Easy Broccoli

(Originally posted by Stephanie)

This is (right now) my all-time favorite quick veggie dish. I can eat the entire bowl by myself and not feel guilty, it is that good.

I use a medium sized microwaveable container (with a lid).

Dump in frozen broccoli.

Over the top of it, pat fat free butter or whatever spread you use per your particular diet plan. The last time I made it, I sprinkle it with Molly McButter and it worked just as well.

Next, sprinkle garlic salt, garlic powder, minced garlic (fresh preferably) - whatever you have. I have found that the dried diced minced garlic doesn’t work as well in this recipe, fyi.

Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove and stir. Replace in microwave and cook for another 4-5 minutes on high.

Remove and sprinkle with parmesan cheese; again, I’ve used both the powdered cheese and fresh, so whatever you have.

Stir and serve.

My favorite. I’ve been known (when pregnant) to make this, serve it for dinner, and then later in the evening go back and eat all the leftovers because I crave it. 

Zucchini Casserole

(Originally posted by Christina)

Here’s another recipe just in case my previous one was too easy.    

3 large zuchinni
Italian seasonings
garlic salt
12oz grated parmesan cheese (2cup package)
12oz grated mozzarella cheese (2cup package)
1 medium onion (diced)

Slice zuchinnii and cover bottom of casserole dish (9×13 pan).  Sprinkle part of diced onion on top of zucchini.  Sprinkle Italian seasonings, garlic salt and mozzarella cheese.  Make another layer and top with parmesan cheese.  You might like to add a very thin sliced tomato on top of the cheese to add color.  Cover casserole with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375.  After about 45 minutes take off foil and let top brown.

Broccoli & Cauliflower

(Originally posted by Christina)

This is super easy to make and so good.

Cut up a head of brocolli and a head of cauliflower into bite size pieces.  Put in a bowl and mix in some fat free ranch dressing.  Serve cold. 

Very yummy!

Beef Stew

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

That makes me sad because that means Spring Break is almost over! *sniff*sniff*

Anywho, on with the recipe posting!

This is my interpretation of Jana’s Beef Stew (Hope you don’t mind, Jana!) I’ll post her original recipe w/ my adaptions in parenthesis.

Beef Stew
1 1/2 - 2 pounds stew beef cubes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/3 cups water
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove minced garlic (I LOVE garlic, so I used 3-4 cloves instead!)
1 chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste (I put lots of both, esp the pepper; I like it spicy!)
3 cups sliced carrots (Made it w/o these the first time; only used about 1 cup the second time)
3 cups cubed red potatoes (you may omit if you wish) (The previous was Jana’s note; I actually used sweet potatoes instead)
2 1/2 cups pearl onions (I didn’t have these so left ‘em out)
3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
(((Debbie also added: 1 cup of frozen peas (near the end) and 1/2 pound of mushrooms (because they’re yummy) and some diced green peppers when I added the onion)))

Heat olive oil and brown the beef cubes.
Add 2 cups of water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, and spices.
Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add carrots, potatoes and onions, cover and cook 30 more minutes or until veggies are tender. (This is when I added the mushrooms also; and maybe the peas.)
In a small cup, whisk 1/3 cup water with flour and add to stew to thicken before serving.

This stew is sooooo yummy and well worth the wait! For me, it’s hard to imagine having it again anytime soon because the temps are already getting up into the 70’s here and eating stew on a warm day just seems wrong. But I’m sure I’ll crave it again soon.

Every time I make it, though, I think I end up adding more water, therefore using a bit more flour for thickening it (and Worcestershire sauce to even out the flavoring). Oh, I also use the broth from the soup to mix with the flour.

Hope y’all enjoy!

Celeriac Soup

We made this soup yesterday, and then ate it for lunch today. It has a very strong celeriac taste, so if you don’t like celeriac, you probably won’t like this!

We found it on a site called Veg-box recipes

Ingredients

1 celeriac
1 medium onion
1 pint vegetable stock
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
Handful of fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, thyme leaves, sage, chives)
1 dried bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste
50ml double cream (optional)

1. Peel the celeriac and chop into cubes. Peel the onion and slice finely.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the celeriac and onion. Stir to coat with oil. Sauté gently for 10 minutes.
3. Add the stock and bay leaf. Simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes, until the celeriac is soft (this depends on the size of your cubes!).
4. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
5. Add the fresh herbs and then liquidise, until smooth.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Stir in the cream, if using.

Serves 2-3

We used some yoghurt instead of cream, and also added some extra water as it seemed pretty think. You could probably use milk instead of cream if you wanted to.

Minestrone Soup

(Originally posted by Christina)

Morning everyone!  Here’s a soup recipe for our food Friday.  I haven’t tried it yet but plan to pretty soon.  I got this recipe from the nutritionist at the gym that I go to.

3 cups water
2-10.5oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 bag shredded carrots
1 zuchinni, diced
1 cup chopped spinach
1-15oz can white beans
3-14.5oz can low sodium diced tomatoes
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp mrs. dash tomatoe/basil seasoning or 1tsp basil and 1tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup wheat elbow macaroni (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except the macaroni, and cook in crock pot on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.  Add the macaroni the last 30 minutes and turn crock pot on high.

Serves 8.

200 cal, .5g fat, 15g protein

Is it still Friday?

(Originally posted by DebbieBoo)

I did a smoothie experiment today that didn’t go too smoothly.  Hmm…I didn’t intend for that to be a pun, but whatev.

My mom has been reading up on the nutritional value of coconut oil and we decided to incorporate it into our diet.  Basically you can substitute it for oils you cook with or eat it straight up.  They recommend, for the best results, to have at least two tablespoons a day.  It’s creamy and, despite the name, doesn’t have an overwhelming coconut taste.  You can definitely taste the coconut but it’s not too overbearing.

Anywho, as I started drinking a Dannon Light & Fit Smoothie this morning I had a flashback of a former college roommate who bought a similar drink and dumped it into the blender with a bunch of other stuff.  So I thought I’d do the same!

About an hour later (after I added everything into the blender I realized it wasn’t working; apparently it had been in the washing machine w/o being taken apart so I figured water sitting on it caused the screw to rust and stick.  It took some time to get it cleaned aftereventually loosening the screw with WD-40) my concoction was completed and it was ok.  Wonder if it would have been better had it not been for the delay.  Anywho, here’s what I blended:

1 C frozen strawberries
1 serving Dannon Light & Fit Smoothie (I used mixed berry)
1 banana (ok, I actually didn’t have this but I would have added it if I had one)

I originally added a T of coconut oil but that wasn’t very wise - when it got cold it hardened and stuck together.  DUH!  So after I blended it all I melted the coconut oil and added it to the drink as I stirred, making little frozen bits rather than a big clump.

If it doesn’t sound that great it’s cause it wasn’t.  So I wouldn’t necessarily recommend making one.     I might experiment w/ it again when I have bananas.

I also have a very simple coffee drink.  I call it my “Holiday Blend.”  It’s a nice treat on a cold morning . . . which we will probably no longer have here in Houston — today was 80+ degrees!  But I digress . . .
1 serving of strong coffee
1-2 T International House Sugar-Free Hazlenut Coffee Creamer
2-3 drops of peppermint extract
1-2 dashes of cinnamon

Basically I just mix it all together and enjoy!  If it’s a particularly large mug I might add a bit of Stevia (to satisfy my sweet tooth).  And that’s why I varied the measurements of ingredients.  It all depends on your personal taste.  But I DEFINITELY recommend this drink!  Even if it’s not cold outside or the holidays.

I hope this post counts for Food Friday.  It’s well into Saturday here, but I’m pretty sure it’s still Friday somewhere . . .