Crab Rangoonies from Hungry Girl

• I saw this recipe on an episode of Hungry Girl on Food Network. These make great appetizers or hearty snacks. 
• 
  
• 1 pkg. imitation crab meat (I used 12oz)
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• 1 pkg fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 wedges The Laughing Cow brand cheese (I used low-fat swiss)
• 2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium or lite soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
• I pkg wonton wrappers 
• 
  
• Optional dipping sauce: sweet and sour sauce, Chinese-style hot mustard, soy sauce, etc. 

 

1. Chop crab, green onion and garlic and add to bowl. Mix in cream cheese and Laughing Cow cheese until well combined. 

2. Add soy sauce and garlic. Be sure to taste the mixture before stuffing the wontons, and adjust seasoning to personal preference. 

 3. Add about 1 teaspoon of filling to each wrapper. Using a small bowl of water, wet your finger and trace the edges of the wrapper. Fold it over onto the wet edges and push down to seal. Arranging them in the pattern above will maximize your baking pan space. 

4. Bake at 400 degrees for about 7 minutes per side. Serve warm! 

Easy Fruit Bake

This is a simple way to satisfy a sweet tooth without consuming a lot of fat or calories. The final product ends up being similar in consistency and taste to pie filling, and is great served with vanilla frozen yogurt!

Ingredients

3 pears (any variety) chopped

3 apples (any variety) chopped

1 cup grapes (red seedless work best)

1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. sugar

Cinnamon to taste

 1. Roughly chop apples and pears. This time I used Bosc pears and Gala apples. I tend to remove the skin from the pears, but not the apples, although the skin is perfectly safe to eat if you enjoy the texture. Remove stems from grapes.

 2. Place all ingredients in a baking dish. This could also be done in a slow cooker. Make sure there's some depth to the dish as this recipe produces a fair amount of liquid as it cooks.

3. Add butter, sugar and cinnamon. Cover fruit with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 2 hours, or until fruit is easily pierced with a fork.

4. Enjoy!

Hearty Vegetarian Breakfast Hash

Here's a recipe that is very easy and so quick to prepare!

Ingredients

2 veggie burger patties, cooked

2 large potatoes, cooked and rough cut 

1/2 of 1 onion, chopped

1 small bunch of green onions

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 T soy sauce

1 T olive oil

Chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

1. Cook veggie patties and potatoes. I use a George Foreman grill for the patties (I use Trader Joe's brand, but any brand will do!) because it makes them kinda crispy. Cut or tear into pieces.

Toss the potatoes in the microwave until they are cooked through. Let them cool enough to handle comfortably, then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Add olive oil to a hot pan, coat the bottom, and add patties pieces and potatoes.

 2.  Add all onions and bell peppers. Season with soy sauce and spices.

 3. Saute.

 4. Dish will be ready when the potatoes are browned on the sides. Serve hot!

Turkey Taco Soup

Taco soup is typically made with ground beef, which can be high in fat and cholesterol. This recipe uses ground turkey instead. I always use www.nutritiondata.com to help me estimate the nutritional value of the ingredients I choose. Ground beef: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/6206/2

Ground turkey: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/poultry-products/932/2

Not an exact comparison, but 3oz of cooked beef (80/20 mix) has 15g (6g saturated) of fat and 231 calories, while 4oz of cooked turkey has 11g (3g saturated) of fat and 193 calories. 

Ingredients

1lb ground turkey

2 ears fresh corn

2 tomatoes

1 can fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies

1 carton broth

1 onion

Salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and garlic to taste

Optional ingredients for topping: avocado, light sour cream, reduced fat cheese, baked tortilla strips

  

1. Brown 1lb of ground turkey and season as desired with garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. 

 2. Fresh corn makes a big difference in taste and adds a nice crunch to the meal. Use a knife to remove kernels from the cob.

 3. Add corn and 1 onion, chopped.

 4. Add fresh tomatoes and roasted tomatoes with green chilies. You can use any brand, but I prefer Trader Joe's because they  use BPA free cans. Add 1 carton of broth, either chicken or vegetable will work well.

 5. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes so the flavors can properly infuse.

6. Serve with chopped cilantro, avocado pieces, some light sour cream, and reduced fat cheese. I tend to buy cheese that is made with 2% milk so the fat content is lower.

Simple Strawberry Jam

This is an extremely easy way to make a flavorful strawberry jam for a nice brunch or breakfast. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon

2 pounds of ripe strawberries

 1. Zest and juice one large lemon and add to sugar in a deep pot. Cook over very low heat (I use setting 2 or 3 on a 10 setting dial) until the sugar has dissolved. Stir as needed.

 2. Here's what the sugar will look like after it's dissolved.

3. Remove stems from strawberries (hulling is a good approach). I like to leave about half of them whole and cut the others into quarters. This leaves nice berry chunks after the mixture has cooked down. Carefully place berries in sugar and lemon liquid, and coat them thoroughly. 

4. Cook for about 30 minutes on low heat until it looks like the above picture. One way to check the consistency is to drizzle a small amount of the liquid on a cool plate. Turn the plate on its side to see if it has reached desired thickness. 

5. Pour hot mixture into a jelly jar or serving dish and cool. 

Portobello "Pot Pie"

This is a variation of a stuffed portobello "pot pie" recipe a friend told me about. You will get all the flavor and richness of a more traditional pot pie, but the phyllo dough is much lower in fat and calories than most other crusts. 

Ingredients

Several large portobello caps

1 large onion

2 medium sized carrots

4 small red potatoes

1 cup shredded chicken (optional)

1 carton of condensed portobello mushroom soup

1 package of phyllo dough sheets (thawed)

Olive oil

1. First, clean several large portobello mushroom caps. 

2. Chop onion, potatoes, and carrots into bite size pieces. Saute in one tablespoon of olive oil until onions are transparent. 

 3. Add condensed soup and half of the recommended amount of water to the veggies. Season as desire. I usually add garlic, salt, pepper, and basil.

 4. If you forget to thaw your phyllo dough the night before baking, you can put the roll in the microwave for 30 - 60 seconds. (Tip courtesy of Alton Brown on the Food Network).

 5. Place portobello cap on the phyllo dough. Sometimes larger portobellos are a little bland, so adding a little spice before you add the filling improves the flavor. Top with veggie filling and shredded chicken.

 6. Wrap portobello and filling with a phyllo sheet. Brush with olive oil so the corners will stick to each other. I used four sheets on this one, but you can add more or less based on how flaky and how many layers you prefer. Brush each layer lightly to increase flakiness and ensure that the dough stays wrapped around the veggies.

 7. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes at 375 degrees depending on the number of pies and their size. Once the dough becomes golden brown, it's done.

8. Here's what it will look like after it's been cut.

Whole Wheat Ravioli Stuffed with Browned Turkey

Sometimes I like to make my own pasta. This is not a quick task by any means, but playing with the dough and shaping it can be a lot of fun. I use a pasta machine, but the dough can be rolled out on a flat surface and cut with a knife or ravioli cutter.

Dough Recipe:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
7 egg whites ( I really never use egg yolk, but if you do, use four whole eggs.)
2 tsp olive oil

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well (hollow spot) in the center of the mixture, and add the olive oil. Add the egg whites one at a time while stirring with a fork or use the dough hook attachment on your mixer. I always use my mixer because it's a lot easier on my arm. Mix until all of the ingredients come together to form a mass. Let it rest for about 30 minutes.

After resting, roll out the dough with a rolling pin or run it through your pasta machine. Cut into long strips or follow the directions on your ravioli attachment.

Here's my process:

1. I placed part of the dough in my pasta machine.

2. I made these into fettuccine style noodles. Here's the wikipedia entry for pasta shapes and sizes. I put them on a drying rack for about an hour, then stored them in a large sandwich bag in the refrigerator for later use. 

3. I also wanted to make ravioli, so I browned some lean turkey with garlic, basil, and rosemary for the filling. 

4. I rolled out two flat sheets of pasta and placed them on either side of the opening on the pasta machine. Then, I added the filling about 1 tbsp at a time while rolling the dough through the machine. Here's what it looked like.

5. I pulled them apart and dusted them with flour to help prevent sticking.

6. I let the ravioli sit for about 15-20 minutes so they were more likely to stay together through boiling. I boiled them in salted water until they rose to the top and plumped, then served them with a basil and garlic tomato sauce and the remaining browned turkey. 

This definitely takes more time than opening a box of pasta and boiling it, but there's really nothing like enjoying fresh pasta.