Tag Archives: onion

Vegetable Gratin

February 21, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is such a hearty vegetable dish ! The potatoes, parsnips and carrots really satisfy. Serve next to just about anything for a great serving of vegetables.

4 servings
251 calories per serving

Pam
2 t oil
1 lb. onions, thinly sliced
1/3 c skim milk
1 T cornstarch
1 c fat free chicken broth
¼ t pepper
Salt to taste
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
1 t parsley flakes
¼ t thyme
1 lb. red potatoes cut in 1 inch chunks
6 stalks celery, cut in 1 inch chunks
½ lb. parsnips, sliced
½ lb. carrots, sliced

Spray skillet with Pam, add oil and heat on medium high. Cook onions 25 minutes to caramelize and brown the onions. Add a tablespoon or more of hot water along the way if the onions start to dry out too much. Whisk milk and cornstarch and add to onion skillet along with broth, pepper and thyme. Heat on medium high heat and boil for 1 minute stirring continuously.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine potatoes, celery, parsnips and carrots. Stir in onion mix and spices/herbs and turn all into a 3 quart baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes then remove cover and bake another 15 minutes, until golden and tender.

Lunch, Sandwiches, Vegetables

‘Sausage’ and Pepper Sandwich

February 3, 2011 admin Leave a comment

The Morningstar Farms sausage links are made out of all veggies – the consistency is not quite there, but the sausage flavor is AWESOME. When placed on a nice big roll and smothered in peppers and onions, you don’t even realize that you are not eating real sausage ! This is a great way to still have one of your favorites but have a guilt free version.

1 serving
375 calories per serving

4 bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
hot water

1 link Morningstar sausage heated according to package instructions
1 small club roll

Place oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Put onions in pan and saute 5 minutes. Move onions to the side, remove pan from heat and spray skillet with Pam. Return to heat and add peppers to skillet. Let cook down a little and then season with all the spices. After about 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. I like mine pretty soft and let them cook a good 20 minutes. If you do the same, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of hot water a couple times during the cooking process so that the veggie stay moist and do not burn.

Place sausage on roll and top with peppers and onions.

Chicken, Dinner, Turkey

Chicken and Sausage

January 16, 2011 admin Leave a comment

The flavors in this dish remind me of a chicken and sausage casserole that my Mom used to make in the winters. This is a very filling meal – real comfort food ! 🙂

4 servings
360 calories per serving

2 t oil
½ pound turkey sausage, casing removed and crumbled up
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (10 oz. total)
Kosher salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 onion, diced
1 lb. potatoes, quartered
3 ribs celery cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c chicken broth
2 T red vinegar
1 T chopped parsley

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat oil then add sausage and cook 5 minutes. Remove to plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan and cook until golden, about 6 minutes, flipping half way through. Move to plate. Add onion and celery and cook 5 minutes, then add potatoes and season with salt and pepper and cook 15 minutes. Add sausage back to pot and then chicken and broth. Bring to a boil them cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are done. Take off the lid and bring back to a boil and cook until liquid equals only ½ c. Place chicken on a platter and add vinegar and parsley to pot and stir. Then add the rest to the platter with a slotted spoon.

Dinner, FiberGourmet, Italian, Pasta

Tri Color Pepper Pasta

January 13, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This has some of the best flavor you will find in a pasta dish ! The sauteed peppers and onions (much like you add to sausage and peppers) quickly impart their tremendous flavor top the pasta and you end up with a dish that completely satisfies your taste buds.

4 servings
320 calories per serving

8 oz. FiberGourmet Penne, Spaghetti, or Fettuccine (without FiberGourmet pasta, you have to add another 80 calories per serving to this)
1 T oil
1 medium onion in thin slices
1 medium orange bell pepper in bite sized strips
1 medium yellow bell pepper in bite sized strips
1 medium green bell pepper in bite sized strips
1/3 c prepared pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
¼ c shredded parmesan cheese

Cook penne according to package directions. Heat oil and cook onion 2 minutes then add peppers and spices and cook 10-15 minutes or until they are very tender. Add pasta and then remove from heat and stir in pesto. Add salt and pepper and sprinkle with cheese.

Beef, Dinner, Kid Friendly

Beef Stroganoff Casserole

January 9, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Another in my search for the perfect ‘homemade hamburger helper’ recipe. This one is definitely a contender ! It is very flavorful and sometimes you just gotta have beef (many of my others use ground turkey). It’s 404 calories – so just do a few jumping jacks before dinner and you’ll burn off those extra 4 🙂

6 servings
404 calories per serving

1 lb. lean ground beef
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
1 t oil
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c white cooking wine
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
½ c light sour cream
1 T Dijon mustard
4 c cooked egg noodles
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13×9 pan with Pam. Cook meat in a skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink, separating the pieces as it cooks. Drain liquid and fat from meat and set meat aside. In same skillet add mushrooms, onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add wine and reduce heat and cook another 3-4 minutes then remove from heat and stir in soup, sour cream and mustard. Return beef to pan and mix well. Put noodles in the baking dish and then pour beef over the noodles. Mix well. Bake uncovered 30 minutes.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Baked Zucchini Risotto

December 31, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is just one of those special recipes – this makes a beautiful risotto-like dish that bakes up with no effort. It is creamy and delicious.

12 servings
204 calories per serving

1 1/2 c brown rice
3 c chicken broth
4 c diced zucchini
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced finely
3/4 t salt
Pepper to taste
1 1/2 c skim milk
3 T flour
2 c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1 c frozen corn, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Pour rice into a 9×13 baking dish. Simmer broth until hot and then stir into the rice. Add zucchini, peppers, onion, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes then remove foil and cook another 35 minutes or so, until liquid is all absorbed.

Whisk milk and flour in a saucepan and cook until bubbly and thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add 1 ½ c of the cheese and corn and cook until cheese is all melted. When rice is done, stir in cheese sauce and sprinkle with the last ½ c cheese and bake another 10 minutes to melt cheese. Let rest before serving.

Dinner, Mexican

Black Bean Chili

December 17, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is a great quick chili – you can serve it with rice, drop the whole thing in some broth to make a soup, or eat as is with a nice dollop of sour cream on top.

4 servings
253 calories per serving

2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
2 t chili powder
1 t oregano flakes
1 t ground cumin
2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Place onion and garlic in a hot saucepan sprayed with Pam and cover and cook on low 5 minutes stirring occasionally and adding up to 1 couple of tablespoons of water to keep them from scorching. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, peppers, chili powder, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer 5 minutes then add the beans and simmer another 5 minutes.

Chicken, Dinner, Mexican

Sofrito Chicken Stew

December 9, 2010 admin Leave a comment

A rich stew with lots of flavor – the dark meat chicken definitely gives this dish extra texture and the olives give it great authenticity. Sofrito is a tomato, pepper, onion and garlic base for many Latin dishes. The mixture of flavors is sooooooo good. Serve with Rice Pilaf for a perfect meal.

2 servings
238 calories per serving

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (3 oz. each)
1 T oil
¼ t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
¼ c diced onions
1 T garlic clove, minced
¼ c diced red bell pepper
¼ c diced yellow bell pepper
¼ c diced green olives
4 T tomato paste
1 c chicken broth
2 T cilantro, chopped

Cut chicken into thin strips. Heat 1 t oil and cook chicken over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking about 5 minutes, Place on a plate and keep warm. Add rest of oil to pan and sauté onion 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in peppers and olives and cook 1 minute then add chicken back to the pan along with tomato paste and broth. Simmer about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Beef, Dinner, Kid Friendly

Pot Roast (Pressure Cooker)

December 5, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Pot Roast is just a special dish – it is so homey and so inviting. I love the way the meat gets so super, super tender. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook this stove top in Dutch Oven for 2 hours at a low simmer. But if you have a pressure cooker, then definitely try this recipe in there – the pressure cooker method adds even more flavor to an already fantastic dish.

4 servings
310 calories per serving

1 lb. beef round steak ½ inch thick (thin London broil), cut into 4 pieces
2 T oil
6 large carrots, in 2 inch pieces
6 small new potatoes, halved
1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 t rosemary flakes
1 t thyme flakes
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
¾ c fat free beef broth
2 T flour
¼ c water

Heat oil in pressure cooker and brown meat on both sides. Remove and set aside. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, herbs, salt and pepper and then add the beef back. Pour the broth over the mix. Lock lid, bring to pressure and cook ½ hour. Quick release the pressure and remove meat and veggies to a platter and keep warm. Mix flour and water and stir into broth and cook until thickened and serve over meat.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, do this stove top in a dutch oven and for the final cooking period, cook 2 hours on a low simmer.

Beef, Lunch, Sandwiches

Roast Beef and Swiss Sandwich

November 28, 2010 admin Leave a comment

A zesty sandwich perfectly portable and wonderfully good !

1 serving
326 calories per serving

1 Arnold Sandwich Thin roll (only 100 calories!)
4 oz. lean deli roast beef, thinly sliced
1 slice low fat swiss cheese
1/3 c spinach leaves
1 slice red onion
½ T horseradish
½ T light mayonnaise

Mix mayo and horseradish and spread on bun then top with meat, cheese, spinach and onion.