Friday, February 29, 2008

Broiled Orange Roughy

This recipe will be your entire dinner--main course & sides. It's tasty, too!
From Zonya's Lickety-Split Meals
Serves 4

2 (12 oz each) sweet potatoes or baking potatoes
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 head broccoli
8 baby carrots
1 (4 oz each) fresh or frozen fish fillets (thin fillets of orange roughy)
1 lemon, quartered
dash paprika
dash dill weed or oregano

Scrub potatoes throughly and pierce each potato 3 or 4 times with a fork. Wrap in a damp paper towel. Microwave on high 8 minutes. Test doneness by piercing with a fork. Cook longer if necessary.

Clean and cut veggies into pieces or save time and use 4 cups of frozen. Place in a steamer on top of the stove to cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place fresh or frozen fillets on broiling pan. (No need to defrost.) Squeeze 1/4 of the lemon over each fillet.

Sprinkle as much paprika & dill as you wish over each fillet. Broil until cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes. Cut sweet potatoes in half. Place potatoes and vegetables on table and serve fish. --Keri

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Breakfast in a Cookie

"This is a brilliant way to get your bowl of oatmeal, milk, and fruit all in a convenient, not to mention delicious cookie! This recipe makes a lot so you can freeze plenty for weeks of quick breakfasts, desserts and snacks." Zonya, Lickety-Split Meals

Makes 60 cookies

1 c. oat bran (dry, uncooked)
3/4 c. orange juice
1 c. + 1 T. applesauce, unsweetened
2 T. canola oil
1 c. honey
1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3 lg. eggs
1 1/2 T. vanilla
1 T. grated orange rind OR 2 t. orange extract
3 c. whole-wheat pastry flour OR 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour & 1 1/2 c. while flour
1 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 c. nonfat dry milk
2 1/2 c. oats (quick cooking or old-fashioned)
1 c. nuts
1 c. raisins
1 c. ground flax seed (opt)

Position oven racks to accomodate 2 sheets at a time in the center of oven. Preheat oven to 375. Coat nonstick cookie sheets with cooking spray.

Mix together oat bran and orange juice in a small bowl and set aside to soak for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine applesauce, oil, honey, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla & orange rind in a large bowl, using electric mixer, until smooth. Measure flour, baking powder and baking soda into a sifter and sift over applesauce mixture.

Add the soaked oat bran and remaining ingredients to the large bowl and mix thoroughly with a strong wooden spoon. Drop by slightly heaping tablespoons 1" apart. (To save time, load cookie sheets up with as many cookies as possible, baking 2 trays at a time. Stagger trays 1 to the left and 1 to the right, to allow air circulation around each outer edge.) Bake until lightly browned or 12-14 minutes.

This recipe takes a little while to prepare, but it makes so many and it comes in extremely handy when you're short on time and need a nutritious breakfast on the run. It tastes great, too! Even my kids love them. --Keri

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Oven-Baked Lentils & Rice

2 small onions
2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth, 1/3 less sodium
1 3/4 c. water
1/2 c. white grape juice
1 1/2 c. dry lentils, rinsed and picked over for stones
1 c. dry brown rice (not quick-cooking)
1 small jar (2 oz) chopped pimentos
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. garlic powder
15 grinds fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 c. reduced-fat shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Chop onions. Mix all ingredients but the cheese together in a large baking dish. Set timer for 90 minutes and bake uncovereed. After 90 minutes of baking, sprinkle over top and bake 15 minutes longer to melt. This recipe serves 6, so the portions are quite large (1 1/4 c. serving).

This is a Zonya recipe. My husband didn't love it, but the girls and I thought it was good. It's one that freezes well, too. It was so easy to make & who doesn't need more lentils in their life?! Of course, lentils and rice don't make a super colorful dish, so be sure to serve this with some colorful veggies, salad & fruit. Try it & leave your feedback on here to let others know if you like it. --Keri

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 stewing chicken**
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
2 Tbsp chicken soup mix (like chicken boulion...is that how you spell it??)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup frozen peas
Salt & Pepper,to taste

Homemade Noodles:
2 beaten eggs
Pinch of salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
1 to 2 cups flour (enough to make soft dough)

Flour your board well; roll out dough quite thin. Put a lot of flour on top of rolled out dough and then roll up like jelly roll. Cut really thin slices (I actually like thicker noodles) and toss in colander to remove excess flour. They will swell up as they cook.

Cut up stewing chicken (raw). Put cut up chicken, celery, carrots & onion in large pot. Cover with water & cook until meat is tender. Remove chicken and take meat off the bones. Put aside. Add soup mix, mushroom soup, peas and salt & pepper to broth. Boil.

Make Homemade Noodles and drop into boiling soup (you can use ramen noodles...but homemade is always best). Cook until noodles are tender. Add cooked meat after noodles are cooked (then the meat wont fall to pieces). Serve and enjoy!!

**you can use whatever chicken you like, but breasts wont work that well. My mom uses legs, but you can use a whole chicken or whatever. And do as much chicken as you would like, depends on how much you want in the soup**

I personally have never made this myself, but have had it a million times...it is actually on my menu for next week! I love this recipe from my Grandma, the noodles are my favorite part!
-Vinnie

Hello Dolly Bars

I NEED to redeem myself here... I have been so busy and not contributing to this enough! I have to thank Keri, who has been so faithful at this, and I have used some of your recipes, and they were a hit, I have people asking me where I got that, and going here to get some of the recipes....please dont stop adding to this blog, I promise I will be better, in a couple of months I will have to take a break with the new babe, but I will do better! So, that being said, this is one of my fav. desserts!!!

Hello Dolly Bars
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 pkg butterscotch chips
1 pkg chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup nuts (I never put these in)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I call it eagle brand milk)

Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs. Spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, coconut and nuts over top. Pour Eagle brand mild over top and bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

This is so good, so not healthy, but so good!!!
-Vinnie