Tag Archives: onion

Lobster Creole (Puerto Rican Style)

Lobster Creole is not usually thought of as a spanish dish. But it can be. By adding green peppers and tomato sauce it becomes a distinctly different taste sensation all together! And having a Puerto Rican background (Yes, I am only half Italian) this recipe is a nice treat when we can splurge and have lobster! This dish incorporates rice in the recipe and usually Puerto Rican dishes use white rice but feel free to use brown rice if you wish. In Spanish Lobster Creole translates to “Langosta a la Criolla”. This dish is a hearty delicious seafood entrée which can be served with sautéed asparagus, a nice salad and maybe a pineapple sherbet for dessert. If you like add a couple of slices of ripe avocado to garnish the dish.

Photo For Illustrative Purposes Only

INGREDIENTS:

2 onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup olive oil

1½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 tomatoes, peeled and quartered

½ cup dry white wine

2 pounds lobster meat, chopped in bite size pieces

3 cups hot cooked rice

avocado slices and pickled red peppers for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute onions, green peppers and garlic in oil in a large saucepan until tender.

2. Add the salt, pepper and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add tomato sauce, wine and lobster meat. Simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with avocado and peppers if desired.

Makes about 6 servings

Savory Stuffing

Even though thoughts of Thanksgiving and turkey are months away it’s never too early to start thinking about stuffing! Stuffing comes in so many varieties so it’s nice to try some new ones every so often. And since we have plenty of time before the holiday season you can try it out now to make sure it’s a hit for your family. And who says you have to wait till Thanksgiving to have a great turkey dinner! I got this recipe from my leader at one of my Weight Watcher meeting several years ago. She had raved about it and I had to try it. It is delicious. It’s a lower calorie version as well so we can not feel so guilty eating it!

Photo is for illustrative purposes only

INGREDIENTS:

½  cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped celery

1 cup fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth

½ cup unsweetened apple juice

4 cups seasoned cubed bread stuffing mix (7 oz.)

½ cup diced unpeeled red apple

¼ cup toasted chopped pecans

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup dried cranberries (6 oz.)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute onions and celery in the canola oil.

2. In another pot bring the chicken broth and apple juice to a boil. Pour over the sautéed vegetables.

3. Mix bread, apples, cranberries and pecans into liquid ingredients.

4. Spray a 13 x 9 casserole dish (or any size dish it will fit in) with oil and place stuffing in it.

5. Cover and bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes.

Serves 12 (½ cup servings)

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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (Light Version)

I really love beef stroganoff but with all the fat calories in the sour cream and other rich ingredients I never make it anymore. Till now that is. This recipe uses a slow cooker or crock pot. Most of us have one somewhere in our cabinets so take it out and get ready to make this simple dish. I used to use our crock pot to heat wine for my mulled wine recipe in the fall. No more! Now I use it all the time. I even went out and bought a brand new one! I have an old one from my first bridal shower way back when and it still works but I wanted a more up-to-date model.

Serve this dish with no-yolk noodles or my favorite Shirataki Tofu Noodles keeping it low cal! This recipe calls for fat-free sour cream and 98% fat-free soup, but you can substitute the lightversions for it as well, adding a bit more fat to the recipe but it’s still lower calorie.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ lbs. lean beef stewing meat, trimmed of fat, cut into bite size pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped (use 1 clove if you don’t want too much garlic)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 pound fresh mushrooms (small white or baby bellas are a good choice), sliced or chopped

10¾ oz. can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water

1 cup fat-free sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the sour cream into the slow cooker. Best size slow cooker for this is 4-quart but any size is ok.

2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3. Stir in sour cream.

4. Cook on high for a few minutes more to heat the sour cream. Serve!

Makes 6 servings

Per serving (if made as shown above): 240 calories; 7 grams fat, 15 grams carbohydrates, 800mg sodium, 1 gram fiber, 6 grams sugar, 27 grams protein, 75mg cholesterol.

If calculating points the each serving is 5 points, without the noodles.

Caponata (Eggplant Salad)

Eggplant is a very versatile vegetable. There’s more to eggplant than eggplant parmigiana. Caponata is served cold on pita bread triangles or crusty bruschetta. It can be used in antipasto as well, again many uses! One of the best things about this little dish is that it can also be frozen! So if you make too much it won’t go to waste. Caponata is primarily a Sicilian pheasant dish but there are many other regional varieties. This is also a great vegetarian dish and healthy one as well! Bonus!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large eggplant

½-¾ cup olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped red onion

8 ounces tomato sauce

½ cup kalamata or black olives, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut unpeeled eggplant into small cubes after washing well. In a large skillet, heat ½ cup olive oil over medium high heat and add eggplant.

2. Saute until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and red pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are crisp and tender.

3. Add more oil, if necessary. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, vinegar and salt. Simmer uncovered, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove from heat. Cool and refrigerate.

Makes about 4 cups

Liverwurst Pate

Stop wrinkling your noses! It’s good! It’s actually really really good! I used to make this quite a bit and end up eating most of it myself. Not good! I’ve made this for many kinds of parties and it always raises eyebrows until you try it. One year I made it in the shape of a football for our Superbowl party and used olives slivers as the lacing on the football. It is usually served best with crackers but it works well with celery and carrots as well. It is NOT a low-calorie dish either. (Though it is low carb actually) I do use the light cream cheese and light sour cream to help a little bit. I’m getting a craving for it right now just thinking about it! Our friend Kevin Dery loved it when he had it at one of our parties.

Liverwurst Pate

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces liverwurst (I use the tubes of Jones liverwurst)

1 package (80z) light cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons light sour cream

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Stuffed green olives for garnish, if desired


DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the liverwurst, half  of the cream cheese, onion, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce, combining well. (I do this in a food processor)

2. Place pâté mixture onto a serving dish or in a serving container of choice. Place dish or container in the freezer for about 15 minutes until firmed up.

3. Remove dish from freezer and ‘frost’ with remaining softened cream cheese. (I microwave the cream cheese till it’s spreadable like frosting. Microwave at 10 second intervals to get it soft enough to spread easily.)

4. Slice olives and decorate on pâté as you wish. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.

Makes 16 servings

Mom’s Old Style Lasagna

I was looking through all of my recipes trying to find one for today’s post and came across this recipe that was in my mother’s handwriting. It’s for an old style lasagna which is a little different from how I usually make it. I am adding it exactly as written by Mom. I’m hungry just reading it over! I love lasagna and I don’t get to eat it too often, too many calories! My sister makes an awesome one also, which I was able to have not that long ago. Too bad I’m on a diet now! Lasagna is one of those recipes that I’m sure everyone has had at least once in their life. It’s also one of those recipes that when it’s not made correctly it can be so disappointing! Ever had soupy lasagna? Dried out?  Over cooked? We all have! And no self-respecting Italian will buy frozen lasagna! It’s just wrong! There is nothing like home-made so give it a try soon. It’s not difficult, really! The hardest part is getting the cooked noodles out of the pan! And if that is going to be a problem for you cut them in half to handle easier. Food should be fun to prepare as well as eat so enjoy trying this recipe out! Remember I copied it exactly as she had written it so if you need to change it slightly please do.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Ronzoni lasagna (#123)

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon minced parsley

1 ½ cans tomato paste (9 oz)

2 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

5 quarts water

3 teaspoons salt

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

¾ pound ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown beef and pork in large saucepan with oil, onion, garlic and parsley.

2. Add tomato paste, 2 cups water, salt and pepper. Simmer 1½ hours.

3. Bring 5 quarts water to boil, add salt and lasagna and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender, stirring almost constantly to prevent sticking.

4. Drain. Arrange lasagna in casserole dish in layers, alternating with layers of sauce, mozzarella and ricotta, until lasagna is all used and  ending in like sequence, ricotta last.

5. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in 375º oven about 20 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted. Serve.


Makes 6 large servings or 8 medium servings.


John’s Famous Spicy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This is John’s famous recipe. He won’t even let me make it! I can be the sous-chef though! It’s still a great recipe and is usually a big hit. You can serve it with tortilla chips or crackers. Just make sure they are strong enough to hold the dip!

John's Spicy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2- 10 ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained

1- 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1- 8 ounce package cream cheese

1- 8 ounce package sour cream

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

2 tablespoons TABASCO® brand pepper sauce

salt to taste

corn chips or crackers


DIRECTIONS:

1: Melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, ¾ cup Monterey Jack, ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, pepper sauce and salt. Stir until well blended and heated through.

3. Pour mixture into a ½ quart casserole dish and top with remaining Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese. Bake in 350º oven until cheese starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Serve with corn chips or crackers.


Makes about 4 cups

Leaner, Meaner Shrimp Scampi

One of my all time favorite shrimp dishes is Shrimp Scampi. I love the butter, the oil, the garlic and of course, the shrimp! I am actually going to make this recipe tonight. I found it today in my email from Hungry Girl. Who is Hungry Girl? I am sure some of you have heard of her lately or seen her on TV. She’s on Rachael Ray quite a bit as well as all the talk shows. She shows us a healthier way to eat all of our favorite dishes. I have to say that I use quite a lot of her recipes and love them all. I have all her cookbooks, there are three. One of the newest ingredients for me that she uses as a noodle/pasta substitute is “House Food Tofu Shirataki Noodle Substitute”. I  can hear some of you groaning…Tofu?? Yes, tofu. It’s not a horrible thing. Really!! When you prepare these noodles with sauces they are delicious. No they do not taste like real pasta, but they are still fantastic. Loaded with soy protein and fiber! GOOD!!! They come in pouches covered in water in the organic section of the produce department. I buy them all the time and use in casseroles, for fettuccine alfredo and a ton of other dishes. Today’s recipe calls for the Fettuccine style noodles. They come in spaghetti style and angel hair style as well. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my regular pasta but living with a carbophobe makes me nuts so I have to make substitutions.

(Check http://www.house-foods.com/Tofu/tofu_shirataki.aspx for recipes and information) So tonight’s recipe is courtesy of Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien. I will take a picture and post it afterwards but for now I am including a picture of hers.

One more thing on this recipe that I really like. The shrimp calls for the tails removed! Hooray! This is one of my pet peeves. Why must the tails be left on with almost all shrimp dishes? Besides that it looks nice? Really? Is that the only reason?  I hate having to make a mess attempting to remove these tails while I am eating. Especially in a restaurant! Come on, cook without the tails! You’re not going to eat them anyway so why leave them on? Okay I feel better now!

INGREDIENTS:

1 small lemon

2 packages House Foods Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Noodle Substitute

¼ cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon chopped garlic (I will add more garlic as we are LOVE garlic)

8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled, tails removed, deveined

1 plum tomato, chopped

1 tablespoons light whipped butter or light buttery spread (I use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter w/Olive Oil)

2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Optional: Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, chopped parsley, fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut lemon in half, and squeeze the juice from one half into a small dish; remove any seeds, and set aside. Cut the other half into wedges, and set those aside as well.

2. Use a strainer to rinse and drain shirataki noodles well. Pat dry. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave for 1 minute. Drain excess liquid. Dry as thoroughly as possible, using paper towels. Cut noodles up a bit, using kitchen shears if you have them. Set aside. (The noodles are very long so this is why you need to cut them up a little)

3. Bring a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray (butter flavored if you have it) to medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes.

4. Add shrimp and tomato. Stirring occasionally, cook until shrimp are opaque, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and continue to cook and stir for 1 minute.

5. Raise heat to medium high, add shirataki noodles, and mix well. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, until entire dish is hot and shrimp cooked through. Add butter and stir.

6. Plate (or bowl) your scampi and top each serving with 1 teaspoon Parmesan topping. Garnish with lemon wedges and, if you like, season to taste with optional ingredients. Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings

Serving Size: ½ of recipe (about 1¾ cups)

POINTS® value: 5 (for all you WW fans)

Basic Meat Filling

This is the basic meat filling to use with the stuffed plantains. It can also be used with stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage etc. The recipe calls for ground beef but you can also add ground sausage to the mix if you wish.

Ripe Plantain

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef (or ground pork)

3 chili peppers, finely chopped and seeded (any type of pepper you want is fine)

1 green pepper, finely chopped and seeded

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon wine vinegar

6 green olives stuffed with pimentos

1 teaspoon capers

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

hot sauce to taste

Stuffed Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a heavy pot, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute chili peppers, onion, green pepper and garlic for 10 minutes.

2. Add oregano, salt, vinegar and ground beef. Stir over high heat until meat loses its red color.

3. Turn heat to low. Add olives, capers and hot sauce. Mix and cook 30 minutes for beef or 1 hour for pork.

4. Let cool slightly so it won’t be too hot to handle when stuffing the plantains or other item.

Stuffed Cabbage

Tuscan Style Pumpkin-White Bean Soup

This is a favorite soup in our house. It is hearty and rich and full of fiber. It is enough for a meal in itself. It is also a great soup if you are watching your weight. The fiber will help big time. Pumpkin is so versatile and most people just think of pumpkin pie when cooking with it. I use garbanzo beans in my recipe but you can also use white cannellini beans or any other white bean. I also use one of those hand-held immersers (or boat motors as we call them) to mix/blend the ingredients rather than a blender. It’s easier for me. But feel free to use a blender. The richness and creaminess of this soup comes from the beans. There is no milk or cream added which makes it so much healthier for you! So make a pot and enjoy!

Tuscan Style Pumpkin-White Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS:

olive oil cooking spray or just enough olive oil to coat bottom of large pot

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

15 oz. canned pumpkin

3 ½ cups fat-free chicken broth

15½ oz. can garbanzo beans (or whatever size can is closest), rinsed and drained

¼ teaspoon ground oregano

1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Coat a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat. Add onion, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.

2. Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans and oregano; simmer for 8 minutes.

3. With an immerser* blend soup until smooth.  Be careful as it may splatter. You can leave a few of the beans whole if you like also. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve with ladle and top with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese.

Serves 6 (1 cup servings)

*If you wish to use a blender transfer soup in batches being careful not to overfill the blender. Return to pot and reheat.

**Coming next Monday: Layered Salad!

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