Crystalksabout

Creamy Potato Salad

Just in time for grilling and Easter, this Creamy Potato Salad has become my new favorite.  I grew up on potato salad made with mustard and miracle whip and never thought I would like another as much, although very different in taste, this one is fantastic. Oh and did I mention low in fat and calories J.

 

Creamy Potato Salad

(Serves 8; serving size ¾ cup)

 

· 6 medium size round red potatoes (approx. 2 lbs)

· ¼ cup chopped green onion

· 1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained

· ½ cup non-fat mayo

· ¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt

· ¼ cup low-fat sour cream

· 1 tablespoon sugar

· 2 tablespoons prepared mustard

· 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

· ½ teaspoon salt

· ½ teaspoon celery seed

· ¼ teaspoon black pepper

· 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Cut potatoes into ½-inch pieces; place in medium saucepan.  Add water to cover. Bring to a boil; cober, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. (DO NOT OVERCOOK) Drain and cool.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Toss gently with potatoes.

Cover and chill.

 

Cal 88 Pro 3.1g Fat 1.4g Carb 16.8g Fiber 1.6g Chol 3mg   

 

HINTS:

· I now use mayo made with olive oil and fat-free yogurt and sour cream to offset the small amount of additional fat in the mayo.

· You can combine the remaining ingredients while the potatoes to cook to save time.

· Garnish with paprika fresh snipped chives or green onions.

 

Source: Cooking Light 5 Star Recipe Cookbook

Pepper-Corn Chowder

Oh my gosh folks, made this one last night and it was soooo good, and at only 155 calories and 4 grams of fiber per 1 1/3  cups it is waist friendly. Plus you can be sitting down to enjoy it in about 40 minutes.

 

Pepper-Corn Chowder

 

Cooking spray

1   cup chopped onion

1   leek, cleaned and chopped

5   cups loose-pack frozen whole kernel corn

2   (14 ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

1   medium red pepper, diced

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3   threads of saffron (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

     Snipped fresh chives (optional)

 

1. Coat a 4-5 quart Ditch oven with nonstick cooking spray.  Heat over medium heat about 1 minute. Add onion and leak; cook about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Add corn. Cook about 5 minutes or until corn softens, stirring occasionally. Add 1 can of the chicken broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until the corn is tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

3. Transfer half the corn mixture to a blender or food processor; cover and blend or process until smooth.  Return pureed corn mixture to the Dutch oven.

4. Add the remaining 1 can of broth, the sweet pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and, if desired, saffron.  Heat through.  If desired, garnish with snipped fresh chives and/or additional black pepper.

 

Makes 6 (1 1/3-cup) servings.

 

Per 1 1/3-cup serving: 155 cal, 1g fat, 323mg sodium, 35g carb, 4g fiber, 7g pro

 

 

HINTS

· Use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.

· Instead of transferring half of the corn mixture to a blender of food processor, use a submersion blender right in the pot.

 

Source: Diet 2010 magazine

 

Scalloped Potatoes

These potatoes truly taste scalloped and not like au gratins.  They are smooth and creamy and you can make them lower in fat and calories by substituting fat-free milk and low fat cheese. You can also partially make them the day before to save time; see HINTS below.

 

Scalloped Potatoes

(Makes 10 servings)

 

· 5 tablespoons of flour

· 4 cups of milk

· 1 (8 ounce) bag of mild cheddar cheese

· 4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

· 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

· 1 teaspoon of salt

· ¾ teaspoon of paprika

· 3 pounds (6 large) baking potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick (10 cups)

· ¼ cup sliced scallions

 

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease or coat a 13X9 inch or other shallow 3-4 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Put flour in a large Dutch oven.  Whisk in milk until blended, making sure to get into corners of pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring 2 minutes or until thickened.

3. Remove from heat; stir in 1 ½ cups of cheese, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the mustard, salt and ½ teaspoon paprika.

4. Add potatoes to Dutch oven, tossing to coat evenly.  Spread potatoes evenly in baking dish. Cover tightly with foil.

5. Bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

6. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses and paprika; bake 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

7. To serve: Sprinkle with scallions.

 

 

HINTS:

· Can be made through Step 5 up to one day ahead.  Refrigerate, covered.  Reheat covered at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and paprika and heat 15 minutes or until hot and cheese has melted.

· Use a mandolin slicer to slice the potatoes quickly and easily.

· To make cleanup easier, you can line the baking dish with aluminum foil and then coat the foil with cooking spray.

Blissful Pink Party Cake

This one is adapted from a Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade recipe in First magazine.  I changed it a bit to suit the ingredients I had on hand. Make it for someone you love who has a sweet tooth.

 

Blissful Pink Party Cake

(Makes 10 servings)

 

· 1 package (18.25 ounce) strawberry cake mix, I used Betty Crocker

· 1 (11.3 ounce) can of strawberry nectar

· 1/3 cup vegetable oil

· 3 eggs

· 1 teaspoon almond extract

· 2 drops red food coloring

· Nonstick cooking spray

· 4 ounces  white chocolate bark, chopped

· 1 ½ cans (12 ounces) each white frosting

· 2 ounces white chocolate bark, chopped

· 1 drop red food coloring

 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl of electric mixer on low speed, beat strawberry cake mix, strawberry nectar, vegetable oil, eggs, almond extract and red food coloring 30 seconds.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more. 

2. Divide batter evenly between two 8” round cake pans coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake 28-32 minutes or until cake tester comes out completely clean.  Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Remove cakes from pans; let cool completely.

3. To make pink candy topping: Remove bark from 1 section of container, using kitchen shears carefully clip the section from the container, coat lightly with cooking spray and set aside. Place 2 ounces of chopped white bark in microwave safe glass dish or coffee cup.  Heat for 30 seconds, stir.  Continue to heat in 10 second intervals stirring after each heating until smooth.  Stir in 1 drop of red food coloring.  Put back into section you clipped earlier and coated with cooking spray.  Set aside to cool.

4. To make frosting: Place chopped white chocolate bark in a small microwave safe bowl or coffee cup.  Microwave following directions for step number 3. Place white frosting in a medium size bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth add white bark and beat until thoroughly combined and smooth. 

5. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and top with some frosting.  Top with remaining cake layer. Coat entire cake with remaining frosting.

6. Remove completely cooled pink bark from container sections, using a vegetable peeler shave bark making pink topping on top of cake.

 

HINTS:

· Use a wooden skewer instead of a toothpick to test cakes for doneness. No more burning your arm or hands on the hot racks.

· If you don’t want to make pink bark you can substitute any topping you wish.  Pink decorator sugar, candy hearts, or even strawberries would all be a great substitution.

 

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

This cake is one of my favorites, it is moist, flavorful, and no one will ever know it is low in fat. YUM!

 

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 3/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  
• GLAZE:
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon orange

1. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and poppy seeds. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, egg substitute, orange juice concentrate, water and almond extract; beat until smooth. Stir into cake mix just until combined. Coat a 10-in. fluted tube pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly in pan. Pour batter into pan.

2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over cooled cake.

Nutritional Analysis: One piece equals 247 calories, 1 g fat (1 g saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 283 mg sodium, 55 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 5 g protein

Source: Taste of Homes Light and Tasty Magazine.

Sassy Black Bean Soup

This soup is nice and spicy, but you can alter it to suit your heat level just see the hints. Plus you should have most of the ingredients in your pantry.

 

 

 

Sassy Black Bean Soup

 

2    teaspoons olive oil

¾   cup finely diced celery

¾   cup finely diced onion

¼   cup diced green pepper

¼   cup finely diced carrot

1    tablespoon minced garlic

2    teaspoons ground cumin

1    teaspoon dried oregano

1    teaspoon chili powder

¼   teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3    cups of chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you want to make it vegetarian)

1    (10-ounce) can of tomatoes with diced green chilies

3    (15-ounce) cans black beans rinsed and drained

3    drops of liquid smoke (optional)

  Salt to taste

 

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and carrot.  Cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and black pepper, sauté 3 minutes. 

2. Add broth, tomatoes, and beans; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed. Cool slightly.

3. Place half of soup in a blender, and process until smooth.  Pour into a bowl. Repeat process with remaining soup.  (Or skip this step and mash beans with the back of a large spoon, for a smooth and chunky texture.) Return to pot and heat until bubbly. Serve immediately.

4. Garnish with sour cream and sliced green onions if desired.

 

 

HINTS:

· Use olive oil spray to reduce fat and calories

· Use petite diced tomatoes in place of the tomatoes with green chilies to really cut the heat.

· To make in a crock-pot cook through step one, deglaze the pan with the broth add to crock-pot with the tomatoes, beans, and liquid smoke if desired.  Cook on low 6 hours.  Proceed with step 3.

Ravioli Lasagna

Quick, easy, tasty, and you can make it ahead.  What more can you ask for???

 

Ravioli Lasagna

Serves:6 

 

1   jar (26 ounce) pasta sauce

2   bags (13 ounce each) frozen square ravioli, thawed (use meat, cheese or 1 of each)

1 ½ cups of shredded Italian cheese blend

 

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square bakin dish and a sheet of foil with nonstick spray. Put pasta sauce in a bowl; stir in ½ cup water.

2. Spread 1 cup sauce in dish.  Top with 20 ravioli (or about 1/3 of the total), flat sides up and just touching each other.  Spread with ¾ cup sauce; sprinkle with ½ cup cheese.

3. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining ravioli, sauce and cheese.  Cover tightly with foil, sprayed side down.

4. Bake on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil to catch any drips, 1 hour or until bubbly around edges.  Uncover and bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is barely golden.

 

Per Serving($1.53) 414 cal, 20g pro, 55g car, 4g fiber, 12g fat, 57g chol, 890mg sodium

 

HINTS:

· Assemble the night before with frozen ravioli and just pop in the oven the next day.

· You can add frozen spinach thawed and drained to the sauce.

· Add your favorite veggies to sauce.

· All you need is a nice salad and bread for a quick dinner.

 

Source:  based on a recipe in Womans Day mag

Hot Chicken Salad

This recipe is like Thanksgiving in a casserole.  No it is not diet friendly but it is just so darn good and easy I just have to share.  If you want to make it lighter you can use reduced calorie and fat products.

 

 

Hot Chicken Salad

 

1   8oz package of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing

1   cup diced cooked chicken

½  cup diced onion

½  cup diced celery

1   cup Miracle Whip (or mayo if you prefer)

1   8oz package of shredded cheddar cheese

2   cans cream of soup (I use one chicken and one mushroom)

 

1. Lightly spay a 9X13 inch baking pan with Pam.

2. Mix all ingredients together.

3. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

4. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until browned.

 

HINTS:  *Use left over chicken or canned chicken.

  *Great with turkey as well

  *Mix the night before, and refrigerate just add a few extra minutes to baking time.

 

Source:  Nancy Lowe, gave this recipe to my mom.  Thanks Nancy.

   

Tropical Sauce

This sauce is very tasty and versatile.  You can use on fish, chicken and pork. 

 

 

Tropical Sauce

Makes enough sauce for 4 pieces of meat plus extra for dipping.

 

1   6oz can of pineapple juice, like Dole

½  cup barbecue sauce, I used Sweet Baby Rays

¼  cup maple syrup

¼  teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepot over medium heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.

2. Lightly grease grill racks or broiler pan.

3. Divide sauce in half, use half for basting meat, and other half for dipping.

4. Grill meat to desired doneness, occasionally basting meat and turn halfway through cooking.

 

HINTS:  *If you don’t have pineapple juice drain a can of pineapple and serve the fruit with dinner.

  *The sauce is thin but very tasty

  *Never use sauce for dipping that has come in contact with raw meat or utensil used on raw or

   undercooked meat.

 

Source:  Adapted from a recipe in First for Women Magazine 

Blog Update for 2010

Hey Y'all,

I know I have been MIA.  I have decided that 2010 will be "The Year of Crystal".  I absolutely love doing for others, but have seriously neglected myself in the process.  So this year I intend on giving myself the same love and caring, I so freely give to others.  It has been a huge adjustment but, I can honestly say it has been amazing so far.  I now take a little time each day just for me.  I am getting caught up on all those things I have said I would do when I had the time (doc appts., massages, exercise, lose weight, getting together with friends) So now that I am on track of giving myself more of what I need and want I am ready to get back to blogging.  Since I am working on being a healthier and happier being, you will get a nice mix of recipes, from indulgent for special occasions, to those that will help you shed a few pound or just be healthier.  Also I am thinking of changing blog formats so I can categorize my recipes and thoughts for easier access.  Here is to looking forward to an exciting and fun filled year.

Love and blessings,

Crystal