Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I found this recipe at http://www.goodlifeeats.com/. Yum. I like it.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

1 cup old fashioned oats, not quick cook
1 Tbs whole flax seeds, optional
2 1/2 Tbs brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp butter, softened
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup milk

Topping:
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
2 tsp butter, softened
1 Tbs brown sugar

(I skipped the topping to cut down on sugar and fat content)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the oats through salt in a medium sized bowl. Stir well. In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla, butter, pumpkin, and milk. Whisk thoroughly. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats. Stir until combined. Pour into small square baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Tandoori Chicken and Naan

Tandoori Chicken

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
Juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbs oil
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2-3 lbs)

1. In a shallow glass dish, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and oil; blend well. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken breast halves; blend well. Add chicken; turn to coat. Cover; refrigerate 30-60 minutes to marinate.
2. Line 15X10X1 inch baking pan with foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Remove chicken from marinade; place in foil-lined pan. Discard any marinade.
3. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear, turning once.
I had rather large chicken breast halves, so I cut them in half. I figures they would cook faster, and get more marinade on them. It worked very well. Most were done in 10 min. I checked them with a thermometer. If there were up to 159 I took them out. They were perfect. Soft enough to cut with a fork and very yummy! Everyone loved them. Nice Indian flavor.
We served them with the following Naan -the recipe is from allrecipes

Naan
Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
• Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
• At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

We did not make them on a grill - we made them on a cast iron skillet. Delicious!!


If you like the flavor of the tandoori chicken, you may like to try the following - it is a Pakistani recipe, but the flavor is similar, just using beef, and I'm always looking for a recipe using beef that is tasty. It is from Sparkrecipes.

Keema

Ingredients
1.5 lbs lean ground sirloin
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, tumeric, ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Brown ground sirloin in pan with onions until browned.
Add tomatoes, peas, potatoes and spices along with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 mintues.
Add water if it becomes too thick. It should have the consistency of chili.
Serve over brown rice or whole wheat couscous.

Number of Servings: 6

whole grain waffles and blueberry sauce.

We just had this for breakfast and it was so good I'm here posting it already. Both recipes come from allrecipes.com. Yum. The waffles flavor was way better than I expected for a whole grain waffle. What I really liked about them was their texture - nice and crispy on the outside, nice and soft on the inside. (even the one I burned was soft on the inside - that's amazing.) I can't say enough good things about the sauce. It was amazing. I did sub out 1/4 cup of the sugar for splenda with no problems.

Whole grain waffles

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 3/4 cups skim milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth.
2. Preheat a waffle iron, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

Blueberry Sauce

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.
2. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

Wheat Berries carbona

I'm publishing this as a different way to use your wheat. :) Enjoy!
I was a bit afraid of this meal because it used wheat, but everyone ate it, and even had seconds. I was still thinking it wasn't going to be good as left overs, but low and behold it was still good. I couldn't find canadian bacon at the store that week, and I wasn't searching, so I just used diced ham.


2 cups whole wheat berries or whole grain rye
1 tsp salt
6 cups water
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 onions, finely chopped
8 oz canadian back bacon, slivered
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a pressure cooker, combine wheat berries, salt, water and 1 Tbs of the oil. Lock the lid in place and bring cooker up to full pressure over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, just to maintain even pressure, and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and release pressure quickly. THe wheat berries should be tender. If not, return to full pressure and cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and release pressure quickly. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and bacon; Saute until onions are golden brown. Add peas and heat through. Stir in cream and cooked wheat berries, stirring to coat.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook just until heated through. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Rice pudding

OK, I have a thing for rice pudding - I LOVE IT! So, I'm always trying a new recipe. Here are some of my favorites

First - my brand new all time favorite for creaminess and speed

Creamy Rice Pudding with Sun-dried Cranberries
(warning -made in a pressure cooker - hence the speed part)

1 cup arborio or other short-grain rice
2 Tbs butter
2 cups water
1 can 2 % evaporated milk (14 oz -although I only used 12 because that is what I have -I've also never seen 2 % just regular and skim - I did double this once and used 1 of each)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup dried cranberries, dried cherries or raisins
1/2 cup low-fat sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a pressure cooker, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in rice, coating the grains with butter. Stir in water, evaporated milk, cinnamon and nutmeg; bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring to make sure the milk doesn't burn.
2. Lock the lid in place and bring cooker up to full pressure over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, just to maintatin even pressure and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Remove cooker from heat and allow pressure to drop naturally for about 7 minutes. Remove lid.
3. Sir in dried cranberries, condensed milk, and vanilla. Let stand covered (do not lock) for 5 minutes. Spoon into individual dishes and serve warm, or cover with plastic and chill to serve cold.
YUM!!! - I've made it with cranberry and raisin - both are delicious.

This is DH's favorite that I have found and like myself- he likes his rice pudding with egg

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding
6 c 2% reduced fat milk
1.5 cups uncooked converted rice (such as Uncle Ben's-don't use white tried it once because I didn't have the other, and it didn't turn out the same.)
1 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
3 T butter or margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
1 vanilla bean, split (I've made it once this way, but vanilla beans are too expensive for me to want to buy. I just subbed a tsp or 2 of vanilla)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
8 oz. light sour cream

Place first 6 ingredients in a 3.5 to 4 quart slow cooker; stir well. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; add seeds and bean to milk mixture. Cover cook on high setting 2.5 to 4 hours or until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed (do not overcook). Place egg in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Gradually add 1/2 cup hot rice mixture to egg, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return egg mixture to slow cooker, stirring constantly with whisk. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn slow cooker off; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 tsp cinnamon and sour cream. Discard vanilla bean. Serve warm. Yields 12 servings (3/4 c. each)

This next one is awesome and uses brown rice. I love the addition of lemon for a different flavor. I'd make it more often if I didn't have to stir it the whole time. I think I'm going to try it in the pressure cooker and see if it turns out. It is from an Oprah show by chef Cat Cora. Click the links to see the rest of the recipes if you want to try them out.

Rizogalo

Recipe created by Cat Cora

Try chef Cat Cora's recipe for Rizogalo, a creamy breakfast brown rice pudding dish from her complete seven-day menu.

Ingredients:

Serves 6

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 lemon , zested
• 1 lightly beaten egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Honey
• Granola

Place the cooked rice in a large bowl and rinse with cool water. Pour the rice into a strainer, let drain well and set aside.

Pour the milk into a large saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Add in 1 teaspoon cinnamon and vanilla extract, and bring to a low boil. Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the sugar, salt and lemon zest. Ladle about a quarter-cup of the hot milk mixture very slowly into the beaten egg while continuing to whisk gently. This technique "tempers" the liquid so the eggs don't scramble. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir into the remaining hot milk. Add the rice and stir continuously over low heat until the mixture begins to thicken, about 20 minutes.

Add the butter and stir. Sprinkle lightly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Top with granola and drizzle of honey. Serve warm with milk in bowls if desired.

Bucket O' Chicken with Buttermilk Dip

So, I love, Love, love this one too - but I have some notes - first don't think you have to have 4 c of buttermilk - wow thats a lot - I half it, which also means half the herbs if your buying fresh, but I also didn't love the dip you make with the other half - honestly I'd rather have the premade ranch out of my fridge sad I know - but even though this is just for fried chicken and veggies, it makes THE BEST onion rings ever! It was so good we had it again 2 nights later with the leftover herbs / buttermilk we made another batch. So I would go with that - I also didn't fry them in a pan as it would take me forever, but I have a beautiful little fryer that helped out a lot. I also cut my chicken breasts down because I'm too cheap to pay for chicken tenders. I'm typing in the whole recipe so if you want to try the dip for yourself then you can. Oh and this little beauty came from Rachel Rays Big Orange Book in her words Yum-O.

4 c. buttermilk
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp hot sauce, plus more to taste
1/4 c fresh parsley, a generous handful, chopped
1/2 c. fresh dill, a handful, finely chopped
2 to 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
2 p. chicken tenders
canola oil, for shallow frying
2 c. all purpose flour, plus more as needed
8 scallions, roots trimmed
3/4 c. sour cream
assorted raw vegetable sticks,seedless cucumber, celery, carrots, red bell pepper

In a large bowl, mix together the buttermilk, garlic, hot sauce, parsley, dill, chives, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside about one-third of the mixture; reserve for the dipping sauce. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish or large resealable plastic bag. Pour about half of the remaining seasoned buttermilk over the chicken pieces, then cover the dish with plastic wrap or seal the bag and marinate for 10 minutes. Place a medium, high sided skillet over medium to high heat. Add one inch of caola oil to your pan and get it hot - or use your fryer here. Place two high-sided dishes on the counter and fill one with flour and the other with the remaining buttermilk mixture. Dip the trimmed scallions into the buttermilk, then into the flour, then back into the buttermilk and back into the flour. Once there double coated, fry them in batches in the oil until they are golden brown all over, don't drowd the pan. Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to drain. When the scallions are fried, remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Dip and coat the chicken strips and fry until golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes. You can change the oil if it gets too gritty. Mix the sour cream into the reserved buttermilk mixture to thicken it up and add salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste. Serve the chicken with the dip and veggies.

Karley

My Favorite Burger

So I love this burger I bought taste of homes healthy cooking - may edition mag and wouldn't you know I can find the most unhealthy of all the recipes to love because I used the full fat versions instead of the lighter ones listed, of course. The first time I made it I loved it, so went to make it again and wouldn't you know couldn't find where I put the magazine, then I went online to find the recipe and you have to have a subscription to look at it online - didn't have a subscription....just bought the one mag - can't explain that to a website.....so after much hunting here it is I found it - hope you love it too - and no joke the name of the recipe is my fav burger - I didn't make that up.

1/4 c. grated onion - mine didn't want to grate so after turning part of an onion to mush - I would just finely chop this
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. sliced sweet onion
4 kaiser rolls, split
4 oz. fat fat -free cream cheese
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In a large bowl, combine the onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties. If grilling the burgers, coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill covered, over medium heat or broil 4-6 in from the heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degress and jucies run clear. Meanwhile , in a small skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir mushrooms and onion over medium heat until onion is golden brown. Grill rolls for 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Spread rolls with cream cheese; top burgers with mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with bacon.


yum, yum, yum!!
Karley