Recipe Requests

I had a few requests for recipes so here they are!

Tuna Loaf

This is a good change from beef meatloaf, especially if you love tuna. Using foil during the baking really helps keep this loaf moist. You can make this recipe using salmon as well. Some day I'll have to try making this with fresh, broiled tuna. Yum!

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp olive oil
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup fat-free skim milk (powdered milk would work here)
4 6-oz. cans of tuna, drained and broken into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Oil a regular-sized bread loaf pan with a little extra olive oil or some cooking spray.
2. Saute onions and dill weed in a saucepan with the olive oil until onions are tender.
3. Add eggs, bread crumbs, milk and tuna. Stir until everything is well distributed.
4. Pour the filling into the bread pan, spreading the top to make it even without pressing the filling down too much. (We don't want it to be dense!)
5. Cover the top with aluminum foil (to keep it from drying out) and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let it cool about 5 minutes with the foil off before serving. Good with tartar sauce or Italian dressing.


Spinach Artichoke Dip

A classic recipe good for dinner or an appetizer.
Thank you, Janae! I hope you don't mind me posting this - I've had a number of requests for this recipe. Everyone loves it!

8 oz. (1 package) reduced-fat "neufchatel" cream cheese, softened
1 cup light mayo
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 14-oz. can artichokes (in water), chopped and drained
1 small package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp. dill
1/8 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Oil a medium-sized, deep baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl by hand or with a hand mixer. Pour into baking dish, using a spatula to get all of the dip out of the bowl.
3. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes. Serve with your favorite corn chips or a good French baguette.

A Little Recipe Organization

If you love cooking like me, then you have a zillion recipes floating around your house - stuffed into folders, crammed into beat-up cookbooks or earmarked in favorite cooking magazines. I like being organized and not being able to find recipes that I use constantly was getting to be frustrating. So, I came up with a few organizing ideas.

1. To cut down on magazine-mania, I went through my cooking magazines, cut out the recipes I wanted to keep or that I realistically knew I would actually make some day and slipped them into page protectors and stuck them in a binder. I chucked the rest of the magazines but did keep the magazines that were chock full of amazing recipes.

2. Now I have 2 binders. One binder (okay, one and a half - the first one overflowed) contains recipes that I have yet to try, but still interest me. The other binder is full of the recipes that I have tried and that I actually like. (Why keep a recipe everyone hated?) That way, when I want to make an old favorite, I don't have to flip through countless page protectors of gorgeous food pictures and 10 different pumpkin pie recipes to find the Sticky Chicken recipe I want.


Do you have any recipe organization tricks? Post a comment and let us know! I know I can use all the suggestions I can scrape in.

Greek Sesame Candy

Sesame candy was always a treat I liked to get when we went to the health food store, but the downside was that it was so expensive! I was thrilled to find this fun, tasty, and really easy recipe that I could make at home. It's not too sweet and just really hits the spot. It's crunchy, chewy and it's great to share. I hope you enjoy it! (I found this recipe through www.epicurious.com.)

"There are many variations of sesame honey candy from around the Mediterranean and the Middle East - some are hard and crunchy; others, like this Greek version, are chewy. This pasteli is sticky, but [using waxed paper sprayed with baking spray] will help you unmold the candy with ease."

Ingredients:
1 cup mild honey
1 cup sesame seeds, toasted in oven (I had pre-toasted seeds on hand that I used)
1/2 tsp. salt

Place wax paper on a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep). Remove the bottom of a springform pan and set aside. Place the springform ring upside-down on the wax paper and spray the inside of the ring - wax paper and lower edge of ring - with cooking spray.

Bring the honey, sesame seeds, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring. Then boil undisturbed until mixture registers on thermometer, about 10-15 minutes. (I live at a higher elevation and it only took 10 minutes. Any longer would have been a bad thing.)

Holding the ring in place, quickly pour the mixture into the ring, then cool on a rack until candy is set but still warm - about 30 minutes. Unmold by opening the springform ring (the candy should pop out) and peeling off the wax paper. Transfer candy to a cutting board. Cut the candy into 1-inch pieces with a large oiled knife, or if the candy is too hard, break into medium-sized pieces. Candy keeps, layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container in a cold dry place for 1 week.

Hush Puppies

Cornmeal makes me happy on levels I can't even describe. I guess, for me, it's a soul food. So, I'm posting one of my ultimate favorite recipes that I've tweaked to be healthier. (Originally, you're supposed to fry them in oil.) These hush puppies can be served with breakfast - I just had them with eggs and a bowl of strawberries. Delicious! You can also eat them as a substitute for cornbread with chili or any fish dish. They're just fabulous and really good for you!

Hush Puppies

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups yellow cornmeal (I think coarser meal is better, but whatever you have on hand.)
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. fat-free milk (I used reconstituted non-fat powdered milk.)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large egg

Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and pulsate until finely chopped. Separately mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Add the onion mixture along with the egg, milk, and oil. Stir until well blended. (If the dough is too stiff, add a little more milk. If you live in a more humid climate, you might not need as much milk.)
Spray a flat pancake grill with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cupful (or 1/3 of a ladelful) servings onto the grill when it is hot. Cook until golden, crispy brown on one side. Flip to cook the other side until golden. The hush puppies should cook about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Makes about 16 hush puppies.

Note: You can experiment by adding spices you like such as black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, paprika, extra garlic or even cheese!

Pennsylvania Red Cabbage

I am always looking for new vegetable recipes that I like and will actually eat. One veggie that makes me sublimely happy (and don't ask me why - I have no idea!) is cabbage. I absolutely love it! Red cabbage's gorgeous purple color makes me extra happy and since I had one sitting in the veggie drawer of my fridge I decided to find a recipe dedicated to the little head. And I found one! (In my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.) And without further ado, here it is!

Pennsylvania Red Cabbage

2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. caraway seed (opt.)
2 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups shredded red cabbage
3/4 cup coarsely chopped apple

In a large skillet stir together the brown sugar, vinegar, oil, caraway seed, water, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or till hot, stirring occasionally. Stir in cabbage and apple. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes or till crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Serves 3 to 4. (Or makes 2, one cup servings.)

Chalupa Goop

Well, it's actually called "Mexican Chalupas", but my husband and I just started calling it "Chalupa Goop" because it rhymed and sounded funny. :-) This stuff is so good and super easy to make. You can eat it in a tortilla, over rice, on a salad or just plain with tortilla chips. You decide! I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and it's been a family favorite ever since.
Also, if you're into food storage, this recipe uses everything that is food storage-friendly, and it also freezes really well. How much more perfect could you get?

Chalupa Goop

1 small picnic pork or 2 cans of chicken, drained (We use the chicken.)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 large can chopped green chilies
16 oz. jar picante sauce (it looks like salsa, but it's runnier)
16 oz. jar green salsa (salsa verde)
2 cans pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice (opt.)

Add everything into a crockpot, or if you're in a hurry, cooking it in a pot works too. Heat until warm. Serve on warm torillas and garnish with cheese, sour cream, and lettuce.

Low-Fat Cinnamon Buns

I found this wonderful recipe for cinnamon rolls! This recipe uses no butter!! The bread is tender and delicious and the filling is extraordinary! I just had to share it. It is a Weight Watchers recipe, and I believe you can actually get the recipe from their website. (I have made a few adjustments that I thought necessary.)

Low-Fat Cinnamon Buns

1 cup fat-free skim milk (I used powdered milk.)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. yeast, about 1 package
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, divided
1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg (I put in 1/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. orange zest, grated (opt.) (I put in about 1/4 tsp. and the orange flavor was really pronounced.)
1/4 cups raisins, dried cherries or cranberries (I skipped these.)

Stir together milk, canola oil, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat on low to lukewarm. Pour yeast over 2 tablespoons lukewarm water and let sit 5 minutes. Stir into milk mixture.

Transfer warm milk to a large mixing bowl and beat in half the flour by hand or with an electric mixer. Mix in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Let rest 10 minutes; knead well on a floured board or with an electric mixer and dough hook. Let rest 10 minutes.

Spray a large, clean bowl with cooking spray, add dough, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Lightly coat a 9-inch round baking pan with cooking spray. (I needed two 9-inch round baking pans - 12 rolls don't fit in a 9-inch pan with room enough to rise.) Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Spray with cooking spray.

Stir together brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest; brush over dough. (Too thick to brush, so I spread it with a spatula. Also, I'd recommend pouring a 1/3 of the filling into the baking pans and using 2/3 for the filling. I found that if I used all of it, the filling would ooze out a lot as I was cutting the rolls, as if it was too full.) Sprinkle with raisins. Roll up tightly, like a jelly roll. Cut into 12 pieces. (A trick I do is to use a length of thread to cut the rolls. Thread doesn't press the dough down, causing more filling to squish out. Simply place the thread underneath the roll where you'd like to cut, cross the thread and pass one end under the other - like you're starting to tie your shoes. Then pull both ends until the dough is cut through. Easy!)

Place buns cut-side up in baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake buns until firm and nicely browned on top, 30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. YUM! (These rolls don't really need a frosting at all!)

Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns variation (as seen in the picture above)
After you spray the cooking pan with cooking spray, drizzle the 1/3 of the filling over the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle on about 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar to fill in the gaps. Next, sprinkle about a 1/2 cup of pecan pieces evenly over the filling and brown sugar. Then, just place the cut cinnamon rolls right on top of the pecans/sugar mixture. Rise and bake as normal. After cooling, make sure to invert onto a plate because the gooey, yummy stuff will harden like candy and will make it really hard to get the rolls out or to scrape off the extra from the pan.
I just made this version today and it was AMAZING! And I really mean AMAZING!