Kale chips

Tried a new thing. Kale chips. And they were yummy!
I was skeptical, as how could  dried leaves taste like anything. But I was wrong!

Start with a bunch of Kale.

Cut out the center vein.

Cut into roughly 2 in pieces.

Discard the veins.

Rinse well to remove any grit, and lightly dry on paper towels.

Lightly toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt.

Bake at 290 for about 15-30 minutes, watching closely until they become dry and crisp.

Don't over cook, or you'll end up with burnt chips. Use a spatula to loosen them from the pan and slide them into a bowl.
And I must say, they are as addicting as potato chips, only way better for you.  :-)

Mexican Pizza

Yummy! Mexican pizza!

Got this recipie off the internet, and it was a hit!  Very tasty!
Now of course, Craig 'modified' it, as he tends to do.   :-)
1/2 pound of lean ground beef.
1/2 can refried beans.
1 medium onion, diced.
4 9in flour tortillas.
1/2 cup salsa.
2 cups lite 3 cheese blend.
2 green onions, chopped.
2 roma tomatoes, diced.
1/4 cup black pitted olives.


Preheat oven to 350.
Place meat, and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Drain off grease. Add taco seasoning.
Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray.
Place one tortilla in each pie plate and cover with a layer of re-fried beans. Spread half of the seasoned meat mixture over each tortilla and cover with second tortilla.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Spread half of the salsa over the top tortillas. Top each with half of the cheese, tomatoes,green onions, and olives. Return to oven , bake until cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. slice each pizza into 4 pieces and serve.

Easy homemade coleslaw

Easy homemade coleslaw.
Super easy! Super quick! Super tasty!
And a low calorie and low sugar substitute.

1 package coleslaw mix. Or shred your own cabbage and carrots.
4 oz. fat free Greek yogurt.
4 oz. light miracle whip.
1 Tbl cider vinegar.
2 tsp sugar substitute.
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.
   
Mix last 5 ingredients together and add to coleslaw mix. Stir well, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

open faced chicken meatball sandwich

Chicken meatball open faced sandwich.
We used Chicken meatballs for this recipe. You could also use turkey meatballs or beef if you like.
 These were a bit expensive, but a much better diet choice. :-)

This is a simple recipe, and oh so good!

1 package meatballs.

1 jar marinara sauce.

 2 sub buns, cut in half.

2% shredded mozzarella cheese.

      In a sauce pan, heat sauce and meatballs until hot and bubbly.

Spread some of the  sauce on buns.

Cut meatballs in half, and place along bun.

Top with more sauce.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Place in a pre-heated oven, (350) until cheese is melted.

Serve warm.
We had this with our home made coleslaw.

Grilled Zucchini, Onion, and Red Peppers with grilled Pork Cutlets and grill baked Potatoes

If you love grilling, and who doesn't! You're going to LOVE this!

4 zucchini
2 red peppers
1 large onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/8 cup chopped basil
1/8 cup chopped oregano

Trim the ends of the zucchini. cut in long 1/4 inch slabs.
Trim, core and stem the red peppers. Cut length-wise into 1-2 inch slabs.
Peel onion and lay on its side. Cut 1/4 -1/2 inch slab circles.
Place veggies on a baking sheet. Combine all other ingredients and drizzle over veggies.
Place veggies on a hot grill. I used a grill tray to keep from losing veggies through the grill racks.
Cook on both sides until tender and slightly blackened. Brush with remaining oil/vinegar mix when you turn them.

We pared them with grilled pork cutlets, and grill baked potatoes for a scrumptious meal!

Marinated Chicken wings

Marinated Chicken wings

 These wings were also boiled first to remove extra fat.
This recipe makes for a glazed wing, that dries nicely as it cooks.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger
2-4 lbs chicken wings
Combine all ingredients in a zip-lock bag, marinate wings 24-48 hrs, turning bag several times. Place wings skin side up on lightly greased cookie sheet, or on a grill rack to drain excess marinade. Bake at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hrs

tasty, boiled and baked chicken wings

Here's a healthier way to enjoy crispy chicken wings.
The secret is to boil them first to remove fat so they crisp better in the oven.
I bought a 4lb bag of frozen plain wings.
Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water.
Bring to a boil.
Add wings.
Bring back to boil, partial cover, and boil for 15 minutes.
Scoop out wings into a colander to drain and cool.

Look at all the fat that boiled out of the wings!
While the wings are boiling, fill a resealable bag with.....
!/2 cup flour and any seasonings you want.
I used 3 Tablespoons of garlic powder and 3 Tbl Cajun seasoning.
 Add drained and cooled wings to bag, seal and toss to coat.
Important! Place pan in fridge for 45 minutes up to an hour to  give flour time to meld to the wings.
preheat oven to 450.
Pull pan out of fridge.

For this batch, I left half of the wings floured, the other half I put in a bag with barbecue sauce and re coated them.
Spray floured wings with a butter cooking spray to help brown while cooking.
Cook wings for 40 minutes, turning once.

Believe me. They were as tasty as they look!
The barbecue wings burned a bit, but were still good. I think next time, I'll turn the temp down to 425.