Friday, March 30, 2012

Lowfat Egg Salad

OK, so I am still working on lowfat recipes and thought I would share this Lowfat Egg Salad recipe.  One day I was trying to figure out what I wanted for lunch. Mind you, I'm still trying to watch sugar, fat and carbs. So, I thinking of making a salad but what could I have on it as my protein. Hard boiled eggs are great on a salad but I also would like something to be creamy to replace a salad dressing too. Egg salad for sandwiches is like that. I start to gather some ingredients I have on hand. In the refrigerator I have some fat free cream cheese, fat free sour cream, onions and sugar free sweet pickles. Great, I start to put my recipe together and you know what, it turned out good. Take a look at the recipe. Use your imagination. There are different options you can use in this like fat free mayo, chives, black olives, celery and or a sugar sweet relish. You can serve on any type of bread (like a Pita, English muffin, bagel or baguette) for a sandwich or just place some on top of lettuce for a salad.

Lowfat Egg Salad

Ingredients:
2 hard boiled eggs (shelled and chopped)
1 tbsp fat free cream cheese (soft I used Kraft)
1 tbsp fat free sour cream(I used Kraft)
2 tbsp finely chopped white onion
1 tbsp sugar free sweet pickle juice(I used Valsic)
salt(I use salt substitute)
ground pepper
Lettuce (optional)
Bread(optional)

In a medium sized bowl cream together cream cheese, sour cream and pickle juice. Then add eggs, onions, salt and pepper to taste. I have found sometimes after you put the recipe together I want a little bit more of one or more ingredients.  That's how I adjust to taste.
Now for plating I take my serving plate  and place a hand full of lettuce (I use bagged lettuce)
in the center of the plate then add a nice scoop of the Egg Salad on top. You could also make that sandwich like I mentioned above.  For my salad I also added tomatoes, sliced red onions and cucumbers and the side. All those different colors make a great presentation if your having someone over lunch.

Remember have fun and make it yours.


And that's the "DISH" for today!





Saturday, March 24, 2012

Sauteed Onions & Mushrooms in a Lowfat Sauce

OK, it has been a couple of days since my last post. So I have been trying to eat healthier.  Who doesn't like carb foods right! Well I  have been trying to keep my carbs and fats to the bare minimum.  In doing this I have to come up with some ideas to keep  my food tasty.  I always just experiment and if it taste good it's a go, if not I just don't make that dish again. Trail and error! The other day I was making lunch and I made myself a lean hamburger patty .  I thought, this would be great with some sauteed veggies in a cream sauce.  I go to the refrigerator and find I have mushrooms and onions. I think that's all I need. I sauteed these in a frying pan with some cooking spray then added water a little non fat sour cream and a little seasoning.  I had that over my hamburger patty and surprisingly it satisfied me. You can make this with regular sour cream and  beef broth for a more richer sauce. It can't hurt to try. Use your imagination. Some suggestions would be to use chicken broth and serve over chicken. A little wine too.
So today I'm going to share that recipe with you. 

Sauteed Onions & Mushrooms in a Lowfat Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 sliced white onion (peeled & clean)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (cleaned)
1 cup water (or your choice of broth,wine etc.)
1/2 cup non fat sour cream (or your choice of regular or light etc)
Cooking Spray
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder/or salt

Place a large frying on medium heat. Spray with a good amount of cooking spray then add onions, mushrooms and a dash of seasonings.  Saute until golden brown then add water. Cook until almost boiling then add sour cream. Stir until blended well.  Adjust to taste.
Serve over Beef patty, chicken breast, pork chops and potatoes.

Remember have fun and make it yours.



And that's the "DISH" for today!




blog it baby.......because everyone likes to blog!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Sugar Free Hot Mocha

Do you ever have that craving for something sweet, especially when your watching what you eat?  Well I do and it normally happens after dinner.  I guess you would say dessert time.  In the evening after dinner we start to relax watch TV or I do some writing.  Then that craving kicks in. I take a minute and go to the kitchen looking for that something sweet.  I don't have much to choose from. You see the last time I went shopping I made sure I didn't buy anything that would tempt me in the process of watching what I'm eating.  So in the cupboard I have unsweetened cocoa and sweetened cocoa. I grab the unsweetened cocoa and the Splenda.
So I decide to make my hot cocoa actually its going to be a mocha. Not only did this satisfy the sweet craving but I also got my coffee fix too.  Today I'm going to share this recipe. This recipe is for one cup but you can make it for more. It's so easy and you can adjust it so many ways with your imagination.

Sugar Free Hot Mocha

Ingredients:
12 oz hot coffee( I make my coffee strong)
1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa(I used Hersey's)
1 1/2 tbsp Splenda sugar
One mug or coffee cup

First place the coffee in the cup then add the cocoa and the sugar. Stir well. Then taste and adjust flavor if needed. Then sit down and relax with your hot drink.  Mm.Mm.
For some serving suggestions you can use milk instead of coffee to make a hot chocolate. You can also use instant coffee or brewed add some cream to make more creamy, a little marshmallow or whipped topping on top. How about adding some shaved chocolate on top for presentation wise. Be creative you don't have to make sugar free if you don't want too.

Remember have fun and make it yours.


And that's the "DISH" for today!





blog it baby.... because everybody likes to blog.




Sunday, March 18, 2012

Lime (Rainbow) Sherbet Punch

St. Patrick's Day...green day, I should say.  So yesterday I attended a woman's fellowship tea party. We had petite finger sandwiches (cream cheese with cucumber), fresh avocados, tomatoes, lime jello salad(which was green of course), green avocado chips & salsa, split pea soup, key lime pie cups, brownies,  and a delight lime punch.
My mom puts these tea parties together usually about once a month.  While she was putting everything together, we talked about how we wanted to do the punch. We had a number of different ideas but the one that came to mind the most was the lime soda with lime sherbet punch. You know the day before we were in the grocery store looking for lime sherbet and all we could find with lime was rainbow sherbet.  We even went to 3 different stores so at the last store we saw the individual serving cups of rainbow sherbet and decided to get those. The green stood out so we thought that would be fine.
So the last thing we put together for the tea was the punch.
Today I'm going to share that recipe with you. Use your imagination and be creative. Think about all the different flavors you can use like a pineapple with pineapple sherbet and mango with mango sherbet. A flavored syrup with club soda and your favorite sherbet .  It sounds so good, it makes me want to make some now.

Lime (Rainbow) Sherbet Punch

Ingredients:
1 liter of diet lime soda(or your choice)
1/4 cup of lime sugar free flavored syrup(or your choice)
1 can of frozen lemonade thawed (or lime)
1 lime (thinly sliced)optional
3-4 individual rainbow sherbet cups (or your choice
Punch bowl

First, place lemonade in punch bowl or bowl of your choice, then add soda, flavored syrup and mix. Adjust flavor to taste if needed.  Now, place the sherbet and lime slices in punch. They will float on top. To pop out the individual sherbet cups, push the bottom of cup up with your fingers and it comes loose. As the sherbet melts, it starts to look like foam.  It's actually quite interesting to see those bubbles.
To serve you can use any kind of glass. You could place the glasses on one side of the punch bowl with the straws on the other side, for self serving. I would serve it in a fountain drink glass with a colored straw. How cute would that be especially if you color coordinate it.


Remember have fun and make it yours.

And that's the "DISH" for today!











Thursday, March 15, 2012

Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies (My Twilight Cookie)

The Twilight Saga.....Those who know me , know I'm a hopeless romantic. I love the romantic so called "chic flicks". Why won't men sit and watch these movies or shows, they just want to watch sports! I say where's the love, sitting next to your honey, sharing a moment in time.
  So believe it or not the other day was the first time I watched The Twilight  Saga movies(which were awesome to me), all of them. A couple, I even watched twice (not that same day though).
 It was evening time and in between these movies I decided to have a snack.  A cookie and cup of coffee sounded so good.  Something warm, soft, sweet and to sit on the couch with my cuddly blanket.  And there for......
Today I'm going to share my recipe for low sugar peanut butter cookies. These cookies are soft, peanut buttery and great tasting. You can adjust this recipes buy adding chopped peanuts, peanut butter chips or chocolate mini chips. I used splenda, splenda brown sugar  and substituted all purpose flour with wheat flour. Use your imagination and put your" love "into what you make.

Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies (My Twilight Cookie)
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour( or wheat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup splenda sugar
1/4 cup splenda brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup peanut butter( I used creamy)


In a large mixing bowl (I used my counter mixer) combine butter and both sugars. Next add the peanut butter, egg and mix. Then add baking powder and flour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a mini ice cream scoop(or teaspoon) scoop cookie dough and drop on a baking sheet lined with parchment baker (or greased sheet). After dropped on baking sheets you can make fork imprints on top, just press top down just a little(I use the back of the scoop and press lightly down on top of cookie) or just leave as is.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until bottoms are light brown (your preference, depending on if you like them real soft or a harder cookie).
This recipe makes about 18 cookies.

You can serve these on a cookie plate, your favorite dish or just grab a couple and run to the couch, before the next movie starts.


Remember have fun and make it yours.


And that's the "DISH" for today!








 Domenica's Dish.........Blog it baby!
Because everyone likes to blog.














Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

"Cheddar" and "Orange Bouquet" what are they? Well let me tell you, those are names for Orange Cauliflower. Did you know that orange cauliflower has 25 times the level vitamin A of white varieties.
I was visiting with my parents and my dad had some of this cauliflower. Mom told me to take it home and try it and so I  did.
 When I got home I thought how am I going to cook this, so I washed and cut it up. Then I decided to boil it. As it was boiling I was thinking a cream of cauliflower soup would be good.  Then I made my list of ingredients, got them together and made cream of cauliflower soup. As I was thinking of what I had to put into the soup, I thought of all the possibilities too. Like adding ham, bacon, chives, potatoes, red bell pepper, broccoli and cheeses. Recipes like this you can experiment with till perfection.  Just use your imagination.

You can serve this for lunch or dinner. It serves 2, if using soup bowls. It would probably serve 3 if you use a cereal size bowl.


Cream of Cauliflower  Soup
Ingredients:
1 head of orange cauliflower (or white)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can(15oz?) cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
Parmesan cheese (optional)
shredded cheese(optional)
croutons(optional)


First cut and rinse cauliflower.  In a medium pan add cauliflower, onion, broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Bring to a boil till soft. Then puree with a hand held puree mixer or food processor until smooth.  I used a hand held puree mixer and pureed it in the pan until smooth. If using a processor after pureed, place back in pan, add cream and if needed adjust flavor to taste.


For serving, you can plate in soup bowls. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, shredded cheese and or croutons. You could also serve this with sourdough or garlic bread.


Remember have fun and make it yours.


And that's the "DISH" for today!







domenica's dish....Blog it baby!
Because everyone likes to blog.







Monday, March 12, 2012

Spicy Stuffed Tomato

Today I'm going to talk about eating something healthy. Like many people I too need to watch what I eat. It's so hard when you love to cook and eat food. I think that's why I always look for simple items to cook with less ingredients.  My thinking on that might be less ingredients less calories which we all know isn't necessarily true.
 So today I've been spending a lot of time looking into eating more proteins and vegetables.  There are a lot informational sites to view on the intranet.
 I am going to start with making a very simple dish. This dish can be used for lunch or dinner. It's very light. It's my recipe for Spicy Stuffed Tomato.

Spicy Stuffed Tomato
Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes(tops cut & center seeded)
12 oz cottage cheese nonfat(or your choice)
Tapitia Hot Sauce (or your choice)
1/2 cup finely diced onions (your choice, the green or red would stand out in color & flavor)
Toppings (of your choice) I used shredded mozzarella
salt & pepper(to taste)

First wash the tomatoes, cut tops off and seed out the center. So the tomato resembles a cup.
Sprinkle some tapitia sauce in the inside of the tomato.  Then place on serving dish or platter you will be serving on. In a small bowl combine cottage cheese and onion. Them fill the center of the tomato slightly above top. Then sprinkle with more tapitia and top with a pinch of shredded cheese.
You can serve these alone on a leaf or bed of lettuce, with crackers or slices of bell peppers(green, yellow or orange) with a side serving of ranch dressing. How about a dash of italian seasons on top too. There are many possibilities.


Remember, have fun and make it yours.


And that's the "DISH" for today!






domenica's dish....Blog it baby!
Because everyone likes to blog.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Cheese & Salsa Scoop Appetizer

Today was a quick fixing appetizer day. I was wondering around the kitchen.  I wanted to make something but didn't quite know what I wanted.  Early in the morning I had made an easy coffee cake in the microwave but I just couldn't stop there.  I just had to do make something. So, OK I find some  Baked Tostitos Scoops, cheese & salsa sauce and some shredded cheese. It was early afternoon so it was perfect time. Now these little appetizer aren't real elegant but they are tasty. You can top them with a lot of different topping like diced up pepperoni, green chili's, sour cream, green onions, tomatoes the list goes on. Just use your imagination. Sorry no pictures today, they went to fast!

Cheese & Salsa Scoop Appetizers

Ingredients:
1 bag of Baked Tostitos Scoops
1 jar cheese & Salsa Sauce ( or your choice,I had Old El Paso)
Shredded mozzarella cheese( or your choice)
Toppings of your choice

First, take some of the scoops place them on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then fill each one with a little then 1/2 teaspoon of cheese sauce then add a pinch of shredded cheese.  Next top with what ever topping you choose. Set oven to  375 degrees and bake for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and scoops are warmed completely (or to your preference). You could also place them in the microwave to heat up as well for about 1 minute plus, on a microwave safe plate. In the microwave the scoops tend to get soft but still tasty. You can plate them on a platter or serving dish, however you like.

 For a serving idea place the scoops on a platter and some different toppings in condiment cups around the platter. This way everyone can have their choice, it's like making their own little individual nachos.

Remember, have fun and make it yours.


And that's the "DISH" for today!





Domenica's Dish ......Blog it baby!
Because everyone likes to blog.


Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Frozen Chocolate Banana Pops

You know, now of days with the economy, it is so hard to find work. There are numerous job opportunities, but when you apply you might be applicant #254. That is something I have experienced myself. Never get discouraged, where one door closes, one will open again, in time.

Then after you think of all that, you just need something to make you feel good, like chocolate.
Lets throw a healthy twist on it though, bananas.  Today I'm going to share how to make chocolate banana pops. You can use any kind of chocolate and decorations on these, just have fun.

You will love this, when you bite into these pops and get the crunch from the chocolate and the soft center of banana Mm Mm. If you leave them out for about 5 minutes or so the bananas start to soften in the middle, not frozen hard but a perfect texture.

Frozen Chocolate Banana Pops

Ingredients:
2 large bananas(peel & cut each one in 4 pieces)
chocolate candy disks (like Wilton candy melts, merkens disks or chocolate bark)
decorations(like,chopped nuts,candy sprinkles, mini mini marshmallows etc.)
8 sucker sticks (or Popsicle sticks,I used Wilton sucker sticks cut in 1/2)




First take each piece of banana and place a stick in the center of the banana. Place on a dish on put in freezer. Now take the chocolate and place it in a small microwave bowl  and microwave until melted(about 2 minutes). You may want to check after 1 minute. When melted, get the bananas out of the freezer. Place all ingredients on working area. First take the banana and dip it in the chocolate, swirl it in chocolate until completely cover.  Then spin the stick to get off excess chocolate. Next place the decorations on the chocolate while its still wet. Then place banana back on plate. When completely done place dish back in the freezer till ready to serve.

You can plate these on a platter in a circle or however you like. These were also able to stand up right but I chose to lay them on the plate. Individually wrap these in clear or decorated party bags and tie with a ribbon. You could even make the banana slices smaller like bite size and use tooth picks. Those would be great for appetizer


Remember, have fun and make it yours.


And that's the "DISH" for today!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Savory Herb & Cheese Scones

Craving for something savory.
  Something that will give you that feel good, comfort feeling. Then you are going to love this savory scone recipe. They are so good. When they're baking, the cheesy herb scents fill the  house. You start thinking, I can't wait till they are done and when they are, try not to burn your fingers getting one off the baking sheet. Oh, and have the butter ready to spread.
So, today I'm sharing a recipe for a savory scone. You can eat these plain or with butter. Serve them as your bread for dinner, lunch and breakfast.

Herb & Cheese Scone

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used all purpose)
1/8 cup sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold butter, cut up small
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese(optional)
2 tbs italian seasoning(or your choice of herbs)

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter with pastry blender or your hands until crumbly. Then add cheese and seasoning next add buttermilk. If texture is real dry add more buttermilk. I use a fork and pull all the ingredients together. You can make these two ways, drop style or wedge. For drop I use a large ice cream scoop.  Scoop the mix and drop it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  You should get about 6-7 dropped scones. For wedge style, I gently form the dough into a ball then place it on a slightly  floured working area. Then I  take a rolling pin and roll it out  (in a circle shape) till about 1/2 inch thick( or your preference, I like mine thick).  Then you cut into wedges. Place on a baking sheet like mentioned above. You should get about 6-8 scones depending on how thick you made them.

Next bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes until done.  I like mine moist, so I undercook  them a little bit. When done baking, remove from oven and serve warm. You are really going to like these. You can change the cheeses and the herbs , experiment with the flavors.You can also change the size as well. Sometimes I make mini scones and use the mini scoop.
You can plate them on a platter, in a bread basket or on  side the main dish. Use your imagination and enjoy.

Remember, have fun and make it yours.

And that's the "DISH" for today!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Potato Salad

A campfire, food and good conversation make a great camping trip.  So this weekend I went camping  with the family. It turned out to be a really beautiful weekend.  Some of the family joked and said, it was almost like a family reunion.  Usually when we go camping, I try to make it easy on us and bring simple foods to prepare and barbecue.  Hamburgers, beef hot links, deli sandwiches, salads and desserts.

This time I made a cinnamon sugar bundt cake and brownies before we left for camping.  When we were camping on Saturday, I made rice crispy treats.

To me there are no special rules in camping.  Some people like to buy all the main items premade and all they have to do is heat them up.  Others like to just cook and put together items they have and potluck with the group of family and friends.  That is what we normally like to do, potluck.

So today I am going to share a recipe for potato salad with you.  It's easy and there are not too many ingredients. I made this camping. You can adjust this recipe to your taste.  It's pretty basic, so you can add any extra items you like to it, as well.

Potato Salad
Ingredients:

8 small to medium sized potatoes boiled(I used russets)
1/2 cup diced onions(your choice)
1/2 cup diced celery(optional)
6 pieces crispy bacon crumbled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp horseradish

First peel and boil potatoes till fork goes through(but not mash potato consistency).  Drain and set aside to cool, and then chop potatoes.  In the meantime, dice your onions & celery.  Cook bacon till real crispy.  In a small bowl combine mayo, sour cream, horseradish, salt, pepper (to taste).
In a large bowl combine potatoes, onions, celery, bacon and mayo mixture.  With a large spoon, toss around salad till mixed well. Taste and adjust as needed.

You can serve this potato salad with almost anything.  To me it's the all American salad(meaning easy, something you could bring on a picnic or a side dish at a barbecue).  For serving you can leave it in the bowl you made it in and garnish it with paprika and parsley or place it in a deep serving platter and garnish the same way if you like. Use your imagination.

Remember, have fun and make it yours!


And that's the "DISH" for today!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

White Cake Pancakes with Fresh Strawberries & Cream

Have you ever had one of those mornings when you had something in mind to make for breakfast and realize your missing an ingredient you need to make it. Oh, many times it has happened to me. That's why I do a lot of improvising.  So this morning, I thought I would make my husband some pancakes before he goes out to work. I start the coffee, first of all(I have to have my coffee). Then I look in the cupboard and realize I am really low on flour and I don't have any boxed pancake mix either. I do see a box of white cake mix though. Heehee, I think to myself, I wonder if my husband will notice the difference. Besides, who said you can't have cake for breakfast, right! So, I proceed to make the mix adjusting it to a batter consistency for pancakes. I cut some fresh strawberries also and a spoon of whipped cream, Mm Mm.
My husband enjoyed his breakfast and off he went to work. No complaints! Yes, I tasted them too. I thought they were light(they come out thin and small)and tasty. I think I like them better than regular pancake batter.
 You can add different flavors to a white mix or hey, you can even use a different flavor of cake mix too. Like, how about strawberry cake mix, spice cake, carrot cake and oh..what about a lemon with a blueberry syrup or topping. The possibilities are endless! Use your imagination and enjoy.


White Cake Pancakes with Fresh Strawberries & Cream

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix(or your choice)
1-2 cups milk(or water,depending on batter consistency)
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 tbsp sugar(or corn syrup,optional)
5 large strawberries(cleaned & sliced thinly)
Cool Whip


Clean and thinly slice strawberries, place in a bowl.  Then add syrup or sugar and  set aside until you are ready to plate your pancakes.

In a large bowl mix, cake mix, milk, oil, eggs with whisk. Mix until a loose pancake batter(you don't want the batter real thick, it may cook faster on the bottom of the pancake than the middle and burn).
Place a large frying pan on low heat and spray with cooking spray.  After pan is heated, spoon batter in pan to your preference of size pancake (I made them small 4-5 inches, this batter was a little more delicate to flip than a regular pancake batter, try one first, like I did). Cook pancakes and place on platter when done. I made about 12 pancakes, serving 2-3 people, so you might have left over batter. I would just refrigerate it and try and use it again.
For plating, I placed 2 pancakes on a plate, overlapping each other. Then I place a teaspoon of cool whip on top of pancakes. Next, I spoon strawberries over the top of cream (as little or much as you like).


I'm all about having fun, trying something new and experimenting.

Remember, have fun and make it yours.



And that's the "DISH" for today!