We’re big pizza fans around here, and we have several combinations of toppings that are stand-bys for us. This is a favorite for sure (and I’m not even a huge sausage fan!). I don’t really like tomato pizza sauce, though, so we usually go with an olive oil or pesto base for our pizza. Here’s the recipe:

• 1 pizza crust (Making your own is easy–this recipe makes two crusts–and the Pillbury refrigerated pizza crust is good, too. We also like the Betty Crocker mix that you find in the pizza aisle.)
• 1/3 cup sausage, browned (I usually buy one spicy Jimmy Dean sausage and one Jimmy Dean reduced fat version, brown them together and then freeze them in smaller amounts to use later.)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 4-6 ounces fresh mozarella cheese, thinly sliced (Really. It needs to be the fresh variety…the other is just NOT NEARLY as good!)
• 3-4 ounces parmesean cheese, grated
• 2-3 tsp oregano, dried
• Olive oil
• crushed red pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 375.

Saute the onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Stir frequently. Once the onions have softened a bit, reduce the heat to medium-low and let carmelize.

Roll out your dough on a pizza peel or baking stone. Spread about 1 tablespoon olive oil over the dough, pierce with a fork a few times, and bake the crust for 5-6 minutes.

Remove crust from the oven. Spread sausage and carmelized onions over the pizza. Top with tomatoes, mozarella and shredded parmesean. Sprinkle oregano and crushed red pepper on the top. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the crust is browned a cheese is bubbly.

So I am on this low-calorie diet for the month of January (it’s going well…I’m losing weight!!), but I am starting to run out of appetizing options for dinner. I can only eat so much baked chicken and fish. So, I decided to attempt a lower calorie version of stuffed shells…I think you can almost call it healthy! I thought it was rather good, the kids liked it, and Chris only moaned for a minute about the lack of CHEESE! He is in no need of losing weight and would love to see some high calorie meals on our table again! Here’s the recipe:

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces fresh mozarella, shredded
• 4 ounces fresh parmesean, shredded
• 1/4 cup frozen spinach, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup pureed carrots (steam carrots until they are super soft and then puree them in the food processor)
• 1/2 cup pureed squash (Any kind of squash will do. You can steam it or bake it until it is very soft and then blend it up in the food processor. Extra spureed squash freezes really well.)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked according to package directions
• 2 cups tomato sauce (I like to make my own with this recipe)

 

In a food processor, puree the cottage cheese until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese and the next 9 ingredients (through salt).

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and the stuff with the cheese and veggie mixture. Place in a baking dish coated with cooking spray, top with tomato sauce, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Yum! Cooking cauliflower this way makes it so flavorful! You’ll never want to just steam it again!!

• 2 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400.

Just cut your cauliflower into florets and spread them on a jelly roll pan. With a whisk, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Pour this mixture evenly over the caulilflower, making sure to coat each piece. Sprinkly the cauliflower with salt and pepper and roast for 25 minutes (or until desired tenderness), stirring once or twice to make sure the cauliflower browns evenly.

Veggie Stuffed Pasta /Green Salad

Salmon with Dill Sauce /Roasted Edamame / Bread

Cranberry Pork Sandwiches / Green Salad

Tacos / Black Beans / Salad

Hummus is a magical food, in my opinion. It actually tastes rich and decadent…but it isn’t! It’s great for you and great tasting. Amazing. Anyway, we go through hummus like crazy around here as most of us dip our veggies in it, and as Ava eats it by the spoonful. So I decided to try to make my own. Yum. This is seriously the best hummus I have ever had and was NOT that hard.

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 cups cooked chickpeas that I had re-hydrated from the dried state.)
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded (You can buy these in a jar, but seriously–roast your own. They taste so much better and are SO EASY to roast.)
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon tahini (A peanut butter-like substance that is made from sesame seeds. I found it in a tin can on the shelf next to peanut butter at Whole Foods.)
• juice of 1 lemon (2-3 tsp)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha (Less if you don’t like it AT ALL spicy, but this amount really doesn’t make it very spicy it just adds a nice flavor.)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  You may have to stop to stir and/or scrape down the sides a few times…or if you are like me and have a terrible blender, it will take LOTS of scraping.

Leftover hummus can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days. 

recipe from pinchmysalt.com

So I dove into trying some Middle Eastern food this week. It was fun! The falafel turned out nothing like the deep fried falafel balls you get at those fast food joints, but it was still good! If you have a deep fryer, I am sure your falafel will be more true-to-form, but mine was more along the lines of fried chick-pea patties. Still tasty, but different. With that disclaimer, here’s how I did it. From what I have read, you’ll want to start with dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and cook them if you want true falafel texture. If you use the canned chickpeas, you might have your falafel balls falling apart while you try to fry them. Then again, I started with dried chickpeas, and mine fell apart while I tried to fry them…so take that for what it’s worth! Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups chickpeas, cooked according to package directions (or canned)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup fresh parsley (Many recipes also call for cilantro…you could do all cilantro, or a mixture of parsley/cilantro)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2  tablespoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil for deep frying (I used olive oil…could do canola, grapeseed or peanut as well)

Method

Using a food processor, pulverize chickpeas, but only until they form a paste — too smooth, and the batter may fall apart when cooking. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the oil) and mix to combine. Batter should be grainy, speckled with herbs, and a shade of pistachio green. Taste for salt.

Refrigerate batter about one hour, until firm. Remove from fridge and shape batter into 1-inch balls (a tablespoon measure is helpful). Don’t fiddle too much with dough. Place on a baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. Return to fridge and chill for an additional 15 minutes.

If you have a deep fryer, use it now. If you don’t, heat your oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Fry the balls/patties on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

Makes about 16-20.

This were pretty good! Maybe a bit dry (add a little more oil? Some milk?), but I did over-cook them a couple of minutes since the phone rang at the same time they were ready to come out of the oven! There are lot of variations to this: you could add dill, oregano, cumin, etc. My favorite flavor with salmon is dill, and I would have done that except I was using leftover salmon that had been BBQ’d with some other flavors. Anyway, I served this with three dips…two of which are good enough to pass on to you: cilantro-yogurt dip and yogurt dill sauce.

• 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 smallish onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 cups cooked salmon, flaked
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 cups (about) fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs (I used two pieces and a heel)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat  1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into  patties. I made golf-ball sized balls and then flattened them, and produced about 14 patties.

There are a few ways you can cook these.

First, you can fry them by heating oil in a pan and frying them, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties. Place them in the oven and bake until warmed through (about 10-15 minutes).

Next, you could bake them. Either place the patties directly onto a pan coated with cooking spray and bake 15-20, or until heated through. If you want the browned-on-the-outside look, coat your frying pan with a high temperature cooking spray, and brown the patties on the stove top before cooking them in the oven (just 1-2 minutes each side).

These were pretty tasty–and a great way to use leftover salmon!

Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges

4 tablespoons lowfat yogurt
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced

Mix that all together and you have  a tasty, low fat dip perfect for salmon!!

Chicken Tandoori Pitas / Falafel /Babaganoush

Veggie Pizza / Green Salad

Salmon Cakes / Steamed Broccoli / Green Salad

Vegetable Soup / Bran Muffins

Black Bean Soup / Corn Bread

Directions

Looking for a way to use some eggplant? Try this recipe for babaganoush. It’s a bit like hummus, only made with eggplant instead of chickpeas. We’re eating it with Tandoori Chicken Pitas this week.

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Prick eggplant with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake the eggplant until it is soft inside, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, grill the eggplant over a gas grill, rotating it around until the skin is completely charred, about 10 minutes. Let the eggplant cool. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid, and scoop the pulp into a food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl.

On a cutting board, work garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with the flat side of a knife, until it forms a paste. Add the garlic-salt mixture to the eggplant. Stir in the parsley, tahini, and lemon juice. Season with more salt, to taste. Garnish with additional parsley.

from Food Network, Ellie Krieger

Can you tell I’m trying to lose a few pounds this month? Day 9 and I am well on my way to fulfilling my goal of losing weight in January. I’ve cut out most sugars and a lot of fats, and have been searching for low-calorie, low-fat healthy recipes. Don’t worry, once February rolls around I’ll be back to normal eating. I can’t wait for some CHEESE! Yes, that is a hard one to let go of in my book.

Anyway, I’m going to put together some Tandoori Chicken Pitas for dinner this week. Enjoy!

Chicken Marinade:

• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp hot paprika
• pinch of ground cloves
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 piece of ginger about the size of a thumb, finely chopped (around 15-20g)
• 2-3 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 whole grain pitas

assorted fresh veggies (bell peppers, cucumbers, sprouts, tomatoes, etc)

Cilantro Yogurt Dressing

In a food processor, mix together all the ingredients of the marinade. Marinate the chicken for several hours. Bring the chicken to room temperature before you grill or bake it. Bake for about 20-30 min at 350 (internal temp of 165) or throw the grill for about 5-7 minutes per side over medium heat (again, internal temp of 165). Stuff some whole grain pitas with the chicken, sliced veggies and a little cilantro yogurt sauce and you’ve got a yummy, good for you meal.

Spring Rolls! I’ve never made them before, but was encouraged by my friend Hollie and her expertise. We made these non-traditional spring rolls tonight and they were so good and fun to put together. I think if I did it again I would add bean sprouts for a bit of a crunch, but the flavors in this were excellent. Here’s what we did:

Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 roasted red bell pepper
• 1 roasted yellow pepper
• 1/2 cup mango nectar (I found this in the mexican section of our grocery store)
• 1 tsp of lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

For Spring Rolls:

• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, cooked
• 1 package rice stick noodles, cooked as per package directions
• 2 avocados, peeled, seeded, thinly sliced
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• about 20 spring roll wrappers

Combine all ingredients for sauce in a food processor or blender and pulse until well combined. Make this sauce a bit ahead of time to allow the ingredients to blend together. Let it all come to room temperature before putting together your spring rolls.

Meanwhile, cook rice noodles as per package directions; rinse in cold water.

Heat a pot of water (to soften the wrappers). Pour a bit of the sauce over your cooked shrimp, enough to coat them thoroughly. Place all ingredients on the counter in front of you and one at a time dip the wrappers into the warm water. Once it is softened, place the wrapper on a wet cutting board and spread it out. Pat the top surface dry with a paper towel (this will make it a bit sticky and easier to wrap up. Place 3-4 shrimp, mango, avocado, rice noodles and cilantro in the middle of the wrapper. Fold over the top, then the sides and tightly roll together. If the wrapper is having trouble sticking together, pat it dry again to help it stick. Voila!

Serve with the dipping sauce–because everything is better with dipping sauce!

This makes a lot of spring rolls…I think we had about 20 or so.

After the eating that took place in the month of December, I’m on a mission to loose a few pounds this month. Thankfully, I’m not the only one, so I’m finding some good-for-you recipes out there for me to try! Needing some more protein, I decided to cook up some edamame this week. I used some of it to add to our Spicy Soba Noodles, but had some left and whipped up this yummy edamame salad for lunch the next day…you won’t be disappointed!

• 1/2 cup edamame, cooked and shelled
• 1/4 cup corn (I used frozen, but fresh would be really great.)
• 2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients except red wine vinegar in an oven proof dish. Roast the edamame mixture at about 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until it and the corn start to brown. Remove it from the oven, stir in the red wine vinegar and serve warm.

This recipe is passed on to me from the Steamy Kitchen via my sister in law, Carol who–I’ve said before–is an awesome cook. I haven’t made it yet, but I’m guessing it’s fabulous. It’s next on my list for party appetizers to make! 

• 16 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if you have)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

 

1.   Preheat the oven to 350F.  

2.   Take a handful of the defrosted spinach and squeeze and discard the water from the spinach. Squeeze as much of the water out as you can, you should get about a little less than a cup of spinach water. 

 3.   Heat a saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes (take your time, if you do this over high heat, the onions will burn and become bitter). Add the spinach and saute until the spinach is warm, but still bright green about 30 seconds.

 4.   Season and toss with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese and the grated parmesan. 

 5.   Pour into 2 small ramekins (or other oven-safe dish) and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with pita chips, bread or celery sticks.

Yields 2 cups

This is really tasty as a mexican dip to accompany Creamy Chicken Taquitos or as a dip for Spiced Indian Wontons, or even just as a light salad dressing. Yum.

• 2 cups fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp sriracha
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

In a food processor mix all ingredients and process until smooth. Easy as that!!