January 9, 2012: Honey Nut Cereal Bars Recipe

Here’s a recipe I devised use several others as a base. I wanted something somewhat nutritious to serve to my women’s Bible study group as well as have a bit left over that I could contribute to the kids in the Good News Club (an after school program to teach kids about the Bible and Christianity), for which my pastor and his wife are teachers. I used what I had on hand to come up with this yummy recipe.

Honey Nut Cereal Bars fresh out of the oven and waiting to be cut.

Honey Nut Cereal Bars

¼ cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

2 T. vegetable oil

2 T. vanilla extract

2 T. plain Greek yogurt

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup sweetened coconut

¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds

½ cup pomegranate flavored craisins (or any flavor of your choice)

½ cup blueberry flavored craisins (or any flavor of your choice)

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups honey nut Cheerios

In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, and vegetable oil. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until the peanut butter is softened enough to easily blend with the other ingredients. Add vanilla and yogurt and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and stir together just until combined. Press into bottom of greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool completely and stand for several hours before cutting into bars and serving.

Makes 32 bars with about 100 calories in each bar, 3.3 grams total fat and 29.6 mg sodium (as calculated on SparkRecipes.com).

January 4, 2012: Shrimp, Potato and Pea Salad Recipe

I know I’ve talked about the need to lose weight on and off over the past year but now it’s time to get serious about it. I attended a Weight Watchers meeting last night as the guest of my friend Kathy. I was NOT impressed by the organization – I wasn’t allowed to use the scale (really? I snuck up there anyway) and at the end of the regular part of the meeting I wanted more information but was told by the gals manning the tables in back that they were “closed”. They gave me a flyer advertising a special deal and sent me on my way. This was not the way to get me to sign up and spend my money with Weight Watchers!

So…when I got on the scale I wasn’t too surprised to see that my weight was even worse than I’d thought. So my goal is to lose 36 pounds over the upcoming year. I did some sleuthing online and found out that to lose one pound with light activity (I walk about 3 – 4 miles in the park as often as possible but I guess walking isn’t considered even moderate exercise) I can only take in 1,214 calories per day. Okay, that’s difficult but not impossible. My usual breakfast of yogurt, string cheese and a few crackers along with two cups of coffee and creamer came out to 433 calories. That leaves me roughly 800 calories for the rest of the day. I’m doing my best to stick to that.

Here’s a recipe my Aunt Jean wrote out for me some years ago. She found it in a book from the library but I have no idea which one so I can’t give credit where it’s due. Anyway, by changing the regular mayonnaise to low fat or non fat or even substituting Greek yogurt, this recipe is very healthy and a great lunch or brunch dish.

Shrimp, Potato and Pea Salad

1 ½ lbs. cooked shrimp

5 medium-sized red potatoes, cooked, cooled and diced

1 10-ounce package frozen peas, cooked and cooled

3 medium dill pickles, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise (low fat or non fat or substitute Greek yogurt)

3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T. minced fresh dill weed

¼ t. black pepper

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, potatoes, peas, pickles and onions. Cover and refrigerate.

In a small bowl mix dressing ingredients. Add to salad and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate a couple hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Serving suggestions: serve with fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumber sticks along with a bread thin spritzed with spray margarine and garlic powder. Or serve with bran muffin and fresh fruit.

November 30, 2011: Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Here’s a favorite winter dish in my family – Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce. It’s hearty, filling and quite delicious. I usually serve it over plain, buttered white rice because that’s what my husband prefers, but feel free to spoon it over the top of buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes. The leftovers are even better!

Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce

1 recipe Meatballs

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/3 cup diced onions

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare meatballs as directed in my Baked Meatballs recipe but instead of baking, fry them in a large or electric skillet. When cooked through, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings. Add mushrooms and onions and sauté over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add remaining ingredients. Cook just until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Serve over hot rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

Serves 4

November 19, 2011: Chili Mac Recipe

Here’s an old standby that was the perfect recipe for some leftovers I had hanging around in my fridge. While the dish is reminiscent of the goopy casserole I remember being served from the school cafeteria, this recipe tastes a whole lot better!

Tip: If you don’t have leftovers available, just go ahead and double the amounts listed in the recipe; use a full can of corn and chili. I used homemade chili and corn that I had canned myself over the summer.

Chili Mac

½ lb. macaroni noodles

4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

½ t. dry mustard

2/3 cup nonfat or low fat Greek yogurt or sour cream

¾ cup shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack cheese, divided.

1/3 cup cooked corn

1 cup chili with beans

Dash Tabasco sauce

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and return to cooking pot. Add cheese and stir until melted. To the pot, add mustard, yogurt or sour cream, ¼ cup shredded cheese, corn, chili and Tabasco. Pour into greased casserole cheese. Top with remaining cheese and cover with foil.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until bubbly hot. Remove foil and bake an additional five minutes, until cheese is completely melted.

Serves 4

September 26, 2011: Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

When you make my favorite Mixed Green Salads recipe, try your hand at making a homemade dressing to go with it. If you have a fairly well stocked pantry, you should have all of these ingredients on hand and it only takes a few minutes to whip up this dressing that is the perfect complement to the mixed baby greens, tomatoes, nuts and Gorgonzola cheese in the salad.

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 cup mayonnaise (or substitute Greek yogurt if you want to cut down on calories a bit)

3 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. lemon juice

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. olive oil (best quality)

1 t. finely minced garlic

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into a jar. Chill several hours before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Note: This dressing will last a couple weeks in the refrigerator.

August 5, 2011: Lite Chicken Green Chile Enchilada Casserole Recipe

I just got back from spending a weekend in my hometown of Silver City, New Mexico. While I was there I had to eat my favorite Mexican food. In my opinion, Silver City is home to THE best Mexican food found anywhere on the planet. I have fond memories of eating at each of the restaurants while growing up, including El Paisano, the Silver Café, Jalisco, and Tillie’s. I was in town for my 30th high school reunion and many of us reminisced about the wonderful food we had in our town while growing up.

These days as we all get older and – how shall I say it – bigger, we can’t eat the same food we used to without gaining pounds instantly. This recipe is my version of chicken enchiladas that is much lighter than the traditional (but the still most mouth-watering) enchiladas I enjoyed in Silver City.

Lite green chile chicken enchiladas served with a salad of green leaf lettuce, tomatoes and avocado slices.

Lite Chicken Green Chile Enchilada Casserole

1 T. olive oil
½ cup minced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
¼ cup chopped green chiles
½ cup chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1 t. dehydrated cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
4 corn-wheat tortillas (I used La Tortilla Factory Hand Made Style Corn Tortillas, large size)
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup salsa
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 cup shredded Colby jack cheese

Heat the olive oil to medium in a saucepan. Add onions and garlic; cook for 5 minutes, until slightly translucent. Add chicken, tomatoes, chiles, broth and spices. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for half an hour or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove chicken from the broth mixture with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. When cooled enough to handle, shred chicken and add back to broth mixture. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine yogurt and salsa. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.

To assemble enchiladas: place two tortillas in the bottom of the greased pan. Spray with cooking spray. Pour half the shredded chicken mixture over the top. Dot with dollops of the sour cream mixture; sprinkle with half the black olives. Top with half the shredded cheese. Place two more tortillas on top and spray with cooking spray. Top with remaining ingredients.

Fresh out of the oven and bubbling hot.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. It will look soupy but the tortillas will absorb any extra moisture as it sits, so let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving.

Serves 4

July 8, 2011: Grilled Potato Salad

Wow! What happened to Blogger? New changes caused me to miss a couple days of posting so I'm sorry if you were looking forward to a new one that didn't appear! Why fix what isn't broken? Oh well, I've got to get used to the new format, I reckon. So... getting back on track...

Although my favorite type of potato salad is the traditional, mayo-sauced version with that yellow tinge, every now and then I break out of the mold and convince my family to try something new. This is one of those recipes.

I happened to have some of the corn salad recipe leftover from the previous night’s meal, so I simply used that in place of the corn.

Grilled Potato Salad

2 pounds red potatoes, cleaned and quartered
3 T. olive oil
½ t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can corn or 3 ears of fresh corn, shucked
2 T. jarred, diced pimiento
2 T. minced yellow or orange bell pepper
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 t. garlic salt
½ t. paprika
1 T. fresh or freeze dried cilantro, minced

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a 13 x 9” baking dish. Roast for 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Cut into 1 ½” chunks.

Mix together remaining ingredients. Add cut potatoes.

Serve warm.

July 5, 2011: Veggie Soft Tacos Recipe

Summertime is made for eating more fruits and veggies. To that end, I wanted to come up with a way to use some bits and pieces of vegetables while making a healthful, but filing lunch. Here’s what I came up with.

Veggie Soft Tacos

Veggie Patty:
¼ cup cooked carrots (to cook quickly, chop finely and out in a small bowl; add a couple tablespoons of water and microwave on high for 2 – 3 minutes)
¼ cup chopped bean sprouts
2 T. brocco sprouts (or other sprouts such as alfalfa)
1 T. minced onion
1 t. minced garlic
2 T. prepared hummus
1 T. sunflower seeds
1 t. soy sauce
1 egg
½ cup coarse bread crumbs, such as Panko
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Shape into one large patty and fry in a teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat, a couple minutes per side, until cooked through and crispy on the outside.

For Soft Tacos:
2 taco size flour tortillas
3 T. feta cheese (I used sundried tomato and basil flavored crumbles)
2 T. plain Greek yogurt
1 t. dried dill weed
1 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. garlic salt
Mixed baby greens

Combine yogurt, dill, lemon juice, and garlic salt.

To assemble soft tacos, divide cheese between the two tortillas; sprinkle on half of each tortilla. Microwave on high for half a minute to melt slightly. Place half the fried veggie patty on each tortilla. Top each with half the yogurt mixture and handful of greens. Fold in half and serve.

Tip: Use any veggies in your fridge as substitutes for the sprouts – cucumbers, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc. would all be good. Feel free to experiment with flavor/crunch combinations.

June 6, 2011: Super Food Yogurt Recipe

Yogurt is one of nature’s super foods. It is lower in fat than its alternative, sour cream, and many of the yogurts you find on the grocery store shelves contain live bacteria cultures, or probiotics, which are very healthful. A recent study from Washington University suggests that people who eat yogurt on a regular basis actually lose more weight due to the presence of Bacteroidetes. For some reason, an increase in Bacteroidetes causes you to consumer fewer calories. Pretty nifty, eh?

You can substitute yogurt for sour cream in nearly any recipe (Greek yogurt, although more expensive, is creamier and has a better texture for cooking). Labneh, a cheese made from yogurt, can be used in the place of higher fat cream cheese, although it’s hard to find (try your local natural foods store). Try either of these as a replacement in your favorite dip recipe.

You may also have heard that yogurt helps reduce the incidence of yeast infections. Some studies have also shown that it could reduce cholesterol. There’s no doubt about it – yogurt does a body good.

Here’s a simple yogurt salad dressing recipe I got from the book, A Year of Health and Beauty by Vidal and Beverly Sassoon (it’s an oldie - published in 1976 - but a goodie I’ve had for over 30 years!).

Yogurt Salad Dressing

Yolk of one hard-cooked egg
1 raw egg yolk (make sure it’s very fresh and from a pasteurized egg)
1 t. dry mustard
2 cups yogurt
2 t. lemon juice
Sea salt, to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender and use immediately (don’t store any mixture with raw eggs for more than a day).

Tip: Add fresh herbs, such as dill, rosemary, parsley, chives, oregano, or thyme for flavor variations.