Healthified Oatmeal Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

My friend Whitney was talking about these the other night at our get together for Tara and they sounded really good. I am so glad I asked her for the recipe. They are really healthy - without any added sugar. Alex loved them! I did add about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips. They have the consistency of a CLIF bar. Whitney was joking that she could never make 12 cookies like the recipe says, she said no matter what she does, she only can get 11. I made a conscious effort to try for 12 and couldn't do it! They didn't last long around here...

The recipe comes from a great website, with a lot of good recipes - check it out:

http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/

Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:50 min
makes:12 Servings

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 large)
1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Preparation:
1.Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir the oat mixture into the banana mixture until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.
2.Using a ¼-cup measure, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2¾-inch round, about ½ inch thick.
3.Bake, one sheet at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes or until browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

Squash-Rice Casserole

I made this the other night, trying to find a recipe to work a few veggies in, hoping the kids would like them smothered in cheese. It worked and we liked it a lot too! I changed it slightly. I used 2 zucchini, 2 yellow squash, and a red bell pepper instead of just zucchini.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
8 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain; partially mash with a potato masher. Combine zucchini mixture, rice, sour cream, cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl; stir gently. Spoon zucchini mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Preheat broiler.
Broil 1 minute or until lightly browned.

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2000

Scallop Piccata with Sautéed Spinach

Tim and I had this tonight and it was great! It would be good with chicken too! I used angel hair pasta. Will definitely try it again!

Serve on a bed of angel hair pasta, linguine, or brown rice, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/3 cup spinach, 3 scallops, and 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops (about 12)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup vermouth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons capers
1 (10-ounce) package fresh baby spinach

Preparation
1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Pat scallops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over scallops. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add scallops; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned and done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped garlic to pan; cook 10 seconds. Add vermouth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Add parsley, fresh lemon juice, butter, and capers, stirring until butter melts. Pour sauce in a bowl.
3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add spinach; sauté 30 seconds or until spinach almost wilts. Drizzle sauce over scallops; serve with spinach.

Ivy Manning, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2009

Beer Cheese Fondue Mac N' Cheese

For Evan's birthday party - I wanted to make some mac n' cheese, but also wanted to use the ingredients I already had in the kitchen, so I improvised. Trader Joe's has an awesome product - Beer Cheese Fondue in a pouch. You just squeeze it into your fondue pot and heat it and it is good to go - very easy. Well, I had 2 pouches leftover from Christmas, so I decided to try it for the Mac N' Cheese. Here is what I used to make the BIG batch for his party:



Ingredients:



3 bags of cavatappi noodles (I used Krogers private selection brand)

1 pint of half and half

1 stick of butter, divided

2 bags of sharp cheddar cheese (4 cups)

2 pouches of Trader Joe's Beer Cheese Fondue

salt and pepper to taste



Preparation:



Make pasta according to directions, drain and put in the baking pan - add entire stick of butter - reserving 2 TBSP for the sauce. Stir noodles so that they do not stick. To make the cheese sauce, mix 2 TBSP of butter, 1 bag of sharp cheddar cheese, 2 pouches of Trader Joe's Beer Cheese Fondue and the pint of half and half. Add the half and half slowly as the cheese melts. Once the cheese sauce has completely melted, pour it over the noodles and mix well. Bake covered at 375 for 2 hours. During the last 15 minutes of baking, sprinkle remaining bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top. If you make this recipe for a smaller crowd, I would adjust baking time accordingly.

Tara's Sausage Egg Caserole

I am late putting this on here, but I just saw Tara's recipe from the December meal exchange, when I pulled our her casserole to serve it to my family this morning!

Ingredients:

6 slices of bread
1 pound of sausage, browned, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon, salt
pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cube bread and place evenly in greased 9x13 pan or baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with sausage and cheese. Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over ingredients in pan. May cover and chill overnight. (If left overnight, remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking). Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until set. Cut into squares to serve.

Serves 8 to 10.

Chicken & Dumplings

This is a Shonda original - meaning, I just wing it, but I did follow it pretty closely to make five meals for the December meal exchange.

3 big chicken breasts (cubed)
1 bag of frozen mix of celery, onions and carrots
1 small can of mushrooms
1 large box of chicken broth plus 1 can (I use low sodium)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
Bisquick Mix
Low-fat milk
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Boil check breasts and cut into cubes. Saute celery, onions, carrot mix and mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Combine chicken and vegetables in large stock pot. Add the chicken broth, cream of chicken and cream of celery soup. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. While the soup mixture is simmering, make the dumplings. There is a recipe on the Bisquick box for dumplings. I usually make three batches. Each batch is 2/3 cup of Bisquick milk and 3 tablespoons of milk. After the soup has simmered, return it to a boil. Drop the dumplings into the boiling soup a tablespoon at a time. With a large spoon, dunk the dumplings in the broth. They will be finished in about 5 - 8 minutes. Turn the heat to low and allow the mixture time to thicken, usually another 10 - 15 minutes. Depending on the consistency you like, you may want to thicken it using cornstarch and milk.

Thanksgiving Recipes

I haven't posted in awhile - we have all been busy! These are some recipes from our Thanksgiving meal at Krista's house - all were really good!

Sausage, Apple, and Fennel Corn Bread Dressing

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

Corn bread:

1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Stuffing:
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 ounces lean, low-sodium smoked turkey sausage, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced fennel bulb
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare corn bread, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, canola oil, and 1 egg in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 16 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

To prepare stuffing, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion and bay leaf; cook 8 minutes or until onion starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Add apple, celery, and fennel; cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper); cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf. Cool to room temperature.
Crumble corn bread into a large bowl. Add sausage mixture to bowl; toss to combine. Add broth and 2 eggs; toss to combine. Spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until top is crisp and golden brown.

Laura Martin, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006

Mixed Apple Salad over Greens

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup apple mixture and 1 cup greens)

Ingredients

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
Dash of salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple
2 cups chopped Cameo or Braeburn apple
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 cups mixed salad greens

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
To prepare salad, combine apples, cheese, and bacon. Drizzle dressing over apple mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve over greens.

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2002

Two-Cheese Squash Casserole

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

4 pounds yellow squash, sliced
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs, divided
1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Preparation

Cook squash in boiling water to cover in a large skillet 8 to 10 minutes or just until tender. Drain well; gently press between paper towels.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until tender. Remove skillet from heat; stir in squash, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and next 7 ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir together melted butter, remaining 1 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Sprinkle mixture evenly over top of casserole.
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

Southern Living, MAY 2004