Thread: April 08 Recipes

Weeknight Lasagna Toss

1 lb. ground beef
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 2/3 c. water
1/4 c. Zesty Italian Dressing
12 oven ready lasagna noodles, broken into quarters
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown meat in large saucepan; drain. Add garlic, sauce, water and dressing; bring to boil. Stir in noodles; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover. Cook; stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes or til noodles are tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or til cheese is melted.

Substitute: Use 12 regular lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces; increase water to 2 cups and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Note: I use the cheapest spaghetti sauce and add oregano and basil. I also added some parmesan cheese during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Hello Dolly Squares!

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup butterscotch flavored chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut (I use 1 cup)
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°, (325° for glass dish). Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with a sheet of foil, making sure to cover the sides well. Place the butter in the baking pan and melt it in the oven. Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour condensed milk evenly on top of crumbs. Top with remaining ingredients in order listed; press down firmly with fork. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.

CRAB RANGOON

1 brick cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 bunch green onions sliced
1 1/2 cups imitation crab meat, chopped (I used real crabmeat from a can...2 cans)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 pkg wonton wrapper squares
1 egg, for egg wash

Combine all the ingredients except wrappers and egg. Cover and let it chill overnight to allow flavors to meld. When ready to prepare, add a small dollop of crabmeat mixture in the middle of the wonton. Rub 2 edges of the wonton with egg wash. Seal wonton by folding up to form a triangle. Squeeze any air pockets out.Heat oil and fry up until golden brown.

**it's very important that you get the air bubbles out! I didn't get the air out of a few and they exploded while being fried and the filling all came out.

Here is a pic of the ones DH and I made today. They were AMAZING!

CHOCOLATE MINT BROWNIES

These are awesome! I ended up making 3 batches for DH to take to the guys at work.

Brownies:
½ cup butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 ½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
½ tsp. salt

Mint frosting:
¼ cup softened butter
2 ½ cups icing sugar
1 ½ - 3 tbsp. milk
½ tsp. peppermint extract
green food colouring

Chocolate topping:
¾ cup semisweet chips
3 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9” square baking pan. For brownies: put butter and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and microwave 1 minute, stir, microwave 1 more minute and stir until smooth. In another bowl, whisk sugar and eggs together. Stir in chocolate and butter mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt and stir well. Pour into pan and bake 25 minutes or until done. Cool 1 hour.

For mint frosting: cream butter and icing sugar together with electric mixer. Add milk 1 tbsp. at a time, beating until smooth and spreadable. Beat in peppermint and add food colouring. Frost brownies and chill in fridge 1 hour.

For chocolate topping: pour chips in a microwaveable bowl, add butter, microwave 1 ½ minutes until melted. Stir until smooth and pour over brownies. Refrigerate until hard.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or cutlets), thawed
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, sliced (or a small tub of spread)
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Pound the chicken breasts until flat. Put a slice (or large dab) of cream cheese and 1 teaspoon chopped chives in the middle of each breast and roll up. Wrap each rolled breast with 1 slice of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, combine condensed soup, sour cream, milk, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Mix until smooth, then pour over chicken.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until no longer pink and juices run clear.
5. Serve over egg noodles or rice and veggies.

DH and I loved this!

This recipe is EXCELLENT, so easy, and really cheap!

1 8 oz. block of softened cream cheese
cocktail sauce
1/2 can of tiny shrimp (usually found where the canned tuna fish is)
Any kind of crackers (I use the reduced fat Topper brand)

Put the softened cream cheese on a plate, pour cocktail sauce over it (however much you like), drain the shrimp and evenly place on top.

Dip crackers in it and enjoy!

Shrimp and Avacado Ceviche dip

1 lb. raw shrimp cleaned & de-vein and chopped
Juice from 10 limes
1 cup chopped cilantro
4 to 6 tomato diced & de-seed
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1-2 jalepeno peppers diced (remove seeds)
3-4 avacodos chopped
salt & pepper to taste
Put the cleaned shrimp into the juice of the 10 limes and let sit for 4 hours no more then 10 hours. **the lime juice will naturally "cook" the shrimp**
Drain off lime juice then add the reat of the ingredients. Serve with chips

Monkey Smoothie

1/2 c Soy Milk
2 T Protein Powder (optional)
2 T Peanut Butter
2 T Honey
2 Ripe Med Bananas, cut up
1 c Ice Cubes

Place all ingredients in blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Makes 2 1/3 cups.

I'm going to try it with berries instead of PB next time. Mmmmm...

Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta

1 (8 ounce) package angel hair pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (I prefer Creole Seasoning)
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute shrimp for 1 minute on each side. Stir in garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon; set aside. Stir in flour and Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, then cook until thickened. Remove from heat, and season with salt and lemon juice. Return shrimp to sauce, and spoon over cooked pasta.

Brown Sugar Banana Bread
Source: Secrets of Fat Free Desserts by Sandra Woodruff

Yields: 16 slices (2 pts each)

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups mashed very ripe banana (about 4 large)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey crunch wheat germ or chopped toasted pecans

To Make Toasted Chopped Pecans:
Arrange nuts in a single layer on baking sheet
Bake 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes; or until lightly browned with a toasted, nutty smell. Watch closely; once they start to brown they can quickly burn

Bread Directions
1) Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

2) Place the bananas and brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl, and stir until the brown sugar has dissolved. Add the banana mixture and vanilla extract to the flour mixture, and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the wheat germ or pecans.

3) Coat an 8x4 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, and spread the mixture evenly in the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 55 minutes, or just until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

4) Remove the loaf from the oven, and let sit for 15 minutes. Invert the loaf onto a wire rack, turn right side up, and cool to room temperature. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and store for 8 hours or overnight before slicing and serving. (Overnight storage will develop the flavors and give the loaf a softer, moisture crust.) Refrigerate any leftovers not eaten within 24 hours.

Per slice:
Calories: 107
Fat: 0.6g
Fiber: 2.5g