Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Pinto Bean Casserole~


Pinto Bean Casserole


Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chuck

1 med. onion, chopped

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 pt. sour cream

2 cans pinto beans

1/2 tsp. salt

1 pkg burrito mix

2 Sm. pkgs. Pillsbury croissant rolls or corn chips.



Roll croissant rolls out in a 9x 13- inch casserole dish that has been oiled.

Brown chuck, drain all the fat off the meat and add onions burrito mix.

Pour drained pintos into meat mixture. Add to the top of of croissant rolls.

Spoon a layer of sour cream over this and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups shredded

cheddar cheese. Roll remaining can of croissant rolls over this layer. Top with

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and bake on 350 until brown.


This makes a great quick meal. You can spice it up any way you like.
Happy Cooking.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Weight Watchers Luscious Lemon Pie~

In honor of national pie day!
Luscious Lemon Pie
12 (2 1/2-inch) graham cracker squares

4 teaspoons cold reduced-calorie margarine

1 envelope (four 1/2-cup servings) sugar-free lemon-flavored gelatin mix

1/2 cup boiling water

1 envelope (four 1/2-cup servings) reduced-calorie instant vanilla pudding mix, divided

2 cups aspartame-sweetened lemon nonfat yogurt, divided 1 cup skim milk

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. In food processor or blender, process crackers until finely crumbled. Add margarine; process until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and part way up sides of pie plate. Bake until browned, 6-8 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

In small, bowl, combine gelatin mix and water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

In large bowl, with electric mixture set at medium speed, beat together pudding mix, 1 cup lemon yogurt, milk and plain yogurt. Add gelatin mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into cooled pie crust; cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 8 hours. Cut into 8 wedges; top each wedge with 2 tablespoons of remaining lemon yogurt.

Serves 8.

Source: "Simply the Best," by Weight Watchers.

Nutrition data, per serving: Calories 116 (12 percent from fat); fat 1.5 g (sat 1.2 g, mono 0.6 g, poly 0.5 g); protein 6 g; carbohydrates 19 g; fiber 0 g; cholesterol 1 mg; sodium 345 mg; 184 calcium mg.
Happy cooking.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

HillBilly Corn Bread~



HillBilly Corn Bread
Ingredients:
1 Cup milk
1 1/4 self rising corn meal
2 Medium onions, chopped
1 lb ground chuck, browned
1 (14 1/2 OZ.) can creamed style corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, to taste
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease large iron skillet. Place skillet in oven to get hot. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until well mixed. Pour into hot skillet. Bake until well browned, about 30 -45 minutes. This is good to eat fried potatoes. Comfort Food YUM!
This was taken from the Old Savannah Baptist Church Cookbook.I grew up in this church. There were (are) many wonderful cooks here even some of my recipes are featured. I hope to share more recipes from this cherished recipe book. Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours. Lisa


Thursday, January 15, 2009

WW Zero Points soup~



WEIGHT WATCHERS ZERO POINTS GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP

Estimated POINTS® Values Per Serving 0
Servings 9
Ingredients
6 cups broth (Vegetable Stock or fat-free chicken broth)
Cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large can stewed tomatoes,chopped, if desired


Instructions


Bring the broth to a boil in the microwave. (This is a time-saving tip that can be skipped if there's no hurry.)

Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray and heat on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to MEDIUM and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini are tender. Serve and enjoy!

Special Notes
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 1 1/4 hour
Makes 9 cups.

Happy Cooking, Lisa

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Mountain Dew Cake~


Mountain Dew Cake
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant lemon pudding
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 can mountain dew
Preparation
Simply mix all ingredients, pour into greased bundt pan, bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

TOPPING:
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 c. butter
1 c. flaked coconut
1/2 c. chopped nuts
Mix sugar and flour. Add to butter and pineapple. Cook in saucepan until lightly thickened. Remove from heat. Add coconut and nuts. Spread on hot cake.
This one is moist and yummy. Happy Cooking. Lisa

Bake Ziti Casserole~




Ingredients
PAM Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
8 ounces dry ziti pasta
1 pound ground sirloin beef or ground beef(vegan crumbles)
1 can (26 oz each) Hunt's Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce
1 can (6 oz each) Hunt's Tomato Paste
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1 cup = 4 oz)



Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Cook beef in large skillet over medium-high heat 7 minutes, or until browned and crumbled, stirring frequently; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato paste; blend well.
Spoon 1/2 cup meat sauce into bottom of prepared baking dish. Top with half the pasta, half the remaining sauce, and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers, starting with pasta and ending with cheese.
Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Makes: 6 servings (1-1/4 cups each)

This is an easy recipe and has quickly become a family favorite in our house.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Southwest Chicken Breast Sandwich


Southwest Chicken Breast Sandwich


Ingredients:

Three 6 to 8 oz chicken breast

1 loaf sourdough bread

4 oz salsa

2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced

4 oz Colby jack cheese, sliced


Spice Blend:


1 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper


Mix spices and rub chicken breasts on both sides. Grill chicken breasts until juices run clear, set aside.


Sandwich assembly: Slice bread lengthwise. Cut chicken and place on bread. Top with avocado slices, salsa, and cheese. Place sandwich under broiler to melt cheese. Cut sandwich into serving portions.


I love finding good recipes on the back of bags, boxes,cans etc. I found this on the back of a sour dough bread bag I purchased at Sam's.I hope you enjoy this.
Happy Cooking. Lisa


Greek Snapper With Feta Cheese



Ingredients:


1 tablespoon olive oil


¼ cup finely chopped shallots


1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano


1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano


½ teaspoon salt, or to taste


¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste


4 (6-ounce) red snapper or tilapia fillets


½ cup coarsely crumbled peppercorn-feta or plain feta cheese


¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


3 tablespoons small (nonpareil) capers, drained and rinsed


Preheat oven to 450°F.
Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallots; cook, stirring occasionally for 1 minute or until tender but not brown. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place the fish in the dish, skin-side down. Pour the tomato sauce mixture over and around the fish. Cover and bake for 8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Meanwhile, toss together the feta cheese, parsley, and capers in a small bowl.
To serve, use a spatula to transfer the fish and tomato sauce to plates and top with the feta cheese mixture.

Makes 4 servings
Served with buttered orzo, steamed broccoli, crusty bread – and a dry to slightly off-dry German or California Riesling - Greek Snapper with Feta Cheese becomes an elegant dinner menu perfect for serving to your most discriminating guests. You, as the host, can enjoy the dinner party, too. The fish and cooked sauce with feta cheese topping may be assembled in the baking dish and refrigerated for several hours. If chilled, add about 5 minutes to the baking time. Happy healthy Cooking. Lisa


Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Beef Stew With Dumplings~



This recipe comes from a book I have had for several years. My husband bought me several of these books for gifts and I treasure them. It is called southern living" Our Best One Dish Meals". There are many great recipes in this book that my family loves and I want to share some with you.
Beef Stew With Dumplings
2 Pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1- inch pieces
1/3 cup all- purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
5 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
4 large carrots,scraped and quartered
6 small boiling onions peeled
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered.
3 stalks celery, quartered
1 cup biscuit and baking mix
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoon milk
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Combine first 4 ingredients in a zip- top plastic bag. Seal bag: shake well. Remove meat from bag; reserve any remaining flour mixture. Brown meat in hot oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in remaining flour mixture, water and next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add carrots ;cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add boiling onions, you could use pearl onions. I love them for a stew. With the onions also add potatoes and celery; cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
Combine biscuit mix and remaining ingredients; stir just until moistened. Drop dough by Tablespoonfuls on top of simmering stew. Cook uncovered 10 minutes; cover and cook 10 minutes.Yield: 2 1/2 quarts.
Happy Cooking.