Ultimate Recipe Swap: Vegetables

I have been slacking. This pregnancy is kicking my butt. I have been so sick, and so sleepy ALL THE TIME! I had a minute that I felt normal, so I thought I would participate in this weeks Ultimate Recipe Swap. This weeks topic.... Vegetables! 

This is something I've been looking more into lately, as my fiance recently became a vegetarian! 

This is my favorite corn recipe. It's so easy, and so quick! 

Baked Corn

2 cans white shoepeg corn, do not drain

1 stick butter, melted

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Jalapenos, chopped, opt. (I usually use 1 tsp. of the juice from a jar of peppers.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into an 8" square baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Don't forget to stop by Life As Mom for more veggie recipes. 

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Beans and Lentils

I am not a big fan of beans... which happen to be this week's topic. I have slowly started trying different recipes that include beans. So far I haven't tried one I haven't liked! Last fall we hosted a baby shower for a friend of ours who happened to be vegetarian. She also happened to be craving beans at the time. 

Here is a recipe that was a total hit! 

Bean Salad

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can garbanzos and/or black-eyed peas (I use a can of each)

1 can shoepeg corn

2-3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 medium red onion, finely diced

1 small can sliced black olives, finely diced (my Pampered Chef chopper works great for this)

Fresh (chopped) or dried flat-leaf parsley to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 c. cider vinegar (I use slightly more with 3 cans of beans instead of 2)

1/4 c. sugar

Splash of olive oil

Mix all ingredients through parsley.  Warm the vinegar and sugar till the sugar dissolves, then pour over other ingredients and mix.  Sprinkle with olive oil, salt & pepper and mix.  Chill till ready to serve.  This will last in the fridge for at least a week.

I have also posted recipes for my Quick Chili, and my Beef and Bean Casserole, which both have quite a bit of beans in them. 

Don't forget to stop by Life As Mom to see all the other recipes of the week!!

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Root Veggies

This is my kind of recipe swap! We are potato-aholics in my house! We literally eat potatoes with almost every meal. Usually I just mash them with a little sour cream a lot of butter, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I am, however, a huge fan of potato salad, IF the potatoes are properly cooked. I've found that the best way to achieve the perfect doneness is to steam them. Here is my favorite potato salad recipe... 

Baby Red Potato Salad 

4 cups baby red potatoes, cut in small pieces

½ cup green bell pepper, finely diced

¼ cup red onion, finely diced

3 scallions, diced

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise

salt and fresh pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine red onion, green pepper, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add scallions and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tip: i steam the potatoes instead of boiling them. 

Servings: 6 • Size: ¾ cups • Time: 15 minutes • Calories: 108 • Points: 2 ww points

My other favorite way to use root veggies is in a yummy pot roast! Check out my recipe for Balsamic Roast with Potatoes and Carrots. It's super easy and oh so tasty! 

Don't forget to stop by 

 to check out what every one else is cooking! 

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Herbs and Spices

I have two favorite spices that I use all the time! One is Chili Powder. I usually buy the big thing of Tone's Chili Powder from Sam's Club, because so far it has been the best I've tasted. 

My other favorite spice is the All-Purpose Seasoning that is made by Simply Organic. I sprinkle a little of this one on EVERYTHING it seems!


Here is my recipe for Chili Rubbed Pork Chops! It's a favorite around my house. 


Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

1 ½ tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
20 oz lean boneless pork chop, four ½-inch thick chops

Preheat broiler and coat broiler pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine chili powder, sugar, cumin and garlic powder. Add Worcestershire sauce and stir until paste forms.

Rub paste onto both sides of each pork chop, place on prepared pan and broil 4 minutes on each side until inside is no longer pink.
Serves 4.
WW Points: 4 pt each

I also like to slice potatoes into wedges and toss them into a zip lock bag, along with a bunch of the All Purpose Seasoning and a couple of tablespoons of EVOO. Then bake at 350F for about 30 mins. Makes perfectly seasoned potato wedges! 


Don't forget to stop by Life As Mom to check out all the other yummy recipe for the week! 

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Eggs

I love EGGS! Seriously, I could eat them for every meal... there are days that I do! We usually get about 3 dozen fresh EGGS at a time, and it will normally last us a week and a half to two weeks! Normally I just scramble them for burritos, or make yummy omelets with them. But here are a couple of my favorite EGG recipes!  Head over to Life As Mom to read more!

Mini Bacon and Cheese Quiches

prep: 15 min / cook: 20 min / total: 35 min

1 spray(s) cooking spray

36 item(s) wonton wrapper(s), 3 ½-inches square each

1 small onion(s), finely chopped

1 cup(s) fat-free EGG substitute**

1 ½ cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk

½ cup(s) low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

4 slice(s) cooked crisp turkey bacon, crumbled

* Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat 36 miniature muffin cups with cooking spray.

* Gently press 1 wonton wrapper into each muffin cup allowing ends to extend above cups. Spray edges of wrappers with cooking spray; set aside.

* Meanwhile, in a small skillet, stir-fry onion over medium-high heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

* In a large mixing bowl, whisk together EGG substitute, milk and cheese. Stir in bacon and onion until well combined. Fill each wonton wrapper with about 1 tablespoon of filling mixture.

* Bake until quiche mixture is set and edges of wrappers are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. 

POINTS® Value: 3

**You can use real EGGS, I've done it before. You will just have to disregard the points value**

Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets

total: 25 min

4 cups broccoli florets

4 whole EGGS

1 cup EGG whites

¼ cup reduced fat cheddar

¼ cup good grated cheese like pecorino romano

1 tbs olive oil

salt and fresh pepper

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Steam broccoli with a little water for about 6-7 minutes.

When broccoli is cooked, mash into smaller pieces and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Spray cupcake tin with cooking spray and spoon broccoli mixture evenly into 9 tins.

In a medium bowl, beat EGG whites, EGGS, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into the greased tins over broccoli until a little more than ¾ full. Top with grated cheddar and bake in the oven until cooked, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator to enjoy during the week.

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Whole Grains

So today's topic is WHOLE GRAINS !!! This is a good one for me, because I have started incorporating whole grains into an much as I can around our house! Here are a few of my favorite recipes...

Ginger-Pear Oat Smoothie

1 cup skim milk or plain nonfat yogurt
1 small ripe pear, cored, skin on
½ banana
½ cup oatmeal
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon flax oil, optional
4 ice cubes
Instructions

1. Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy, about five to ten minutes to ensure the ginger is well blended.

Nutrition Facts: Calories - 150, Fat - 1.5g, Saturated Fat - 0g, Cholesterol - 0mg, Sodium - 55mg, Carbohydrate - 30g, Fiber - 4g, Sugar - 13g, Protein - 6g

Blonde Brownies

1 cup (120g) whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (85g) butterscotch chips
3 Tbsp. butter
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups (144g) Heartland Granola Cereal
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4).
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Melt butterscotch chips and butter. Cool for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cereal. Blend in flour mixture.
4. Spread mix in 8"x8" (20x20 cm) pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool before cutting into 2" (5 cm) squares.

 

Brown Sugar Ice Cream
(This is so much better than it sounds!)

1 cup (195g) cooked short grain brown rice
1 cup (245g) reduced fat plain yogurt
1 cup (240 ml) non-fat, skim milk
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden flax meal
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until the rice begins to break apart. Pour into an air-tight, freezable container.

2. Freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm.

I hope you enjoy them... be sure to stop by Life As Mom to see more WHOLE GRAIN recipes!

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Flour

 

Today, over at Life As Mom the topic of conversation is FLOUR.

Honestly, baking is just not my thing. I will do it, and sometimes I even enjoy it. Usually though, when I bake, I do it from scratch. I despise boxed mixes even more than baking from scratch! 

So here are a few of my favorite recipes that use FLOUR.

Basic Whole Wheat Pancakes
*Found at Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes*

1 cup whole wheat FLOUR
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup 1% milk
3 large egg whites
2 tsp oil
1 tbsp sugar or honey
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
butter flavor cooking spray

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spray oil to lightly coat and pour ¼ cup of pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble, you may add your fruit if you wish. When the bubbles settle and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Top with fruit, preserves, honey, or your favorite sugar-free syrup. (extra points)

Servings: 4 * Size: 2 pancakes * Time: 15 minutes * Calories: 294 * Points: 3.5 ww point

Country Butter Biscuits

1/3 c Shortening
2c all purpose FLOUR
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/4 c FIRM butter
about 3/4 c milk

Preheat oven to 450. Combine FLOUR, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cut shortening into mixture until it resembles fine crumbs (I use a fork for this). Cut butter into 1/4'' pieces (I cannot stress how important it is to keep the butter chilled and firm for this). Toss with FLOUR mixture (Do not mash them down.) Stir in just enough milk till dough balls up and leaves the sides of the bowl (it usually takes the entire 3/4c plus about another T. for me).

Turn dough onto lightly FLOURed surface. Gently roll to coat. Now here is the trick to getting perfect fluffy, flaky biscuits. You do NOT want to over work the dough. It will make them dry and dense. I usually knead my dough about 10 times. Also, if you will fold the dough, then mash it down instead of kneading it with your fists, it will create the layers.

So fold it over itself and knead about 10 times. Then roll or pat dough out to about 1/2'' thick and cut with floured 3'' cutter. Place 1'' apart on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 mins. Remove immediately and brush tops with melted butter! 

Homemade Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de-Lites)*Found at Baking Bites*

Cookies
1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose FLOUR
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
up to 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in FLOUR, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (it’s possible you might not need to add milk at all). The dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. Add in a bit of extra FLOUR if your dough is very sticky.
Roll the dough (working in two or three batches) out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or slightly less) and use a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat with remaining dough. Alternatively, use scant tablespoons of dough and press into an even layer in a mini donut pan to form the rounds.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned and cookies are set. If using a mini donut pan, bake for only about 10 minutes, until edges are light gold.
Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 tsp per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it gets too firm to work with.
While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes about 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
Note: These cookies are fairly time consuming to make, but if you take your time and have fun with them, the results will be worth it.  

So head on over to Life As Mom and hop from blog to blog for some new recipes!