What to do with all those zucchinis and tomatoes...

Garden Minestrone Soup

If you're like, well, anyone with a garden, you have many many zucchinis and tomatoes. I have just the recipe for you! Truly yummy Garden Minestrone Soup. Even my husband (whose philosophy is that soup is how a woman tricks a man out of a real meal) liked it!

Garden Minestrone

Ingredients:

2 t olive oil
1 c chopped onion
2 t chopped fresh oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 c chopped yellow squash
3 c chopped zucchini
1 c chopped carrot
1 c fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
4 c chopped tomatoes, divided
6 c chicken broth (= 3 cans, preferrably fat-free, less sodium)
1-2 c uncooked macaroni
2 (15.5 oz) cans Garbanzo Beans
6 oz baby spinach
1 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
1 c grated Asiago cheese


I would chop everything first and have it ready by your stove
















Directions:

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions to pan and sautee 3 minutes or until softened.
2. Add garlic and oregano and sautee for 1 minute.
3. Stir in squash, zucchini, carrot, and corn; sautee 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Meanwhile combine tomatoes and 1 can broth in a blender and process until smooth. (You can keep some of the tomatoes to put in the soup if you'd like, but the texture bugs me, so I blend all of them)




















5. Add tomatoe mix and remaining 2 cans broth to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
6. Add pasta and beans to pan; cook 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occassionally.
7. Remove from heat, stir in spinach, salt, and 1/2 t pepper.
8. Ladle soup into individual bowls and top with cheese (if desired).
9. Enjoy!

The total cooking time may seem long, but while your soup is simmering, you can clean up the prep mess:














Then after you eat, you only have the pan and bowls to clean, nothing else.

Dinner in 30 minutes: Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

It tastes soooo much better than it looks! My cute neighbor was asking me about this recipe and instead of making her a copy, I told her I'd post it on my blog. I'm always shamelessly trying to get people to read it :)

Ingredients: 2T cornstarch, divided (if you run out like I did, just use flour - it worked fine)
                    1 lb. pork tenderloin or boneless pork chops
                    1/3c water
                    1/4c sugar
                    1/4c cider vinegar (I just used white and it tasted great)
                    3T soy sauce
                    3T ketchup
                    1T oil
                    1/2c chopped cashews (or more or less, depending on your taste)
                    1/4c green onions
                    2T finely chopped ginger root (if you don't want to cut it up, just sub 2t ginger spice)
                    2t minced garlic
                    6-8 oz snow peas, trimmed
                    8-12 oz pineapple chunks, drained

Directions:
1. Slice pork into super thin strips.

2. Coat pork with 1T cornstarch (just stick in a baggy together, and shake) :)
3. Combine 1T cornstarch, water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup. Stir with whisk until there are no clumps.
4. Collect everything you'll need next to the stove.

Don't you wich you could smell this right now? Trust me, you do!

5. Heat 1-2T oil in large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add pork and stir-fry 3 minutes.

6. Add onions, ginger, and garlice. Stir-fry 1 minute.

7. Add snow peas and pineapple. Stir-fry 3 minutes.

8. Whisk sauce ingredients again and pour into pan. Bring to a boil, then cook 1 minute while stirring frequently.

9. Stir in cashew and serve over hot rice.

Tips:

*The pork should be slightly frozen so you can get it into super thin strips.

*Trimming the snow peas just means to snap off the ends and the stringy parts.

*Do yourself a favor and get unsalted cashews, there's already enough salt from the soy sauce and ketchup!

*Start the rice cooking BEFORE you start cutting up stuff, that way they'll get done around the same time.

Enjoy!

p.s. The good news is this makes 4-6 servings and (not including rice) is only 184-275 calories per serving and 5-7 grams of fat per serving! Healthy and scrumptous?! How can you beat that?

Spicy (or not) Chicken sandwiches with cilantro-lime mayo

I love summer meals, don't you? Especially anything with cilantro! yummy!!! This recipe is soooooo easy! You just have to remember to get the chicken marinating earlier in the day, but once it's time to cook it, you'll have dinner ready in ten minutes!

I omitted the hot sauce altogether (neither my husband nor my kids are fans of spicy stuff) and it turned out great! The crunch on these is great (it's tortilla chips!). For my girls, I just cut up the chicken into strips and gave them the Kaiser rolls on the side.

As you can see above, we had ours with a simple salad that had a Spring/Baby Spinach mix with sliced strawberries, crumbled bacon, and mozzarella cubes. You honestly don't even need a sauce over it, but Lighthouse's Raspberry Walnut salad dressing would be a fantastic choice.

The link is at the bottom for the recipe.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-chicken-sandwiches-with-cilantro-lime-mayo-10000001860085/

Super simple Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe

Now, try saying that fast 3 times :) This recipe is a major hit with adults and kids alike - as well as the cook! It's super simple, as the title explains.

2-4 chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise
1 egg, lightly beaten
cornstarch
cooking oil
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C vinegar
1/4 C ketchup
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t garlic powder (or garlic salt)

Heat cooking oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Place beaten egg in a shalow dish.
Pour cornstarch into large ziplock bag.
Dip chicken in egg and place in bag with cornstarch.
Shake bag to coat chicken, then place chicken in frying pan.

Cook until golden, then place in 8X8 baking dish.

Mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.

Your sauce will be a bit darker as I was a bit daft and forgot to add soy sauce to mine. I also apparently forgot to take a picture at the end... oops :)

Anyhow, just stick this in 350-degree oven for an hour and serve over rice. For super yummy rice, just substitute half the water with coconut milk.

Enjoy!

Super Easy Thai Beef and Noodle Toss

First, thanks for all your well wishes on our Anniversary. And just an FYI, I am not a normal female, I don't name bad qualities about myself in order to be reassured by others. Truly I am socially akward and all those things, but for some insane reason ;) my husband does not think he's "stuck" with me, and in fact, thinks he's very lucky to have me. Who can account for taste these days? :)

Anyhow, onto our yummy, super easy recipe. A thanks to my mother-in-law for sharing this with me several years ago.

Ingredients:
1lb steak cut into bite size peices

1-2 jalepenos, seeded and diced

2 pkg Top Ramen Noodles Beef Flavor

1-2 carrots cut into strips (I just use my vegetable peeler on the whole thing, so they're nice and thin; but I have a poor man's kitchen so I'm sure there's some kind of nifty device out there that's easier)

1/2 C peanuts (or more if you'd like)

Steak Sauce to taste (around 1-2 Tb usually gives a nice flavor)

1/4 C fresh cilantro (I LOVE the smell of cutting cilantro - yum!)

Cooked Rice

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions

2. Break Ramen noodles into 4 peices and cook (don't add seasoning packets, keep those till later) and drain.

3. Put a little oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook steak and jalepeno until meat is no longer pink (don't be tempted to turn the temp up, it will make the meat tough).

4. Set meat and pepper aside (keep warm), in same skillet add remaining ingredients (except for rice) and cook until carrots are tender.

5. Stir meat and pepper back in and serve all over rice. And Enjoy!!!

Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Gravy

If your mouth isn't salivating just from the title alone, just wait until you try this (and see if you can acheive what I cannot - namely sticking to eating only one serving). It has a perfectly subtle woodsy goodness. Let me know what you think:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001949742

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

I almost entitled this "Need to put those overly ripe bananas to good use?"... then I thought better of it.
Anyhow, I normally am somewhat ambivalent toward Banana bread... banana is a very overpowering taste, but I found this recipe for fantastic Banana bread and very happy to announce that the other flavors help to balance the banana flavoring.
Tis way yummy! You should try:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001654705

Super fast and easy AND yummy rolls

Have you ever been 40 minutes away from dinner and wished you had some yummy homemade rolls, but didn't remember to make some at 2:00 that afternoon? Well, you are in luck! My friend Jamie of "Jamie Cooks It Up" fame has fantabulous rolls (seriously the fluffiest rolls I've EVER made!) and all you have to do is mix them up let them sit for 5 minutes, divide them, stick them in 170-degree oven for 15 minutes and cook for 15 minutes - Seriously, that's it!!!! Here's a link to that recipe, but while you're at it take a look around her blog - there's definitely some yummy stuff there. I can highly recommend her Rumbi Mango Chicken Salad and Chicken Low Mein!

http://jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com/2010/10/fluffy-dinner-rolls.html

Quick and Easy 3-bean soup

I can't tell you how many times this recipe has saved me when dinner time hits and I haven't even thought of what to make. It goes great with cornbread (posted below). The best way is to get the cornbread cooking (WAY easy recipe) then do the soup and they'll get done right around the same time. Voila! Dinner in under 30 minutes total!

3bean soup

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T olive oil
1 can each white beans (garbanzo are great!), kidney beans, black beans, all drained
1 can chicken broth
1 t basil
1 can diced tomatoes
6 T Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, over medium-high heat, cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the Romano cheese and stir well.
Salt and pepper to taste, and heat until nice and hot.
Top each bowlful with a tablespoon of Romano cheese and serve.

White Cornbread

1 1/4 C flour
3/4 C white cornmeal
1/3 C sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
1/4 C oil
1 egg, beaten

Mix toegether the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, and egg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while stirring. Butter and flour an 8x8 pan and then bake mixture at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Crockpot Beef Stew

This is so yummy and easy! It's fresh and filling and perfect for the cooler weather :) I was going to include a picture that I took, but any soup usually just looks like someone vomited in the crockpot, so I didn't think it would be very tempting. But, trust me this is great. If you want to make it stretch a little farther, serve over rice.

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 c beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped

Directions:

1. Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat and stir to coat meat with flour mixture.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10-12 hours, or on High setting for 4-6 hours.

Easy Olive Garden like Braised short ribs over tortellini

This recipe looks so fancy and tastes wonderful, but is sooooo easy! The short ribs are tender tender tender and how can you fail with sauteed portobello mushrooms?! :) I love this with a simple salad and breadsticks (I wonder where I could have come up with THAT combination?)

1-2 lbs. boneless beef short ribs
1- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added
4 oz. red wine (I just use cooking wine, but you could go all fancy if you'd like)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tb olive oil
1 bay leaf
beef broth, as needed to keep meat from sticking to pan
salt and pepper as desired
1 pkg. frozen cheese tortellini
1 lb. portobello (or baby bella) mushrooms, sliced into bite-size peices

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in large pot until onions are translucent. Add rest of ingredients through salt and pepper and turn heat down to medium-low. Cook (braise) for 3 hours, checking liquid and adding if necessary every 30-40 minutes.
Cook tortellini according to package directions.
Saute mushrooms in a little bit of butter.
Cut short ribs into bite size peices and return to pan.
Combine tortellini, mushrooms, short ribs and sauce.
Serve with fresh parmesan sprinkled over it.

Yummy Baked Rigatoni

This is one of our favorites. I'll post the link, but first some thoughts:

1. It calls for 2 tsp salt. Holy high cholesterol Batman! I use 1/2 tsp salt and it tastes fine (remember cheese already has a higher sodium content)

2. I substitute spinach, not really a collard greens fan : /

3. Still can't really have spicy stuff yet, so just an fyi, it tastes fantastick w/out the red pepper flakes.

That's all. Enjoy the yummy Italian dinner :)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1585370

Fast and Easy Southwest Chicken Soup

So quick and easy to make. Love love love it! It's a little higher in calories per serving, but as long as you watch your portion size and realize that it's very filling on it's own, you'll be fine.

Ingredients:
2 cloved garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-in pieces
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
28 oz can diced tomatoes
4 oz can chilies, chopped
1 can of corn
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t Mrs. Dash
1/2 C (or more to taste) cooked white rice

Toppings:
1/4 C chopped cilantro
1/2 C plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 C nonfat shredded cheddar cheese

Cook garlic and onion in nonstick pot for 3 minutes or until limp. add remaining ingredients and cook for 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle soup with toppings and serve with tortilla chips.

Serves 8

Nutrition Facts (not including tortilla chips - I used Lays Baked tortilla chips)

Serving Size 450 g
Calories 666
Calories from Fat 89
Total Fat 9.9g 15%
Saturated Fat 3.4g 17%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 517mg 22%
Total Carbohydrates 98.0g 33%
Dietary Fiber 21.3g 85%
Sugars 12.8g
Protein 46.9g
Vitamin A 94%
Vitamin C 42%
Calcium 23%
Iron 41%

Cinnamon-Hazelnut Pancakes

I guess when I'm posting recipes that I got off other websites I should post a link instead of infringing on copyright laws :) These pancakes are sooooo yummy! Don't be scared off by the higher fat content, they have nuts in them so it's the good kind of fat. To reheat, I think the best bet is just stick them in the toaster, then they will have a slight crunch to them instead of being all soggy.


Also, I don't reserve any of the nuts, I just dump them all in the batch - it's easier that way. These are great to serve with some chopped fruit (kiwis, strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, whatever floats your boat) and maybe some scrambled eggs. A great fast dinner. And can you tell? I love breakfast for dinner!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=682568

Spiced Apple Pancakes

It was still pretty warm outside today, but from inside my cool house you might have thought it was Autumn (which is my favorite favorite season). So I decided to try a new recpie for Spice Apple Pancakes and had them with Potato-Zucchini cakes and center-cut bacon. Yum! On the pancakes, I just used cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves (Ethan said our house smelled like "christmas") :) Also, the recipe says medium-high heat, but it burnt the sugar unfortunately, so I would try medium and for less time than recommended (just keep a close eye on it). Here's the recipes for both

Spiced Apple Pancakes (from Country Living website)

Makes 8 servings
Ingredients

2 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine
2 tablespoon(s) water
1/2 cup(s) sugar
2 tablespoon(s) sugar
1 1/2 pound(s) (3 to 4 medium) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges
3 large eggs
3/4 cup(s) milk
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon(s) pumpkin pie spice or 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat butter, water, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium-high heat to boiling. Add apple wedges; cook 12 to 15 minutes or until apples are golden and sugar mixture begins to caramelize, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, in blender or food processor with knife blade attached, place eggs, milk, flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, adding liquid ingredients to blender first. Blend until batter is smooth. (I just used a spoon to stir it)
When apple mixture in skillet is deep golden, pour batter over apples. Place skillet in oven; bake 15 to 17 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information(per serving)
Calories
210
Total Fat
6g
Saturated Fat
3g
Cholesterol
91mg
Sodium
140mg
Total Carbohydrate
36g
Dietary Fiber
2g
Sugars
--
Protein
5g
Calcium
--

Here's the recipe for the Potato-zucchini cakes (very fitting since anyone with a garden has zucchini coming out of their ears) :) I originally got this from cooking light. Also, if you have a poor man's kitchen (like I do) I just used a cheese grater to shred the ingredients. I would also recommend washing any towels you use for this immediately or they'll stink up your entire house.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
3 cups shredded peeled Yukon gold potato (about 1 pound)
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 8 ounces)
1 cup shredded onion (about 1 small)
1/2 cup egg substitute (I used 1 large egg)
1/4 cup matzo meal (I used flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided

Preparation
Place potatoes, zucchini, and onion in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine potato mixture, egg substitute, matzo meal, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and dash of pepper in a large bowl, and stir gently to blend.
Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spoon about 1 cup potato mixture onto hot pan, spreading to a 6-inch diameter. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate; keep warm. Repeat procedure with the remaining 3 teaspoons oil and remaining potato mixture.

Nutritional Information
Calories:
242 (31% from fat)
Fat:
8.4g (sat 0.8g,mono 5.2g,poly 1.9g)
Protein:
8.3g
Carbohydrate:
34.6g
Fiber:
3.8g
Cholesterol:
0.0mg
Iron:
2.7mg
Sodium:
504mg
Calcium:
35mg

So basically one serving of each plus 2 strips of center cut bacon and you have a yummy meal for only 505 calories!

Walnut Bread

Instead of using a bread mixer as suggested (which I don't have) I just kneaded it on a lightly floured surface. This bread is soooo yummy! You can make 2 normal sized loaves, or split it into 4 smaller loaves.

Yield: 2 loaves, 16 servings per loaf

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup boiling water
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
6 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
20.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 cups), divided
9 ounces whole-wheat pastry flour (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Place oats in a food processor; pulse 8 times or until coarsely chopped. Combine chopped oats and 1 cup boiling water in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer; let stand 5 minutes. Add buttermilk to oat mixture, stirring to combine. Stir in honey and oil. Add the oat mixture to yeast mixture; mix with dough hook attachment until combined. Weigh or lightly spoon 13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups) and whole-wheat pastry flour in dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours with salt. Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture. Mix dough at medium speed 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding remaining all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to sides of bowl. Add walnuts; mix at medium speed just until combined.
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)
4. Preheat oven to 400°.
5. Punch dough down; divide in half. Divide each half into 3 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), shape each portion into a 14-inch rope. Place 3 ropes lengthwise on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (do not stretch). Pinch ends together at one end to seal. Braid ropes, and pinch loose ends together to seal. Repeat procedure with remaining dough to form another braid. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
6. Spritz top and sides of loaves lightly with water from a spray bottle. Bake on center rack of oven at 400° for 28 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

Nutritional Information
Calories:
150
Fat:
4.3g (sat 0.5g,mono 1.2g,poly 2.2g)
Protein:
4.1g
Carbohydrate:
24.1g
Fiber:
2.1g
Cholesterol:
1mg
Iron:
1.5mg
Sodium:
195mg
Calcium:
27mg

Spinach Pasta Soup

I normally don't like tomatoe soup (at least not Campbell's), but this is fresh and delicioso! Not to mention uber healthy. I like to serve it with either fish or a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread. Orzo pasta, by the way, is found on the pasta isle.

4 C chicken broth (low-sodium)
1/2 C water
1/4 C plus 1 Tb tomatoe paste (no salt added)
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)
1/4 C orzo or pastini (I like more, so put closer to 2/3-3/4 C)
6 C (8oz) fresh spinach leaves only, patted dry
1/4 C green onions
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine broth, water, tomatoe paste, and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil. (Make sure you watch it, it always boils over when I cook it).
Stir in pasta, reduce heat to medium and cook 5-7 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
Stir in spinach and green onions, cook for 2-3 minutes.
To serve stir in salt and pepper.

Earthy Sweet and Sour Shrimp with Coconut Rice

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Preparation
Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside.
Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and chile paste, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 301 (30% from fat)
Fat: 10g (sat 1.1g,mono 4.6g,poly 3.2g)
Protein: 35.3g
Carbohydrate: 16.8g
Fiber: 0.5g
Cholesterol:259mg
Iron: 4.4mg
Sodium: 621mg
Calcium: 103mg

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:
1 C basmati rice
1 1/4 C water
1/2 C light coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 16 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

This is one of the best Sweet and Sour recipes. Ethan swears he doesn't like ginger at all. I told him there was ginger in this (AFTER he said he liked it, of course) and he said that there couldn't be ginger because then he wouldn't like it :) So very yummy!

Fantastick Homemade Pizza Recipe

This is from Cooking Light. Which after looking at the nutritional content, I shudder to think how many calories and fat are in take-out pizza

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: 2 wedges)

Ingredients
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°), divided
10 ounce bread flour (about 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
4 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup Basic Pizza Sauce (see below)
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup small fresh basil leaves

Preparation
1. Pour 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and spoons; level with a knife. Add flour to 3/4 cup water; mix until combined. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and yeast in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add yeast mixture, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to flour mixture; mix 5 minutes or until a soft dough forms. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover surface of dough with plastic wrap lightly coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 24 hours.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, 1 hour or until dough comes to room temperature. Punch dough down. Press dough out to a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured baking sheet, without raised sides, sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges to form a 1/2-inch border. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap.
3. Position an oven rack in the lowest setting. Place a pizza stone on lowest rack. Preheat oven to 550°. Preheat the pizza stone for 30 minutes before baking dough.
4. Remove plastic wrap from dough. Sprinkle dough with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread Basic Pizza Sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange cheese slices evenly over pizza. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone, using a spatula as a guide. Bake at 550° for 11 minutes or until the crust is golden. Cut pizza into 10 wedges, and sprinkle evenly with basil.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
421
Fat:
10.9g (sat 4.7g,mono 4.7g,poly 1g)
Protein:
16.9g
Carbohydrate:
62.8g
Fiber:
6.5g
Cholesterol:
22mg
Iron:
4.4mg
Sodium:
754mg
Calcium:
267mg

Basic Pizza Sauce

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1/3 cup)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove tomatoes from can using a slotted spoon, reserving juices. Crush tomatoes. Stir tomatoes, juices, salt, and oregano into garlic mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Nutritional Information
Calories:
66
Fat:
4.7g (sat 0.7g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:
1.2g
Carbohydrate:
6.2g
Fiber:
1.4g
Cholesterol:
0.0mg
Iron:
1.4mg
Sodium:
175mg
Calcium:
48mg

Try it and let me know what you think. It makes your house smell soooo yummy. Just an FYI, the dough is INCREDIBLY sticky and is supposed to be. I mixed it with my hands and spent 5 minutes trying to rub off as much as possible into the bowl. To make the crust I just kind of held it by the edge and rotated it around and let gravity do it's work. It really is a very simple recipe, just needs planning to make the dough the night before. But it's tasty and filling without the heavy food coma afterward!

The Best Chicken Enchilada Recipe!!!

This is my very favorite ever! It is so filling without being greasy or overwhelming.


Yield
10 servings (serving size: 1 casserole slice and 1 tablespoon sour cream)


Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup prechopped fresh onion
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Dash of ground red pepper
2 (15.5-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, divided
18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (16-ounce) jar green salsa
10 tablespoon reduced-fat sour cream
Cilantro sprigs (optional)


Preparation
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add prechopped onion; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Stir in beans; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chicken, 1/2 cup green onions, and 7 tablespoons ripe olives; stir well.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Layer 6 tortillas on bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining 6 tortillas.
Combine milk, chopped cilantro, and salsa in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour over top of tortillas. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, remaining 1/2 cup green onions, and remaining 1 tablespoon olives. Bake for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with sour cream. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.


Nutritional Information
Calories:
353 (30% from fat)
Fat:
11.8g (sat 4.2g,mono 4.2g,poly 1.8g)
Protein:
23.5g
Carbohydrate:
45.8g
Fiber:
7.9g
Cholesterol:
45mg
Iron:
2.5mg
Sodium:
734mg
Calcium:
396mg