom never made it growing up, and I think it is kind of an acquired taste!  But I've found some alternative meatloaf recipes over the years, and this is my favorite.  I use turkey instead of the traditional ground beef and it does save calories (although make sure you are getting really lean turkey, some ground turkey is mixed with dark meat and is higher in fat and calories).  The comparison is a serving of 97% lean ground beef has 162 calories and 5.4 grams of fat, and a serving of 99% lean ground turkey has 98 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.  And at least where I live, even the most lean ground turkey is always cheaper than ground beef.

So here's the recipe, it only has 4 ingredients so it is easy to grab a few things from the store for a last minute meal!  The cooking time is an hour, so be prepared to throw it in with enough time before dinner!

2 lbs. ground turkey, thawed
1 package of Stove Top Stuffing (chicken flavor works well, but the cornbread kind is yummy too!)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of barbecue sauce (I like slightly sweeter sauce in this, not the super smoky kind)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put the turkey, dry stuffing mix, eggs, water and half of the bbq sauce in a bowl.  Mix it together with your hands (you could use a spoon, but where's the fun in that?).  :)
3. Mold it into a bread loaf shape and put it in a glass baking dish (I use an 8" x 8" pan typically, it makes a short fat loaf).
4. Pour remaining bbq sauce on top and bake for about an hour.


Enjoy!!

Spicy Peanut Soup (its wonderful, I promise!)

I've noticed that peanut butter has become a popular ingredient in a lot of recipes, including this recipe.  It sounds weird and everyone I tell about it is skeptical, but it is tasty, quick and easy.  It is also low-calorie (less than 200 calories a bowl) and low-fat!  I serve this with bread or rolls on the side and it is filling enough to be a complete dinner!

Spicy Peanut Soup:
1 teaspoon butter
A couple of stalks (3-5) chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 big onion, chopped into smallish pieces
1 or 2 chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons whole milk (we always have some in the house, but I'm sure 2% would be ok too!)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1.  In a medium soup pot, melt butter.  Saute the celery, onions, garlic and chicken pieces until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked.
2. Stir in flour to make a roux, cook for one minute.
3. Add chicken broth, peanut butter, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a low rolling boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons of whole milk right before you serve it.

Its good.  I promise.  No, seriously it is.  Go ahead, I dare you to try it! :D  Please feel free to comment and let me know how it turned out!  Enjoy!

Wonderful Amazing Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

Kraftfoods.com has the best recipes.  I found this recipe for chocolate raspberry mousse several years ago and I have made it numerous times for events.  It is seriously yummy and easy.  The original recipe has 230 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving, but I make several changes that make it healthier!  You can find this directly at http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate-raspberry-mousse-dessert-54314.aspx.

Here's the original recipe (my changes are in bold):


Chocolate Raspberry Mousse


Prep time 20 minutes, total time 3 hours 20 minutes, Makes 12 servings

 

10 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 1 cup) *I use reduced-fat Oreos

2 Tbsp.  butter or margarine, melted *I use margarine

3/4 cup cold milk *I've used 1% and 2% milk, both work equally well

1 pkg.  (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding *I use sugar-free, fat-free, still good!

1 tub (12 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided *I use low-fat Cool Whip

3/4 cup  raspberry jam *This much jam makes it very rich, I often use more like 1/2 cup of jam.  I'd add 1/2 cup first, then add more jam if you'd like it stronger.

 

Directions

MIX cookie crumbs and butter (margarine) in 8-inch square dish; press firmly onto bottom of dish.
POUR milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix; beat with wire whisk 2 min. Gently stir in 1/3 of the whipped topping; spoon evenly over crust.
SPOON jam into medium bowl; stir until smooth. Gently stir in remaining whipped topping; spread evenly over pudding layer. Cover. (I put fresh raspberries on the top to make it more "fancy"). Refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours. Cut into 12 pieces to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Try this out, it is so tasty and everyone's shocked that I make it with low-fat everything!
Enjoy!

Amazing Green Enchiladas

I actually had these this weekend and they made wonderful leftovers for work the next day.  This is a great, fast, easy dish and everytime I make it, people love it!  The whole thing takes maybe 20-30 minutes.

Here goes:
1/2 pound ground turkey (turkey makes it a little healthier, make sure you get lean ground turkey)
1 big can green enchilada sauce
1/4 block of cream cheese (neuftachel is better since its lower-fat)
Assorted veggies (whatever's on hand) - 1/2 cup frozen corn, can of chopped olives, 1/2 small chopped onion, one can of black or white beans, one small can of green chiles (for a little punch)
Shredded cheddar cheese (about a 1/2 cup)
7-8 Small tortillas (I use flour) *makes enough for about 3-4 people, double everything to make a bigger pan


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Take a rectangle glass pan (I think mine's 8" x 11.5") and pour a little bit of green enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, enough to coat it thinly.
2. Heat up a pan to med-high heat and throw the 1/2 pound of ground turkey in.  I have really non-stick pans, so I don't put any liquid to heat it in (turkey leaks enough oil to cook itself), but if you have not-great pans, use a little cooking spray or tiny bit of oil.  Throw in the onions about 2 or 3 minutes later (so there's enough grease to cook them as well).  Saute until turkey and onions are cooked.
3. Turn stove down to medium heat.  Pour in most of can of enchilada sauce into pan with turkey and onions (leave a little bit in can, maybe a 1/3 or 1/2 cup for top of enchiladas).  Put in frozen corn, diced green chiles, chopped olives, and can of black or white beans.  Heat those up.
4.  Take 1/4 block of cream cheese (I use the neuftachel cheese because its lower fat) and chop into small pieces.  Throw into pan and stir until it melts (this creates a slightly creamy texture).
5. Once cream cheese is melted and everything's heated, spoon filling into small tortillas (about maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons, I usually make sure its enough to fill the tortilla but not so much that its dripped out the sides).  Roll tortillas up, place in pan (on top of green sauce you put in earlier).  I can normally fit about 7-8 in my pan.
6. Take remaining green enchilada sauce and pour over enchiladas.  Try to evenly spread it over all parts of tortillas (or the exposed "dry" parts get really crunchy).  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake for about 10 minutes (you're basically just heating the sauce and melting the cheese since everything's pre-cooked).  I typically throw the oven on "broil" for the last minute to crisp up the cheese a little.
7.  Pull out of oven and serve!  Yum!

This is healthier because you use lots of veggies to make it more filling, the turkey has less fat than ground beef (and its cheaper!), and you only use a small amount of cheese to save fat.

Yeast-less Dinner Rolls

I have an issue with yeast.  For some reason I always struggle with getting my dough to rise.  I have created many loaves and rolls that are dense enough to kill someone!  For me, this wouldn't be a huge issue, except I married a man who LOVES carbs.  He'd eat bread or rolls with every meal if he could.  So I'm always looking for quick dinner roll recipes that I can't screw up!

Here's a great one (these aren't true dinner rolls, they are more like biscuits, but they are tasty, light and easy!):

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise (yes, mayo, seriously - its in place of oil and eggs)

1. Preheat your over to 350°F.  Lightly grease 6 cups in a muffin pan with light cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and mayonnaise. Spoon dough into the 6 muffin pan cups.
3. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes in the oven, keeping an eye on them until they are golden brown.

Makes 6 dinner rolls.


I have a much more complicated but wonderful dinner roll recipe as well, that I'll post soon!