Lasagna Rolls

I love lasagna, but sometimes it is labor intensive. These lasagna rolls are a nice change from the layered pasta.

Lasagna:

8 uncooked lasagna noodles
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)
8oz sliced mushrooms
6oz fresh baby spinach
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Sauce:

1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (7 oz) bottle roasted red bell peppers, undrained
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cook noodles according to package, omitting salt and oil. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, mushrooms, spinach, and 3 garlic cloves; saute 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and next 3 ingredients.
3. To prepare sauce, blend together vinegar, salt, pepper, tomatoes bell peppers, and red pepper with blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
4. Place cooked noodles on a flat surface, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture over each noodle. Roll up noodles, jelly-roll style, starting with short side. Place rolls, seam side down in baking dish. Pour sauce over rolls, and cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese, bake another 10 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned.

Chicken Piccata

This has become a favorite dish in our house. My husband would be happy if I made this for dinner every week!

4 chicken cutlets
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp grape seed oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp garlic (minced)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp capers (drained)
2 tbsp unsalted butter

1.Season cutlets with salt and pepper then dip in flour. Heat non-stick skillet over med-high heat add oil. Saute chicken in pan 2-3 minutes, flip, saute other side 1-2 minutes with pan covered.
2. Transfer chicken cutlets to warm plate, pour off excess fat from pan. Deglaze pan with wine and add garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly gone about 2 minutes.
3.Add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Return chicken to pan and cook each side for one minute.
4. Transfer chicken to warm plate. Add butter to pan, once butter melts, pour sauce over chicken.

*I served this on wild rice, but it would also be great over pasta!

Mississippi Mud Pie

This is my lighter version of my mother-in-law's recipe for Mississippi Mud Pie. It is one of my husband's favorite desserts so I made it this year for is birthday instead of a cake.

Graham Cracker Crust

*This crust is a bit lower in fat than many you may find ready made at the store. The egg white acts as a binder and you end up using less butter.

40 graham crackers (10 full cracker sheets)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter (melted)
1 egg white
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add sugar, butter and egg white; pulse about 6 times or just until moist. Press crumb mixture into a 9 inch pie dish coated in cooking spray. Bake for 8 minutes; cool completely on a wire rack.



Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding

* Reduced fat milk helps to cut the fat just a bit!

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
4 cups 2% milk
3 egg yolks (lightly beaten)
2 oz bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil over med. heat, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute, keep stirring!
2. Place egg yolks in a bowl. VERY gradually add hot milk mixture to egg yolks, stirring constantly (if you add too fast you will scramble your eggs). Return milk mixture to pan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and add chopped chocolate and vanilla extract, stirring until chocolate melts. Spoon pudding into a small bowl. Place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until pudding is cool, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from ice, cover the surface of pudding with plastic wrap and chill.


Whipped Cream

* I prefer real whipped cream..so I don't skimp here I go for the heavy cream!

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. Set aside.


Cream Cheese Filling

*Low fat cream cheese another way to cut the fat a bit

8 ounces low fat cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Whip cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until just combined. Gently fold in half of your whipped cream into Cream cheese mixture.


Layer the Mississippi Mud Pie

1. Spread cream cheese filling over cooled graham cracker crust.
2. Spoon cooled chocolate pudding over cream cheese filling. Spread into a smooth layer.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
4. Top pie with remaining whipped cream, and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

Sangria

This recipe was sent to me by an artist friend of mine. He claims it helps with the creative process! ;)

Serve this traditional Spanish drink chilled in a glass pitcher with sliced fruit floating on top.

1 bottle dry red wine
2 tbsp brandy
2 tbsp Triple Sec
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
5 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups sparkling water, chilled
8 orange wedges
5 lemon slices
5 lime slices

1. Combine 1 cup wine, brandy, Triple Sec, and sugar, stirring well until sugar is dissolved. Stir in remaining wine, juices, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. Chill at least 2 hours.
2. Strain mixture into a pitcher, toss the solids. Just before you serve, stir in sparkling water and the rest of the ingredients.

*Serving size depends on how creative you want to be!

Blackened Chicken Salad

You could just buy a spicy seasoning mix to use on this chicken, but I found that so many of them contain too much salt or MSG, so I included my spice-rub recipe at the end of this post. This salad and spice rub would also be great with fish!

3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp honey
3 cups chopped tomato
3/4 cup diced yellow or green bell pepper
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
3 tbsp Spicy Seasoning *see recipe below
Cooking spray
1 lb green beans
8 cups torn romaine lettuce

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stir with a whisk to combine.
2. Rub chicken evenly with Spicy Seasoning. Coat a large heavy skillet with cooking spray, and place over med-high heat until hot. Add chicken, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan, and cool. Cut chicken across grain into thin slices.
3. Steam green beans, covered 2 minutes. Rinse with cold water, and drain. Combine green beans and lettuce in large bowl; drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Top with tomatoes and chicken.

*Spicy Seasoning

2 1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp ground red pepper
1 tbsp black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients; store in airtight container.

Rosemary Balsamic Pork Chops

My main problem with pork chops is that they dry out really fast. This balsamic glaze really helps to flavor the pork chops and keep them moist. This dish is simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner, without being boring!

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 garlic cloves (minced)
4 boneless, center-cut, pork chops

1. Place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half (about 5 min)
2. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic; rub mixture over pork. Place pork in pan; cook for 5 min on each side or until desired degree of doneness, basting with vinegar. Let stand 5 min before slicing.

*Serves 4

I served the pork chops with wild rice, but it would be great with mashed potatoes or even creamy polenta

Chicken Cacciatore

This dish falls under the *Super Fast category. This recipe is really simple, but it tastes like you slaved over the stove. My kind of fast food!

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Cooking spray
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
3/4 cup green bell pepper (chopped)
1 1/2 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil

*Serve this over your choice of pasta. I served this over a bed of whole wheat spaghetti

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with oregano, dried basil, and red pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; saute 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; saute 5 min. Stir in pasta sauce and wine; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 min. Stir in salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and fresh basil.

Serves 4