Italian Sausage Hoagies

I was skeptical of these, but Corey really liked them.  He described them as "like a Subway Italian Meatball Sub....only better and lighter".

ITALIAN SAUSAGE HOAGIES

Recipe Notes

Corey suggested using provolone cheese in place of mozzarella cheese as well.  Serve with Kettle chips and a salad.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

309 calories - 7 g. fat - 20.7 g. protein - 28.5 g. carbohydrates - 2.5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• Four 2-oz. hoagie rolls, halved
• 9 oz. sweet Italian turkey sausage, cut into 1 in. thick pieces
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1 tsp. minced fresh garlic (I used bottled)
• 1 c. marinara sauce
• 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1.  Preheat broiler to high.  Arrange hoagie rolls on a baking sheet and broil until toasted.  Set aside.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium high, spray with Pam.  Add sausage to pan and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

3.  Add onion and garlic, cook until softened.

4.  Add marinara, bell pepper, and black pepper.  Bring to a boil.

5.  Reduce heat and simmer for six minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender.

6.  Arrange 3/4 c. sausage mixture over bottom half of each roll.  Sprinkel with ~2 tbsp. cheese per sandwich.

7.  Broil two minutes or until cheese melts.  Top with other halves of hoagie rolls.



Gnocchi Alla Amatriciana

 



I found this recipe while browsing through a Family Circle magazine in the Seattle airport.  I made this for Corey this weekend and we both really liked it.  It's tomato-y, a little bit spicy, and a little bit salty from the pancetta.  What's more, it is supposed to make a 9x13 casserole, but I made two 8x8 dishes and froze one of them to have next month.  I just made it through Step 8 and then put half in the freezer instead of the oven.  This is easy to make, doesn't require a large number of ingredients, and is fairly healthy - not a lot of added fat or oil.

 

GNOCCHI ALLA AMATRICIANA

 

Recipe Notes

You can pick up the pancetta already diced and in the perfect-sized portion (4 oz.).  I found a 4 oz. container of pre-diced Boars Head pancetta at Kroger in the deli section and it worked great.

 

Nutritional Information

460 calories - 13 g. fat - 15 g. protein - 72 g. carbohydrates - 8 g. fiber

 

Ingredients

• 4 oz. pancetta (diced)
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes (such as Cento)
• 1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 2 (17.5 oz) packages gnocchi
   

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil for gnocchi.

3.  While waiting on water to boil, saute pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until crispy (8-10 minutes).

4.  Add diced onion and saute 4-5 minutes more over medium heat until softened.  The rendered fat from the pancetta will help to soften the onion.

5.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes, saute 2 minutes more.

6.  Stir in tomatoes, 2 tbsp. shredded cheese, and thyme.  Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

7.  Meanwhile, add gnocchi to boiling water and remove with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl when cooked through.  Gnocchi is ready when it floats up to the top of the pot of boiling water.  At that point, you can skim the pasta off the top.

8.  Add gnocchi to tomato sauce mixture.  Transfer to either a 9x13 baking dish or two 8x8 baking dishes.

9.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  If freezing half, put half in the freezer at this point.

10.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese has melted and tomato sauce is bubbling.

 

 

Un-Fried Tomatoes

Corey loved this Martha Stewart Food recipe, and they are so much better for you than fried green tomatoes because they are baked in the oven. 

 

UN-FRIED TOMATOES

 

Recipe Notes

My oven needed a bit more time than the recipe called for - about 20-22 minutes instead of 15.  I used my Cuisinart to crush up the cornflakes to a fine meal.

 

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

267 calories - 4 g. fat - 9 g. protein - 53 g. carbohydrates - 4 g. fiber

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 c. cornflakes, crushed
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 lbs. firm tomatoes, cut into 1/4 in. rounds (these can be any color)
• Lemon wedges or ranch dressing, for serving

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Place flour, eggs, and cornflakes in three separate shallow dishes.  Season each with salt and pepper.  Stir cayenne pepper into seasoned flour.

3.  Coat each tomato slice first with flour, then with egg, and finally with cornflakes.

4.  Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

5.  Bake until deep golden brown, or about 15 minutes. 

6.  Serve with lemon wedges or ranch dressing.

 

 

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

 





These chicken enchiladas were recently featured in Southern Living.  I am lazy and didn't want to make my own tomatillo salsa, so I modified this a bit and also used bottled tomatillo salsa (I used Herdez).  I also cut the cheese to make them a bit more healthy as well.  Corey LOVED these and so did I!

 

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS VERDES

 

Recipe Notes

These can be assembled the day before and refrigerated until ready to cook.  Be sure to stop after Step 7 below if making ahead.

 

Ingredients

•   1 c. diced sweet onion
•   3 garlic cloves, minced
•   1 tbsp. canola oil
•   2 c. chopped fresh baby spinach
•   2 (4.5 oz.) cans chopped green chiles, drained
•   3 c. shredded cooked chicken breast
•   8 oz. (1 package) reduced-fat cream cheese
•   6 oz. (1-1/2 c.) shredded hot pepper jack cheese
•   8 (8 inch) soft taco-sized flour tortillas
•   1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
•   Bottled tomatillo salsa
•   1 medium avocado, diced

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Saute onion and garlic in canola oil for five minutes or until tender.

3.  Add spinach and green chiles.  Saute until spinach has wilted (1-2 minutes).

4.  Add chicken and reduced-fat cream cheese.  Stir constantly until cheese melts.

5.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

6.  Spoon approx. 1/2-3/4 c. chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. 

7.  Sprinkle pepper jack cheese over chicken mixture, then roll up tortillas and place in a 9x13 glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Tortillas should be placed seam-side down.

8.  Lightly spray tortillas with Pam cooking spray.

9.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

10.  Top with tomatillo salsa, followed by avocado and chopped cilantro.

 

"Healthified" Beef Enchilada Pie

This recipe was also a Pinterest find from eatbetteramerica.com.  This website has several recipes that have been "lightened" to enhance your healthy dining experience.



Recipe Notes

This recipe reminds me greatly of the Layered Enchilada Bake that I have posted multiple times.  This dish is made in a pie pan, vs. a baking dish as the Layered Enchilada Bake is.  Also, this dish requires a much shorter cooking time.  Both are worth the labor.

Nutritional Information

290 calories - 11 g. fat - 25 g. carbohydrates - 22 g. protein - 0 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef (93% lean or greater)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 10 oz. can of Old El Paso red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 c. canned corn, drained
• 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 5 Old El Paso burrito-sized flour tortillas
• 1 c. shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese (approx. 4 oz.)

Instructions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Brown beef and onion in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (5-7 minutes).  Drain.

3.  Add 3/4 can of enchilada sauce, corn, and green chiles to beef mixture.  Stir in cumin and chili powder.

4.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for five minutes.

5.  Spray one 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

6.  Place one tortilla in the bottom of the casserole.  Top with 3/4 c. beef mixture and 3 tbsp. shredded cheese.  Repeat these layers three times.

7.  Top with remaining tortilla, reserved enchilada sauce (approx. 1/4 c.) and remaining cheese.

8.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes until hot and cheese is melted.

9.  Cool five minutes before serving.  Serve with sour cream.



Crock Pot Chicken Chili

Found this recipe on Pinterest....it was a really easy Crock Pot dinner worth mentioning.  It's very healthy too - no added fat, butter, or oil.  I served this over rice with a big salad.

CROCK POT CHICKEN CHILI

Recipe Notes

According to the original poster, this recipe makes approximately eight servings with about 200 calories per serving.  I have not verified the nutritional information, but considering the ingredients, it sounds about right. 

Ingredients

• One can of black beans
• One can of kidney beans
• One can of corn
• 16 oz. tomato sauce
• 28 oz. diced tomatoes
• One packet of taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp. of chili powder
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions

1.  Add all ingredients to Crock Pot.

2.  Cook for 6 hours high or 10 hours on low.

3.  Shred chicken breasts, mix well, and serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.

Mary's (Lightened) Spinach Casserole

MARY'S (LIGHTENED) SPINACH CASSEROLE

Recipe Notes

My aunt Mary has been making this creamed spinach casserole for decades.  I tried to lighten it up with half the original prescribed butter (originally it was 1 full stick) and light sour cream.  Serve this casserole with grilled steak and potatoes.

Ingredients

• Two 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
• 1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) butter
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1 large can artichoke hearts
• 1 pint light sour cream
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper

Instructions
1.  Saute onion in butter.
2.  Combine onion with remaining ingredients.
3.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese on top.
4.  Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve hot.