Thursday, June 11, 2009

Recipe Reviews

Over the last two weeks I've had a chance to try out the following recipes and would like to share my thoughts:

Spinach, Sausage and Cheese Squares
This recipe was originally a meatless recipe, but since I love sausage I added some turkey sausage. This was soooo delicious, and is very filling.
Easy to prepare: Very easy
Rating: *****

Spinach, Sausage and Cheese Squares

2 10oz. packages frozen chopped spinach
1 pound small curd, low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup feta or cheddar cheese (I use low-fat)
8 large eggs
1 pound cooked turkey breakfast sausage
1/4 chopped scallions or small onion
3 Tablespoons melted margarine (without trans fat)
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon whole wheat flour[In P1, just sub arrowroot to thicken]
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dill

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw, drain and press spinach in a sieve to squeeze out excess water. In a large bowl, mix eggs, cottage cheese, feta or cheddar cheese, and scallion. Add cooked turkey sausage, melted margarine, flour, pepper, and dill. Fold in spinach. Spray a 13 inch by 9 inch pan with non-stick spray. Pour mixture into pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for about 50 minutes. Allow to cool a bit and cut into 12 servings.


Butternut Squash Lasagna
This seemed like an interesting recipe, and it ended up tasting very good. One important thing, though...be sure to cook the butternut squash in the microwave until it's a bit soft. If it still seems raw when you slice it, it's not cooked enough.

I never thought that butternut squash in a lasagna would be that good, and was pleasantly surprised. I estimated the weight of the squash; I bought a 9lb squash and wasn't able to fit it all into the baking dish.
Easy to prepare: Fairly easy
Rating: ****

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Pierce a whole butternut squash with a cooking fork and microwave it for about 12 minutes. Let it cool for at least an hour. Then cut the ends off, cut the squash in half, and remove the seeds. Place it cut side down on a cutting board and slice each half into 1/2" thick slices, then peel the skin off each slice. It will come off easily.

a 6lb butternut squash
3 cups marinara sauce, sugar-free (I used Classico basil and tomato pasta sauce)
8 oz. LF ricotta
2 cups shredded LF mozzarella
16 oz. sliced mushrooms
shredded parmesan

In a 9 X 12" baking dish sprayed with Pam, put about 1/3 cup of the sauce. Place a layer of the squash over the sauce, filling in the gaps with pieces of the squash. Layer with the mushrooms, the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of the sauce. Top with another layer of the squash, then the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over all, and top with a sprinkling of the parmesan cheese.

Bake in a preheated 350* oven for about 40-45 minutes. This makes 12 generous servings.


Seattle Black Beans
I love this!!! This dish is going to be a staple of my menu for years to come. It has so much flavor, yet is so simple to make. I highly recommend using Better Than Boullion rather than a dry or cubed boullion to make the broth, I think this is key to the flavor.

Since I have a bacon addiction, I decided to buy real bacon bits and I sauteed those in a tablespoon of olive oil, then added the chopped vegetables so they'd get some of the bacon flavor. Instead of sprinkling the bacon on top, I added it to the beans and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Yummy!
Easy to prepare: Very easy
Rating: *****

Seattle Black Beans

3 cups dried black beans
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I used Better Than Boullion to make the broth)
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 bacon slices
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain beans.
Return beans to pan; stir in broth, water, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 2 hours or until tender.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add celery and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 5 minutes. Add to bean mixture; simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon.



Lemon Breeze Cups
Ohhhhhhhhh....I fell in love! For those who love lemon pie and other lemony treats, you must try this! It's a perfect summer treat.
Easy to prepare: Very easy
Rating: *****

Lemon Breeze Cups

8oz FF Cream Cheese
1 cup FF Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
2-3 tsp sugar free lemonade soft drink mix
2 cups Cool Whip Free

1. Whip FF cream cheese til light and fluffy.
2. Mix in FF sour cream and vanilla.
3. Add Lemonade mix.
4. Fold in Cool Whip Free.
5. Spoon into eight dessert cups.

Refrigerate and enjoy


Rose

~ His Sweet Gypsy Rose

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