Olive Potatoes

Source:  The Cooking Channel
Recipe courtesy Laura Calder

Show: French Food at Home

Episode: The Olive Show


French cooking is something I'm not familiar with.  Probably because I don't have much of an interest since my trip to France and my dislike of the food, except for the awesome pastries.  I was surrounded by unfamiliar food arranged by a tour group.  I'll never forget my disgust when a plate of escargot was placed in front of me and I had no idea what was before me.  I immediately lost my appetite when I asked "what is escargot" and found out they were snails.  I lived on coffee, pastries and fruit while in Paris.

Anyway, I ran across the show French Food at Home on The Cooking Channel and have watched it several times with a bit of apprehension.  I'm surprised to say that I have seen several meals prepared that I would love to try out.  The Olive Potatoes is a side dish that I want to try for sure.

As I have "matured" my mind is more open to different foods from all cultures.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup/ 125 ml olive oil
• 2 pounds/1 kg red waxy potatoes
• 4 medium onions, sliced
• 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/2 cup/50 g black olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup/50 g green olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup/60 g pine nuts
• A handful of shredded fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan until quite hot. Add the potatoes, onions and garlic; stirring to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the thyme sprigs. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and the potatoes tender and golden, about 30 minutes.

Then toss in the olives and pine nuts, stirring to warm them. Check the seasonings, toss in the basil and serve.

Golden Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Two of my favorite things . . . cheesecake and caramel . . . these cheesecake bars have got to be awesome with that combination!

The recipe is courtesy of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

If you want to attempt to make a lighter version, Philadelphia Cream Cheese with no fat is a great substitute. I'm very picky about "no fat" items and it passed my test.

Ingredients:

• 24 Golden OREO Cookies, divided
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
• 25 KRAFT Caramels (1/2 of 14-oz. bag)
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 jar (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Creme
• 1 egg

Instructions:
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Place 14 of the cookies in food processor container; cover. Process until finely crushed. Mix with butter; press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch square baking pan. Bake 10 min. or until golden brown. Cool 10 min.

PLACE caramels and water in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 sec. Set aside. Coarsely chop remaining 10 cookies. Beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg; mix well. Stir in chopped cookies; pour over crust. Drop spoonfuls of the caramel mixture over batter; swirl gently with knife for marble effect.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into 20 bars. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.


Click here for the Nutritional Information




Source: Philadelphia Cream Cheese Facebook Fan Page

Toasted Ravioli from The Pioneer Woman

Toasted Ravioli are so delicious!  I've made them by pan frying the frozen ravioli in butter with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman.  They look so much crispier and crunchy than my version and I can't wait to try this out!

Ingredients

• 4 cups Vegetable Oil
• 6 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Seasoned Breadcrumbs
• 24 whole Frozen Ravioli (cheese Or meat)
• 2 cups Jarred Marinara Sauce, Heated
• 1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Parsley

Preparation Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 400 degrees.

Whisk together the eggs and half-and-half in a dish. Place the flour in a separate dish. Pour the breadcrumbs into a third dish.

Grab the ravioli right out of the freezer. One at a time, drop the ravioli into the egg mixture, then dredge them in flour, then dunk them once again in the egg mixture, then coat them in the breadcrumbs. Set them aside on a plate as you go.

3 or 4 at a time, drop the breaded ravioli into the oil and fry them for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and the filling is hot. They brown quickly, so watch them the whole time!

Remove them to a paper towel and repeat with the rest of the ravioli. Transfer them to a serving platter, sprinkle on the Parmesan and parsley, and serve with the marinara sauce.

Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Healthy Tuscan Chicken

Love all the ingredients in this healthy chicken recipe!

I'd also use this recipe for fish . . .

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 each medium green, sweet red and yellow peppers, julienned
• 2 thin slices prosciutto or deli ham, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Sprinkle chicken with pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in oil. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute peppers and prosciutto until peppers are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Add the tomatoes, broth, basil, oregano and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Yield: 4 servings.

Source:  Taste of Home
Originally published as Tuscan Chicken in Healthy Cooking August/September 2011, p49

Tomato Bacon Omelette

This omelette was one of the most delicious experiments ever!

It was one of those mornings that I just wanted to sleep late, so The Captain made his own breakfast and left me some bacon for my breakfast.  Such a sweet guy :)  I knew I wanted an omelette since it is what I eat just about every morning.  We also have an abundance of tomatoes that need to be used up.  So I decided to make something different with the combination of tomato, bacon and mozzarella cheese.

Sorry for the awful photo, but I had to share this delicious discovery!

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 beaten eggs
• 2 slices of crumbled cooked bacon
• 1 tomato
• 1 Tbsp butter
• salt to taste
• Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in pan and throw in diced tomatoes, add salt to taste.  Cook until tomatoes are falling apart or however you like cooked tomatoes.

Add crumbled cooked bacon.  Mix in with tomato.

Add beaten eggs, add a dash of salt to eggs before adding to pan.

Cook on one side and turn.

Top with your desired amount of mozzarella cheese.

Turn off the heat and cover the pan.

Omelette is done when the cheese is melted.

Nacho Stuffed Chicken

Would you believe this chicken stuffed with refried beans and cheese, topped with more cheese and crushed tortilla chips is healthy?

The Captain and I will be looking into using more of Hungry Girl's recipes since we are modifying our eating lifestyle with a balance of healthy meals along with our favorites.

Recipe and photo courtesy of 
The Cooking Channel
2010 Hungry Girl. All Rights Reserved. Show: Hungry GirlEpisode: To the Mex


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fat-free refried beans
• 4 wedges light spreadable Swiss cheese (recommended: The Laughing Cow), room temperature
• 1/4 cup shredded fat-free Cheddar cheese
• 16 low-fat baked tortilla chips
• 1 teaspoon dry taco seasoning mix
• 4 (5-ounce) raw, boneless, skinless lean chicken breast cutlets, pounded to 1/3-inch thickness
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup taco sauce
• Fat-free sour cream, for topping, optional
• Salsa, for topping, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

To make the filling: Combine beans, cheese wedges, and shredded cheese in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Put chips in a sealable plastic bag and crush with your hands or a rolling pin. Add taco seasoning and give it a good shake to mix. Transfer crumb mixture to a plate and set aside.

Place cutlets flat on a clean, dry surface, and season with salt and black pepper. Spoon filling onto the centers of the cutlets, dividing it evenly among them. Carefully roll each cutlet up over the filling (which may ooze a little, but don't worry!) and secure with toothpicks, if needed. Transfer to the baking sheet.

Cover each stuffed cutlet with 1 tablespoon taco sauce, using the back of the spoon or your fingers to coat. Coat cutlets with crumb mixture.

Cover the baking sheet with foil, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Carefully remove foil. Bake until chicken is cooked through and outsides are crispy, about 15 additional minutes.

Let cool slightly and top with sour cream and salsa, if using. Enjoy!


PER SERVING (1/4th of recipe, 1 stuffed chicken cutlet): 270 calories, 4.25g fat, 780mg sodium, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 1.5g sugars, 40g protein

Originally from FoodNetwork.com

Chicken-Broccoli au Gratin

The combination of chicken and broccoli is one of my favorites.  This semi-homemade recipe is courtesy of Pillsbury.  You can substitute the convenience foods to make a frugal version of the casserole.

Please note that this recipe is for two servings.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 small onion, sliced (1/2 cup)
• 1 box (10 oz) Green Giant™ frozen broccoli & zesty cheese sauce
• 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
• 1 can (4 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (4 rolls)

Directions 

Heat oven to 375°F. 

In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. 

Meanwhile, microwave broccoli with cheese sauce as directed on box. 

Spread 1/3 cup ricotta cheese in bottom of each of 2 ungreased 2-cup au gratin dishes or individual casseroles.* 

Top each evenly with chicken, mushroom mixture and broccoli with cheese sauce. 

Unroll dough; separate into 2 rectangles. Place 1 rectangle over top of each dish, tucking corners into dish as needed. 

Place dishes on cookie sheet; bake 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are golden brown and edges are bubbly. 

Notes from Pillsbury:

*Recipe can be made in ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish. Spread ricotta cheese in dish; top with chicken, mushroom mixture and broccoli with cheese sauce. Arrange dough rectangles over top. Bake as directed.