Guilt Free O Rings

Ingredients:

1 large onion

1/4 cup original Egg Beaters**

1/2 cup crushed Fiber One

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut edges off onion, and remove outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2 inch wide slices, and separate into rings. Next, fill a small bowl (just large enough for onion rings to fit in) with Egg Beaters. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour crumbs onto a small dish. One by one, coat each ring in egg and then crumbs (give each ring a shake after the egg bath). Place on an oven-safe baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through. Serves one!

Thanks Hungry Girl for the recipe

Lisa C. . . . .

Grilled Eggplant n Peppers w/Feta

You Will Need


2 large eggplants, ends trimmed, sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds
Salt
1 each red, yellow, green, and orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced lengthwise into 8 pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄3 cup Feta cheese, crumbled (3 oz.)
1 tbs. minced fresh marjoram, oregano, or basil, or a combination
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon


What to Do




1. Place eggplant on wire rack and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Set rack aside until eggplant begins to "sweat," about 15 to 20 minutes. Blot eggplant dry with clean paper towels.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high. Arrange eggplant and bell pepper slices on large baking sheet, and brush both sides of all pieces with olive oil. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Transfer eggplant and peppers to grill, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning occasionally to promote even browning, until softened and nicely marked, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Transfer eggplant to platter and top with pepper strips. Garnish with Feta and marjoram. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature.





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Nutty Greens

 

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound haricots verts, trimmed
• 3 slices bacon
• 4 ounces blue cheese, cut into small chunks (recommended: Shropshire)
• 1 1/2 cups toasted whole pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the haricots verts and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the water and immediately place in a bowl of ice water. Remove the haricots verts from the ice water and set aside in a medium bowl.
In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels. Add the beans to the bacon drippings and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the blue cheese and toss just until it starts to melt. Break the cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and add to pan. Finish by stirring in the toasted chopped pecans. Season with the freshly ground black pepper and just a tiny pinch of kosher salt. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson

Tabouleh Salad

It's been difficult to find things I can eat after my surgery, but it hasn't been too too bad, since I don;t necessarily CRAVE anything. Except the other day, I had a craving for Tabouleh salad, and I FINALLY made it this morning. It is DELICIOUS, and I cant wait to eat it for lunch...

Recipe
3 Tomatoes diced
1 Cup chopped green onion
3 Cup chopped parsley flat leaf
1 Cup yellow / red onion chopped
3 leaves fresh mint
1/4 Cup dry bulgar wheat
salt pepper to taste
juice of 2-3 limes
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Place the bulgar wheat and covered with hot water and put aside to soak (about 30min)
• In a bowl add lime juice and onions, and set aside
• In a seperate bowl finely chop all other inredients and olive oil
• Combine the chopped ingredients with the lime juice and onions
• Drain the bulgar wheat and combine with all the ingredients
• Let stand or refridgerate for 5 minutes to allow the wheat to absorb the juices.
• Serve with Lettuce (I like to make wraps), or over salad and enjoy.
  

** I like to wash out the seeds from the tomatoes, so I don't get TOO much liquid in the salad.

Green Beans with Shallots and Pancetta

Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed, strings removed (if any)
• Salt
• 2 ounces pancetta, diced very small
• 2-3 large shallots, chopped
• 2 teaspoons butter
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Blanch the beans in a large pot of boiling salted water 4 minutes, or until they are crisp tender. Note: Test one, if it is "chewy" keep the beans cooking a bit longer. If you are using French cut beans, or extra thin beans, they may not need to cook as long as 4 minutes; start testing them at 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. 
• Drain and place the beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. 
• Drain again and set aside. (At this point you can make the beans a day ahead, store in refrigerator.)
• Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. 
• Add the diced pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. 
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the pancetta from the pan to a plate.
• Add the shallots to the pan. Cook, stirring often, on medium high heat, in the fat rendered from the pancetta, until lightly browned.
• Add butter to the pan; add the drained green beans and pancetta. 
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• Stir constantly until the beans are hot and are well mixed with the shallots and pancetta. 
• Serve immediately.

Roasted Baby Carrots

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs of 5 inch long baby carrots, carefully washed, greens cropped to 1 inch above top of carrot
1 red onion, peeled, cut into 8 wedges
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
2. Gently toss together the carrots, red onion, rosemary to coat with the olive oil. 
3. Lay out on a rimmed baking pan. 
4. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes on middle rack or bottom rack, until well browned.

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Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of (fresh or frozen) green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Method

• Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. 
• Drain the beans and transfer them to a large bowl of ice water, cooling them completely. (The ice water will shock the beans into a vibrant green color.) 
• Drain the beans well. At this point you can make the beans a day ahead and store in refrigerator.
• Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. 
• Whisk in half of the fresh thyme (1 Tbsp), the Dijon mustard and garlic salt into the butter. 
• Add the beans to the skillet and toss until heated through, about 4 minutes. 
• Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and the remaining 1 Tbsp of thyme.

 

Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake

 

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 large tart cooking apples cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace (can substitute ground nutmeg)

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Slice and peel squash and apples.
3. Put squash cubes in ungreased 7x11-inch baking dish. 
4. Place apples on top and then cranberries. 
5. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and mace and sprinkle on top. 
6. Dot with butter. 
7. Bake 50-60 minutes.

 

Baked Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 1 Acorn squash
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Syrup
• Dash of Salt

Method

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Using a strong chef's knife, and perhaps a rubber mallet to help, cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, from stem to end. 
• Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff in the center of each half. 
• Score the insides of each half several times with a sharp knife. 
• Place each half in a baking pan, cut side up. 
• Add about a 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the baking pan so that the skins don't burn and the squash doesn't get dried out.
• Coat the inside of each half with 1/2 a Tbsp of butter. 
• Add a dash of salt if you are using unsalted butter. 
• Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to the cavity of each half. 
• Dribble on a teaspoon of maple syrup to each half.
• Bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the squash is very soft and the tops are browned. Do not undercook. 
• When finished, remove from oven and let cool a little before serving. Spoon any buttery sugar sauce that has not already been absorbed by the squash over the exposed areas.

Pesto Corn Grilled Peppers

You Will Need
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil
2 tablespoons sunflower kernels or walnuts
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
4 cups whole kernel corn
4 medium sweet red, yellow or green peppers
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

What to Do
1. For pesto, combine 1/2 cup of oil, grated Parmesan cheese, basil, sunflower kernels and garlic in a blender or food processor; cover and process until blended. In a skillet, sauté red pepper in remaining oil until tender. Add corn and pesto; heat through.

2. Halve peppers lengthwise; remove seeds. Place, cut side down, on grill over medium heat; cover and cook for 8 minutes. Turn; fill with corn mixture. Grill 4-6 minutes longer or until tender. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Coconut Grilled Corn

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbs. palm sugar or light brown sugar, or more to taste
1 piece (2 in.) pandanus leaf (available in Asian markets) or 1 or 2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
4 ears sweet corn, husked or husk stripped back and tied together to form handle

Directions
1. Combine coconut milk, sugar, pandanus or bay leaf, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer gently until sugar dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if necessary.

Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool to room temperature.

2. Preheat grill to high. When ready to cook, brush grill grate clean and apply thin coat of oil to grate. Place corn on hot grate; start basting with coconut milk mixture after a few minutes. Baste several times as it until nicely browned on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side, 8 to 12 minutes in all, turning with tongs.

3. Baste corn one final time, transfer to platter or plates, and serve.

Grilled Zucchini and Squash

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 summer squash, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2. Place the zucchini, and squash on a large sheet of aluminum foil, and dot with butter. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Seal vegetables in the foil.
3. Place the foil pack on the preheated grill, and cook 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Grilled Asparagus

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Delicious Grilled Onions

 

 

Ingredients

• 4 large onions
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. Peel onions, and remove ends. Cut each onion into quarters. Place 2 quarters of onion in a 6 inch square piece of tin foil, inserting a slice of butter or margarine between the pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Close foil around onion. Repeat with remaining onions.
3. Set foil packets on lower rack of a gas grill, or directly on top of hot coals. Cook for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Crock pot Chili

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1can cooked black beans
• 1can cooked Red Kidney Beans
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green peppers
• 1/2 cup diced green chile peppers
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 to 4 beef bouillon cubes, or beef base
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
• 1lb Lean Ground Beef
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Brown meat with onion and green pepper (add a little salt and pepper). Combine all ingredients except cheese and cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

Serve hot in bowls with a little cheese sprinkled over each serving.


*Many times I add some Italian Sausage ground out of casing... SUPER yummy