Seafood Lasagna with Alfredo Sauce

This was delicious! I absolutely loved it! One of my favorite dinners…ever!

1 lb. package lasagna noodles (I bought oven ready, to skip a step)

2 t. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

2 16.0 ounce jars Alfredo-style pasta sauce

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. bay scallops

1 lb. imitation crabmeat, chopped

1 20 ounce container ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/8 ounce black pepper

6 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain. (I skipped this step by buying the oven ready noodles)

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic and mushrooms until tender. Pour in 2 jars Alfredo sauce. Stir in shrimp, scallops and crabmeat. Simmer 5-10 minutes, or until heat through. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, and pepper.

3. In a 9X13 inch baking dish, layer noodles, ricotta mixture, Alfredo mixture and shredded cheese. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, reserving shredded cheese for the top.

4. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Cover, and bake 15 minutes.

Serves 12

Mexican Pork Chops

I added some spices to my pork chops like cumin, garlic, and chili powder. I just sprinkled it on while they were cooking in the skillet.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 boneless pork chops

2 (14.5 ounce can) chopped stewed tomatoes, with juice

1 (8.75 ounce can) whole kernel corn, drained

1 (8.0 ounce can) red kidney beans, drained

1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice (I used brown rice)

1 (4.0 ounce can) diced green chilies, drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown the pork chops about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chops from skillet and drain oil.

3. Mix the tomatoes, corn, kidney beans, rice, chilies, and salt into the skillet. Bring liquid to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Transfer the tomato mixture to a baking dish. Arrange the browned  pork chops over the mixture.

4. Bake covered 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking for 10 minutes.  I also added  shredded cheese on top for the last 10 minutes.

Rich and Creamy Mac and Cheese

I love, love, love, love Mac and Cheese…I think I can eat it any way you cook it!

4 ounces dried elbow macaroni
5 slices low-fat American cheese, about 3/4 ounce each
1/3 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons light margarine
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1. In a large saucepan, prepare the macaroni using the package directions, omitting the salt and oil. Drain well in a colander. Return to the pan.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the cheese melts. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes to continue to thicken.
Makes 4, 1/2-cup servings.

Number of Servings: 4

Greek Turkey Burger

Instead of using a pan and all, I used my George Foreman grill.

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
1/4 c bread crumbs, plain
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg white
1 T mint, fresh, chopped
1 t oregano, dried
1/4 t black pepper
Cooking spray

Mix all ingredients until just combined. Overworking the mixture can result in tough burgers. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium low heat. Divide the meat mixture into 4 round balls. Flatten the burgers with your hand and press your thumb in the center of each burger to keep the meat from rising too high as it cooks. Spray skillet. Cook the burgers about 5-6 minutes per side, flipping only once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Makes 4 burgers

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

(When pureeing, make sure you take the removal piece out of the lid of the blender. I learned the hard way and was scalded with hot potato mixture when the blender exploded)

3 cups Potatoes, diced
4 Chicken Boullion Cubes
4 cups Water
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1 Garlic clove
1 cup Milk, nonfat
4 medium slices Bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Boil potatoes, onion, garlic and boullion in water for 20 minutes or until potatoes are really tender. Puree the soup and add the milk. Heat through. Top with cheese, bacon and green onions just before serving.

Number of Servings: 4

Sassy Turkey and Sweet Potatoes

This was very yummy…and normally I don’t really like sweet potatoes!

1 pound sweet potatoes
2 turkey breast tenderloins (1 -1 1/4 pounds total)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup purchased chunky salsa
1/4 cup orange juice

1. Peel sweet potatoes; cut into 1-inch pieces. In a large saucepan, cook sweet potatoes, covered, in enough boiling water to cover for 10-12 minutes or just until sweet potatoes are tender; drain.
2. Meanwhile, cut turkey tenderloins crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add turkey slices; cook for 6-8 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink, turning once halfway through cooking.
3. Add salsa and orange juice to skillet; add sweet potatoes. Cook until heated through, stirring gently.
Makes 4 servings

Number of Servings: 4

BBQ Chicken Wrap

BBQ Chicken Wrap

4 8-inch whole wheat/fat free tortillas
2 cups of baby spinach (bagged)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed/drained
.5 cup low fat cheddar cheese
2 cups of thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breast
4 tbs BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Top each tortilla with even amounts of spinach, corn, beans, cheese and steak. Drizzle BBQ sauce over and wrap them up.
Heat through in baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Number of Servings: 4

Vegan Moroccan-Style Chickpeas

Vegan Moroccan-Style Chickpeas

1 can (15.5 oz)chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 cup diced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground coriander
3/4 cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper, to taste

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat for about two minutes.
Stir in cumin, ginger and coriander.
Cook until onion is tender.
Add chickpeas, vegetable broth and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for ten minutes.
Serve alone or with brown rice and steamed green beans.

Number of Servings: 5

*It is kind of spicy, so I found to cut down on the spice, add in some cheddar cheese. I served it with brown rice, and wild rice. Very tasty!

Fresh Life in an Old Blog

So, here’s the deal. I love to cook. And for some strange reason, when I find a recipe I love, I want to share it with anyone that will listen. So I have revamped my blog, and this one will be recipes that I have tried, and loved. I’m eating healthier now, so I also want this to be a blog where people can come and see recipes that not only taste good, but are healthy for you as well. And, I only cook 2-3 times a week, so it’s not as time consuming as the last. So I hope you enjoy what’s to come…and if anything, I’ll fee like I’m telling at least one person about a recipe I like!