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| I have created a few recipes and collected a few more. Some are my favorites and I use them often. Others are for special occasions and actually make some occasions special! I hope you enjoy them. |
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| | COPYCAT - Garlic Expressions® Italian Salad Dressing/Marinade - [Makes: 12 oz. (or a little more) as written.] | | Credits: |  | Updated: 02.24.2021 | | Where I once said this recipe was my own and based on a lot of experimentation, I now must alter that statement. This (new) recipe is a collaborative effort between myself and one “Jeff” of Michigan who ran onto this recipe on this website, contacted me, and began a lengthy set of experiments and conversations regarding a refinement effort to more closely reproduce the Garlic Expressions® original Italian Salad Dressing/Marinade. Jeff was amazing. He has an excellent, discerning palate and he came up with some variations on my original attempt at this recipe which dramatically brought the taste into more alignment with the original, so much so that I almost want to erase my original attempt. Yes, Jeff's changes have made that much difference! | | Where I live, the original Garlic Expressions® Italian Salad Dressing/Marinade sells for $5.59/bottle (yikes!). But wow, it really is so very good! | | Description: | | I have admired the Garlic Expressions® Italian Salad Dressing/Marinade for several years now. It goes great on salads, soaked into french bread, and as a vegetable dip. It is light and healthy and EXTREMELY expensive! At least I think so! I have thought many times that with a bit of effort, I should be able to come up with a concoction that would taste pretty close to theirs but I never before tried. | | Last night (08.31.2007), I finally got to work. I brewed for a while and my results were promising! | | I've managed to "nearly" duplicate the Garlic Expressions® salad dressing we love so much. I say "nearly" duplicated because although the taste is pretty close to the original, I suspect it will grow to be even closer once the mixture has a chance to steep together for a while -- like tea does after it has a chance to brew. | | DESCRIPTION UPDATE (02.25.2021) | | I am so happy to say, with the work Jeff (of Michigan) has done to more precisely replicate the exact taste in Garlic Expressions® Italian Salad Dressing/Marinade, we now have a recipe that, if I dare say so, is so close to the original, I find myself comparing the original to ours rather than ours to the original! The differences between the two are blurring to the point where I think if you give this a try, as soon as you taste it, you will smile and say to yourself, "Yes! That's it! That's the taste!" Jeff, you've done a good thing for all of us who so dearly admire Garlic Expressions® Italian Salad Dressing/Marinade, all except for the price. | | Ingredient List: | | [last edited 02.25.2021] | | 6.0 oz (178 ml) Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) (warmed a few seconds in the microwave) | | 6.0 oz (178 ml) canola oil - (To avoid thickening to the point of not being able to pour your dressing, DO NOT USE olive oil.) | | 1/4 tsp baking soda (such as Arm & Hammer) | | 4 Tbsp sugar (dissolved in the warmed ACV) | | 2 tsp Kosher salt | | 1/4 tsp freshly fine-ground black pepper | | 1/4 tsp granulated garlic | | 1/4 tsp granulated onion | | 1/4 dry basil | | 1/4 dry oregano | | 6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and crushed (do not chop or mince) | | 1/32 tsp Xanthan Gum (Barely any at all, just the tiniest bit, about the amount held on the end of a flat toothpick, twice. Not much at all. It's very powerful so it doesn't take much.) | | Procedure: | | Using a glass jar, like a Mason canning jar, add the ACV. Warm the ACV in the microwave for a few seconds, maybe 10 - 15 seconds. | | Add sugar to the warmed ACV and swirl until sugar is dissolved. | | Add remaining ingredients and whole crushed garlic cloves. | | Apply the lid to the jar and shake vigorously to fully blend ingredients. | | Add oil. | | Reapply the jar lid and shake vigorously to fully blend all ingredients. | | Add Xanthan Gum. | | Reapply the jar lid and shake vigorously to fully blend all ingredients. | | Allow the blended ingredients to sit in the jar and blend over a week's time. Each day, give the jar a shake from time to time, further encouraging the ingredients to marry together. | | I serve the dressing from a narrow-necked bottle which is best to control the flow from gushing out. I like to use a repurposed 20-oz plastic pop bottle. | | When the dressing is ready, shake the bottle vigorously before pouring. | | Although I don't think it's absolutely necessary, this mixture tastes better to me when it's chilled so I leave the unused portion in the refrigerator. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | I'm not going to list the breakdown here. Why? Well, the first reason is because we keep changing quantities and ingredients so often, it gets frustrating trying to keep up with the nutrition values. | | The second reason: Who cares? I mean, this stuff is so great tasting, sometimes you just need to shut your eyes and enjoy the fantastic taste for what it is! | | Conclusion: | | Oh, man, this is good! At $5.59/12 oz. bottle (from our local grocery store) and an amazingly high $4.56/12 oz. bottle bulk price from the manufacturer (online, including shipping, 12 oz. bottles), the original is quite expensive! | | This alternative (brewing it up for myself) is looking really attractive! As changes are encountered which will improve this recipe, I will continue to tweak this listing and post my changes on this page. | | Some people who try this recipe have found alternatives to help improve the nutritional value of this dressing. Some examples include 1) the reduction of sugar and/or salt, 2) using an Italian Seasoning herb blend in place of the dry basil and dry oregano, and 3) using sugar substitutes such as sugar alcohols. These changes are valid and easy to implement. Feel free to modify this recipe to further meet your tastes and nutritional requirements. | | It has also been suggested that one could conceivably mix up a large batch of this dressing and keep it in a large vessel ready to be rebottled in smaller quantities as needed. This seems like a pretty good idea to me considering the amount we would use if it cost so much less money to have on hand! Just another consideration. | top  |
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| | Easy-As-Pie Smashed Potatoes - [Makes: at least 1 gallon of potatoes as written.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. | | Description: | | Mashed potatoes are always a big hit at large gatherings at my house. Why? I mean, they're only potatoes, right? Well, yes and no. | | At my house, the potatoes are so good they could serve as a meal by themselves! Here's how I make them. | | As for the name ("Smashed Potaotes"), that's the name my brother and I used to call mashed potatoes when we were kids. It drove my mom nuts so we kept it up. | | Ingredient List: | | 8 - 10 large baking size russet potatoes, peeled, chunked | | 1 pint sour cream (low-fat version is fine) | | 1/2 cup real butter (more, if you like, for taste) | | 1 Tbsp garlic (granulated or powder) | | 1 tsp black pepper (I use black rather than white because I like the little black speckles in the finished dish) | | 1 splash of buttermilk (optional — I love the taste but it's up to you) | | 1 tsp Mrs. Dash® salt-free Original Blend (yellow cap). | | Salt to taste | | Procedure: | | Boil the chunked potatoes until just done. Not too done. Pay attention! You don't want goosh! You're better off stopping short of being fully done because the potatoes will continue to cook even when you turn off the heat. | Drain boiled potatoes and put into large mixing bowl or KitchenAid® stand mixer (I highly recommend a KitchenAid® stand mixer if you do not have one. They are WONDERFUL!)
 | | Break up the butter stick and add as you mix. The broken pieces will melt slowly in the hot potatoes. | | If you are using a KitchenAid® stand mixer, turn it on a slow speed and allow the potato chunks to break up and mix with the butter. | | If you are hand mixing, don't get too anxious about making the potatoes all smooth and creamy, that will come with time. Just break up the chunks and get the mixture to break down somewhat. | | Add the sour cream one large dollop at a time, mixing as you add. | | Add the spices to your potatoes by dispersing them evenly, mixing all the while. | | Continue mixing until you get the texture you like. | | If your potatoes are too "stiff" (too thick), you can add a splash of buttermilk. Add sparingly and mix between additions making sure to avoid making your potatoes too runny. | | Before you serve, I recommend leaving your potatoes to sit after you're finished mixing. This will allow all the flavors to blend nicely while the potatoes are hot and accepting the spices and other ingredients. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | These potatoes are the hit of my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. They are so easy to make, inexpensive, and very convenient. | | My kids have asked me for this recipe so many times, I figured I would just post it so they could get to it any time they needed it. | | top |
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| | Potato Salad - [Makes: enough to serve 8 as written.] | | Credits: | | Christine Gamboa. Thank you so much, Christine! | | Description: | | Christine brought this potato salad to one of our monster barbeques and it was a huge hit! She has given us the recipe and we'd like to share it with you. | | Ingredient List: | | 1 bottle of Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise (17.64 oz)
 | | 1 bag red potatoes - about 4 lbs - boiled (it takes about 18-20 mins) | | the breast of 1 roasted chicken, shredded (those rotisserie chickens from Costco® are great!) | | a splash of chicken stock (Costco® has organic chicken stock in a box that's good) to flavor and loosen the mixture | | 12 bacon strips - cook until extra crispy | | 1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced | | 4 green onions - thinly sliced, just use the lower 2/3rds of the onions) | | sweet paprika, ground pepper, sea salt to taste | | Procedure: | | Boil the chunked potatoes until just done. Not too done. | | Drain boiled potatoes, chop into smaller pieces and put into large mixing bowl. | | Shred chicken breast and add to mixing bowl. | | Chop apple into small pieces and add to mixing bowl. | | Chop bacon into small pieces and add to mixing bowl. | | Toss in sliced onions. | | Add mayonnaise and spices. | | Fold all ingredients together until fully mixed and all are dressed with the mayonnaise and spices. | | Put into refrigerator and allow to chill. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | This potato salad was a HUGE hit at our barbeque and everyone was asking about the recipe! | | Christine says her potato salad is very easy to make and goes together quickly. She was quite amazed that we were all so impressed with it. I'm sure you will like it as much as we did. | | top |
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| | Jalapeno Chicken Bake - [Makes: a lot.] | | Credits: | | Cassie, my daughter. | | Description: | | This is a very tasty, easy, winner recipe. My daughter, Cassie, got this recipe while attending college. She told me about it and I have made it several times - okay, a hundred times! Anyway, everyone who tastes this dish tells me they LOVE it! | | To give you an idea, Becky and I were going on an hour-long trip one day and she said to me, "Oh! Wait! I'll be right back!" She ran into the house while I waited in the car. | | When she came back, she had a plastic container of this Jalapeno Chicken Bake dish in her hand and a fork! I asked her what she was doing and she said, "I've just got to have more of this! I'm bringing it with me!" | | So you can rest easy, make this at least once for your family and taste it but I'm quite certain you will love it like we do. | | Ingredient List: | | 1 family size can of Campbell's® Cream of Mushroom Soup (26 oz can) | | 1 jar of green salsa - I use Trader Joe's green salsa because it is relatively low-carb | | 4 (or so - more if you like, less if you don't) fresh jalapenos diced finely | | 1 16 oz container of sour cream (Tillamook® works best for low-carb) | | 1 big bag of Mexican style shredded cheese mix (or you can grate your own) | | 4 full chicken breasts (8 half breasts), boiled until just cooked, then shredded. If you want a real treat, smoke two chickens in your smoker the day before. Debone the chickens and use the smoked chicken meat for this dish. Oh, that's GOOOOOD! | | Procedure: | | To a 8 qt dutch oven, add mushroom soup. | | Put the green salsa in a fine strainer and allow a lot of the water to drain off. Then add the solids to the pot. I drain off the water because if I don't, the end result is too runny for my taste. I like it thicker. | | Finely dice jalapeno peppers and add to the pot. You might want to start with 2 and adjust on your next time around. Don't make it too hot for your lightweight diners or they won't try it again. | | Turn the heat on to medium - bring the contents of the dutch oven up to temperature slowly. | | Add the sour cream. | | Fold and stir until all ingredients are fully blended. | | Add cheese stirring as you go. Make sure the cheese gets blended throughout. | | Shred the boiled chicken breasts and add to the pot. Break the pieces down to spoon-size. Diced or chopped isn't as good - I'm not sure why. It just isn't. | | Once contents start to bubble a little and steam a little, transfer to the oven set to 350 F degrees. | | Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on. | | When the dish is finished baking, you can remove it, sprinkle a bit of cheese on top for effect, and serve. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | Makes enough to feed a lot of people! Or have a lot of leftovers! Or a few people who are really hungry! | | This is a very good dish and re-heats perfectly. You can be confident that your guests will really enjoy this simple, easy-to-fix dish. | | I like making this amount so I can have more tomorrow! | | top |
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| | Sugar-Free Ice Cream - [Makes: about 1.5 gallons as written.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. | | Description: | | This is the one! This is the recipe for the best soft-serve, just-like-out-of-the-local-ice-cream-parlor ice cream. Best thing is, it's SUGAR FREE! | | I searched and tried many different recipes to get the one that really tasted as good as ice cream with sugar. It was a tough search. But I found it! | | Now I'm giving it to you. This is just an amazing thing that you can have ice cream, this good, without sugar. | | I hope you enjoy it. | | Ingredient List: | | 6 eggs | | 1.75 cup heavy whipping cream | | 1 cup maltitol or erythritol crystals (these are sugar alcohols which are not recognized by the body as sugar and therefore don't spike insulin levels which prevents your body from packing on weight around your butt). | | 1/2 cup maltitol syrup (pick your favorite flavor) - I use Da Vinci sugar-free syrups and they come in a huge variety of flavors. | | 4 Tbsp real vanilla extract (quality of the vanilla makes a big difference) | | 3.5 cup half and half | | Procedure: | | In a medium size bowl, whip the eggs thoroughly until fluffy. | | Add heavy whipping cream and continue whipping until fluffy. | | Add maltitol crystals and beat into mixture thoroughly. | | Add maltitol syrup flavoring and beat into mixture thoroughly. | | Add vanilla extract and beat into mixture thoroughly. | | Add half and half and beat into mixture thoroughly. | | Pour mixture into ice cream freezer and churn until firm. | | Empty firm mixture into freeze-able container. | | Put container into freezer to finish freezing. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | Again, this is an amazing recipe yielding wonderfully and surprisingly great tasting ice cream. | | This is the vanilla recipe but you can easily add different flavors, fruits and and other goodies (think Oreo cookies!) to extend this recipe. | | If you check the internet for sources you can find where maltitol and erythritol are available for sale. | | The only thing I should tell you is: don't eat too much! You will get gas if you do. You have been warned. (Hey, you've gotta take the bad with the good, right?) | | top |
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| | Easy and Excellent Beef Stew - [Makes: enough to feed 10 people.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. And my mom, Eileen, who inspired me to try and duplicate what she made us when we were growing up. | | Description: | | If you want a great dish, one that is sure to please everyone, this stew cannot miss. It has that old fashioned, slow cooked flavor that you find in only the finest eating establishments; the ones that take the extra time to do it right. | | I offer two ways of cooking it. The first way is with a Crock Pot® style slow cooker. The second way is with a pressure cooker. | | With a slow cooker, the resulting taste is wonderful but the texture and color is the only thing I don't like. Texture is soft and all ingredients look like they've been through a tumbler; the edges are smoothed and rounded. As for color, everything takes on a brown color and the ingredients are only carefully discernable. | | With a pressure cooker, not only can you cut the cooking time by 80% but the ingredients maintain their texture (firm but tender and fully cooked) and color (all ingredients look vibrant and original). | | It is up to you which method you use but knowing this information beforehand might cause you to sway one way or the other. | | Ingredient List: | | 2 lbs beef. A poor cut of meat is preferable to prime. I like a nice thick chuck roast. Cube the meat into 1" pieces. You can remove a lot of the excess fat and lard off the roast and this is the time to do it. | | 5 - 6 good sized russet potatoes, cut into 1" cubes. | | 8 average sized carrots, chopped about every 1". | | 1 large red onion, coursely chopped. | | 6 - 7 celery stalks, chopped about every 1". | | 2 cans stewed tomatoes (the larger, fatter, squatty cans - not the small 12 oz cans) | | 4 bay leaves | | 6 beef bullion cubes (crushed) | | a splash of soy sauce (about 4 Tbsp) | | a splash of Worcestershire sauce (about 4 Tbsp) | | freshly pressed garlic (I like garlic so I add about 3 Tbsp). | | salt and pepper to taste | | 1.5 cups instant potatoes | | Procedure: | | Open the stewed tomatoes and run a sharp knife through them several times making sure they are cut up. Add to pot (either slow cooker or pressure cooker). | | Set slow cooker to low setting (approximately 8 - 10 hour cook time). Or turn heat up to medium if using pressure cooker. | | Heat some oil in a large skillet. | | Cube meat into 1" cubes. | | Coat meat in baking flour. | | When oil comes up to temperature (hot enough to fry), carefully add cubed meat one layer at a time turning after a minute or so to sear all sides. When meat is seared, add to pot. | | Cube/chop vegetables into spoon sized pieces. Chunky is good. It makes the stew very hearty looking and people LOVE that! Add to pot. | | Add all seasonings and stir gently. | | Add just enough water to cover most of the ingredients - not too full or it will boil over but enough to stew all ingredients. Remember: the ingredients will cook down and end up in the liquid. | | If you're using a slow cooker, set to low temperature and cook for 8 - 10 hours or until meat is tender. | | If you're using a pressure cooker, apply the lid, increase temperature, watch pressure. When pressure reaches 15 lbs, turn off heat and wait for pressure to drop. When safe, remove lid and move on to next step. | | When stew is finished cooking, slowly stir and add instant potatoes sprinkling slowly. The instant potatoes thicken the stew nicely and it's probably the easiest way. |  | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | This recipe serves a gob of people! Depending on how many ingredients you used, you could end up with a couple of gallons of stew. Often times, I have to use two crock pots or my 12 qt pressure cooker just to hold it all! | | No matter how you cook this recipe, it will fill your house with the most inviting aromas and you may only feed 4 or 5 people with it because they'll eat it all before anyone else can get to it! | | It's a wonderful meal after a long day working or after a cold fall or winter day of hunting or fishing. | | I hope you enjoy this recipe. It has been a favorite with my family for years. | | top |
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| | Ambrosia - [Makes: enough to serve 8 people as written.] | | Credits: | | My mom, Eileen, who made this dish when we were growing up. | | Description: | | This light and delicious salad is a lifetime favorite of mine. My mom has made this salad for all of our great family get-togethers and it is the bowl that is scraped clean before any other! | | This dish is sure to please your family like it has ours for many years. | | Ingredient List: | | 1 can pineapple chunks, drained | | 1 can mandarin oranges, drained | | 1 cup green seedless grapes | | 1 cup miniature marshmallows | | 1 cup sweet flaked coconut | | 1/2 cup mayonnaise | | 1/2 cup thawed Cool Whip® topping | | | Procedure: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | In a medium bowl, blend mayonnaise and Cool Whip® until smooth. | | In a large bowl, place all fruit, marshmallows and coconut. | | Fold all ingredients together gently until coated. | | Chill in refrigerator overnight. | | [Optionally, you may add more marshmallows, chopped nuts, drained fruit cocktail, bananas, or other treats as desired.] | | Conclusion: | | This dilectible treat is light and flavorful and easy to assemble. All of your guests are sure to want MORE! | | top |
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| | Cranberry Jell-O® Salad - [Makes: enough to serve 8 people as written.] | | Credits: | | My mom, Eileen, who made this dish when we were growing up. | | Description: | | This salad is another of my fondest memories growing up and feasting at Thanksgiving and Christmas times. | | It has a tart/sweet flavor that is so great with turkey and roast beef. Be sure to make plenty because this dish will be a favorite! | | Ingredient List: | | 2 three-ounce packages of raspberry Jell-O® (any brand will do nicely). | | 1 can crushed pineapple, drained with the juice saved. | | 1 lb can cranberry sauce OR you can buy a bag of raw cranberries and make your own sauce according to the instructions on the bag. If you choose to make your own cranberry sauce, use 1.5 cups of the finished sauce. | | 1 cup chopped walnuts. | | 1 cup orange juice (fresh is best - and yes, it makes a difference!) | | 1 can mandarin oranges, drained with the juice saved. | | Procedure: | | Combine the pineapple juice, mandarin orange juice and orange juice in a sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil. | | Dissolve the raspberry Jell-O® in the boiling juices. Allow to cool. | | Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and gently fold together. | | Place in refrigerator and allow to set. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | This salad is sure to be a crowd pleaser. If you take the time to make your own cranberry sauce, it's even better! The flavors are wonderful and the texture is amazing. I love this dish! | | top |
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| | Pumpkin Chiffon Pie - [Makes: enough to serve 10 people as written.] | | Credits: | | My sister, Debra, who forever changed (for me, anyway) everything related to the taste of pumpkin pie. Thanks, Deb. We still think of you and the first time we had this growing up, with every spoonful. | | Description: | | Pumpkin pie is a holiday favorite; at least it is for some people. I find the standard pumpkin pie heavy, strong in taste, and soggy crusted. It is NOT one of my favorites. | | One year, long ago, my sister, Debra, concocted this recipe as an alternative to the standard pumpkin pie and I absolutely fell in love with it! Remember: I do NOT care for regular pumpkin pie. But I LOVE this stuff! It's incredible! | | I started making this recipe for my family gatherings almost 30 years ago after we got married and started hosting holiday meals like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It didn't take long before people started telling me they were looking forward to coming over for some of my pumpkin pie, "that special kind you make." | | My pleasure comes from seeing my guests smile and gobble up the dishes I make and this one never fails. | | Thanks, Deb. You make me look good with this one! | | Ingredient List: | | 3 egg yolks | | 1/2 cup sugar (condensed milk can be substituted) | | 1.25 cup canned pumpkin | | 1/2 cup milk | | 1/2 tsp salt | | 1/2 tsp ginger | | 1/2 tsp cinnamon | | 1/2 tsp nutmeg | | 1 envelope (or 1 Tbsp) unflavored gelatin | | 1/4 cup cold water | | 3 stiff beaten egg whites | | 1/2 cup sugar (additional to above sugar) | | 2 cups (+) thawed Cool Whip topping | | 1 box ginger snap cookies | | 1/2 cup melted butter (or more, as needed) | | Procedure: | | Start the day before... | | First make the pie crust: Add ginger snap cookies to your food processor a few at a time allowing them to reduce to a course powder. Without a food processor, crushing ginger snaps to powder is a giant pain! Borrow a food processor if you have to but it is the only GOOD way to get the ginger snaps crushed up enough to make the pie crust. Oh, and you could substitute a graham cracker crust but, trust me, graham cracker crust is a DISTANT second choice to ginger snaps! | | Once all snaps are a powder, place in a medium bowl and add melted butter. | | Mix with a fork until all ginger snap powder becomes a coated with butter. | | Using a fork, press the mixture into a casserole dish (or a couple of pie tins) until you form an even layer of crumbs for the pie crust. | | Place crust in the refrigerator; allow to firm up. | | Now make the pie filling. | | Soften gelatin in cold water. | | Make a space in your freezer for a large bowl. | | Put Cool Whip in refrigerator to allow it to thaw. | | In a small bowl, stir yolks until pretty and add sugar. Keep stirring, it'll get prettier. | | In a sauce pan on a medium fire, heat pumpkin with the milk. Add seasonings. It'll get pretty hot. | | Take a little of the hot, seasoned pumpkin and mix it with the egg yolks. Don't go too fast or you'll cook the egg yolks. | | Add the warmed up egg yolks to pumpkin stuff in the sauce pan. | | Mix in the gelatin. Heat well. It'll look like boiling mud, bloop, bloop, blooping all over the stove. | | Take it off the heat and let it cool. | | Then put it in the freezer (if you can watch it) or in refrigerator overnight. (You can leave a spoon in it and test it for a set.) | | When set, take it out and stir it. | | * Don’t start next step until this mixture is set. | | Whip egg whites until stiff. | | Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar to the stiff egg whites and continue whipping. Watch for peaks to form. | | In a large mixing bowl, alternately fold whipped egg whites and Cool Whip into pumpkin mixture. | | Pile the mixture into the prepared pie crust. | | Use additional Cool Whip for decoration on top. | | Freeze until served. Don't allow it to freeze solid. It's good very cold but not frozen solid. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | Double this recipe for a crowd. If I don't double this recipe, I always come up short. |  | | This dessert is light and tasty and always brings a smile to those who taste it. You're sure to get many requests for this dish once you've served it. | | top |
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| | Paper Bag Turkey - [Makes: a whole roasted turkey.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. And NBC's Today show where we heard about this idea originally. | | Description: | | This recipe came from watching TV. My wife, Becky, was watching a show where the studio commissary chefs asked everyone on the show for their best turkey recipe. Grandma's, Aunt Martha's, whomever; just bring in the best recipe you've got, they would make them all, and then they would have a "taste-off" to see which one was best. | | The commissary chefs gathered all the turkey recipes from everyone's contributions and made about 50 turkeys. They put them all out and served everyone who worked at the studio. Afterward, they collected ballots indicating people's favorite turkey recipe. This is the recipe that won by a landslide! | | When I heard this story, I was intrigued. Then I heard how the turkey was cooked (in a paper bag). I thought it sounded like a crazy way to cook anything — I thought the paper bag would catch on fire! But I couldn't argue with the ballots cast by those who had eaten the turkeys. So I decided to try it. | | My timing couldn't have been worse. I had 20 guests coming for Thanksgiving dinner and I was responsible for cooking the turkey. I already had a pretty good way to cook a turkey but this paper bag method really sounded too intriguing to pass up. So I decided to go for broke and try it — with guests coming — for Thanksgiving dinner. | | Well, to give you an idea of how well it turned out, I now cook ALL my turkeys this way! It's the best turkey you will ever try! It comes out golden brown, moist and succulent, a gorgeous meal and the hit of the day — every single time! It's one of the best things I make and it's so easy! | | Ingredient List: | | 1 turkey, thawed | | 1/2 - 1 cup real egg mayonnaise, depending on the size of the turkey | | 2 Tbsp granulated garlic | | 1 tsp salt | | 1.5 Tbsp Mrs. Dash® Original Blend (yellow cap) | | 1/2 tsp black pepper | | 2 Tbsp yellow mustard | | 2 large brown paper sacks (the large grocery sacks from your local super market) | | Procedure: | | Combine mayonnaise, garlic, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash®, yellow mustard in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. | | Use a butter knife to separate the skin from the breast and thigh meat leaving it connected to the bird at the edges. | | Use a rubber or silicon spatula to spread the spiced mayonnaise mixture under the skin. Be generous. Don't be shy. | | Use the remaining spiced mayonnaise to slather the insde and outside of the bird all over. I use my hands but you can continue to use the spatula if you like. Smear it on like you're mad at it! | | Drop the entire bird into one of the paper sacks. You might need help to get it to fit if the bird is large but don't worry about the mess you're making. It will turn out perfect! | | Use the second paper sack to cover the open end of the first sack. They should go together open end to open end with the bird inside. | | Once encased in paper sack, place the bird on a rack in a large roasting pan with the breast side up. | | Using your fingers, locate one of the thighs and push a thermometer through the paper sack material into the thigh. | | Place the bird in the preheated oven (325o F) so you can see the thermometer. | | Watch the thermometer and remove when the innermost part of the thigh reaches 165o F. | | When I cook my turkey this way, it comes out light golden brown. If you would like to brown your turkey further (just for looks), that's fine. Tear open the paper sacks and spread them aside exposing the turkey. Leave the turkey in the oven for about 15 - 25 minutes more or until the color is to your liking. | | Remove the turkey and roasing pan from the oven. Turn the turkey over so it is on the rack, breast side down. Leave it this way for about 25 - 30 minutes. It will finish cooking and the juices will fill the breast meat beautifully. | | After the resting time, place the turkey, breast side up, on a serving platter. Be sure to carve it when everyone is watching. It will be the most succulent, juicy turkey you have ever tasted or served, I promise! | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | The breast meat which is typically dry as cardboard will be juicy and flavorful and perfect. The dark meat will be the same. You will wish you had cooked two turkeys this way. People will compliment you and ask you how you did that because they have never had nor cooked a turkey that tasted this perfect! | | When you tell people you cooked your turkey in a paper bag, they will look at you like you're from Mars. But it's true and it's easy and it's perfect every time! | | I cannot take credit for this recipe (read where I got this recipe above) but once I discovered this method, I have practiced it ever since — and that is well over 15 years now. | | top |
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| | Chocolate Smoothie Dessert - [Makes: approximately 16 oz.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. Oh, and boredom. | | Description: | | NOTE: this is NOT on the HCG Phase 2 diet plan! | | Since starting my new way of eating (lifelong diet), I have tried to find things that are both diet compliant and tasty. This one is both. | | It's a bit gritty because of the ingredients but it's really tasty and like I said, it follows the low carb diet guidelines. | | One of the best things about this dessert is that it is easily changed to make it your favorite flavor. I like that. | | Ingredient List: | | 3 Tbsp of part-skim ricotta cheese. Scoop some up with the tablespoon and don't worry about measuring too closely. | | 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder | | 1.5 Tbsp Splenda® sweetener | | 1.5 Tbsp vanilla extract or your favorite flavoring that goes well with chocolate flavor (I like orange with chocolate!). | | 2 cups ice cubes | | Procedure: | | Add ricotta cheese, cocoa powder, sweetener, vanilla to a strong blender (I use my VitaMix). | | Add the ice cubes on top. | | Pulse the blender multiple times until smooth. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | If you've been on a restrictive diet or you cannot have sweets of any kind, this treat is a welcome pleasure you will enjoy. I'm surprised at how good this really is. | | The additional flavors are available from DaVinci's in the form of sugarless syrups. I especially like blending chocolate flavor (the cocoa powder) with orange flavoring (DaVinci's) to make a really tasty blend. | | top |
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| | Smoked Chicken Pieces - [Makes: as many pieces as you smoke.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. | | Description: | | Smoking chicken is so easy and so pleasing to your guests, once you try it, you will find it a favorite and repeat it often. | | I must confess this recipe is a result of trial and error (not too many errors, thankfully) and is now legendary amongst our clients. | | I assume you have a smoker or a way to smoke barbeque the chicken. | | Ingredient List: | | Chicken pieces. We like the drumsticks and boneless skinless thighs from Costco®. | | Lea & Perrins® worcestershire sauce, also available at Costco®. | | Montreal Steak® Seasoning, one of the McCormick® Grill Mates®. Be sure to get their STEAK seasoning, not their chicken seasoning. The steak seasoning is wonderful even though you're cooking chicken. | | Procedure: | | Start the day before you are going to serve. | | With the drumsticks simply lay them out on a cookie tray, the kind that has a lip on it so it will hold liquid (the aluminum ones from, yes, you guess it, Costco®, work perfectly). | | With the boneless skinless thighs open them up and lay them out on cookie trays, smooth side down. | | Pour orcestershire sauce over all chicken pieces until fully splashed with sauce. | | Season amply with Montreal Steak® Seasoning | | Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. | | On the day you're going to serve, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to come up to room temperature. | | Prepare your smoker. Start the fire with hardwood charcoal if you have it. When your smoker is up to about 220F degrees and holding steady, you're ready to put the chicken on the grill. | | With the drumsticks, simply align them on the grill close together and remember, these pieces have large bones in them and will take longer to cook than the boneless skinless thighs. | | With the boneless skinless thighs, use tongs and roll the meat pieces back up in a ball the way they were packaged when you bought them. This will slow down the cooking process and allow the smoke to penetrate and flavor the meat nicely. | | Monitor your smoker and make sure the temperature doesn't go up or down very far or you run the risk of burning the meat or taking too long to cook it. | | When the meat just starts to look dry, you're getting close. I won't tell you when to pull the meat from the smoker but you might have to sample some from a variety of locations on the grill to be sure it's finished. | | When you do decide to pull the meat from the smoker, be sure to keep it warm (cover it) and serve as soon as you can afterward. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | I hope you made enough! It's sure to be the hit of your meal and you are likely to find yourself smoking chicken a LOT! |  | | Smoke barbequeing is a tinkerer's way of cooking. You don't set it and walk away. You mess with the fire, check the temperature, check the meat, baste it, adjust the choke on the fire, add hardwoods for flavor... the list goes on and on. If you like this kind of cooking, you're going to be hooked in no time. | | top |
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| | Adaptive, Quick and Easy, Low-Carb, High-Fiber Chili - [Makes: enough to feed 6 to 10 people depending on how hungry everyone is.] | | Credits: | | Dave and Carly, my daughter, and our exhaustive experimentation. | | Description: | | I dubbed this recipe "Adaptive" because you can do so many different things with it and adapt to whatever you have in your refrigerator. | | My daughter, Carly, and I have been working on this recipe and adapting it to our South Beach® needs while trying to keep up the flavor and taste. We both find this recipe tasty and nutritious and, better still, we don't seem to get tired of it. | | Get creative. This recipe as written gives you the basis of where to start. Once you get going, you should try different (and interesting) ingredients that you like while keeping within the South Beach Diet® boundaries. | | Good luck and have fun! | | Ingredient List: | | [last edited 10.16.2011] | | 2 #300 cans of pinto, white, kidney, or black beans, drained. If you have a pressure cooker, you can prepare dry beans quickly and easily and (best of all) very cheaply. I've placed a pressure cooker dry bean recipe just below this recipe. If you use it, the resulting cooked beans will be ready for you to use in this chili recipe in a very reasonable amount of time. | | 1.5 - 2 lb lean hamburger, ground turkey, or my favorite: chopped smoked brisket | | 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage or spicy Italian seasoned sausage | | 1 lb Mexian chorizo sausage - oh, yeah, baby! THIS is a GREAT improvement! | | If you use ground turkey, you can greatly enhance the flavor of your chili by adding some robust sausage to the meat. A little goes a long way so take it easy but try some good sausage and you'll be very pleased with the taste. | | 5 #300 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (you may want to hold back on the number of cans here until you know how full your pot is going to be with all the ingredients). | | 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, finely diced -- I have found dehydrated jalapeno flakes to be very good too. | | 1 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (again, consider your pot's capacity when evaluating the quantity on this ingredient). | | 1 whole medium size white or yellow onion, diced | | 1.5 tsp minced garlic | | 2 Tbsp powdered taco seasoning | | 2 Tbsp chili powder | | 1 Tbsp ground cumin | | 1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning | | 1/4 cup hickory barbeque sauce - optional | | Procedure: | | Heat olive oil in a large skillet. | | Add finely chopped onion and saute' until translucent. | | At this point, if you like garlic, you can add some fresh garlic to the pot. I love garlic so this is something I always do but it's up to you. If you do add the garlic, only saute' for about 1 minute to avoid over cooking and making it bitter. | | Add all of the meat and cook thoroughly, breaking up the meat as you go. I use a potato masher and just keep mashing until the meat is all broken up and mixed together nicely. Adding a bit of water during this step can make the meat a lot easier to break up. Just a little water will do the trick. | | When the meat is finished cooking, drain the meat and onions and put back into the pot. | | To the pot, add diced tomatoes and canned (or pressure cooked) beans. | | Add all other ingredients and spices and fold all ingredients together as it continues to heat up. | | Cover the pot and check occasionally looking for simmering to appear. | | Set your oven rack to lowest height and set to 210 F degrees. | | When simmering occurs in the pot, place the pot in the oven. | | The chili is "finished" at this point but I like to let it stay in the oven until just before I bring it out to serve. All of the flavors blend nicely and combine without boiling the chili and it makes for a great finish on the flavors. | | Just before serving, add the barbeque sauce and fold ingredients one more time to distribute flavors evenly. | | Serve hot (but this dish re-heats nicely and tastes just like you made it fresh). |  | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | I don't think I can calculate the nutrition on this recipe because there are just too many variations, too many things chefs can do to it that greatly influence the calculations. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | I've got to take a new picture of our chili. In our latest version we've done away with the green beans so this picture is inaccurate. But you still get the idea. | | This dish is very filling. It tastes great and goes down good on a cold wintery day. | | We've tried turkey and chicken breast and a variety of beans can also be used. | | I've used fresh onion and dried onion; I recommend using whatever you have. Both are great. | | Alternately, you can do this recipe in a rice cooker and its "WARM" setting will keep you in the safe temperature zone after cooking and will keep the whole pot of chili warm during and after you serve. | | top |
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| | Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans - [Makes: about 1.5 quarts of cooked beans.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation, reading of books and articles on the internet. Oh, and Miss Vicki's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes -- that book is awesome! | | Description: | | Beans are good food. They are high in fiber and protein and very cheap to buy if you get them in their dry form rather than in cans. | | Carly (my daughter) and I love to make chili and we've used the canned beans for convenience and speed of preparation but dry beans are so cheap at Costco I just had to figure out a way to cook them quickly and efficiently so I could use them in my chili. | | The trick is a cooking device called a pressure cooker. If you have one and are familiar with using one, you're in business! If not, then I would suggest getting a 6-quart model from a discount store like Walmart or Target and start using it today! They're GREAT! | | The pressure cooker I use for cooking beans is a Fagor (brand) Duo (model) in the 6-quart size. Excellent little pot for doing a huge amount of cooking in a short amount of time! I've found several of this exact pot at the thrift store for less than $30 - what a bargain! | | The below list of ingredients and procedure would prepare enough beans to make the above chili recipe quickly and easily. | | Ingredient List: | | 1 lb dry pinto beans (equals about 2 full cups of DRY, UNCOOKED beans - this measurement is done PRIOR to cooking the beans!) | | 1/2 tsp salt (optional but recommended) | | 1 Tbsp olive oil (helps prevent excessive foaming) | | Procedure: | | Measure 1 lb of dry pinto beans (by weight -- not by volume). | | Sort the pinto beans separating the beans from debris and stones. | | Put the beans in the pressure cooker and add water to the water limit. | | Allow the beans to soak for a MINIMUM of 4 hours -- overnight is better. Here is a very good article about soaking/brining beans in preparation for cooking. | | Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Discard the soak water; it will be dirty. | | Put the beans back into the pressure cooker. | | Add water to cover the beans by at least 1 inch. | | Add salt and olive oil, bring to a boil. | | When the pot begins to boil, give them a good stir, lock the lid into place and allow the pot to come up to pressure (in this case, 15 lbs is where you want it). | | Lower the temperature but keep enough heat on the pot to maintain pressure. Start timing as soon as our pressure comes up to full pressure! Allow the beans to cook for 12 minutes. Use a timer. You won't be sorry. It's hard to make a mistake when you use a timer. | | Please note: I have just recently (12.19.2009), after many experiments and trials, determined the best cook time for pressure cooker pinto beans: it's 12 minutes. Not 11. Not 13. At 12 minutes, the beans come out just right; cooked but not mushy. And remember: these are PINTO beans. Pressure cooker cook times for other beans is likely to vary. | | After 12 minutes has passed, turn off the heat and remove the pressure cooker from the heat source. Allow pressure to reduce per the instructions for your brand of pressure cooker. | | When pressure is completely gone, open the pressure cooker. I like to rinse my beans in a collander before adding them to the dish. Whether you rinse the beans or not, your beans are cooked just right and ready to be added to your chili pot, bean dip or whatever you're making. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Calories: 334.85 | | Total Fat: 4.74g | | Saturated Fat: .92g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: .88g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 241.44g | | Fiber: 59.84g | | Sugars: 8.14g | | Protein: 82.68g | | Conclusion: | | If you like chili with beans and you cook it as often as we do, you will be glad you bought a pressure cooker and learned to use it! Not only does it save you money (dry beans are far cheaper than canned beans) but it is so easy and efficient. It's awesome! | | This recipe is a great starter for refried beans, bean dip, ham and beans, bean soups and any other recipe requiring cooked beans. | | top |
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| | Smoked Turkey Caserole - [Makes: about 3 - 3.5 quarts.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. Oh, and boredom. | | Description: | | Sometimes I smoke a turkey or two and I end up with leftover smoked turkey. This recipe came from such an occasion. | | This is not a huge variant of our Chicken Bake recipe (above) but the taste is definitely different. Just remember that the final result is infinitely variable because of the seasonings you will add in the end. | | I recommend you eat your smoked turkey (or smoked chicken) when it is fresh as that is the best, most flavorful time to do so. But in the event you have leftover smoked turkey or smoked chicken, I think you will like this recipe and so will your guests. | | Ingredient List: | | 1 smoked turkey breast | | 2 strips of thick cut bacon | | 1 can (family size) low-fat, low-sodium cream of mushroom soup | | 3/4 cup low-fat sour cream | | 1 13.25 oz whole grain Rotini noodles (you can use any pasta you like but we stay within the South Beach limits) | | 1 cup chopped onion | | 1 cup chopped celery | | 1 cup chopped carrots | | minced jalapenos -- to taste | | salt and pepper -- to taste | | cajun seasoning -- to taste | | Procedure: | | Preheat oven to 350 and set the rack to the lower third of the oven. | | Set a pot full of water over high heat to boil the noodles. | | Dice the bacon and saute over medium-high heat in a large skillet until crisp. | | As bacon is cooking, boil water for noodles. | | In a large pot over low heat, add mushroom soup and sour cream. | | When bacon is finished cooking, add onion, celery and carrots to the large skillet and saute to soften the vegetables. | | Stir the soup and sour cream mixture. | | When water is boiling, add a good amount of salt to the water and add the noodles. Set a timer for about 2 - 3 minutes LESS THAN the full cook time. This is because the noodles will finish cooking in the final dish. | | Stir the noodles. Stir the soup and sour cream mixture. | | Chop the turkey breast (or chicken) into bite-size pieces. | | Add the sauteed vegetables to the mushroom soup and sour cream mixture. Stir until fully coated. | | Add chopped turkey breast (or chicken) to the mushroom soup, sour cream and vegetables. Stir until fully coated. | | Drain noodles and add to mushroom soup, sour cream, vegetables and turkey (or chicken). Stir until fully coated. | | Add seasonings to taste stirring thoroughly to distribute the flavors. | | Put the lid on the large pot and place in the oven. Set timer to 35 minutes. | | When the timer sounds, take the pot out of the oven and place on the stovetop. Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | I love this dish on a cold, stormy day when the rains and winds are crashing outside. It warms me from the inside and tastes so good! | | This dish reminds me of a turkey pot pie without the pie crust. It's fast, easy and very nutritious. | | I'm sure this dish would be very good with chicken or turkey that had not been smoked but the smoky flavor adds to the dish and I prefer it. | | top |
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| | HEALTHY Chicken Casserole - [Makes: about 6 - 8 servings.] | | Credits: | | Carly, my daughter and George, my son-in-law. Thanks, guys, for the great recipe on a cold winter day! | | Description: | | I really enjoy traditional style recipes that are typically unhealthy for you and simply substituting healthy items for the unhealthy ones and seeing how they turn out. | | The thing I love about this casserole is that instead of peas, we use edamame, which are low in sugar and rich in protein and fiber. It has fantastic flavor and the cream of mushroom soup mixed in with the low-fat Velveeta is as good as any alfredo sauce I've ever had! |  | | Ingredient List: | | 3 Cups Whole Grain Macaroni Elbow Noodles (dry) | | 3 Chicken Breasts | | 2 1/2 Cups Pre-shelled Edamame | | 2 Small cans low-sodium Cream of Mushroom soup (the low-sodium version has less fat than the low-fat version--go figure!) | | 16 oz of Low-Fat or 2% Milk Velveeta Cheese (16 oz is half of one box) cut into about 16 thin squares | | 1 6 oz (the large can) French Fried Onions | | Salt and Pepper (to taste) | | Procedure: | | Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. | | Boil elbow noodles in a large pot. | | While the noodles are cooking, trim and cube the chicken breasts and place in another large pot set to medium-high heat. | | By the time your chicken is cooking, your noodles should be done (about 12 minutes). Drain your noodles and pour into a large cooking-safe pan. | | Place the edamame in a microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes, to soften. | | When done, mix the edamame in with the noodles until they are evenly distributed. | | Pour the cream of mushroom soup directly over the noodle/edamame mixture. If it's too thick, you can add a little hot water to the cream of mushroom soup beforehand, so it pours easier. Spread evenly across the top of the mixture with a fork or spoon. | | By this time, the chicken should be done cooking. Drain the chicken and run some cold water over the chicken to help it cool. | | Using a chopper or a large knife, dice the cubes of chicken into tiny pieces. | | Spread the bits of chicken over the top of the noodles, edamame, and cream of mushroom soup in an even layer. | | Lightly dust a layer of salt and pepper over the top of the chicken. | | Evenly distribute the Velveeta slices over the top of the chicken. | | Place the pan into the oven and set a timer for 30 minutes. | | When the timer beeps, pull out the pan and set the oven to broil. | | Spread the can of french fried onions over the top of the pan evenly and place back into the oven. Set your time for 1 minute and do not go more than one minute. | | As soon as the timer goes off, remove the pan. Cool for a few minutes and serve hot. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Conclusion: | | I like to eat this recipe all the time. Interestingly, I love having it for leftovers! | | It's so easy to take some for my lunch break at work because all I have to do is heat it up in the microwave and it's ready to go. | | I hope people will enjoy it for both it's comforting flavors and it's convenience! And the best part is that it's good for you, so you can eat a nice helping while not feeling guilty about it. | | top |
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| | Lasagna Soup - [Makes: 8 servings.] | | Credits: | | Carly, my daughter and George, my son-in-law. Thanks, guys, for another great recipe on a cold winter day! | | Description: | | Filling and great tasting while remaining low in calories per serving, this soup is a great meal! | | Ingredient List: | | 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef | | 1 chopped green pepper | | 1 chopped medium onion | | 2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes (no salt added) | | 1 8-oz can tomato sauce | | 1/4 cup tomato paste | | 2 cups low sodium beef broth | | 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning | | 1/4 Tbsp Pepper | | 2 1/2 cups whole wheat Rotini noodles | | Procedure: | | In a large saucepan, cook the beef, green pepper, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. | | Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and pepper. | | Bring to a boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Sprinkle w. Parmesan cheese (optional). | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are per serving. | | Calories: 277 | | Total Fat: 5.6g | | Saturated Fat: 1.8g | | Cholesterol: 32.5mg | | Sodium: 198.9mg | | Carb.: 36g | | Fiber: 5.4g | | Sugars: 6.9g | | Protein: 18.1g | | Conclusion: | | I'll be honest. I have never been a lasagna fan. Don't get me wrong! I absolutely love Italian food and all it's carbo-goodness! But for some reason, Lasagna never appealed to me much and I've never been struck with a sudden 'Gosh, I could really go for some lasagna right now!' cravings. | | But when I came across this recipe in Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking magazine (March 2010 issue), the elements of the dish appealed to me immediately! I love bell peppers, tomatoes, beef and pasta! It sounded like a fantastic combo! And at less than 300 calories a serving, I really had nothing to lose! | | We made it tonight for the first time and I can already tell this is going to be a fantastic addition to our household staple meals! I'm already thinking about the days when my kids (the ones I'll have SOMEday) will beg me for 'Lasagna Soup' night at our house! And I will not hesitate to deliver! This recipe is well worth it! | | Lasagna -- I am now a fan! | | top |
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| | Sugar-Free Chocolate Candies - [Makes: about 1 1/2 cups of chocolate candy which you can divide up as you choose.] | | Credits: | | Dave and Cassie, my daughter, and our many experiments which led to many discouraging and disappointing results until finally, this one! | | Description: | | I am in Phase 2 of the HCG Diet where I must not exceed 500 calories per day. I needed to find alternate, low-calorie foods and treats are especially difficult. | | This recipe is not new, really. There are many just like it on the HCG recipe sites around the internet. I have tried a few but I have had difficulty finding the proper ingredient amounts and a procedure that will make the candy but not "break" it and make rock hard fudge curds. | | I wanted to post this recipe and method because it works well, tastes good and is very simple and easy. I'm especially pleased with the sweet to bitter, full-flavored chocolate taste of this recipe and the texture is, to my thinking, very good. | | Ingredient List: | | 3 Tbsp Xylitol sweetener powder. This is a judgment call. Too much sweetener makes the candy too sweet in my opinion. You might vary this ingredient a bit to find just the right amount to suit your taste. To get the sweetener to blend and eliminate the characteristic grainy texture of Xylitol crystals, I pulverize it in a small Cuisinart food processor. Thank you, Cassie, for that wonderful idea/solution! | | 2 Tbsp Maltitol sweetener powder. This too is a judgment call. I found this suggestion on a web site and the author said she mixed the two sweeteners together to make a smoother sweetness to her recipe. I decided to try it and she was right! It is much better than Xylitol alone. | | 1 cup sugar-free dark chocolate cocoa powder -- I use Trader Joe's version of this ingredient. | | 1/2 cup coconut oil | | OPTIONAL: 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder -- this is good! I recommend it. | | OPTIONAL: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract -- the better quality your vanilla, the better its addition to this recipe is. Crummy vanilla gives crummy results. | | OPTIONAL: 1/4 tsp sea salt -- maybe less. Just try a tiny bit and see if you like it. | | OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup raw, dry coconut flakes -- this is very good and gives a nice texture and flavor to the candies. | | Procedure: | | Using a small Cuisinart food processor, add the Xylitol crystals and pulse until pulverized to powder. | | Add cocoa powder and pulse until completely blended. | | Add OPTIONAL ingredients (except for the coconut flakes) if you are using them and pulse until completely blended. | | Add coconut oil (add this ingredient last because it will thicken the mixture dramatically -- also, you can microwave the oil a few seconds just to soften it making it much easier to mix with the dry ingredients) and pulse until completely blended. Consistency will be like very stiff brownie mix, moist but like a thick paste. | | If you want to add dry coconut flakes to your candies, scrape the chocolate mixture into a bowl, add coconut flakes, and stir until coconut is completely coated with chocolate. I have also tossed the shredded coconut flakes into the food processor and pulsed a few times and that works as well. | | Spoon the chocolate mixture into molds -- I use silicon ice cube trays for this (I found nice little ones with very small cups at Target in their $1 bin. It makes removal easy.) I press the mixture into the molds so there are fewer voids in the final product. | | Place in refrigerator until hardened -- about an hour or maybe even less. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe but do NOT include the coconut flakes. | | Calories: 1426.6 | | Total Fat: 128g | | Saturated Fat: 104g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 1mg | | Carb.: 56.25g | | Fiber: 18g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 16.05g | | Conclusion: | | From this information, you can divide it up into the servings of your choice -- 1/10th, 1/20th, etc. -- and determine the caloric value of each chocolate morsel you make. | | I love having a small treat at the end of the day. These candies are so easy to prepare (prep time is only about 10 minutes total), why wouldn't you want them? The darker the chocolate powder, the better the flavor, in my opinion, and Trader Joe's has really nice, unsweetened cocoa powder at a very reasonable price. | | top |
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| | Onion/Cabbage Soup - [Makes: about 8 cups of soup.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation. | | Description: | | On the HCG Diet in Phase 2, one looks long and hard for foods that are both filling and very low in calories. This one fits the bill! And best of all, it is so very tasty, I cannot believe how good it is! | | Late in the afternoons, I find myself really wanting something to eat. My experiments have shown me that eating hot soup fills me up while costing me very few calories and that's great! So I decided to work on a new recipe that would fill and satiate me at the same time with few calories. This is what I came up with. | | Ingredient List: | | 1/2 head green cabbage | | 1 whole yellow or red onion | | 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock | | 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes | | 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard -- I know, it sounds weird but trust me, it's really good! | | 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar-- again, I know what this sounds like but trust me! | | 1 tsp xylitol sweetener -- yes! This will offset the acid of the vinegar and give a nice balance. | | [OPTIONAL] 1 diced red bell pepper -- this makes the dish a little higher in calories but gives it a very nice color. | | [OPTIONAL] 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning mix (dry herbs) | | [OPTIONAL] A few dashes of Hot Sauce (Tapatio, chipotle Tabasco, etc) to taste | | Salt and pepper to taste | | Procedure: | | Add vegetable stock to a large cooking vessel and bring the heat up to simmer. | | Add Dijon mustard. | | Add crushed pepper flakes. | | Add apple cider vinegar. | | Add xylitol sweetener. | | Rough chop the green cabbage to make it more difficult to eat quickly and add it to the pot. | | Cross cut the onion only one way into slices (do not dice) -- again, this is to make it more difficult to eat quickly -- and add it to the pot. | | If you are going to add any of the optional ingredients, do that now | | Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until done to your liking. | | Salt and pepper to taste. | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Calories: 275.4 | | Total Fat: 1.3g | | Saturated Fat: .1g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 839mg | | Carb.: 58.57g | | Fiber: 18.6g | | Sugars: 28.85g | | Protein: 14.9g | | Conclusion: | | According to CalorieCount.About.com, one large head of green cabbage has about 312 calories. That means 1/2 of that same large head of cabbage would have about 156 calories. Let's go with that number for now. | | According to CalorieCount.About.com, one medium yellow onion has about 60 calories. That means we have just added 60 more calories to this recipe bringing us up to a total of 216 calories in the pot. | | According to CalorieCount.About.com, one quart of organic Vegetable Cooking Stock has about 120 calories. That means we have just added 120 more calories to the pot giving us a total of 336 calories in the pot. | | The entire recipe yields a total of 8 cups of soup. That's about 42 calories per cup of soup. Not too bad!!! And it tastes WONDERFUL! The Dijon mustard gives it an almost creamy taste that is very good. I hope you enjoy it. | | UPDATE: recently, I had a Costco rotisserie chicken left over from the night before when I was prepapring this dish. I deboned the chicken, diced up the skinless meat, and tossed it into the pot to simmer. This added some calories to the whole pot but it also increased the flavor to a wonderfully rich level. I'm just sayin'. | | top |
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| | Replicated Bean Dip - [Makes: about 2 cups.] | | Credits: | | Cassie, my daughter, and my experimentation, reading of books and articles on the internet. Oh, and Miss Vicki's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes -- that book is awesome! | | Description: | | Cassie, my daughter, found herself buying the bean dip/salsa combo-package from Costco and just tossing out the salsa. She and her husband, Sol, love the bean dip but not the salsa. Then one day, it dawned on her to try and replicate the recipe. She read the ingredients and came up with this recipe which is pretty close to the original. It is now a staple food in her house. | | Ingredient List: | | 1 cup dry pinto beans cooked using either the boil-in-a-pot method or in a pressure cooker (see recipes.asp#0015 above for details). | | 1 jalapeno pepper diced very fine | | 1/4 large yellow onion, chopped | | Cilantro to taste | | 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground | | 1 tsp Celery Salt | | 1/4 cup Salsa -- any brand will do the trick. | | 1/2 tsp Chili powder | | Sea salt to taste | | Hot sauce to taste -- Tapatio is very good. | | Juice from 1 lime -- optional but a very nice addition and brightens the flavor nicely. | | Procedure: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Stand by. I will calculate and post when I have the values. | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0g | | Saturated Fat: 0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0g | | Fiber: 0g | | Sugars: 0g | | Protein: 0g | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | Cook the beans -- either using the boiling method or the pressure cooker method. | | Place beans in a food processor or blender while still hot. | | Add all other ingredients and blend/process until completely blended. | | Conclusion: | | This is very good and very good for you! It is low calorie, high in fiber and protein and extremely inexpensive to make. Try this with your family and I'm sure they will love it. We put it on vegetables as dip, add it to other dishes for flavor enhancement, and it's difficult to discern it from the stuff you buy at Costco. | | top |
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| | HCG Diet, Phase 2 Morning Protein Shake - [Makes: 64 oz.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe and it is based on a lot of experimentation, reading of books and articles on the internet, and getting great advice from Dr. Crawford and Lita Chung my HCG Professionals! | | Description: | | In Phase 2 of the HCG Diet, one is required to consume no more than 500 calories per day. The protein shakes are highly recommended due to their excellent nutritional content. Just plain shakes are fine but I quickly got bored with them and decided to enhance the taste and nutrition at one time. Here's what I came up with. | | Ingredient List: | | 1 liter ice cold water | 2 full scoops Ultra Lean Body Composition Formula, chocolate flavor protein powder:
 | | 2 Tbsp xylitol sweetener | 1 Tbsp chia seeds:
 | 1 tsp pure vanilla extract:
 | | 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon | | 2 handfuls baby spinach leaves | 40 drops chlorophyll:
 | | 1 liter ice cubes | | a bit more water, preferably ice cold | | Procedure: | | These values are for the entire recipe. | | Calories: 294 | | Total Fat: 12.3g | | Saturated Fat: 1.7g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 35mg | | Sodium: 54mg | | Carb.: 26.7g | | Fiber: 16.7g | | Sugars: 5.1g | | Protein: 24.3g | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | I use my VitaMix and I start with putting the liter of water into the mixer. Turn the mixer on low and allow it to churn at a low rate as you proceed. | | Add the chocolate protein powder. | | Add the xylitol. | | Add chia seeds. | | Add vanilla extract. | | Add cinnamon. | | Add spinach leaves and increase the blender speed because it will start to labor a bit under the load of the leaves in the mixture. | | Put the lid on the blender and start adding ice cubes slowly through the lid. After adding about 1/2 the ice cubes, increase the blender speed to maximum. Add more ice cubes until the top part of the mixture stops blending and only the lower half of the mixture is still churning. This is perfect. | | Add a bit more ice cold water just until the top part of the mixture starts to blend again. This, in my opinion, is the best consistency. | | Add chlorophyll to enhance bright green color. | | Conclusion: | | This shake is both nutritious and very tasty. You can add more ingredients to it and you are likely not to taste them. There are times that I make this drink and it literally tastes like whole milk with cinnamon in it. I have described it to people that way before and they scoff. Then they try it with their noses wrinkled up and dread on their faces. As soon as they taste it, the typically blurt out, "HEY! That's really good!!!" | | I make 64 oz of this drink every morning. I drink it slowly as I start my work day and it takes me about an hour to finish it. The best part about this drink is that it keeps me satisfied -- no hunger pangs at all -- until 1:30 PM and that's so astounding to me! When I used to eat eggs and bacon for breakfast, I was typically hungry for lunch at 11:30 AM. This simple drink keeps me fully satisfied for 2 full hours longer and is far more nutritious for my body. I hope you enjoy it. | | Your big calories in this shake come mostly from the protein powder (cutting back to 1 full, level scoop of protein powder would reduce the total calories by 85 calories) and chia seeds (dropping the chia seeds down to 10 grams would reduce the total calories by 49 calories). So keep those options in mind too. But there is nothing "bad for you" in this drink whatsoever! In fact, because it is a liquid, you get the nutrients in a few short minutes rather than hours. And I am fully sustained until 1:30 PM each day by this drink -- that in itself is worth considering it as a breakfast/day-starter. | | Oh, and I've been reading about chlorophyll. It seems the health claims people have put on chlorophyll may have been a bit exagerated. But one thing it does: it makes your green smoothie SUPER GREEN!!! Here's more on chlorophyll if you want to read: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/chlorophyll.html | | top |
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| | Spicy Pickled Cucumber Salad with Onion/Garlic - [Makes: about 2 quarts as written.] | | Credits: | | This is my own recipe. | | Description: | | I stumbled onto it quite by accident. | | It came about as a need I had. I needed something I could snack on without depleting my calorie count for each day during my HCG Diet, Phase 2. Fortunately, I like all of the ingredients and they go so well together, I was overwhelmed with pleasure when I first tasted it! I couldn't believe it! I hope you enjoy it too. | | Ingredient List: | | 3 seedless cucumbers -- this is the brand I bought at Costco:
 | | 1 onion -- I used a medium size yellow onion. | | 4 - 5 small red radishes | 2 Tbsp minced garlic -- also purchased at Costco:
 | 2 cups apple cider vinegar -- I use Bragg brand but you can use whatever suits you:
 | | 1 Tbsp stevia powder | [OPTIONAL] 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce -- I bought this at Winco Foods. It is absolutely delicious!
 | | Procedure: | | Slice cucumbers diagonally very thin so you can take more bites of this dish. | | Slice onion very thin and separate the rings. | | Slice radishes very thin and fan the pieces out so they are separated from each other. | | Put all sliced vegetables into a large mixing bowl. | | Add garlic. | | Add apple cider vinegar. | | Add stevia powder. | | Add chili garlic sauce if you're going to use some. | | Using tongs or a large spoon, carefully toss the ingredients together so they are all blended and mixed and coated with the vinegar, stevia and chili garlic sauce. | | Put the entire mixture into a large sealable container and leave overnight -- or longer -- to pickle. If you cannot resist, take a small portion into a bowl and eat it but let the rest pickle for a while. You won't be sorry! | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe including the chili garlic sauce. | | Calories: 199 | | Total Fat: 0.1g | | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 266mg | | Carb.: 48.1g | | Fiber: 3.1g | | Sugars: 10.1g | | Protein: 10.3g | | Conclusion: | | Here's the result:
 | | This is such a nice thing to eat when you cannot afford the calories for something more. I love the flavors and the refreshing taste. It's so easy to make up a batch and put in the refrigerator for anytime you need something quick and easy yet filling and delicious! | | I hope you like it as much as I do. | | PS -- if you eat 1 cup of this recipe, you've eaten less than 25 calories!!! (24.875 calories to be exact!) | | top |
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| | Biscotti - [Makes: a quick snack but I don't know how many cookies. It depends on how many pieces into which you cut your loaf....] | | Credits: | | This recipe came from my son's wife's sister's boyfriend, Ryan. So that would be my daughter-in-law's (by marriage) boyfriend. Ryan and my son, Kyle, grew up together since childhood, went to college together, and are likely to be related at some point by marrying the Devereaux sisters. Funny how things work out. In that event, Ryan would become my son-in-law (by marriage). | | Wow! That made me tired! Think I'll have some biscotti and take a breather. . . | | Description: | | I received a few of these cookies (biscotti) as Christmas presents this past Christmas (2011) and they were SO delicious, I asked for the recipe. Ryan was gracious enough to give it to Chaitra (my daughter-in-law) and she passed it along to me. I even asked permission to post it on this web site and they said, "YES!" with enthusiasm. I think they both know how good it really is! | | The nicest thing about this recipe (and maybe it's true with all biscotti recipes, I don't know) is that you can adapt it to just about any flavors or preferences you like. This makes the recipe a "base" from which to work and that's always useful to any cook. So get creative! Use this recipe to launch yourselves into the biscotti world! | | Ingredient List: | | coconut oil (for lubing the baking sheet) | | 1 1/4 cup all purpose rice flour mix. I make my own all purpose flaour by combining 1 cup rice flour with 1/4 cup tapioca startch and 1 tsp xanthum gum. That's the ratio. Making bigger or smaller batches is easy. Just keep the ratio the same. | | 1/3 cup cyrstalized coconut palm sap or equivalent dry sweetener | | 1 teaspoon baking powder | | 1/4 teaspoon grey celtic sea salt | | 2 large eggs | | 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract | | Up to 1 cup of ad-ins: suggestions include dried apricots, medjool dates, black figs, sunflower seeds, walnuts, dried cranberries, dried currants, pumpkins seeds, shredded coconut, chopped almonts. Mixing 3 add-ins together in equal proportions works very well. | | Procedure: | | Preheat oven to 350 degrees. | | Brush a baking sheet with oil and set aside. | | In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. | | Add in the optional add-in ingredients and fold together until combined. Set aside. | | In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Add to flour mixture; stir just until combined. | | On a lightly floured surface, with floured hands, pat dough into a loaf about 1 inch thick, 2 1/2 inches wide (and about 7 inches long); transfer to baking sheet. | | Bake until risen and firm, 20 to 25 minutes; cool completely on baking sheet. | | While you're waiting for the loaf to cool, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. | | Once the loaf is cooled, place it on a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut diagonally into 1/4 inch-thick slices. Place slices in a single layer on sheet. | | Bake, turning once, until dried and slightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. | | Cool completely. | | NOW is when you would start eating these! | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for the entire recipe. [I have not calculated the actual values yet. Hence all the zeros. But I will...] | | Calories: 0 | | Total Fat: 0.0g | | Saturated Fat: 0.0g | | Trans Fat: 0g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 0mg | | Sodium: 0mg | | Carb.: 0.0g | | Fiber: 0.0g | | Sugars: 0.0g | | Protein: 0.0g | | Conclusion: | | The finished product is delicious! I was so impressed by this cookie, I pursued Chaitra for the recipe until she finally agreed to let me have it. It's that good! | | And the versatility of this recipe is also amazing. You can tailor the ingredients to fit your liking and make it as rich and flavorful as you like for any occasion or season. | | I hope you try this one. It's great. And share it with friends. They are sure to say something like, "You know what would go good in these...?" and you'll be on your way! | | top |
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| | Muffin Tin Quiche - [Makes: 6 individual quiches as written.] | | Credits: | | This is one my daughter Carly came up with. It was her goal to create meals in batches so she could cook most of her week’s meals on one day and be done with it for a whole week. This recipe came about as something she could make in bulk, then freeze or refrigerate until she wanted something to eat and it would be there waiting. |
 | | Description: | | Keeping caloric values low while keeping ingredient quality high and flavor strong and bold is a goal for all of us in our family. We want these things in all of our dishes and sometimes we hit one really near the outfield fence. This is one of those. It might even be a home run. | | Ingredient List: | |
 | | 1 onion (white or yellow is good) | | 1 bell pepper (yellow, orange or red is good) | | 3 – 4 large crimini mushrooms | | 4 ribs celery | | ½ cup bacon, ham, linquica, salami, or other flavorful protein of your choice | | 6 whole eggs (or 9 egg whites) | | Parmesan cheese (optional) | | Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, Mrs. Dash (or any other seasoning of your liking) | | Procedure: | | Sliver or dice onion. | | Dice pepper. | | Dice mushrooms. | | Dice celery. | | Beat eggs whipping in some air. Set aside. | | Sauté protein and onion together until onion is softened. | | Add mushrooms and lightly salt (draw moisture from onion and mushrooms). | | Add celery and bell pepper. | | Cook until softened (moisture should decrease). |
 | | Test taste and add seasoning as you prefer. | | Remove from fire. | | In a prepared muffin tin (lining or non-stick spray is a good idea), put some of the mixture in each cup up to about ½ to ¾ full. | | Whip eggs one more time to add air. | | Pour about the volume of one egg into each muffin tin cup. Do not over-fill. | | Dust the top of each muffin tin cup with parmesan cheese. | | Cook in 350F – 375F oven until firm and tops are golden. (You may need to test this on your oven but the idea is to avoid over-cooking the eggs.) | | Nutritional Breakdown: | | These values are for a single muffin tin quiche (out of the 6 total that this recipe will make). | | (Hint) Values will change dramatically if a different protein is used instead of bacon. | | Calories: 148 | | Total Fat: 9.2g | | Saturated Fat: 3.7g | | Trans Fat: .1g | | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | | Cholesterol: 218mg | | Sodium: 290mg | | Carb.: 3.7g | | Fiber: .5g | | Sugars: 1.6g | | Protein: 11.4g | | Conclusion: | | These are just plain good. You’ll like these if you like egg recipes at all. The flavor is great. The texture is fluffy and light. The tops are chewy and good. It’s just a great dish. And if you eat these a day or two after you cook them, you will be delighted to see how fresh they seem to be when you microwave them lightly (the moisture in them heats up and fluffs them to perfection). | | We hope you try and like these as much as we do. | | top |
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