Turkey Giblet Gravy

Yes, I'm making gravy from turkey giblets. The fact that I'm using "giblets" cracks me up. Tomorrow is Christmas, so I've been cooking a lot today and will be a lot tomorrow, too. I had my wisedom teeth out last week and it's December, which means that I've been eating tons of sweets. I've probably gained 2 pounds. Seriously. I need to post because I've made lots of things, plus the camera is finally back. And I have no excuse, since I'm feeling better and I have no school or work. Soon, I promise!

I wonder if anyone reads this...well, I like to post anyway.

Merry Christmas!

~Enjoy!

Mexican Ham and Bean Soup

First, you have to observe my lovely Fiesta Ware mug that I got on sale the other day. Seriously, these things make me so happy ^_^ I actually wouldn't repeat this recipe, but I feel that it's important to put everything I make and take pictures of on here (that I get around to) because someone else might say "She's wrong, this sounds amazing" and want to try it. So, I made this soup the other day to use up some ham leftover from Thanksgiving. The soup turned out too bean-y, though, with not enough ham. Basically, no one is eating it! We'd much rather have chili, I suppose. Plus, the ham is glazed and good on its own. This soup would probably be good with just regular ham and much more!

Mexican Ham and Bean Soup (Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
1 pound dried pinto beans
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I actually used 4 cups of beef and 4 cups of chicken)
2 cups chopped onion (a medium sized one)
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham (increase this to at least 2 cups!), about 8 ounces
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14 oz can no-salt diced tomatoes
1 chili (I used one in Adobo sauce we had leftover. I washed it off first)

Sort and wash the beans, place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
Cook 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain.

Combine beans, broth, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) and bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

Stir in tomatoes and chili; simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and chili when ready to serve. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Serves 8.

Nutritional value per serving with 1 tablespoon of cheese (I copied this from Cooking Light, but mine was probably different and served more than 8!): 303 Cal, 4.2g Fat, 1.8g Sat Fat, 958mg Sod, 47g Carb, ?? Sugar, 16g Fiber, 20g Protein

~Enjoy!

Cauliflower Cream

Yes, I'm bad, I haven't posted in forever!! I've been busy. And lazy. And have been trying to let mom cook more because I have a control-freak issue. I have still been having health issues, so I went and had my blood taken again today. I am a little irritated and feel pretty awful (achy, bloated, hungry, angry). I made this a couple weeks ago (on my best friend's birthday, actually). I finally got to use my immersion blender on it. Whoa, that thing is powerful!!! I would love to use it on a soup, but I don't know the best way to without burning myself!! Mom and I finally got a really nice food processor, too, which I made coleslaw with the other day. I would love to use it for something else soon. I bought some white whole wheat flour the other day and would like to find a recipe to use that on. I tried one tonight but it didn't turn out so well...I used Smart Balance Light spread for the butter, but real butter is actually probably better for you, so go with that. This was a little watery when I cooked it, probably due to the small casserole dish I used.

Cauliflower Cream--adapted from Veggie Venture (http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2007/11/cauliflower-cream.html)

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
1 tbl butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
1 cup light sour cream
2 tbl butter
Pepper to taste
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cut up the cauliflower and cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat, melt 1 tbl of butter. Add onion, garlic, and bouillon cube until tender. Combine the cauliflower, onion mixture, and 2 tbl butter in a bowl and blend with your immersion blender (careful, it's hot!!) OR, combine it all in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a sprayed dish (bigger than an 8x8, what I used, but not sure on the size). Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until warmed through. Should feed at least six, unless someone really likes it and is really hungry!

Nutritional Value per serving: 159 Cal, 10.5g Fat, 7.2g Sat Fat, 357mg Sod, 7.4g Carb, 3.3g Sug, 3.5g Fib, 2.7g Protein

~Enjoy!

Pumpkin Penne

I actually made this on Halloween along with a chicken with mushrooms and garlic dish. I hadn't really ever eaten pumpkin anything except bread, so it was fun to experiment. I was the one who liked this the best, of course, because I'm a pasta freak. I also tend to be the garbage disposal for new recipes--if no one else likes it, I feel it's my fault and therefore my responsibility to finish it all. I probably had this for six meals after Halloween. Throwing in sliced ham and warming it up for lunches was even better than just having this as a side dish, but you can do whatever you want. I used fresh sage from my pots, but dried would probably work as well. Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray's http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_77075,00.html.

Pumpkin Penne

1 pound penne pasta (I used Dreamfields but you can also used whole-wheat)
2 tbl olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-salt chicken stock
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1/2 c. low-fat milk
Pinch nutmeg
2 pinches cinnamon
Salt and pepper to flavor
About 10-12 sage leaves (mine were small, so I used a lot!)
About 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Sliced ham (optional, but really tasty!)

Follow instructions on box for cooking pasta, adding salt to the water. Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-heat. Cook shallots and garlic for about 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in the chicken stock through salt and pepper. When pasta is done, drain and add to pan. Sliced up sage, add cheese, and mix all together. Feeds at least 8

Nutritional Value per serving: 254 Cal, 4.6g Fat, 1.5g Sat Fat, 125.6mg Sod, 46.8g Carb, 3g Sug, 6.9g Fiber, 10.4g Protein

~Enjoy!
Ingredients:

Green Chili

I've been feeling bad lately--head aches and stuff. Emotionally I'm messed up to. I really don't know what to do with all of my feelings. Every night I go to bed and lay awake dreaming about what to make next. Then I'll look on Blogs and get depressed because I'll never be as good a cook as other people (I think). I'm excited about taking a class next semester at a local Culinary School. I'm sad because I don't think my dream of owning a resturant or baker is practical or within reason.

Then I'm dealing with school and everything else.

But check out that green bowl! I love Fiesta Ware! I get sooo excited every time I get something new ^_^ We were supposed to have a cold front yesterday, so I planned to make Green Chili. It didn't really get cold. Oh well. First I had to track down Pale Ale. Actually, mom had to, since I'm not old enough to buy it! It ended up being a pretty expensive meal because of the beer and lean meats. However, it was a successful experiment. The meat was tasty without feeling like I was gaining weight while eating it. The lime and tomatillos added a nice taste to it. The beer was also what gave this a different taste...but next time I'd try some kind of wine or just more broth (because it's cheaper!)

This recipe originally came out of our newspaper, but I changed it around and really have no idea who to give the credit it--sorry!

Green Chili

Ingredients:
2 tbl olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tea cumin
1 tea paprika
1 tea chili powder (heaping)
1 tea dried oregano
2 pounds ground turkey and chicken (I used 1 pound each)
5 medium tomatillos (green tomatoes), husks removed, washed, and diced
2 tbl pickled jalapeno peper slices, diced (I took out the seeds)
6 ounces pale ale beer (about 3/4 cup)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 14oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed off
About 6 ounces of fresh spinach, chopped up
Lime juice, salt pepper to taste, cheese to top

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, and spices, saute until tender. Add meat and cook until all brown. Add the tomatillos, japaneos and beer. Bring to a boil until the beer is reduced, but don't let it burn. You'll probably be able to smell the difference. Add broth and beans and simmer. Cook 10 minutes or so, stirr occasionally. Add spinach and stir until wilted or desired done-ness. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice (no idea how much :p) Season with salt and pepper and top with cheese!! Feeds at least 8.

Nutritional Value per serving (without cheese): 304 Cal, 19g Fat, 3g S Fat (I think this is wrong, sorry!), 228mg Sod, 9g Carb, .5g Sug, 2.6g Fiber, 23.5g Protein

~Enjoy!

Lentil Soup with Ham and Greens

Alright! I succeeded in not posting at all in October! Obviously I was busy...

I have been feeling bad again recently. My head hurts most of the day. My blood sugar messes up easily. I'm frustrated because I don't know what's wrong. I have random annoying mood swings, too.

We finally had a cold front last week and I made several soups. Here's one I made. I really love lentils because they're amazingly good for you. Full of filling fiber, yum! I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light. See original here--http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=698672

Lentil Soup with Ham and Greens

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups less-sodium chicken broth (can use fat-free)
1 1/2 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery (2 sticks)
2 bay leaves
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 1/2 cup chopped smoked ham
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Preparation
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add broth, lentils, carrot, and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add spinach and ham; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in tomatoes, basil, and thyme; simmer 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serves 6.

Nutritional Value per serving: 183 Cal, 5.5g Fat, 1.3g Sat Fat, 1089mg Sod, 25.5g Carb, 4.3g Sugar, 11g Fiber, 17.4g Protein

~Enjoy!

Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread

After a failed attempt with a recipe using pumpkin, I, naturally, had canned pumpkin left over. While the weather certainly isn’t indicating fall here in south Texas (but it’s almost October! Why, why, why?!), I was bored and decided to make pumpkin bread. I also decided to not try to make it “healthy.” I was really surprised how good the bread turned out—I ended up eating way too many slices when it was still warm. The next morning it was still good, too, surprisingly. Freeze leftovers and reheat when needed. Recipe adapted from Pamela’s Baking Mix website—http://www.pamelasproducts.com/recipe_frames.html. I used dark brown sugar (because I had it) and added some nutmeg, just to go along with the other spices.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of canned pumpkin

1-1/3 cups Pamela's Baking & PancakeMix

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat together butter, sugar, egg, and pumpkin. Add remaining bread ingredients and mix together. Pour into a greased bread loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or when toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.

Serves 12
Nutritional Value per serving: 135 Cal, 5.7g Fat, 2.8g Sat Fat, 168mg Sod, 18.7g Carb, 9.7g Sug, 1.3g Fib, 2.7g Protein

~Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

This recipe comes from Simply Recipes. I have liked every recipes I’ve used from her blog so far (a total of two are three, ha!). I changed a few things about the original recipe, including using a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh, dried instead of fresh herbs, and a different amount of zucchini each time! Here’s the original recipe http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/005289stuffed_zucchini_with_turkey_sausage.php My brother may move out soon and has requested I give him this recipe. While it's not hard, I don't call this is a fast recipe (because it isn't!). However, anything that's requested again must be good!

Ingredients:
About 6 medium size zucchinis
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion (about ½ a good sized one chopped)
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ c chopped mushrooms (I like mine finely chopped, and I really like mushrooms, so I used about six)
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 pound ground turkey
1 14 oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
About ¼ teaspoons dried rosemary
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
About 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving shells about 1/4 inch thick. Reserve all the insides.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides, and sauté another 2 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Heat a Tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Add the ground turkey. Cook until the ground turkey is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Stir in the onion and mushroom mixture. Add the wine. Stir in tomato, basil and rosemary and cook 1 minute longer. You can add the tomato juice from the can or not. I think I’ve done this recipe both ways and there’s not too big of a difference. Remove mixture from heat and set it aside.

When mixture has cooled a little, add cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Fill zucchini shells with mixture. Fill a baking pan with 1/4 inch of water. Place filled zucchini halves in pan and bake at 375° degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove zucchini from pan and serve while hot.

Serves 4.
Nutritional Value per serving: 460 Cal, 35g Fat, 10.8g Sat Fat, 1515mg Sod, 5.5g Carb, 3.5g Sug, 1.75g Fib, 31g Protein

~Enjoy!

Lisa's Chocolate Cake

Yesterday was my last day at my work. I'm happy because I can concentrate on school now, but I'm sad because I'm going to miss the money and the people. This week I really had no time to do any cooking, plus we had leftovers after dinner quests on Tuesday. I really, really, really had cooking withdraws. It was crazy. I didn't make this cake this week, but I felt like I needed to post something. This cake is my brother's (and maybe dad's?) favorite chocolate cake. The recipe was given to us by a friend of my mother after she made this cake for me on my brother's birthday, some fifteen-odd years ago. While this cake is good, my goal is to someday make a chocolate bundt cake that taste the same but doesn't use all of the boxed mixes.

Ingredients:
1 Duncan Hines Deluxe Devil Food Cake Mix (be careful with substitutes–they will cook differently)
6 ounce chocolate pudding mix (just the dry mix–the box I use is a 5.7 oz box)
1 1/4 cups of water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups of chocolate chips

Glaze:1 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of whipping cream
1 handful of powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix water, oil, and eggs together. Add in cake and pudding mix until there are no lumps. Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan. Pour on 1 cup of chocolate chips, pour on the rest of the mix, and pour on another cup of chocolate chips. Lightly swirl with a spoon or spatula. Cook for 50-60 minutes.

Cool 35 minutes. Remove from pan and cool an additional 35 minutes; start on glaze. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with whipping cream in medium saucepan on low-medium heat, stirring steadily. Cool glaze for 5-10 minutes to thicken. Drizzle or spoon onto cake after cake has cooled for about an hour. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top if you want. Serves 16.


Nutritional Value per serving: 420 Cal, 21.4g Fat, 9.3g S Fat, 454mg Sod, 57.5g Carbs, 29g Sug, <3g Protein

~Enjoy!

Egg Muffins

I’m usually not brave enough to invent new recipes. I don’t feel that I have a complete grasp of foods and the science of cooking yet. I still consider myself a student, even though I am my own teacher. However, I take pride in these egg muffins I created! I’ve noticed that recipes for egg muffins, or mini-quiches, are becoming popular because they’re considered a good “to-go” food or one that can be frozen and re-heated later. While they are, and can be, that doesn’t mean you should rush to eat these. Please try the recipe as-is first, but then I highly encourage you to put your own twist on these. Just start with the base—an egg—and add whatever else you want to! What I like about these is they’re low in calories and fat, but certainly not in taste! If you’re looking to make the calories even less, they work well with egg whites only or with fake eggs, but they won’t look nearly as pretty or as big.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tbl crumbled feta cheese (I usually use reduced fat, but regular works fine, too)
1 tbl frozen corn
1 tbl corn and black bean salsa (I think this really adds to the flavor of the muffins because of the spices in the salsa. I use Ariba’s, but you can use whatever salsa you have on hand. If your salsa doesn't have any spices added, you might want to add a little onion and garlic powder)
1 piece cooked turkey bacon, crumbled (I use Butterball brand, because it crumbles easily)Optional: 1 mushroom, diced

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease muffin tins. Cook bacon until crisp. Whisk eggs and then add all the other ingredients. Stir and pour into muffin tins. Bake 24 minutes or until set.

Makes 2 servings.
Nutritional Value per serving: 105 Cal, 6.5g Fat, 2.5g Sat. Fat, 226mg Sod, 2g Carbs, 0g Sug, .5g Fiber, 7,7g Protein

Who doesn't love food that doesn't require a fork?


Yesterday I went to Macy's and got two table sets of Fiesta Ware--an orange and red (my favorite color!) They have these really awesome limited edition bowls, too, but they were only in purple and evergreen (not the colors my kitchen will be). What else is on my cooking wish list? A new spatula, a hand immersion blender mixer thing, and silicon muffin pans (because I hear whatever you cook doesn't stick as much to them). However, my last day at work is next Saturday, so I'll be income-less. And without an income, how can I outcome?

~Enjoy!

Castleberry's Beans

I didn't get around to posting yesterday because I got busy wasting time on researching for an English paper that I haven't even decided a topic for yet.

This bean casserole—perfect for 4th of July, potlucks, and family dinners with grilled hamburgers (or brisket this time!)—was passed down to me by my mother and mimi. The name Castleberry comes from the brand of canned beef I use, which isn’t available here in Texas. Every trip we make to Tennessee we make sure to stock up on Castleberry Beef. If you can’t find the brand, use whatever kind of barbecue chopped beef you’d like. Lots of stores have a barbecue chopped beef available; you just may have to look around in the refrigerated section, too. The recipe says you can also used pulled pork, which we have never tried but that would probably be good, too. There is really no way to make these healthier. I’ve tried. Rinsing off the beans makes them a little less salty and using organic ketchup will cut back on the high fructose corn syrup. Just enjoy this casserole, as the flavors are excellent. If you’re adventurous, leftovers are good for bean sandwiches! Remember, everything in moderation!

Ingredients:

1 large can of pork and beans (32 oz), rinsed and drained

1 10 oz can of Castleberry Beef or Pork (about 2-2½ cups of compacted chopped beef, or a little over half a pound)

3 tbl pickle relish

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. brown sugar (not packed)

1 tbl mustard

1/4-1/2 c. water

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 2 1/12 quart casserole dish. Rinse beans in colander, drain, and put in dish. Add beef, relish, ketchup, sugar, and mustard. Add enough water to thin to desired consistency. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour. To prevent the top from burning, stir after thirty minutes and watch the dish closely when it’s almost done. Or, after thirty minutes you can stir the beans and then cover for the last thirty minutes. Your choice! Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Value per serving (about 1/2 cup): 221 Cal, 5.8g Fat, 1.7g Sat. Fat, 765mg Sod, 36g Carb, 22g Sug, 5.8g Fib, 11g Protein

~Enjoy!

Potato Salad

For Labor Day today we had the ultimate summer meal. A Texan meal. It's fitting, since I put in my two weeks notice at work today. I've worked at a Bar-B-Q place for over a year and have been around lots of brisket, beans, and potato salads. Tonight we had brisket from our local HEB (didn't even need ketchup, which means it's good!), Castleberry Beans (recipe to come tomorrow), corn on the cop, and potato salad. Now, being the health freak that I am, I hardly ever eat potato salad. However, everything in moderation! For dessert? What else do you have in the summer? (Actually, I can't decide between peaches or ice cream.)

Ingredients:

3 boiled eggs

3 tbl white vinegar

1 tbl oil (I used olive oil)

2 tbl mustard

1 tbl Dijon mustard

1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 lb red new potatoes (was 8 for me)

2 tbl pickle relish

Seasoning salt

Pepper

Poke and wash the potatoes. Place in a pot full of water and boil for about 10 minutes, or until soft all the way through. Drain and let cool a little. Place the eggs through onion in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Cut the potatoes into desired size (mom likes chunks, I like mush) and place in a serving bowl. Add the mustard mixture and pickle relish. Season with pepper and seasoning salt until desired taste (I probably used 2 teaspoons of seasoning salt). Cool until ready to serve. Serves 8.

Nutritional Value per serving (minus Sodium, because it's different each time!): 175 Cal, 5g Fat, 1.4g Sat Fat, 22.6g Carb, 5g Sugar, 2.5g Fiber, 5.8g Protein

~Enjoy!

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

I'm house sitting for some friends this weekend. No, it's not one of those nice houses that you can run up down the stairs in or invite your friends over to watch a movie on a big screen TV in or splash around in a huge pool complete with a water slide. No, this house is old, for sale, and occupied by a mean, annoying cat, two old dogs, one's blind and deaf and the other one is scared all the time and has hip problems, and on occasion, me! Basically, I haven't gotten much sleep this weekend, which is prohibiting my ability to study for school. I also haven't done much cooking, which is dampening my spirits. I was so depressed Friday night, my first night at the house, that I ate a ton of chocolate chips that were kept in the refrigerator . Then I got over my sadness when I realized I was in a house by myself. That's just awesome. Since mom and I were being busy and lazy this weekend, we just did some tilapia with slaw and other veggies one night. This tilapia is fast and easy and the recipe is pretty much made up. I love recipes like this--just do whatever!

Ingredients:

1 tbl + 1 teaspoon low-fat mayonnaise, or 1 teaspoon per fillet

1-2 tbl melter butter

1 tbl lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Few grinds of pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound or 4 tilapia fillets

Preheat the oven broiler. Move your flat rack to the top. Grease a boiling pan or line a baking pan with aluminum foil and then spray. Mix all the ingredients together except the fish. Put fillets on pan, broil 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes. Flip one last time, topping with sauce mixture, and broil 2 minutes or until the topping is browned and the fish is done.

Be careful when cooking this if it's your first time using the broiler. That hot oven is tricky sometimes and burns the fish, even if you think you've done everything the same!

Serves 4

Nutritional Value per serving: 210 Cal, 11g Fat, 5.8g Sat Fat, 512mg Sod, 0g Carb, 0g Sugar, 0g Fiber, 31.7g Protein

~Enjoy!

White beans with tuna

Is it a salad, a spread, or just mush? Do whatever you want with it! This is a mixture that even my dad enjoys either on bread or as a dip with pita chips. The ingredient list isn't very precise, even I think I make it differently every time (sorry!).

Ingredients:

2 packets of Splenda (about a teaspoon)

1 teaspoon dried cilantro

About a 1/2 teaspoon lemon and lime juice--to taste

1 6oz can tuna in water

1 15.8 oz can white beans (About 1 1/2 cups)

Drain the tuna. Rinse off the beans in a coriander. Mix the first three ingredients in a small bowl and then add the tuna and beans. Mash everything together--the beans create a creaminess to the mush! Enjoy on bread, with pita chips, or just eat it with a spoon like I did for lunch today.

Serves 2 (Or one, if you're really hungry)

Nutritional Value per serving: 195 Cal, .6g Fat, 0g SFat, 735.5mg Sod, 25.5g Carb, 0g Sug, 9g Fiber, 25g Protein

I wish my picture showed the greeness of the cilantro...oh well,

~Enjoy!

Cheeseburger Quiche (No wheat)

You may be wondering why there is a pie crust on this cheeseburger quiche pictured...it's because I made one version for the family in a pie crust. The only difference is the one with the pie crust is saltier. If you want to make it in a pie crust, bake the crust for 8 minutes at 475° before following the rest of the recipe. You may also need to cook it a few minutes longer.

Ingredients:

1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese--shredded

3 eggs

1/4 cup ketchup

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 cup fat free milk

2 beef bouillon cubes

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown beef and drain off fat. (Do this either with a spoon or place in a coriander). Stir in onion, garlic, and bouillon; cook and stir until onion is tender and bouillon dissolves. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, and ketchup. Stir in meat mixture and cheese. Pour into a sprayed 8 inch pie/quiche dish. Bake 25 minutes or until set. Let stand a few minutes before slicing.

Serves 4

Nutritional value per serving: 285 Cal, 16.8g Fat, 7.6 Sat Fat, 904mg Sod, 6g Carb, 4.5g Sug, 0 Fiber, 23.5g Protein

~Enjoy!

Coleslaw

I love coleslaw. There's something about mayonnaise and crunchy cabbage that delights my mouth. As a Texan, I've experienced many types of coleslaw. "Regular" is usually made with mayonnaise and "German" is usually made with a sugar/vinegar dressing. Fresh coleslaw is, of course, the best. Something about coleslaw swimming in mayonnaise grosses me out a little!! My dilemma with coleslaw was how to make it healthy--mayonnaise isn't that great for you, after all. I found a recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen (http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/) (a blog that I love, by the way) which I adapted a little to my preferences. My mom now says I've spoiled her with good coleslaw and never buys the package that has a dressing in it (which contains high-fructose-corn-syrup!)

Ingredients:

1 package of tri-colored coleslaw (about 8 cups)

1/4 cup of low fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup of fat-free milk (or low-fat)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1-2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons of Splenda (about 8 small packets, or sweeten to taste)

Simply whisk together all the ingredients and then add the coleslaw mix! I prefer this fresh but you could always refrigerate it for awhile before serving. My favorite thing to do with the leftovers the next day is take a big leaf of lettuce, layer turkey and cheese, and top with the coleslaw. Roll it all up and eat like a wrap--but without the bread!

Makes 6 servings

Nutritional value per serving: 57.5 Cal, 3.33g Fat, .33g S.Fat, 252.7mg Sod, 7g Carb, <5g>

~Enjoy!

Food=life

Food is life:
Like air and water, food is essential to the human body. We must eat (one, two, three--up to eight times) every day. What happens if we don't? I'm sure you've experienced the symptoms. You become weak, irritable, moody, tired, frustrated, sad--we like to describe this as "hungry." Everyone puts some thought into what he will eat every day (hmm, do I choose the frozen dinner or the McDonald's?) but these types of people are usually the ones who don't realize cooking brings joy. At least, cooking brings me joy. I honestly believe that every cook must find joy in cooking--why else would they do it? It certainly wouldn't be because they like to fail sometimes, or have people insult their food, or get messy, or burn themselves, or stress, or...

My story:
My love for cooking started with baking, actually. I made these chocolate chip cookies for my oldest brother's English class and one boy remarked they were the best cookies he had ever eaten. He named them "Becca's Butt-Kicking Chocolate Chip Cookies of +3 Power." I have since become famous for these cookies with my friends. In high school I sold them and Butterscotch Brownies to fellow students to raise money for Toys for Tots, a organization that gives toys to needy children on Christmas. I was therefore able to spread my joy to others--I enjoyed baking and everyone enjoyed eating my baked goods.

My problems:
They started sometime around the beginning of last school year (06-07). I wanted to get healthy. Ok, I wanted to lose weight. I didn't like what I saw in the mirror. I had the typical image problems lots of teenage girls have. I wasn't allowed to diet (so said my mom) but I basically did anyway. I read my parents' South Beach Diet book and learned all about "bad carbs." I tried to completely cut out bread and lost about 5 pounds in one week. After that they kept coming off. By spring of 07 I was starting to have weird symptoms. I got headaches often, I often felt tired, I got light headed sometimes, among other physical issues. Mom took me to the doctor, thinking I may have a weird blood sugar problem or something. Nothing showed up in tests. I even had an MRI to check the headache problem (where I lay and felt like I was on the TV show Lost, seriously, the noises were the same...). Besides the fact that I had lost about 15 pounds, I seemed fine.

The solution:
I started researching my symptoms on the Internet. This lady I babysat for has a daughter who can't have gluten and had told me that I might have a gluten allergy. *Google* I now think I have a wheat intolerance. Wheat intolerances can sometimes "pop up" after you go off of wheat for awhile (I did). My body was used to wheat, but after taking a break from it and then re-introducing it, my body got upset. I decided to try this theory again and went off of wheat for 3 weeks to clear out my system. Those were some of the hardest weeks, because I often got depressed as I watched others eating cake, bread, and basically everything else. "I can't have that" was a popular phrase. After the 3 weeks I put wheat back into my diet with lots of whole grain, high fiber foods for a week. Let's just say my stomach was upset all week and I had mood swings and depression. I went back off of wheat. I have been off of wheat since then.

My story (continued):
In the summer I became the usual chef for dinners at our house. I live with my parents and my oldest brother. We are all picky eaters. Mom is the best--she, like me, is willing to try new things. My brother is the stick in the family who can eat anything he wants (chocolate chip pancakes, sandwich and chips, snickers bar, hamburger with cheese and fries) and not gain any weight, but he is the one who complains the most ("Why can't we have it the "normal" way? I like the "normal" version better. Why'd you make it different?") My dad is the most unhealthy in the family. He is overweight and has lots of health problems. I've come to realize that I can't help him though, no matter how healthy the dishes are I prepare. It's up to him.

Being a health freak, I always try to cook healthy dishes. However, I love cheese and I love pasta. I could also (and probably do...) eat chicken every day of my life and be perfectly happy. My biggest struggle is incorporating baked goods into my life, now that I have this wheat issue. Since last year I have gone from 124 lbs to 97 lbs. Some say "good job;" others ask if I'm anorexic or bulimic (I'm neither). I'm currently trying to gain weight, believe it or not. I'm fighting a hard battle but I'm sure I can win. Well, with a little help from food, of course!

My goals:
I'm obsessed with food blogs! I usually don't make any dish that doesn't have a picture, which is why I love blogs! I am too scared to venture out on my own into the world of cooking, which is why a lot of my dishes are recipes from someone else. I will always put the original link, recipe, and cook, but will add my own comments. I dream of owning my own restaurant some day but I don't know where God is taking me in life. Please, comment all you want!



Above all else, remember,

Enjoy!

~Becca