Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies using Andes mint chips? Yes, please! Recipe is from the back of the Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips bag, found with the regular chocolate chips in your baking aisle. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 c butter (Blue Bonnet)
3/4 c dark brown sugar*
1/2 c white granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 pkg (10 oz) Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips
2-2/3 c all-purpose flour

*Don't have brown sugar? No problem! Add molasses to white sugar at a ratio of 1T:1c! I don't even buy brown sugar anymore because it's always hard when I want to use it, despite all of the tricks I've tried!

Directions:
Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed. Stir in Andes baking chips and then flour.
Chill approximately one hour in refrigerator before baking.
Spoon onto baking sheets and bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes.
The recipe says it will make 4 dozen cookies. I made half the recipe and about 3 dozen cookies.

Nutritional Info: (based on 72 cookies for the whole recipe)
Calories: 61
Fat: 2.5g
Saturated: 1.5g
Carbs: 10g
Protein: 1g

Veggie Lasagna

My friend Michelle made this when Dave and I had dinner with her and Jeff before we moved to Arizona. It was DELICIOUS so I asked her for the recipe. :)

Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles
10 oz frozen spinach
10 oz frozen broccoli
10 oz shredded carrots
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
Cooking spray
30 oz low fat ricotta cheese
8 oz sliced provolone cheese
1/2 c milk (1%)
2 c part skim mozzarella cheese
pepper, onion powder, italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder

Directions:
Boil noodles according to package directions.
Meanwhile, thaw spinach in microwave, drain, and put in bowl. Thaw the broccoli in the microwave and add to the bowl. Heat the carrots in some water in the microwave, drain, and add to bowl.
Saute mushrooms in cooking oil, sprinkle with pepper. Drain, add to bowl.
Add the ricotta cheese and 1c of the mozzarella to the bowl. Mix in milk. Season as you wish. I used pepper, onion powder, italian seasoning, oregano and garlic powder. Mix well.
Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and lay 3 lasagna noodles along the bottom. Spread half of the cheese/veggie mixture on top, and top with 3 slices of cheese. Layer 3 more noodles on top, the other half of the cheese/veggie mixture, and 2 slices of mozzarella. (I suppose ideally your package of provolone would have 9 slices of cheese in it, but mine didn't.) Layer the last 3 noodles on top of this and top with the remaining 3 slices of provolone and 1 c of mozzarella.
Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbly.
Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 271

Fat: 11g

Saturated: 6.5g 

Carbs: 24.5g

Fiber: 3g

Protein: 19g

Ratings:

Kristen: 5

Dave: 4

(PS I don't know what happened to this picture but I'm sick of messing with it!!)

Pumpkin Pie

This is my mom's recipe. Mostly. :-P

Ingredients:
CRUST:
 1 c flour
6 T butter
1/8 tsp salt
2-3 T ice water, mixed with a splash of lemon juice

PIE FILLING:
1 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each allspice, ginger, nutmeg and cloves
1-1/2 c pumpkin
12 oz evaporated milk
2 eggs, well beaten

Directions:
Pulse butter, flour, and salt in a food processor until crumbly (or cut together with knives). Add the water 1 T at a time until the mixture becomes more doughy (but not too doughy). [Note: When I have made this before I've cut the flour/salt and butter together with knives and used 4-5T of water. With a food processor it takes only about 2-3T of water.] Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Mix together all filling ingredients.

Roll out pie dough and place in pie pan. Pour in filling.

Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for an additional 40-45 min.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

Hm, I made a veggie lasagne a while back that I didn't post. I don't know where the recipe is now! If I can find it, I'll post it. I had found it online.

Anyway, right now I am making this in the crock pot! It'll be ready before too long and then I'll take a picture and we'll rate it! The original recipe is here. I made just a few slight changes/additions.

Ingredients:

32 oz. potatoes, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
1 carrot, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
onion powder, to taste
32 oz. no-chicken broth
1 c water
1 c milk
3 T all-purpose flour
8 oz (2 c) shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c bacon bits, if desired

Directions:
1. Combine potatoes, celery, and carrot in crock pot. Sprinkle with onion powder. Pour in the water and broth. Cook on low for 5 hours.
2. Stir flour into milk. Add to crock pot. Change to high and cook 20-30 minutes, until thickened.
3. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual bowls with bacon bits. Enjoy!*
Makes 6 servings.

Nutritonal Information:
Calories: 300
Fat: 12.5g
Saturated Fat: 7g
Carbs: 35g
Fiber: 2.5g
Protein: 14.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 4

*We seasoned with salt & pepper. Next time I make this, I'm going to replace the water with beer. And maybe throw in some broccoli.

Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice)

I'm back! Haven't been cooking much in the past several months, and when I have been, it hasn't been anything new.
I got this recipe from my magazine subscription to Vegetarian Times. I changed it up a bit because I don't care for onions. So instead of stirring in 1/4 c of finely chopped green onions at the end, I added 1/2 c of diced celery with the garlic.

Ingredients:
2 eggs (medium)
1-1/2 T oil (grapeseed)
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 c cooked rice
1/2 c diced celery
Cooking spray or additional oil

Directions:
1. Whisk eggs with 1/2 T water in a small bowl.
2. Coat skillet with cooking spray or oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Add eggs, tilting to coat bottom of pan, and cook 3-5 minutes (like an omelette) or until firm and set. Transfer eggs to cutting board and cut into 2" strips.
3. Add 1-1/2 T oil to pan and reduce heat to medium. Stir in chopped garlic (and celery) and cook 3-5 minutes or until garlic is browned, stirring often. Add rice, increase heat to high and cook 3-4 minutes, or until rice begins to brown. Season with salt & pepper if desired (and stir in green onions), then eggs.

Makes 3 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 275
Fat: 9.5g
Saturated: 1.5g
Carbs: 39g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 7.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 3.5
Dave:

Gingerbread French Toast

This recipe comes from Lindsay Nixon's cookbook, The Happy Herbivore. I checked it out from the library on Friday and there are SO MANY things I want to make from it.
Here is a version of the recipe that she had previously posted on her website. The one in the cookbook is a little different. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:
8 slices Koepplinger's Country French bread
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/4 c whole wheat flour (chickpea flour would be better, but I didn't have any and I was too hungry to run to the store!)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients (except bread) together in a shallow dish.
Dredge bread slices (cut into triangles) in the mixture and place in a heated skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook 2-3 minutes per side.
Re-spray the skillet and repeat with remaining slices.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 175
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 32g
Fiber: 2.5g
Protein: 6.5g

Rating:
Kristen: 4

Spinach Spaghetti with Walnut-Arugula Pesto

Wanted to try a new arugula recipe. Here it is!

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves
3 oz walnut pieces (about 3/4 c), toasted and cooled
4 oz arugula
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 oz Parma! Vegan Parmesan
1 lb spinach spaghetti (like Hodgson Mills)
1 T grapeseed oil
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. In a food processor, pulse garlic until very finely chopped. Add walnut pieces and arugula; process until a coarse paste forms, about 5 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the salt and parmesan cheese, and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook until al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, and immediately add to bowl with walnut-arugula mixture. Drizzle with the oil, and season with pepper. Toss thoroughly until coated evenly. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 304

Fat: 10g

Saturated: 1g

Carbs: 43.5g

Fiber: 7g

Protein: 11g

Ratings:

Kristen: 3

Dave: 2

Garlic Creamed Chard

Had some chard to use. I chose this recipe, which I liked because it uses both the leaves and the stems! :)

Ingredients:
1 T grapeseed oil
1 lb chard, stems and leaves separated, chopped
2 T minced garlic
4 tsp Earth Balance buttery spread
4 tsp all-purpose flour
2/3 c unsweetened soymilk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add chard stems and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring once, until tender, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a colander placed in the sink and press with a spoon to remove excess liquid. Return the chard to the pot, cover and keep warm.

2. Place garlic and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook
until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbling, about 30 seconds. Add milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the chard into the sauce and serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 116
Fat: 8g
Saturated: 1.5g                                     
Carbs: 9.5g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 3.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4 (yum, garlic!)
Dave: 3.5 (He says I should definitely make this again!)

Baked Tilapia with Lots of Spice

I found this recipe via www.supercook.com. It is a website where you can enter all the ingredients that you have on hand and it will generate recipes that you can make. You can make a profile so that it will save your ingredients, so that way you can just add and delete things as your "inventory" changes. It is super handy!!

I adjusted this recipe for just one person, altered some of the amounts slightly because of fractions, and my tilapia was 4.7 oz (instead of 4). Feel free to refer to the original recipe.

Ingredients:
4.7 oz tilapia
1/8 tsp EACH:
-paprika
-onion powder
-dry mustard
-garlic salt
-black pepper
-cumin
-basil
-italian seasoning
1/8 c italian bread crumbs
1 T sliced green onion
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp grape seed oil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Place the tilapia in a small baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine the spices (from the paprika to the italian seasoning). Sprinkle 1 tsp of the spice mix over the tilapia.
3. To the remaining spice mix, add the bread crumbs, parsley, and green onion. Add the oil and mix together.
4. Cover the tilapia with the bread crumb mixture.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until flaky.
Makes 1 serving.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 236
Fat: 8g
Saturated: 1.5g
Carbs: 13g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 28.5g

Rating:
Dave: 4

Sesame Noodles with Broccoli and Peppers

I changed the original recipe a little bit, especially to pare down the serving size. Dear Martha Stewart, a serving size of pasta is 2 oz!!

Ingredients:
4 oz spaghetti
1 stalk of broccoli, chopped into florets, stalk peeled and chopped (Mine was 5-1/3 oz)
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into thin slices (Mine was 4-1/3 oz)
2 T creamy peanut butter
1/2 T sugar
1 T + 1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 T + 1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente. Add broccoli and bell peppers. Cook until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, 3 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. (I didn't need any.) Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 405
Fat: 11.5g
Saturated: 2g
Carbs: 59.5g
Fiber: 6.5g
Protein: 15g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4

Swiss Chard with Beans and Tomatoes

The original recipe calls this White Bean Stew with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes. I have to disagree though... it's not a stew at all. So I have re-named it appropriately. :) The original recipe calls for 16 oz of swiss chard, stemmed. I am guessing that this means before the stemming. I didn't have that much, so I used some chard and some kale.

Ingredients:
9 oz swiss chard, stemmed and torn into pieces (5 oz after stemming)
7 oz kale, stemmed and torn into pieces (5 oz after stemming)
1 tsp oil (I used grapeseed oil)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
14.5 oz diced tomatoes (Hunt's No Salt Added)
7.5 oz cannellini beans (Bush's)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add chard and kale. Simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, and gently press out excess water.
2. In the same pot, heat oil over medium-low heat. Saute garlic and red pepper flakes, 1 minute.
3. Add tomatoes (increase heat) and bring to a boil. Add beans and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Add kale and chard, and cook for 3 minutes, so that the flavors blend. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 260
Fat: 3g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 49g
Fiber: 16.5g
Protein: 14g

Rating:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3.5

Sausage-Stuffed Peppers

Stay tuned for next week when I make stuffed peppers with lentils!

Ingredients:
1 medium red bell pepper
1/2 c white rice, uncooked
1Original Field Roast Grain Meat Co. Italian Sausage
3/4 c tomato puree
Seasonings:
parsley
Italian seasoning
onion powder
garlic powder
black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F.
Cook rice. Meanwhile, crumble sausage and brown in a skillet. Add tomato puree and season to taste. Stir in rice.
Cut the top off the pepper and remove ribs and seeds. Cut in half lengthwise. Place on foil-lined cookie sheet and stuff with rice mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.
Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 253
Fat: 5g
Saturated: 0.5g
Carbs: 35g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 17g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3.5

Butternut Squash Fries

This is a Hungry Girl recipe. I saw it on her TV show. I was skeptical, but I have some squash so I decided to try it! I keep trying to eat squash since it's good for you but I don't particularly care for it. I definitely like it this way!!! It takes a little time, but it's super easy to make!

Ingredients:
Butternut Squash
Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F.
Halve, seed, and peel the squash. Cut into french fry shapes, using a crinkle cutter if you have one!
Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 40 minutes, turning halfway. (If you have a baking stone, you probably don't have to turn them!)

Notes:
Hungry Girl calls 5 oz (weigh it before cooking) a serving. This is a decent serving size, but I am sure you could eat more. :)  I'll put the nutritional info for 5 oz though. When I told Dave what I was making and asked if he wanted some, he said that he would try it, sounding wary. So I fully expected to make both servings that I made. I gave him one to try and he said it was "different". So I asked if I could eat his serving, and to my shock and awe (okay, it really wasn't shocking) he said no! Dave ate his with balsamic vinegar (yum!) and I ate mine with ketchup (yum!). I will DEFINITELY be making this again. (SOON!) Oh, for 2 servings (10 oz), I used about 1/2-2/3 of HALF of the squash. Of course it will depend on the size of your squash, but there you go.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 56
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 14.5g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 1g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 3

Sausage Hash with Apples and Sage

OMG this was DELICIOUS!! Original recipe here.
It's quite breakfast/brunch-y. Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
1 T oil, divided (I use them fairly interchangeably at the moment... today it was canola.)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Field Roast Meat Co. Vegetarian Italian Sausage (3.25 oz)
4 oz potato, cut into 1/2" dice
2 oz apple, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 T Woodstock Farms Organic Tomato Ketchup
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp rubbed sage
3/4 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil over medium heat. Crumble sausage, sprinkle with onion powder, and cook, stirring often, until browned. Meanwhile, dice potatoes and apples and toss with remaining oil. Transfer sausage mixture to a bowl and reserve.
2. Add potato mixture to empty skillet; cook, stirring only occasionally so they form a golden-brown crust, about 10 minutes. As potatoes cook, mix ketchup, mustard, dried sage and fresh parsley and1/2 T  water.
3. Return sausage to skillet; stir in ketchup mixture, then season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until hash has nicely browned, about 5 minutes longer.

Makes 1 serving.

Nutritional Information:
Note: Yes, you can reduce this by 120 calories and
14g of fat by using non-stick spray instead of oil.
Personally, I am not opposed to the good fats in oils.
Calories: 500
Fat: 24g
Saturated: 2g
Carbs: 42g
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 27.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4.5
Dave: 3.5

Sweet Potato Risotto

Original Recipe

Ingredients:
1 T EVOO
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 sweet potato (about 1/2 lb), peeled and cut into 1/4" pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 c arborio rice
1/2 c white wine
1/4 c grated parmesan (I omitted this... see note)
1/3 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tsp fresh)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
3. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.
4. Measure 1-3/4 c of water. Add 1/2 c at a time and cook, stirring occasionally and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.
5. Stir in the parmesan* and oregano. [NOTE: It is pretty boring without the parmesan. When I ate the leftovers, I mixed in 1/2 T of Parma vegan parmesan (made of walnuts and nutritional yeast). That was tasty!]
Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each).

Nutritional Information: (w/o parm)
Calories: 177
Fat: 3.5 g
Saturated: 0.5 g
Carbs: 30.5 g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 2.5g

Rating:
Kristen: 3 (Good with a glass of white wine!)

Pretzel Dog Bites

My friend Lori introduced me to a great vegan recipe blog, Vegan Dad. I got this recipe there. Below is the recipe for only 2 hot dogs, or 1/4 of the full recipe.

Ingredients:
2 vegan hot dogs (I like Smart Dogs)
3/8 c lukewarm water
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c bread flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c warm water
1/2 T baking soda

Directions:
1. Sprinkle yeast on 3/8 c lukewarm water in mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Add sugar and salt, and stir to dissolve. Add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise, covered, for at least 1/2 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Dissolve baking soda into 1/2 c warm water in a large bowl.

3. Cut veggie dogs into 4 pieces each.

4. Remove dough from bowl. Cut off a small piece of dough and flatten by hand into a 4" x 2" rectangle (approx.). Place piece of veggie dog on smaller end, roll, and seal ends. Dip in baking soda-water mixture [um, I mixed this together and then completely forgot to use it... oops], and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all hot dog pieces are wrapped.

5. Bake for 8-10 mins, until golden.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 259

Fat: 0g

Carbs: 51g

Fiber: 1g

Protein: 14g

Rating:

Kristen: 4 Yummmmmmmmy!!!

Yum Yum Brownie Muffins

This is a Hungry Girl recipe and can be found here.

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge)
15 oz. canned pumpkin

Directions:
Stir ingredients together until well-blended. Spoon into greased or lined muffin cups. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 182
Fat: 4.5g
Saturated: 1.5g
Carbs: 33.5g
Fiber: 3.5g
Protein: 2.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 4

"Sausage" Comparison

Gimme Lean Sausage > Morningstar Farms Sausage Links

(Morningstar Farms is not vegan either.)

That is all.

Snickerdoodles

Yes, they are vegan. See?

Ingredients:
1-3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
4 oz vegan margarine, softened (Like Earth Balance)
3/4 c sugar + 2 T
1/4 c soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
To make Cookie Dough:
2. Mix together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in bowl. Beat margarine in separate bowl with electric mixer until soft. Add sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in soymilk and vanilla extract 30 seconds or until smooth. Add flour mixture, and beat 30 seconds or until smooth.
To make Cinnamon Sugar:
3. Combine sugar and cinnamon on large plate.
4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar*, and place 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies look dry on tops and are lightly browned on bottoms. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

*The original recipe calls for 1/2c sugar and 3T cinnamon. This is WAY TOO MUCH. I mixed all of that and barely used any. The 2T/2t is an estimate. If someone else makes this, let me know how accurate I was! :)

Nutritional Information:
(per cookie)
Calories: 68
Fat: 2.5g
Saturated: 1g
Carbs: 10.5g
Protein: 0.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
Dave: 4

Grilled Chicken Sausage Sub

Ingredients:
1 Italian-style chicken sausage link (I used Al Fresco brand)
1 hot dog bun or hoagie roll(I used Aunt Millie's Old World French Rolls)
1/2 slice onion, cut into rings
1 T Heinz 57 sauce
1 T French's honey dijon mustard
1 slice Kraft extra thin swiss cheese

Directions:
Warm bread in the microwave. Grill sausage and onion. Place cheese slice (in two halves) on the warm bread, and top with sausage, onions, sauce and mustard.
Makes 1 serving.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 477
Fat: 13g
Saturated: 5g
Carbs: 56g
Fiber: 2.5g
Protein: 27g

Rating:
Dave: 4

*The original recipe called for just bread, chicken sausage, and pizza sauce. Dave did not like it with the pizza sauce- he gave it a 2 (earlier this week). He made another one today and topped it this way. He liked it much better!!

Carrot and Red Pepper Soup

Here is half of this recipe. I forgot to take a picture. Sorry. It looks like orange soup. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 c diced onion
3 carrots, sliced
1 c vegetable broth
1 red bell pepper
1 c soymilk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Place onions and carrots into a pot with broth and simmer, covered, over medium heat until the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Roast bell peppers by placing them over an open gas flame or directly under the broiler until the skin is completely blackened. Place in a bowl, cover, and let stand about 15 minutes. Slip the charred skin off with your fingers, then cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds.

Blend the carrot mixture along with the bell peppers in a blender or food processor in several small batches. Add some of the soymilk to each batch to facilitate blending. Return to the pot and add lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Heat until steamy.

Makes two 1-1/2 c servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 110
Fat: 2g
Saturated: 0g
Carbs: 17g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 1.5
Dave: 2
We spiced the heck out of this because it's really bland. I put too much hot sauce in mine and then I couldn't eat it. LOL Oh well!

Veggie Kabobs with Roasted Fennel

I got the recipe for the roasted fennel here. I got the idea to make kabobs on a different website, and also read that it goes well with pork, so I put pork on Dave's kabobs too.

Ingredients:
1 small fennel bulb
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
Assorted veggies cut into 1" chunks
I used:
6.5 oz zucchini
3 oz sweet bell peppers
2 oz white mushrooms

Directions:
Remove stalks from fennel bulb and discard. Slice the fennel bulb or cut it into chunks. Toss with the olive oil and vinegar. Lay out on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until fennel becomes to caramelize.
Meanwhile, grill the remaining vegetables. (I used the George Foreman- gotta love it!)
Thread all veggies onto skewers.
Makes 4 skewers. (2 servings)
Serve over rice if desired.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 122
Fat: 7g
Saturated: 1g
Carbs: 15g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 3g

Ratings:
Kristen: 3.5
Dave: 3.5

Italian Tomato & Cucumber Salad

The original recipe is here.

Ingredients:
3/4 c chopped tomato (143g)
3/4 c chopped cucumber (149g)
2 T Italian dressing (Meijer Organics)
2 T pine nuts, toasted in microwave
2 tsp dried basil

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve. Makes 1 serving.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 346
Fat: 21.5g
Saturated: 3g
Carbs: 13g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 4g

Ratings:
Dave: 2 (He said it was bland. He likes it with vinegar.)

Veggie Pizza

A twist on the classic! I took this to New Year's Eve at my aunt's house. I cooked the crust, mixed the cream cheese "sauce", and chopped the veggies ahead of time. I assembled it just a little bit before serving so that the crust wouldn't get soggy. I don't know exactly how much of each veggie I used (I know it was 2 c total), and I can't remember how many pieces I cut it into, but this should be pretty close. :) And I have no picture... sorry... it got eaten up!

Ingredients:
1 package Pillsbury seamless crescent rolls
8 oz tofutti better than cream cheese
1 tsp dill weed
2 c assorted chopped vegetables
---broccoli
---cauliflower
---black olives
---zucchini
---carrots
---artichoke hearts
---green pepper

Directions:
Bake dough according to package directions. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Soften cream cheese in the microwave. Mix in dill weed using a food processor.
Spread cream cheese over the cooled crust. Layer veggies on top.
Refrigerate before serving.
Makes 20 servings.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 75
Fat: 5g
Saturated: 1.5g
Carbs: 6g
Fiber: 0.5g
Protein: 1.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 4
My mom and sister also loved it!

Autumn Harvest Soup

The original recipe says it makes 5 servings. I made half of the recipe, as follows. This half recipe made between 7-8 cups of soup! I'm going to have to disagree and say this made much more than 2.5 servings!!

Ingredients:
1/2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, sliced (56g)
1 celery stalk, sliced (58g)
8 oz diced tomatoes (I used Hunt's No Salt Added Basil, Garlic, and Oregano)
2 c vegetable broth
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced (5.2 oz)
2 small white potatoes, diced (5 oz)
2 c water
4 oz kale, stemmed and torn
4 oz green beans
15-oz can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:
In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion powder, basil, thyme, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth and sweet and white potatoes and the 2 cups of water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the kale, green beans and white beans and simmer another 15 minutes.
Makes 5 servings (1.5 c each).

 Nutritional Information:
Per 1.5 cup:
Calories: 166
Fat: 1.5g
Saturated: 0g
Carbs: 30.5g
Fiber: 8g
Protein: 7.5g

Ratings:
Kristen: 3
Dave: 3