Sheila's Mulligatawny Soup

The nutrition facts for Sheila's wonderfully spiced soup can be found at Calorie Count.

Spices and Such!

Mulligatawny Soup

Makes about 7 cups (1.75L)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter (or margarine or olive oil as you prefer)
2 medium onions, chopped 
2 tbsp. curry powder
2 apples, peeled and diced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp pepper
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
3 medium carrots, diced
1 1/2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup light cream
1 cup cooked rice, optional


Directions:

Put butter in saucepan.  Add onion, curry powder and apple.  Saute until onion is soft.

Mix in flour, salt and pepper.  Add chicken stock.  Stir until it boils and thickens.

Add chicken, carrots, celery and cream.  Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender.

Variations:  

Add 1 Cup cooked rice to the soup or place about 2 tbsp in each bowl before filling.
 
There may be those who feel the authentic version contains no carrot or celery.  Just omit!

Crazypotato98's Queso Dip

This tasty Tex Mex treat is a cinch to make and will be a hit at your next get-together. Can you eat queso if you are counting calories? Sure. The key is to know the calories and nutrition facts which have been analyzed for you at Calorie Count!

Queso Dip

Ingredients:

¼ cup  onion, chopped

2 tbsp  water

2 cloves  garlic, minced

12 oz  stewed tomatoes, drained and cut up

3 oz  chopped green chiles, drained

¾ tsp  chili powder

4 oz  Reduced Fat Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese

3 oz  cream cheese, cubed

3 oz  Neufchatel, cubed

Directions:

In a medium saucepan combine onion, water, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat about 2 or 3 minutes or until water has evaporated. Add stewed tomatoes, chile peppers, and chili powder. Cook and stir until hot.

Add cheddar cheese and cream cheese. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Transfer to a serving bowl. If desired, top with chopped fresh tomato. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Notes:

if you like it hot, add some jalapenos or more chilis!

Meganr's Beet Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

Roasted beets are nutritious, the latest foodie craze, and delightful in this salad from Meganr. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Beet Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

Serves four

Ingredients:

7  beets

¼ cup  pistachios, roughly chopped

½ cup  red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup  red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon  grated orange peel

1 cup anils (pomegranate seeds)

 2 ounces  feta cheese

Directions:

Using your preferred method, cook the beets. You can either steam or roast them until fork tender. Let the beets cool, then peel and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.

Saute the onion on medium heat for 3 minutes, then add the vinegar and orange peel. Stirring often, let simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, 5 to 7 minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before adding to the beets. You can prepare this a day ahead of time, chilling in the refrigerator until ready.

Stir the vinegar reduction into the beets and add the pomegranate seeds and pistachios. You can serve as is or serve on top of salad greens. Lightly sprinkle with the feta cheese before serving.

Laura's Experimental Crunchy Almond Butter Granola Bars

Easily varied to your taste for a delicious snack or quick breakfast. This recipe is currently under construction and testing, but the most recent version (below) was pronounced DELICIOUS! The bar does not yet quite hold together, but was so tasty the testers were picking up each crumb.

If you would like to collaborate with us on this recipe, give it a try with modifications you think necessary to make the bar stay together but not be like a rock, then post your suggestions below.

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Crunchy Almond Butter Granola Bars

makes 12 bars

Ingredients:

3 1/2 T chunky almond butter
3 T. honey
3 1/2 T pure maple syrup
1 T vanilla
1 T brown sugar
1 1/2 cups Kashi Go Lean cereal (not the crunchy type)
1/2 cup bran cereal
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not the quick-cook kind)
1/3 cup dried fruit such as cranberries or blueberries
1/3 cup salted sunflower seeds
1-2 t cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.

8- or 9-inch square pan lined with a long sheet of parchment paper that extends up the side of the pan a bit and then lightly sprayed with Pam.

In a medium pot, warm almond butter, honey, syrup, vanilla, and brown sugar until sugar has melted and almond butter has thinned. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients and sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour warm liquid over the dry ingredients, mixing well.

Spread the mixture into the pan and press well (use a piece of parchment paper. Bake for about 25 minutes. When you remove the pan from the oven, use a piece of parchment paper to flatten the bars a bit. Allow to cool completely. Lisft the ends of the parchment and place the granola onto a cutting board and cut into bars or squares.

Note:

substitute your favorite nut butters, syrups, cereals, dried fruit, seeds, or nuts. Try it with a bit of coconut either raw or toasted.

Richard's Black Bean & Corn Relish

I've had Richard's terrific relish a number of times and finally got him to share the recipe for his simple but fantastic relish! I love it scooped with chips, but it is also awesome as a condiment or side dish. In fact, I think it would make a great starting point for a Southwestern Pasta Sauce...or under polenta...infinite possibilities.

Make it as hot or mild as you like and enjoy it often. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Black Bean & Corn Relish

Ingredients:

2 cans Bush's Black Beans - well drained
2 cans Green Giant Shoepeg Corn - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoe3s with Lime Juice and Cilantro - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros - well drained
1 large bunch of fresh cilantro - chopped



Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Mix well.

CRITICAL: Let sit over-nite in the refrigerator. Stir from time to time. The "aging" really lets all the flavors mature and mingle. This relish is better the second day, or even the third day!

Notes:

Make it hotter or milder by using either 2 cans of hot RoTel or 2 cans of the regular RoTel. Also you can change the amount of cilantro to suit your tastes.

This makes a big batch. The extra amounts beyond party dipping use we serve as a side dish with meals for a couple of days after or just go back and snack on it some more.

Crazypotato98's Oven Fried Fish

These fillets were an instant hit in my house. My husband and my picky teenage stepson love eating them with ketchup or mayonnaise with or without bread. 

The nutrition facts for this wonderful fish can be found at Calorie Count!

Oven Fried Fish

Ingredients:

672 g  tilapia fillets

½ cup  dry bread crumbs

2 tbsp  Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

1  egg, beaten

1  parsley sprigs

Directions:

Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels.

Place egg in shallow dish and beat.

Mix bread crumbs and jerk seasoning in another shallow dish.

Take each fillet and dip it in the beaten egg until coated. Then dip in bread crumb mixture and roll fillet until completely coated with crumbs.

Place on baking pan and bake at 450 oven for 4-6 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness of fillet or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with parsley.

Tomato, Wine, and Feta Sauce

Use this traditional Greek recipe for shrimp, chicken, fish, and your favorite pasta! The original recipe can be found here on a beautiful blog by Joan Spaven called Dinner on the Web. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Tomato, Wine, and Feta Sauce

Serves six

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbsp  parsley (or 2 T fresh)
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 – 3/4 cup crumbled feta
(calories based on 1/2 cup feta)
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil and butter, add onion and garlic and saute until soft.

Add the tomatoes, wine and herbs and simmer until thick

Add feta and warm on low a minute or two.

Notes:

Simple and fast. Serve over anything you want!

Wonderful on pasta, veggies, rice, chicken, etc...

Michael's Speckled Puppy Beans

Speckled puppies or speckled beans? Ok, make this great dish with speckled beans and pet the speckled puppy on that cute belly.

Speckled Puppy Beans

12 servings

1 lb. dried navy beans, sorted and rinsed
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
1-14 oz. can low sodium chicken stock
1-10.5 oz. can cream of celery soup
4 oz. good white wine
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups diced Canadian bacon or smoked ham
2 cups white or gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2” squares
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground thyme
1-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely grated carrots
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 or 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt, to taste

Speckled Beans using smoked sausage instead of ham

Place sorted beans and peas into a large pot. Add chicken stock, wine, butter, and cover well with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to warm. Add ground pepper, cayenne, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cover and let sit for an hour or so until beans begin to swell. Add water as necessary, but do NOT over-water.

When the beans and peas begin to soften, add all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer until the beans are tender. Serve with warm cornbread or on top of long grained brown rice.

Notes:

If you don't want to use the Canadian bacon, GOYA makes a ham-flavored bouillon that's quite good. Use two or three packets of that, about a tsp. each.

Sheila's Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

Who says watching calories means not eating desserts?! I sure don't. Enjoy dessert when you have it just make sure you know the calories to determine the best portion size for you.

The nutrition facts for this easy peasy recipe can be found at Calorie Count!

Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

425 grams   Lemon cake mix ~ 1 whole cake mix

2  eggs

1/3 cup  oil

½ cup shredded coconut

Directions:

Combine all ingredients with the cake mix.

Drop by the tablespoon to an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

Cool on pan for 5 minutes then move to a cooling rack.

Meganr's Frittata with Broccoli and Mushrooms

The nutrition facts for this wonderful frittata that can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner can be found at Calorie Count!

Frittata with Broccoli and Mushrooms

four servings

Ingredients:

6  eggs (at room temperature)

¼ cup  water

¼ cup  mustard (a spicy brown type or Dijon)

½ tsp  oregano, dried

½ tsp  basil, dried

3  garlic cloves, minced

6 tbsp  Parmesan cheese

½ cup  tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups  broccoli, cut into small pieces

¾ cup  mushrooms, sliced

½ cup  onions, minced (or 2 green onions)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 F.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs, water, mustard, herbs and garlic. Add the Parmesan and tomatoes and mix well.

In a large oven proof skillet (cast-iron is great), saute the broccoli and onions in the olive oil for 3 - 5 minutes, until mostly tender. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 3 minutes.

Before adding the egg mixture to the pan, make sure the saute mixture is evenly spread out. Then add the egg mixture, but do NOT mix or scramble, and cook for about 6 - 9 minutes or until the edges of the frittata are starting to separate from the sides of the pan.

At that point, put the pan directly into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or so, until the center of the frittata is fully cooked. Remove from the oven.

Cut into four wedges.

Meganr's Tart Apple and Celery Salad with Walnuts

The nutrition facts for this refreshing salad can be found at Calorie Count!

Tart Apple and Celery Salad with Walnuts

Serves four

Ingredients:

1 large  tart apple, peeled and thinly sliced (Granny Smith variety is great with this)

3 stalks  celery, very thinly sliced

1/3 cup  walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tbsp  champagne vinegar

2 tbsp  lemon juice, about 1 lemon

1 ½ tbsp  mustard, Dijon style

1 tsp  honey

1 tbsp  extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp  freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Make sure to keep the celery leaves as you begin to prepare the celery, as they are added to the salad. Slice the celery in half lengthwise, and then very thinly slice into half moons.

Peel the apple, cut into eights and then create very thin slices.

Roughly chop the walnuts.

Chop the celery leaves and mix the celery and apple in a bowl. If you are preparing the salad ahead of time, put the celery and apple into a cold water bath and refrigerate until a few minutes before serving time, at which point you can drain the water, pat the celery and apple mostly dry, then add the vinaigrette and the walnuts.

In a separate small mixing bowl or cruet, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, olive oil and pepper and mix well.

When ready to serve, add the vinaigrette and walnuts to the celery and apples and toss well.

Crazypotato98's Lentil and Sausage Stew

This dish is a cinch to make. It's also the perfect opportunity to test Calorie Count's Conversion Tool in the sidebar! Hmmm...grams to ounces? Click here for the nutrition facts as analyzed at Calorie Count!

sausages!

Lentil and Sausage Stew

Ingredients:

108 grams Collards or other greens

1 cup Lentils

8 cup Chicken Broth
224 grams Polish Sausage (or your favorite fresh sausage), cooked and sliced

1/4 Onions, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

3 cup Fresh or Frozen Broccoli

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add chicken broth (or bouillon and water), lentils, and sliced sausage. Bring to a boil; add vegetables except greens and simmer until lentils are tender. Add collard greens at the end and let simmer a couple minutes.

Notes:

Get creative with the vegetables for this soup!

Polo's Indian Lentil Soup

This is another recipe from one of the wonderful calorie counting members of Calorie Count! Check out the fantastic nutrition analysis!

Indian Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

¼ tsp mustard and/or cumin seeds (to your tastes)

curry leaves to taste
1green chili, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 Tsp chili powder and/or coriander powder
pinch turmeric powder

3 cups water

1 cup squash*

1 cup carrots*

1 cup spinach*

1-2 cups lentils, cooked

½ Tbs tamarind paste (optional)

Cilantro as garnish

Directions:

Saute the onion until golden brown in the olive oil, add the garlic and sauté one minute, add the chopped tomato and sauté one more minute.

Add the spices and stir another minute.

Add 3 cups of water

Mix well and then add the vegetables.

Cover with lid and cook for 10 minutes, taste and add salt if you use it.

Add the cooked lentils and mix well. Add the tamarind paste if you wish and finally garnish with cilantro.

Notes:

* add any vegetables that you love and that are seasonal for you.

Trancendenz's Vegan Fried "Chicken"

The nutrition facts for this Vegan recipe that can easily be made Vegetarian (see notes below) can be found at Calorie Count! There is a range of amounts indicated below, that is because the recipe is done by "feel" for texture. The nutrition facts were done using the lower amounts and assumes four patties - your patties may be a different size, or you may decide to make nuggets!.

a veggie "burger"

Vegan Fried "Chicken"

The "Meat" -

1/2 cup up to 1 cup of Textured Vegetable Protein (also called Textured Soy Protein)
1/2 up to 1 cup of "not chicken" broth, heated
poultry seasoning to taste (or just make a mix of garlic, salt, pepper)
2 tbsp. Vital wheat gluten

The "Breading" -

1/4 cup flour (whole wheat or regular flour is fine)
seasoned salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 cup crushed french's fried onions
1/4 cup unflavored soy milk

Combine TVP with hot stock or water and seasoning. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add vital wheat gluten or flour if that's all you have. Make patties.

If too loose add more vwg or flour. Then dip in egg or milk and coat with flour mixed with crushed fried onions. Fry in minimal oil (I use peanut oil, but other oils are OK; don't use olive oil because it will burn).

Notes:

Trancendenz doesn't use the pre-made stock because there's too much celery and sage flavor. You can use Veggie stock if you prefer it. If you have no stock, you can use water and "not chik'n" boullion cubes.

If you are not Vegan and prefer, you can use eggs instead of milk.

If you like your "chicken" more bready, increase the amounts in the fixings for that!

Susan's Zucchini Chips

You are taking your chances when you try out a zucchini chip recipe on a 17 year old who has repeatedly declared, "I don't like zucchini!". He was convinced to taste it anyway and THEN declared, "I take it all back! Dees da' bom!!" I think it is safe to say that Susan's recipe is a taste, nutrition, and caloric winner!!!

The nutrition facts can be found at the best FREE website to count your calories - Calorie Count!

Zucchini Chips

serves 4 normal people or one 17 year old

Ingredients:

1 medium or 2 small zucchini cut into 1/4 inch rounds slices or "chips"

3/4 cup Italian seasoned panko bread crumbs (Susan used Progresso)

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 egg  whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475

Mix Panko and Parmesan together in one bowl.Mix egg whites in another bowl. It helps to use large bowls for this because you can mix more at one time.

Coat the "chips" with the egg white.

Individually toss chips in Panko/Parmesan mixture. Susan patted firmly to make sure they were well coated and that all of the mix was used. If you want less Panko on yours, just toss and lightly press.

Arrange chips in a single layer on Pam sprayed non stick cookie sheet.

Bake 5 minutes on one side, gently flip the chips and bake 5-10 minutes on 2nd side until crispy.

Remove from oven and try to let them cool a couple minutes and crisp a bit before eating. They are so good, that after the first warm bite, you will have trouble resisting and will be compelled to consume them all.

The 17 year old mentioned earlier suggested that they would be even "bommer" dipped in ranch. But he's a bean pole and can afford the calories. They are awesome as is.

Notes:

For a bit of a kick, sprinkle some ground hot pepper or chili powder on the chips after flipping them! Or dot with Tabasco, dip in salsa, or anything else you can think of.

Claire's Chicken Mexicana

The nutrition facts for Claire's delicious simple and simply delicious dinner can be found at Calorie Count.

try making your own fresh salsa!

Chicken Mexicana

Ingredients:

16 ounces  chicken breast, fresh, boneless, skinless

8 ounces  salsa

8 ounces  corn

2 tablespoons  pepper, jalapeno, minced

Directions:

Put the salsa, peppers, and corn in a non stick skillet

Bring to a boil

Place the chicken breasts on top, spooning a little salsa over

Reduce the heat to a slow simmer

Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Be careful not to scorch the bottom. Add water if needed during cooking.

Janice's Spicy Experimental Hummus

I love spicy hummus and eat it all the time, but I've never made it before. The following recipe is still in the experimental stage, and is a combination of several interesting recipes that I found on line. I liked how some of the cooks used a variety of oils instead of tahini. I've never owned a tahini, but I usually have both sesame and olive oil so I'm going with that. As I improve it, and with suggestions from you all, we'll make this recipe the best spicy hummus around!

Woop! Let's get our collaborative cookery game on! Tell me how to make spicy hummus!

The nutrition facts (thus far) can be found at Calorie Count!

Spicy Experimental Hummus

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained

1 lemon juiced
1/8 cup sesame oil
1/8 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

In the bowl, combine the garbanzo beans, lemon juice, sesame and olive oil, garlic, jalapenos. Season with black pepper, cayenne, cumin and oregano.

Mix using the stick blender or a mixer on low speed until the ingredients start to blend, then turn the speed to medium, and blend to your desired consistency. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend.

Notes:

Adjust the proportions of liquids to suit your taste. 

 Beat it thoroughly or use a blender if you like creamy hummus and not so much if you like it to have more texture.

Jane's Hummus in a Blender

The nutrition facts for this delightfully easy hummus can be found at Calorie Count!

Hummus in a Blender

Ingredients:

8 oz chickpeas
juice of half a lemon
1 good tablespoon tahini (or to taste)
1 garlic clove, crushed
6 oz water (approximately)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper...use plenty
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Place all the ingredients with the exception of the water, oil and
paprika into a blender and switch on.  Gradually add the water and
keep blending until you have the right consistency... should be that
of thick cream.   Turn into a bowl, drizzle over the olive oil and
sprinkle with paprika.

Buggy's Granola

Yes, I know, it makes a lot, but, think Christmas gifts.....yummy Christmas gifts from your kitchen.

The nutrition facts for this fantastic granola can be found at Calorie Count!

Granola

Ingredients:

16 cups  oats

¼ cup  almonds, sliced

¼ cup  pine nuts

½ cup  pecans, chopped

6 teaspoons  cinnamon, ground

1 teaspoon  salt

1 1/3 cup  water

1 1/3 cup  honey

1 1/3 cup  roasted pecan syrup, sugar free

8 tablespoons  brown sugar

8 tablespoons  canola oil

¼ cup  sunflower seeds

1 cup  raisins, golden

1 cup  craisins, cherry flavored

2 cups  blueberries, dried

Directions:

Mix oats, almonds, pine nuts, pecans, cinnamon & salt in a large bowl.

Put water, honey, syrup, brown sugar, & canola oil into a pot and bring to a slow boil.

Pour liquids into dry ingredients and mix to coat.

Bake at 325 F for 25-35 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes.

Let cool.

Stir in dried fruits & sunflower seeds.

Store in the refrigerator.

Janette's White Bean Dip

The nutrition facts for this delicious dip can be found at Calorie Count!

White Bean Dip

Ingredients:

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups freshly cooked beans)
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (or Cilantro)
1 lemon--juiced (about 1.5 to 2 Tablespoons of juice)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (more or less--to taste)
salt--to taste
Cayenne--to taste (optional)

Directions:

Saute the garlic and onion. Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers, or fresh vegetables.

Janice's Razzo Italiano Turkey Burgers

The nutrition facts for this delicious lower calorie burger can be found at Calorie Count!

Razzo Italiano Turkey Burger

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey, extra lean
1 t olive oil
2 T onion, chopped
2 T red pepper, chopped
3 oz prosciutto
1-2 t oregano
1-2 t basil
1 T garlic, minced (two if you are using pre-minced garlic from a jar as the flavor is not as strong as fresh)
2 T steak sauce
1/3 C barbecue sauce
1/2 onion, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Saute the chopped onion and red pepper in olive oil til the veges start to brown, remove from heat to cool.

Slice and saute the prosciutto in the same pan, adding oil if needed, until it begins to crisp a bit - not so much that it crumbles. Set aside to cool.

Combine well (w/hands) the lean ground turkey with oregano, basil, garlic, steak sauce, and the cooled veges. Inhale the aroma - use your nose and eyes to help you determine if more spicing is required. Start with the smaller measurements of seasonings and add more to suit you.

Form into four large patties. Grill, basting with the barbecue sauce, melt provolone on top if you like but add in the calories as they are not included in the count.

Great on a ciabatta bun (calories for buns and zillions of other food items can be found at Calorie Count!) topped with the prosciutto, raw onion, and tomato. Add any other condiment you like.

Calorie Count's Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Calorie Count is not just a place to count calories, it's a fantastic resource for recipes and ideas and is where I found the nutrition facts for this recipe!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

5 large or 6 small burgers

Ingredients:

1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 t oregano
1 T chopped jalapeno
1 T olive oil
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained and smashed
1/8 cup corn
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t chili powder
2 T parsley chopped
1/4 cup flour

Directions:

On a small plate, set aside flour for coating. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion, garlic, oregano, and hot peppers in oil on medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. Add the peppers and sauté another 2 minutes, until pepper is tender. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the black beans with a potato masher or fork. Stir in the vegetables (including the corn), breadcrumbs, salt, chili powder, and parsley. Mix well. Divide and shape into five large or six small patties.

Lay down each patty in flour, coating each side. Cook on a lightly oiled frying pan on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes or until browned on both sides.

Claire's Lentil Veggie Burger

The nutrition facts for this healthy and tasty burger can be found at Calorie Count!

lentils!

Lentil Veggie Burger

makes six veggie burgers

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup potatoes
1/4 cup celery
1/4 cup onion
dash of *Worcestershire Sauce and/or Tabasco Sauce
dash of salt
1 egg white

Directions:

Cook the lentils until soft, drain and measure one cup. Mash and combine with flax seed meal. Cook and mash potatoes to yield 1/2 cup. Finely chop the celery and onion. Combine all the ingredients and add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce or hot sauce if desired

Form into 6 small patties and pan fry in a non-stick pan until nice and brown.

Notes:

To make this recipe Vegan, substitute either Tabasco or a Vegan version of Worcestershire sauce.

Janette's Vegan Granola

The nutrition facts for this simple and delicious vegan granola can be found at Calorie Count!

Vegan Granola

Ingredients:

3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped (or slivered) almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, making sure they are well-blended.

Spread mixture evenly on the parchment paper. Bake until golden brown, which will take about 25 to 30 minutes.

Take the granola out of the oven every 5 to 6 minutes and stir.

Allow the granola to cool completely and store in an airtight container. (I simply lifted the edges of the parchment paper and put the entire thing in a container.)

Notes:

If you are not vegan, you may consider substituting honey for molasses.

Consider adding your favorite dried fruit to the mix when it is cool.

Janice's Charro Beans

This makes a terrific part of any Tex Mex meal. Use as a a taco topper, side dish, as a dip for taco chips, or as part of a burrito or fajita! The recipe also works well vegetarian. Simply do not use the bacon, saute the onion in olive oil or steam saute in water, and add 1/2 a teaspoon of smokey paprika.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Charro Beans

Ingredients:

2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 c beef stock
3 bacon slices, meaty type with excess fat removed
1/4 c onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, halved, seeded, minced
1 hot chili pepper such as a serrano, halved, seeded, minced
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried oregano
1 Whole Bay Leaf
1 T cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat a pot over medium heat. Add bacon sliced into small pieces (discard excess fat only sections) and onion. Saute until bacon is cooked and onions start to brown. Add the garlic, peppers, and all seasonings but the cilantro, stir for about a minute or two. Add 1/4 cup of the stock to deglaze the pan, then add the rest of the stock and the drained and rinsed beans. Bring to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid thickens. Stir in the cilantro. Serve hot.

Notes:

Deglazing is important as that is when you scrape up all the little browned bits of tasty stuff for incorporation into the sauce. Yum!

Delicious as a filler for a wheat tortilla, top with Hollie's Pico de Gallo.

Linda's Famous Granola

This will become your family's favorite granola!

The nutrition facts for this wonderful granola can be found at Calorie Count! Calories in the nutrition facts indicate a breakfast sized portion. If you only enjoy granola as a snack and want to know what your calories are, join Calorie Count and create your own nutrition facts!

Famous Granola

Ingredients:

8 C oats
1 C brown sugar
1 C wheat germ
1 C coconut
1 C nuts

3/4 C canola oil
3/4 C water
1/4 C molasses or honey
1 tsp salt
1 T vanilla

Directions:

Mix first 5 ingredients.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the dry mixture.  Mix well.  Spread on cookie sheets.  Bake at 200 for 3-4 hours, stirring/turning every 15-30 minutes.  When cereal starts to brown, let cool in oven with the heat turned off.

Janice's Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan

We are lucky enough to live in a climate that has two tomato seasons! The first is in full swing and we had so many cherry tomatoes, I did not think we'd be able to make salads fast enough to handle them. So, I searched about and found several recipes for roasted tomatoes, took the "best of" parts of each recipe, added a couple changes of my own and made the best ever hot tomato side dish!

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan

Four Large Servings

Ingredients:

3 C cherry tomatoes (or two bags of those nice vine on cherry tomatoes)
6 garlic cloves
2 T parsley
2 T basil
2 T olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
fresh cracked black pepper
sea salt
1/3 C Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and slice the garlic cloves (feel free to increase or reduce the amount to your taste), rinse and rough chop the parsley and basil.

Place cherry tomatoes in a medium sized bowl with the garlic, parsley, basil, 2 T olive oil (increase or decrease depending on how many tomatoes you use), squish in the juice from one whole lemon, add a twist or two of fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt. Stir until the tomatoes are well coated.

Pour the entire thing into a casserole dish. Top with Parmesan.

Roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or just til the tomatoes begin to burst and the cheese browns beautifully.

Notes:

This dish can be served hot, warm, room temperature, or chilled as you prefer! It's simple, very low calorie, and company pleasing!