I have to admit I borrowed a few different recipes and combined them to make this my own. This is not the lowest fat dish, also not the cheapest, but it can serve 6+ depending on how big your baking dish is. It's also so ridiculously easy and so good reheated, that it makes it all worthwhile. To keep this a little healthier, use whole wheat flour tortillas, lowfat cheese, and ground turkey if you stay away from red meat.
Mexican Oven Magic!
2 packages fajita style tortillas, white, wheat or corn
2 lbs ground beef, turkey, chicken or pork
4 oz. (1/2 pkg) neufchatel cream cheese (that's the lowfat kind!)
8 oz cheddar cheese
16oz medium salsa
1 pkg taco seasoning, mild
garlic powder
hot sauce
1 bunch green onions, chopped
low fat sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350. Brown the ground meat, drain fat and season meat with 1 pkg taco seasoning, liberal garlic powder and a few shakes of hot sauce. Take a 9 x 13" baking dish coated with nonstick spray and line with tortillas. You can fold the tortillas in half and rip them at the fold to create an edge that will go flush with the baking dish. To completely cover one layer in the dish, I used 4 tortillas, one against each long side, one half against each of the shorter sides, and then one ripped in half placed diagonally to fill out the middle. Spread a few spoonfuls of salsa across this layer, add chopped green onions, followed by meat and a few dabs of cream cheese. Use your judgement, you want the 4 oz. to be spread out throughout each layer. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, then cover in another layer of tortillas. I was able to get 4 layers in my pan. Top the final layer with the rest of the salsa and the rest of the cheddar cheese. Bake covered in foil for 15 minutes, uncover and bake another 15 minutes or until the whole pan is bubbly and starting to brown. Once the casserole is done, top with the remaining green onions and then serve slices with sour cream.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Pasta Stuffed Peppers
One of the biggest challenges in vegetarian cooking is keeping the meat eaters happy. I think this achieves it fairly well. Oh, and best of all it takes no time at all!
Pasta Stuffed Peppers
The largest bell peppers you can find, any color, whatever's on sale. I chose green
Extra virgin olive oil
One clove garlic per two peppers, chopped finely
Italian seasoning
Orzo pasta, 1/3 cup uncooked per pepper.
Cracked black pepper
sea salt
Spinach leaves, fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw out in a colander to reduce moisture
Canned diced tomatoes, flavored with olive oil/roasted garlic (or any type you might like to try), DRAINED WELL
Mushroom slices
Grated parmesan or asiago (1-2 tbsp per pepper)
Preheat oven to 375, cut the peppers so that they sit level in a baking dish. Cut off small portion of the top and hollow out the pepper. Roll the pepper in some extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with cracked black pepper and sea salt, place it in the baking dish standing up and roast 10 minutes. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt to the water. Boil the orzo for no longer than 3 minutes. You want it to only be 1/2 cooked. Drain pasta, drizzle with olive oil so it doesn't stick. Remove peppers from oven, start stuffing them by layering chopped garlic, spinach, cheese, tomatoes and pasta. You will really have to PUSH these layers down in the pepper to allow for it all to fit. These will be over stuffed peppers! Top layer of the pepper should be tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and a little extra cheese. Bake about 15 minutes until pepper stuffing seems heated through. It's a meal, in a pepper!!
*If you want to make these ahead of time, just wrap them in foil and keep them standing up in the fridge. Let them sit on the counter 30 minutes prior to cooking them to ensure they are room temperature. They should heat through at that point just fine.
Pasta Stuffed Peppers
The largest bell peppers you can find, any color, whatever's on sale. I chose green
Extra virgin olive oil
One clove garlic per two peppers, chopped finely
Italian seasoning
Orzo pasta, 1/3 cup uncooked per pepper.
Cracked black pepper
sea salt
Spinach leaves, fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw out in a colander to reduce moisture
Canned diced tomatoes, flavored with olive oil/roasted garlic (or any type you might like to try), DRAINED WELL
Mushroom slices
Grated parmesan or asiago (1-2 tbsp per pepper)
Preheat oven to 375, cut the peppers so that they sit level in a baking dish. Cut off small portion of the top and hollow out the pepper. Roll the pepper in some extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with cracked black pepper and sea salt, place it in the baking dish standing up and roast 10 minutes. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt to the water. Boil the orzo for no longer than 3 minutes. You want it to only be 1/2 cooked. Drain pasta, drizzle with olive oil so it doesn't stick. Remove peppers from oven, start stuffing them by layering chopped garlic, spinach, cheese, tomatoes and pasta. You will really have to PUSH these layers down in the pepper to allow for it all to fit. These will be over stuffed peppers! Top layer of the pepper should be tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and a little extra cheese. Bake about 15 minutes until pepper stuffing seems heated through. It's a meal, in a pepper!!
*If you want to make these ahead of time, just wrap them in foil and keep them standing up in the fridge. Let them sit on the counter 30 minutes prior to cooking them to ensure they are room temperature. They should heat through at that point just fine.
Easiest Chicken Parm
You will need to make chicken according to the Healthful Chicken Fingers recipe found on an earlier post, except you should add some grated cheese to your breading mixture. Parmesan, asiago, romano, either of these would be great in this recipe. Also omit most of the sea salt because this cheese is fairly salty. You can use chicken breasts that are sliced thin from your butcher, called chicken cutlets, for an even faster cooking time and more bang for your buck. Usually a pack of 5-6 of these only cost a few dollars. You can also use chicken tenders too.
Easiest Chicken Parm
Chunky tomato sauce, make your own or get a good quality jar sauce
sliced/shredded part skim mozzarella
whole wheat pasta or a whole wheat roll if you're making a chicken parmesan sandwich/hoagy
Prepare chicken as in Healthful Chicken Fingers recipe, except place chicken in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray, top with some tomato sauce, and mozzarella.
Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melty. Serve over pasta or on a toasted roll.
Easiest Chicken Parm
Chunky tomato sauce, make your own or get a good quality jar sauce
sliced/shredded part skim mozzarella
whole wheat pasta or a whole wheat roll if you're making a chicken parmesan sandwich/hoagy
Prepare chicken as in Healthful Chicken Fingers recipe, except place chicken in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray, top with some tomato sauce, and mozzarella.
Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melty. Serve over pasta or on a toasted roll.
Healthful Chicken Fingers
I love chicken fingers! They're one of my favorite things in the whole world. So, I am constantly thinking of ways to update them. This one uses lowfat buttermilk instead of eggs. Buttermilk tenderizes the chicken and is actually (believe it or not) quite a healthy breading alternative. I also use panko breadcrumbs. They absorb less oil and they're super crispy. If you can't find panko, you can use wheat flour. If you're using wheat flour, make sure you season it up really well, so your breading has some flavor. Try and plan ahead so your chicken can marinate effectively.
Healthful Chicken Fingers
Chicken breast strips or chicken tenders
lowfat (1%) buttermilk
panko/japanese breadcrumbs
garlic powder
sea salt
cracked black pepper
paprika
canola oil
ranch dressing, bbq sauce, hot sauce for dipping.
*Place chicken strips in a bowl or baking dish and cover with buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap, store in the fridge for at least 1 hour*
Heat about 1/2 inch canola oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Oil's ready when a drop of water pops. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix spices and crumbs (or flour if that's what you're using) well on a plate. Take a chicken strip, roll in crumbs, dip back in buttermilk, roll back in crumbs. Put into hot oil. Flip chicken after a few minutes in the oil, ensuring you're only flipping the chicken once for best crispy texture. Once chicken is cooked through, blot on paper towels and keep warm on a foil lined cookie sheet in the oven until you're ready to serve.
**Modification - 2-3 slices whole wheat toast, crumbled and baked. Wow, you just made your own healthy breadcrumbs!!
Healthful Chicken Fingers
Chicken breast strips or chicken tenders
lowfat (1%) buttermilk
panko/japanese breadcrumbs
garlic powder
sea salt
cracked black pepper
paprika
canola oil
ranch dressing, bbq sauce, hot sauce for dipping.
*Place chicken strips in a bowl or baking dish and cover with buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap, store in the fridge for at least 1 hour*
Heat about 1/2 inch canola oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Oil's ready when a drop of water pops. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix spices and crumbs (or flour if that's what you're using) well on a plate. Take a chicken strip, roll in crumbs, dip back in buttermilk, roll back in crumbs. Put into hot oil. Flip chicken after a few minutes in the oil, ensuring you're only flipping the chicken once for best crispy texture. Once chicken is cooked through, blot on paper towels and keep warm on a foil lined cookie sheet in the oven until you're ready to serve.
**Modification - 2-3 slices whole wheat toast, crumbled and baked. Wow, you just made your own healthy breadcrumbs!!
15 Minute Baked Potato Soup
Recently I embarked on a high protein, high fiber, low fat diet to "jumpstart" myself back into a workout routine and lose a little of the extra weight I have put on in the past few years. So I'm having a couple protein shakes a day and then a sensible dinner at night. Tonight I craved something a little on the "high fat" side but I knew I didn't want to waste the calories/fat. So, I whipped this up. No kidding, it took 15 minutes. It also only cost about $2.34. Totally hit the spot!
15 Minute Baked Potato Soup
1 large baking potato, scrubbed
1 can cream of celery soup
3 stems of green onions/scallions
3 tbsp bacon bits
1 oz. cheddar cheese
vegetable stock (1/4 cup maybe?)
one clove garlic, smashed, chopped
splash olive oil
small dab trans-fat free margarine (optional)
3/4 cup skim milk
optional - splash of light cream, sour cream
Poke the potato with a knife a few times all around the potato. Microwave for 5 minutes on high, turn potato over, microwave another 5 mins.
Meanwhile, put a splash of olive oil and the optional margarine in a medium saucepan, chop half of the green onions (white side especially!), throw in the pan and simmer with the chopped garlic, cook about 2 minutes. Add contents of cream of celery soup can and the stock. Bring to a boil, add milk slowly, stir through. When potato is done, take off skin (watch out its hot!!), add chunks of baked potato to soup. Stir in bacon bits, ladle into soup bowls. Chop the 1 oz cheddar very thin or grate and add 1/2 oz to each bowl. Also add the rest of the chopped green onions and if you feel like having extra calories, add a dollop of sour cream. But you don't really need it because this soup is super creamy!
15 Minute Baked Potato Soup
1 large baking potato, scrubbed
1 can cream of celery soup
3 stems of green onions/scallions
3 tbsp bacon bits
1 oz. cheddar cheese
vegetable stock (1/4 cup maybe?)
one clove garlic, smashed, chopped
splash olive oil
small dab trans-fat free margarine (optional)
3/4 cup skim milk
optional - splash of light cream, sour cream
Poke the potato with a knife a few times all around the potato. Microwave for 5 minutes on high, turn potato over, microwave another 5 mins.
Meanwhile, put a splash of olive oil and the optional margarine in a medium saucepan, chop half of the green onions (white side especially!), throw in the pan and simmer with the chopped garlic, cook about 2 minutes. Add contents of cream of celery soup can and the stock. Bring to a boil, add milk slowly, stir through. When potato is done, take off skin (watch out its hot!!), add chunks of baked potato to soup. Stir in bacon bits, ladle into soup bowls. Chop the 1 oz cheddar very thin or grate and add 1/2 oz to each bowl. Also add the rest of the chopped green onions and if you feel like having extra calories, add a dollop of sour cream. But you don't really need it because this soup is super creamy!
Trying it out!
Effortless Epicurean is now blogging!
I decided to try out posting my recipes because so many of my friends ask for them. Even though I make money on making many of these recipes as catering menu items, I figured even I needed a sort of "virtual" recipe box where I can go back and see what I've done. Sometimes you decide you need to tweak a recipe, sometimes you want to change it and make it something else altogether, and of course, sometimes you just plain forget what you put into something!!
A quick note about my recipes:
- Most of my recipes feed at least 2, if they feed more I will try to remember to mark it down
- I don't always measure things, you will have to just use your best judgement when making these. Sometimes I'll know exactly how much of something I put in it, sometimes not. My cooking is not an exact science!
- Everything I try to make I try to keep under 500 calories and minimal fat per serving. 500 calories is a lot, but sometimes, it just can't be helped that I'm in the mood to make a super rich food!
- I try to keep these recipes inexpensive and easy to make. Who likes going to the market for a long time, spending tons of money, only to come home and slave in the kitchen? (Well, besides myself and Moosh haha!) Most people don't have that luxury and to be quite honest, unless it's a special occassion I'm all about short cuts to make things easier, healthier, and quicker to both make and reheat.
- I make money with my recipes. Try and respect this and only use these recipes for your own personal use. Always credit Effortless Epicurean!
I decided to try out posting my recipes because so many of my friends ask for them. Even though I make money on making many of these recipes as catering menu items, I figured even I needed a sort of "virtual" recipe box where I can go back and see what I've done. Sometimes you decide you need to tweak a recipe, sometimes you want to change it and make it something else altogether, and of course, sometimes you just plain forget what you put into something!!
A quick note about my recipes:
- Most of my recipes feed at least 2, if they feed more I will try to remember to mark it down
- I don't always measure things, you will have to just use your best judgement when making these. Sometimes I'll know exactly how much of something I put in it, sometimes not. My cooking is not an exact science!
- Everything I try to make I try to keep under 500 calories and minimal fat per serving. 500 calories is a lot, but sometimes, it just can't be helped that I'm in the mood to make a super rich food!
- I try to keep these recipes inexpensive and easy to make. Who likes going to the market for a long time, spending tons of money, only to come home and slave in the kitchen? (Well, besides myself and Moosh haha!) Most people don't have that luxury and to be quite honest, unless it's a special occassion I'm all about short cuts to make things easier, healthier, and quicker to both make and reheat.
- I make money with my recipes. Try and respect this and only use these recipes for your own personal use. Always credit Effortless Epicurean!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)