Lemony Green Beans

Ingredients

1 pound green beans
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Zest of 2 large lemons (yellow part only)
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)
1/3 cup lightly packed grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

For crunchy green beans, blanch them in boiling salted water for 1 minute. For softer beans, aim for 5 minutes. Either way, drain them, plunge them into ice water, and drain again thoroughly. Transfer them to a bowl.

In a small skillet over low heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil just until fragrant, about 1 minute (do not let it brown). Pour the mixture over the green beans and add the lemon zest, parsley, cheese, and salt and pepper, tossing everything together. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mashed Potatoes: Canyon Ranch Lime Cilantro

CANYON RANCH LIME CILANTRO MASHED POTATOES



When trying to lose weight, many people shy away from potatoes. That’s a crying out loud shame because potatoes pack lots of nutrition, very little fat, oodles of versatility for flavor profiles, and they make you feel full and satisfied. Put the potatoes back on your plate and you can start with these delicious Lime Cilantro Mashed Potatoes from Canyon Ranch Spa.

INGREDIENTS
3 medium Yukon gold or red bliss potatoes, scrubbed and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons nonfat sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon butter
¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, or ½ teaspoon minced chipotle pepper (how to store leftover chipotle peppers)
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch black pepper

PREPARATION
Place potatoes in 6 cups of boiling water. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Turn off the heat and drain water. Place saucepan back on burner for 30 seconds to dry potatoes.
Add the remaining ingredients and mash with a potato masher until all ingredients are mixed well. Potatoes will be slightly lumpy.
NOTE: For smoother potatoes peel before cooking and beat with an electronic mixer on a low setting until smooth. I prefer to leave the skins on for a heartier flavor, more interesting texture and better nutrition.
YIELD: 4 servings (each 1/2 cup)
CALORIES: 105 / FAT: 3 g / CARBS: 17 g / FIBER: 2 g

Hash Brown Casserole

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE EVEN
PAULA DEEN WOULD LOVE




Paula Deen coming to brunch and you don’t know what to serve? Okay, maybe not! But she could be and she’d be thrilled with this cheesy hash brown casserole that’s so packed with cheesy goodness, even Paula wouldn’t miss the fat!
Seriously, this is reeeely good!

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted (such as Campbell’s Healthy Request)
8 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)
1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream (such as Daisy)
Cooking spray
2 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed (the cornflakes are the secret key to this wonderful casserole)

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 4 ingredients and 1 tablespoon butter in a large bowl; toss well.
Combine soup and cheese in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave at HIGH 6 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream.
Pour cheese mixture over potato mixture, and stir well.
Spread mixture evenly in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray
Combine cornflakes and remaining 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle evenly over top of potato mixture.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
YIELD: 12 servings (1/2 cup)CALORIES 181 (30% from fat) / FAT 6g / CARB 25.5 g /FIBER 1.5 g

Great Idea for Thanksgiving

Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
11/2 cups sour cream
3 tsp. onion, or garlic, salt
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter , melted

Combine all ingredients into slow cooker.
Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours

These potatoes may be prepared 3-4 days in advance of serving and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Try 15 potatoes, 2 cups sour cream.
Seasoning to flavor to your taste.
This feeds 14 people and we had a little bit left over.
Good luck.

Grilling Veggies

Another good 1 from that blog!

Wanna grill some of those fabulous veggies that are poppin out of everyone's gardens this time of year?

Here's how to grill some delish

Asparagus:
Cut off ends.
Soak in water for 30 minutes to an hour.
Pat dry and brush with olive oil. Place on grillo, turning every minute.
Remove when tips start to turn brown.
You can add some extra flavor to asparagus by mixing a little sesame oil in the olive oil before you brush them.

Bell Peppers:
Cut through the middle of the pepper top to bottom.
Remove stems, seeds and whitish ribs. B
rush lightly with oil and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Chili Peppers:
Brush with oil.
Grill whole on each side, 2-3 minutes. To reduce the heat, cut off the stems and pull ou the seeds.

Corn on the cob:
Gently pull back the husks but don't remove.
Remove the silk and cut off the very end.
Soak in cold water for about 30 minutes.
Dry and brush with butter.
Fold the husks back down and tie or twist the ends.
Place on grill for about 5-7 minutes.
Turn to avoid burning.

Eggplant:
Cut lengthwise for smaller eggplants or in disks top to bottom for larger eggplants.
Soak in water for 30 minutes.
Pat dry, brush with oil and grill 2-3 minutes.

Garlic:
Take whole bulbs and cut off the root end.
Brush with oil and grill. 4-5 minutes for small mushrooms, 6-8 minutes.
Use a grill basket or topper for small mushrooms.

Onions:
Remove skin and cut horizontally about 1/2 inch thick.
Brush with oil and grill 3-4 minutes.
Tomatoes: Cut in half, top to bottom.
Brush with a light coating of oil and grill cut side down 2-3 minutes.

Potatoes:
Wash thoroughly and dry.
Rub with oil.
Wrap in aluminum foil and grill 35-40 minutes, turning occasionally.

Zucchini and small squash:
Slice 1/2 inch thickness. Brush with oil and grill 2-3 minutes per side. Small squash can be cut down the middle and grilled in halves.

Honey Chicken Kabobs

{Since we woke up to snow this morning I thought I would serve a summer bbq dish for dinner!}

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 or 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2/3 clove garlic
1 medium onion, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
skewers

DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking.
2. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
3. Preheat the grill for high heat.
4. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade.
5. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
6. Lightly oil the grill grate.
7. Place the skewers on the grill.
8. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear.
9. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Yields: 4 kabobs

Serving suggestions: I served these kabobs with white rice, I reserved some of the marinade before adding it to the chicken and poured some of it over my rice. It was super yummy. Other suggestions are to make a chicken kabob and a veggie kabob and cook them separately. I also added some squash and zuccini to our kabobs.

Roasted Asparagus

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 to 2 lbs. fresh asparagus
5 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. fresh thyme (chopped) - I've even used dried thyme and it worked fine, but only use about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp.
salt & pepper to taste

*Spread asparagus out onto a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle thyme, salt, and pepper over the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Good Yams

*2 large cans of yams (drained)
*1 c brown sugar
*3 tbsp flour
*1 tsp salt
*1 c cream
*8-10 large marshmallows

1. Put yams in brownie pan.
2. Mix brown sugar, flour and salt. Then sprinkle mix over yams.
3. Then dump the cream over the yam mixture
4. Place marshmallows on top of the yam mixture
5. Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes until thick and bubbly.

Enjoy!!! This is my grandmas recipe and its sooo very good!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 lb ground hamburger
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 c. cooked minute rice
16 oz stewed or diced tomatoes
salt & pepper to your taste
1c. or so (sometimes I like more) Velveeta cheese
4 bell peppers (I like to use one of each color, green, red, orange and yellow) washed, decored (is that a word?) & cut in half
White cheese of your choice (Swiss, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, etc.)

Brown meat and onion. Combine the rest ingredients then add Velveeta in chunks. Don't melt all the way. Fill peppers and place in a glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove the foil the last 10 minutes. Put 1/2 a slice of swiss or some other sliced cheese on the peppers for the last few min. (I put both halves on because I like cheese!!)

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes

3/4 lb baby red potato, washed, quartered
1/2 medium bell pepper, cut in 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 large red onion, cut in 1/2-inch chunks
10 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
A dash of salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spray an oven-proof dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add vegetables and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat.
3. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.
4. Place dish in oven and bake for 15 minutes, stir and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.
5. Sprinkle with dried basil, adjust salt and pepper as needed, cover and allow to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

{We have gotten some great fresh onions, green peppers and red potatoes from our neighbor's garden and from Bruce Giest's garden. I found this recipe online and it surprisingly turned out very yummy. I did have to cook mine a bit longer to soften the potatoes.}