Yummy vegetable soup

This recipe is both healthy and yummy. I love the tomato-basil base.

Garden Vegetable Soup (Weight Watchers recipe)
(Serves 4)

1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic (minced or pureed)
3 cups broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
1 1/2 cup diced green cabbage
1/2 cup green beans
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup (4 oz) tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced zucchini

In a large saucepan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, saute carrots, onion and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, cabbage, beans, broccoli, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Stir in zucchini and heat 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Cranberry Salsa

Sorry Danette, Mom just told me you posted the request for this. I need to check more. :)

Cranberry Salsa

one bag cranberries

1 small jalapeno

1/2 bunch cilantro

4 green onions (white part only)

1/2-3/4 cup sugar to taste

Blend it all together. I use my food processor and it just takes a second. My friend hand chops hers.... Spread a block of cream cheese on a platter and top with the cranberry mixture. Eat with crackers. :)

Help

Can someone please post the layered cranberry cream cheese dip that Crystal made for the after-Christmas family party last year????

Parmesan Fondue

(We cut this in half for our family and it filled my mini fondue crock pot.)

1 1/2 cups milk
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cubed
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cubed

In a 2-quart saucepan, cook and stir the milk and cream cheese over low heat until cheese is melted.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and garlic salt; cook and stir until heated through. Transfer to a fondue pot or mini slow cooker; keep warm.  Serve with bread cubes.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 small to medium pumpkin
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
sliced or fresh mushrooms
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 can sliced water chestnuts

Cut off the top of the pumpkin and thoroughly clean out seeds and pulp. Saute ground beef and onion. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, and soup. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked rice and water chestnuts. Spoon into cleaned pumpkin shell. Replace pumpkin top and place entire pumpkin on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until inside meat of pumpkin is tender.
.

Mini Cheesy Meatloaves

For some reason I was thinking I already posted this one but I can't find it on here. Unless I posted it under a different title. Very sorry if this is a repeat.

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped fresh onion
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
4 T Ketchup
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 T brown sugar bbq sauce. (or just add a T of brown sugar to your regular sauce, which is what I do.)
1 oz cheddar cheese cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 375*
In medium mixing bowl, add all ingredients EXCEPT for cheese. Mix well.

You can either drop mixture into ungreased, unlined muffin tins, OR if you're like me and hate cleaning muffin tins, you can form 6-8 small loafs on a baking sheet.

Place one cube of cheese into the center of each mini-meatloaf. Press down.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Makes 6-8 loaves.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

I went on the hunt the other day for a low fat pumpkin soup and found this one. It turned out soooooooooooo good. Mike loved it too. We actually fought over the one remaining leftover serving of it tonight. (We ended up sharing. haha.) It goes perfectly with garlic bread. YUM!!

1Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of Garlic
1 T curry powder
1 tsp cumin
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 12oz can evaporated fat free milk
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large sauce pan over med. heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until softened. Stir in curry powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and pumpkin. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 20 minutes. Add evap. milk and let cook for 2 minutes.

Magic in the Middle Cookies

Magic in the Middle Cookies (from King Arthur Flour Blogspot)

Chocolate Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling

3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.

2. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.

3. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. (I thought it was easiest to just separate the dough into 26 pieces like the filling so I didn't run out or have lots of leftovers.)Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

4. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Use the bottom of a drinking glassto flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.

5. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Dipping sauces for fondue

BBQ Sauce:
1 1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp white vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in sauce pan and cook for 5 minutes, making sure sugar is dissolved


Seafood Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchub
1 to 2 heaping tsp horseradish


Sour Cream Mustard Sauce:
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped onion
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Mix all ingredients together and chill...



Horseradish Cream Sauce for beef fondue:
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 tsp lemon juice
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour.


Herb Butter Dipping Sauce:
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp fines herbes blend*
Dash Tobasco sauce

*Fines Herbes consists of equal parts chopped tarragon, chervil, chives, and parsley.


Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Creole mustard or other hot whole-grain mustard
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne

In small bowl, combine all ingredients; stir well, and chill.


Rouille
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne

Mix and chill.

Fondue Bourguignonne

I confess, I have no idea whether "Bourguignonne" is spelled right...

Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless beef sirloin or tenderloin
Canola or vegetable oil
Butter

Trim fat from meat and cut into bite-size pieces. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Fill fondue pot with 50:50 mixture of cooking oil and butter. Heat slowly on stove until butter bubbles and the mixture is golden in color. Carefully transfer pot from the stove to the fondue stand, and maintain medium-high temperature.

Coq Au Vin broth recipe for fondue

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 vegetable flavor bouillon cube (Knorr)
1/2 cup red grape juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 green onions, minced

Place all ingredients in a large sauce pan and stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Transfer to fondue pan.

This fondue broth is good for cooking bite-size cubes of beef, pork, or chicken, and vegetables such as new potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and squash.

Broth recipe for fondue

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup fennel, chopped
3 cloves garlic (peeled, pressed)
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup white grape juice or ginger ale
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried thyme
1/16 tsp powdered saffron

Place olive oil, onion, fennel, garlic in a large sauce pan and stir over medium-high heat until onions are opaque. Add chicken broth and remaining ingredients, then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Transfer to fondue pan.

This broth is recommended for cooking seafood...

Suggestions for fondue cooking:
New potatoes (red or white)
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Beef, chicken, or pork, 1-inch cubes (keep refrigerated until 20 min before cooking)
Seafood (halibut, scallops, shrimp)

"Flaming Turtle" Chocolate Fondue (Melting Pot recipe)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup milk chocolate
1/4 cup caramel syrup
2 Tbsp pecans, chopped
2 Tbsp rum, 151-proof for flambe (omit this if you opt for non-flaming turtle...)

For dipping:
Fruit, cut (strawberries, bananas, pineapple, raspberries, blackberries, etc)
Marshmallows
Cake, cubed (pound cake, cheesecake)

Soften milk chocolate in the microwave. Heat the milk in the fondue pot. Once the milk is hot, add the softened chocolate. Stir until consistency is smooth. Pour caramel into a pool in the middle of the chocolate. When it's time to serve, pour the rum over the top of the chocolate. Leave a small amount in the spoon to ignite with a lighter. Use flaming spoon to ignite the rum on the chocolate. Add the chopped pecans to the chocolate. Allow the flame to burn out.

Dipping Sauce for Fish and Chips

I don't really like tartar sauce so I was happy when I found this recipe. We made fishsticks for lunch today for the kids and served them with this sauce and Jacob loved it. I've never been able to get him to eat fishsticks before. Now I know the secret. :)

1/4 cup lowfat mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle
1 teaspoon pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I got this recipe from sparkpeople.com. After I stuffed the peppers I had extra stuffing and I ate it all. lol. It was soooo good. I have to say though, I'm not a big fan of the actual pepper part. I think it kind of takes away from the stuffing flavor. Mike says I just needed to add more salt, but I don't know. I think maybe I'm just not a fan of cooked bell peppers. :) But I'd make it again just for the stuffing part. Yu-um-eeeeeee!!

4 medium-size green peppers
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup canned tomatoes
1 cup cooked wild rice
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Directions
1. Slice off tem end of peppers; remove and discard seeds and membranes. Blanch peppers 5 to 10 minutes in boiling water. Drain.

2. Cook ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat until meat is browned, stirring until meat crumbles. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add tomotoes; cook until liquid evaporates.

4. Remove from heat; stir in rice and add seasonings.

5. Spoon 1/2-cup portions of mixture into peppers; sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs. Place peppers in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.Number of Servings: 4

Raspberry Cream Crepes

These are always such a treat for my family! I literally have to triple the batch for there to be enough to satisfy everyone! So, so yummy!

Crepes:

3 large eggs

1 1/2 c milk

1 c + 2 T flour

1 T sugar

1/4 t salt

2 T melted butter

Put all the ingredients in a blender in the order listed and blend them until the batter is smooth. Scrape the sides and briefly blend again. Set covered blender in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight (this makes the crepes more durable and easier to flip... however I have skipped this step before and they turn out fine).

Cream Sauce: (this is just basically thinned down cream cheese frosting)

4 oz cream cheese (fat free or reduced fat work great, too)

2 T butter

1 t vanilla

2 c powdered sugar

Milk as needed for thinning

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat well. Add milk slowly and beat until it is the consistency you want.

Spread raspberry jam on crepe then roll up and drizzle with cream sauce.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. The recipe is actually for a pancake mix, but I just figured out what the amounts would be for a normal batch for my family (which is a pretty big batch...you might have to adjust it if you decide to try it). I am always looking for a little variety in pancakes since Jared requests them at LEAST twice a week! These turned out really good!

1 3/4 c oatmeal

2 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 T sugar

1 1/2 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 T baking soda

1/2 c oil

4 eggs

4 c buttermilk (half yogurt and half milk works great or I have just used 1 T vinegar per 1 c milk substitution. Also, you might want to decrease the liquid a little if you like a thicker batter.)

Mix dry ingredients, then add the wet. You can also make this the night before and by morning the oats are nice and soft.

Buttermilk Biscuits

We tried another biscuit recipe and found that we like it better than the one I originally posted.

2 c flour (1 1/3 c whole wheat and 2/3 c white)

1 T baking powder

3/4 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

5 T shortening

1 c buttermilk (I use fat free plain yogurt and it turns out awesome!)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Add the buttermilk (or yogurt), tossing with a fork until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly a few times just until smooth. Pat dough to a 3/4" thickness. Cut out biscuits. Bake 425 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden.

Tomato 'n Cheese Pasta

I got this off of my friend Amber's recipe blog. I'm making it right now and it smells so yummy! I'm sure it will taste just as good.

2 cups uncooked small tube pasta
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans Italian Diced Tomatoes
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded parmesan


Directions


Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 mins. Drain pasta; stir into sauce pan. Transfer to a greased 1 qt. baking dish. Top with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 10-15 mins or until cheese is melted.

Cantonese Meatballs

I got this recipe out of a book that Kamie Farnsworth sent me for freezer meals. It turned out really good. We ate it over rice. Yummy, yummy. :)

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cornstarch
Frozen or homemade meatballs (I just buy the frozen ones at walmart)

Drain pineapple reserving juice. Combine reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, vinegar, ketchup and cornstarch. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add meatballs and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add pineapple. Serve with rice.

Lime or Lemon Bars

Well, all this talk about lemon bars on by Katie on facebook has given me a new craving.  Thanks a lot Kate.  :)  Not long ago I was at a dinner party and someone brought Lime bars.  They were so good.  Debbie requested that I post the recipe on here.  I'm pretty sure it's the same recipe as Lemon bars only you use Lime juice instead.  But here is the recipe anyways. :)

Ingredients


Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

Filling:

4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons lemon (or Lime) juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan.

Make the crust by combining the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. You may need to dip your fingers into a little flour or confectioners' sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Pour this over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired, when the bars are done.

Dessert Nachos

I just saw this on familyfun.com and it sounds sooooo good. I am totally trying this this week. :)


Ingredients
3 6-inch flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 tablespoon orange juice
8 ounces vanilla yogurt
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup shredded coconut or white chocolate shavings

Instructions
To make the tortilla chips, heat the oven to 350º. Cut the tortillas into triangles, lay them on a baking sheet, and spritz them with cooking spray.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the tops of the tortillas and bake for 12 minutes or until crisp.

For homemade strawberry sauce, combine the strawberries, orange juice, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar in a blender. Puree the ingredients until smooth.

Once the chips have cooled, set them on a plate. To complete the buffet, set out separate bowls containing the strawberry sauce, yogurt, chopped strawberries, and coconut or chocolate shavings. Serves 4 to 6.

Split Pea with Barley Soup

This soup has been one of our family's favorites for a long time. It fills you up without using too many of your calories for the day. It makes a lot, so you people with smaller families should half the recipe, and you'll still probably have leftovers for lunch the next day... or two. I usually make half-whole-wheat breadsticks and cut up some fruit to go with it.

8 cups water
1 pkg (16 oz) dry green split peas, rinsed
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup uncooked barley (find this either where the oatmeal is or with the flour and other grains)
4 chicken bouillon cubes or 4 tsp chicken bouillon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham (I use John Morrell 12 oz diced ham--it's usually in the meat department)

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except ham. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until soup reaches desired thickness. Add ham and cook until thoroughly heated. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Makes 10 cups.

Nutrition Info:
Serving size - 1 cup
Calories - 228
Total fat - 1.6 g
Saturated fat - .3 g
Trans fat - 0 g
Cholesterol - 12 mg
Sodium - 673 mg
Carbohydrate - 38.4 g
Dietary fiber - 13.4 g
Sugars - 5.6 g
Protein - 16.8
Vitamin A - 1%
Vitamin C - 4%
Calcium - 4%
Iron - 14%

Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs

I found this recipe in my Eating for Life cookbook and made it thinking I wouldn't really like the meatballs, but I loved them! (Probably because I actually used fresh parsley instead of my usual dried. :) )  I use Ronzoni Healthy Harvest spaghetti because it's got good stuff in it, and I think it tastes good, too. 

1 1/2 lean ground turkey
2 egg whites
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs or quick oats
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 cups Hunt's Chunky Vegetable spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti (about 12 oz)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, egg whites, breadcrumbs, water, onion, garlic, parsley, basil, and pepper.  Mix thoroughly and shape into 1 1/2" balls.  Arrange meatballs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned, turning once after 10 minutes. 

In a large saucepan, combine spaghetti sauce and cooked meatballs.  Simmer over low heat until warmed thoroughly.  Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.  Serve with Parmesan cheese. 

Makes 8 servings (one serving = 3 oz meatballs [about 3], 1/3 cup sauce, & 1/2 tbsp parmesan cheese).  Serve with 2 oz spagetti.

Nutrition Facts (does NOT include spaghetti):
Calories - 206
Total Fat - 7.9 g
Saturated Fat - 2.4 g
Trans Fat - 0
Cholesterol - 62 mg
Sodium 534 mg
Carbohydrates - 13.5 g
Fiber - 3.1 g
Sugars - 6.7 g
Protein - 20 g
Vitamin A - 16%
Vitamin C - 14%
Calcium - 10%
Iron - 14%

Blueberry Banana Muffins

I had a couple over ripe bananas and some blueberries in the fridge I needed to use up so I googled blueberry banana muffins. I found this one on cooks.com and they turned out soooooooo good.

1 med. banana, mashed
1/3 c. skim milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 egg whites
2 c. Bisquick
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. frozen blueberries, thawed and drained or 1 cup fresh blueberries

Beat banana, milk, oil and egg whites in medium bowl. Stir in baking mix, sugar and cinnamon until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 20 minutes @ 400 degrees. Makes 12 muffins.

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

This has got to be the best pie ever known to mankind. :)

1 precooked pie crust
1 12oz container of cool whip
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 pkg 5.1 oz vanilla instant pudding
2 medium bananas
Strawberries for garnish

Microwave 1 1/2 cups of whipped topping and chocolate chips on high for 30-45 seconds; stir until smooth. Spread on bottom of pie crust. Mix milk and pudding until thickened. Fold in 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Slice bananas over chocolate. Spread pudding mixture over bananas. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Garnish with remaining whipped topping and strawberries.

Disillusioned

I posted this link to some canola oil research on the diet and exercise blog, but I'll past it here as well: http://www.naturalnews.com/026630_canola_oil_olive_oil_saturated_fat.html Maybe I should just stop making anything that calls for fat. :(

Spicy Pumpkin (or applesauce) Cookies

Heidi, I hope this is the right recipe you wanted. I think I must have just substituted applesauce for the pumpkin. Warning: these are sort of healthy.

1/2 c. canola oil (scant)
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. pumpkin puree or applesauce
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. salt (sea salt is best (-: )
1 t baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 t. nutmeg (opt)
1/2 - 1 c. raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts, etc.

Mix first 4 ingredients. Add dry ingredients, mix well, add raisins (chips or whatever), drop on greased baking sheet, bake 350 degrees for about 15 min. or until done.

I sometimes use 1/2 c plain sugar, and use up some of my old honey by substituting (about 1/3 c.) for the other half cup sugar.