Chicago update coming soon!

The hubster and I made a trip to the windy city this weekend- and BOY did we EAT! I'll have a blog post up in the next few days with some of our favorites :0)

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

Ooohh this is good. And easy. And healthy. What's not to love?! This would be an excellent dish for you meat eaters to serve on your next meatless Monday.

And seriously yall, this was a lot prettier in person. I need to figure out how to take a prettier picture in the evening without it looking all green. 

Ingredients

1 large eggplant

1/3 pound freshly sliced mozzarella

a little parm cheese

a little garlic salt

1 egg

a drizzle of olive oil

panko or bread crumbs

flour

tomato sauce

Directions

Preheat oven on broil. Wash the eggplant, then slice into 1/4 inch rounds, skin on.

Set up 3 dredging stations:

1 with a handful of flour

1 with a beaten egg and a little olive oil

1 with the panko, a little garlic salt and a little parm cheese

Place 1 eggplant round into the flour to coat evenly, flipping to get both sides. Using a fork, dunk the same eggplant round in egg mixture and then coat in the panko mixture on each side.

Place coated eggplant on lightly greased baking sheet and repeat steps with each eggplant piece. It sounds like it will take a while, but it'll go very fast.

Once all the eggplant pieces are ready to go, pop them under the broiler for a few minutes. Keep a close eye on them, and allow the panko to brown just a little.

Remove the pan from the oven, flip each eggplant piece using tongs and return to the broiler to brown the other side.

Remove from oven, and change the temperature to 450.

In a large rectangular pyrex, pour in about half of the tomato sauce (of course you can use more or less to taste). Arrange the eggplant pieces in the dish. Top each eggplant with a proportional size of mozzarella.

Pop in the preheated oven about 8 minute, or until the cheese melts and the tomato sauce just bubbles.

Nutrition

This will depend on the size of your eggplant, but ours made 10 slices, which is about 4 servings when you include a side. This is for 1 serving.

Est. WW points: 7 

Calories: 352

Fat: 14.8g

Carbs: 40.5g

Fiber: 6.6g

Sugar: 7.8g

Protein: 14.5g

Notes

Why use panko? While not perfect, I mean, you're still breading something, panko is often seen as the healthier cousin of breadcrumbs. They are lighter, stay crispy longer and have fewer calories than their heavier handed brethren. Plus I like the taste :0)

We served this with homemade mashed potatoes, but it would also be delish with a side of whole wheat noodles and a bit more sauce. 

Homemade mashed potatoes

Why use a box when you can easily make mashed potatoes from scratch? We really liked the texture of these, and because they are homemade you can add any seasoning mix you'd like!

Ingredients 

3 medium sized yukon gold potatoes 

1/3 cup buttermilk 

2 tbl unsalted butter

salt and pepper to taste 

Directions 

In a large saucepan, get a full pot of water boiling. 

Peel and cube the potatoes. Once water is boiling, add potatoes and cover. Once water has returned to a boil, remove cover and lower heat to a strong simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. 

Remove potatoes and drain. In a large bowl, add the cooked potatoes, buttermilk, and butter. Mash well :0) Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Nutrition 

This recipe makes 3 generous servings. This is for 1 

Est WW points: 5

Calories: 242

Fat: 8.1g 

Carbs: 39g 

Fiber: 4.7g 

Sugar: 3g

Protein: 5.3g 

Easy Peasy! Enjoy!

Oatmeal 'surprise' cookies and happy meatless monday!

Edited to add: happy meatless monday! How are you doing with the challenge??? Ok, and now for something to ruin your dinner with!

Yuuuuuuumy! So the title might be a little deceiving, really there is no surprise, but it seemed more appropriate than just plain old oatmeal cookies. The beauty of these is that they adapt really well to whatever you want to throw into them- chocolate chips, nuts, raisins.... anything your little heart desires. Either plain or with stuff they are delicious, and a definite crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 cups oats

'surprise' to taste :0)

Directions

Cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs (1 at a time).

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Slowly stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, stirring until just damp and well incorporated.

Add oats 1/3 at a time, stirring until incorporated well.

Add surprise, stirring until incorporated well.

Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Heat your oven to 375. Using a cookie scoop or a small spoon, place cookie dough on a sprayed baking sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Nutrition

Really??? Let's not go there for deserts ok?

Notes

These cookies dont really spread out too much, so dont worry about leaving a whole lot of space between them. You should remove the cookies from the oven when the edges JUST start to brown and the top is firm- dont wait for the whole top to brown or you will have a ruined batch on your hands :0)

This recipe is super easy to freeze: Just roll up extra dough into a tightly packed ball. Wrap tightly with saran wrap. Flip ball over and wrap a 2nd time with saran wrap to prevent freezer burn. When you're ready to enjoy, just defrost in your freezer and bake as normal! Should keep well for 6-8 weeks.

Enjoy!

Dinner fail

Made a stir fry sauce tonight that was well, lacking. This is just a reminder that sometimes recipes dont work, or they're not great, or they're not for you- no big! Take it off of your list and have a big bowl of cereal instead :0)

Rataouille

This dish is very rustic Italian. It's super easy, loaded with fresh veggies and perfect for dipping with crusty bread. This is great for feeding a large crowd and it's not short on taste!

warning: please excuse the crappy lighting photo. It does not do the beautiful colors justice

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 chopped medium onion

2 minced garlic cloves

3 cups cubed eggplants (peeled or not, we like them skin on)

1 chopped medium green bell pepper

2 cubed medium zucchini

1 cup chopped hearty mushrooms, such as baby bellas or cremini

1 14oz can Italian Seasoned tomatoes or regular chopped tomatoes with a good dash of italian seasoning

A little mozzarella cheese to top

Your favorite crusty bread

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, heat until tender.

Add remaining veggies and tomatoes (with juice) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Uncover and cook for about 5 minutes or until most liquid is evaporated.

Nutrition

This makes 4 servings (it can be easily doubled), this is for 1. This does not include bread.

Est. WW points: 2

Calories: 127

Fat: 3.9 g

Carbs: 22 g

Fiber: 5.7 g

Sugar: 8.6 g

Protein: 3.9g

Enjoy!

Overnight baked apple french toast

So this overnight baked apple french toast is not the best for your waist line, but it is oh. so. good. for your tummy. This recipe is delish, and super easy. The best part is that all of the prep work happens the night before, so in the morning you just pop it in the oven before you start your morning routine and when you're finished you have an excellent morning treat.

Ingredients

8-10 slices of your favorite country french bread or crusty bread

6 eggs

2 3/4 cup milk or non dairy milk

2/3 cup sugar, split into 2 1/3 cup measurements

1 tbl vanilla

2 medium sliced apples

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbl butter

Directions

Place bread flat in a large buttered baking dish (or two!). I know it seems like a small step, but it's actually very important to butter your baking dish, otherwise the bread will stick and make it more difficult to get a nice piece cut (see photo).

Combine the eggs, milk, 1/3 cup sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl or measuring cup. Pour half of the mixture over the bread. Top the bread with half of the apples.

Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg and remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Sprinkle half of the mixture over the apples. Top with remaining apples, the pour remaining egg mixture over.

Cut butter into very small pieces and spread evenly over the french toast. Cover and chill overnight.

The following morning, bake uncovered at 250 for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until the egg mix solidifies. It's ok if the brown sugar topping caramelizes on the apples, it will look burnt but it's not!

Nutrition

This is assuming 6 generous servings, this is for 1

Estimated WW points:

Calories: 483

Total Fat: 11 g

Cholesterol: 217 g

Carbs: 80 g

Fiber: 5.7 g

Sugar: 26 g

Protein: 14.5 g

Enjoy!

Perfect Pesto

Ooohh how we love pesto in our house! Although the picture is not the greatest here, pesto made with fresh basil is bright green in color and incredibly fragrant. It is perfect to keep on hand to throw on otherwise uninspiring plain pasta, or in this case a little cheese ravioli. AND because it can be frozen into small cubes using a ice cube tray it's the perfect make ahead condiment that spruces up any meal even in winter.

Ingredients

3/4 cups olive oil, again the best you can find

3/4 cups fresh grated parm cheese

1/2 cup pine nuts

3 whole garlic cloves

4 cups chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until desired consistency. If you have a smaller food processor, or are using a Magic Bullet, it is probably best to loosely split the recipe into 3rds to make it easier to chop/mix.

Nutrition

This recipe makes about 9 pretty generous servings. This is 1:

Estimated WW points: 8

Calories: 329

Fat: 27 g

Cholesterol: 6.6 mg

Carbs: 21 g

Fiber: 13.3. g

Sugar: .8 g

Protein: 9.2 g

Notes: Seriously this dish is super easy to freeze- just evenly pour the pesto into ice cube tray and allow to set. Transfer to freezer safe bag or container. If adding to a recipe, simply add to heated skillet. If adding to cooked pasta, allow to defrost at room temperature about 1 hour. Should keep 6-8 weeks with no problem.

Enjoy!

Portobello Fajitas

I LOVE portobello fajitas. The problem is, they are a leeeeetle hard to find in this beef lovin' town. I think the nearest is Mi Chula, which while delicious, is about 30 minutes away- too far for a random week night craving. So at the first sign of good weather we decided to try making them at home. Oh boy were these good! And easy! And cheap! They will totally be staying on our rotation!

Ingredients

2 large portobello mushrooms, sliced into long, thick strips 

1/4 large white onion, sliced 

1 green bell pepper, sliced 

whole wheat tortillas 

Mexican cheese mix 

Mexican rice mix (yeah um, dont judge this was an EASY dinner night!)

1 cup olive oil 

2 Tbl Fajita seasoning (recipe to make your own or from the bulk section of your local grocery store)

1 gallon sized ziplock 

Directions 

Prepare all of your vegetables. 

In a large gallon sized ziplock, pour in the olive oil and fajita seasoning and mix well until all of seasoning is damp. If the mix is too dry, add a little more olive oil, it's very difficult to over do on the olive oil. 

Pour vegetables into ziplock bag, seal and lightly shake to distribute the seasoning paste. Be mindful not to break the fragile portobellos. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, redistributing seasoning paste every 10-15 minutes. 

Get rice cooking as directed on packaging. 

At or after 30 minutes, remove vegetables from ziplock. If grilling, add to a grill basket and allow to cook until lightly charred. If using a wok, cook vegetables on medium heat. During last 3-5 minutes of cooking turn heat to high to allow to lightly crisp. 

Serve with fresh whole wheat tortillas, rice and cheese. 

Nutrition

I'm not really sure about the nutrition on this one since it can vary greatly based on the rice, tortillas and cheese. 

Notes 

If you own a grill and do not own a grill basket yet get one! We use ours constantly during the summer to make everything from green beans to egg plant. They are available in a variety of pricepoints, but you'll want to take into consideration the construction, the depth, the width and the handle. 

Enjoy!

May I have a word?

Our friends, the J family, watched Food, Inc. tonight and posted on their facebook that they are looking to make a shift regarding their food priorities. I've been waffling about whether or not to post about going vegetarian, and their status really made me want to share about why I believe that going veg, even just one day a week, is a good choice.

I should make a disclaimer that this is NOT a political blog, this is not even a political blog post- Lord knows I participate in enough politics outside of the dinner table. I'm sharing this because I truly believe that we can make a difference in our health, in our environment, in the lives of the animals we share it with, and in our pocketbooks choosing a vegetarian lifestyle.

So, why did I choose to become vegetarian?

1. I believe that a vegetarian lifestyle is healthier. Numerous studies have shown that a plant based diet lengthens your life span and that vegetarians suffer fewer diseases such as prostate cancer and heart disease. It is entirely possible to build a well rounded plant based diet that satisfies all of your nutritional (and taste!) needs. For more info from MSN and the Mayo Clinic, click here and here.

2. I believe that a vegetarian lifestyle is better for our environment. Factory farming puts off an alarming rate of greenhouse gasses, strips the land our vital top soil, and contributes to the contaimination of lakes and oceans. For more information from the Sustainable Table, click here.

3. I believe that factory farming is cruel and that no animal should die for my enjoyment. The facts remain that animals in the factory farming system are routinely abused, often never get to even feel grass under their feet, and are mutilated rather than given adequate space to live in. For many people, this is a very emotional and difficult issue to wrestle with. If you choose to continue eating animals, I ask that you at least ensure that they are raised and slaughtered humanely. Feel free to google, what you will find will be shocking.

4. I believe that a vegetarian lifestyle is easier on our pocketbooks. By eating locally grown , seasonal foods rather than processed junk and laying off the meat, a family could save some serious dough. Not only is a plant based diet cheaper initially, but as a society our healthcare system would be in a better place if we could avoid things like cardiovascular disease. New studies are also indicating that the agricultural use of antibiotics is contributing to drug resistance at very high rates, furthering the need for medical research and vaccination development ($$$).

For me, it was a no brainer to go veg. Even if you decide to join me in going veg 1 day per week, we could make a dent in all of the bad stuff listed above. What do you think?

OOhhh OOoohhh edited to add: I just found this web site, so cool! If you're considering jumping on the bandwagon, this would be an excellent place to start http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

Morning Oatmeal

There is almost nothing better in the morning than a steaming bowl of yummy oatmeal. Oatmeal is truly one of those power foods- it's versatile, easy and has the ability to fill your belly up until lunch time.

Generally, oatmeal comes in 3 forms: quick oats, regular rolled oats, and my favorite 'Irish' or steel cut oats. Quick oats are super fast, and can be made on either a stovetop or in the microwave in under 5 minutes. Regular rolled oats take a bit longer, I'd say about 15 minutes, and arent substantially different from quick oats in my opinion. Steel cut oats are the holy grail of whole grains and can take up to 30 minutes to simmer- too long for a weekday breakfast, but a tasty treat on a slow weekend.

This is one of my favorite weekday-whip ups using quick oats in the microwave. It's a great standby to have a fast recipe committed to memory for those days that your morning is a little foggy, but dont hesitate to mix and match your flavors- remember, half the fun of oatmeal is the limitless combination of flavors.

Ingredients

1/4 cup quick oats

1/2 cup almond milk, or other non dairy milk

a shake of cinnamon (about 1 tsp)

a splash of vanilla (about 1 tsp)

1.5 tsp brown sugar

1/4 apple cut into small cubes

Directions

Pour quick oats, almond milk and apples into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes depending on settings. Stir. Microwave for an additional 1-2 minutes, until oats are to a consistency that you're happy with.

Add in cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar to taste.

Nutrition

Assuming 1 serving

Estimated WW points: 3

Calories: 159

Fat: 2.7 g

Carbs: 28.8 g

Fiber: 4.8 g

Sugar: 4.1g

Protein: 3.8 g

Enjoy!

Vegetable Pot pie

I LOVE pot pie. It's warm, and flaky, and potato-y...... In my opinion it's one of those perfect winter meals, right up there with a good tomato soup. I've been searching for a conveniently frozen vegetarian version, but apparently they dont exist and tonight my craving finally won over. The hubs also really liked this recipe and said it was right up there for him with the blackbean pineapple enchiladas, so it looks like I'm safe to make it again! 

Ingredients

1 tbl unsalted butter

1 small head of fennel, prepped and chopped

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

8-12 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 small russet potato, peeled and diced

1/4 cup flour

1 cup mushroom broth

1 cup milk or non-dairy milk

1 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup sliced chives

1/4 cup sliced parsley

1 large egg yolk (omit if vegan)

1 sheet puff pastry

Additional seasoning or spices (I used a mix of Tony's Spices and Herbs & a general 'Italian' seasoning. You could probably do with just salt, pepper and the italian version)

Directions

Oven to 400 and prep all of your vegetables.

Melt the butter on medium heat in a large skillet. Add in fennel, onions and carrots and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and potatoes, and cook an additional 6-8 minutes or until mushrooms are browned.

Reduce heat and carefully add broth, milk and flour to the skillet. While bringing to a simmer, stir until smooth. Allow to simmer about 5 minutes while sauce thickens.

Remove from heat. Add peas, parsley, chives and seasoning to taste. This recipe will take a lot more seasoning that you think, so pour in a good amount, stir and taste. I'd almost err on the side of over seasoning for this one.

 Pour entire mixture into either personal sized pot pie baking dishes or one large 8x8 baking dish.

Place pastry dough over the filling and tuck into edges.

Whisk together the egg yolk, a pinch of salt and 2 tsp of water. Brush the egg wash over the pastry dough, and cut slits in the top of the pastry dough.

Bake 25-30 minutes, allowing to set an additional 5 minutes after baking.

Nutrition

This is assuming 8 servings, each serving is

Estimated WW points: 6

Calories: 276

Fat: 15.1g

Cholesterol: 66 mg

Carbs: 29.7 g

Fiber: 3.7 g

Sugar: 3.1 g

Protein: 6.1 g

If you do only 6 servings, it is 367 calories, 20.1 g of fat and 8.1 g of protein per serving.

Enjoy!

Sesame tofu with wilted spinach and rice

The hubs got home from his big run yesterday and is trying to recover with a bit of a light appetite. We went through all of the recipes I could make with our stuff on hand and this was his choice. It was very good, very light and a nice way to get in some protein without being heavy. We'd definitely do it again! Adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers book.

Ingredients

1/2 block firm tofu

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 tbl dark sesame oil

2 tbl soy sauce

2 tsp olive oil

3 chopped garlic cloves

a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach

1 cup of minute rice

salt and pepper

Directions

Cut tofu in half height wise, like a biscuit. Press the tofu for 5-10 minutes. Cut each tofu slab into 4-8 pieces, depending on preferred size.

Spread the sesame seeds on a flat plate. Press each side of the tofu into the sesame seeds, to coat evenly.

Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok on medium heat 1-2 minutes. Arrange the tofu squares in a single layer on the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. With a spatula or tongs, carefully turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes.

Lower the heat, and carefully add the soy sauce and a few drops of tabasco. Raise the heat to medium, and cook for another minute or so until most of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer tofu to a plate.

Add the oil and garlic to the skillet and sauté for about 30 seconds until golden. Add the baby spinach and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly until the spinach is wilted.

Heat the rice.

Plate the rice and spinach. Top with squares of tofu.

Nutrition

This recipe makes 2 servings, amount per serving:

Estimated ww points: 13

Calories: 546

Fat: 34

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 933

Carbs: 56 g

Fiber: 4.5 g

Sugars: .4 g

Protein: 23 g

Enjoy!

Caramelized Onions, mushrooms and gruyere pasta

So the hubs is out of town running some crazy 60 mile run in sub-arctic temperatures and I decided to make a quick dinner that I KNOW I could never get him to eat. Although he will eat onion rings, he has a serious aversion to anything that resembles an actual onion. I on the other hand happen to love onions, especially when they are sauteed into glorious, gooey brown strips known as 'caramelized onions'. If you're looking for something super tasty with a nice grown up flavor, this one is for you!

Warning: this recipe makes 1 serving since I came up with it on the fly and it only had to serve myself. It is also not for the faint of heart or dieters.

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat or quinoa based pasta

1 1/2 tsp butter

1/2 tbl olive oil

a pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2-1 tbl flour

1/4-1/2 cup milk

1/4 thinly sliced white or red onion

4 roughly chopped baby bella mushrooms or about 1/2 of a regular portabella mushroom

2/3 cup freshly grated gruyere cheese

Directions

In a large skillet, heat your butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add in thinly sliced onions, a pinch of salt and sugar. Allow the onions to brown, stirring frequently.

After about 5 minutes, add roughly chopped portabella mushrooms. Continue to saute.

Cook pasta according to directions as you continue to cook the onion/mushroom mix. When pasta is finished, drain and set aside.

Once onions are nicely browned and mushrooms are cooked through, reduce heat to low. SLOWLY add in the milk, quickly followed by the flour. Stir to make a nice thick mixture (but not lumpy) mixture. If the mix is too lumpy, simply add more milk or butter. If the mix is too watery, simply add a touch more flour. Once gravy is thoroughly mixed, slowly add in grated gruyere cheese, stirring until incorporated and melted.

Transfer pasta into a bowl and spoon onions, mushrooms and sauce on top. Top with a small amount of grated cheese.

Nutrition

This is assuming 1 serving.

Estimated WW points: 15

Calories: 630

Fat: 40.6 g

Cholesterol: 105.1

Carbs: 42 g

Fiber: 5.6 g

Sugars: 5.3 g

Protein: 29 g

Pineapple black bean enchiladas

The hubs is a funny one- he loves all things pineapple and ketchup. No, no, not together. But on just about anything else. I kind of knew he would immediately scream 'YEEEESSSSS' when I suggested pineapple black bean enchiladas for dinner, and boy was it a good suggestion. These were simple, filling and deceptively good. Since so many people I know are watching their calorie intake as part of their new years resolution, I've decided to add the basic nutrition info for each dish I make. I totally recommend making this next time you're craving something spicy!

Ingredients 

1/2 finely chopped onion 

1 chopped medium green bell pepper 

1 20oz. can crushed or chunk pineapples 

1-2  cans of black beans (we used 1 but it could have had more) drained and rinsed

1 4.5oz. can chopped green chiles 

1 tsp salt 

1 can enchilada sauce 

6 tortillas (we used flour from a local restaurant, but whole wheat would make this dish even healthier) 

1 cup shredded mexican cheese mix

Directions

Oven to 350. 

Saute the onions and bell peppers for 5 minutes or until they are soft. 

Drain the pineapples keeping the juice in a separate container. Stir the drained pineapple chunks, black beans, green chiles, and salt into the saute skillet. Mix well with the onion and bell peppers, cooking until heated. This is your filling.  

Spoon  a little enchilada sauce and the filling into each tortilla. The amount of filling will depend on how large your tortillas are, but you should save enough room to roll up the tortillas into a classic enchilada shape. Once you have the tortilla rolled, either place seam side down or 'seal' with a toothpick and place seam side up. Place in a glass baking dish. 

In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup of reserved pineapple juice with remaining enchilada sauce. Pour over entire surface of the dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove foil, and cover dish with 1 cup of shredded cheese (or more or less to taste). Return to oven and bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. 

Notes: 

Black beans are an excellent staple in a vegetarian diet. More than 25% of their calories are from protein (compared to 15-20% in steak), they are low in cholesterol, high in fiber and can be purchased for as little as $2 per pound. 

However, beans also contain a special sugar that the bacteria in our bellies love, creating um, rumbly little tummys. In order to help your body break down the sugars in the most efficient way, it's important to drain and rinse your beans several times. We usually drain and rinse ours 3-4, but it's safe to rinse them until most of the blackish liquid is removed from the can. This simple step will make your belly more comfortable and help your body absorb the most amount of nutrients possible. 

Nutrition: 

This is assuming 6 servings of 1 enchilada each using flour tortillas. 

Estimated WW points: 6

Calories: 321

Fat: 10.5 g

Saturated fat: 4.2 g 

Cholesterol: 16.7 mg

Sodium: 765.5 mg

Carbs: 46.3 g

Fiber: 5.3 g

Sugars: 6.9 g

Protein: 11.4 g

Enjoy! 

The Cajun girls dowry: Magnalite Pots

When I was growing up my mom always had a set of magnalite pots. Through every move we made her pots were usually the first things she unpacked and many grilled cheeses were made on her old skillet throughout the years. When I got engaged we jokingly said that a magnalite set was the Cajun girls equivalent of a dowry, which may be true considering every one of my female relatives owns a set! I'm sure there are other pots and pans that are lovely, but I swear by my set. Magnalites are heavy weight and made of a mix of aluminum and magnesium. I'd take these over a cheapo non stick skillet any day. If you happen to be in Louisiana, you can pick up a set at a local hardware store. Otherwise, you can find them frequently on ebay or at walmart.com (I know, I know, but walmart is THE store in Louisiana, so the fact that they are sold there is more a matter of convenience than quality).

Next time you need to purchase a new pot, or maybe have to pick up a gift for that newlywed you know consider Magnalite. Our family has loved them for generations.

Rustic cheese ravioli with walnuts and apples

I'll admit, when I first found this recipe on Real Simple Foods I was a little cautious, I mean apples and ravioli??!!! But honestly it was SO good. The combination was fresh and filling without being heavy like a traditional ravioli with sauce. It's definitely high on my list of easy to make, tasty last minute meals. 

Ingredients 

1 pound cheese ravioli (fresh, frozen, homemade, whatever)

2 Tbl olive oil- we use the best olive oil you can purchase at our local Greek food market

1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts

1/2 to 1 crisp red apple cut into thin matchsticks

1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley 

A pinch of salt 

Parmesan cheese to taste 

Directions 

Cook the ravioli according to directions and set aside. 

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and stir often to lightly toast, 4 minutes or so. Careful not to burn! 

In a large bowl, combine ravioli, apple matchsticks, parsley, pinch of salt, and walnuts. Plate and sprinkle with Parmesan. 

Notes

This recipe serves about 4 people, however it's very easy to scale down to a single or double portion for a simple weeknight dinner. Simply cook the appropriate amount of ravioli, and adjust walnut/apple quantities to taste using the same amount of olive oil. 

You can make a lower calorie version using reduced fat cheese ravioli. This recipe used Bertoli 4 cheese ravioli (not the reduced fat kind). 

Nutrition

This is assuming 4 servings, and represents the amount per serving 

Estimated WW points: 11

Calories: 440 

Fat: 33.6 g 

Saturated fat: 9 g 

Cholesterol: 35 mg 

Sodium: 506 mg

Carbs: 24.3 g

Fiber: 3.2 g 

Sugar: 1.6 g 

Protein: 12.8 g

Enjoy! 

Happy New Year!

Welcome to The Pink Mixer Project! I've been thinking about doing a food blog for some time now, and decided the new year was the perfect timing. My goal here is to chronicle what happens in our kitchen- I'm a baked goods loving vegetarian, while my husband is a grill loving carnivore. In order for recipes to succeed in my kitchen they need to be tasty! 

To kick off the new year, I made these pink champagne cupcakes. These are delish- light and bubbly without being overwhelmingly sweet. Enjoy!

Pink Champagne Cupcakes 

Ingredients

3/4 to 1 cup pink champagne (we used the new Cupcake Vineyards version) 

1 cup very finely chopped strawberries 

2/3 cup room temp. butter 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

2 3/4 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt

6 egg whites at room temp 

Directions

Oven to 350. C

Cream together the butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix or sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. 

Slowly alternate adding the dry ingredients and champagne to the creamed butter/sugar mix. So you should- add dry ingredients, stir, add champagne, stir. Repeat. 

Scatter the strawberries evenly across the top of the batter.  Because they are chopped very small, it should be easy to incorporate them into the batter by using 2 or 3 long strokes. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the room temperature egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes or so.  The finished product should be a gorgeous white fluff that holds a point when you remove the beater. 

Fold 1/3 to 1/2 of the egg whites into the batter until incorporated. Slowly fold in the remaining egg whites until well blended. 

Fill cake liners with the batter and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Pink Champagne Frosting 

Ingredients

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup room temp butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1  to 1 1/2 tbl milk

a dash of champagne 

Optional: a dash of red food coloring paste to give a pretty pink color. 

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the powdered sugar and butter together. Slowly add vanilla and mix. Alternate slowly adding milk and champagne until desired consistency. Increase mixer speed to medium for 1 to 2 minutes or until mix is smooth. 

Frost cooled cupcakes using either a frosting knife or pastry bag and top with pretty sugar crystals. 

Enjoy!