Whole Wheat Pasta with Sausage; Zucchini; Mushrooms in a Blush (light) Sauce

I wanted to try whole wheat pasta again and decided to throw some stuff together.  Unfortunately, I have no measurements for this but it was sort of like how I make my coffee..mix until the color is what I want!  I mixed whole wheat penne with zucchini; baby bella mushrooms; Italian turkey sausage and a light cream sauce.  B didn't try the sauce but enjoyed all the other items.  Our neighbor stopped over for a try and said it was really good but may need more salt (I really only dash salt in any of my recipes).  I served it with a side salad.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Sausage; Zucchini; Mushrooms in a (Light) Blush Sauce

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pasta
Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 small zucchini, cut in quarters
3-4 pieces of Italian Sweet Turkey Sausage
Fat Free Half and Half
Chicken Stock
Tomato Paste
Margarine
Cayenne Pepper
Oregano

Directions
Cook sausage according to package instructions (I put 1-2 tbsp water in a pan and "boiled" for a few minutes then drained off the water and browned on all sides - adding minimal olive oil as needed to keep from sticking)
Make pasta according to package instructions
While pasta cooks, saute mushrooms and zucchini in margarine; salt and pepper, until soft but not wilted
In a separate small saute pan, pour about 1/4 c chicken stock; 2-3 tbsp FF half and half; 1/2 tsp of tomato paste (maybe 3/4 tsp); a few shakes of cayenne pepper and a few shakes of oregano in and simmer
Look at color of the sauce and determine if more FF half & half or stock / margarine / tomato paste are needed...add a little at a time - I made a "blush sauce"
Combine all ingredients when done and serve.  Enjoy!

Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

We had quite a crowd to celebrate B's 1st Communion this past weekend and we did all the cooking ourselves (quite a change from the "me" a few years ago that would have gotten party platters and been satisfied with that!).  I intended to make these on Saturday night for dinner but between being exhausted and realizing we had plenty of food, I decided to wait.  I made these yesterday after everyone left.  B helped me make them too which made for a fun part of my Mother's Day!  They were so amazing!!!  They're definitely not on the low calorie menu that I should be following a couple weeks before Memorial Day but, they were well worth the "cheat" on the diet!  I found the recipe here for them.

This is the mixture before we formed them into biscuits

 Here they are when they first came out of the oven

Here they are - ready to eat!

Ingredients

• 2 cups  All Purpose Flour
• 1½ tsp  Baking Powder
• 1 tsp  Salt
• ¼ cup  Butter
• 10  Bacon, slices fried
• 1  Egg
• ½ cup  Milk
• 4 tbsp  Vegetable Oil
• ½  Onion, chopped
• 1½ cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F / 177° C.
Cook the bacon & remove to cool.  Chop bacon into small pieces once it's cooled.
Saute the onion in the same pan as the bacon (draining off a little bacon grease before)
In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut in the butter until it is mixed in well.
In a small bowl mix the milk, egg, and vegetable oil then add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
Add the bacon, onion, and cheddar to the mixture and mix everything well together.
Take big spoonfuls of dough and fill a muffin pan that’s been well buttered and bake for 25 min.
This recipe yields 15 biscuits.

Salmon Cream Cheese Wraps

We have a local event here every 1st Sunday in May (Point to Point).  I haven't been in years but for the last couple of years, my neighbors and I do a "Post Point to Point People Watching Party" on our front steps.  It's quite comical to watch some of the party-goers come home!!  I made these salmon wraps as an appetizer to munch on.  They turned out really nice.  I think next time, I'd try veggie cream cheese or more dill weed spice.  I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:
6 small flour tortillas
12 oz smoked salmon
1 small container of Greek Yogurt
1 small container of 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese
Dill weed (I didn't measure the amount I put in - a couple shakes)
Pepper
Iceburg Lettuce, shredded
Capers / Lemon juice, Optional

Directions:
Mix equal amounts of yogurt and cream cheese in a bowl (I used 3 tablespoons of each but could probably have done 2 of each)
Add pepper and dill weed to taste
(I omitted the capers and lemon juice)
Heat tortillas in microwave for about 15 seconds so they are easier to wrap
Spread a little of the yogurt/cream cheese mixture on a tortilla (leave room around the edge so it doesn't leak out when you wrap it)
Add a little shredded lettuce & a few pieces of salmon
Wrap up the tortilla and repeat with the others
You can serve them immediately or wrap them in saran wrap and chill
I cut mine into pinwheel pieces for an appetizer but they would be good as a wrap / sandwich too!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

As I mentioned in the post for the homemade tortilla chips, I also made crock pot chicken for tacos for Cinco de Mayo.  This is an easy recipe that I found on food.com and I've used it a few times.  It's not too spicy so B likes it too!  (She even had this for breakfast the next morning!)  I didn't get a picture of them so, you'll just have to try them yourselves!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup chicken broth
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 white onion cut up

Directions:
Mix taco seasoning and chicken broth together
Place chicken in crock pot and cover with broth / seasoning
Place onions on top
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours
Shred chicken with 2 forks and serve in tortillas with your choice of toppings

Homemade Tortilla Chips

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we had some people over for dinner.  I made crock pot chicken for tacos and these tortilla chips.  I found the recipe here for the chips.  They turned out really nice and B liked them so much, I'm going to make some for her lunches.  You can season these with many different things.  Next time I want to try cinnamon and some with Old Bay too.  The original recipe calls for broiling on high.  After the 1st batch, I had to turn my oven to Lo and keep a very close eye on them after flipping them.

Ingredients:

1 small pkg tortillas (I used flour ones), cut into triangles
Cooking spray (I used Pam)
Salt, to taste (I used Season All Season Salt)

Directions:

 1. Preheat the broiler to high. Put tortilla triangles on a large baking sheet. Don't overlap the chips. If you want to make a large batch, fill a second pan and only bake one at a time.

2. Spray the triangles lightly with cooking spray. Turn over triangles and spray again. Sprinkle with salt, to taste.

3. Bake in the oven for about 3-4 minutes. Turn chips over and bake for another five minutes, or until chips are golden brown and crisp. Make sure you don't go too far while the chips are in the oven. They will bake quickly!

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage; Broccoli and Mushrooms in a Spicy (Light) Cream Sauce

I had some chicken sausage that needed to be used so I decided to throw together some other items in the refrigerator and make this dish.  I didn't measure anything so the recipe will be a little vague but it turned out really yummy!  B said the sauce was a little too spicy for her but that's easily adaptable.

Ingredients:
1 package chicken sausage (I used sweet Italian this time)
1 package baby bella mushrooms
1 medium head of broccoli
Bowtie pasta
Chicken stock
Fat Free Half & Half
1-2 tsp Corn starch
Black pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook sausage according to package instructions and set aside.  (The sausage stuck a little to the pan so I used a little drizzle of olive oil to keep it from happening)
Using the same pan that the sausage was cooked in, saute mushrooms with a little olive oil and pepper
Cut broccoli into bite size pieces & steam (I steamed mine in the microwave)
Cook pasta according to the package directions
While the pasta is cooking, put sausage; mushrooms and broccoli into the same pan.  Over medium heat, add a little chicken stock (I probably used 1/4 cup or less) & begin adding some fat free half & half.  I added about 1/2 of a pint.  Gently  stir together & add corn starch (a little at a time) until the sauce thickens a little.  Sprinkle in some cayenne pepper (to taste).
Drain pasta; mix with sauce.  Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese & serve.

French's French Fried Onion Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries and Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower

Last night I made French's french fried onion chicken along with baked sweet potato fries and roasted cauliflower.  The chicken has been around in our house for a while now but it's always a winner.  The others were done on a whim to get some healthier sides in the mix.  I've made sweet potato fries before but they were mushy.  I found a recipe here that I loosely followed & it explains how to keep them crispier (by par boiling the potatoes and using wire cooling racks to keep the potatoes off the cookie tray).  I think they'd be even better if I made them in the grill pan (but the grill was out of propane, so that will be next time!).  B didn't like the cauliflower but that's mainly because she didn't even try it.  I thought it was amazing & light.  It will be made again (& maybe adding some roasted pine nuts) so I hope she learns to try it!!  I also think that would be good on the grill as the recipe I found here was intended for the grill.

French's French Fried Onion Chicken
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded slightly
1/2 cup milk (1 egg white works well too)
1/2 (6oz) container of French's French Fried Onions, crunched up

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Put milk in a shallow bowl & crunched up onions in another shallow bowl
Dip chicken in milk then in onions, covering both sides of chicken with onions
Place chicken in baking dish (sprayed with Pam)
Bake for about 33 minutes

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, sliced length wise into even slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Rosemary
Chili Powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Arrange cooling wire rack onto baking sheet
Place sliced potatoes in pot of cold, lightly salted water and bring to a boil.  Let boil for about 2-3 minutes
Drain potatoes and put in bowl.  Season potatoes with olive oil; salt; pepper; rosemary & chili powder, turn to coat evenly
Place potatoes on wire rack & bake for about 40-45 minutes, turning at least 1x

Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 medium head of cauliflower
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Kosher Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place cauliflower in bowl and season with olive oil; garlic; salt; pepper & lemon juice
Put in baking dish and bake for about 15 minutes
Immediately put Parmesan cheese over the cauliflower and serve

Blue Cheese Mushroom Burgers and Roasted Garlic Potatoes

We made some delicious burgers last night with blue cheese in them.  I make my burgers with a variety of ingredients and when the blue cheese was added - wow, was it good!!  I want to try a slightly milder cheese next time (maybe Gouda) but this recipe has great potential!  I served the burgers with a salad and garlic potatoes.  A great "Spring" meal!

Blue Cheese Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
3-4 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
Montreal Steak Spice, to taste
Italian Bread crumbs, start with 1/4 cup.  Add more if needed to make burgers stay together
Blue cheese chunks, to taste

Directions:
Pre heat grill for medium heat
Mix above ingredients together
Form into burger patties and cook until done (about 10 minutes for medium rare)
Serve with kaiser rolls & desired toppings / condiments

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Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
3-4 white potatoes (yukon also work well)
Olive Oil
Pinch of kosher salt
Fresh pepper, to taste
Garlic (1-2 teaspoons of jarred or 1 clove fresh)

Directions
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes (or just slice thin)
Place potatoes in layers in baking dish that's lightly sprayed with Pam (or cooking spray)
Drizzle with a little olive oil (you don't want oil sitting in the bottom)
Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic on top
Gently toss to coat the potatoes
Bake for about 45-50 minutes, turning at least 1x during the cooking period.  Potatoes should be golden brown