Cajun Bean Soup

Someone told me once that it isn't the spices in a Cajun dish that make it authentic, its the trio of onion, peppers, and celery.  I am not sure how much I agree with this.  I have always thought  "Mmmm...Cajun.  Must be spicy!"  However you think of it...this was a very tasty, spicy meal that I was totally in the mood for!

Cajun Bean Soup

Start to finish about 35 minutes

• 2 tsp. cooking oil
• 1 1/4 C. chopped onion
• 1/1/4 C. chopped green pepper
• 3/4 C. chopped celery
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 C. chicken broth
• 2 1/2 C. water
• 1- 14oz. can stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups sliced fresh or frozen okra
• 1- 15oz. can navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1- 15oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 4oz. cooked smoked turkey sausage, sliced  (I used Wegmans HOT poultry sausage)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• Bottled hot pepper sauce (I used sriracha)
• 4 cups hot cooked rice

1.  In a large Dutch oven heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onion, green pepper, celery and garlic and cook until tender, about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2.  Stir in the broth, water, undrained tomatoes, okra, beans, sausage, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper, salt and if desired, hot sauce.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes until okra is tender.  Discard the bay leaf.  Serve over rice.

Makes 8-  1 1/2 C. servings.

Josh's suggestion...more beans/less okra.  I thought it was just fine.
My suggestion...serve with some crunchy fresh bread instead of over rice.

Have a great weekend.
"I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play
each time with a variation."

Vegetable Strudel

I think I mentioned the boys wanted Sloppy Joe's for dinner which is fine by me, but I wasn't going to eat them...so I looked around to see what I had and this is what I came up with.  The prep time is about 35 minutes... so it is definitely no 15 minute meal.  I think I've been spoiled by Weight Watchers.  It turned out pretty well, but was missing something...any ideas??

Vegetable Strudel

• 5 C. fresh spinach
• 1 sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1/2 C. sliced mushrooms
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 C. oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• Cooking Spray
• 6 sheets of frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 2 Tbsp. bread crumbs

Filling:
1. Place the spinach in a large colander; set aside.  In a large saucepan, bring 4 C. of water to a boil and add sweet pepper, squash, carrots, mushrooms and green onions.  Boil for 2 to 3 minutes.  Pour over spinach to drain; rinse immediately with cold water.  Drain well, pressing out excess moisture.  Transfer veggies to a large bowl.  Stir in the dried tomatoes, 2 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.  Set filling aside.

2. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a dry kitchen towel.  Spray with cooking spray.  Place another sheet on top; spray with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with half of the bread crumbs.  Place two more sheets of phyllo on top, spraying each with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with remaining crumbs.  Add remaining 2 sheets of phyllo, spraying each with cooking spray.
3.  Spoon filling along one long side of phyllo stack about 1 1/2 inches from the edge.  Fold in the short sides over the filling.  Starting from the long side with the filling, roll up like a jelly-roll.  (I actually had enough filling to make two rolls...)
4.  Place strudel, seam side down, on the baking sheet.  Spray top with cooking spray.  Using a sharp knife, score into 8 slices, cutting the top layer only.  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
5.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Cut along scored lines into slices.

Makes 4 servings.  (We had 8 servings because I made two rolls.)

This was an OK meal...but I'm just not sure I'll be making it again.  I had all the ingredients on hand, so that was nice, but like I mentioned...it seemed to be missing something.  Josh thought I put a spice in it too that he didn't like.  I didn't, but I agreed.  I am pretty sure I liked the concept better than the actual outcome.  Maybe if I find that missing ingredient (s)??!?

“For the millions of us who live glued to computer keyboards at work and TV monitors at home, food may be more than entertainment. It may be the only sensual experience left.” 
I could not agree more...

Kalamata-Balsamic Chicken with Feta

It was pretty late by the time we sat down to dinner last night.  The kids were already sleeping and Josh had just gotten in from a day trip to Rochester.  I was so hungry that I didn't take a photo.  Sorry.

This was such a delicious meal and SO easy I will definitely be making it again soon! 

Kalamata-Balsamic Chicken with Feta

Original recipe from Weight Watchers Summer 2011
PointsPlus value per serving= 6

• 4 (6oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 16 pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 3 Tbsp light balsamic vinaigrette (I used Newman's Own...it's our favorite)
• 3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 2 Tbsp small basil leaves

1. Sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Cook chicken 6-7 minutes on each side or until done.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
3.  While chicken cooks, combine tomato, olives and vinaigrette in a bowl.
4.  Add tomato mixture to pan; cook until tomatoes soften.  Spoon over chicken.  top evenly with cheese and basil.

4 servings (1 chicken breast, 1/4 C. tomato mixture, and 3/4 Tbsp. cheese)

The serving suggestion was to serve this over plain hot cooked orzo, but we ate ours without the carbs.

Enjoy!  The troops are calling for Sloppy Joes tonight (AGAIN), but I'll probably make myself something more delicious.  See you tomorrow!

Baja Fish Soft Tacos

I know I just made something Mexican last night, but I had this fresh Cod and wanted to use it up.  I also had cabbage and a pico de gallo salsa that Josh won't eat because there is cilantro in it.  Well, he was golfing again, so this is what I made.

Baja Fish Soft Tacos

Original recipe from Weight Watchers Summer 2011

PointsPlus value per serving= 8

• 4-6oz. Tilapia fillets (I used the fresh cod I had on hand)
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 C. packaged slaw (I cut up the fresh cabbage I had in the fridge)
• 3 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1/2 C. refrigerated pico do gallo

1. Preheat grill.

2.  Coat fish with cooking spray.  Combine crushed red pepper and salt; sprinkle on both sides of fish.  Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spray.  Grill 3-4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

3.  While fish grills, combine slaw and next three ingredients in a bowl, tossing to coat.

4.  Quickly flake fish into bite sized pieces.

5.  Wrap tortillas in two layers of damp paper towels.  Microwave on High 30-40 seconds or until thoroughly heated.  Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup slaw mixture and 1 Tbsp. pico de gallo.

4 servings (2 tacos)

I varied a lot from this recipe.  I used Cod...two 6oz. fillets and instead of grilling them, I prepared them the exact same way, but baked them at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Just on a foil covered baking sheet.  Next, as I was waiting for the oven to heat, I was munching on the raw cabbage and thought how great it tasted, so I just put that on my taco without mixing the mayo, cilantro, red pepper combo to it.  Finally, I toasted the corn tortillas in the toaster oven rather than microwave them. 

Pretty delicious and very easy.  Although next time I'll skip the corn tortilla and not have the taco concept. 

"The most important thing a Father can do for his children is to love their mother."

Meatless Burger Tostadas with Avocado Ranch Dressing

GOLF.  Ugh.  Why can't I belong to a spa that costs just as much per year, where I go once (or more) a week for a massage that lasts 4 hours...and serves champagne when your finished for an additional 45 minutes??   I may secretly be thinking to myself to open one of these up right now!

Josh had a golf tournament, so it was just Eva and I for dinner...AGAIN.  This seemed easy enough to make in a small portion (with some left-over if Josh wanted it when he got home).  Unlike the Hormel Roast Beef Au jus, I probably wouldn't try the meatless crumbles again.  It's not that they were bad, I'd just rather have ground turkey or beef instead.  I do like to try new things, so I'm glad I gave them a shot...now I know.  Let me know your opinion if you try them...

Meatless Burger Tostadas with Avocado Ranch Dressing

Original Recipe from Weight Watchers Summer 2011
PointsPlus value per serving= 6

• 4 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• Cooking spray
• 1-12oz. pkg. frozen meatless crumbles, thawed (such as Morning Farms)
• 1/3 C. water
• 2 Tbsp. less-sodium taco seasoning (I used 1/2 a packet of regular taco seasoning)
• 2 C. shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 1/4 C. chopped tomato
• 1/2 avocado, mashed
• 1/3 C. fat-free ranch dressing (I used much less than that, having the avocado as the main taste)
• 1/4 C. sliced green onions

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2.  Coat tortillas with cooking spray.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 9 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned.
3.  While tortillas bake, combine meatless crumbles, water, and taco seasoning in a large skillet.  Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.
4.  Place 1/2 C. lettuce on each tortilla.  Top evenly with meatless crumble mixture, and sprinkle with tomato.
5.  Combine avocado and dressing, stirring until smooth; spoon mixture over tostadas, and sprinkle with green onions.  I also put a little shredded cheddar cheese on mine.

4 servings (1 tostada)

Baking the tortillas instead of frying them was the way to go!  I had made a chicken, black bean tostada awhile back and it was a lot heavier than these were.  And who knew avocado and ranch went so well together?  Yum!

"A man's children and his garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season."

Simple Roast Beef Stroganoff

Not that you care, but Josh and I were simply bumps on a log yesterday.  To start with, we woke up FAR to early for a Sunday (thank you Eva!), then I was barely through my cup of coffee and the doorbell rang.  I forgot I had booked a hair client this early!   Luckily it was Josh's cousin, and she didn't mind I was still in my pajamas.  After doing her hair, Josh talked me into a haircut as well...and by 11am I was pooped.  The weather was so in and out...it couldn't decide if it wanted to be sunny or if it thought it was going to rain.  We tried to keep gearing ourselves up to go do yard work, but ended up right where we started...the couch. 
 Around 2:30pm, Josh started his plea for dinner.  Which usually starts with "I'm starting to get hungry, what were you thinking for dinner?"  and proceeds to get more annoying every twenty minutes...(but I love him).  I wasn't really in the mood to cook, but with these 15minute recipes...how could I not?  I told him I could make Mexican tostadas, or this beef stroganoff.  He chose the beef!  I couldn't believe my ears. 
About 3:30 he was still bugging me about when we were going to eat and I asked him what time he wanted to eat.  He said he wanted to be sitting and eating by 5pm.  "No problem!" I told him, yet didn't move from my spot.  I could see him getting more and more nervous, so I finally got up about 10 minutes after 4  and started to make this meal.  We were sitting and eating at 4:37.  HA!

Simple Roast Beef Stroganoff

Original recipe from Weight Watchers Summer 2011
PointsPlus value per serving= 8

• 3 C. uncooked medium egg noodles
• Cooking spray
• 1- 8oz. pkg. presliced mushrooms (I used baby Bella's)
• 1- 17oz. fully-cooked beef roast Au jus (such as Hormel)
• 1- 8oz. container light sour cream (I used regular because I had it)
• 1- 10 3/4oz. can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (I used regular because I had it)
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 C. chopped green onions (optional)  (I used chives from my herb garden)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
2.  While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add mushrooms to pan; saute until tender.
3. While mushrooms cook, microwave roast according to package directions.  Strain roast, reserving 1/3 C. jus.  Break roast into bite sized chunks using a fork.
4.  Drain pasta, return to pan, and immediately add sour cream and soup until blended.  Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.  Gently stir in roast, reserved jus, mushrooms, and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  Garnish with green onions if desired.

6 servings (1 cup)

I have never bought one of those Hormel Roast Beef packages before, and I was quite skeptical about it.  Much to my surprise, it was very good!  I will definitely try it again (and there were some other recipes on the inside of the package that sounded mighty good too!).   p.s.  For this recipe, I never drained the roast, I used all of the jus.  And I shredded it more than made bite sized pieces out of it.

Yes, Josh was shocked that it was so quick and easy!  He raved about it as well!  He went back for seconds...and later on, thirds.  WOW. 

Despite the fact that the only real thing we did all day, other than haircuts and  take Eva for two walks and a short bike ride,  at least we had a home cooked meal!  IN TWENTY MINUTES!  I love it! 

This week I'm doing "dad quotes".  Happy Father's Day to all dads...and Happy Birthday Joshy!  <3

"A Father carries pictures where his money used to be."

Quick Paella

They started replacing our roof this week.  I love that it is getting done, but it is like having a swarm of bees outside.  They are EVERYWHERE.  In every window, in every sky-light...all over.  And although I am sure they are not watching me, I feel like I am in a fish bowl. 
I am again thankful to have these quick recipes so I don't have to be slaving in the kitchen...while they watch....

Quick Paella

Original recipe from Weight Watchers Summer 2011
PointsPlus value per serving: 8

• 1/4 tsp. saffron threads
• 1/3 C. hot water
• 2 tsp. salt-free Southwest chipotle seasoning (Mrs. Dash)
• 12oz. peeled and deveined shrimp (I love the Wegmans shrimp from Belize, uncooked...even though I have to peel it)
• 1/2lb. chicken breast tenders, cut into bite sized pieces.  (I used a whole pkg.  It was at least 1lb.)
• Cooking Spray
• 2 (8.8oz.) packages microwaveable cooked garden vegetable rice (Uncle Ben's Ready Rice)  (I only used one...)
• 1/2 C. frozen green peas

1. Combine saffron and hot water in a small bowl.
2. Sprinkle chipotle seasoning over shrimp and chicken in a large bowl;  toss well to coat.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray.  Add shrimp mixture to pan and coat mixture with cooking spray.  Cook through, stirring frequently.
3.  Stir in saffron mixture, rice and peas, breaking up any rice with a wooden spoon.  Steam, covered, until rice is thoroughly heated, chicken and shrimp are done and peas are hot.  Fluff with a fork.

4 servings (1 1/2 cups)

Has anyone tried the salt-free flavored Mrs. Dash's seasonings?  OMG!  They are amazing!  I have tried about 3 of them, and they are all so flavorful!  They have some good recipes at mrsdash.com.  They are about $2.75 each and a little goes a long way...

Back to the Paella...
Josh gave the pooh-pooh face at first...because of the saffron coloring I think.  In the end, he commented how delicious it was and that it was a nice light dinner and still filled him up.  What that means is, I am free to make this meal again and don't have to throw away the recipe.  Not that I need it, it was so simple to make!  I hope you like it too!  Have a great day!

"I like rice.  Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something."

White Chicken Chili

I cannot even explain how much I love this new Weight Watchers Magazine.  What I love even more is that all these recipes take 15 minutes to make, including prep time.  I don't think I want to spend more time than this making anything again!

Soooo Whaaaat that I picked the hottest day so far this year and made chili???  We enjoyed it and because it only took 15 minutes, Marcus finished his homework early and got to go on a play date!  And I actually sat down and relaxed for a few minutes.  And I do stress a FEW!

The boys considered this soup and not chili (because it wasn't "traditional"), but it didn't matter to me because they both ate their entire bowl.   We topped ours with sour cream and I put some chopped cilantro on mine...but don't tell Josh!

Let me know what you think! 

White Chicken Chili

Original recipe from Weight Watchers Magazine Summer 2011
PointsPlus value per serving: 6

• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 1/2 C. chopped onion (we don't love a ton of onion, so I just chopped up 1/4 of a small one)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 (14oz.) can fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (I just used regular)
• 2 cans (15.8oz.) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained (oops...I never drained mine)
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 2 C. chopped cooked chicken (I, of course, used a Wegmans Rotisserie)
• Reduced-fat sour cream (optional)
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion, and saute until tender.  Stir in cumin and chili powder; saute 1 minute.  Stir in chicken broth and 1 can of beans.
2.  Mash remaining can of beans with a potato masher (adds body and creaminess); add to soup.  Stir in pepper.  Bring to a boil; stir in chicken.  Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.  Divide mixture evenly among 4 bowls.  Garnish with sour cream, cilantro, or even lime wedges, if desired.

4 servings (1 1/2 cups)

"The people who can most successfully lose weight and maintain a healthy life style are foodies.  When it comes to healthy eating, people who know how to cook and make ingredients taste good have a distinct advantage over those who can't."

Overstuffed Grilled Vegetable-Feta Sandwiches

Tuesday nights after school, Marcus is with his dad.  Tuesday nights starting June 1st, it is also men's golf league.  So, it's just Cakes and I.  Last summer, my sister usually had a weekly dinner gathering at her house on Tuesdays, but so far I haven't heard anything.  I said I'd do it this year, but this week, the outside of my house is in shambles due to the roof people who obviously don't "clean as they go". 
I decided to make another quick dish out of the Weight Watchers Magazine that I had picked up.  Again, it turned out delicious!  And I do believe... you can NEVER go wrong with 5 ingredient, 15 minute recipes.

Overstuffed Grilled Vegetable-Feta Sandwiches

Original recipe from Weight Watchers Summer 2011
PointsPlus value per serving= 7

• 1 1/3 C. yellow squash and zucchini mix  (I didn't really measure...I just used one medium sized squash and two small zucchini's)
• 4  (1/4 in thick) slices of red onion
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved  (again, I didn't measure, I used what I had left)
• 3 Tbsp. light Northern Italian salad dressing with basil and Romano (I used Ken's Steak House Lite)
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil  (the first use from my garden this year!  YUM!)
• 1 (8oz)  loaf French bread, halved lengthwise
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta

1.  Prepare grill.  Make sure it is nice and hot to create grill marks on the veggies and bread.
2.  Coat squash mix and onion evenly with cooking spray.  Place veggies on grill rack; grill until crisp-tender and beginning to brown.  (I tried to skewer them for easier grilling, but I cut them to thin)
3.  Place tomatoes in a medium bowl; add dressing and basil, toss gently to coat.  Add cooked vegetables to tomato mixture; toss well.
4. Coat sides of bread with cooking spray.  Grill bread 1 minute on each side until lightly toasted.  Spoon vegetable mixture over bottom half of bread; sprinkle with cheese.  Top with remaining bread half.  Slice into 4 even pieces.

4 servings (1 piece)

Josh walked in the house from golf just as I was grilling the bread and I asked him if he wanted a sandwich.  He said yes and raved about it from his first bite.  Amazing!  Usually he complains about no protein when I make something vegetarian.  Even this morning he threw out how tasty dinner was last night.  It's nice to not have the pooh-poohing once in awhile!

Give this one a try...it's delicious!  Let me know what you think!

"Eating is a always a decision, nobody forces your hand to pick up food and put it into your mouth."

Garlic Shrimp with Spinach and Vermicelli

Ooooo...Who doesn't love a new cookbook?  Or new cooking magazine?  I LOVE BOTH!  I wish I could start from front and go to back and make every single recipe!  Some things though, I just know my family wouldn't eat!

Well, standing in an extremely LONG line at the supermarket, I picked up a Weight Watchers magazine...just to browse through of course!  I opened up to this recipe and couldn't stop thinking about it until I asked the woman behind me to hand the magazine back to me and placed it with the rest of my groceries. 
This turned out SO fabulous!  I love how they don't saute the spinach first, but use the pasta water to wilt it.  I'm going to do this again...it seems a much healthier way than to saute in oil! 

Garlic Shrimp with Spinach and Vermicelli

Original recipe from Weight Watchers Summer 2011
Points Plus value per serving=9

• 5 oz. uncooked vermicelli
• 6oz. fresh baby spinach
• 1/3 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/3 C. dry white wine
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 C. rated fresh Parmesan cheese

1.  Break pasta in half and cook according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Place spinach and tomatoes in a colander.  Pour pasta and cooking liquid over spinach mixture in colander, turning with tongs until spinach wilts.
2.  While pasta cooks, melt 1 tsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat; add shrimp and garlic.  Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper.  Saute until shrimp just turn pink.  Stir in wine; cook 1 minute.  Remove pan from heat.
3.  Add pasta mixture, remaining 1 1/2 tsp butter, and lemon juice to shrimp mixture; toss well.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4 servings @ 1 Cup each.

Eva and I ate quite a bit of this...the boys asked for burgers that morning.   They did however have this as a side when they saw how delicious it looked!! 

Have a nice sunny day!