Light Veggie Soup with Tortellini

This soup is AMAZING!!! It is great comfort food on a cold winter night, and super nutritious with all the veggies incorporated. I found this recipe on eatingwell.com, which I like to check out every once in a while. They have great ideas, when I feel I need a little extra nutrtion in my day. I did substitute the recipe a little bit, by adding fresh onion and peppers, rather than using frozen. This only took about 30 minutes to whip up, so it was a great weeknight meal.

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup red onion, diced

1 cup green pepper, diced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 28 oz. can crushed tomato ( I found a can with basil added for extra flavor)

1 15 oz. can reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth (I used homemade)

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 tsp. dried basil

1 9 oz. package of fresh or frozen whole wheat tortellini (or ravioli)(cheese or meat)

2 cups zucchini, diced

Fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water, and basil; bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add tortellini and cook for 3 minutes less than package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with fresh pepper.

Verdict: DELISH. We both added a little feta cheese to the top of our soup, which added a little tang. This soup will be added to our soup rotation. Enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon

Like I said.....just cooking my way through this issue of cooking light. What more can you ask for comfort food with less calories. This dish was really quick and very tasty. I love that it has a short ingredient list. and I already had most of it on hand. I served this with peas, yes I know this is boring, but I might even mix the peas in next time I make this. The peas made the pasta a little bulkier, and more of a carbonara style.

1 (9oz.) package fresh fettuccine ( I subbed whole wheat linguine)

2 slices bacon, chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 T. all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)

1 cup 1 % low-fat milk (skim works)

2/3 cup grated Pamigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes, or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Add garlic to drippings in pan; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly; cook 2 minutes or until bubbly and slightly thick. Reduce heat to low. Gradually add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in salt and reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add hot pasta to pan; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with bacon, parsley, and pepper. Yield: 4 Servings

Calories: 339 per serving!

The Verdict: Thanks Cooking Light for making our favorites healthy, or at least less caloric:)

Chicken Noodle Soup- The fast Way!

I am so happy I re-subscribed to Cooking Light Magazine. I think I dog eared every page in the Jan. issue. They have recently reformatted the magazine, and I love what they did with it. First recipe I made was the 20 minute chicken noodle soup. Being 37 weeks pregnant, this is the new type of recipe I like, EASY! This soup tasted great, and it was even better the second day. The recipe calls for a rotisserie chicken, which is a double bonus, because now I have a freezer full of homemade broth.

2 cups water

1 (32 oz.) carton fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth ( used my moms homemade)

1 T. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 medium carrot, chopped

6 oz. pasta (used whole wheat egg noodle)

2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie

2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Combine 2 cups water and chicken broth in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at high for 5 minutes.
2. While broth mixture heats, heat a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and carrot.; saute 3 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Add hot broth mixture and pasta; bring to a boil. Cook 7 minutes or until pasta is almost al dente. Stir in chicken; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley. Yield 6 serving.

Calories: 237 for 1 cup of soup!!

M&M Biscotti

Wow these turned out fabulous, and are perfect for dunking in a piping hot mug of hot cocoa. I found this recipe on Lovestoeat's Weblog, and I am so glad I added this to my holiday baking this year. My mom and I made all different kinds of biscotti to enjoy this holiday to enjoy with our coffee, tea, and cocoa. This was by far the yummiest....well lets say the sweetest!! You can also swipe out the m&m's for candy cane pieces, for a peppermint twist.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

8 T. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2/3 cup finely crushed m&m's

14 oz. fine quality white chocolate, melted

extra crushed m&m's, to sprinkle on top

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Stir in crushed candy.
4. Evenly divide dough into 4 even portions on a lightly floured surface. Shape each into a 9" X 1 1/2" round log. Place logs on a parchment lined baking sheet, 3 inches apart.
5. Bake until tops are cracked and the ends are lightly browned, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temp. to 325. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheets.
6. Cut each log diagonally into 1/2 " slices with a serrated knife. Arrange pieces standing up, back on baking sheet. Bake until cookies are light golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 12-15 minutes. The centers may be a little soft, but will crisp up while cooling. Place on wire rack, and cool completely.
7. Dip half of each biscotti in melted chocolate, shake off excess. Immediately sprinkle with additional crushed m&m's and set on parchment or wax paper until chocolate has set.

Makes about 4 dozen.

No Bake Cherry Surprise

This recipe is super easy and quick to make to take to a holiday party!!! Plus they taste great and look like you spent hours on them:) They only are good for a few days so don't make these far in advance. I found this recipe on the Better Home and Gardens website, and took them to my cookie exchange last week.

16 Maraschino cherries

1/3 cup Marshmallow Cream

1 T. chopped Maraschino cherries

32 Vanilla wafer cookies

4 oz. Vanilla-flavored candy coating

1. Place maraschino cherries with stems on paper towels; drain well. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together marshmallow creme and chopped maraschino cherries. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the maraschino cherry mixture on the bottom of one cookie. Top with another cookie, bottom side down. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookies and maraschino cherry mixture.
2. In a small saucepan, heat and stir candy coating over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.
3. Dip cookies halfway into the melted candy coating. Return to baking sheet. Holding a cherry by the stem, dip bottom of cherry into the melted candy coating. Place cherry on top of candy-coated side of one cookie. Hold for several seconds or just until set. Repeat with remaining cherries and cookies. Let cookies stand until candy coating sets. Makes 16 sandwich cookies.

TO STORE: Place sandwich cookies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

WOW!!! These are a must bake this holiday season. I saw this recipe in an ad for Craisins. I love white chocolate chips with Craisins, so I knew this was the perfect recipe. They are really buttery, which makes them super tasty, but not so healthy. So I just made smaller cookies, for portion control. These didn't last long, so make them for your next holiday party, and they will be a hit! The recipe can be found at Craisins website here.

Sausage, Mozzarella, and Spinach with Shells

My mom and I whipped up this comfort food the other night, which was perfect on a cold Michigan evening. I found this recipe in Everyday Food, by Martha Stewart, but we changed it up a bit. Her recipe called for broccoli rabe, but we substituted spinach. Make this when you want to curl up on the couch, watch a movie, and have a filling pasta dish!

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 sprigs thyme (I used dry)

salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 links spicy Italian sausage(use turkey sausage for a healthier dish), casing removed

1 T all purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour)

1 can whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz)

8 oz. whole wheat medium shells

1 lb. baby spinach

6 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high. Add onion and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden brown, 15 minutes.
2. Add garlic and sausage. Cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, breaking them up with spoon. Cook sauce until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. ( If using fresh thyme, discard now)
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta 4 minutes less than package instructions. Add spinach to pot and cook 15 seconds. Drain pasta and spinach, and return to pot. Stir in sausage mixture. Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish or divide among four 16 oz. gratin dishes. Top with mozzarella and parmesan. Bake until cheese has melted and liquid is bubbling, about 15 minutes.