Egg Bake, part 2

Recipe From: my mom, recipe was posted here before, here it is

Ingredients: same as before, minus bacon

With a side of fruit.

Rating: still delicious

Notes:

• Today I used regular eggs, fat free cottage cheese, reduced fat cheddar, reduced fat margarine - the rest was the same (swiss cheese, green onions...).
• Used 1 1/4c of each of the cheeses.
• Still made them in muffin tins, 18.

WW PointsPlus*: 4 per "muffin"


Pin It

Baked Oatmeal

Recipe From: this webpage (inspired by some I found on Pinterest, but this one uses quick oats)

Ingredients & Directions: see linked webpage above for ingredients and directions

Rating: tasty
Warming Up: warms up well
Notes:

• First off, I made half of a batch and got 3 good sized servings.
• I used bananas for the bottom layer of fruit and a frozen berry mix for the top. I also used whatever nuts I had on hand (half almonds, half pecans).
• I omitted the butter put on top, after baking, I didn't find it necessary.
• Next time I don't think I'll use bananas, probably chopped apple or peaches for bottom - or just berries for the entire thing.

WW PointsPlus*: 7 (figured using 6 servings for the whole recipe (as is - minus the butter on top) without the fruit. PointsPlus may change depending on fruit you use.)

No Pudge Fudge Brownies

My friend has been raving about these brownies since she was a Weight Watchers member, and I've always been meaning to try them...so I recently did.

No Pudge Fudge Brownie Mix

These brownies are SO easy to make, just add some yogurt to the powder mix (directions are on the box) and bake. Because I am recently obsessed with making things in muffin tins, I made these as "muffins." Making them in a muffin tin not only let each one be an "edge" piece (my favorite!), but allowed them to be pre-portioned. :)

I highly recommend these brownies, so rush out and get the mix today!

Rating: so yummy, and gooey, and delicious!
WW PointsPlus*: 3

No Bake Cookies

Recipe From: A FACS teacher I used to work with.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oatmeal


Directions:

1. Bring sugar, cocoa, milk, and butter to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Cover, boil for one minute.
3. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal. Stir until mixed and thick.
4. Drop by spoonful on waxed paper and allow to cool/harden.

Rating: Delish!
Notes:

• I used reduced fat peanut butter, skim milk, and unsalted butter.
• Recipe says this will yield about 4 dozen. I got 39 today. The size of your cookies would determine your outcome.

WW PointsPlus*: as prepared, 3

Eggplant Parmesan

Recipe From: My cousin Cari

Ingredients:
Eggplant
Eggs
Flour
Milk
Parmesan cheese
Oil
Optional ingredients: pasta sauce and shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Put your oil in a shallow pan and start to heat.
2. Mix eggs, milk, flour, and shredded parmesan cheese until it is a paste like consistency.
For one eggplant I typically use 2 eggs, maybe about 1/2c of milk and 1/4c cheese. Then I add enough flour to get to paste.
3. Remove peel from eggplant and slice eggplant in to disks.
4. Set disks on a piece of paper towel, flipping to the other side after a few seconds.
5. Dredge eggplant disks in the paste-like mixture and fry in hot oil.
It is important to make sure the oil is hot before frying.
6. Flip once so both sides are golden brown.

Optional steps:
7. Cover the bottom of a pan with pasta sauce.
8. As eggplants are cooked, layer them in the pan, like lasagna noodles - alternate eggplant, shredded cheese, sauce.
I normally make an 11x7 pan out of one eggplant, with about 4 layers.
9. Bake pan until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Rating: SO good!
Warming Up: Warms relatively well, eggplant gets slightly soggy, but still delish!
Notes:
You can leave the skin on before slicing, it's a matter of taste.
The disks can also be enjoyed on their own, out of the pan, over pasta or just with a side of sauce.

Pita Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, and Herbs

I made this recipe in late spring/early summer, and am just now getting it posted. Enjoy!

Recipe From: Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients & Directions: Click link above.

Rating: Tasty
Warming Up: It's a salad - no warming up necessary, but store the pita pieces separate if you have leftovers so they don't get soggy.
Notes:
I used wheat pitas.

Potato Chowder

One of my favorite soup recipes. Easy to make and delicious - a winter time stand-by.

Recipe From: my Weight Watchers leader, Kathy

Ingredients:
2 bags Ore-Ida Hashbrown Potatoes (cubed, southern style) - 8 cups total
3 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 can reduced fat cream soup
8 oz fat free cream cheese
1 can corn (optional)
onion to taste
seasoning to taste


Directions:
Open, pour, simmer (about 2 hours), stirring occasionally.

Rating: tasty
Warming Up: never have a problem warming this up for lunch
Notes:

• I use cream of celery soup, the recipe call for cream of chicken. I also use green onions.
• This soup looks interesting as it cooks, but trust me...the potatoes break down and everything comes together to make a great, thick chowder.
• This makes a lot of chowder, so I typically make a half batch. Making a full batch is fine too, this chowder freezes well.
• Even more delicious when served with a little reduced fat cheddar cheese on top. I also think you could easily turn this in to a "stuffed baked potato soup" by adding bacon bits, broccoli, etc.

WW Points*: 3 points per cup

Cool & Creamy Chocolate Fondue

Recipe From: my friend Mandy, it's a Pampered Chef recipe.

Rating: yummy!
Notes:

• Enjoy with any kind of fruit, graham crackers are tasty with it too!
• Use low fat or fat free whipped cream to make this a little healthier.

WW PointsPlus*: According to nutritional information on the recipe, 2 Tbsp = 2.

Banana Slush Punch

I originally had this recipe at a school dinner. My students made it for the annual parent dinner, it's delicious, but needs to be made ahead of time - you can't just throw this one together.

Recipe From: There are lots of variations out there, but this one seems to be the one I know. 

Rating: tasty, hard to stop drinking it

Notes:

• As the recipe says, this can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Could probably be easily tweaked to include the "adult" portion of a slush drink.

Amish Friendship Bread

A few weeks ago I thought, "A loaf of Amish Friendship Bread sounds really good right now." For those of you familiar with that type of bread, you may be saying to yourself, "Yeah, it's good, but passing on the starter bags you make is hard." To that I say, "I know, but I typically make more than one batch of bread, making for less new starter bags." :) The other problem was finding a starter bag... BOOM! This week there was a bag in the lounge at work. I swiped it up and took it home, ready to feed and burp it until I was able to turn it in to a great loaf of bread.

Then, my excitement got the better of me because I figured out I wasn't going to be able to bake it on day 10 - I had class that night. So, I Google-searched about baking it on day 9 and found some great stuff about this delicious treat, like two blogs that have put a great spin and some laughter to the whole thing. I also knew that the recipe that comes with it isn't the only kind that has to be made. Since many websites say "the recipe is forgiving," I searched for different variations. I found some great websites with excellent ideas, (seriously, search and you'll find all kinds of ideas) but picked two from this one and decided to go for the lemon and orange cranberry in addition to the regular recipe that came with my bag of bread goo

Tonight was the night to bake it (even though it's technically day 9). The only problem was that I should have double checked my pantry before I went grocery shopping. I knew I needed pudding and egg substitute, and assumed I had everything else. I ended up being short on egg substitute and oil. But, holding to the thought that "this recipe is forgiving," I proceeded. I followed the directions for making the new starter bags, made 2 bags and then put what was meant to be the other two starter bags in bowls (1 cup each). This left me with three batches of starter goo.

I made one batch of regular cinnamon, one of lemon poppyseed, and one orange cranberry. This is where it got interesting... I decided to use what egg substitute I had and divide it 3 ways. For the oil, I was planning on using 1/2 oil and 1/2 applesauce anyway, but with the shortness of oil it just ended up being 1/4 c oil and 3/4 c applesauce. (Also, the lemon variation recipe called for an additional cup of milk. I did not do this because the batter seemed fine without it.)

As I type this blog all 6 loaves are in the oven and my house smells DELICIOUS! (a positive outcome to the length of time they are taking to bake tonight) I plan on keeping the mini-loaves out for snacks and breakfasts, and will freeze the larger loaves for another day.

Also, here are a couple other things I've learned this week:

• The starter bag CAN be frozen, but you'll have to do your own search to find out what to do.
• You can make a smaller batch, resulting in NO bags to pass on. I remember seeing one site that said at each "feeding" just add 1/2 cup of the ingredients and then complete the recipe. (of course, now I can't find it when I want to)
• Lots of people make this bread, and opinions vary widely. I, for one, love it!

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies...

Sorry I have not been posting lately, I guess the holidays kept me busier than I thought they would. :)
Below this post are two new recipes that I had / tried during that time. Please enjoy!

Speaking of the holidays...my mom and I spent a day baking A LOT of cookies. We made five kinds of cookies and two types of bars (one is below). I don't remember ever spending a day like that with my mom before, it was really fun, and we got to enjoy our work when it was done.

One of the types of cookies we made was an idea I got from a friend at a different cookie baking event this holiday season. (She got the idea from one of her parenting magazines.) When the cookie is done it looks like a cute reindeer.

Form your favorite peanut butter cookie dough into a rounded triangle-like shape and bake the cookie. Put chocolate covered pretzels for the antlers (this is important because the chocolate melts and acts like a glue to keep the pretzel on) and use a dollop of frosting to place mini M&Ms for the eyes and a regular M&M for the nose. Super cute and super yummy!

Kit-Kat Bars

Recipe From: my mom, who got it from a friend

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
1/2 c white sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c milk
1 packet finely crushed graham crackers (about 2 cups)
Club style crackers

1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c butterscotch chips
2/3 c peanut butter

Directions:

1. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Line bottom with single layer of crackers.
3. Combine butter, sugars, graham cracker crumbs, and milk in a saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly and watching carefully.
4. Spread half of the sauce over the crackers.
5. Place another layer of crackers over the sauce.
6. Spread the rest of the sauce over that layer of crackers.
7. Arrange a third layer of crackers on top. Set aside.
8. In a saucepan combine both kinds of chips and peanut butter over low heat. Stirring constantly until smooth.
9. Spread melted peanut butter mixture over the top layer of crackers, covering completely.
10. Refrigerate until sauce is hardened. Cut carefully in to bars with a sharp knife.

Rating: Delizioso! Probably my new favorite sweet, but not for everyday eating. :)

Notes:

• I layed the middle layer of crackers opposite direction from the other two layers, so cutting wouldn't just be on the cracker lines.
• Could make this healthier if you used reduced fat crackers.

Egg Bake

Recipe From: my mom

Ingredients:
8 eggs
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup melted oleo
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss
4 oz mushrooms
1/2 cup diced onion
1 lb browned sausage

Directions:

1. In a bowl, beat eggs until foamy.
2. Add cottage cheese, oleo, flour, and baking powder. Mix well.
3. Stir in cheeses, mushrooms, onions and sausage.
4. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake, covered, at 350 for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

Rating: Delizioso!
Warming Up: warms up well.
Notes:

• My latest variation of this recipe is to use one container of egg substitute (equivalent of 7 eggs), one small container of low fat, small curd cottage cheese, reduced fat cheddar, no mushrooms, green onions, and turkey bacon.
• I typically make this and bake it in muffin tins. Then I freeze these mini-bakes for warming up later.

WW PointsPlus*: 4 (based on latest variation, making 18 muffin-sized bakes)

Banana Blueberry Bread

Recipe From: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1999 version)
                        (I modified their banana bread recipe)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Grease pan(s), set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt. Make a well in the center of the mix and set aside.
3. In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).
4. Fold in blueberries.
5. Spoon batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake at 350 until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (approx. 50-55 minutes)
6. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
7. Remove loaf from pan, cool on rack.

Rating: Delizioso!
Notes:

• Freezes well!
• I made two 8 x 3 7/8 x 2 15/32 loaves.

Chicken and Herb Dumpling Stew

Recipe From: Weight Watchers Slow Cook It Cookbook

Ingredients:
3/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs - cut into 3/4 inch chunks
3 large carrots - sliced
1/2 lb red potatoes - scrubbed and diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can seasoned chicken broth with vegetables and herbs (14.5 oz)
1 1/2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 c frozen pearl onions - thawed
1 cup frozen peas - thawed
1 c low-fat buttermilk baking mix
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
5 Tbsp fat-free milk

Directions:

1. Combine chicken, carrots, potatoes, salt and pepper in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Pour in broth. Press chicken mixture down into broth. Cover and cook until chicken and vegetables are fork-tender - 3-4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low.
2. About 50 minutes before cooking time is up, whisk water and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture, onions, and peas into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until mixture simmers and thickens, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine baking mix and dill in medium bowl. Stir in milk just until soft dough forms.
4. Drop dough by rounded 2 tablespoonfuls onto simmering stew, making 4 dumplings. Cover and cook until toothpick inserted into center of dumpling comes out clean, about 30 minutes. 
• Recipe makes 4 servings.

Rating: good stuff! 
Warming Up: just as good as the first night
Notes:

• I originally made this recipe after Thanksgiving - it was a great way to use leftover turkey (white meat).
• I used carrots and onions I had frozen.
• I omitted the peas because I don't care for them.
• Instead of dill, I used diced garlic in the dumplings.
  

WW Points*: 7

Cranberry-Oatmeal Bars

Recipe From: Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:
Crust:
4.5 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp orange juice
cooking spray

Filling:
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 oz)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 large egg white, lightly beaten 
 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. To prepare crust - weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. To prepare filling - combine ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling.
4. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes or until edges are golden.
5. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Rating: A nice combination of orange and cranberry 
Notes:

• I substituted 1/8 cup of egg substitute for the egg white and used fat free sour cream.
• The recipe says it make 24 bars, but I got 15.
• A couple other options pointed out in the magazine:
• Cherry-Oatmeal Bars: Substitute dried cherries for the cranberries and use lemon rind for the orange rind.
• Maple-Date-Oatmeal Bars: Substitute chopped, pitted dates for the cranberries. Omit sugar from filling and use 2 Tbsp maple syrup and 2 Tbsp brown sugar instead.

WW Points*: 4

Cheesy Potatoes

Recipe From: Weight Watchers Magazine

Ingredients:
1 container fat-free sour cream (16 oz)
1 can low-fat cream of chicken soup (10 3/4 oz)
1 package low-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 package frozen hash browns (32 oz)
1/4 c light stick butter
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Mix sour cream, soup, cheese, butter, and spices in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the hash browns, stirring until well blended.
3. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbling, 55 minutes - 1 hour.

Rating: good - but aren't all cheesy potatoes? The thyme adds a little something different than cheesy potatoes I'm used to.
Warming Up: warms up pretty decently
Notes: I made half a batch in an 8 x 8 baking dish and it was just fine.
WW Points: 4 (for scant 3/4 c, according to recipe)

Chicken Strata

Recipe From: People Magazine (Art Smith - chef of Chicago's Table Fifty-Two)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 celery ribs, finely chopped
6 oz asparagus, woody stems discarded, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup water
4 cups cubed, cooked chicken (1 inch cubes)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
6 large eggs (I used egg substitute.)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 cups cubed French bread (1 inch cubes)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat cheese.)

Directions:

1. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and water and cover. Cook until asparagus is crisp-tender - about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until all liquid is evaporated - about 2 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl.
2. Add chicken and mayonnaise, mix well. Whisk milk, broth, eggs, herbs, and spices in another bowl.
3. Lightly butter a 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Spread half of the bread cubes in dish; top with chicken mixture. Spread remaining cubes over chicken. Pour egg mixture over ingredients in dish. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 10 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350. Bake strata for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until it is melted - about 15 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes, serve hot.

Rating: Pretty good.
Warming Up: Not a problem, still tastes good.
Notes: This would be a good Thanksgiving leftovers recipe to use the extra turkey and bread from the holiday.