Beef Stroganoff and Honey Ginger Carrots

Craig loves to cook!
And here's his recipe for Beef Stroganoff.
Take your choice of beef, he used top round for this one.
Slice bit size across the grain.
Season. Craig used garlic and cumin.
Add half a can of any beer, set aside.

In a pan saute 1/2 cup chopped onions and 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms with olive oil, or canola, till golden, then move to a plate.

Add meat to pan and cook till browned.
Reduce heat to simmer, Add onions and mushrooms to pan and add 3/4 cup skim milk with 1/2 cup light Alfredo sauce and packet of beef stroganoff mix. Stir and simmer until thickened.

Stir in 3 Tablespoons of sour cream. We used fat free sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.

For the honey ginger carrots, microwave carrots in water till just fork tender. We used mini carrots. Drain. In a pan add carrots with spray butter. Add teaspoon ginger and drizzle with honey. Saute until golden, and glazed, about 5 minutes.

Now Craig rarely measures things for recipes, so the amounts I put in the recipes are estimates.

spicy-sweet pork tenderloin

This was a new recipe we found in a magazine. It was very good! A nice change from broiling or baking.

Spicy-Sweet Pork Tenderloin

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon bottled minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 12 (3/4-inch-thick) slices
1/3 cup bottled salsa
1 tablespoon seedless raspberry preserves

Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Flatten each pork piece to 1/2-inch thickness using your fingertips. Add pork to pan; spoon soy sauce mixture evenly over pork slices. Cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn pork over; cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove from pan.
Add salsa and preserves to pan; increase heat to medium-high
Cook 30 seconds or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.
Serve pork with salsa mixture.
Now we used 2 pork cutlets instead of the pork tenderloin, and it was great!

We served it with pan fried potatoes, and marinated grilled asparagus with Parmesan and spray butter. Yummy!

Potato Salad

Craig's delicious, creamy, Potato Salad recipe!

First off, there are a lot of different types of Potato Salads, and I like most all of them, (heck, I like most foods period!)
But this is my favorite! It's easy and tasty!.

2lbs cooked potatoes with skin on. (Craig prefers red potatoes, but you can use any kind)
1 cup chopped Onion
3 stalks chopped Celery
5 hard cooked eggs diced(with the yolks separated and put aside)
1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip, Fat Free
1 Tbs white vinegar
2 packets of equal(or any artificial sweetener)
mustard to taste(Craig uses about 2 Tbs)
1/8 tsp pepper.

Put the first 4 items in a large bowl.
Mix the rest of the items in a second bowl and add the mashed yolks and stir.
Add the creamed mixture to the large bowl and stir.
Chill, and Enjoy!
You'd think Craig could at least smile for the camera! (he doesn't like his pic taken)

Graham Cracker Pudding Cake

Here's a really easy dessert, that tastes like the riches cake you've ever eaten!


Graham Cracker Pudding Cake


-Graham Crackers
-Chocolate pudding
-Cool Whip
Place crackers on a serving plate,
any shape or size.
Spread pudding on cracker,
about the thickness of the cracker.
Then alternate pudding and
cracker until you reach the
size you want.
Cover and refrigerate till morning.
spread cool whip over top and sides,
maybe some colored sugar sprinkles,
and serve.
It is so tasty!!

String Pie

Now this is one tasty dish!

8 ounces spaghetti
1 med onion peeled and finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta, drain.
Preheat oven to 350 F
Cook beef, onion, green pepper in large skillet over medium heat until meat is brown, stirring to separate meat. Drain drippings.
Stir in spaghetti sauce
In a large bowl, combine cooked spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and butter; mix well.
Place in bottom of 13x9 inch baking pan.
Spread cottage cheese over top
Pour meat sauce mixture over cottage cheese.
Bake 20 min or until hot
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top of casserole and heat until melted.

Now Craig tends to modify all the recipes he finds, and for this one he added diced tomatoes and green onions when he served it.

The above pic is a piece that was left over. Forgot to take an original pic.

Stuffed Meat Loaf

Craig makes many different meat loafs, but this ones my favorite!

Stuffed Meatloaf

1lb. extra lean ground beef
1lb Lean Hot Italian Turkey Sausage(casings removed)
dehydrated onion
3/4 cup grated zucchini
3/4 cup grated carrots
1-16oz can of pinto beans (drained and smashed)
2 eggs

Topping,
I can tomato paste
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 can sliced mushrooms

mix all ingredients in a bowl (except topping), cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a separate bowl, mix 1 12oz pkg of Kraft free shredded cheddar cheese with enough Egg Beaters to moisten.
On waxed paper, sprayed with cooking spray, spread the meat mixture out to about 1 inch thick.
Spread cheese over the meat leaving 1 inch from edges.
Roll into a log or fold in half and put in a casserole dish. Seal the ends by pinching the meat together.
Bake at 350 for an hour and.
Remove from oven (Careful, it will be hot!)
Spread topping over the top, bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until done.
Remove from oven (careful, still hot! use oven mitts!)

Let cool 10-15 minutes.

Creamy Turkey Pie

Here's another recipe to warm you on a cold day. Creamy Turkey Pie!


Creamy Turkey Pie


1lb ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 oz package fat free cream cheese
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 pkg low fat refrigerated biscuits or bread
(the kind in a rolled can)
1 egg
1 cup fat-free cream-style cottage cheese
1/4 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese
1 tbs flour
chopped tomatoes
chopped onions
4 oz. fat free shredded cheddar cheese

Brown turkey with salt and pepper, and saute onions. Drain.
Stir in cream cheese til combined, add mushrooms, set aside.
In a lightly greased 9 inch pie plate, spread bread dough, pressing onto bottom and up the sides to about 1/2 inch over edges.
Spoon in turkey mixture, spreading evenly.
In a bowl, combine egg(remove the shell), cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and flour. Mix till smooth. Spoon over turkey mixture.
Bake uncovered 25-30 min at 350.
Remove from oven(careful, hot!). Let stand 10 min.
Garnish with tomatoes and onions, and cheese.
Enjoy!

Wet Burritos

For this edition of C/C, here's a favorite of mine, wet burritos! They're soooo tasty!
And he makes them low fat. Here's the recipe.
6 large flour tortillas
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 can fat free refried beans
1 can enchilada sauce
1 pkg brown gravy
1 8oz bag fat free shredded cheddar cheese
fat free sour cream
3 bunches chopped green onions
3 Roma tomatoes chopped
1 pkg low sodium taco mix
Brown the ground beef and add the taco mix, let simmer according to directions. Heat refried beans. heat the enchilada sauce mixed with the brown gravy.
Lay out a flour tortilla, spread some of the refried beans, the beef, onions, cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes. Roll up and place in casserole dish.
Then pour enchilada/gravy sauce over them and garnish with left over cheese, onions, and tomatoes. Heat in microwave or oven until warmed through.
Enjoy!
This recipe should make 6 burritos.

Home made Pizza

Home made pizza.
Start out with store bought pizza dough. Make it to instructions and spread out on a pizza stone.


Spread store bought pizza sauce over dough, then mushrooms, meat, and finally mozzarella cheese. Bake at 425 until crust is golden brown.

What makes this a better pizza health wise, is he uses 4% fat ground beef, and 2% Mozzarella cheese. He also adds mushrooms. We like our pizza's fairly basic.

And of course for the best crust, you have to use a pizza stone.

Home made Nachos

A good easy lowfat Nachos.

We love nachos!

And to make them better for us, we used baked tortilla chips,

2% Mexican shredded cheese,

and 96% lean ground beef.

Spread the cooked ground beef over the chips, top with diced tomatoes, and green onions, add the cheese, stick it under the broiler for a few min. and enjoy!

Pineapple Pecan Cream Pie

An absolutely heavenly pie! Pineapple Pecan Cream Pie

 1 can crushed Pineapple

 1 cup sugar 

1 can sweetened condensed milk 

8 oz cool whip 

1/4 cup lemon juice 

1 cup chopped pecans

 Heat sugar and crushed pineapple, add cornstarch mixed with water till you have a pie filling consistency. Cool .Mix condensed milk with cool whip. Gradually add Lemon juice. Fold in chopped pecans and the cooled pineapple mixture.

Pour into a baked 9-10 in pie shell. Chill for at least 2 hours, if you can wait that long!

Tomato Cups

This is a wonderful appetizer! And easy and quick! Your guests will love them!


Now we filled them up full, and they were perfect!

Turkey Rice Casserole

Turkey Rice Casserole.

This is a great recipe for using leftover Turkey!

Pre-cook long grain rice. Craig added chopped green onions and carrots while cooking the rice for a color and nutritional boost.

Put half the rice in a greased baking dish. Top with turkey, chopped onions, sliced mushrooms, and fat free shredded cheese. Top with rest of the rice mixture and top with remaining gravy. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Yummy!

Baked Pork Cutlets and Stuffing

Baked Pork Cutlets and Stuffing.

Take one package of stuffing mix,

one package mixed frozen vegetables.

Thaw first. We used Broccoli, Corn, Red Peppers, and Cauliflower.

You could use fresh also but the frozen was easier.

One can Cream of mushroom soup. You could use any cream soup you want.

Mix all three together and put into casserole dish.

Trim excess fat from Pork Cutlets, season and place on top of stuffing mixture. See pics.We used Garlic, Cilantro, and Cumin.You can use what ever you like.

Bake at 400 for 40 min.

Enjoy!

Corned Beef Dinner

Corned Beef Dinner!

This is the most tender tasty Corned beef you'll ever eat!

2 Cups water

1 Cup Chopped Onion

1 Cup Chopped Carrot

1 Cup Chopped Celery

1 Bottle Guinness Stout Beer

1 Can Low Salt Beef Broth

2/3 Cup brown Sugar1 Can Tomato Paste

1 Tablespoon Dill Weed

6 Black Peppercorns

2 Whole Cloves

Combine everything in a slow cooker.

Top with 3 lbs Corned beef Brisket. (trimmed of fat)

Cook on high 8 hours.

Discard liquid and serve.

And with it we had fried cabbage, and boiled Potatoes.

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

7 ounces spaghetti 1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar (26 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried Basil

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain.
In a large bowl, toss spaghetti with egg substitute and Parmesan cheese. Spread evenly into a 15x10x1 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion, and peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain.
Add garlic, cook one minute longer. Stir in spaghetti sauce and seasonings., and heat through.
Spoon over spaghetti. Top with mushrooms and cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
I mean, it really tasted like pizza! And sooo easy!

Southwest Pasta Bake

Southwest Pasta Bake

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1 pkg (8oz) fat-free cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 pkg (10 ox) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pd lean ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar (16oz) picante sauce
1 can (8oz) no-salt added tomato sauce
1 can (60z) no-salt added tomato paste
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup (4oz) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in milk Stir in spinach and oregano; set aside.
In a nonstick skillet, cook beef and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the picante sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder and cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat: simmer uncovered, for 5 min. Drain pasta: stir into meat mixture.
In a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer half of the meat mixture, then all of the spinach mixture, then top with remaining meat mixture.
Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover: sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 min. longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with olives and onions. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

Asparagus and Chicken Carbonara

This recipe was a little more involved than I usually like, but it was sooo well worth it!

Asparagus and Chicken Carbonara

Yield 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup dry vermouth
2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast meat
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Preparation;
Cook pasta in boiling water 10 minutes or until al dente;
add asparagus during final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.
Combine reserved cooking liquid, egg substitute, and milk, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and onion to pan; saute 2 minutes. Add vermouth; cook 1 minute. Add pasta mixture; stir to combine. Remove from heat; stir in milk mixture, chicken, and cheese. Place pan over medium heat, and cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, salt, pepper, and bacon.

Serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut Squash

I've always had butternut squash cooked one way. Cut in half, baked, then scooped and mashed. This recipe was a delightful change.

Roasted butternut Squash with Mustard Vinaigrette

3 small butternut squash (about 2 lbs each) peeled, seeded and cut into half moons.
8 shallots, cut into wedges
4 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/4 cup fresh flat-leafed parsley, chopped

Heat oven to 375. Toss the vegetables with a total of 2 tablespoons of the oil and season with a total if 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Arrange single layer on baking sheet and roast, turning once, until golden brown and tender. 50-55 minutes.
Meanwhile, simmer the cider in a small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, 12-15 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard, parsley, the remaining oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.
Transfer the squash and shallots to a serving dish and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

This was served with Herbed Roasted Pork.

Herbed Roast Pork

This is a very easy pork roast.
Use a slow cooker to free up your time and have the house smell good all day.

Herbed Pork Roast

3 large cloves of garlic
2 1/2 -3 Pound pork roast, boneless or bone in.
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 cup water

Cook at lo for 9-10- hours
hi for 5-6 hours

1. cut 12 small pockets into roast and insert garlic pieces. In a small bowl combine salt, thyme, sage, cloves, and lemon peel. Rub into roast.

2. Pour 1/2 cup water into slow cooker. Add roast. cover and cook for desired time or until inside temp reaches 170 or higher.

3. Allow roast to stand 10 - 15 minutes before carving. Remove garlic pieces.

Juices may be thickened for gravy if desired. Dissolve cornstarch in water. Set control to HI. Stir slowly into juices until thickened.
Serves 4-6
I served this with Roasted Butternut Squash, and mashed potatoes