Amanda's Three Cheese Stuffed Shells

My lovely niece is a dietician that loves to cook and eat! Her take on this classic dish is easy to do and delicious. Included are instructions for a useful slicing technique called chiffonade. Enjoy...

Amanda's Three Cheese Stuffed Shells 

Nutrition facts for 8 servings

Ingredients:

20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells

15 ounce container ricotta cheese

8 ounces (2 cups) grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 basil leaves, chiffonade

1 egg

1 (26 oz) jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Paul's Pasta with Veggies

Pure Vegan deliciousness. The nutrition facts were designed at Calorie Count with wine instead of olive oil. If you use olive oil, remember to add the calories.

Pasta with Veggies

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup wine (or 1 T olive oil)

2 cups cremini or Portobello mushrooms, sliced

2 cups Brussels sprouts (frozen or fresh, cut in half outer leaves removed)

2 cups broccoli florets (frozen or fresh)

28 ounces Roma tomatoes, crushed

1 t dried basil or thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti, thin

Optional:

tomato paste for a thicker sauce

vary the proportions of the veggies to suit your taste.

Directions:

Saute small onion and 2 cloves of garlic in wine or 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3 minutes over medium heat.

Add wine or water if pan gets dry.

.

Add 1 or 2 cups of sliced cremini or Portobello mushrooms.

Saute for another 3 minutes.

Add 1 or 2 cups of brussel sprouts.

Add 1 or 2 cups broccoli florets.

Cover the pot and steam veggies until soft. Add water or wine if pot is dry.

Add 28 ounce can of roma tomotoes.

Add basil or thyme, black pepper, and salt to taste.

Add some tomato paste if the sauce is too thin.

Simmer for 15 minutes or more.

Serve over whole wheat spaghettini pasta. 

Yum!!

Joan L's Stove Top Italian Hamburger

Instead of buying a pack of Hamburger Helper, I save a lot of money by making this cook on the stove top casserole. The nutrition facts were made at Calorie Count.

Stove Top Italian Hamburger
6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion
32 ounces tomatoes
2 cups elbow noodles
1 t salt
1/4 t ground pepper
1/4 t oregano
1 t ground garlic
1 t basil
1/2 cup Mozzarella

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Drain excess fat and return the beef in the skillet to the stove over medium heat.

Chop the onion and tomatoes. You can peel the tomatoes or not as you prefer. Add onions and tomatoes to the ground beef.

Add the elbow noodles and seasonings. Stir til well blended, reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the noodles are tender (about 20 minutes). Top with cheese and continue to cool on low until the cheese melts.

Michael's Enchilada Lasagna

A great fusion of Mexican, New Mexican, Italian, and American cookery! The nutrition facts were made at Calorie Count.

Enchilada Lasagna

Ingredients:

For sauce:

2 dried, hot chopped red chilies, stems and seeds removed

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 cups chicken broth

3 cups tomato sauce

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For filling:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed

1 1/2 cups diced onion

pinch kosher salt

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

nonstick cooking spray

The finishing touches:

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

3 cups shredded queso fresco or Monterrey Jack

Directions:

Combine the chilies, garlic, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chilis are soft. Set aside until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Sauté the chicken until cooked through, approximately 7 to 9 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a medium bowl.  Add the onions to the same pan along with a generous pinch of salt, decrease the heat to medium-low and sweat for 4 to 6 minutes.  Add the garlic and oregano and cook until the onions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes more.  Add the chicken back to the pan and remove from the heat.

Spray a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with non-stick spray.  Place 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the dish.  Dip 4 tortillas into the remaining sauce and lay them into the bottom of the dish.  Cut 1 of the tortillas in half to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Top this with half of the chicken mixture and 1 cup of the cheese.  Starting with 4 more tortillas, repeat the layers, ending with the last 4 tortillas on top.  Pour remaining sauce over the dish and top with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly.

Delicious!

Pasta Sauce Made With Water

yup, from water...ok, there are other things. Using pasta water allows you to cut the amount of fat you would otherwise use in an olive oil or butter tossed pasta dish which will save you a lot of calories! You may want to add more spices, the amounts listed below are "starter" amounts. Be creative with the other ingredients. If you are not vegetarian or have room for the calories, a bit of meaty bacon or prosciutto is fantastic in this sauce.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Ingredients:

1/2 onion diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 T pure olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t Rosemary
1/2 t fresh cracked black pepper
2 cups water taken from the boiling pot of pasta after about 4-5 minutes of boiling.

Directions:

shrooms starting to caramelize!

Heat a tablespoon or so of fat in a pan (butter or pure olive oil works well), saute onions until they start to brown, then  add slices of mushrooms and saute until they start to brown and caramelize. Stir in chopped garlic and saute another couple of minutes. Add a teaspoon or so of Rosemary and some fresh cracked pepper. Add about 1 1/2 cups of the reserved pasta water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a strong simmer until the liquid reduces a bit and the flavors blend. Toss with pasta and if you have room for the calories, some fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese. If the mixture seems dry, add some of the remaining pasta water.

Lighter Pesto

Did you know you can search recipes at Calorie Count? That's where I found this fantastic light pesto with a lot less oil and a whole lot of flavor!

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

Lighter Pesto

Ingredient:

Serves 4

3 cups  basil leaves

3 tbsp.  grated Parmesan cheese

2  garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbsp.  lemon juice

3 tbsp.  extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a food processor, combine basil, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and 3 tbsp. water; season with salt and pepper. Puree until a paste forms.

Stream in oil while motor is running. Process until smooth - about 1 minute.

Suggestions for variations include:

more garlic (is there such a thing as too much garlic?), substitute lime juice for the lemon juice, add a dash of cayenne, or a few toasted hazelnuts!

Freeze in Pam sprayed ice cube trays, then pop out and put in a freezer bag. Then all you have to do is pull out as many lumps as you like!

Janice's Broccoli and Carrot Alfredo

This light version of Alfredo is great on anything, but I particularly love it on pasta or baked potato!

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

whenever possible, use organic vegetables

Broccoli and Carrot Alfredo

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Cups fresh broccoli florets
2 Cups carrots, slice thinly
2 T butter
1/2 Cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 T flour
2 tsp low sodium instant bouillon
pinch pepper
2 Cups fat free milk
6-8 oz 0% fat Plain Greek Yogurt (calories based on 8 oz)
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

Steam, microwave, or boil broccoli and carrots until crisp tender (about 6 minutes), drain and set aside to keep warm.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat and add onion. Saute til soft (several minutes). Add garlic and saute 2 minutes.

Stir in flour, bouillon, salt and pepper til there are no lumps. then gradually stir in milk.

Cook on medium until the mix boils and thickens - stir constantly.

Stir in the cooked broccoli and carrots, yogurt and Parmesan

Toss with pasta or serve over baked potato.

Notes:

Get creative with vegetables and add whatever is seasonal to the sauce. Pearl onions rock. Peas too.  Mushrooms are superb.

Jam it full of veggies and treat it as a saucy veggie side dish!

Janice's Gnocchi in Cacciatori Sauce

these filling delicious puffy little bundles of potato and flour are wonderfully versatile and an excellent candidate for one of my favorite "comfort foods" so it's a good thing each serving is so low in calorie. Look for white or wheat gnocchi in boxes or tightly sealed plastic containers in the dried pasta section of your store.

The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count!

gnocchi

Gnocchi in Cacciatori Sauce

Serves 4 for dinner or 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1 T pure olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped (or more)
4 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed
30 oz tomatoes*, crushed with your hands cuz it's fun
1/4 C parsley, fresh, torn or chopped
1/4 C basil, fresh, torn
1/8 cup red wine**
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 T pure olive oil
16 oz gnocchi, white or wheat

Ingredient Notes:

*If using canned tomatoes, dump them into a bowl and crush them with your fingers. Do not strain the juices. If you don't have enough canned, just make a mix of fresh and canned tomatoes. You can peel the fresh ones if you like. I don't as I love the peel!

**use up to 1/3 cup of wine. The nutrition facts were set for 1/8 of a cup. Always cook with wine good enough to drink. Use your favorite most flavorful variety.

Sauce Directions:

Heat 1 T pure olive oil in a medium pan. When it is hot and shimmering and add the onions, saute til soft. Add the garlic and saute another minute or so. Add all the ingredients except the gnocchi and the second 1 T olive oil.

Heat to a simmer, partially cover, and stir every now and then. Taste after 10 minutes or so and adjust seasonings. You will notice that I do not add salt. I'm used to that. But you may not be, so add salt if you need to. Also, depending on the tomatoes you use, you may need to add a tablespoon or so of brown sugar to counter the acidity. If the sauce is thin (some tomatoes are super juicy!) add a squish of tomato paste... but not too much.

Once you have the flavors as you prefer, just keep it going on low heat until the gnocchi are done.

Gnocchi Directions:

To make the gnocchi, heat 1 T pure olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the gnocchi and toss or stir every now and then allowing the little puffy pillows of deliciousness to soften and turn a beautiful brown. Should take about 10 minutes or so depending on your stove. Let them sit every now and then for a minute or two as this encourages browning. Constant stirring prevents browning.

Serving:

Either serve in separate bowls for people to fix on their plates, or arrange the gnocchi on a serving platter and top with sauce. Fresh grated parmigiana is perfect on this. Great with a salad, or make a nice antipasto plate.

Notes:

To turn this into a casserole dish, combine the sauce and gnocchi, place in a pam sprayed casserole, top with a bit of parmigiana or mozzarella and heat in the oven til the cheese browns.

Janice's Pan Sauteed Ravioli

This makes a fun side dish at a meal or a much talked about treat at a party. According to my son, they are  "Awesome! Like a warm stuffed chip!"

The nutrition facts are set for a decent sized party serving (assuming you are also filling up on all the wonderful fruits and veggies at the party this is more than enough to satisfy) and are at Calorie Count!

Pan Sauteed Ravioli

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh Four Cheese Ravioli (your favorite brand - you can use the big size or the small raviolis and stretch out your serving size!)
2 t olive oil (the calorie count is set at 1 t because only that much was absorbed)
1 cup your favorite thick marinara

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil shimmers or the pan feels hot when you hold your hand over it, add the ravioli in a single layer. Do two batches rather than crowd. Each ravioli must remain flat. Saute a few minutes checking for browning. When one side is brown, flip each over and brown the other.

Remove to a plate with a paper towel and pat down to remove as much oil as was not absorbed.

Arrange on a pretty plate with a bowl of warmed marinara. Treat the ravioli as you would chips and dip!

Or serve as the pasta part of your meal and top with marinara. Fast, easy, and delicious!

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...