Broccoli and Cheese Manicotti

Manicotti is one of my favorite meals.  

This recipe is my basic way of making this dish 

. . . what I like about this recipe is the addition

 of broccoli to the cheese mixture.  Check out

the tips at the end of the recipe!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces manicotti shells
• 1 (32-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 ¹/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella chesse, divided
• ¹/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• ¹/4 teaspoon salt
• ¹/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce
• 
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    
2. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain, rinse, and drain again.
    
3. In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Add broccoli; mix well.
    
4. Fill each manicotti shell with about 1/3 cup cheese mixture and place in prepared baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over stuffed shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
    
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbling.

Notes

• For an easy way to fill the manicotti shells, place the cheese mixture in a resealable plastic storage bag. Snip off a corner of the bag and squeeze the cheese mixture into the shells.
   
• For an extra burst of flavor, add 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg to the cheese mixture.

Source:  Mr. Food

Golden Chicken Casserole

The perfect recipe for leftover chicken and those basic

pantry items.  I always keep Bisquick on hand for making

quick biscuits  or these type of recipes. 

Make it light by substituting the "light" or "no-fat" versions 

of ingredients like chicken soup, sour cream and milk.

Ingredients

• 1 (10¾-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• ¹/2 cup sour cream
• 1 ¹/4 cups milk, divided
• 3 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
• ¹/2 teaspoon salt
• ¹/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ³/4 cup biscuit baking mix
• ¹/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 egg
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
    
2. In a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, combine soup, sour cream, and 1/2 cup milk; mix well. Add chicken, vegetables, salt, and pepper; mix well.
    
3. In a medium bowl, combine baking mix, cornmeal, egg, and remaining 3/4 cup milk; mix well then spoon over chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
    
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until edges are golden and chicken is warmed through.

Source:  Mr. Food

Carne Asada (Zesty Steak)

Although I am not really into beef, this is one of

those dishes where I will make an exception.  

Carne Asada is awesome with black beans

and rice . . . and don't forget some good bread.

Ingredients

• ¹/4 cup original flavor seasoned rice vinegar
• Zest of 2 limes
• ¹/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¹/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 2 pounds skirt steak
• 
  

Instructions

1. In a large resealable plastic storage bag, combine the rice vinegar, lime zest and juice, the olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and cilantro, if desired; mix well. Add the steaks to the bag, and seal. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
    
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the steaks, discarding any marinade, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness. Slice thinly and serve.

Source:  Mr. Food

Frozen Mojito Pie

Since our lime tree is bearing fruit this year (for the first time) and loaded with limes, I'm on the lookout for lime recipes.


This recipe can easily be adapted for a low fat diet by substituting cream cheese and whipped topping with the no fat or low fat varieties.  We have recently switched to no fat cream cheese and honestly can't tell much of a difference in taste, but it makes a huge difference in calories and fat.  I have also started experimenting with butter substitutes that you can cook with and the results have been very encouraging, although I have not experimented with baking yet.  Butter can also be substituted with coconut oil, which is solid like butter or shortening.


I'm not sold on the pretzel crust . . . any ideas?  I was thinking along the lines of a graham cracker crust . . .

Ingredients:

1 cup finely crushed pretzels

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

Zest from 1 large lime

Juice from 1 large lime (if the limes you are using are really small, use two of them)

2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint (I like it minty, so I use 3 tbsp. of mint)

2 cups Whipped Topping

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl mix together the pretzel crumbs and the butter.

Press the pretzels onto the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, or a round pan lined with plastic wrap.

Freeze the crust for at least one hour.

In your mixer’s bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, zest, juice, and mint. Mix until well blended.

Whisk in the whipped topping.

Spoon the filling over the crust.

Freeze for at least 6 hours. Over night is best.

Carefully remove the pie from the pan and top it with some crushed pretzels and thin slices of lime.

Keep it frozen.

Source:  Foodbeast