Acorn Squash and Pear Soup

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 medium firm pears, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 carton (48 ounces) chicken broth

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased shallow roasting pan. Roast at 375° for 1-1/4 hours or until squash is tender, stirring occasionally.

Cool slightly. In a food processor, process squash mixture with broth in batches until smooth. Transfer to a Dutch oven; heat through, stirring occasionally.

Comments:
I halved this one as well because we're just two people here. We can only eat so much. Anyway, the worst part of this recipe is the squash. Holy hell, those are a pain in the ass to peel and chop up! Once that hurdle is cleared it's easy sailing. The house smelled heavenly as the mixture roasted. I took it out a little shy of the 1 1/4 time as it was beginning to get kind of crispy on the edges. It's got a sweet overtone from the pears but overall it's really good. I did add a few good grinds of black pepper to my bowl and I cooked up some crusty rolls for dipping.

Turkey, Kale, and Rice Bake

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
1 cup thinly sliced celery
4 cups slivered kale leaves
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup low-fat, no-salt-added cottage cheese
1 cup instant or quick-cooking brown rice
6 ounces smoked turkey breast or smoked tofu, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add kale and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the kale begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cottage cheese, rice, turkey (or tofu), water and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

3. Stir the rice mixture, increase the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. Spread cheese on top. Broil until the cheese is bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.

Comments:
Adam picked this one after we got a Nook subscription to the magazine. Kind of surprised me, actually. This doesn't seem like his usual area of food choices. It was ok, I guess. I'm not too big a fan of the dark, leafy greens so the kale was a struggle, but overall it was fine. Not sure I'd make it again. Awful lot of prep and effort for something just so-so...

Sloppy Jose Supper

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 celery rib, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/4 cups salsa
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
sour cream

Directions:
Prepare and bake corn bread according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, red pepper, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the garlic, chipotle pepper, chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in salsa and chili sauce; simmer for 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Cut corn bread into nine squares; save four pieces for another use. Top each square of remaining corn bread with 2/3 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Dollop with sour cream.

Comments:
This was good, but it made us both sick. Not sure if it was bad meat, bad something, but I just threw out the leftovers because neither of us wanted to risk it.

Gemelli with Fennel and Hot Sausage

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
3/4 pound hot italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large bulb fennel, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced
3 carrots, sliced on an angle
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pound gemelli pasta
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. On a baking sheet, toss the sausage, fennel, onion and carrots with the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl.

3. Add the sausage-vegetable mixture to the pasta. Add the reserved pasta cooking water to the baking sheet, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to the pasta mixture. Toss in the parsley; season with salt and pepper

Comments:
I subbed some celery for the fennel since neither of us dig the anise flavor. It worked out fine. It's a teensy bit spicy for me, but Adam liked it. I used some Creste di Gallo pasta we got for Christmas since I didn't have gemelli and I thought it was a neat shape. Looks like little Stegosauruses. But that might just be me...

Adirondack Red Wing Burgers

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
4 sandwich-size english muffins, toasted
4 deli slices cheddar cheese
1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup pickle relish

Directions:
1. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Reserve the skillet. Mix the turkey, dill and poultry seasoning into the vegetable mixture; season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties.

2. In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until firm, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the butter to the skillet to melt, then stir in the hot sauce. Add the patties to the sauce, turning to coat. Top each with some of the blue cheese and a cheddar slice. Tent with foil, turn off the heat and let stand until the cheese is melted.

3. Top each muffin bottom with some lettuce, a patty, some relish and a muffin top.

Comments:
Relatively easy, although I always seem to burn the first side of a turkey burger. Nice flavor, but Adam didn't like the English muffin bun - too dry.

Rice, Black Bean, and Corn Salad

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
1 cup cold cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked corn kernals
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the rice, corn, bell pepper, celery, beans, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, oil, and salt. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until the flavors are blended, at least 1 hour.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 2

Comments:
I really liked this. I had to skip the jalapeno since the ones I had in the fridge jumped the shark on me before I could make this. Adam wasn't too enthused - he thought it was weird that it was cold. I liked the mix of flavors and the crunch the pepper and celery added. Might try it with red pepper too to add some more color contrast. I'd also probably up the ratio of black beans - I love them and there didn't seem to be enough of them.

Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Salad

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 Boston lettuce leaves

Directions:
1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and black pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add half of shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan; repeat procedure with remaining shrimp. Cool shrimp for 5 minutes.

2. Place shrimp in a medium bowl; stir in celery and next 6 ingredients (through cumin). Arrange 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 3/4 cup shrimp mixture.

Comments:
I left out the "salad" part - just served it plain, not in lettuce leaves. Also cooked the shrimp inside rather than grilling. I didn't eat this so I can't vouch for it, but Adam liked it.

Sausage and Sourdough Bread Stuffing

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
10 cup (1/2-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
15 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Arrange bread in single layers on 2 jelly-roll pans. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden, rotating pans after 10 minutes. Turn oven off; leave pans in oven for 30 minutes or until bread is crisp.

3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook 11 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl. Add sausage to pan. Increase heat; sauté 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove sausage from pan using a slotted spoon; add sausage to vegetable mixture. Stir in bread, herbs, and pepper; toss. Combine broth, 1 cup water, and egg, stirring well. Drizzle broth mixture over bread mixture; toss. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook 20 minutes or until browned.

Comments:
This was my contribution to our Thanksgiving meal at Adam's parents' house. It takes some time, but the end result is pretty good. At least I thought so.

Creole Poached Chicken Breasts

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
1 (14.5oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp parsley
1 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
4 (4oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; saute the onions, pepper, celery, and carrot until tender, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, parsley, thyme, salt, and cayenne; add the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and poach, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.

2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until reduced by half, 4-5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 3

Comments:
I omitted the green pepper in this one. I just have to be a mood for green pepper - they tend to overpower other flavors - and I wasn't when I made this. Anyway, Adam liked this one - without the sauce. I liked it with the sauce. The leftovers are good as well.

Potato Salad with Smoked Turkey and Gruyere

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
4 cups salted water
1 pound quartered small red potatoes
1/2 pound smoked turkey breast
6 ounces gruyère cheese
3 ribs celery
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for topping
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 chopped granny smith apple

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups salted water and 1 pound quartered small red potatoes to a boil. Cook until crisptender, about 5 minutes; drain and let cool. Meanwhile, slice 1/2 pound smoked turkey breast, 6 ounces gruyère cheese and 3 ribs celery into matchsticks. In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill and 1 tablespoon dijon mustard. Add the potatoes, turkey, cheese and celery and toss. Stir in 1 chopped granny smith apple. Top with dill sprigs.

Comments:
This was really good. The crunch of the celery, the sweet tartness of the apples. Great combination of flavors and textures. Plus, it's potatoes, so what's not to like? :)

"Favorite" Meat Loaf

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, drained (such as Contadina)
3 (1-ounce) slices reduced-calorie whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.

3. Combine onion mixture, ground round, and next 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Combine chili sauce and water; brush over loaf. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Comments:
This dish was really good. The tomatoes in the meat mixture along with the onion and celery really keep it nice and moist. And let me tell you my favorite ingredient lately? Thai chili sauce. This stuff is AMAZING. It's spicy, but not too over the top, given you don't eat it off a spoon straight out of the jar. I'll definitely keep this in rotation, although with its hour cooking time, it might get relegated to weekends only.

Asian Burgers

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 celery rib, finely chopped
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds ground beef
4 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared wasabi
8 sesame seed hamburger buns, split
3 cups shredded Chinese or napa cabbage

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight patties.

In two large skillets, cook burgers in oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise and wasabi; spread over buns. Serve burgers on buns with cabbage.

Comments:
Hmm. I kind of "De-Asian-ified" this a bit. Left out the water chestnuts (Adam doesn't like), mushrooms (I don't like) and wasabi (don't have, not worth buying just for this.) I also (obviously) took the lazy way out and used pre-shredded, bagged cabbage. Other than that I stuck to the plan. They were good. Nice crunch from the celery and cabbage with just a hint of soy in the background.

Bacon Sloppy Joes

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
4 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 hamburger buns, toasted

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes; push to the side of the skillet. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break up any clumps, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Stir in the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve on the toasted buns.

Comments:
I didn't agree with the method this recipe used to make this dish. They drain neither the bacon nor the ground beef? How greasy would that be? So I modified the directions a little to ease my mind about that. I cooked the bacon first. Took the cooked meat out, drained the fat and wiped the pan out. Put the ground beef in the pan and browned that. Added the onion, celery, and garlic to the meat about halfway through (omitted the red pepper. Not fans of that.) Drained that off, added everything back to the pan and finished up the recipe. I can't imagine what it would have been like if you actually followed the directions.

In any case, this was good. The celery still had some crunch and the salty bacon was a great addition. But very messy, as you can probably tell from the picture.

Thanksgiving Wraps

From The Everything Glycemic Index Cookbook by Nancy Maar



Ingredients:
2 cups cooked turkey, diced
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved
2 tbsp red onion, minced
1/4 dried cranberries
6 tbsp mayo
1 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper
12 large romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:
1. Toss all but the lettuce together in a large bowl.

2. Lay out the lettuce leaves, add turkey filling, and roll up.

Comments:
Adam wasn't digging the eating from lettuce leaves thing so he wanted to add a burrito shell to it. Fine, whatever works. I also left out the thyme and onion. Well, I forgot I had to pitch the onion I had so I didn't really leave it out on purpose. I also left out the cranberries on Adam's. He doesn't love them too much.

Anyway, this calls for way too much mayo. Don't use 6 tbsp. It will be gross. Other than that, these are good. Didn't really remind me of Thanksgiving, necessarily, but still a good, light, quick and easy dinner.

Simple Clam Chowder

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 bacon slices
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 (6 1/2-ounce) cans chopped clams, undrained
5 cups diced peeled baking potato (about 1 pound)
4 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1 bay leaf
3 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)

Directions:
Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add onion, celery, salt, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Drain clams, reserving liquid. Add clam liquid, potato, clam juice, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Discard bay leaf.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 12 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add clams; cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon.

Comments:
This is a recipe Adam picked out a while ago. It didn't really turn out so well. It was way too thick. I did quarter the recipe so perhaps that affected things. In any case, not likely to try this again.

Veggie Mac 'n' Cheese

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups fresh cauliflowerets
3 large carrots, halved and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions, adding the broccoli, cauliflowerets, carrots and celery during the last 6 minutes. Drain; transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute onion in butter until tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended. Gradually stir in milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to coat. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 12 servings.

Comments:
After a disasterous mac and cheese incident a few months back (as in, it turned out horrible and made us both very sick) I decided I should try again. Using a recipe this time. Overall, pretty easy to make. Although the cats were swarming more than usual when I made this. I don't know why. Maybe they like cauliflower? In any case, simple to assemble, tastes good. I like how the veggies get almost sweet when they're baked.

Multigrain & Veggie Side Dish

From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking



Ingredients:
2-2/3 cups water
2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
2/3 cup quick-cooking barley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped (omitted)
1 small turnip, chopped (omitted)
1/2 cup chopped celery or celery root
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons Crisco® Light Olive Oil
1 package (10 ounces) fresh spinach, torn
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice, barley and salt. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-18 minutes or until grains are tender. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes.

In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, carrots, red pepper, turnip, celery and ginger in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the spinach, beans, soy sauce and rice mixture; cook and stir until heated through and spinach is wilted. Yield: 8 servings.

Comments:
This was not good. I'm not sure if it was the ginger, maybe the spinach was a little old. In any case, I couldn't even eat more than about three spoonfuls. I didn't subject Adam to it at all. I might try it again sometime, altering the recipe a little bit more to my tastes and ensuring the freshness of the ingredients.

Black Bean Pita Pockets

From Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 Summer 2008



Ingredients:
black beans
corn
bacon
red pepper (left out)
mayo
celery
sugar
onion
cider vinegar
olive oil
pita bread
romaine (left out)
tomato

Comments:
Adam chose this recipe out of one of the magazines I got him to look through. Then when I made it he said, "I don't like black beans." Uhm. Ok then. He ate it anyway. The filling was very tasty and while we ate it for dinner with warm pita and corn, it's just as good cold. I did forget to pick up romaine so I had to leave it out. I'm not sure how much of a difference it would have made. Perhaps it would have been less runny with some lettuce to soak up some of the juices.

Spinach Beef Macaroni Bake

From Taste of Home Annual Recipes 2004



Ingredients:
macaroni
ground beef
onion
celery
carrots
diced tomatoes
salt & pepper
garlic powder
oregano
spinach
parmesan cheese

Comments:
Another recipe that requires some prep work, but also worth it. The flavors of the veggies and meat all mingle together in the oven and create a great end result. This is a potluck dish so even cut in half it will make lots of leftovers.

Lentil Soup

From Giada De Laurentis via Foodnetwork.com



Ingredients:
EVOO
onion
carrots
celery
garlic
salt & pepper
diced tomatoes
lentils
chicken stock
thyme
pasta

Comments:
While doing research lately I've learned that beans and lentils are high in protein, low in fat, and generally pretty good for you. So I decided to take a shot at cooking them. This soup was easy to make, didn't take too long, and was very tasty. I left off the parmesan the recipe says to add to the top since I'd had some ice cream at lunch and didn't want to push the dairy threshold. I can't wait for leftovers for lunch this next week.