October 5, 2010 @ 6:41 am | Filed under: Food and Drink
4 large good baking apples (I used Golden Delicious) - 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup chopped raisins
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup boiling water
1Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. It helps if you have an apple corer, but if not, you can use a paring knife to cut out first the stem area, and then the core. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.
2 In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, currants/raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Top with a dot of butter (1/4 of the Tbps).
3 Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.
If you’d like, serve warm with vanilla ice cream on the side. (MJ would have LOVED this but we were staying within our WW points so we refrained…)
Makes 4 servings.
Fall Treat, recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
September 28, 2010 @ 6:29 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
I’ve tried several new recipes lately that have me super excited.
Several of them are Weight Watcher recipes, courtesy of my friend, Kayla Mansour, who is an amazing WW leader. Though I’ve never been a huge fan of sloppy joes, nor of ground turkey, I have to say – this dish had me at hello.
It smelled just that good.
It tasted even better.
But don’t take my word for it. Try it! You’ll be glad you did.
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground lean turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup Catsup
12 oz diet Coke
Brown the ground turkey and onions together in a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray. Be sure the turkey is well browned.
Add the catsup and diet Coke. Simmer uncovered on medium heat until the cola and catsup cook down to a rich, thick sauce. Serve on whole-wheat burger buns.
DELISH!
Makes 10 sandwiches @ 5 Pts each (including the bun)
Use Sandwich thins and they are 2 Pts. each!
Recipe courtesy of: Kayla Mansour, Weight Watcher Leader
healthy recipes, recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
August 31, 2010 @ 6:01 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,Soul Food
Some of our weeks are truly crazy.
With MJ’s work schedule, we’re sometimes separated for two - three days and nights at a time each week. By the time he drives back into town from whatever kind of week he’s had, he’s ready for a few good things.
Namely – his home, his bed, his table.
I guess my burgeoning love for cooking and spending time in my kitchen originally stemmed from the sheer knowledge of this. It became important to me to find ways to make his arrival home each week something for him to anticipate.
That’s not to say that there is always ample time on my part – or in my own schedule – to prepare a labor intensive meal or spend loads of effort on ambiance. But I’ve learned that in setting a table I’m also setting a heart, and that doesn’t require a lot of time or money or even effort.
It merely asks that I care.
I care deeply.
The next time you find an occasion to prepare a table – or a heart – here is a great recipe that is beautifully pleasing and deliciously memorable!
Farfalle with Tomatoes & Spinach
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces uncooked farfalle pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup vertically sliced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Preparation:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions; drain.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and oregano; sauté 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and vinegar; sauté 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Add pasta and spinach; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with feta.
Serve with Olive Flatbread: Preheat oven to 450°. Unroll 1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough onto a baking sheet. Combine 1½ tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, and 1 minced garlic clove; brush over dough. Sprinkle dough with ⅓ cup chopped kala-mata olives. Bake at 450° for 11 minutes or until browned and done. Top with 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil.
healthy recipes, recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
August 10, 2010 @ 8:28 am | Filed under: Food and Drink,The Fit Life
Poppy Seed Salad
with Fruit
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
| 6 | cups of romaine (chopped), baby bok choi or cabbage (thinly sliced) | |
| 1 | apple, cored and chopped | |
| 1 | cup red grapes, sliced in half | |
| ½ | cup slivered almonds | |
| Dressing: | ||
| ½ | cup sunflower oil | |
| ¼ | cup apple cider vinegar | |
| ¼ | cup honey | |
| 2 | oz. soft silken tofu (about 3 T) | |
| ¾ | t dry mustard | |
| ½ | t salt | |
| 1 | T poppy seeds | |
- Toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium high heat until barely brown. Cool.
- Combine greens, fruit, and nuts.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy!
healthy recipes, recipes, Tasty Tuesdays
July 27, 2010 @ 8:33 am | Filed under: Food and Drink
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (adds an extra “kick” – you can leave it out if you want!)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 (15 ounce) corn, drained
- jalapenos, chopped, to taste (I like a LOT, Mike – not so much!)
Directions
- Mix cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and red pepper flakes together. Add milk, egg, sugar, oil, corn and jalapenos.
- Pour into heated and oiled cast iron skillet (I used the wedge cast iron pan that belonged to my grandmother).
- Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.
This is a SCRUMPTIOUS recipe – ENJOY!!
February 28, 2009 @ 9:58 pm | Filed under: Family,Food and Drink
Something happened to me in the last couple of semesters. I think it has something to do with procrastination and the whole math-is-driving-me-up-the-proverbial-wall thing.
I’ve become a cook.
A real, love-to-be-in-the-kitchen-cooking-up-my-next-big-creation type of cook. Here is what I created tonight – a great, stay-at-home Saturday night meal. In collaboration with Mike’s doctor, I am trying to take care of his heart, so this meal – like most that we make these days – is health conscious and heart healthy.
But best of all – I got in the middle of my kitchen and had a blast and put all thoughts of polynomial functions on the back burner of my mind!
Ole!
Ingredients
- 4 slices good quality bacon
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 teaspoons paprika or smoked sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, 2/3 palm full
- 1 tablespoon grill seasoning, a palm full
- A handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 large clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 3 tablespoons, finely chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon, finely chopped dill
- Salt and pepper
- 4 crusty whole-wheat Keiser rolls
- 12 pieces green leaf lettuce
- 8 slices ripe tomato
- 8 slices avocado
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake bacon on slotted broiler pan until crisp 15 to 20 minutes.
Combine meat with paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning, parsley and shallots. Mix well and form into 4 (1/2 pound) patties. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cook meat patties 14 to 15 minutes, turning once.
Mix buttermilk with the sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, hot sauce, chives, dill, salt and pepper, to taste.
Split and toast rolls. Place burgers on bun bottoms and top with 2 slices bacon, lettuce, season tomatoes and set in place, arrange avocado on top of tomatoes. Top bun tops with buttermilk dressing and set in place.
