Gorgonzola Pasta

This works insanely well as leftovers and tastes like it should be way more calories.

• 6 oz uncooked wheat pasta (I like penne)
• 2c fat free half and half
• 2 TB flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4c gorgonzola, crumbled
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup chives or green onions

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2) With a wire whisk, combine half and half and flour in a non-stick pot or skillet. Blend until the flour is dissolved. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick and bubbling.

3) Add gorgonzola and parmesan cheeses, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts. Stir in green onions.

4) Pour over past and serve.

Yield: 4 servings, 6 points each

Recipes for July 29th Week

I'll be on a business trip for a few days this week, so am not buying for as many recipes as I normally would. I also have ingredients left over from a couple of last week's recipes:

• King Ranch Chicken
• Penne with Asparagus, Spinach & Bacon

For this week, I've got one old favorite, and then a few totally new recipes I'm trying from Cooking Light Magazine:

• Gorgonzola Pasta (old fave!)
• Shrimp Remoulade Po-Boys
• Ham & Gruyere Potato Gratin

Recipes to follow................

Veal Marsala

This recipe can be made for company easily, without anyone guessing that it's "light".

• 10-oz package presliced mushrooms
• 1/4c all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 lb veal scallopine
• 1.5 tsp butter
• 1/2 c marsala wine

1) Heat a large nonstick skillet and coat with cooking spray, on medium high heat. Add Mushrooms and cook until tender. Set aside, keeping warm.

2) While mushrooms cook, place flour salt and pepper in a ziploc bag. Shake a bit to mix. Then add veal, seal the bag, and shake to coat completely. Set remaining flour to the side, reserving 1TB for sauce.

3) Melt butter in the pan over medium heat. Add veal and cook 3 min on each side, or until browned. Transfer to a serving plate, then keep warm.

4) Combine wine and reserved TB flour, stirring well to get lumps out. Add to pan. Bring to a boil, scraping browned bits clinging to bottom of pan. Add mushrooms back to the pan, heat another minute.

5) Pour mushroom sauce over veal pieces, and serve.

Yield 2 servings, 5 points each (253 cal, 7g fat, 2g fiber)

Open Faced Turkey Patty Melt

This is ridiculously good, I can never believe I get all this for the points.

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1c vertically sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1/4c fat free ricotta cheese
• 1.5 tsp worstershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 1 large egg white
• 4x 1oz slices of reduced fat Swiss cheese
• 4 slices light or whole grain rye bread
• 1/4 c country style dijon mustard

1) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion to pan. Cook until carmelized / brown. Transfer to a bowl.

2) Combine ricotta, worstershire, pepper, egg white, and turkey, using your hands to mix well. Divide into 4 equal sized patties. Coat pan with cooking spray, return to medium heat, and add patties. Cook 4 min each side, or until brown.

3) Meanwhile, toast bread and lay out on a cookie sheet. Spread each with 1 TB mustard, place one patty on each slice bread, and then divide onions evenly among sandwiches, placing those on top of the patties. Cover each with a slice of cheese.

4) Place in a preheated broiler for 3-4 min, or until cheese is bubbly and brown.

Yield, 4 servings, one sandwich each. 348 cal, 9g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 7 points

King Ranch Chicken

One of my husband's favorites and very easy to make, though it does have to bake for a while.

• 10 oz can chicken breast chunks, drained
• 1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can fat free cream of chicken soup
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 8 corn tortillas, cut into fourths
• 1c fat free shredded cheddar
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c celery, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1) Saute onions, garlic, and celery in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, after coating with cooking spray. Heat until tender. Add soups, rotel tomatoes and chicken. Heat and mix thoroughly, add salt and pepper to taste.

2) Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the dish with half of the pieces of corn tortillas. Pour half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Then sprinkle half of cheese over the top of that. Repeat layers ending with cheese. Cover with foil.

3) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min, covered. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 min. Let stand five min before serving.

6 servings, 4 points each

Shepherd's Pie

This one takes a while and uses a lot of pots and pans, but YUM. I make this recipe a good bit, and there are usually leftovers, which reheat wonderfully.

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in chunks
• 1/4 c fat free sour cream
• 1TB margarine or light butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1c onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1lb ground turkey meat
• 3 TB flour
• 1 TB rosemary, fresh, chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2c chicken broth (1 full can)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Boil water in a large saucepan. Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-20 min, or until fork-tender. Drain potatoes, and mash with sour cream, margarine, salt and pepper.

3) Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over med-hi heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook until soft. Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up meat as you go. Add flour, thyme, rosemary, broth, salt and pepper. Stir to coat, and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 min.

4) Transfer turkey to a deep dish pie plate or casserole dish. Spread evenly along the bottom, then do the same with the potatoes, smoothing the top with a spoon. Bake until the potatoes are golden, about 30 min.

Yield: 6 servings, 5 points each

Sausage Skillet Casserole

This is always one of my family's favorites:

• 6-oz package long grain and wild rice, such as Uncle Ben's
• 10.5 oz package 97% fat free ground sausage
• 8 oz package presliced mushrooms
• 2/3 c chopped celery
• 1/2 c chopped green onions
• 2 1/2c water
• 1 pouch chicken noodle soup mix
• 1c (4oz) preshredded 2% milk sharp cheddar cheese

1) Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat

2) Cook mushrooms, celery, and green onions over medium heat in a large skillet. Add sausage, and cook until veggies are tender and sausage is browned, stirring to crumble sausage.

3) Stir in cooked rice, water and soup mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 min. Once most of liquid is absorbed, remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese. Let stand for 5 min until cheese melts.

Yield - 7 servings, 1 cup, 5 points each

Recipes for July 22nd Week

I'll post recipes throughout the week, but here are the dishes I'll be making this week:

• Sausage-rice Skillet Casserole
• Veal Marsala
• Turkey Patty Melt
• Penne with Asparagus, Spinach & Bacon
• King Ranch Chicken
• Shepherd's Pie

I'm working hard this week to hit my 65-lb loss mark, so I'll be trying to cook as many of these as possible (oh, yes, and exercising my butt off). More to follow throughout the week.

Jalapeno Chicken

• 4 teaspoons low sodium taco seasoning
• 4x 6-oz chicken breasts, skinless, boneless
• 1/2 c (2oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos
• 2TB green chiles or sliced jalapenos
• Cooking spray

Sprinkle taco seasoning on both sides of the chicken breasts

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat chicken with cooking spray, and add to pan. Cook 7 min on each side, or until chicken is done.

Remove pan from heat, sprinkle chicken with cheese. Cover and let stand 3 min or until cheese melts. Top chicken with chiles.

Yield: 4 servings, 1 chicken breast each, 6 points

Summer Vegetable Curry

• 1 sprays cooking spray
• 1 large onion(s), finely chopped
• 2 medium garlic clove(s), crushed
• 1 piece ginger root, 1 inch, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp curry powder, or to taste
• 1 pound Butternut squash, chopped
• 1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 medium sweet red pepper(s), chopped
• 1/4 pound uncooked string beans, chopped
• 3 1/2 cup canned tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon cube, dissolved in 2 cups hot water
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped (about a handful)
• 1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
  

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, garlic and ginger until softened, but not browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add curry powder and stir well. Add vegetables, canned tomatoes, broth and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cilantro; stir and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about for 45 minutes.

Season to taste and garnish with remaining cilantro.

Cook’s tips: Garnish each serving with 2 tablespoons of plain fat-free yogurt mixed with chopped fresh mint. You can also add cooked brown rice or a can of chick peas to the curry if desired (keep track of any added POINTS values).

Yield - 4 servings, 3 points each

Grilled Tandoori Chicken and Couscous

1 1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh(s), cut into 32 chunks (about 4 pieces per thigh)
1 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt, divided
2 Tbsp tandoori spice mix
1/2 cup cucumber(s), English variety, diced
3 Tbsp mint leaves, fresh, chopped
1/4 tsp table salt
1 medium red onion(s), cut into 16 wedges
2 sprays olive oil cooking spray
2 cup cooked whole wheat couscous

Put chicken, 1/2 cup of yogurt and spice mix in a resealable plastic food storage bag. Seal bag and turn to mix and coat. Place bag on a plate and refrigerate on lowest shelf for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

Yields 4 servings, 6 points each

To make sauce, stir together remaining 3/4 cup of yogurt, cucumber, mint and salt in a small bowl until blended; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat grill. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken and onion wedges onto 8 metal skewers, using 4 pieces of chicken and 2 pieces of onion per skewer. (If using wooden skewers soak them in water 30 minutes before use to prevent burning.) Coat chicken and onions with cooking spray.

Grill skewers, turning often, until chicken is no longer pink in center, about 7 to 9 minutes. Serve skewers over couscous with sauce on the side. Yields 2 skewers, 1/2 cup of couscous and about 1/4 cup of sauce per serving.

Two-Cheese Vegetable Lasagna

• 1 sprays cooking spray
• 1/2 cup onion(s), diced
• 2 cup button mushrooms, or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
• 16 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and well-drained
• 15 oz fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
• 1 large egg white(s)
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 14 oz canned tomato sauce
• 14 oz canned diced tomatoes, with basil, garlic and oregano
• 8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, lasagna noodles (9 noodles)
• 2 Tbsp SoyaKaas Grated Parmesan Style Soy Cheese, or similar product
  

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic; sauté until mushroom liquid cooks off, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add spinach; cook until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes more. Remove skillet from heat and transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add ricotta, mozzarella, egg white and nutmeg; mix well to combine.

Mix together tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in another bowl. Spoon 3/4 cup of tomato mixture into bottom of an 11 X 7-inch baking dish. Top with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Top with 3/4 cup more of tomato mixture and 1/2 of cheese mixture; spread cheese mixture to make an even layer. Top with 3 more noodles and press noodles slightly into cheese mixture. Top noodles with 3/4 cup more of tomato mixture and remaining cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles, pressing noodles slightly into cheese mixture. Top with remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese topping.

Bake until lasagna filling is bubbly and top is golden, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces.

Yield - 6 servings, 5 points each

New Recipes for July 14th Week

I've got ingredients from two weeks ago left on a couple of recipes, and I'm trying some completely new things I've never done before, plus one old favorite.

Remaining Ingredients:

• Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
• Ham Steak with Nectarine Salsa

Totally New Recipes:

• Grilled Tandoori Chicken with Couscous
• Summer Vegetable Curry
• Vegetable Lasagne

Old Fave:

• Jalapeno Chicken

Recipes to follow!!

Missed one week, sorry!

Sorry for not posting last week, but I was too busy cooking. Back in May, I was doing a lot of work for March of Dimes, and signed up to make "gourmet lunches" for a week for two people. I was cooking those lunches last weekend and therefore didn't get around to posting. Here are the meals I made, sorry I won't post all the recipes this time, but I'll make all this stuff again (these are all some of my favorites), so you'll see these recipes at some point:

• Tortilla Soup with Chicken
• Baked Jack Chimichangas
• Pasta with Gorgonzola Sauce
• Rigatoni Bolognese
• Salad with Gorgonzola, Cranberry and Avocado
• Sausage, Potato and Beer Skillet
• King Ranch Chicken
• Pasta Salad with Olives, Tomatoes and White Beans
• Broccoli sauteed in garlic and olive oil
• Roasted asparagus
• Baked potato with cheese
• Chili-cheese corn on the cob

Anyway, in a few minutes, I'll post my recipes for the coming week.

Tuna with Jalapeno Cream

I'm so bummed, I missed my exercise class today because I got pulled into a baby shower for one of my co-workers. I did manage to avoid both pizza and cake at the shower, though, and stick to the food I'd brought with me. I'm way under points for the day, but no exercise. I think this week is likely to be a tossup on weight loss, I may have lost a little.

Anyway, here's my current favorite tuna steak recipe. I love this one because it is insanely fast to make.

• 1/2c reduced fat sour cream
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, and finely chopped
• 1TB fresh lime juice
• 1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1TB chili powder
• 4x 6oz tuna steaks
• Cooking spray

1) Combine first 5 ingredients, set aside.

2) Rub chili powder and salt into fish, coat with cooking spray

3) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add fish. Cook three minutes on each side, so that tuna is still pink in the middle. Serve topped with sour cream mixture.

Yield: 4 servings, 1 steak & 2TB sour cream each

5 points, 242 cal, 5.7g fat, .5g fiber

Rigatoni Bolognese

This is one of my absolute current favorite recipes. I love to make this and keep the leftovers for lunches. It's extremely filling and not a ton of points. Yum.

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped (I usually buy a small bag of matchstick carrots from the store)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 lb ground lean beef
• 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/4c finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/4c dry red wine or beef broth
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 cups rigatoni
• 1/4c parmesan cheese

1) Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a bowl, keep warm.

2) To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large nonstick pan on medium high heat. Add the onion, cook until transparent, then add the celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender.

3) Add the beef and cook until browned. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, wine/broth, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbly, then reduce heat and cook for an additioal half hour, until sauce thickens up and most liquid is gone.

4) Toss pasta and sauce together in a large bowl. Serve with cheese on top.

Yield: 4 servings (1.5c pasta, 1TB cheese each), 6 points

Beef Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 3.5 oz bag boil-in-bag long grain rice
• 1lb flank steak, trimmed
• 2TB hoisin sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Cooking spray
• 2TB chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 TB light coconut milk
• 1Tb low sodium soy sauce
• 1.5 TB creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp red curry paste

1) Preheat broiler.

2) Cook rice according to package directions. Drain, cover and keep warm.

3) Cut steak diagonally across the grain, into 1/4 in slices. Combine steak and hoisin in a bowl, toss to coat. Thread steak onto 8 skewers, after soaking skewers in water. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Place skewers on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 3 min on each side, sprinkle skewers with cilantro.

4) Combine coconut milk with remaining ingredients in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Serve with skewers and rice.

Yield: 4 servings, 2 skewers each, 1/2 c rice, 1TB peanut sauce

7 points

Grilled Ham Steak with Nectarine Salsa

• 1lb extra lean ham steak
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray
• 3 medium nectarines, diced
• 2 TB red onion, diced
• 2TB fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 TB fresh lime juice
• 1/2 small jalapeno pepper, fresh, minced (do not touch seeds with bare hands)
• 1 tsp Splenda or other no-cal sweetener

1) Preheat grill or broiler. Sprinkle ham with chili powder and cinnamon. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Grill, turning once, until charred and hot, about 3-5 min. Remove to platter, keep warm.

2) Toss nectarines, diced onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and splenda together in a medium bowl. Serve on top of ham.

4 servings, 1/4 of ham steak and 1/3 c of salsa each, 4 points

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

• 1.25 lb lean ground turkey
• 1TB ginger root, finely chopped
• 1TB minced garlic
• 1tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 c teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 c scallions, chopped
• 2TB cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 large egg white
• cooking spray
• 8 medium scallions, root ends trimmed
• 4 reduced calorie hamburger rolls

1) Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high, cover to maintain heat.

2) In a large bowl, combine turkey, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, teriyaki sauce, chopped scallions, cilantro and egg white. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Divide into 4 portions, form into patties. Coat with Cooking Spray on both sides.

3) Place burgers on grill and cook, flipping once, until fully cooked, abt 5-7 min per side. A few minutes before the burgers are done, place the whole scallions on the grill and cook, turning once until bright green and charred, abt 2 min.

4) Remove burgers & scallions to a plate, lightly toast rolls on grill. Serve burgers on a roll, topped with 2 scallions.

Yield, 4 servings, 6 points each

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

Here's the Recipe for Buffalo Chicken Fingers:

• 1 1/4 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 16 strips total (or 1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless tenderloins)
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp fat-free margarine
• 4 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1/2 cup fat-free blue cheese dressing
• 4 medium stalk celery, trimmed, cut into 4 sticks each
• Cooking Spray

1) Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.

2) Place chicken on a plate and sprinkle with salt and paprika. Add chicken to skillet and cook, turning occasionally until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; reduce heat to low, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3) Remove skillet from heat; stir in margarine and hot sauce until margarine melts. Serve chicken with blue cheese dressing and celery on the side. Yields about 4 pieces of chicken, 4 celery sticks and 2 tablespoons of dressing per serving.

4 Servings, 4 points each

July 4th Menus

Hey, all,

Here's what I'm shopping for this week - I'm going to have my three stepchildren in for most of the week, so I need at least a few things that I can make in quantity and that are also kid-friendly. I've also got a lot of dishes on here because with the kids around and everyone off work this week, I'll need to cook more than normal:

• Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
• Grilled Ham Steak with Nectarine Salsa
• Tuna with Jalapeno Cream Sauce
• Rigatoni Bolognese
• Lean Hamburger Helper
• Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce
• Buffalo Chicken Fingers

Happy 4th, all!