Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Ultimate B.L.T.

We had these at Noah's cousin's house over the weekend and I can honestly say I've never had a better BLT--and I've had a lot of BLTs!

Ingredients

  • Toasted white or wheat bread
  • Turkey bacon
  • Romain lettuce
  • Provolone cheese
  • Tomatoes
  • Mayonnaise
  • Cucumbers
  • Lemon Pepper

Directions

Slather bread with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with lemon pepper. Load the sandwich with turkey bacon, lettuce, provolone, tomatoes and cucumbers. Yum!

Carne Asada (Mexican steak) Nachos

Ingredients
  • 3 pounds flank steak
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.

Grill marinated steak (or put in a skillet over medium high heat with a little vegetable oil). Cut into strips and serve with nachos or tacos. Serves 8.

468 calories in one serving. 27.9 g of fat (7.8g saturated), 0.7g fiber

Nachos
  • Tortilla chips
  • Pepper Jack Cheese
  • Cheddar cheese
  • Pickled jalapeno peppers
  • sliced black olives
  • grilled cane asada steak
  • Sour cream
  • guacamole
  • cilantro
  • diced tomatoes

Directions

Place tortilla chips, carne asada, cheese, jalapeno peppers, and olives in an oven proof dish. Broil until cheese is melted but chips are not burned (2 minutes). Top with sour cream, guacamole, cilantro and diced tomatoes. Serve.

Guacamole


Ingredients
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately. Serves 4.

262 Calories in 1 serving, 22.2 g fat, 11.4 g fiber

Monday, July 6, 2009

Blueberry Pie

Ingredients
  • Double pie crust recipe
  • 5 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon raw sugar

Directions
Prepare pie crust for 9" dish. Brush egg yoke on pastry to seal and to prevent a soggy crust.

Sprinkle berries with lemon juice; set aside. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup sugar with flour, salt and cinnamon; add to berries, stirring well. Pour into prepared pastry shell, and dot with butter.

Put remaining pastry on pie and seal/ crimp edges, cutting slits on top or forming lattice design. Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cover edges with aluminum foil, removing for last five minutes of bake time.

BAKE at 400° for 35 minutes or until golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Vegetable Lasagna

This was a hit all around.
Ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 quarts spaghetti sauce
  • 1/2 cup grated carrot
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano (optional)
  • 9 cooked lasagna noodles
  • 1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese or cottage cheese depending on preference
  • 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
  • 3/4 Cups thinly sliced yellow squash
  • 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Mix carrots, oregano, and spaghetti sauce together. Spread 1/2 of sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

In a separate bowl, mix Ricotta, spinach, and eggs together.

Layer half of lasagna noodles over spaghetti sauce, spread ½ Ricotta mixture over noodles, layer ½ sliced zucchini alternating with 1/2 of yellow squash, ½ of the sliced mushrooms. Cover with ½ of the Mozzarella, and ½ of the Parmesan.

Repeat layers with remaining ingredients.

Bake in 350 degrees oven for about 45 minutes.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I love this pie. The recipe is from my sister-in-law Emily.


Ingredients:

  • 1 unbaked pie shell
  • 2 C fresh strawberries, chopped
  • 2 C rhubarb, chopped
  • 1 1/3 C sugar
  • 1/3 C flour (add 2 T more if using frozen strawberries)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 2 T butter

Crumb top ingredients:

  • 1/2 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 C quick oats
  • 1/4 C four
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 T butter, softened

Directions:

Sift sugar, flour and salt together. Stir with strawberries and rhubarb until well combined. Let sit for 15-30 minutes to allow juices to form.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place strawberry mixture in unbaked pie crust and dot with the 2 T butter.

For the crumb top, stir dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture is well combined. Spread on top of pie and cook for 45 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 8.

433 calories in one serving, 13.8 g fat (5.3 g saturated), 2.5 g dietary fiber

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Black Bean Soup

This is the Top Secret Recipe's version of TGIFriday's black bean soup.
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup diced white onion
  • 3/4 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced carrot
  • 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans
  • 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock for vegetarian version
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder (less if you're spice sensitive)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke
    Garnish
  • shredded cheese (cheddar, jack or pepperjack)
  • chopped green onion
  • sour cream
  • Avacado slices

Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium/low heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic to the oil and simmer slowly (or"sweat" as it's called), for 15 minutes or until the onions are practically clear (keep the heat low enough that the veggies don't brown and be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter).

While you cook the veggies, pour the canned beans into a strainer and rinse them under cold water. Measure 3 cups of the drained and strained beans into a food processor or blender with 1 cup of chicken stock. Puree on high speed until smooth.

When the veggies are ready, pour the pureed beans, the whole beans, the rest of the chicken stock, and every other ingredient in the list (down to liquid smoke), to the pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes or until soup has thickened and all the ingredients are tender. Serves 6.

496 calories, 8.3 g fat (1.5 saturated), 25.9 g dietary fiber