Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Marks original Portabella Mushrooms, Shrimp and Scallops in Creamed Creole Sauce.


This is my original recipe that turned out FABULIOUS.  No Changes or tweeks needed.  The Creole was an exceptional taste for the seafood and the portabella's.  Served with a Balsamic vinegar dressing Salad, with fresh cut mushrooms and crazins. Bon Appétit.

Cut portabella mushrooms (as much as you want.)
1 bag Frozen scallops
1 bag Frozen shrimp (without tails)
2 can Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup
Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 stick real butter.

In a pan on stove top, on med heat, put frozen shrimp, scallops, EVOO and butter in pan, stir often.  As the seafood thaws and cooks, sprinkle liberally with creole seasoning.  I dashed it once, turned over seafood and dash again.  Remember Creole has a bite if heavy.

Add mushrooms and both cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Bring to a boil and cook until mushrooms are to desired finish.  Stir often.

I am very proud of how this dish turned out.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Mark...


Monday, February 27, 2012

Chicken Fajitas




Fajitas are great to make in the summer, when you want to use your grill, but in the colder months, you can use an indoor grill like the George Forman grill, which is perfect because it requires little oil. You can also make this on a cast iron skillet. I have found many low point tortillas available in various stores. Usually if they are low carb, low fat, they are 1 pt. La Tortilla Factory - Low-Carb/Low Fat Large Size are huge and also great for wraps and quesadillas.

Chicken Fajitas
 Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 servings Old Points: 4 pts Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 192.1 Fat: 5.5 g Carb: 16.7 g Fiber: 8.3 g Protein: 25.5 g 
  • 16 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 poblano chile, cut into strips
  • 1 onion, cut into strips
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ancho chile powder or chipotle chili powder, to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 4 low fat, low carb tortillas (La Tortilla Factory)
Marinate the chicken with lime juice, and season with chile powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin.

Season vegetables with salt and pepper and toss with olive oil.

Heat George Forman grill. Grill chicken until well browned, but not hard to the touch. Transfer to a plate when done. Cut into strips. Grill vegetables until tender (about 15 minutes). Once cooked, combine with chicken. Serve immediately with tortilla and toppings.

Optional 0 point toppings: Salsa, chopped serrano chiles, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green onions.

Cauliflower Fritters




This is a delicious way to prepare cauliflower. Similar to the taste of a potato pancake. Your kids will love them! Makes approx 24 fritters depending on size of cauliflower.


Cauliflower Fritters
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 12 Size: 2 fritters  Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts 
Calories: 108.9 • Fat: 6.6 g • Protein: 3.8 g • Carb: 9.4 g • Fiber: 2.1 g   



  • 4 cups steamed cauliflower (roughly chopped)
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano
  • 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • Chopped green onions
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, flour, garlic, eggs, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Add water so that batter becomes slightly more dense than pancake batter.

On medium-low heat, add 1 tbsp of oil in a 10 inch skillet coating bottom of the pan. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to form fritters. You can fit 4 fritters at a time. Cook until golden brown, turn and cook another few minutes. Add a little more oil to the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes 24 fritters.


Saturday, February 18, 2012

Chicken Burger Red Beans and Rice...




GOOD For ya Chicken Burger Red Beans and Rice.

This recipe is not hard to do and the amounts of ingredients are estimated and added to your likings...

1 lb Chicken Burger *(I am sure Turkey Burger would be great also.)
2 tablespoon EVOO..
two or three shakes of Worcestershire sauce in burger as it cooks.
2 cups brown rice 
chopped onion
chopped green peppers
1 can tomatoes sauce
1 can rotel tomatoes with chilis
2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans kidney beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can sliced mushrooms
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
Onion Salt
Italian seasoning
Franks Red Hot sauce (shake it shake it shake it.)

In a large wok fry burger in olive oil.  Add onions, green peppers, salt pepper, onion salt, garlic salt and Italian seasoning.  
Cook rice separate (I love to use a rice cooker.)
Combine rice to cooked burger, adding tomato sauce, mushrooms, corn and kidney beans.

Let simmer for about 5 minutes, and shake in Franks Red Hot Sauce.  Shake it baby shake it.  Taste and shake some more.  Heat up to your liking.

This recipe is from Rolla, MO.. But you would swear it was from the bayou. 


Friday, February 17, 2012

Craisin Salad

Craisin Salad

1 head Romaine Lettuce
1 bag Craisins
1 sm container Feta Cheese
2 sm bags slivered almonds
1/4--1/2 red onion
1 bag real bacon bits

Toast almonds. Mix ingredients together, toss with dressing.

Dressing
½ cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Stuffed Chicken Saltimbocca with Arugula and Tomato Salad

The best chicken breast recipe I have ever tasted.  I mean the best.  Rolla Lions Club served this to the Rolla Lioness and it was a hit.  YUMMY....

Mouthwatering baked prosciutto-wrapped chicken breasts with cheese are perfectly paired with a tomato-arugula salad topped with seasoned panko breadcrumbs. Prepare the chicken ahead of time for a make-ahead meal.
by Rachael Ray | from Week in a Day | on 01/30/12

Stuffed Chicken Saltimbocca with Arugula and Tomato Salad
Photo credit: Lisbeth Axell

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
  • 8-10 fresh sage leaves, very thinly sliced
  • A splash of milk or half-and-half
  • Kosher salt
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 8 slices prosciutto di Parma
  • EVOO, for drizzling
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • A few handfuls of arugula (1 bunch), stemmed
  • 4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced lengthwise
Serves 4

Preparation

Combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, sage and milk and season with salt.

Butterfly each chicken breast, cutting horizontally into the thickest part of the breast almost all the way through to the other side (keeping the breast attached on one side). Open each breast like a book and pound to 1/8-1/4-inch thick using the flat side of a meat mallet. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Place a spoonful of the ricotta mixture in the center of each chicken breasts, then fold the chicken over to enclose the filling. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 slices prosciutto, overlapping them slightly. Wrap each chicken breast in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Unwrap the chicken breasts and place on a rimmed baking sheet or shallow baking dish. Drizzle with EVOO, then bake until the chicken is cooked through and the prosciutto is crisp, 20-25 minutes.

While the chicken bakes, heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the panko and thyme and cook, stirring, until the panko is golden. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Divide the chicken among four plates. Arrange the arugula alongside the chicken and top the arugula with the tomatoes and garlic breadcrumbs.

Cook's Note: The stuffed chicken breasts can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Cowboy Casserole - looks like dog food - tastes delicious.

 Not Really for sure how healthy, but it sure did sound like some kinda good I had to repost it.



Cowboy Casserole - looks like dog food.

I'm so happy that summer is ready to get the heck out of here. Those of you that know me, know that summer is not my favorite season. In fact, it's my least favorite of the four.

If it could just be kind enough to arrive without the heat and humidity, I’d really enjoy it a whole helluva lot more. Humidity is not my friend.

Bad. Bad. Bad. It makes my hair frizz. Frizzy hair is not a good look for me.

Fall, now that is my season. My hair does not frizz in the fall. This makes me happy.

I enjoy cooking and baking so much more in the fall. My kitchen is a little cozier when the oven is heating it up instead of the sweltering heat from outside.

I can barely wait for all the soups, stews and casseroles that are just around the corner.

Cowboy Casserole

I saw this recipe is an issue of Taste of Home and I literally couldn’t wait to make it. Luckily the weather wasn’t as hot as it has been over the past few weeks.

Now as you can see from the title…this is nothing to look at. It’s not a pretty looking casserole, but what casserole is really?

I changed it up quite a bit. This is the kind of dish that you can really make your own. It is what my husband would call a “stick to your ribs” kind of meal.

It’s comfort food on a fork. I've made it two times in 3 weeks. Think shepherd's pieish, with a wicked twist. A delicious mix of hamburger, cheese and corn sandwiched in between a layer of crunchy tots. It's the kind of dish Napoleon Dynamite would give 2 thumbs up too.

My casserole dish missed me. "sniff"


Cowboy Casserole 1


Cowboy Casseroleadapted from a recipe at Taste of Home1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 80/20)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 bag (30 oz) frozen tater tots (I used Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns)

Before I got ready to make this casserole, I let the Crispy Crowns sit on the counter to defrost for an hour or so. The original recipe used still frozen tater tots, but I felt they wouldn't cook as well if they were still frozen solid.

In a large skillet cook the onion until tender and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beef and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain the mixture and place into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the soup, milk and sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Add to hamburger mixture and stir to combine. Add corn and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Gently mix to combine.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the Crispy Crowns on the bottom, pour the hamburger mixture over the top and then layer with the other half of the Crispy Crowns. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.

*Note - The second time I made this I prepared it the night before and stuck it in the fridge overnight. I took it out about an hour before I wanted to bake it, just so it could come to room temperature a bit. I think it was even better than the first one!

Healty Cookies?



This Blog
This Blog

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Healthy Cookies?

What's the point? If I'm going to eat a cookie, it should be good- full of butter and chocolate not light in calories and good for you. But this one is a little of both. Don't believe me? Try it yourself.
I discovered this recipe because I was looking for a low sugar/sugar free cookie for a little boy that I take care of. His parents don't eat a lot of sugar (one is diabetic) and I know they don't want him to either. I made a cookie - if you want to call it that- it was more like a saucer- from a healthy cookbook of theirs, but they only had whole wheat flour, date sugar, and margarine. If you bake at all you know those are not the greatest of ingredients to work with, especially if you're wanting it to taste good. I searched the web and found Sugarless Oatmeal Banana Cookies. They're not exactly "sugarless" though because bananas, raisins and milk all have sugar. I guess you could call them "No Sugar Added Oatmeal Banana Cookies" but that makes for a really long name. And besides I added chocolate chips to mine, so I added sugar. Oh, well.
Oatmeal Banana Cookies
  • 1/3 c. butter, softened
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • 2 c. oats
  • 1/2 c. raisins
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let stand for 5-10 minutes allowing the oats to soak up all the milk. Drop by tablespoon full onto a cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees*. Allow to cool. Makes 2-3 dozen.
*NOTE: I baked the first batch at 350 for 15-20 minutes, but they didn't seem cooked all the way through, but they were getting too dark on the bottom. I did the next 2 batches at 325 for 25 minutes and they were much better. I would suggest this temp, but all ovens vary, so you'll just have to keep an eye them.
These are not your typical "cookies". They don't contain flour or leavening, so they won't rise or spread. They taste very much like banana bread. Even the texture is the same. I was pleasantly surprised by these "healthy" cookies. The family loved them.
Other additions (add 1/4 c of any of these to batter):
  • mini chocolate chips
  • chopped nuts
  • dried chopped fruit (cranberries, apricots, cherries)
  • shredded coconut

Saturday, February 11, 2012

I am So STOKED....BIG LOSS..

Well, this was a very great Saturday morning.  Tracy and I both had a great, fabulous, wonderful, joyous, huge weigh-in.  Are you ready for this...  MINUS 8 pounds for me and 4 pounds for Tracy.  Wow that is just what we needed, since last week was not a very good loss.  SO, that is 46 pounds for me and 18 pounds for Tracy.

We were told early on that it was going to be easier for me, "A man thing," and harder for Tracy.  Well, I have to say it is not for lack of hard work on Tracy's part.  She is so faithful to her workouts, and while it the gym gives it 150%.  Not me... I fizzle out quick and never do a complete workout.  I find it easy to say, "My back hurts, or Wooo, I pushed that set to hard (yeah, right.) 

I have watched Tracy get on the Treadmill, and spend 20 minutes in a hard fast run to get her cardio up.  Get off and do 40 Roman Chair lower/leg lifts.  Get back on the Treadmill and do another 20 minutes.  I get a workout just watching.

Well, my loss being bigger is not due to a better eating regiment or a tougher workout.  That just ain't the way it is.  It's just a man thing.

So, 288 down to 242... That's HUGE if I say so my self.