Recipe Tuesday: My big, fat, Greek yumminess

I clipped this recipe out of the Parade magazine a few weeks ago. You know the free one that comes with the Sunday newspaper? What? You don't read a hard copy of the Sunday newspaper any more? That's tragic.

Anyway, always on the look out for healthy recipes, I was excited for this one. I plan on serving it tonight with grilled chicken and toasted pita for dinner.

Tzatziki
from Molly Ringwald's recipe in the February 13th Sunday Parade (yes, THAT Molly Ringwald)
makes: a LOT
serving size: 2 TBSP (yeah right)

Ingredients:
- 4 cups fat-free Greek yogurt, strained
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large cucumber, shredded, with juice squeezed out (which is important or it gets too watery - you can just squeeze the shreds in your hands over the sink)
- 3oz olive oil

- 1.5 oz white wine vinegar
Pinch of salt

Directions: Mix the ingredients in a bowl and let infuse for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

Store in the fridge in an air-tight glass container.

Goes great as a dipping sauce with grilled chicken, grilled pork loin, raw veggies or plain grilled pita.

Recipe Tuesday: HEALTHY Corn Chowder

I know what you're thinking: no way! That's what I was thinking too when this Paula Deen recipe landed in my in-box. Yet, here it is.

Full disclosure: I have not tried this yet. But it sounded good enough to share. It's on the meal calendar I've planned out for the week I'm thinking about making it this weekend.

Lighter Corn Chowder
Recipe from Ms Paula Deen, y'all!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
3 strips center-cut reduced-fat bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (32-ounce) container chicken stock
2 russet potatoes, cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (16-ounce) package frozen baby gold and white corn kernels (3 cups)
1 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons fat-free half-and-half
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

DirectionsSpray a large nonstick saucepan with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until browned, 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

Add the onion and jalapeno to the saucepan. Cook, over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour; cook 1 minute. Add the broth, potatoes, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Add the corn, milk, half-and half. Cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese and cilantro; sprinkle with the bacon.

Yield: 8 cups
Nutritionals: Per Serving (1 cup): 167 Cal (15% from Fat, 23% from Protein, 62% from Carb); 10 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 27 g Carb; 2 g Fiber; 5 g Sugar; 117 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 668 mg Sodium; 6 mg Cholesterol

Recipe Tuesday: Healthy Football Snacks

Last Tuesday, the Ohio State Buckeyes played in the Sugar Bowl. Instead of going to a bar filled with tempting, unhealthy food, we decided to stay home & watch the game. I whipped up some healthy "snacks" to have as dinner during the festivities. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the food, as we were both starving by 8:30pm when we finally sat down to nosh.

In addition to the great guilt-free potato skins below, I also made baked chicken fingers (I dip the chicken in bread crumbs without using an egg wash), a hot ricotta cheese dip (using part-skim ricotta cheese), & some phylo dough wrapped cheese triangles. It was all a lot more satisfying than having the usual high fat, high calorie chips & queso!

Guilt-free Potato Skins
recipe from the awesome Hungry Girl

Ingredients
3 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. imitation bacon bits
1/4 cup chopped chives and/or fat-free sour cream and/or salsa (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prep potatoes by washing & drying to remove dirt & piercing them several times with a fork to prevent bursting while cooking. Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 4 minutes. Turn potatoes over & return to microwave for 4 more minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a fork, gently scrape out the bulk of the flesh. Place potato skins on a baking dish spritzed with nonstick spray. Cook for 8-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your potato skins.

Evenly distribute cheese and bacon bits onto potato skins. Turn off oven, but return skins to the oven until the cheese has melted (for crispy crunchy cheese, leave the oven on).

Remove and top with chives. Cut skins in half. Serve with fat-free sour cream and/or salsa. Makes 3 servings.

Recipe Tuesday: awesome pie edition

I made two pies for Thanksgiving this year: a healthy (130 calories a slice!) pumpkin pie & a much less healthy peanut butter chocolate pie. Both were a hit with the fam. So even though Thanksgiving is over, in my mind, it's always pie season.

"Healthy" Pumpkin Pie (photo recipe courtesy of the amazing Hungry Girl)


Ingredients
For Crust*
2 cups Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown); melted & mixed with 1 oz. water
3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated
1 tsp. cinnamon

For Filling
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, granulated
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

[In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Combine crumbs with all other crust ingredients. Stir until mixed well. In an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, evenly distribute mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside.]

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. (Filling may be taller than the crust -- this is okay!)

Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes, and then remove it and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours (for best results, chill overnight).

Cut into 8 slices, and if you like, top with Reddi-wip** before serving!

*Okay, okay, I admit: I used a store bought crust. It was just easier & it only added one Weight Watchers point to the recipe. You can skip the part in brackets above if you're using a pre-made crust.

**This step is clearly not optional.

"Unhealthy" Peanut Butter Pie

(Photo courtesy of Jif.com... & yes, this is really what it looks like. So. Darn. Amazing.)

Ingredients
1 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat, not that it makes much of a difference!)
1/2 cup sugar (I used Splenda)
1 (12 oz.) container (4 1/2 cups) frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided (I used fat-free Cool Whip)
1 prepared chocolate pie crust
1 (11.75 oz.) jar Smucker's® Hot Fudge Spoonable Ice Cream Topping (I used squeezable chocolate shell for the design on the top because it was easier)

Directions
Beat together 1 cup peanut butter, cream cheese & sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on medium, until well combined. Gently mix in 3 cups whipped topping until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into pie shell. Using a spatula, smooth mixture to edges of pie.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of hot fudge topping into the corner of a resealable food storage bag; set aside. Microwave remaining topping on HIGH (100% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Spread topping over pie, covering entire peanut butter layer. Refrigerate until set. Spread remaining whipped topping (1 1/2 cups), over hot fudge layer, being careful not to mix the two layers.

Cut a small corner from bag containing topping. Squeeze bag to drizzle topping over pie. Place remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter in a resealable food storage bag; cut bag corner & squeeze to drizzle in opposite direction from topping. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Tuesday: Butternut Squash "fries"

Mega Yum

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

Do you love french fries? I do. If you name a restaurant within a three mile radius of our house, I can probably tell you if they have good fries or not (Hard Times Cafe & King Street Blues tie for most awesome fries in Old Town). But I hate how bad fries are for you.

Enter: butternut squash french fries. They look like fries. They taste like fries. But they're actually butternut squash. Total Weight Watchers points value: 1. Let the world rejoice!

Butternut Squash Fries

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 18 min

Ingredients
- 3 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
- 1 pound(s) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, long “neck” cut into sixteen 3/4-inch-thick sticks
- 1 tsp table salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste (optional) (I didn't have any, so I used an all-purpose seasoning & it did the trick)

Directions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Arrange squash fries on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and chili powder; liberally coat with cooking spray.
- Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 14 to 18 minutes. Yields 4 fries per serving.

Notes
Start with a large squash. You will end up using about 1 lb of squash and have the “bulb” of the squash left over.

Any hard winter squash will work in this recipe.

Recipe Tuesday: Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Photo (C) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

There is no one who loves coffee more than I do (I take that back, I have a good friend who makes, and drinks, at least one pot a day).

Anyway, the only thing I don't like about coffee is how expensive it is to buy from a restaurant/coffee house. Which is why I was really excited to find this recipe for crock pot pumpkin spiced latte's! Is there anything more perfect for fall?

Note: this recipe is also gluten free!

Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (I used 1%)
- 2 T canned pumpkin
- 2 T white sugar
- 2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
- 1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

- garnish with whipped cream (optional) (lets be honest though, this isn't really optional)

Directions
This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crock pot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crock pot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon.

Recipe Tuesday: REAL Greek salad

Traditional Greek Salad


Photo (c) Christina Saull - All Rights Reserved

There is nothing I love more than Greek salad. No, not lettuce with feta cheese. But real Greek salad which is made without lettuce. That gorgeous salad above is Royal Caribbean's version of Greek salad, which (surprisingly) might be the best I've ever had.

This is kind of a summer recipe, but a favorite one, full of really good fats and veggies.

Ingredients
* 4 medium sized tomatoes
* 1 small cooking onion
* 3 ounces Feta cheese
* 2 teaspoons oregano
* 3-4 ounces olive oil
* ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions
1. Slice up the tomatoes into wedges, and place in a salad bowl.
2. Peel and slice the onion, and add. Sprinkle in the salt and oregano. If the oregano is in larger pieces, crush it up a little more beforehand, as it will help to release the oils.
3. Add in the feta cheese, which can be crumbled by hand or with a fork.
4. Drizzle in the olive oil.
5. Mash up the tomatoes slightly, and toss the ingredients gently.

This salad will serve up to 6 people.

Autumnal Week & Recipe Tuesday... all rolled into one!

What a great blog day! Day 2 of "Autumnal Week" & Recipe Tuesday, all rolled into one post!

Today, I give you this:


Corn Chowder*

This became a favorite of ours during last year's snowpocalypse, round I (not to be confused with this year's snowpocalypse, round II).

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
6 bacon strips, diced
3/4 cup diced celery**
1 small onion, diced
1 cup diced potato
1 cup water
1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a saucepan, cook bacon, celery and onion over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until bacon is cooked; drain. Add potato and water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through (do not boil). Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

* There is nothing healthy about this recipe.
** I leave out the celery since Brad doesn't like it.

Recipe Tuesday: Bishop's Bread

Last weekend, Brad & I went to a little B&B out in the country for an anniversary/get-of-out-of-the-city getaway. Sunday morning for breakfast, the owner made the most delicious Bishop's Bread (along with some other extremely yummy breakfast items).

I thought I would share this recipe I found, which I can't wait to try.

Bishops bread
Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 1/2 cup chopped well drained maraschino cherries
* 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:
In mixing bowl, beat egg with electric mixer until light, about 1 minute. Add sugar, oil, and vanilla. Beat well. Blend in the buttermilk. In another bowl sift together the flour, soda, and salt. Add pecans, cherries, raisins or dates, and chocolate chips; blend well. Add to the first mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf of Bishop's Bread.

Recipe Tuesday: Butternut Squash Soup

I've been trying to cook at home more & try new recipes, so I thought I'd start a new thing on this ol' bloggity blog: Recipe Tuesday. Every Tuesday (give or take a week or two), I'll share a recipe that I've found, successfully made & managed not to kill anyone with. If I'm extra good, I'll try to include some photos of the cooking process.

This week: Butternut Squash Soup , courtesy of one of my coworkers.

When the weather turns chilly, there isn't anything better in the world than homemade soup. I made this for dinner Sunday night along with a grilled cheese sandwich for Brad & had it again for lunch on Monday. It will refrigerate well for a few days, & also will freeze well in small batches. My biggest tip is not to puree it too much - we might have been over-zealous, & it made the soup a little thinner than my personal preference.

¼ stick butter
1 onion, chopped
4 lbs. butternut squash – peeled, seeded cut into chunks
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 gala apple, peeled, cored, diced
2 cups half & half, light cream or milk
2 tbsp. apple brandy
½ tsp. ground nutmeg ( I like a little more)
salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth, apple. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash and apple are tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Add half & half , brandy, nutmeg, salt & pepper.

Adjust seasonings to taste. Also can add more liquids to adjust to desired thickness.

Note: after adding half & half, soup should not boil.