Summertime Means Gazpacho!

Gazpacho, chilled and full of vegetables!
Delish! 

I am a lucky woman. I have a neighbor who gives me fresh vegetables from his garden. It seems like everything comes at once, especially tomatoes. I was the recipient of a huge bag full of tomatoes and green peppers just yesterday. I ate a big plate of sliced tomatoes with my dinner last night and today I made gazpacho. I've made gazpacho for years, it's super healthy and low calorie as well as very tasty.  I make mine like a salad -- lots of chopped veggies, a little vinegar and oil, and some salt and pepper. Try it topped with cold, cooked shrimp or sliced avocado. I like a few sliced green olives on mine, but you eat it the way you want to. Some folks like crispy croutons on top. For dinner tonite I made a little "gremolata" of diced olives, celery, green pepper and a few cherry tomatoes, and that's what's in the picture above.

As hot as it here in central VA it's great to make something that doesn't involve turning on the stove OR oven! Cold soup on a hot humid summer evening? Yes, please!

Gazpacho

Gazpacho Vegetable Mix

Makes about 6 cups

2 - 2 1/2 lb. vine ripe tomatoes, peeled
1 medium cucumber, peeled with seeds removed
1 small yellow onion, quartered
1/2 medium green pepper, cut into chunks**
2 cloves garlic, about 1 heaping tsp.
1 rib celery, sliced
1 small carrot or 3 baby carrots, scrubbed and sliced
1 1/2 cups V8 or tomato juice (I prefer V8)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt
a pinch of black pepper

Peel the tomatoes by cutting an X in the bottom and dropping them in boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove to your cutting board and let cool a minute or 2. The skin will slide off easily. Core them to remove any tough parts.
Peel the cucumber and halve it lengthwise. Score the middle with a paring knife and push the seeds out with a spoon or your finger. Chop it roughly to fit into your food processor or blender.
Put all the veggies into your chopper bowl or half into your blender. Blend until the mixture starts to get smooth but still has some texture. Remove to a large bowl and add tomato juice or V8, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil. Whisk to combine. Chill at least 2 hours.

Serve cold, topped with anything you like or just plain. Keeps for about 4 days in the refrigerator.

**Cooks note: If you want your gazpacho to be spicy, add a small to medium jalapeno pepper to your vegetable mixture. If you remove the seeds and membranes, it will tone it down a little. Leave them in for more heat.

Very Veggie Pizza

As part of our ongoing journey to eat healthier, we are forgoing our usual Friday night pizza and switching it up to a Veggies Only pizza. So far, our favorite one for take out is the thin crust vegetarian from Pizza Hut. However, this one, that I made, has been the overall favorite. It hardly qualifies as cooking, more like assembling, so easy to do on a Friday night.

It was super simple to do! We bought a pre-made, thin pizza crust from the supermarket. First, I spread 2 T. pizza sauce over the crust and sprinkled that with 2 T. low-fat mozzarella cheese. Then I topped it with a clamshell of cherry tomatoes, cut in half, some sliced  red onions, a roasted red pepper from a jar, 1/2 a green pepper, and a can of sliced mushrooms. All good for you, right? Then I measured out 2 ounces of feta cheese and crumbled that over the top of the veggies. We baked it according to the directions on the crust, making sure not to overcook it. Using no meat and controlling the amount of cheese is the key to keeping this pizza "healthy" and good for you. I had put so many vegetables on it that we did not miss the cheese. Additionally, we limited our servings to two slices each, but they were so loaded down, that was plenty. Quick, healthy and delicious.

Another favorite way is to make my own crust (recipe here), top it with a little pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, then pile on lots of peppers -- fresh green, roasted red, drained banana ones from the jar, and a few sliced olives. Not quite as low fat, but very, very tasty!

Lot of Peppers Pizza with Olives

Go veggie with your pizzas! They are really really good!

Make Pizza at Home Part 2: Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza, hot from the oven, topped with seasoned burger and cheddar and Monteray Jack cheese

Here's a different take on making pizza at home, Taco Pizza. This is NOT the fat and calorie laden fast food one you may be familiar with, but something my sister and I came up with years ago, when we REALLY wanted tacos but had no taco shells or corn tortillas to fry.
FIRST, I made my usual pizza crust recipe but instead of using 1T. cornmeal, I removed 1 T. flour and used 2 T. cornmeal.  I also dusted the crust liberally with a little more cornmeal. Then, instead of tomato sauce, I spread salsa over the uncooked crust. We like Chi Chi's Original in the medium heat. Don't be too generous with the salsa, just spread it evenly and thinly.
Next, I added some leftover taco meat (made from 93% lean ground beef, but whatever your family likes is fine) from dinner a few nights before. If you don't have any leftover meat, try spreading some refried beans on the crust BEFORE the salsa, and then you'll have a vegetarian version of this, which is just as tasty! Next, the pizza gets sprinkled liberally with cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, black olives and some roasted red peppers, diced up, and pickled jalapeno peppers. Into a 400 degree oven for about 17 minutes, and the result you see above!
Now, here's the twist: When you serve this pizza, top it like you would a taco. We used shredded lettuce, a little sour cream, as well as more salsa, jalapenos and cheese, because you can NEVER have enough cheese!  And, voila, an original creation that is super tasty. See the completed slice below:

A perfect slice of Taco Pizza, topped with lettuce, salsa, black olives and a little more cheese

Doesn't that look good? I promise -- you will LOVE this take on pizza! You'll never want to go back to that fast food pizza thingie from the place with the bell! Happy Holidays!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Here's a light, springtime dish that can easily serve as a vegetarian main dish, a side dish or an appetizer: Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. I made this up as I went along, using what I had in my pantry and refrigerator, and the results were so good, I've concluded it must be hard to mess this dish up! Man oh man, were they delish! We ate this alonside a piece of tilapia, that I "oven poached". The hearty mushrooms balanced nicely with the delicate fish, and we hardly knew we were eating healthy -- something I have to sometimes hide from my family! My son does not care for mushrooms, so I set aside some stuffing for him to eat as a side dish. The extra used as a side dish was really good too, so don't hesitate to try this even if you don't like mushrooms! If you have not tried Portobellos, because of the cost, which I admit can be daunting, check your local big box store or Trader Joe's, where they are a little more affordable. If you don't want to spring for Portobellos, there is no reason this could not be stuffed into white mushroom caps. That way, they would be a perfect appetizer bite!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2 Portobello mushrooms

1 medium onion (about 2/3 c.)

2 minced garlic cloves

2 T. olive oil, divided use

2-3 big handfulls baby spinach, stemmed, washed and dried

2 pieces whole grain bread, stale is better, toasted

6 stems fresh thyme

1/4 c. dry white wine

salt and pepper

a few drops of balsamic vinegar

a few shavings of parmesan reggiano, optional

Over medium heat, in a large, shallow skillet, add one T. olive oil, the onion and garlic. Saute for several minutes, until the onion begins to get translucent. Remove the mushroom stems, wipe them down, chop them (small pieces, discarding any part that seems too "woody") and add to the skillet. Rough chop the spinach and add to the onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Strip the leaves from the thyme stems and add this also. Continue to saute over low heat, while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your mushroom caps.

To prepare the mushrooms, dampen a clean dish towel or a heavy duty paper towel. Wipe the exterior of the mushrooms clean of all debris, and peal off any of the looser "skin"from the outside of the caps -- it will kind of come off in strips. Don't worry if it all does not come off, just make sure they are wiped cleanly. With a teaspoon, make a shallow indentation in the center where the stem was -- you can add this little bit to the skillet also.

Add a tablespoon of white wine to the skillet and stir this in.Crumble up your toast, into small pieces and add to the mixture, incorporating it well. Taste and correct the seasoning -- you may need a little more salt at this point. Stuff the mixture into the mushrooms, mounding it up slightly. This amount will make more than enough for 2 mushrooms, with a little left over for another mushroom (or 2) or a side dish for a non-mushroom eating teenager.

Place the mushrooms into a casserole and pour the rest of the wine around the sides. Put them into the oven for approximately 30 minutes, until the mushrooms soften. When you remove them, sprinkle a drop or 2 of balsamic vinegar over each. Top with a shave or 2 of parmesan reggiano, if desired.

I bet you are going to love this dish! Let me know what you think!

Fettucine Alfredo! Oh, My!!

My kids love fettucine alfredo, and to be honest, so do I. I had to find a way to make it at home and make it healthy yet delicious enough to enjoy. I found it -- with the help of an old Cooking Light magazine. It's a little bit of trouble, but oh, so worth it! Good eating and NO GUILT! I've made this several times and I swear, you would not know it's not the original killer variety of alfredo sauce. Lighter Fettucine Alfredo 1 T. butter 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 T. all purpose flour 1 1/2 c. 1% low fat milk 1 1/4 c. fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided use 2 T. lowfat cream cheese 1/2 tsp. salt 4 c. hot cooked fettucine (8 oz. uncooked) 2 tsp. chopped fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley Fresh ground black pepper Melt butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes until just softened (don't let it brown or fry). Stir in flour. Gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk. (You are making a "white" roux base, not a browned one.) Cook about 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add 1 cup of your grated parmigiano, cream cheese and salt. Continue to stir till the sauce gets smooth. Toss the sauce with the hot pasta. Turn it out onto a platter or a large pasta bowl and top with the remaining 1/4 c. parm. Sprinkle with parsley and grind a little pepper over the top. This makes 4 1 cup servings, 399 calories, 13.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber. I often make it as 8 1/2 half cup servings so it's only about 200 cal. 7 g. of fat and 1 g. of fiber. It's very filling and rich tasting -- You may find that a 1 c. serving seems like too much! Mange'!

Another word about roasted vegetables

If you make the roasted veggies I've listed earlier, and you have some left, they are great to cook with. Add them to chicken broth for vegetable soup, or put them on a homemade pizza. You can also buy those flatout wraps or use a high fiber tortilla and wrap them up with a little feta cheese and some lettuce for a light lunch. Or reheat them and serve them mixed with 1/2 c. of the new high fiber pasta, another great dinner addition or light lunch. Make lots, they are really versatile!

A relative from California read my blog and sent me the following dressing recipe and a slightly different method that she uses for her roasted vegetables. She roasts hers on a wok on the grill. It's always nice to have options, don't you think?

Balsamic Vinaigrette for Roasted Vegetables
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
3/4 c. oil, olive or canola
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
5 dashed "Maggi" seasoning*
1 T. sugar
Toss the vegetables of your choice in the vinaigrette and roast them on the grill for about 15 minutes, stirring once midway through the cooking time. 
*Maggi seasoning is a swiss condiment, similar to soy sauce. I think it's made by Knorr but I am sure you can find it on most international food aisles in any large grocery store. We used it all the time when I was growing up -- my mom discovered it when we lived in Germany.

What's cooking? Broccoli Cheese Soup

I am compelled to cook. I've just gotta' do it! But, what's a healthy eater wanna' be to do? Cook healthy, obviously! Here is my attempt to do that today: Warm, comforting broccoli cheese soup, based on an old recipe I got years ago at a weight watchers meeting. This recipe is ONLY 3 Smart Points per serving if you are following Weight Watchers.


Broccoli Cheese Soup 
serves 4

3 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth or stock (from a box) or vegetable stock 
10 oz. frozen broccoli florets 
1 garlic clove, minced 
1/4 small onion (about 2 T.) minced 

6 oz. lite velveeta cheese 
1/4 c. 1% lowfat milk 
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the stock in a soup pot and add the broccoli, garlic and onion. Bring it to a boil, turn it down and let cook at least 15 minutes on a simmer until the broccoli is completely cooked. Take your potato masher and mash the broccoli up to thicken the broth. Add the velveeta cheese and milk and let the cheese melt slowly over low heat. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. (you don't need much salt, as the cheese has some in it) 

For a spicy tex-mex flavor, add one can of Rotel Original Tomatoes w/green chilies. More flavor no extra calories! NOTE: You must use processed cheese for this recipe, as it is made for cooking and melts more evenly. Look for the kind made with 2% LF milk, which has 1/2 the fat.