Salmon Salad Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS
2 6- to 7-ounce cans boneless, skinless wild Alaskan salmon, drained
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
8 slices pumpernickel bread, toasted
8 slices tomato
2 large leaves romaine lettuce, cut in half

DIRECTIONS
Combine salmon, onion, lemon juice, oil and pepper in a medium bowl. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese on each of 4 slices of bread. Spread 1/2 cup salmon salad over the cream cheese. Top with 2 tomato slices, a piece of lettuce and another slice of bread.

Nutrition
Per serving: 286 calories; 9 g fat ( 3 g sat , 4 g mono ); 34 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 22 g protein; 4 g fiber; 645 mg sodium; 262 mg potassium.

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Southwestern Beef and Bean Burger Wrap

INGREDIENTS
12 ounces 93% lean ground beef
1 cup refried beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp chopped pickled jalapenos
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
4 whole wheat tortillas, warmed (see Tip)
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

DIRECTIONS
Preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.
Gently combine ground beef, beans, cilantro and jalapenos in a medium bowl. (Do not overmix.) Shape into four 5 by 2 inch patties and place on the prepared pan. Broil the patties about 12 to 14 minutes. A thermometer should show a reading of 165 degrees.
Meanwhile, mash together avocado, salsa, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Spread each with the guacamole, then sprinkle with lettuc and cheese. Top each with a burger and roll into a wrap. Serve immedately, with lime wedges.
Tip: To warm tortillas, wrap in foil and bake at 300 degrees until steaming, about 5 minutes. Or wrap in a barely damp paper towel and microwaves on high for 30 to 45 seconds.
Nutritional information: 4 servings, 394 calories, 17g fat, 6 g saturated, 7 g monounsaturated, 40 g carbs, 28g protein, 10 g fiber, 634 mg sodium

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Shrimp and White Bean Ragout

We made this for Sunday lunch after church, and it was so fast, and it tastes great! Serve with brown rice.
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound large, thawed shrimp
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crumbled dried rosemary
1 can (15-1/2 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large, non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, and sprinkle with the garlic salt, onion powder, and rosemary. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the beans, and cook 2 minutes, until heated through.

Nutritional information (does not include rice): 4 servings, 254.4 calories, 5.7g fat, 1.0g saturated fat, 1.2 polyunsaturated fat, 2.8g monounsaturated fat, 378.4mg sodium, 19.7g carbs, 6.2g dietary fiber, 0 sugars, 30.4 protein

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Sweet Potato Wedges with Chipotle Mayonnaise

INGREDIENTS
4 (6-ounce) sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 cup fat free mayonnaise
1/4 cup chipotle salsa

DIRECTIONS
Preheat over to 425 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non stick spray.
Slice potatoes lengthwise in half and cut each half into 4 wedges. Place wedges, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes; turn potatoes over. Roast until tender and nicely browned along edges, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise and salsa in serving bowl until blended. Serve alongside potatoes.

Per serving (8 potato wedges and 2 tbsp mayonnaise) 124 cal, 1 g fat, 2 mg chol, 205 mg sod, 28 g total carb, 12 g total sugar, 4 g fib, 2 g prot, 33 mg cal

From the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

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Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients
1 lb frozen boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 can Fat Free cream of mushroom soup
16 oz container of Fat Free sour cream
1 envelope Lipton dry soup mix

Directions
Place mushroom soup, sour cream and envelope of onion soup mix in the slow cooker. Mix well. Add frozen chicken. Cook in slow cooker for 7-9 hours. Serve over hot rice.

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Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream (or try plain Greek Yogurt instead!)
Directions
Add chicken to slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa and soup over chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve with rice.

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Slow Cooker Cream Italian Chicken

Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/4 cup water
1-8oz pkg low fat cream cheese
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
3 cups cooked white, long grain rice

Directions
Place chicken in crock pot. Mix together Italian dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours. Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot to plate. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken. Cook on LOW until heated through. Serve with rice or noodles.

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Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pecan Crumble

Words cannot express how absolutely fantastic this bread pudding is. It is beyond heavenly. The time and effort it takes to create this dessert is definitely worth it.

Sweet Potato Puree
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp cinnamon

Cook the sweet potatoes in a saucepan of water for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain then mash to a smooth purée with a potato masher or an electric whisk.
Add all the remaining ingredients and combine well.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
Ingredients
2 tbsp. melted butter
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 cups dried cubed French bread
1-1/2 cups Sweet Potato Puree (recipe above)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x13 baking dish with softened butter. Whisk the eggs and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the cream, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add the sweet potato puree and mix well. Mix in the bread and let set until bread has absorbed the liquid, approximately 30 minutes. Pour into baking dish and top with pecan crumble (recipe below). Cook for one hour or until firm in the middle. Serve topped with Caramel Sauce (recipe below).

Pecan Crumble
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick cold butter, diced
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup toasted and chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, and mix with a hand mixer on low speed, until combined.

Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup Molasses (or Steen's pure cane syrup, which can only be purchased at http://www.steensyrup.com/)

In a sauce pan mix all of the ingredients. Cook over med-high heat until thickened.

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Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions
For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

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Sloppy Joe Stew

Served this up with some warm, homemade cornbread. Perfect food for this weather.


INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp. salt
1 dash of pepper
1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes




DIRECTIONS
Warm the oil in a large, heaving skillet over low heat and brown the ground beef. Stir in the onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes begin to get tender and maybe a little brown in some spots. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

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Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Ingredients

1 box spaghetti

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Meanwhile, brown ground beef.  Drain and add spaghetti sauce; heat through.  Serve meat sauce over cook spaghetti.  Top with desired amount of parmesan cheese.

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Swiss Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts

6 slices Swiss Cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

Directions

Place chicken in greased casserole.  Top with cheese.  mix soup and milk; stir well.  Spoon over chicken and cover.  Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  

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Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

Ingredients

6-8 thick pork chops

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chili sauce

1/4 cup honey

Directions

Mix honey, soy, and chili sauce.  Place pork chops in greased 3-quart casserole.  Pour mixture over chops.  Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  

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Sherry Chicken

Ingredients

6 medium chicken breasts

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1-1/3 cups sour cream

1/2 cup cooking sherry

Directions

Place chicken in greased baking dish.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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Soy Sauce Chicken

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken breasts, boneless

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken in greased casserole dish.  Mix sour cream, soy sauce, and black pepper together.  Spread over chicken.  Bake covered.  

This is one of my favorite recipes and it is so incredibly easy.  Serve it with some egg noodles or rice.  

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

INGREDIENTS
32 frozen fully cooked 1-inch meatballs (1 lb.), thawed
1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce

DIRECTIONS
HEAT grill to medium-high heat. Thread meatballs and peppers alternately onto 8 skewers.
MICROWAVE jam in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 15 sec. Stir in barbecue sauce; brush half onto kabobs.
GRILL 8 to 10 min. or until meatballs are heated through, turning occasionally and brushing with remaining jam mixture the last 2 min.

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Smoky Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches

This is even better the next day...if there's any left, that is.  

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 slices bacon, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

Salt and Pepper

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 (28-0z) can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. paprika

1/4 cup heavy cream

Butter, for the skillet

16 slices of whole wheat bread

8 squares of sliced extra-sharp cheddar cheese

3 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the copped bacon and cook until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the crispy bacon to paper towels to drain and reserve for the grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches.

To the same pot, add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Scoop the veggies into a food processor, add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and the oregano, and puree until smooth.  

Return the pureed veggies to the pot, place back over medium-high heat, and add the remaining chicken stock, the crushed tomatoes, the sugar, and the paprika. Bring the soup up to a bubble, stir in the cream, and keep warm over low heat while you make the sandwiches. 

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  While the butter is melting, lay 8 of the bread slices on a cutting board.  Top each one with a slice of cheese, a sprinkle of the bacon, some chives, and another slice of bread.  Transfer 4 of the sandwiches to the hot skillet and cook until the sandwich is toasted on both side and the cheese is melted.  Repeat with the remaining 4 sandwiches.

Serve the smoky tomato soup with the grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches alongside.

**Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book recipe

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Spaghetti Sauce with Spicy Sausage

INGREDIENTS

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 white onion, diced

2 cups sliced button mushrooms

1 tsp. garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped

2 6-ounce cans tomato paste

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 bay leaf

1 28 ounce can stewed tomatoes

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 tsp. celery salt

pinch cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat with cooked through.  Remove from the skillet to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Add olive oil to the skillet.  Saute the onion, mushrooms, garlic and pepper for 4-5 minutes.  Place in a large saucepan and add the sausage pieces.  Add the tomato paste, salt, bay leaf, stewed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, Italian seasoning, sugar, red wine, celery salt, and cayenne pepper.  Heat over medium-heat for 10 minutes, reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes more.  Serve over your favorite pasta and sprinkle with parmesan.

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Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground pork sausage

1 32-ounce bag frozen hash browns

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

12 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

1 tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

DIRECTIONS

Cook sausage in a medium nonstick skillet until it crumbles and is no longer pink.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels.  Place hash browns in a lightly greased slow cooker.  Spoon sausage over hash browns; sprinkle with cheese.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and mustard.  Pour over the cheese.

Cover and cook on low 4 1/2-5 hours or until set.  Uncover and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with a fresh fruit salad!

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Super Yummy Chicken Strips

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 pounds chicken tenders

1 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 dash Tabasco Sauce (I use the mild green pepper version)

1 cup flour

1 tsp. seasoning salt (I use the local favorite, Head Country Seasoning Salt)

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. pepper

2-4 tbsp. canola oil

Various sauces for dipping:  Ranch, Honey Mustard, Southwestern Mustard, Cheese Sauce, etc

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet.  (OR, use your trusty old electric skillet, like I do!)  In a shallow dish, combine the eggs and milk with the Tabasco.  In another shallow dish, combine the flour, paprika, seasoning salt, and pepper.  Dip the chicken in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, and then a second time in the flour mixture.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove from the pan, set aside on a paper towel-covered plate, and keep warm.  To serve, offer a variety of sauces in dipping bowls.  Serve immediately.

Goes great with some steamed broccoli and carrots!  This is definitely a kid-favorite at our house!

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