Corn and Red Bell Pepper Sauté

This is a super simple side dish that you'll probably already have the ingredients for and takes almost no time at all. 

Corn and Red Bell Pepper Sauté

serves 2

Cooking spray

1⅓  cups frozen corn, thawed

½ large bell pepper or 2 mini bell peppers, diced

½ tablespoon light margarine

Lowry’s Seasoned Pepper

1. Heat skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.

2. Add corn and chopped bell pepper to skillet. Cook until slightly browned, stirring often.

3. Add margarine and season with salt and seasoned pepper. Cook until margarine melts and vegetables are cooked warm. Serve immediately.

Nutrition:

    120 calories, 3g fat, 4g fiber, 20g carbs, 5g protein

    3 weight watchers points+

Grits and Cheese Soufflés with Arugula Salad

We made these for dinner last night as a meatless option on Good Friday. We served it with the simple arugula salad in the recipe and a Corn and Red Bell Pepper Sauté (recipe under Sides). I did end up flipping them out of the dishes but didn't get a picture of it. It was much easier to eat though since you don't have to worry about the hot ramekin.

       

It was pretty tasty although in the future I want to experiment with adding chopped salami or pancetta to the soufflés. I think they'd also be an impressive brunch for company so it's going in my breakfast category as well.

Grits and Cheese Soufflés with Arugula Salad

serves 4

¾ cup quick-cooking grits

Cooking spray

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ ounces), plus more for ramekins

1½ cups frozen corn, thawed

2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

6 cups baby arugula

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1.    Preheat oven to 425.

2.    Mix the grits and 1½ cups water in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave    until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir occasionally until slightly cooled.

3.     Meanwhile, coat four 10 ounce ramekins with cooking spray and sprinkle with parmesan; tap out the excess. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

4.    Combine the cooled grits, corn, cream cheese, egg yolks, thyme, ½ cup parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth, stopping the motor to stir by hand if needed (the mixture will be thick). Transfer to a large bowl.

5.    In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and ½ teaspoon vinegar until medium peaks form. Fold ¼ of the white into the grits mixture, then fold in the rest.

6.    Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

7.    Toss the arugula with the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, the olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the soufflés.

Nutrition (per 1 soufflé):

345 calories, 9g fat, 52g carbs, 5g fiber, 15g protein

9 weight watchers points+

Sushi

I love making sushi. I get all the ingredients cooked, sliced, and ready to go, lay it out pretty on white plates, and then create several different rolls. It's methodological and organized and I get to use the beautiful sushi dishes that Matt bought me for Christmas a few years ago. We went to Disney World for that New Year's and specifically went shopping in Japan at Epcot for soy sauce bowls to go with the new dishes. I will always remember that fondly - especially because I think about it every time we pull out the dishes!

The main thing about rolling sushi is practice. I've included a few tips here as well as the recipe for sushi rice and several tasty roll combinations. The first step is to prep everything and cook the rice. Cook any meat that you want to use and then slice all ingredients into narrow strips. This will be best for rolling the sushi.

 Sushi Rice
makes about 12 rolls

2 cups rice, uncooked
3 - 4 cups water
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1. Cook rice according to package instructions making sure that it is cooked through and not al dente. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Let cool.
2. Meanwhile, heat vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. While stirring, drizzle the liquid over the rice until well mixed. Let rice cool completely before rolling sushi.

Rolling sushi: By no means is this the professional way to do it but it works pretty well for us!

Place a piece of Nori on your rolling mat (you could also use a kitchen towel although it will be a little harder). Spread about 1/3 cup of cooked sushi rice across the Nori making sure that you get it all the way to the edges. If you don't, the end pieces will be lame and the ingredients may fall out of the ends.

Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the rice and gently press to make sure it sticks. Flip this over so the plastic wrap is on the bottom and the exposed Nori is on top.

Line your ingredients up along long edge of the Nori. To start rolling pull the mat up over the ingredients and make sure to tuck the end of the Nori under them. Gently pressing down, roll the mat forward until the roll is completed. Be sure that you pull the plastic wrap along with the mat so that it doesn't get stuck in your sushi.

Using a sharp knife slice into bite size pieces and enjoy!

Taylor Roll (my fav)
Chicken (marinated in soy sauce & garlic)
Bacon
Jalapeno
Cream Cheese

Houston Roll
Raw Tuna
Jalapeno
Cream Cheese

Steak & Asparagus
Flanksteak (marinated in soy sauce & garlic)
Asparagus spears (cooked until al dente)

Rebel Roll               Oxford Roll                Tiger Roll
Crab                       Fried Catfish              Chicken
Bacon                     Cucumber                  Jalapeno
Avocado                 Spicy Sauce              Tiger Sauce, drizzled on top
Cream Cheese

Lightened Up Southwestern Egg Muffins

I adapted this recipe from my mom's Southwestern Egg Casserole - which although is incredibly delicious, isn't super healthy. So, this is my lightened up version that I can eat on any morning without feeling guilty. Plus, I make it in muffin cups, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze them individually so it's super easy to microwave them and eat them on the go. These aren't quite as indulgent as the casserole but they are great for a healthy morning breakfast.



*** For the original recipe - perfect for breakfast or brunch with company in town - check out the post for Southwestern Egg Casserole.

Southwestern Egg Muffins
5 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup cottage cheese
4 ounces canned, diced green chiles, undrained

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Stir eggs to break the yolks.
3. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together. Mix into the eggs until well combined.
4. Add cottage cheese and green chiles to the egg mixture and stir together.
5. Spray a muffin dish with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 cup of the casserole into each muffin cup (will probably only fill 10 cups). Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
6. Let cool and pull out of muffin tins. Wrap in small sheets of plastic wrap and freeze in a sealable container.
7. Warm in microwave until warm - about 45 seconds for 1 muffin or 1 minute for 2 muffins.

Nutrition (per muffin): 67 calories, 3g fat, 0g fiber, 4g carbs, 6g protein
                                      about 2 weight watchers points+

Southwestern Egg Casserole

This is hands-down one of my favorite breakfasts. My mom makes it at the cabin a lot and whenever we have company, it's my go-to for breakfast or brunch. Best part? If you want to make it the night before and then bake it the morning of, you're golden because it doesn't change the taste one bit! And don't worry about having too many leftovers - they are delicious rewarmed as well. Enjoy!

*** I also make these as in healthier, smaller portions to have as an easy breakfast for mornings on the go. Check out the Lightened Up Southwestern Egg Muffins for the healthier, everyday recipe.

Southwestern Egg Casserole
10 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups (1 pound) Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
2 cups cottage cheese
8 ounces canned, diced green chiles, undrained

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Stir eggs to break the yolks slightly.
3. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together. Mix into the eggs until well combined.
4. Add melted butter, both cheeses, and green chiles and stir together.
5. Spray a 13x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour casserole into the baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. Serve warm.

Braciole Sandwich

My sophomore year of college I was watching an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond and Debra made "braciole" which apparently is the only dish that she ever cooked that was good. So of course, I started to wonder what that was and if I could make it. Since then I've been continually tweaking the recipe to find the best one. Should I use flanksteak or veal? Should I add prosciutto? Should it be one large piece or several small ones? I still haven't decided the best way yet.

Even if I haven't figured out the best recipe for braciole as a meal itself, we did stumble across this sandwich which is awesome. Jeff Mauro was one of our top picks for the 2011 Next Food Network Star and on the last episode this is what he cooked. 

I edited the recipe just a little bit but otherwise it's pretty perfect. Make sure to get soft hero (sub-like) rolls and warm them up. That will help the cheese melt and is just plain delicious. It takes a while to make this since it braises for a couple of hours but once you get it going you can let it be. It's worth it - trust me!

Braciole Sandwich**

1 flanksteak

2 cups breadcrumbs - I usually make my own but you could use store bought too

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella, shredded 

1 cup parsley, diced very finely

3 tablespoons garlic, minced

olive oil, as needed

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoon red wine

28 ounces crushed tomatoes - I highly recommend Hunt's brand, it's worth it not to use generic here

4 soft hero (sub-like) rolls, warmed

Fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly

French fried onions - the kind that goes on green bean casserole

1. Very carefully slice your flanksteak into two thinner steaks. Cover with plastic wrap and pound to about 1/4 inch thickness. This can be tricky so either ask your butcher to do it or be VERY CAREFUL. You don't have to do this but it'll be much easier to roll and cook more evenly if you do. 

2. Mix together breadcrumbs, cheeses, parsley, and 3 tablespoons garlic together. Spread evenly over the steaks and drizzle with olive oil. 

3. Starting with a long edge, roll the flanksteak over the filling to create a roulade. Secure with cooking twice. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

4. In a dutch oven (or a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid), heat about 1/4 cup olive oil over medium high heat until almost smoking. Add roulades and sear on all sides until just golden brown but not cooked through. Remove from heat and keep warm. 

5. Turn the heat down to medium. Add onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir continuously to avoid burning. Stir in tomato paste for about 1 minute. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot. Add crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. 

6. Put seared roulades back in the pot and cover in tomato sauce. Cover with lid, turn heat to low, and simmer for about 2 hours, occasionally recovering the roulades with sauce. 

7. Remove from pot and slice into thin slices, removing the twine. Serve immediately on warm rolls with mozzarella and fried onions.

** Original recipe: Jeff Mauro

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pammies-braciole-sandwich-recipe/index.html

Easy to Clean Bacon Grease

 My dad always seems to have a can lying around when it's time to get rid of bacon grease. I never seem to be that lucky so I've found the next best option. I actually think I like this a little bit better.

I know, I know. I'm a southern gal - I'm supposed to keep my bacon grease for cooking. However, I wasn't raised by a southern lady and I don't cook southern food very well. So alas, I turn my back on that southern norm and toss it right in the trash.



Line a small bowl with a piece of foil so that it hangs over the edges.
Pour all that warm grease in there and let it sit until it hardens.

If you live in 100 degree weather and your air conditioner seems to stay at 75 all the time (like mine), it may never harden. So put it in the fridge and you'll get it to solidify.

Curl up all the ends to make a little pouch and you can throw it right in the trash! Since it's hard it won't leak everywhere and it's easy clean up.