Category Archives: Recipes

Jan 17 2010

Mouthwatering Monday – Lentil Soup

Lentil SoupSince I am still on a diet, I am trying really hard to find and try healthy recipes that are not only good for me, but that taste good too. This week I thought I would share the recipe for a  low fat/high fiber Lentil soup that I made Sunday night.   I’ve not had a lot of experience with lentils but I found them to be pretty easy to prepare.  This lentil soup recipe is very hearty and filling and with our family of 5, we had enough left over to have again later in the week or to take to work for lunch.



INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package of lentils, rinsed
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 small bag of sweet corn
  • 3 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbs paprika
  • 3 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 11 cups water
  • 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • shaved Parmesan cheese

SUPPLIES

  • slow cooker
  • laddle
  • strainer
  • cutting board
  • knife
  • measuring cup

DIRECTIONS

Place lentils in strainer and rinse.  To your slow cooker, add the lentils, water and vegetable/chicken stock. Cook for one hour on medium heat, then add the onions, carrots, celery, corn and seasonings. Turn your slower cooker to low heat and let cook until all of the veggies and lentils are soft (I let mine cook for 2 hours).  Top each serving with Parmesan cheese and serve with a slice of crusty bread. Makes enough for 8-10 people.

This post is part of Mouthwatering Monday.

Jan 11 2010

Mouthwatering Monday – Eggplant Parmesean

I’ve mentioned before that in my quest to eat healthier I am exploring new recipes.  Here’s a tasty recipe for Eggplant Parmesan that I made for my family last week. It serves 6-8 people.

    INGREDIENTS

2 eggplants
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 parmesan cheese
1.5 cups tomato sauce of choice
1.5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

SUPPLIES

  • baking sheet
  • baking dish (2)
  • knife
  • whisk
  • tongs
  • shallow dish (2)
  • cutting board
  • measuring cups
  • cooking spray
DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Cut eggplant length-wise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
  3. Take one of the shallow dishes and whisk egg whites and water.  In the other shallow dish combine the Italian breadcrumbs and the parmesan cheese. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture then coat with the breadcrumbs.
  4. Place the eggplant slices on the baking sheet and place in the oven for 12 minutes.  When they are done, turn the slices over and bake for 12 more minutes.
  5. Next take your baking dish and coat the bottom with 1/4 of the tomato sauce. Place the eggplant slices in the baking dish and spoon sauce lightly over the eggplant slices. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Repeat in the second baking dish. Bake (uncovered) for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
  6. Serve alone or with your favorite pasta.

Coated w/ Italian Bread Crumbs
Coated w/ Italian Bread Crumbs

Topped w/ Cheese
Topped w/ Cheese

The final product!
The final product!

This post is part of Mouthwatering Monday.

NOTE/HELP: While the dish tasted great, this was my first time preparing eggplant and I was a little turned off by the seeds. Anyone out there know if there is a way to remove them before cooking?

Jan 3 2010

Mouthwatering Monday – Black Bean Soup

Black Bean SoupNow that I am back to dieting, it’s really important for me to adjust both what and how I am cooking.  To get started I turned to SparkRecipes.com, a healthy recipe database from SparkPeople.com. For those of you with iPhones, SparkRecipes has an iPhone app. I love the site because it not only has healthier recipes, but it also gives you the nutritional information so you can track your fat and calorie intake.

This weekend while looking through the recipe database I found what I think is a great recipe for black bean soup. Not only really easy to make, which is important, but it’s low in fat (2.8 grams) and low in calories (>250). Following is the recipe, modified slightly to fit the ingredients I had on hand. This recipe makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

    1 cup onion, green/red/yellow bell pepper mix
    1 medium carrot,chopped
    2 cans cooked & rinsed black beans
    1 can tomatoes,diced undrained
    2 bay leaves
    1 tsp.ground cumin
    1 tsp.dried thyme
    1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
    4 cups chicken stock
    salt and pepper to taste
    Garnish – low-fat sour cream & chives

DIRECTIONS

Place  onion, green/red/yellow bell pepper mix in small pan and heat through.  Place mixture in slow-cooker. Add black beans, chopped carrot, tomatoes (undrained), chicken stock, bay leaves, cumin, thyme and cayenne. Allow to simmer for 60 minutes, letting the carrots cook mostly through and the flavors to merry.
Before serving, puree 3 cups of the soup in a blender and then add back into slow-cooker.

Garnish with a dollop of low-fat sour cream & chives

For the original black bean soup recipe, click here.

This post is part of Mouthwatering Monday. To check out more mouthwatering posts, head over to A Southern Fairytale.

Dec 28 2009

Mouthwatering Monday – Chocolate Mint Mousse

Mint Chocolate Mousse

A few weeks ago a representative with Smucker’s emailed me to see if I’d like to try any of their new Limited Edition

toppings.  Being a Smucker’s family, I was eager to agree.  A few days later the woman contacted me again, only this time  recipes she sent me a few recipes she thought I might be interested in trying.  {Who knew?? I’d only ever used their toppings on ice cream}

Following is the recipe they sent me (and that I tried) for Chocolate Mint Mousse, using Smucker’s Chocolate Mint topping. It’s a really EASY and quick recipe that will leave your taste-testers smiling!

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/3 cups cold milk
  • 1 (4-serving size) pkg. instant chocolate fudge pudding
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Smucker’s Chocolate Mint Topping, divided
  • 1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Boys Mixing

SUPPLIES

  • Mixer
  • Spatula
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Serving Dishes

DIRECTIONS

Whisk milk and pudding mix in medium bowl for 2 minutes. Blend in 1/2 cup Smucker’s Andes Chocolate Mint topping. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into individual dessert dishes or serving bowl. Chill 30 minutes or until ready to serve.