Lighter Salisbury Steaks

This is a wonderful lower calorie version of standard comfort food.  Instead of serving these tasty little patties with mashed potatoes, try mashed cauliflower or whipped turnips.  It makes for a very low calorie and filling dinner!  Using ground turkey will reduce the calories considerably.  To make this dish you will need:

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can campbells French onion soup

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1/2 cup wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup egg beaters
1/2 medium onion, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/2 cup ketchup

2 -5 teaspoon worcestershire sauce, to taste

1 teaspoon mustard

1/2 cup water

1  teaspoon vegetable base

8 ounce package of mushrooms

1.)  In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg beater, onion, pepper, salt and black pepper.

2.)  Shape into 6 oval patties.  Refrigerate for a half an hour.

3.)  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties.

4.)  In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth.  Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder and vegetable base.

5.)  Pour over the salisbury steaks.  Add in the mushrooms.  Cover and cook for twenty minutes.  Stirring occasionally.  Enjoy!

 

Mockaroni - Can be made vegan

This recipe originated when my vegan daughter said she really missed Macaroni and Cheese.  I have two Mockaroni recipes.  This want is my favorite because it is such a good fake out.  It lights up the calories in Macaroni and Cheese by not using cheese and lower calorie milk.  It also adds secretly adds vegetables to a picky eaters diet.  The squash gives the dish the correct color.  It also adds a nutty flavor to the "macaroni and cheese". You can use frozen butternut squash, but nothing tastes better than fresh.   Even non vegans have loved this dish. To make this you will need:
8 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup margarine or butter (Vegan - Earth Balance)
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp brown mustard
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups 2 % milk (or soy milk)
2 cups cooked butternut squash
1 cup Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs*
Pam

1. Cook elbow macaroni for 9 minutes.  Drain, cover and set aside.
2. Peel the squash, cut in cubes and boil until soft.  Drain and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 2 quart casserole with Pam
4. In medium saucepan, melt margarine or butter; blend in flour, mustard, salt, and pepper.
5. Cook until mixture is smooth and bubbly; gradually add milk.
6. Cook and stir over until mixture boils; simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly.
7. Add in the squash. Using an immersion blender, combine the mixture until smooth.
8. Add pasta; mix together lightly. Pour into casserole.
9. Top with Panko, spray with Pam.
10. Bake 25 minutes or until top is crusty and casserole is bubbly.


*  If you can't find whole wheat bread crumbs, toast two slices of Whole Wheat bread (preferably Weight Watchers) and give them a whirl in your food processor. 

Slimmed down Chicken Cordon Bleu

Sure seems like we are eating a lot of chicken these days!  I have definitely been doing a lot of experiments making our favorite chicken recipes lighter.   This one rates as one of my favorites!  Very satisfying served with a tossed salad!  To make slimmed down Chicken Cordon Bleu you will need:
1 package boneless, skinless chicken fillets (4 to 5 per package) 
Butter flavored Pam
Up to 1/2 cup seasoned Panko bread crumbs
4 to 5 slices Healthy choice honey ham
4 to 5 slices reduced fat Swiss cheese 
1 can low fat chicken gravy
1.)  Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray a 9 x 11 pan with Pam.
2.)  Between two sheets of saran wrap, gently pound out the chicken to make it thinner and easier to roll.  Repeat with each piece of chicken.
3.)  Fold up the swiss cheese into a square.  Place the folded up cheese in the center of a slice of ham.  Fold the ham around the cheese.  Place the ham bundle in the center of a chicken breast.  Roll the chicken around the ham bundle.  Secure the bundle with a toothpick and place in the prepared pan.  Repeat until all the chicken is wrapped.  Spray the chicken with Pam.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the chicken breasts.  Respray with Pam over the breadcrumbs.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
4.)  Remove the foil, pour the low fat chicken gravy over the chicken cordon bleu.  Return to the oven (without foil) and bake for another 20 minutes.  Until the gravy is bubbling.  Enjoy! 

Chicken Piccata - made a little bit lighter

Here's another quick dinner recipe that is company ready in 40 minutes.  It's light and lemony.  There's a secret to making it extra special!  To keep it nice and light serve it with a whole wheat capellini.  To make this easy recipe you will need:

4 skinless and boneless chicken fillets

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup flour

zest of one lemon (secret ingredient!)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

 

 

1.)  Mix the flour with salt, pepper and the lemon zest. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2.)  In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil are hot, add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.
3.)  Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and wine. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Rolled Almond Sugar Cookies

For years we used to make butter spritz cookies.  I wanted to try something different this year. I am on an almond kick this year.  This is a great cookie!  So good, I may make another batch as snowflakes!  To make these you will need:
3/4 cups butter, softened

1 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Royal icing

decorator icing

1.)  In  a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). 

2.)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  3.)  Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

4.)  Make Royal icing.  (Recipe below).  Frost cookies and allow them to set slightly before decorating.

5.)  Refrigerate the cookies for a few minutes to help the frosting and the decoration to set.

 

 

Royal Icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

food coloring

1.)  In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup. 

2.)  Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.  With the trees, I held them by the base with the tip pointing back into the frosting.  I then ran a spoonful of the icing across the bottom and let it drip down. 

 
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Christmas Tassies

I cannot tell you how long we have been making these cookies.  At least 25 years.  They were my niece Tracy's all time favorite cookie when she was young.  You will need a mini muffin tin.  They are very easy to make.  It's holiday cookie time!!!!!  To make these you will need:
1 cup of butter, at room temperature
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups of flour
Seedless preserves (pick your favorite)  I used black raspberry
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
red and green decorator icing
1.)   In a large bowl, cream the butter and the cream cheese with a mixer at high speed until they are light and fluffy.  Stir in the flour.  Make the dough into a ball.  Wrap the ball in foil and refrigerate overnight.
2.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pulling off a heaping tablespoon of dough.  You can do this one of two ways.  You can either flatten the dough between your palms and then place it in the tin, or you can put the dough into the tin and use the end of your juicer dipped in flour to flatten out the dough.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the dough is lightly browned.  You can move them to cookie sheet and put them in the refrigerator to cool them off.
3.)  Once cool, put about a 1/4 teaspoon of the seedless preserves in the cup of each tart.
4.)  In a microwave safe dish, put half of the chocolate chips.  Microwave for twenty seconds.  Stir.  Then microwave in 10 seconds increments until melted.  Spoon the chocolate over the preserves to cover.  Refrigerate to harden the chocolate.
 5.)  Use the decorator icing and tips to decorate the cookies.

Italian Cocktail Meatballs

Another appetizer for over the holidays!  The great thing about these meatballs is that you can do the prep work in advance, refrigerate and then the morning of your event, throw them in the crock pot and let them cook on low.  This recipe will make about 30 mini meatballs, you can double it if necessary.
For this dish you will need:
1 1/4 pound of ground beef (want to make it lean, try ground turkey)
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pieces bread, ground in the food chopper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup of flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Meatball sauce (below)
1.)  In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, basil, salt/pepper, Italian seasoning.  Mix thoroughly.  Form the meat into mini meatballs.  You are looking for meatballs a little smaller than a golf ball.
2.)  In a large fry pan, heat the oil.  Roll the meatballs in the flour and put the meatballs in the hot oil.  Work in batches to not crowd the meatballs.  You are just looking for a quick sear on the outside of the meatballs.  Remove and continue until all the meatballs are browned.
3.)  Drain on paper towels, move to the crock pot, or if doing the meatballs in advance put in a resealable gallon size plastic bag.

Meatball Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar
1 28 ounce can of tomato sauce
1.)  In the same fry pan you cooked the meatballs.  If there is oil left in the pan, do not use the additional tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the onion and the garlic.  Saute for about 3 -5 minutes to soften.  Add the red wine and allow the mixture to reduce.
2.)  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Allow to simmer and thicken, about 15 minutes.  Pour sauce over the meatballs in the crock pot or resealable bag.
When cooking, cook on low for 6 hours.