Mini Meatloaves

This recipe was originally from the Food Network Magazine and I changed it up a little. You can never really go wrong with meatloaf and there are so many ways to make it that I never get tired of trying new versions. I used the leftovers from this meal to make some yummy Panini's. I took a sub roll and spread it with Onion and Chive Cream Cheese then placed slices of the meatloaf and provolone cheese and onion. I put it in the panini press until the bread was crispy on the outside. It was very good! Almost better than the original meal :)

MINI MEATLOAVES
1 cup breadcrumbs
½ cup uncooked oatmeal
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 med. onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
2 pounds meatloaf mix (ground beef and pork)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1 to 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix the breadcrumbs, oatmeal, milk, parsley, egg, Worcestershire sauce, onion, chili powder and garlic in a large bowl. Add the meat, season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until combined. Shape into 8 or 9 oval loaves.

Place on a greased baking sheet or large shallow baking dish. Whisk the ketchup, sugar and vinegar in a bowl and brush over the meat. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

This is another meal I kind of threw together and this also became a big hit. These are fairly easy to make and don't take long to cook. I am not putting any precise amounts to the ingredients because it all depends on how many you wish to make.




BEAN AND CHEESE QUESADILLAS

8" Flour tortillas
1 Can of fat free refried beans - heated in a pan until soft and spreadable. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if needed
Shredded cheese
Salsa - Jarred or homemade
Cooking Spray
Sour cream and salsa for dipping

For each quesadilla:

Heat up a skillet sprayed with cooking spray. When the pan is hot sprinkle about a tablespoon or so of shredded cheese in the bottom of the skillet and then place 1 flour tortilla over the cheese in the pan. spread a layer of refried beans on the tortilla, sprinkle evenly with cheese and then add spoonfulls of salsa here and there over the cheese. Don't make it a solid layer of salsa. Place another tortilla on top and press it down to flatten it all out. Spray top tortilla with cooking spray. Cook in the pan until the bottom tortillas looks lightly brown and crispy. Carefully remove to a plate and re-spray the pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with more cheese. Flip the quesadilla over and place back in the pan so that the top of the quesadilla is now on the bottom.

When the bottom is light brown and crispy remove to a cutting board. Cut it like you would a pizza and serve with salsa and sour cream or whatever sipping sauce you wish. Enjoy!!!

I'm Back and I Come Bearing Flautas!

I can't believe I have neglected my blog for so long! I wish I had some great excuse but really I don't :( I had no idea it had been so long. I have a few recipes to post so I will get right to it!

These Chicken Flautas are something I threw together one night and they became a big hit so I have now made them several times. There is not alot you can do to make these super healthy but using low fat cheese and low carb tortillas certainly helps. I also use fat free sour cream for dipping. Hey every little bit counts, right? Right?




CHICKEN FLAUTAS

2 Large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Can of diced green chilis
1 Can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained
1 ½ Cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
½ Cup diced onions
3 T Taco seasoning
½ Cup black beans
Flour tortillas, 8 inch size
Salsa, guacamole or sour cream for dipping (optional)

Boil chicken breasts in water until cooked. Cut into rough chunks and place in a food processor. Pulse a few times to get semi-finely chopped. Place in a medium frying pan.

Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas) and stir. When completely blended and the cheese is melted remove from heat. Soften tortillas in microwave by wrapping 5 at a time in damp paper towels for about 1 min.

Spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoons chicken mixture across one side of a tortilla and roll tightly. Make sure the filling reaches each end of the tortilla without spilling out the ends. As you roll, dampen the end of the tortilla with water so the end sticks when you are done rolling. Place in a pile until you have rolled all the tortillas using all the filling.

Heat oil in a medium fry pan just covering the bottom of the pan. Brown both sides of each flauta and place them on a rack on top of a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake for about 15 minutes

Serve with dipping sauces of your choice!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Here is an old standby that I have made many time before but usually one of the Tuna Helper meals. I never thought to make it myself until now and I will never go back to Tuna Helper again.

I looked at many recipes online, in cookbooks and in magazines and used them as guidelines to throw this recipe together. Easy to make and sooooo yummy. The wheat noodles tasted the same as regular noodles but helped keep the fiber count up. Using skim milk, light sour cream and 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup helped with the fat content.

You can substitute some shredded cheese for the crushed potato chips but I have always loved this topping on any kind of chicken noodle or tuna noodle casserole.

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

1 12 oz bag of wheat noodles
2 cups frozen peas
1 5 oz. can of tuna
1/2 light sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can full of skim milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup of crushed potato chips
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F

Cook noodles to slightly al dente. Drain and set aside.

Open the can of tuna and drain.

In a large mixing bowl. mix together the soup, milk(fill empty soup can with milk), sour cream, shredded cheese, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Add the tuna, breaking up any large pieces, and the peas. Toss well and add the noodles, mixing thoroughly.

Pour all of it into a large greased casserole dish. Top with the crushed potato chips.

Bake in the oven for 30 min.

Let stand about 10 min. and then serve warm.

Mexican Potato Casserole

I saw this recipe on Mennonite Girls Can Cook and thought it looked yummy! My version is slightly different but was a big hit and tasted delicious. I have made this several times since finding it.

MEXICAN POTATO CASSEROLE

4 to 5 medium potatoes, with peel
2 T butter
4 1/2 T taco seasoning
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers, any color
1 1/2 cup grated jack or cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces and place in greased casserole dish. Melt butter...stir in 2 1/2 T of the taco seasoning. Pour over the potatoes and stir to coat well.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Stir...bake 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese

Brown and crumble beef; add onion and cook until soft...then drain. Sprinkle 2 T of the Taco seasoning, stir in salsa and chopped peppers. Mix well and cook until peppers are tender. Pour over potatoes.

Top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

Serve with salsa and sour cream (optional).

Mac and Cheese Lasagna

Here is a tasty little dish I found on Mom! What's for Dinner? It wasn't hard to make and tasted wonderful. As always I tweaked it a bit here and there to make it healthier.

For starters, for the packaged Mac and Cheese, I used Kraft's 50% Whole Grain version which ups the fiber content. I used lean ground beef but you can easily use ground turkey and for the spaghetti sauce I used my own recipe which has very little sodium.

MAC AND CHEESE LASAGNA

2 7 1/4 oz packages 50% Whole Grain mac and cheese
2 1/4 cups spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 T parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish.

Cook and drain ground beef and mix with spaghetti sauce.

Prepare Macaroni and Cheese using the directions on the box.

Place a layer (exactly half) of Mac and cheese in the baking dish, top with a layer of meat then a layer of cheese. (Repeat).

After the 2 layers are complete, bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Then top with Parm Cheese.

Easy Peasy Burrito Casserole

I got this recipe from a wonderful website called Mom! What's for dinner. It was delicious and super quick and easy to make. I did not change much from her original recipe.

EASY PEASY BURRITO CASSEROLE

6 Frozen shredded beef burritos or Chimichangas
1 Can of 98% fat free Cream of chicken soup
1/2 C Light sour cream
1 C Shredded cheddar cheese
1 Small can of diced green chilis
1 Small can of sliced black olives
Salsa

Preheat oven to 350

Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with cooking spray and place the frozen burritos in the dish side by side. Try not to let them touch each other.

In a medium bowl stir together the soup, sour cream and diced green chilis.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top and then add the sliced olives.

Bake for 25 to 30 min until the cheese is all melted and the burritos are heated through.

Spoon salsa over each serving if desired.

Crispy Burritos

I don't go to restaurants all that often but when I do one of the first things I look for on the menu are Southwestern Eggrolls, sometimes called Southwestern Spring Rolls depending on the restaurant. I am addicted to those things which is why it is a good thing I don't eat out that often ;).

This is my way of having that taste without all the fat of deep frying and these are easier which I am all for. I don't really use exact amounts of each ingredient so I will list what I put in them and then you can adjust according to how much you want to make and to your tastes. I am guessing at the exact measurements.

For the dipping sauce you can use whatever suits your fancy. I usually eat mine with a sauce that is very similar to Chili's Awesome Blossom Sauce. I found some dipping sauce in the store that was very close!

CRISPY BURRITOS

2 - 3 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 C Black Beans - drained and rinsed
1/2 C Chopped frozen spinach - thawed and patted dry
1/2 to 3/4 C finely chopped onion
1 C Shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 - 3/4 C Jarred salsa
8 - 10 Medium sized flour tortillas
Cooking oil
Garlic powder and course black pepper
Butter flavored cooking spray

In a medium to large skillet add oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium heat.

Cut up chicken breasts into small pieces (about 1/2 inch) and add to the hot skillet. Stir often with a spatula until cooked. Add the onion and cook another 5 minutes or so until onion soft. Add the spinach, black beans, salsa and seasonings and mix well. Add the cheese and mix well with your spatula until the cheese is melted and your mixture is moist and sticky but not soupy or runny. Remove pan from heat.

Heat 2 or 3 tortillas at a time in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute. You want them very soft. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla and roll up like you would any burrito, making sure to tuck in the ends. Place on a plate while you do the others.

Heat up a medium size skillet. Spray the burritos with the cooking spray, turn them all over and spray the other side.

Place one or two in your hot skillet and brown each side until they are crispy but not burnt. Remove them to a plate and do the remaining burritos.

Cut each one in half at an angle and serve with the dipping sauce of your choice.

Apricot-Lemon Chicken

This is another recipe I found on Sparkpeople. I did not follow the recipe itself but it inspired me to make something similar. The flavors were so good with the chicken and I made some simple sweet potato rounds to go with it. All in all it made for a really nice meal. This was also a hit with the hubby, he even ate the leftovers the next night which is rare :)

APRICOT-LEMON CHICKEN

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 C apricot preserves
5 or 6 green onions chopped
lemon zest from one lemon
1 t coarse black pepper
1/2 t salt
olive oil for cooking
1 T butter or margarine
4 fresh apricots, halved and pitted

Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 chicken cutlets.

Heat olive oil in medium to large skillet and add chicken. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides and remove from pan, set aside.

Add butter to same skillet and use a spatula to get up any bits from cooking the chicken. Add the apricots and saute until cooked. Add the green onions, apricot preserves and lemon zest. Stir until it is all smooth and heated through.

Place the breasts back in the pan and cover. Cook on low heat for about 30 min. turning the chicken over a couple of times. Remove from heat and serve.

For the sweet potato rounds I preheated the oven to 400 and peeled a couple of medium size sweet potatoes.

I sliced them into 1/4 in slices. In a large bowl I drizzled some canola oil and added parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. I tossed the potato slices in the bowl with the oil and seasonings and then placed them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

I baked them for about 12 min and then turned them over and baked for an additional 10 min until they were golden brown on each side.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

I found this recipe in my current issue of Taste of Home and had to try it. Not only was this a super easy dish to make but it tasted SO good. My husband loved it and had two big helpings. It was also really good heated up the next day. I of course lightened it up by using egg substitute in place of the eggs, low fat cheeses and skim milk. Instead of buying 7 of those small 4oz. cans of the whole green chiles I was able to find a large can that was about 27 oz. so I grabbed that even though it had maybe one less chile.

CHILES RELLENOS CASSEROLE

7 cans (4 ounces each) whole green chilies, drained
3/4 pound low fat Monterey Jack cheese, cut into strips
1C (4 ounces) low fat cheddar cheese
1 1/4 C egg substitute
1-1/4 C skim milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Split chilies lengthwise; rinse and remove seeds. Drain on paper towels; pat dry. Stuff chilies with cheese strips. Place half of chilies in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layers.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk, flour, salt, pepper and pepper sauce until smooth; pour over chilies. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings.

Chicken Parmesan

I substituted crushed Bran Flakes cereal for the coating instead of regular bread crumbs and then added a bunch of seasonings to give it more flavor. You can add whatever seasonings you like depending on your tastes. I brown my cutlets in a bit of oil before baking but I am sure you could just bake the cutlets in the oven and add a little cooking spray to each side and they would crisp up nicely, then you could add the sauce and cheese the last few minutes. That would certainly cut down on the fat calories. I may try it that way next time I make this.

CHICKEN PARMESAN

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6.5 oz. each)
1 1/4 cups of crushed bran flakes
1/4 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese
4 T Smart Balance Omega Oil Blend
1/2 cup of egg substitute
3/4 cup of Kraft 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 T cracked pepper
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup pasta sauce (I used my own Pasta Sauce)

Preheat oven to 400

Slice chicken breasts lengthwise so you have 4 thin chicken cutlets. Mix egg substitute and water in shallow bowl and set aside. In another shallow bowl combine the bran flakes, Parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.

In a large skillet heat the oil. Dip one of the chicken cutlets in the egg mixture, coating thoroughly and place into the bran flakes mixture. Cover the cutlet with the crumbs well while pressing down. When it is well coated place in the skillet. Repeat this with all 4 cutlets.

Cook about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they look brown and crispy. Remove from oil and place in a shallow casserole dish.

Spoon the pasta sauce evenly over each cutlet and sprinkle each with the mozzarella cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for about 7 to 10 min.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 338.2

• Total Fat: 19.5 g
• Cholesterol: 60.9 mg
• Sodium: 568.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 13.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g
• Protein: 29.5 g

NOTE: Please keep in mind the nutritional info is based on the specific brands that I use for each ingredient so they may be different depending on the brand you use.

Lasagna Roll Ups

There isn't much to say about this recipe. I have been making these for years but when I made it this time I tried to lighten it up a bit by using whole wheat lasagna noodles and lean ground turkey. I found that the whole wheat lasagna noodles are a little bit harder to work with so you might want to make extra.

For the pasta sauce I used my own recipe.



LASAGNA ROLL UPS

3 cups part skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoon parmesan, reduced fat
12 oz lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cups low sodium mozzarella; shredded
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 cup onion; chopped
1 cup fresh spinach; chopped
2 cups pasta sauce My own recipe
1 clove garlic; minced
9 - 10 whole wheat lasagna noodles (you might want to make extra)
1 tablespoon smart balance oil
1/4 cup egg substitute

Preheat oven to 375°F

Cook noodles according to package. You make want to make a few extra because I found that the wheat noodles tend to break easier.

In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, parmesan, egg substitute, 1 cup of the mozzarella and italian seasoning. Mix well and put aside.

In a large skillet heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic. Add the turkey and cook while breaking it up into very small crumbles. Add the chopped spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted and the turkey is cooked through. Remove from heat.

Spray a 2 1/2 quart shallow casserole dish with cooking spray.

Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan.

Take one of the lasagna noodles and spread a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture down the entire noodle. Take about 1 1/2 Tbls of the turkey meat and sprinkle it evenly over the cheese layer and press it lightly into the cheese. Starting at one end roll up the lasagna noodle being careful to keep the cheese and meat from falling out the sides.

Place it seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat this until you have filled all the noodles or until you run out of filler.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the roll ups and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake in the oven for about 20 - 30 min. Remove from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas - Revamped!

I actually posted this recipe a while ago on my blog but besides the fact that it had a crappy picture I also managed to tweak it a bit to make it healthier. Part of the reason for it being healthier is my wonderful discovery of LaTortilla Factory tortillas. LaTortilla Factory makes a delicious line of healthy high fiber tortillas that come in many flavors.

The only problem I found with these tortillas is they were a little large for this recipe so I ended up putting the filling across 2/3 of the tortilla, rolling it up and then cutting about 2 inches off the end with no filling. I know that seems wasteful but until I can find a smaller size this is what I have to do. On the plus side it means that the nutritional info listed below is actually higher than what you are really eating.

I will warn you though that while these have less fat and carbs and more fiber they are still quite high in sodium so if you are on a strict low sodium diet you may want to avoid these.

FIESTA CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 med to lg. chicken breasts;
1 1/4 cup thick 'n chunky salsa, divided
8 oz. light cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. taco seasoning
1 cup shredded light cheddar cheese, divided
10 flour low carb tortillas (I use LaTortilla Factory 100 Calorie Tortillas)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
Dice chicken into 1/4 inch chunks.

Heat large skillet and add butter on medium heat. Add chicken and cook through. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add 1/4 cup of the salsa, cream cheese and cilantro; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.

SPOON about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 1 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

Number of Servings: 10

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 294.6

• Total Fat: 10.2 g
• Cholesterol: 62.1 mg
• Sodium: 818.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 29.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.8 g
• Protein: 20.4 g
  

Ham and Peas Casserole

Yes at long last I am back. I really have no excuse for neglecting my blog so long except that I now babysit my grandson 3 days a week so I have less time to play on the computer but I am going to try my hardest to keep my blog up to date. I really need to get serious about eating healthier so I have been searching the internet for ideas on creating healthier recipes. I will also try and add the nutritional values for some of the recipes I am going to post here.

This first recipe I found in a magazine and it tasted pretty good so I will probably make it again. As always I tweaked it a bit here and there to make it healthier.

The recipe calls for adding crushed Saltine Crackers to the top when you bake it which I did but probably won't the next time. It tasted alright when it was first baked but when you reheat the leftovers the Saltines just seemed kind of gummy and pasty. You could lightly sprinkle some bread crumbs or add shredded cheese to the top to replace the Saltines if you wanted.



HAM AND PEAS CASSEROLE
12 oz. Whole wheat bowtie pasta
4 Tbl. Smart Balance Light Butter spread
1/4 C Flour
1 tsp. Dry mustard
2 C Skim milk
1 C Fat Free Half and Half
3 C Low Fat Mild Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1 1/2 C Frozen Peas
3/4 C Diced Ham

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour and mustard until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk and half-and-half and bring just to a simmer. Stir in cheese, a little at a time, until melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in peas, ham and pasta. Stir to coat with sauce.

Pour into a 2.5 quart baking dish. Sprinkle cracker crumbs over top of pasta and dot with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Easy Cranberry Pork Roast

I don't remember where I originally got the idea for this dish and I had forgotten all about it until my son mentioned it to me the other day. I couldn't even find the original recipe which tells me I must have just gotten the idea from somewhere and then did my own thing.

This is a dish you make in the crockpot and let sit all day but the end result is out of this world. The pork just falls apart and the sauce ends up sweet and savory and tastes delicious served over hot buttered noodles. You can use any small pork roast or those small long round pork loins work good too.

EASY CRANBERRY PORK ROAST
1 small to medium Pork Roast or 2 of those small pork loin tenderloins
2 cans of whole berry cranberry sauce
1 large onion
1 cup of orange juice
Garlic Powder
Cracked Pepper
Noodles

Coat your pork roast or tenderloin with flour and brown in a skillet with 2 T. of oil on medium to high heat until brown on all sides.

In your crockpot add the cranberry, orange juice and seasonings. Cut you onion in half and slice each half into thin slices. Break apart the slices and add to the crockpot. Stir all the ingredients in the crockpot until blended.

Add your pork and spoon some of the cranberry mixture on top.

Cook on high for about 2 to 3 hours and then turn down to low for at least another 3 hours or until meat just falls apart.

Serve pork on hot buttered noodles and spoon the cranberry sauce mixture over the top.

Enjoy!

The leftovers are great for shredded barbeque pork sandwiches the next day!

Salisbury Steaks

I have been making this recipe since I was young. I think I found it in an old Betty Crocker cookbook. It's very easy but so tasty!

SALISBURY STEAKS
1lb lean ground beef
2 slices of white bread, cubed
1 small onion coarsly chopped
1 can of Golden Mushroom soup
1/4 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
Cracked pepper
Garlic powder

In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients except the soup. Mix well with your hands until everything is combined. Open the can of soup and add about 1/4 of a cup to the meat mixture. Save the remaining soup aside for now.

Shape the meat mixture into 4 to 5 oval shaped patties about 1 in. thick and place in a greased shallow baking dish.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

While it is baking take the remaining soup and add about 1/4 of a cup of water to it and mix well. After the patties are done baking remove from oven and spoon the soup mixture over each patty and bake an additional 15 min.

Sausage and Egg Casserole

This recipe works just as well for a dinner as it would for a breakfast or a brunch. Though I saw it in one of the Taste of Homes Annual Recipe books I actually got this recipe many years before that at the bank I used to work at. My boss brought this dish in for a potluck we had one morning and I begged her to give me the recipe. I don't make this very often but always enjoy it when I do. I have found ways to lighten it up a bit. For the bread I used a rustic sourdough to give the bread a bit more density but you can use any bread you wish.

SAUSAGE AND EGG CASSEROLE

1 lb bulk turkey sausage
1 1/2 cups of egg substitute (like Eggbeaters) or 6 eggs if you are not watching your cholesterol
2 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon salt (I left the salt out)
1 teaspoon ground mustard
6 slices bread, cubed
1 cup low fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°

In a skillet, brown and crumble the sausage; drain and set aside. In a large bowl beat eggs; add milk, salt and mustard. Stir in bread cubes, cheese and sausage. Pour into a greased 11 X 7 X 2 inch baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Pizza Burgers

I was first introduced to Pizza Burgers at summer camp. For 10 summers I went to a wonderful summer camp in Maine and during the last few years I was a counselor and worked in the kitchen. It was there I found out how they made them. After I stopped going to camp I lost the recipe and could not find anyone that knew what was in them so I went about trying to recreate them myself. This recipe comes pretty close. These were a favorite with my kids when they were growing up. Very easy to make and very tasty.

I used Texas Toast to make these but in the past I always used hamburger buns, either works fine.

PIZZA BURGERS

1lb lean ground beef
1lb ground turkey
2 cans Campbells Tomato Soup
1 Tbl. sugar
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 teas. Italian seasonings
10-11 slices of Texas Toast or about 7 or 8 hamburger buns split in half

Preheat oven to 400.

Brown the meats together in a skillet, breaking the meat up into very small crumbles. When cooked through drain any grease from the pan and add the Tomato Soup and mix well. When heated through add the sugar and the cheese. Mix thoroughly and allow cheese to melt. Cook another 10 minutes or so and remove from heat. Set aside. If you are using Texas Toast then toast each slice in the toaster and arrange on a large cookie sheet. If you use the hambuger buns then place each half face up on the cookie sheet and put in the broiler until toasted. Be careful not to burn them.

Whether using the buns or toast scoop a good size spoonful onto each slice. Spread over toast until you have about a half inch layer on each. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve hot. If you use the Texas Toast slice each one in half before serving.

**NOTE** You can also substitute 1 small jar of pizza sauce for one of the cans of soup.

Hot And Cheesy Chicken Casserole

This is a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens that I adapted a little bit. I only changed a few things like adding the french fried crispy onions on top and using only cheddar cheese instead of cheddar and mozzarella. I also added just a sprinkle of Taco seasoning to the soup mixture to zest it up a bit.

There are so many flavors running through this it seems like every bite tastes different. The family seemed to really like it so I am sure I will be making this again. I suppose you could use some of that left over turkey in this instead of the chicken.

HOT AND CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 14-oz. pkg. frozen broccoli florets
2 cups cooked rice
1-1/2 cups frozen peas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can fiesta nacho cheese s; oup
1 10-to 10.5-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup french fried onions, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. In large bowl combine chicken, broccoli, rice, and peas. Spread mixture over the chicken. In medium bowl combine cream of chicken soup, nacho cheese soup, diced tomatoes, milk, and crushed red pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese . Pour mixture over broccoli mixture in baking dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Sprinkle crushed crackers and onions evenly over all.

Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Paula Deen Night!

Tonight I decided to try out two of Paula Deen's recipes I saw on her show recently. They both looked so good I had to try them. They are of course a little on the heavy and rich side but small portions go a long way and the flavors were amazing.

For the main course I made her Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf. As a rule I am not a huge bacon fan especially in recipes but this was not bad and it did not overpower the food, only enhanced it. I changed the recipe very slightly by increasing the meat to a pound and a half and using equal parts ground beef and ground turkey and using less bacon. You always have the option of leaving the bacon out of the recipe of course.

For the side dish I made her Cheesy Noodles. This was delicious but a little definitely goes a long way. The only change I made to this was I used Angel Hair pasta instead of the fine egg noodles.

I made up some quick garlic rolls to go with the meal. For these I just melted 1 stick of margerine and added 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic. I took small dinner rolls and sliced each one in half. I brushed each half with the butter mixture, making sure to get bits of garlic on each roll. I then topped each one with just a pinch of freshly grated parmesan cheese. I placed these in the oven for about 15 to 20 until slightly toasted on the top.

BACON CHEESEBURGER MEATLOAF
3/4 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 lb. lean ground turkey
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
12 oz. low fat sharp cheddar, grated
3/4 C Eggbeaters
1/2 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/3 cup lite mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 cup french fried onions
2 slices of stale bread (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the ground meat and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, add the brown sugar to the remaining ketchup mixture.

Shape meat into a loaf and place in a roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 50 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.

OPTIONAL: To soak up any grease, place the slices of bread on the roasting pan and shape your meatloaf on top of the bread. After the meatloaf is done you can remove the bread and discard, taking most of the fat from the meat with it.

CHEESY NOODLES
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 cup low fat or fat free sour cream
1/2 grated onion
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
8oz. angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Break the angel hair into 3 pieces to make short noodles then cook as directed.

Mix together cottage cheese, sour cream, 3/4 of the parmesan, grated onion, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt. Add noodles, combine and place in greased casserole. Sprinkle top with remaining grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 minutes.