Orange Beef

Another new favorite from "Cook Yourself Thin!" My house smells amazing after making this simple recipe. I have decided that I love this cookbook not only for the portions, the healthiness of the recipes, but also for the recipes that don't include any over the top ingredients. I hate when you want to try a new recipe but have to spend $20 just buying all of the spices and ingredients that you have never used or probably will never use again unless you make that recipe again. This cookbook has common ingredients, the only thing I had to buy that I had never used was the Chinese five-spice, which I must say now that I have tried it, I will use it in more recipes. This recipe made me think I was eating Chinese take out and it didn't take me long to prepare it.  However, I think we took any chance of this meal being healthy away by serving it with rice. :) I am sorry my picture doesn't do this dish justice, I use my cellphone and the quality isn't the best.

Ingredients:
1 lb. flank steak,, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices across the grain
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
3 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 orange
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced


1. Combine the steak, five spice powder, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a medium bowl. Marinate at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.


2. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the zest of the orange into a small bowl. Peel the orange, then break it into segments and coarsely chop. In a small bowl, stir together the orange juice, cornstarch, and the remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce.


3. Heat the oil in a nonstick 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the steak and cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the meat just loses its pinkness. Add the scallions and reserved orange zest and cook, stirring, until fragrant , about 1 minute. Stir in sauce mixture and cook , stirring occasionally, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes. Garnish with the reserved orange segments and serve.


Serves 4
Nutritional Value Per Serving:
229 Calories
10g Fat
218 mg Sodium
4 g Sugar

Pasta with Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

This pasta was delicious! I am normally not a pasta kind of gal, or at least spaghetti kind of girl, but this was superb. The recipe from "Cook Yourself Thin Faster," calls for pork sausage, but I chose to go an even healthier route and use Trader Joe's Sundried tomato and basil chicken sausage. I must say it added extra flavor. I think the thing I love most about my new cookbook is that the portions are perfect for Pat and I and we rarely have leftovers, which is nice for a change. I don't know about you, but I am not a huge fan of leftovers. I will eat it the next day for lunch, but that is enough for me. This cookbook makes the right portions and the recipes are better for you. Enjoy because we sure did!

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray

1/2 lb. pork sausage, removed from their casings and crumbled (I used Trader Joe's sundried tomato and basil chicken sausage)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Pinch of hot pepper flakes

16 cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

7 oz. whole wheat linguine, cooked al dente 

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Spray a large nonstick skillet with olive oil cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and stir occasionally for about 3 minutes, until the meat begins to brown. Add the garlic, pepper flakes, tomatoes, and thyme. Cook until the sausage turns dark brown and the tomato skins have burst, about another 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Place the cooked pasta in a warm serving bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil. Top the pasta with the sausage and tomato mixture, stir to combine and sprinkle with parsley.

Turkey Meatloaf with Dried Cranberries

This meatloaf was like Thanksgiving in February. It was so full of flavors, but so light at the same time. You felt "good full" after eating it. We overcooked the parsnips a little, but they were still delicious! We also put our meatloaf into two small loaf pans so we could freeze a loaf to eat later. We also end up eating meatloaf leftovers for a week and get sick of it, this way we have the perfect amount for us for dinner and a little leftovers and a loaf for another night when we don't feel like cooking. This recipe comes from my favorite new cookbook, "Cook Yourself Thin Faster."

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 slice whole wheat bread
1/3 cup skim milk
1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large egg white
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled, cored, and cut into 2 inch lengths


1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a 13X 9 baking sheet with aluminum foil.


2. Place 1/4 cup of cranberries into a small heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over to cook and let soak until softened, about 10 minutes.


3. Grind the bread in a food processor to fine crumbs and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the milk over the crumbs and let soften for 1 minute. Add the turkey, onion, carrot, parsley, egg white, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon oil, and the remaining 1/4 cup cranberries. Mix with your hands until everything is well combined.


4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and shape into a 9X5 inch loaf. Drain the softened cranberries and place in the food processor along with the mustard. Process until smooth, then spread over the meatloaf.


5. Toss the parsnips with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Scatter around the meatloaf in the pan.


6. Bake until the meatloaf is cooked through ( a thermometer inserted in the center should register 170) and the parsnips are browned, about 1 hour.

White Pizza with Roasted Mushrooms

This recipe is to die for, seriously! It has so much flavor and is so simple to make, this has become our household favorite. We are trying to be better about what we eat because we love to snack and eat whatever, so when I saw this recipe in my new favorite cookbook, Cook Yourself Thin Faster, I knew it was too good to be true. The recipe calls for store bought pizza dough, but I chose to use Target's premade flatbread pizza instead. It was delicious! If there is one recipe that you try from this blog, I'd suggest this one! I can't wait to try out more of these recipes, so far they all seem to be very good, plus an added bonus that they aren't bad for you too!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)

1/2 pound store-bought pizza dough (I used Target's flatbread pizza)

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese

3 Tablespoons grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (I used just Romano, as I had it on hand)

Freshly ground pepper

5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

1/4 teaspoon fresh sage, thinly sliced into ribbons

Pinch of Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Oil a 17X11 inch rimmed baking pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

2. Stretch the dough directly onto the baking pan, pressing and gently stretching to fill as much of the pan as possible. (It will not fill the entire pan.) Brush with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the surface of the dough. (I was able to skip this step since I used premade flatbread pizza)

3. Spread the ricotta cheese over the pizza. Sprinkle the ricotta with the Pecorino and pepper.

4. Tear the mushroom caps into small pieces and place in a small bowl. Toss with remaining tablespoons of olive oil, the sage, pinch of salt, and pepper. Scatter the mushrooms over the top of the cheese.

5. Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the crust is fully baked, and transfer to a cooling rack. Cut into slices (kitchen scissors work best) and serve immediately.

No Meat-No Brainer!

Today was a no meat day since it was Ash Wednesday and  I was tired and didn't want to make something that would take too long. I settled for tomato soup (I always add fresh basil to the canned soup to make me feel okay about using canned soup), grilled cheese, and asparagus. It was delicious and took very little time! I'm glad I didn't eat too much, because today marks our start of working out for Lent and for Australia! From now on, we will be having spinach salads with chicken and walnuts for our lunches as well. Urgh....it is only 40 days right?

So....you are probably wondering why I am wasting your time reading this post if it doesn't have a recipe included. I just thought I'd get you excited about upcoming posts with my new cookbook that I hope to cook my way through! I just bought Cook Yourself Thin Faster: Have Your Cake and Eat it Too! I was debating if I should buy it or just look for the recipes online, but after flipping through I found myself wanting to make every recipe in the book and the ingredients were things we usually have on hand. I can't wait to cook my way through this cookbook and share the good ones with you. Stay tuned.....

Molten Chocolate-Mint Cakes

Today is Fat Tuesday, so in honor of the day we gorge ourselves with food, I posted this recipe from Molten Chocolate cake! I made this for part of our Valentine's dinner and it was amazing!!  Today is the last day to enjoy all the yummy treats and indulgences since tomorrow marks the start of Lent. This year I chose to give up and take on a few things:
*I must drink a large nalgene of water before having a diet coke
*Only 1 diet coke a day
*I must be on time for work (therefore, giving up sleep:) )
*Working out at least three times a week (eekk..I am most worried about this)
*Eating healthier, spinach salads for lunch almost everyday until Australia

Ingredients:


1.5 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
4.5 Tablespoons flour
6 chocolate mint wafer candies, such as After Eight thin mints, quartered
Confectioners' sugar, for dustinng


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450. Grease and flour six 6 ounce ramekins. In a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate over simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove the insert from the pan. ( I don't have a double boiler, so I just use a large pot with water and put a smaller pot in the larger pot....see my picture)


2. Using an electric mixer, beat the whole eggs, egg yolks, and granulated sugar at high speed until pale and very thick, about 8 minutes. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, then the flour until just combined.


3. Divide the batter among the prepared ramekins and submerge a stack of 4 chocolate mints pieces in the center of each. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until set but still slightly jiggly in the center, 12 to 14 minutes. 


4. Invert the cakes onto plates, wait 20 seconds and remove the ramekins. Dust with the confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion-chopped
2 cans green chilies
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 can (15-16 oz) pinto beans rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz) lima beans rinsed/drained
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup water
1 pkg ranch dressing (dry)
1 can hominy, drained
3 cans (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can (15-16 oz) red kidney beans rinsed and drained
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips or warm bread-optional

**Brown the ground beef and onion together. In a crock pot, add all of the browned beef and remaining ingredients except for the shredded cheese, sour cream, and chips. Heat on low for the day in the crock pot. Top with cheese and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips or warm bread. OR...on the stove, bring all ingredients to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Brownies-Cooking Light!

Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd better post pictures of the heart shaped pizza my niece and I made this weekend. We used my calzone recipe for the crust and made a pizza instead, it was delicious!

Today is also my sister, Heather's birthday, Happy Birthday! Heather told me that I write cheesy things on this blog so I figured in honor of her birthday and her turning 31 years old, I would keep my thoughts short! I made these brownies for the birthday girl today and found the recipe in Cooking Light Magazine. In other words, Heather you can eat the whole pan and not feel as guilty about it! (Just a little cheesiness for you!)

Ingredients:

Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 (3 oz) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white

Brownies:
Cooking spra
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons raspberry preserves

Lettuce Wraps

I love lettuce wraps and always order them when we go out to eat and they are on the menu.  I decide to try and make my own using the Pioneer Woman's recipe! They were delicious! The preparation take a little bit, but it isn't difficult, just chopping and mincing. I'd suggest adding cornstarch at the end to thicken it up a little, as it has so many sauces and can be very messy.

This recipe is from the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef Or Turkey ( I used turkey)
• 2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil, Or Other Light Cooking Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 1 clove Garlic, Large
• 1 piece Fresh Ginger (1 Inch Long)
• 1 whole Red Pepper
• ½ cups Diced Water Chestnuts
• 3 Tablespoons Chinese Cooking Wine
• 4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Peanut Chili, Or Satay, Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 head Iceberg Lettuce

Preparation Instructions

The prep for this dish takes the longest, so get everything chopped and ready beforehand. Once you get cooking, you add ingredients fairly quickly.

Prep the veggies:
Dice the onion and red pepper. Drain and rinse the water chestnuts. Mince the garlic and the ginger. Cut out the core of the iceberg lettuce and give it a rinse. Allow the lettuce to drain, and carefully loosen the leaves.
Prep the sauce:
Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, peanut chili sauce, hoisin sauce and the sesame oil.
Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the peanut oil to the pan, allow it to heat up for a minute, then add the diced onion. Cook the onion for a few minutes. When it starts to become translucent (after 4 or 5 minutes), add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 30 seconds, then add the ground meat. Brown the meat, then add the red pepper and water chestnuts, stirring constantly. After another 3 or 4 minutes, add in the Chinese cooking wine. Allow this to sizzle and cook for about a minute, then add in the sauce. Stirring frequently, let this cook for 2 or three minutes. The sauce should thicken a bit. If it doesn’t, you can add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch.
Serve with the iceberg lettuce: take one leaf and add a few heaping spoonfuls of the meat mixture, fold up, and enjoy!

Taco Pasta Salad

Thanks to my wonderful parents, I have a great cookbook full of wonderfully easy recipes. When I went to Florida, my parents gave me Paula Deen's Quick and Easy Meals. There are so many great recipes in this book and you'll see a few throughout this week. Thanks Mom and Dad! I love Mexican food so I was very excited when I saw this recipe, even if it was in the Cooking for Kids section. :)This pasta was very refreshing and so easy to make. When I make it next time, I think I will add some green chilies or a some chopped jalapenos to give it just a little extra kick.

Ingredients:
2 cups mini bow tie pasta, cooked and cooled to room temperature
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained, and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup prepared salsa
2 Tbls. chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix

In a large bowl, combine pasta, black beans, corn, cheese, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, and taco seasoning. Serve immediately or chill salad until ready to serve.

Chicken and Asparagus with Pesto Sauce

I came home on this snowy winter day and immediately hit the  couch. I have had a headache for two days and a runny nose, I can feel the sinus infection coming, yuck! Thankfully my wonderful husband told me to relax on the couch and made one of our new recipes for the week for dinner and it was delicious. I think it was even tastier because I didn't have to prepare it. :) I love to cook and never give Pat the opportunity to cook, he is a really good cook. I think I might have to have him cook more often because it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy a meal without the preparation. Thanks Pat!

From Paula Deen's Quick and Easy Meals
Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbls. prepared pesto

1. Cut chicken breasts in half crosswise to make 6 pieces. Season evenly with salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until gold brown. Remove chicken from skillet, set aside, and keep warm.

3. Add asparagus to skillet, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just tender.

4. Add cream, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in pesto. Return chicken to skillet, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer, or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Baked Potato Soup

My wonderful coworker, Joanne, gave me this recipe to try out! She got it from her daughter. It is so delicious and so easy to make. My husband said that out of all of the new recipes I have made, this is by far his favorite, which is fine by me because it is very simple and requires only  a few ingredients. If you love baked potatoes, you'll love this soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 baked potatoes (I used six small ones, or 4 large)

2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

6 cups milk

1 cup chopped green onion

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

12 slices cooked bacon (in pieces)

5 oz. shredder cheddar cheese

8 oz. sour cheese

1. Bake potatoes. Scoop out insides, set aside.

2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a roux. Cook one minute, stirring constantly.

3. Slowly pour in milk, stirring until all has been added. Keep stirring until soup starts to get thick. 

4. Add potatoes, onion, salt, pepper, bacon, and cheese. 

5. Stir well and heat for 15 minutes. Mix in sour cream until well blended. Serve immediately.

Sloppy Joes in a Biscuit-YUMMY!

My sister recommended this recipe and it was sure delicious! Thanks Jenny! It was super easy too and it seems like a meal that even the kids would eat. The flavor is fantastic and you can never go wrong with a biscuit and sloppy joes. This might even be a good one to try out for Superbowl Sunday! :)

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion

1/2 cup celer

2 Tbls. brown sugar

1 Tbl. mustard

1/2 Tbls. Worchestershire Sauce

1/2 can tomato soup

1/2 cup ketchup

Refrigerated rolls (Pillsbury Grands Biscuits)

1. Brown ground beef and drain. Combine all ingredients together and simmer for an hour.

2. Push refrigerated rolls into a muffin tin, put sloppy joe mixture on top of the dough and bake for 8-10 minutes or until dough is cooked. Add cheese on top and allow to melt.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I love Mexican food, especially enchiladas. My mom has a great recipe for enchiladas, but I decided to try out a new recipe that had less ingredients. It was delicious! I choose to mix the cilantro in with the sour cream and it was delicious! Even with the cream of chicken soup and sour cream and it tasted really light. I would also recommend adding diced green chiles. I got this recipe from tasty kitchen.

• 2-½ cups Cooked Chicken, Chopped
• 1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) Condensed Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 1 cup Sour Cream, Divided
• ½ cups Green Pepper, Chopped
• ½ cups Red Pepper Chopped
• 2 cups Tex-mex Cheese, Shredded
• ¼ cups Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
• 8 whole Flour Tortillas
• 1-½ cup Salsa

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix chicken, soup, green pepper, half of the sour cream, half of the cheese and 3 tablespoons of the cilantro until well blended.
2. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam sides down, in greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Top with the salsa and remaining cheese.
3. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro; top with the remaining sour cream.

Stuffed Green Peppers

My mom used to make these all the time when we were kids, yummy! They are very flavorful and very easy to make. I suggest using tomato paste and a can of flavored tomatoes, it gives it an extra good taste. I also added fresh Romano cheese on top too.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef-browned
onion-finely chopped
celery-finely chopped
1/2 cup uncooked rice
4 large green peppers
1 can tomato sauce or 1 small can tomato paste (I recommend tomato paste)
Optional: 1 can flavored tomatoes ( I highly recommend this!)

Directions:
1. Brown meat with finely chopped onions and celery. Add the rice and tomato sauce to the meat and stir together. Clean the green peppers and cook them separately in water for 20 minutes. Cut the tops open on the green peppers. Spoon the meat mixture into the large peppers. Place them in a cake pan with foil on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. You may make them ahead of time and refrigerate before baking.