Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes

I wanted to make tonight’s recipe an easy one, and I found this one online. It doesn’t get much easier, especially if you use the Ore Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes I reviewed a while back! Toby’s thoughts? Well, he loves Gouda, and he loves mashed potatoes, so what could be better? He said they are a keeper. We also had some Quorn Gruyere Cutlets and some broccoli pancakes. Easy peasy.

rating: 8.5

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/smoked-gouda-mashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html

Product Review- Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce in a pouch

Last night for dinner we had gnocchi with the new Bertolli Premium Pasta sauce in a microwavable pouch. There are several flavors, and I chose the “Champignon & Portobello” flavor. You can microwave this sauce in the pouch for 90 seconds OR cook it on the stovetop like normal, which is what I did.  The pouch was just enough for me and Toby. The verdict? It was good! It wasn’t sweet, which is what I hate in a pasta sauce. This had some nice chunks of mushrooms and tasted very “earthy”. I would buy it again. The only downside is that it’s only enough for 2 people (with 1 serving of pasta each). Toby likes to eat, and there was no sauce leftover. We also had some garlic breadsticks and a green salad.

rating: taste: 8, easy to prepare: 9.5

Chocolate Chip Cookies Lite

I had a craving for something sweet after dinner last night, and that craving was for warm cookies. I looked online for a cookie recipe, and was happy to find this one (and I already had all the ingredients, so I didn’t have to go out!). With this recipe, you can have hot, really good LOW FAT cookies in about 20 minutes. Keep in mind that these are LOW FAT, so go into it with an open mind. These are a little more pancake-y than cookie-like, but they are GOOD! I cheated a little and added some chopped walnuts, so mine weren’t as low-fat as they could have been. This recipe makes about 10-12 cookies. I am going to keep this one on hand for when I have that late-night craving. Give them a try!

rating: 8.5

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-Lite/Detail.aspx

Chickpea Soup

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked in the Weight Watchers cookbook for 5 YEARS. I know that because I was marking the page with a coupon for Diet Coke, and that coupon expired in 2003. But now that I have finally gotten to it, I am SO glad I did! It’s amazing how a few simple ingredients can make something so tasty! This soup is so good, so easy, and if you are watching your points via WW, it’s 3 points a serving! The can of chickpeas I used was a little smaller than what they call for, and I think I was supposed to use half the amount of spinach that I used, but in the end, this was great, and Toby said it’s definately a keeper! I maybe could have blended it a little more (with my immersion blender), but I think that there wasn’t enough soup in the pot, and it started flying everywhere, so I stopped. We enjoyed this with, what else, but a green salad and some poppyseed rolls.

rating: 9

Chickpea Soup
(from the cookbook “Versatile Vegetarian” by Weight Watchers)

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 19-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh sage , or 1/2 tsp dried (I used dried)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
half 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion; cook, stirring as needed, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the chickpeas, sage and pepper.
2. Stir in the broth, spinach and salt; bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor; puree. Return to the saucepan and simmer 5 minutes; stir in the lemon juice.

Confetti Veggie Pancakes

With this recipe, I got to use this shredding tool that my mother-in-law brought over from Germany. She brought it over to use it for some recipe she made while visiting, and it’s just been sitting here ever since. I have to say, it sure made all of the shredding I had to do very easy! It’s very sharp, though, so you have to be extra careful not to shred a finger. I totally followed the recipe (except I couldn’t find sharp white cheddar cheese so I used regular old orange), and I think I could have done without one of the carrots and it would have been just fine. This recipe made a HEAP of pancakes, and I had about 8 left over, which I saved, and ate a couple today for lunch! I ate mine with sour cream on the side, and Toby used applesauce. These are a nice variation on the potato pancake, and you get to slip in some extra veggies! We also had some chicken nuggets and some German cabbage.

rating: 8.5

Confetti Veggie Pancakes
(from the latest issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine)

1 large baking potato, peeled and shredded
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large egg plus 1 large egg white
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt and pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheddar cheese (I used regular sharp cheddar)

1. In a large bowl, cover the shredded potato with cold water and stir to rinse; drain and transfer to a towel-covered work surface. Cover with another towel and roll up to remove excess moisture; rinse and dry the bowl. Squeeze the carrots and zucchini in another towel to remove excess moisture. In the bowl, combine the potato, carrots, zucchini, onion, egg and egg white, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and swirl to coat. Working in batches, and using the remaining  1 tbsp olive oil when necessary, spoon 1/2 cupfuls of the veggie mixture into the pan and flatten into 3-inch pancakes. Fry until golden underneath, about 3 minutes. Flip, sprinkle a bit of cheese on top of each and cook for about 2 minutes more; transfer to a plate.

Three-cheese Tortellini with Porcini Mushrooms

I saw this recipe in a magazine, in an ad for Barilla pasta. You can go to their website (http://discoverbarilla.com/) and look at all the recipes. They didn’t have porcini mushrooms at the store (of course), fresh or dried, so I got dried oyster mushrooms instead. I probably should have gone with another mushroom. The oyster mushrooms have a good flavor- very earthy and woodsy. It’s the texture. They are very chewy and Toby said they are “twig-like”. Ha! So I will keep this recipe and just use another mushroom next time. Maybe portabellas, if they don’t have porcini (which they won’t). We also had a green salad and some garlic bread.

rating: 8

Barilla Three-cheese Tortellini with Porcini Mushrooms
(from the website www.discoverbarilla.com)

1 bag (8-ounces) Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini
10 ounces fresh porcini mushrooms (may substitute 1 ounce dried)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (I used dried)

If using dried mushrooms, soak for 20 minutes in warm water; drain. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until garlic turns slightly golden in color. Add mushrooms, saute for 3 minutes over medium high heat; remove garlic from pan. Stir in cream, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Toss tortellini with the sauce, and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Pinto Bean Quesadillas

Cleaning out my pantry this weekend, I noticed I had some saffron rice I needed to use, and I thought of the black beans and yellow rice recipe I’ve made a couple of times. But then I needed a new recipe to go with that (for all you readers!), and found this one in the OTHER Weight Watchers cookbook I have. I wasn’t sure if apple cider vinegar is the same as the “cider” vinegar this calls for, but it’s only 1 tbsp, so I used it. It turned out fine! Maybe it IS the same thing. I omitted any spicy stuff. Toby usually adds his hot sauce after the fact anyway. These quesadillas were really tasty! The beans were a little hard to spread, but I managed. I thought this might be too weird, black beans AND pinto beans, but everything meshed. This recipe is nice and easy, and is a change from having a plain ol’ cheese quesadilla.

rating: 8

Pinto Bean Quesadillas
(from the cookbook “Versatile Vegetarian” by Weight Watchers)

1 19-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and rained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, de-veined and minced (wear gloves to prevent irritation)
1 tbsp cider vinegar
4 6″ flour tortillas
1/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. In a blender or food processor, puree the beans, jalapeno and vinegar.
2. Spread the bean mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese. Arrange the tomato slices over one side of each tortilla; sprinkle with the garlic and pepper. Fold the tortillas in half, pressing flat.
3. In a small nonstick skillet, heat the tortillas, one at a time, pressing down with a spatula, until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Cut into triangles.

Creamy Brussels Sprouts Bake

I don’t eat enough green stuff, I admit it. 85% of my diet is beige. I thought I would make this casserole to add some green, but really, this counts as beige. Look at all the creamy goodness! This is a RICH dish. It was good, but Toby says he really prefers brussels sprouts the OTHER way I make them, which is very simply done with some butter, I think (can’t remember!). So, if you are looking for a way to disguise brussels sprouts for your kids, this might be your dish! Challenge them to find them under all the cream and cheese! With this, I also served some Quorn Gruyere cutlets, some butternut squash risotto, and some bread.

rating: 7

Creamy Brussels Sprouts Bake
(from the magazine “Best Holiday Recipes” by Taste of Home)

1 pkg (8-ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8-ounces) sour cream
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 pkg (10-ounces each) frozen brussels sprouts, thawed and drained
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth; set aside. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Stir in brussels sprouts. Remove from the heat; stir in cream cheese mixture.
2. Spoon into a greased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer of until cheese is melted.

Creamy Leek Soup with Brie

This is another recipe from the magazine my mom sent me. This one is WONDERFUL. It’s very rich (and I didn’t even add all the cheese it calls for!), but it’s not too rich. I used 4 big leeks, hoping that would be the right amount. It ended up being about 5 cups. I used the vegetarian faux-chicken broth, and only 2 of the rounds of Brie it calls for. This is kind of an expensive soup to make, now that I add it all up! Brie ain’t cheap! Anyway. Again, I used my wonderful immersion blender. How did I cook without you?? This soup tastes like a really good, creamy cream of potato soup, with a little something extra. Toby went back for seconds. We also had some bread and a green salad.

rating: 9

Creamy Leek Soup with Brie
(from the magazine “Best Holiday Recipes” by Taste of Home)

5 cups chopped leeks (white portion only)
1/4 cup butter
5 cups chicken broth (I used vegetarian faux-chicken broth)
4 1/2 cups half-and-half cream, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
3 packages (8-ounces each) Brie or Camembert cheese, rind removed (I used 2)
3 tbsp snipped chives

1. In a soup kettle, saute leeks in butter until tender. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Strain, reserving broth in pan. Place leeks in a blender with 1/2 cup of the broth; cover and process until smooth.
3. Return to the pan. Stir in 3 cups cream. Combine the flour, salt, pepper and remaining cream until smooth; stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Cut Brie into small pieces; add to soup in batches, stirring until most of the cheese is melted. Garnish with chives.

Linda’s Lasagna

When I was planning this week’s menu, I decided to just visit the site www.allrecipes.com and see if anything really jumped out at me. This recipe did. I never really liked the typical “veggie” lasagna…it was usually too rich (usually had a cream sauce), full of vegetables that I didn’t love, etc. So I saw this recipe (which includes ground beef), and I thought, why can’t I make this and substitute my go-to fave Quorn Grounds? Oh my gosh, people. This recipe is AWESOME. It takes a while to make it, that’s for sure, but the result is just, well…spectacular! I can’t stress enough how yummy it is! I pretty much stuck to the recipe, and only substituted the Quorn in place of the ground beef. I did not let the ground beef mixture simmer for a whole hour (I figured that was mainly for the beef to marinate in the tomato sauce). This was just excellent, and we both went back for seconds. YummO.

rating: 9.7

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lindas-Lasagna/Detail.aspx