While I normally don't post on Saturdays, I wanted to get out some last-minute recipes to add to your end-of-year table, including Blue Ridge Blackberry Lemon Bars and Eggnog Meltaway Cookies. Enjoy!
SCOTTO CHEESE LASAGNA
This recipe is from Family Time, and begins, “This delectable lasagna makes great use of convenience products so that you've can put the dish together in just 15 minutes! While it bakes you can throw together a salad, and you've got a fabulous dinner for very little work.”
Serves: 8 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each); Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 70 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 container (32 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Prego® Tomato Basil & Garlic Italian Sauce or 5 cups Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
12 lasagna noodle, cooked and drained
1 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 package (10 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Mozzarella and Garlic Loaf
Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the ricotta and the eggs in a medium bowl.
Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 1/3 cups ricotta mixture, 1/4 of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Repeat to make 2 more layers. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover the baking dish.
Bake at 350°F. for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted. Remove the lasagna from the oven. Let the lasagna stand for 1 hour.
Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. for the bread. Bake the bread according to the package directions.
Cut the bread into 2-inch diagonal slices. Serve the bread with the lasagna.
RED VELVET VAMPIRE CUPCAKES
This is from The Food Network, and begins, “No, these cupcakes don't need bandages. What looks like a gory encounter with the Count himself is just raspberry jam brightened with a drop of red food coloring. And if you dare sink your own teeth into them, you'll find that more raspberry jam and chocolate await in the center.”
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes; Active: 1 hour; Yield: 12 cupcakes; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups cake flour (see Cook's Note)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red food coloring, plus a drop for the filling
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
One 3-ounce semisweet chocolate bar
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 cup raspberry jam
Cream Cheese Frosting:
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Special equipment: a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and a plastic straw
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, oil, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and egg in another large bowl.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
Microwave the chocolate and coconut oil together in a small microwave-safe bowl until mostly melted, about 1 minute. Stir, then microwave again until completely smooth, about 15 seconds more.
Use a small sharp knife to cut out and remove a plug from the middle of each cupcake, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom and leaving a 1/4-inch border around the side (eat the plugs). Brush the holes with the melted chocolate and place in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.
Whisk together the jam, 1 drop of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until completely smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam into each of the chocolate holes; set aside.
For the cream cheese frosting: Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe on top of the cupcakes so the jam is covered.
Poke 2 holes into the frosting on each cupcake using the end of a plastic straw to resemble vampire bites, making sure you hit the cupcake and not the jam-filled hole. Drizzle the remaining jam into the holes to resemble blood.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
BLUE RIDGE BLACKBERRY LEMON BARS
I got this in an email from FamilyTime, and begins, “A delicious and healthy snack the whole family will enjoy!”
Serves: 25-30 bars; Prep. time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups oats, either quick or old-fashioned (uncooked)
2 cups Pillsbury® BEST All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup butter or margarine, chilled (cut into small pieces)
Crisco® Original No- Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 (12 oz.) jar Smucker's® Seedless Blackberry Jam
Powdered sugar, if desired
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl toss together oats, flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt until well blended.
Sprinkle mixture with lemon juice, then with a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter pieces until mixture is crumbly.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Reserve 2 cups of the oat mixture, then sprinkle remainder in pan, pressing with fingers to form a crust.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until set. Let cool slightly, then spread blackberry jam evenly over crust.
Sprinkle evenly with reserved oat mixture, pressing down gently.
Return to oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
COZY CROCK COMFORT IN SLOW COOKER
This is from an old (10+ year old) email. Possibly Weight Watchers, according to the email’s header. But very yummy food!
16 ounces gound 90% lean turkey or beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups (15 ounces) diced raw potatoes
1/3 cup (1 ounce) uncooked regular rice
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup finely diced celery
1 1/2 cups Healthy Request tomato juice or any reduced-sodium tomato juice
1 (10 1/4) can Healthy Request Tomato Soup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
In a large skillet sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray, brown meat.
Place browned meat in a slow cooker container. Add onion, potatoes, uncooked rice, carrots, and celery. Mix well to combine.
Stir in tomato juice, tomato soup, black pepper, and parsley flakes. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Mix well before serving. 6 servings ~ 5 points each
Serves 6 - Each serving equals: 2 protein, 1 1/2 vegetables, 2/3 bread, 10 optional calories, 243 calories, 7 gm fat, 16 gm protein, 29 gm carbohydrate, 290 mg sodium, 33 mg calcium, 3 gm fiber
Diabetic: 2 meat, 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
EGGNOG MELTAWAY COOKIES
This recipe, from the Food Network kitchen, begins, “The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food processor. The flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg make the little snowball lookalikes taste just like your favorite holiday drink. “
Total:2 hr 55 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 4 dozen cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds (skinless)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed, completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.
Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.
Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container for up to a week.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
Showing posts with label Light Lasagna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Light Lasagna. Show all posts
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Monday, February 5, 2018
Pasta Party - Double-Post Monday
Besides being Meatless Monday, it's also Double-Post Monday. Today's double post deals with one of my favorites foods, pasta, for a pasta party. Here are six yummy pasta recipes to try out, including Cheeseburger Stuffed Shells and Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta. Enjoy!
QUICK SKILLET ZITI
This is from Family Time, and begins, “Ground beef and pasta are a winning combination for quick weekday meals that are nostalgic and full of good taste.”
Serves 4 (1 1/4 cups each); Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
Prego® Marinara Italian Sauce or 1 jar (24 ounces) Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
5 cups tube-shaped pasta (ziti), cooked and drained
Grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet until it's well browned, stirring often to break up the meat. Pour off any fat.
Stir the sauce and pasta in the skillet and heat through. Sprinkle with the cheese.
SLOW COOKER LASAGNA
This is from Lauren Allen, whose site, Tastes Better From Scratch is one that you really, really should check out. Seriously. I’ll wait…
This yummy recipe makes 5 servings, and can be viewed on Lauren’s site here.
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage (I use hot)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, chopped*
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 (8 oz) package regular lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance!)
Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary). Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.
Recipe Notes
*You could substitute 1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA
This comes from Chungah Rhee on her wonderful site, Damn Delicious. If you haven’t checked out her site, which I definitely recommend, you should!
For this recipe, Chungah wrote, “Save time/effort and make everyone’s FAVORITE Italian dish in your crockpot. You can also freeze half for another meal!”
Yield: 8 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes; Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound penne
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.
In a large bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, onion, basil, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir into the slow cooker and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
Stir pasta and chicken into the slow cooker; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
CHEESEBURGER STUFFED SHELLS
This is from Machismo on Tbsp., and begins, “Cheeseburgers? Good. Stuffed Shells? Good. Together? Amazing. Cheesy beef and onions are stuffed inside pasta shells and baked to hearty perfection.”
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Servings: 4
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
3 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
18 large pasta shells (from a 16 oz. box)
Extra ketchup, for serving
Fresh oregano, garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, start heating a large pot of water for cooking the pasta.
Add ground beef to the skillet and cook, breaking up the beef as it cooks, until the meat is well browned, another 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in ketchup and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese at the very end and remove mixture from the heat.
Cook shells according to package until they are al dente. Be careful not to overcook the shells or they will fall apart later. Drain shells and let cool briefly. (For best results, cook more than 18 shells in case any break or tear during cooking.)
Working one at a time, stuff each shell with a generous spoonful of cheeseburger filling and place in a large baking dish. Repeat process until you’ve used all of the cheeseburger mixture.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish and cover it tightly in foil. Bake shells for 15 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top of the shells and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes, until cheese is completely melted.
Remove from oven and garnish shells with a drizzle of ketchup and sprinkle of fresh oregano, if desired. Serve warm.
CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
Is it a chicken dish? Spaghetti? Both! This yummy recipes is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman, and begins, “With spaghetti and mushroom sauce, and light and dark meat chicken with bell peppers, Ree Drummond's casserole is like two meals in one. Cooking the spaghetti in the same liquid as the chicken infuses it with flavor, and the Cheddar thickens the sauce so it coats each piece of meat.”
Total: 1 hr 40 min; Active: 20 min; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-spaghetti-recipe.
Ingredients
1 whole raw chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Two 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
1 medium onion, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken pieces to the boiling water and boil for a few minutes, then return the heat to medium-low and simmer, 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken and 2 cups of the chicken cooking broth from the pot. When the chicken is cool, remove the skin and pick out the meat (a mix of dark and white) to make 2 generous cups.
Cook the spaghetti in the same chicken cooking broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When the spaghetti is cooked, combine with the chicken, mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the green peppers, red peppers, onions, seasoned salt, cayenne, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth, adding an additional cup if needed.
Place the mixture in a casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or bake immediately until bubbly, about 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).
QUICK SKILLET ZITI
This is from Family Time, and begins, “Ground beef and pasta are a winning combination for quick weekday meals that are nostalgic and full of good taste.”
Serves 4 (1 1/4 cups each); Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
Prego® Marinara Italian Sauce or 1 jar (24 ounces) Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
5 cups tube-shaped pasta (ziti), cooked and drained
Grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet until it's well browned, stirring often to break up the meat. Pour off any fat.
Stir the sauce and pasta in the skillet and heat through. Sprinkle with the cheese.
SLOW COOKER LASAGNA
This is from Lauren Allen, whose site, Tastes Better From Scratch is one that you really, really should check out. Seriously. I’ll wait…
This yummy recipe makes 5 servings, and can be viewed on Lauren’s site here.
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage (I use hot)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, chopped*
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 (8 oz) package regular lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance!)
Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary). Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.
Recipe Notes
*You could substitute 1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
SLOW COOKER CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA
This comes from Chungah Rhee on her wonderful site, Damn Delicious. If you haven’t checked out her site, which I definitely recommend, you should!
For this recipe, Chungah wrote, “Save time/effort and make everyone’s FAVORITE Italian dish in your crockpot. You can also freeze half for another meal!”
Yield: 8 servings; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes; Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound penne
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.
In a large bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, onion, basil, oregano, parsley and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir into the slow cooker and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.
Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
Stir pasta and chicken into the slow cooker; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
CHEESEBURGER STUFFED SHELLS
This is from Machismo on Tbsp., and begins, “Cheeseburgers? Good. Stuffed Shells? Good. Together? Amazing. Cheesy beef and onions are stuffed inside pasta shells and baked to hearty perfection.”
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Servings: 4
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
3 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
18 large pasta shells (from a 16 oz. box)
Extra ketchup, for serving
Fresh oregano, garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, start heating a large pot of water for cooking the pasta.
Add ground beef to the skillet and cook, breaking up the beef as it cooks, until the meat is well browned, another 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in ketchup and 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese at the very end and remove mixture from the heat.
Cook shells according to package until they are al dente. Be careful not to overcook the shells or they will fall apart later. Drain shells and let cool briefly. (For best results, cook more than 18 shells in case any break or tear during cooking.)
Working one at a time, stuff each shell with a generous spoonful of cheeseburger filling and place in a large baking dish. Repeat process until you’ve used all of the cheeseburger mixture.
Add 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish and cover it tightly in foil. Bake shells for 15 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top of the shells and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes, until cheese is completely melted.
Remove from oven and garnish shells with a drizzle of ketchup and sprinkle of fresh oregano, if desired. Serve warm.
CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
Is it a chicken dish? Spaghetti? Both! This yummy recipes is from Ree Drummond of The Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman, and begins, “With spaghetti and mushroom sauce, and light and dark meat chicken with bell peppers, Ree Drummond's casserole is like two meals in one. Cooking the spaghetti in the same liquid as the chicken infuses it with flavor, and the Cheddar thickens the sauce so it coats each piece of meat.”
Total: 1 hr 40 min; Active: 20 min; Yield: 8 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chicken-spaghetti-recipe.
Ingredients
1 whole raw chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Two 10 3/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
1 medium onion, finely diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken pieces to the boiling water and boil for a few minutes, then return the heat to medium-low and simmer, 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken and 2 cups of the chicken cooking broth from the pot. When the chicken is cool, remove the skin and pick out the meat (a mix of dark and white) to make 2 generous cups.
Cook the spaghetti in the same chicken cooking broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When the spaghetti is cooked, combine with the chicken, mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the green peppers, red peppers, onions, seasoned salt, cayenne, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth, adding an additional cup if needed.
Place the mixture in a casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and freeze up to 6 months, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or bake immediately until bubbly, about 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Lasagna
If you like lasagna as much as I do, you'll love today's post. Here are six vegetarian lasagna recipes to help you through the day, including Taco Zucchini Lasagna and Hearty Lasagna Soup. Enjoy!
TORTILLA LASAGNA
This is from the January/February 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 48. It begins, "This easy, crowd-pleasing dish is also a kid favorite. Toasting the tortillas before building the lasagna keeps them from getting soggy as the dish bakes. Feel free to mix things up with different beans, cheeses, or vegetables between the layers." Serves 8.
To view this online, click here.
6 8-inch fat-free flour tortillas
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ancho chile powder
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 cups strained tomatoes, such as Pomì, divided
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium chayote, peeled and diced, or 2 medium zucchini, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast tortillas on 2 baking sheets in oven 5 minutes, or until light brown, turning once.
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in chili powder, ancho chile powder, and garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add 11/2 cups strained tomatoes, beans, chayote, corn, and 1/2 cup water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until chayote is tender.
Coat 2-inch-deep x 8-inch round baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup strained tomatoes in bottom of pan. Set 1 toasted tortilla in pan; top with 3/4 cup bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering 4 more times. Top with last tortilla, and spread remaining 1/4 cup strained tomatoes over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and cheese has melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges.
nutritional information Per Wedge: Calories: 226; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 27 g; Cholesterol: 19 mg; Sodium: 506 mg; Fiber: 10 g; Sugar: 4 g
QUICK AND EASY LASAGNA
Okay, you've just gotten home from work or a day of running errands. You're hungry and want dinner as quick and easy as possible, but at the same time, something a little more filling than sandwiches. This lasagna fills the bill, as well as your family.
My youngest son came up with this a while back. He wanted lasagna, but without the long wait time that my full-fledged Vegetarian Lasagna takes, as well as without the onions. (He's not big into onions. But we all have our food preferences!) His version of lasagna if quick, fast, and very satisfying.
16 ounce box of lasagna noodles
Jarred Spaghetti Sauce (1 45-ounce jar or 2 23.5 ounce jars; see note)
12-ounce package of Veggie Ground Crumbles (see note)
8-ounce package of Shredded Cheese (see note)
Taco seasoning pack (optional)
15-ounce can Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce (optional)
Start a pot of water for the lasagna noodles. Once the water starts to boil, add the lasagna noodles and back the heat down just a little so that the water doesn't boil over. (If you drop it to medium heat, you've gone too far.) Cook according to the package instructions.
While the water starts to heat, take another large pot and add the jarred spaghetti sauce, veggie ground crumbles, and the taco seasonings (if adding) and sloppy joe sauce (if adding). Stir together, then start heating on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. If this starts bubbling, stir and back the heat down a little.
As soon as the noodles are done cooking, carefully drain through a colander and rinse the noodles in cool water.
To assemble:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9” X 13” pan, place half the cooked noodles length-wise. You should have three layers across, and use 9 noodles (3 noodles high). Add half of the spaghetti sauce mixture over the noodles, spreading this fairly evenly. Top with half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the process with the remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let rest for a minute or two.
Dig in!
Note: With the spaghetti sauce, we tend to use either Prego Heart Smart Traditional or Ragu Traditional, whichever is on sale, but you can use whatever brand you like. Also, we usually put in the larger 45-ounce size sauce, but if you have two of the 23 – 24-ounce size jars (or they're on sale), use them.
With the veggie crumbles, we lean towards Boca's Veggie Ground Crumbles, but you can go with your favorite 12-ounce bag of frozen veggie ground crumbles.
With the shredded cheese, we tend to use shredded cheddar, but have used several other blends of shredded cheese. You can also shred a block of cheddar cheese, if that's your preference, but the bagged shredded cheese saves a little time.
TACO ZUCCHINI LASAGNA
This is from Lindsay Funston on Delish. Lindsay wrote, “So flavorful, you won't even notice the noodles are gone.”
Yes, you read right: no noodles! But still delicious.
Total Time: 45 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4 - 6
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. ricotta
1/2 c. sour cream, plus more for drizzling
1 large egg
1/3 c. salsa
3 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 c. shredded Cheddar
2 c. Shredded Monterey Jack
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 8 minutes more. Drain fat.
In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, and egg. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large baking or casserole dish, spread a thin layer of salsa. Top with a layer of zucchini noodles, sour cream mixture, ground beef, cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, ending with zucchini noodles.
Bake until noodles are tender and cheese is bubbly, 25 minutes.
Drizzle with sour cream, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
SLOW COOKER LASAGNA
This is from Lauren Allen, whose site, Tastes Better From Scratch is one that you really, really should check out. Seriously. I’ll wait…
This yummy recipe makes 5 servings, and can be viewed on Lauren’s site here.
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage (I use hot)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, chopped*
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 (8 oz) package regular lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance!)
Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary). Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.
Recipe Notes
*You could substitute 1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
HEARTY LASAGNA SOUP
This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Are you in the mood for lasagna, but don't have the time? Try this clever soup that has all the flavors of your favorite lasagna...and it's on the table in just 35 minutes.”
Serves: 4 servings (about 2 cups each); Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 pound Ground Beef
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
3 1/2 cups Swanson® Beef Broth (Regular or 50% Less Sodium)
1 can (about 14 .5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed
1 1/2 cups uncooked mafalda or rotini pasta
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preparation
Cook the beef, onion, garlic and parsley in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until the beef is well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.
Stir the broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning in the saucepan and heat to a boil.
Stir the pasta in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Stir in the cheese. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with an Iceberg lettuce salad with Italian vinaigrette. For dessert serve fresh apple slices.
TORTILLA LASAGNA
This is from the January/February 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 48. It begins, "This easy, crowd-pleasing dish is also a kid favorite. Toasting the tortillas before building the lasagna keeps them from getting soggy as the dish bakes. Feel free to mix things up with different beans, cheeses, or vegetables between the layers." Serves 8.
To view this online, click here.
6 8-inch fat-free flour tortillas
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ancho chile powder
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 cups strained tomatoes, such as Pomì, divided
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium chayote, peeled and diced, or 2 medium zucchini, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast tortillas on 2 baking sheets in oven 5 minutes, or until light brown, turning once.
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in chili powder, ancho chile powder, and garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add 11/2 cups strained tomatoes, beans, chayote, corn, and 1/2 cup water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until chayote is tender.
Coat 2-inch-deep x 8-inch round baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup strained tomatoes in bottom of pan. Set 1 toasted tortilla in pan; top with 3/4 cup bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering 4 more times. Top with last tortilla, and spread remaining 1/4 cup strained tomatoes over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and cheese has melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges.
nutritional information Per Wedge: Calories: 226; Protein: 11 g; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Carbohydrates: 27 g; Cholesterol: 19 mg; Sodium: 506 mg; Fiber: 10 g; Sugar: 4 g
QUICK AND EASY LASAGNA
Okay, you've just gotten home from work or a day of running errands. You're hungry and want dinner as quick and easy as possible, but at the same time, something a little more filling than sandwiches. This lasagna fills the bill, as well as your family.
My youngest son came up with this a while back. He wanted lasagna, but without the long wait time that my full-fledged Vegetarian Lasagna takes, as well as without the onions. (He's not big into onions. But we all have our food preferences!) His version of lasagna if quick, fast, and very satisfying.
16 ounce box of lasagna noodles
Jarred Spaghetti Sauce (1 45-ounce jar or 2 23.5 ounce jars; see note)
12-ounce package of Veggie Ground Crumbles (see note)
8-ounce package of Shredded Cheese (see note)
Taco seasoning pack (optional)
15-ounce can Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce (optional)
Start a pot of water for the lasagna noodles. Once the water starts to boil, add the lasagna noodles and back the heat down just a little so that the water doesn't boil over. (If you drop it to medium heat, you've gone too far.) Cook according to the package instructions.
While the water starts to heat, take another large pot and add the jarred spaghetti sauce, veggie ground crumbles, and the taco seasonings (if adding) and sloppy joe sauce (if adding). Stir together, then start heating on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. If this starts bubbling, stir and back the heat down a little.
As soon as the noodles are done cooking, carefully drain through a colander and rinse the noodles in cool water.
To assemble:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9” X 13” pan, place half the cooked noodles length-wise. You should have three layers across, and use 9 noodles (3 noodles high). Add half of the spaghetti sauce mixture over the noodles, spreading this fairly evenly. Top with half of the shredded cheese. Repeat the process with the remaining noodles, sauce, and cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, remove from oven, and let rest for a minute or two.
Dig in!
Note: With the spaghetti sauce, we tend to use either Prego Heart Smart Traditional or Ragu Traditional, whichever is on sale, but you can use whatever brand you like. Also, we usually put in the larger 45-ounce size sauce, but if you have two of the 23 – 24-ounce size jars (or they're on sale), use them.
With the veggie crumbles, we lean towards Boca's Veggie Ground Crumbles, but you can go with your favorite 12-ounce bag of frozen veggie ground crumbles.
With the shredded cheese, we tend to use shredded cheddar, but have used several other blends of shredded cheese. You can also shred a block of cheddar cheese, if that's your preference, but the bagged shredded cheese saves a little time.
TACO ZUCCHINI LASAGNA
This is from Lindsay Funston on Delish. Lindsay wrote, “So flavorful, you won't even notice the noodles are gone.”
Yes, you read right: no noodles! But still delicious.
Total Time: 45 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4 - 6
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. ricotta
1/2 c. sour cream, plus more for drizzling
1 large egg
1/3 c. salsa
3 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 c. shredded Cheddar
2 c. Shredded Monterey Jack
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 8 minutes more. Drain fat.
In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, and egg. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large baking or casserole dish, spread a thin layer of salsa. Top with a layer of zucchini noodles, sour cream mixture, ground beef, cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, ending with zucchini noodles.
Bake until noodles are tender and cheese is bubbly, 25 minutes.
Drizzle with sour cream, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
SLOW COOKER LASAGNA
This is from Lauren Allen, whose site, Tastes Better From Scratch is one that you really, really should check out. Seriously. I’ll wait…
This yummy recipe makes 5 servings, and can be viewed on Lauren’s site here.
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage (I use hot)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large onion, chopped*
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp parsley
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 (8 oz) package regular lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef, Italian sausage and onion. Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water. Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance!)
Spread a fourth of the meat sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce (break the noodles to fit, if necessary). Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
Cover and cook on low for about 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender.
Recipe Notes
*You could substitute 1-2 Tbsp dried minced onion
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
HEARTY LASAGNA SOUP
This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Are you in the mood for lasagna, but don't have the time? Try this clever soup that has all the flavors of your favorite lasagna...and it's on the table in just 35 minutes.”
Serves: 4 servings (about 2 cups each); Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 pound Ground Beef
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
3 1/2 cups Swanson® Beef Broth (Regular or 50% Less Sodium)
1 can (about 14 .5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed
1 1/2 cups uncooked mafalda or rotini pasta
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preparation
Cook the beef, onion, garlic and parsley in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until the beef is well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.
Stir the broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning in the saucepan and heat to a boil.
Stir the pasta in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Stir in the cheese. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.
Serving Suggestion: Serve with an Iceberg lettuce salad with Italian vinaigrette. For dessert serve fresh apple slices.
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Saturday Recipes
Here are some last-minute recipes to add to your end-of-year table, including Blue Ridge Blackberry Lemon Bars and Eggnog Meltaway Cookies. Enjoy!
SCOTTO CHEESE LASAGNA
This recipe is from Family Time, and begins, “This delectable lasagna makes great use of convenience products so that you've can put the dish together in just 15 minutes! While it bakes you can throw together a salad, and you've got a fabulous dinner for very little work.”
Serves: 8 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each); Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 70 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 container (32 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Prego® Tomato Basil & Garlic Italian Sauce or 5 cups Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
12 lasagna noodle, cooked and drained
1 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 package (10 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Mozzarella and Garlic Loaf
Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the ricotta and the eggs in a medium bowl.
Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 1/3 cups ricotta mixture, 1/4 of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Repeat to make 2 more layers. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover the baking dish.
Bake at 350°F. for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted. Remove the lasagna from the oven. Let the lasagna stand for 1 hour.
Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. for the bread. Bake the bread according to the package directions.
Cut the bread into 2-inch diagonal slices. Serve the bread with the lasagna.
RED VELVET VAMPIRE CUPCAKES
This is from The Food Network, and begins, “No, these cupcakes don't need bandages. What looks like a gory encounter with the Count himself is just raspberry jam brightened with a drop of red food coloring. And if you dare sink your own teeth into them, you'll find that more raspberry jam and chocolate await in the center.”
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes; Active: 1 hour; Yield: 12 cupcakes; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups cake flour (see Cook's Note)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red food coloring, plus a drop for the filling
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
One 3-ounce semisweet chocolate bar
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 cup raspberry jam
Cream Cheese Frosting:
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Special equipment: a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and a plastic straw
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, oil, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and egg in another large bowl.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
Microwave the chocolate and coconut oil together in a small microwave-safe bowl until mostly melted, about 1 minute. Stir, then microwave again until completely smooth, about 15 seconds more.
Use a small sharp knife to cut out and remove a plug from the middle of each cupcake, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom and leaving a 1/4-inch border around the side (eat the plugs). Brush the holes with the melted chocolate and place in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.
Whisk together the jam, 1 drop of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until completely smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam into each of the chocolate holes; set aside.
For the cream cheese frosting: Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe on top of the cupcakes so the jam is covered.
Poke 2 holes into the frosting on each cupcake using the end of a plastic straw to resemble vampire bites, making sure you hit the cupcake and not the jam-filled hole. Drizzle the remaining jam into the holes to resemble blood.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
BLUE RIDGE BLACKBERRY LEMON BARS
I got this in an email from FamilyTime, and begins, “A delicious and healthy snack the whole family will enjoy!”
Serves: 25-30 bars; Prep. time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups oats, either quick or old-fashioned (uncooked)
2 cups Pillsbury® BEST All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup butter or margarine, chilled (cut into small pieces)
Crisco® Original No- Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 (12 oz.) jar Smucker's® Seedless Blackberry Jam
Powdered sugar, if desired
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl toss together oats, flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt until well blended.
Sprinkle mixture with lemon juice, then with a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter pieces until mixture is crumbly.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Reserve 2 cups of the oat mixture, then sprinkle remainder in pan, pressing with fingers to form a crust.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until set. Let cool slightly, then spread blackberry jam evenly over crust.
Sprinkle evenly with reserved oat mixture, pressing down gently.
Return to oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
COZY CROCK COMFORT IN SLOW COOKER
This is from an old (10+ year old) email. Possibly Weight Watchers, according to the email’s header. But very yummy food!
16 ounces gound 90% lean turkey or beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups (15 ounces) diced raw potatoes
1/3 cup (1 ounce) uncooked regular rice
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup finely diced celery
1 1/2 cups Healthy Request tomato juice or any reduced-sodium tomato juice
1 (10 1/4) can Healthy Request Tomato Soup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
In a large skillet sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray, brown meat.
Place browned meat in a slow cooker container. Add onion, potatoes, uncooked rice, carrots, and celery. Mix well to combine.
Stir in tomato juice, tomato soup, black pepper, and parsley flakes. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Mix well before serving. 6 servings ~ 5 points each
Serves 6 - Each serving equals: 2 protein, 1 1/2 vegetables, 2/3 bread, 10 optional calories, 243 calories, 7 gm fat, 16 gm protein, 29 gm carbohydrate, 290 mg sodium, 33 mg calcium, 3 gm fiber
Diabetic: 2 meat, 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
EGGNOG MELTAWAY COOKIES
This recipe, from the Food Network kitchen, begins, “The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food processor. The flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg make the little snowball lookalikes taste just like your favorite holiday drink. “
Total:2 hr 55 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 4 dozen cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds (skinless)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed, completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.
Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.
Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container for up to a week.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
SCOTTO CHEESE LASAGNA
This recipe is from Family Time, and begins, “This delectable lasagna makes great use of convenience products so that you've can put the dish together in just 15 minutes! While it bakes you can throw together a salad, and you've got a fabulous dinner for very little work.”
Serves: 8 servings (about 1 1/2 cups each); Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 70 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 container (32 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Prego® Tomato Basil & Garlic Italian Sauce or 5 cups Prego® Traditional Italian Sauce
12 lasagna noodle, cooked and drained
1 1/2 pounds mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 package (10 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Mozzarella and Garlic Loaf
Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Stir the ricotta and the eggs in a medium bowl.
Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 1/3 cups ricotta mixture, 1/4 of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Repeat to make 2 more layers. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover the baking dish.
Bake at 350°F. for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted. Remove the lasagna from the oven. Let the lasagna stand for 1 hour.
Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. for the bread. Bake the bread according to the package directions.
Cut the bread into 2-inch diagonal slices. Serve the bread with the lasagna.
RED VELVET VAMPIRE CUPCAKES
This is from The Food Network, and begins, “No, these cupcakes don't need bandages. What looks like a gory encounter with the Count himself is just raspberry jam brightened with a drop of red food coloring. And if you dare sink your own teeth into them, you'll find that more raspberry jam and chocolate await in the center.”
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes; Active: 1 hour; Yield: 12 cupcakes; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups cake flour (see Cook's Note)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red food coloring, plus a drop for the filling
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
One 3-ounce semisweet chocolate bar
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 cup raspberry jam
Cream Cheese Frosting:
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Special equipment: a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and a plastic straw
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, oil, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and egg in another large bowl.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs, 16 to 18 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
Microwave the chocolate and coconut oil together in a small microwave-safe bowl until mostly melted, about 1 minute. Stir, then microwave again until completely smooth, about 15 seconds more.
Use a small sharp knife to cut out and remove a plug from the middle of each cupcake, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom and leaving a 1/4-inch border around the side (eat the plugs). Brush the holes with the melted chocolate and place in the freezer until the chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes.
Whisk together the jam, 1 drop of red food coloring and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until completely smooth. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the jam into each of the chocolate holes; set aside.
For the cream cheese frosting: Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe on top of the cupcakes so the jam is covered.
Poke 2 holes into the frosting on each cupcake using the end of a plastic straw to resemble vampire bites, making sure you hit the cupcake and not the jam-filled hole. Drizzle the remaining jam into the holes to resemble blood.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
BLUE RIDGE BLACKBERRY LEMON BARS
I got this in an email from FamilyTime, and begins, “A delicious and healthy snack the whole family will enjoy!”
Serves: 25-30 bars; Prep. time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups oats, either quick or old-fashioned (uncooked)
2 cups Pillsbury® BEST All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup butter or margarine, chilled (cut into small pieces)
Crisco® Original No- Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 (12 oz.) jar Smucker's® Seedless Blackberry Jam
Powdered sugar, if desired
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl toss together oats, flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest and salt until well blended.
Sprinkle mixture with lemon juice, then with a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter pieces until mixture is crumbly.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Reserve 2 cups of the oat mixture, then sprinkle remainder in pan, pressing with fingers to form a crust.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until set. Let cool slightly, then spread blackberry jam evenly over crust.
Sprinkle evenly with reserved oat mixture, pressing down gently.
Return to oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
COZY CROCK COMFORT IN SLOW COOKER
This is from an old (10+ year old) email. Possibly Weight Watchers, according to the email’s header. But very yummy food!
16 ounces gound 90% lean turkey or beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups (15 ounces) diced raw potatoes
1/3 cup (1 ounce) uncooked regular rice
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup finely diced celery
1 1/2 cups Healthy Request tomato juice or any reduced-sodium tomato juice
1 (10 1/4) can Healthy Request Tomato Soup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
In a large skillet sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray, brown meat.
Place browned meat in a slow cooker container. Add onion, potatoes, uncooked rice, carrots, and celery. Mix well to combine.
Stir in tomato juice, tomato soup, black pepper, and parsley flakes. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Mix well before serving. 6 servings ~ 5 points each
Serves 6 - Each serving equals: 2 protein, 1 1/2 vegetables, 2/3 bread, 10 optional calories, 243 calories, 7 gm fat, 16 gm protein, 29 gm carbohydrate, 290 mg sodium, 33 mg calcium, 3 gm fiber
Diabetic: 2 meat, 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
EGGNOG MELTAWAY COOKIES
This recipe, from the Food Network kitchen, begins, “The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food processor. The flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg make the little snowball lookalikes taste just like your favorite holiday drink. “
Total:2 hr 55 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 4 dozen cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds (skinless)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed, completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.
Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.
Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container for up to a week.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Double-Post Thursday
Besides being Diabetic Thursday, it's also Double-Post Thursday. Here are six yummy recipes to help you through the day, including Light Lasagna and Hearty Turkey Chili. Enjoy!
SLOW COOKER BAKED ZITI
This is from Ashley Fehr, “a high school teacher turned food blogger” in Canada. Her food blog, The Recipe Rebel is really nice. Check it out!
This recipe begins, “This Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is actually made completely in the crockpot -- even the pasta! It is so much easier than the traditional version but packs all of the same flavor!”
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours; Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes.
To view this online (and to read Ashley’s notes on the recipe), click here.
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef, turkey or Italian sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 650ml (around 22 ounces) jar pasta sauce (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1 375g (about 13-14 ounces) box Penne or Ziti (or other short) pasta (about 4 cups)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Stir in garlic and salt and cook 1 minute.
Add beef mixture, basil, parsley, tomatoes, pasta sauce and water to a 4qt (or larger) slow cooker. Stir.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
Add pasta and stir until combined. Cover and continue cooking for 20-45 minutes (depending on how hot your slow cooker is) -- check and stir at the 20 minute mark.
Sprinkle with cheese and cover for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
SWEET TROPICAL LOAVES
This is from that infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.
Yield: 2 loaves
1 pkg (18 1/4 oz) yellow cake mix
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 to 2 drops coconut extract, optional
2 tbsp flaked coconut, toasted
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Grease two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Beat on low speed just until moistened. Beat on high speed for two minutes. Stir in the coconut. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For the Glaze: In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar and milk until smooth. Add the extract, if desired. Drizzle over the loaves. Sprinkle with coconut.
HOLIDAY SWIRLED SUGAR COOKIES
This comes from the Food Network Kitchen. Total Time: 4 hours; Active Time: 1 hour; Yield: 24 cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cookies:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Royal Icing:
One 1-pound box confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
Red and green gel food coloring
Edible glitter or sprinkles, for decorating, optional
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Special equipment: a 2-inch round cookie cutter
For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium high, add the vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until just combined. Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch, dusting with more confectioners' sugar as needed. (Return the dough to the refrigerator if it gets too soft.) Cut out shapes with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 1 hour.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned around the edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 7 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 8 tablespoons water if necessary to make a smooth icing that thickly coats the back of a spoon.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and set a cooling rack on top.
Put 1/4 cup icing into each of 2 small bowls. Add 9 drops red food coloring to one bowl and stir until evenly combined. Add 2 drops green food coloring to the second bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pour the remaining white icing into a clean rimmed baking sheet and spread or shake to evenly coat it. Drizzle the red icing all over the white, then drizzle the green icing over both. One at a time, put the cookies face-side down in the baking sheet icing. Take the cookies out one at a time, shaking gently to let excess icing drip off, and place right-side up on the prepared cooling rack. Decorate with edible glitter or sprinkles if desired. Let the icing harden completely before serving, about 1 hour.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
ULTIMATE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The Native American 'three sisters'—corn, beans, and squash—come together in these individual holiday entrées stuffed with corn pudding and black beans.”
Makes 8 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.), divided
4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder, plus more for sprinkling squash
1/2 tsp. ground coriander, plus more for sprinkling squash
3 cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels, divided
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs
4 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil
3 oz. soft goat cheese or low-fat cream cheese (1/3 cup)
3 oz. grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (3/4 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops, optional
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large poblano chile or 1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
8 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oil and 2 tsp. minced garlic in small bowl. Brush squash halves with garlic oil, and sprinkle lightly with ancho chile powder and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and place on large baking sheet.
Pulse 2 cups corn kernels in food processor until finely chopped and milky. Set aside.
Whisk 1/2 tsp. each coriander and ancho chile powder into cornmeal, along with sugar, baking soda, salt, and cayenne (if using) in medium bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together buttermilk and eggs in separate bowl. Whisk in butter, then puréed corn, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, goat cheese, Cheddar, and remaining 2 tsp. garlic. Fold in cornmeal mixture with spatula, then fold in black beans, poblano chile, and green onions.
Divide filling among squash halves. Sprinkle each squash with extra Cheddar (if using).
Bake squash halves 30 to 45 minutes, or until squash are tender and filling is set. Sprinkle with green onions. Squash can be prepared 24 hours ahead, then reheated 20 minutes at 325°F.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 425; Carbohydrate Content: 53 g; Cholesterol Content: 80 mg; Fat Content: 20 g; Fiber Content: 8 g; Protein Content: 15 g; Saturated Fat Content: 10 g; Sodium Content: 533 mg; Sugar Content: 6 g
HEARTY TURKEY CHILI
This comes from GE Appliances and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2-15oz. cans chili-ready beans in chili gravy
1-12oz bottle beer (can use non-alcoholic)
1-14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes (chili ready)
1/2 c. chili sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions
In a large saucepan, brown turkey and onion over medium/high heat until turkey is no longer pink and onions are tender.
Add meat to slow cooker.
Stir in undrained beans, beer, undrained tomatoes, chili sauce, chili powder, Cajun seasoning and garlic salt.
Cook in slow cooker on low for 4 hours.
CHEF'S NOTES:
If you are in a hurry, you can add the ingredients to a Dutch oven, cover and cook on stovetop over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Flavors will not develop as fully, but dinner is done much quicker!
SLOW COOKER BAKED ZITI
This is from Ashley Fehr, “a high school teacher turned food blogger” in Canada. Her food blog, The Recipe Rebel is really nice. Check it out!
This recipe begins, “This Slow Cooker Baked Ziti is actually made completely in the crockpot -- even the pasta! It is so much easier than the traditional version but packs all of the same flavor!”
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours; Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes.
To view this online (and to read Ashley’s notes on the recipe), click here.
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef, turkey or Italian sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 650ml (around 22 ounces) jar pasta sauce (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1 375g (about 13-14 ounces) box Penne or Ziti (or other short) pasta (about 4 cups)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until browned. Stir in garlic and salt and cook 1 minute.
Add beef mixture, basil, parsley, tomatoes, pasta sauce and water to a 4qt (or larger) slow cooker. Stir.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
Add pasta and stir until combined. Cover and continue cooking for 20-45 minutes (depending on how hot your slow cooker is) -- check and stir at the 20 minute mark.
Sprinkle with cheese and cover for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
SWEET TROPICAL LOAVES
This is from that infamous long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.
Yield: 2 loaves
1 pkg (18 1/4 oz) yellow cake mix
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup flaked coconut
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 to 2 drops coconut extract, optional
2 tbsp flaked coconut, toasted
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Grease two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Beat on low speed just until moistened. Beat on high speed for two minutes. Stir in the coconut. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For the Glaze: In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar and milk until smooth. Add the extract, if desired. Drizzle over the loaves. Sprinkle with coconut.
HOLIDAY SWIRLED SUGAR COOKIES
This comes from the Food Network Kitchen. Total Time: 4 hours; Active Time: 1 hour; Yield: 24 cookies; Level: Easy
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Cookies:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Royal Icing:
One 1-pound box confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
Red and green gel food coloring
Edible glitter or sprinkles, for decorating, optional
Directions
Watch how to make this recipe.
Special equipment: a 2-inch round cookie cutter
For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium high, add the vanilla and egg and beat until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until just combined. Shape the dough into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch, dusting with more confectioners' sugar as needed. (Return the dough to the refrigerator if it gets too soft.) Cut out shapes with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Refrigerate the cookies until firm, about 1 hour.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans halfway through, until lightly browned around the edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
For the royal icing: Combine the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Add 7 tablespoons water and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft glossy peaks form, adding up to 8 tablespoons water if necessary to make a smooth icing that thickly coats the back of a spoon.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and set a cooling rack on top.
Put 1/4 cup icing into each of 2 small bowls. Add 9 drops red food coloring to one bowl and stir until evenly combined. Add 2 drops green food coloring to the second bowl and stir until evenly combined. Pour the remaining white icing into a clean rimmed baking sheet and spread or shake to evenly coat it. Drizzle the red icing all over the white, then drizzle the green icing over both. One at a time, put the cookies face-side down in the baking sheet icing. Take the cookies out one at a time, shaking gently to let excess icing drip off, and place right-side up on the prepared cooling rack. Decorate with edible glitter or sprinkles if desired. Let the icing harden completely before serving, about 1 hour.
Cook's Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)
LIGHT LASAGNA
This is from a long-since-forgotten emailing list (possibly a Weight Watchers email), and starts off, “This is from my new cookbook "Fix it and Forget it Light" Lowfat Crockpot recipes.-Sams' Club.”
Makes 8 servings
4 1/2 C fat free, low sodium meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
16-oz fat-free ricotta cheese
2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 C parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz box no-cook lasagna noodles.
Mix spaghetti sauce and 1/2 c water in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, 1 1/2c mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and seasoning.
Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in bottom of slow cooker. Top with 1/3 of the noodles. Breaking to fit if needed.
Spread with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, making sure noodles are covered.
Repeat layers twice more.
Spread with remaining sauce.
Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.
Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Cover. Let stand 10 min to allow cheese to melt.
Per serving: 360 celeries (90 calories from fat = 25% fat) 10 grams fat (4.5g saturated, 0 trans) 40 mg cholesterol, 870 mg sodium, 39g total carbohydrates (6g fiber, 10g sugar) 25g protein, 50% DV calcium, 10% DV iron.
ULTIMATE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The Native American 'three sisters'—corn, beans, and squash—come together in these individual holiday entrées stuffed with corn pudding and black beans.”
Makes 8 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.), divided
4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder, plus more for sprinkling squash
1/2 tsp. ground coriander, plus more for sprinkling squash
3 cups fresh or frozen organic corn kernels, divided
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs
4 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil
3 oz. soft goat cheese or low-fat cream cheese (1/3 cup)
3 oz. grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (3/4 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops, optional
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large poblano chile or 1 small red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
8 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced (1 cup), plus more for sprinkling tops
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oil and 2 tsp. minced garlic in small bowl. Brush squash halves with garlic oil, and sprinkle lightly with ancho chile powder and coriander. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and place on large baking sheet.
Pulse 2 cups corn kernels in food processor until finely chopped and milky. Set aside.
Whisk 1/2 tsp. each coriander and ancho chile powder into cornmeal, along with sugar, baking soda, salt, and cayenne (if using) in medium bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together buttermilk and eggs in separate bowl. Whisk in butter, then puréed corn, remaining 1 cup corn kernels, goat cheese, Cheddar, and remaining 2 tsp. garlic. Fold in cornmeal mixture with spatula, then fold in black beans, poblano chile, and green onions.
Divide filling among squash halves. Sprinkle each squash with extra Cheddar (if using).
Bake squash halves 30 to 45 minutes, or until squash are tender and filling is set. Sprinkle with green onions. Squash can be prepared 24 hours ahead, then reheated 20 minutes at 325°F.
Nutrition Information: Calories: 425; Carbohydrate Content: 53 g; Cholesterol Content: 80 mg; Fat Content: 20 g; Fiber Content: 8 g; Protein Content: 15 g; Saturated Fat Content: 10 g; Sodium Content: 533 mg; Sugar Content: 6 g
HEARTY TURKEY CHILI
This comes from GE Appliances and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2-15oz. cans chili-ready beans in chili gravy
1-12oz bottle beer (can use non-alcoholic)
1-14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes (chili ready)
1/2 c. chili sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Directions
In a large saucepan, brown turkey and onion over medium/high heat until turkey is no longer pink and onions are tender.
Add meat to slow cooker.
Stir in undrained beans, beer, undrained tomatoes, chili sauce, chili powder, Cajun seasoning and garlic salt.
Cook in slow cooker on low for 4 hours.
CHEF'S NOTES:
If you are in a hurry, you can add the ingredients to a Dutch oven, cover and cook on stovetop over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Flavors will not develop as fully, but dinner is done much quicker!
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