Baked Ziti with Meatballs

This recipe was created one evening when I didn’t want to go to the grocery store and had to make due with what we had in stock. After a little web searching and some substitutions, this is what I came up with. I was so pleased that it became a staple dish. The best part is that is freezes great! So I always make a bunch extra and freeze it in foil baking pans for later.

1 lb whole wheat ziti or penne, cooked according to instructions

1 pkg. frozen meatballs, your choice, cut in quarters (I use turkey meatballs)

26 oz. jar tomato basil pasta sauce, divided (approx. 1 ½ jars)

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

15 oz. Ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

8 oz Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. dried Basil

In a large bowl mix together can of tomato sauce, garlic, Ricotta cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir in meatballs and pasta.

Pour 1/3 pasta sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish and then half of the noodle mixture. Top with 1/3 of pasta sauce and ½ of mozzarella cheese. Pour remaining pasta mixture over cheese and top with remaining pasta sauce and cheese. Sprinkle dried basil over top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes more until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the middle.

TO FREEZE:

Prepare as above but omit cheese on top. I use 8x8 foil pans which is plenty for one meal for our family of 2 adults and 2 toddlers. Cover with saran wrap and then wrap in foil. Slide into a ziploc bag, seal and place in freezer. Thaw in fridge overnight or on countertop for several hours. Remove plastic wrap and top with cheese. Bake according to instructions above.

Serve with:

Caesar salad and veggie of choice.

Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I have been on a hunt for yummy recipes for ground turkey (primarily ones that help in the flavor department). I am trying this one tonight and thought I would post. I have a few others I need to get up too that I have found to yummy (& easy).

3-4 Poblano Peppers, cut in half and seeds removed

1 lb lean ground turkey

1/2 medium onion, diced small

1-2 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup frozen corn

~4 oz. easy melting grated Mexi-style cheese, your choice

Preheat oven 425 and place peppers face down on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Roast peppers 15 mins. Let cool.

Brown turkey meat with onion, garlic, and seasonings. Smash black beans and add to meat mixture. Add corn. Stir everything to mix well. The smashed black beans help to hold the mixture together.

Fill peppers with mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 mins or until cheese is melted and maybe a little brown on top.

Serve with salad or fruit and rice.

Zucchini Yogurt Multigrain Muffins - AKA Sugar-Cinnamon Muffins

I renamed these muffins so my children would eat them. ;)  They gobbled them up!  And my picky husband even loved them!  I originally got the recipe from AllRecipes.com here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Yogurt-Multigrain-Muffins/Detail.aspx  and then modified it based on what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

[In place of the all-purpose flour, I used 2 packets of Low Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal ground up in food processor, 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup Pecan flour, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted this because I was out)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used 1/2 apple grated in food processor)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup white sugar (I omitted)
3/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini (shredded in food processor and then patted down with paper towels to remove some of the liquid)
1 cup shredded carrots (shredded in food processor)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 24 muffin cups.  (I made 24 mini muffins and 8 mini loaves)
2.In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the zucchini, carrots, pecans, and raisins. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.  (I baked the mini muffins for 10-11 mins. and the loaves for 12-15 minutes)

These were so increbibly delicious.  The last addition I made to the mini loaves was I sprinkled cinnamon-sugar on top before baking.  This made them more appealing to the kids, but since I omitted the sugar originally I didn't feel so bad about adding the small amount of sugar to the top.  Very moist and good!!!  A great way to sneak in some veggies!

Light Sour Cream Coffee Cake

I made this straight out of my current issue of Taste of Home and it is sooo yummy! Just had to share...still need some work on posting those "healthy recipes"! :}

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  STREUSEL:
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, yogurt, butter and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
• In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Spoon half of batter into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with half of streusel. Top with remaining batter and streusel. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Yield: 20 servings.

Chocolate Chess Pie

This lovely recipe was in my Family Fun magazine 2009 issue. I had company in town this past weekend (always a good reason to make a guilty pleasure dessert, right? :)) This pie was quick and easy to make and it actually tastes as good as it looks!

Ingredients:

Your favorite 9-inch deep dish piecrust (buy or make your own)

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 C sugar

1 TBS fine yellow cornmeal

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

1/4 C milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare your pie crust & preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Put the butter in the top of a double-boiler set over, but not in, slow-simmering water OR place a heat-safe glass or metal bowl in a similarly sized pot (I don't have a double boiler so I tried this second method & it worked well). Scatter the chocolate over the butter without mixing and let it stand until the chocolate and butter have melted, about 6 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture until it's smooth, then remove it from the heat and set it aside for 10 minutes to cool.

3. In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the sugar, cornmeal, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, lightly beat together the eggs & yolk. Add them to the sugar mixture, along with the milk and vanilla extract, and whisk together until they're evenly blended. Then whisk in the chocolate mixture until smooth & pour the filling into the piecrust.

4. Place the pie on the center oven rack & bake it for 35 minutes. Rotate it 180 degrees, then continue to bake until it puffs up and forms a thin crusty layer, about 20 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 1 1/2 hours. Serve it slightly warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if you like. (I made homemade whipped cream--so easy, use a mixer to blend 1/4C sugar with 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream--mix it until fluffy...yum!!)

Enjoy!

Chicken Puffs: easy, yummy...(not super healthy) :}

A while back I needed some comfort food...o.k., so you can probably tell by my recipe posts that I often think I need comfort food :)! Anyway, I found this easy chicken puff recipe on the All Recipes website. They are similar to the awesome chicken roll-ups that Lana makes.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed

3 TBS chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

3/4 pkg cream cheese (softened)

6 TBS butter (melted)

3 cans crescent rolls (I only used 2)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan over med heat, slowly cook & stir chicken, onions & garlic. Cook until onions are tender & chicken is lightly browned.

2. In a medium bowl, blend chicken mixture, cream cheese & butter until creamy.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

4. Unroll croissants and create rectangles. Place approximately a TBS of the chicken mixture on each rectangle & fold it into a ball.

5. Arrange the chicken puffs on a baking sheet & bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Another favorite soup!

Hearty Potato Leek Soup with Kielbasa sausage...yum!

I found this recipe in the same mag that I discovered my other favorite soup recipe in (Italian Bean Soup); I have decided it's another keeper!

Ingredients

8 oz kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

3 TBS unsalted butter

2 lbs leeks, white & light green parts only, halved lengthwise and chopped (see note below)

1 lb red potatoes, scrubbed & cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1 TBS all-purpose flour

4 C low sodium chicken broth

S&P

Directions:

1. Brown kielbasa in Dutch oven over med-high heat, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate.

2. Add butter, leeks, and potatoes to empty pot and cook until leeks begin to soften, about 5 min. Stir in flour until absorbed, about 1 min. Slowly whisk in broth & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium & simmer until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.

3. Transfer 1 1/2 cups soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return to pot. Stir in kielbasa. Season with S&P. Serve.

Notes:

*Be sure to wash the leeks well to remove any grit or dirt (fyi, I found leeks in the produce section of walmart but until I discovered them I had planned to just use onions & some garlic...either would probably work)

*The recipe calls for just 8oz of the sausage--if you buy it in the pkg that comes with the two links it's only half of that pkg, but I went back and added in more sausage b/c it gives the soup so much flavor.

*I served this with a caesar salad & Pepperidge Farm cheese bread--they worked well together! Great comfort food! :)

*One last note--the recipe said that it was the pureeing of the soup base & the TBS of flour that made this soup thick & hearty in such a short amount of time.

Enjoy!