I have never been a fan of Brussels sprouts. I tried and tried to like them since they are a favorite of Greg’s, but I just couldn’t acquire a taste for them. At least I couldn’t until I came across this recipe. I not only converted myself to loving these Brussels sprouts, but I also converted my mother, who absolutely hated them in the past. I have made them two or three times and can’t get tired of them.

If you are looking for a great veggie side dish, look no further. These Caramelized Shallots and Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta will wow you and your guests.

Caramelized Shallots and Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

adapted from Cooking Light, October 2008
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved (I prefer to use fresh)
cooking spray
1 tbs. olive oil
2/3 cups thinly sliced shallots
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 ounce finely chopped prosciutto
4 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. white wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange Brussels sprouts on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Add shallots, pepper, salt, and prosciutto to pan; toss well. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Add sugar and white wine vinegar; toss to coat. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until caramelized.

While it’s nice to have the traditional meat, starch and vegetable dinner on a plate, I am always looking for one pot dishes. I feel like after a long day of work, a one pot dish is so simple for a weeknight dinner. Not only do you not have to concentrate on three different pots and pans on the stove while you are trying to unwind, but you also have a lot less dishes to wash at the end of the night.

I was delighted when I found not only a great sounding stew dish but a healthy stew dish at Erin’s Eats. My husband is not a fan of a traditional stew because he really doesn’t like gravy, so I love the fact that this stew has more of a light sauce rather than a gravy. It’s light but hearty.

This is also a recipe that you can very simply alter to fit your taste.

Chicken Stew with White Beans and Spinach

adapted from Erin’s Eats
2-3 slices of bacon, chopped (I used turkey bacon)
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (I used boneless skinless)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs. tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. oregano
1 can cannellini, or your favorite white beans, drained
3 cups fresh spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large saute pan with lid, cook bacon until it is crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. You want about 1 tbs. of fat/oil remaining in the pan. If you used pork bacon then you may need to remove some excess fat and if you used turkey bacon you may have to actually add a bit of olive oil to the pan to compensate.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and sear it in the pan, browning both sides. Remove from pan.

Add the onions and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic and once the garlic becomes fragrant, stir in tomato paste. Cook approximately 1 minute.

Add wine to the pan to deglaze. Cook for about 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken back to the pan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash about 1/3 of the can of beans with a fork or back of a wooden spoon–not into a paste, but just breaking up some of the beans (this will make the texture of the final product a bit thicker). After the chicken has simmered for 15 minutes, add the whole beans and the mashed beans into the pan. Cover, simmering an additional 15 minutes.

Add the bacon back in and the spinach. Cook just until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

I would like to start out by saying that I never felt that I was a deprived child (food wise) until my husband introduced me to Nutella. Yes, I had never tasted or even knew about Nutella until I was about 20 years old and in college. I did have my share of Fluffer Nutter sandwiches as a child though, so I guess I wasn’t too deprived. : p The ironic part of this situation is that my husband was actually the yummy food deprived child, but yet knew of the fabulous Nutella. Yeah, he was the kid who went to birthday parties and then got sick afterwards because he gorged himself on so much junk food (since he wasn’t allowed to have any at home).

Okay, so where was I going with this whole Nutella discussion? Well, I was going to a Dolphins football game with some family and I wanted to make cookies to bring along for tailgating. On my quest for a new cookie recipe I came across Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. While browsing through her wonderful site I found a cookie recipe that called for the cookies to be stuffed with Nutella. I mean could you really ask for anything more than a Nutella stuffed cookie…I DON’T THINK SO!! Of course I had to make them.

The outcome was delicious! It is also a great recipe if you are looking for something homemade but don’t have a ton of time because you can always use store bought sugar cookie dough for the base.

Nutella Ravioli Cookies

courtesy of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
18 oz. of fresh sugar cookie dough (I used Peabody’s Sugar Cookie recipe)
OR
18 oz. of store bought cookie dough
1/2 cup Nutella
3 tbs. white chocolate chips
3 tbs. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out cookie dough to about 1/4 of an inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter or glass dipped in flour, cut out rounds ( I used a glass and it worked perfectly). Using a piping bag or a plastic bag with the end snipped off, pipe about a 1/2 tsp. of Nutella into the center of each round. Fold rounds over to create a half moon shape and seal off edge. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 9-10 minutes. Move to racks and cool completely.

When cookies are completely cooled, melt the white chocolate and chocolate chips separately in the microwave for 1 minute. Using a fork, drizzle both chocolates over the top of the cookies. Then enjoy!

Have you ever come across a recipe and when you read the name you think to yourself, “I’m not so sure about this one?”  Well that is exactly what I was thinking when I found Cod-and-Shrimp Stoup with Salt-and-Vinegar Mashed Potatoes in the November 2008 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray.  It just did not sound that appealing; the first thing that came to mind were potato chips!

Of course anything that sounds odd is also intriguing, so I decided to read through the recipe anyway.  As I skimmed through it actually began to sound quite yummy.  Okay, so now I am convinced that I may actually try this one out but the next obstacle is my husband.  He isn’t exactly a picky eater, but he tends to like things a bit more on the simple side.  With that said, I was shocked when he told me to go ahead and try out the recipe.

To our surprise (no offense Rachael), the dish was delicious!  It is also a great one for cooler days, not that we see many of those here in south Florida.  It would be great for a cold winter night in the north though.  I recommend this recipe to anyone looking for a bit of comfort food but without too much guilt (as it is a fairly light recipe).

Cod-and-Shrimp Stoup 
with Salt-and-Vinegar Mashed Potatoes

courtesy of Everyday with Rachael Ray
4 large baking potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
salt
3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 to 4 ribs celery from the heart, with leafy greens, chopped
1 large bay leaf
2 tbs. fresh thyme leaves, chopped (I used dry thyme*)
zest and juice from 1 lemon
pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 pounds thick cod fillets, cut into chunks (I used haddock)
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tbs. butter

In a deep pot, add the potatoes and enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain

In a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet with a lid, heat the extra-virgin olive oil, about 3 turns of the pan,  over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the onions are softened, 7 to 8 minutes.  Pour in the wine and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth and the tomatoes with their juice; bring to a simmer.  Add the cod in a single layer, cover and cook for 3 minutes.  Gently stir in the shrimp, season with salt and pepper.  Cover and cook until the cod and shrimp are opaque throughout, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice; discard the bay leaf.

Mash the potatoes with the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, the vinegar and butter; season with salt.

To serve, mound the potatoes into shallow bowls.  Ladle the stoup around the potatoes.

Note:  This recipe can easily be cut in half for 2 servings.

*when using dried herbs remember to reduce the amount the recipe calls for.

I found this recipe while flipping through the October 2008 edition of Cooking Light.  It sounded almost too decadent to be considered a “light” recipe…what more could you ask for?  I decided to try it out while my mom came to stay with us for a weekend.  Of course it is a risotto so it was a bit time consuming, but in the end it was worth the time spent.  It sounded decadent and it was decadent, but without the guilt of the high calories of course.  I also usually adapt recipes to mine or my husbands liking, but this one was great just the way it was.

If you aren’t in a hurry and you are looking for a recipe that looks like it was a lot harder to make than it actually was, then I would definitely recommend this seafood risotto.  It also doesn’t hurt that it is very colorful and pleasing to the eye.

Seafood Risotto

courtesy of cooking light
2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 (8 oz) bottle of clam juice
2 tsp. butter
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/8 tsp. saffron threads, crushed
1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces bay scallops
2 tbs. whipping cream
chopped fresh parsley

Bring broth and clam juice to a simmer in a medium sauce pan (do not boil).  Keep warm over low-heat.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.  Add rice and saffron to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add lemon juice to pan; cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly.  Stir in 1/2 cup hot broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.  Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion is absorbed before adding the next (about 18 minutes total).

Stir in tomatoes; cook for 1 minute.  Stir in shrimp and scallops, cook 4 minutes or until shrimp and scallops are done; stirring occasionally.   Remove from heat; stir in cream.  Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Yields 2 servings.

I know this may seem like a sin, but I had never had Challah bread until I met my husband who just happens to be Jewish. Year’s ago when we started dating, it didn’t take me long at all to fall in love with some of his family’s traditional holiday food. Challah has to be at the top of the list as one of my favorites though.

Since Greg and I have been together for over eight years, I have spent many Jewish holiday’s with his family and traditionally they had store bought challah. When Greg and I moved away for a couple of year’s, I wanted to make sure that he was still able to have his traditional food when the holiday’s rolled around, so I taught myself how to make some of the dishes. When it came to the challah, I bought the frozen dough and made it that way. It was very yummy and it seemed a bit more homemade to me than the store bought version.

Well, this past year I decided that I was going to take a stab at making homemade challah and bring it to his mom’s house for everyone to “hopefully” enjoy. I was able to get a wonderful recipe from the blog, It’s Melissa’s Kitchen. Hers looked beautiful and I was hoping that I would be able to make something that looked at least half as good. So with my fingers crossed I headed into the kitchen for my attempt at challah.

Mine didn’t turn out quite as perfect looking as hers did, but for my first attempt I was pretty impressed and happy with the way that it did turn out! Luckily it tasted great too and was a big hit with the family. His grandmother still compliments me on the challah and how she can’t wait to have it again.

Fresh Baked Challah

courtesy of It’s Melissa’s Kitchen
3-3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup sugar
1 envelope instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
4 tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 1 tbs. warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 large egg white (for the egg wash)

Whisk together 3 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix together 2 eggs, egg yolk, melted butter and 1/2 cup of water in bowl of standing mixer fitted with the dough hook (note: I did not have a stand mixer at the time and made this recipe fine without it). Add flour mixture to the wet mixture. Knead at low speed until dough ball forms, about 5 minutes, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to prevent dough from sticking. Whisk the reserved egg white with remaining 1 tbs. water in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Transfer dough to a very lightly oiled large bowl, turning dough over to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Gently press dough to deflate, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size again, 40 to 60 minutes.

Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 2 pieces, one roughly half the size of the other. (Small piece will weigh about 9 ounces, larger piece about 18 ounces). Divide large piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 16-inch long rope, about 1 inch in diameter. Line up ropes of dough side by side and pinch ends together. Proceed to braid the three ropes together, then pinch ends to seal. Place braid on baking sheet. Divide smaller piece of dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 16-inch long rope, about 1/2 inch diameter. Braid together, pinching ends to seal. Brush some egg wash on top of larger loaf and place small braid on top of the larger braid. Loosely drape loaf with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until loaf becomes puffy and increases in size by a third, 30 to 45 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush loaf with remaining egg wash. Bake until loaf is golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into side of loaf reads 190 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Place baking sheet on wire rack. Cool loaf completely before slicing.

There is no denying that Greg and I love sweets. I tend to be more of the dessert person (i.e. cakes, pastries, etc.) while Greg prefers candy and ice cream. He isn’t much of a cake person, but he loves cookies and brownies. So, that brings me to our dilemma….if there are sweets in the house, we will eat them! Unfortunately our waistlines don’t enjoy the treats as much as our taste buds do.

Thankfully there is this wonderful website/magazine called Cooking Light that lets us feed our sweet tooth without increasing our clothing size. I frequent this site quite a bit to find healthy or at least semi-healthy treats. I wanted to make brownies but I wanted something a bit different. When I came across the Raspberry-Cream Cheese Brownies I knew I found a winner. Chocolate and raspberry are a match made in heaven and then you add cream cheese…..what more could you want?

These were definitely a winner and there is no doubt I will make them again. The best part….they are delicious and I don’t even have to feel guilty while indulging.

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Brownies

courtesy of cookinglight.com
Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup (3 oz.) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg white

Brownies:
Cooking Spray or Parchment Paper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup of butter or stick margarine, melted
1 tbs. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
3 tbs. raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare the filling, mix the first 5 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well blended, then set aside.

To prepare the brownies, coat the bottom of an 8 inch baking pan with cooking spray (I prefer to line the pan with parchment paper for easy release). Lightly spoon 3/4 cup flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Combine (in another bowl) 1 cup sugar with cocoa, butter, water vanilla extract, egg and egg whites, mixing until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until moist. Spread 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the cream cheese filling over the batter, spreading evenly. Carefully drop the remaining batter and raspberry preserves by spoonfuls over the filling. Swirl together using the tip of a knife to make a marble effect.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Cool on a wire rack and then ENJOY!

This month’s Tasty Tools hosted by Joelen’s Culinary Adventures, is bakeware. Since everyone seems to be catching the Fall bug I decided to use my muffin pans and make Pumpkin Muffins. This is my first time participating in the event (actually any event that has been advertised on the WC board) so I am very excited!

Okay so let’s get to the muffins. I have been trying to cut calories lately so these muffins are actually low fat and were inspired by a Weight Watchers friendly recipe that a friend told me about a few years ago. The original recipe was good and extremely easy but I just wasn’t crazy about the texture; they were very dense and the tops were always gooey. I decided to do a little research and attempt to make the recipe a little more pleasing without making it unhealthy.

I was very pleased with the outcome. The muffins have more of a cake like texture and do a better job of resembling a full-fat muffin. Pumpkin muffins that you don’t feel guilty about eating, what more could you ask for??

Well, you could visit Joelen’s Culinary Adventures to see a ton of other delicious recipes in the Tasty Tools September Round-Up!

In they go! I have to give the Tasty Tools a spotlight too.

A hill of pumpkin yumminess.

Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins

1 box of spice cake mix
1/2 cup instant oats
1 15 oz. can of pumpkin
1 to 2 egg whites
3/4 cup water (or milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix and instant oats. Add pumpkin, egg whites, water (or milk) and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Line your muffin pans with paper liners (I suggest spraying the liners with a little cooking spray since the recipe has no oil in it). Fill the liners 3/4 of the way up. Place in oven and bake 20-25 minutes. Recipe should make 24 muffins.

It doesn’t get much easier than that!

We had a family gathering at my husband’s grandparent’s house this weekend. When I asked if she wanted me to bring something of course his grandmother said no, we just needed to bring ourselves. Well, I haven’t really done any baking since we moved and I was really itching to get in the kitchen and do what I love most. I decided to make my grandma’s “famous” brownies. I had asked her for the recipe quite a while ago but never got around to making them. For as long as I can remember she has always made these brownies for pretty much every holiday or family gathering. We all always look forward to these brownies (hence why I called them “famous”)! Needless to say they were a hit with my husband’s family as well. The tray was more than half empty before it was even time for dessert.

I am really glad that everyone enjoyed them as much as I always have. It is always fun to share a recipe that has been passed down. Next time around I may even try to put my own twist on them….Greg has already put his request in for adding chocolate chips. :o)

Marshmallowy Goodness!!

Time for a close-up. It really doesn't get much better than brownies topped with marshmallow and chocolate icing. I must say my grandma usually adds nuts as well but since Greg isn't a fan I decided to leave them out. Oh and I guess the "it doesn't get much better than this" comment is up for debate due to Greg wanting to add chocolate chips next time.

Grandma Smalley’s Brownies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
2 tbs cocoa
1 cup nuts (optional – I left them out)
pinch of salt
small marshmallows (about a half a bag)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream sugar and butter. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Sift the flour, salt and cocoa together and then add to the egg mixture. Mix in nuts (if desired). Line a square cake pan with parchment paper (this isn’t necessary but it makes for easy removal – otherwise make sure to grease your pan). Pour batter into the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (33 minutes for a glass pan). When brownies are done remove them from the oven and immediately spread the marshmallows on the top. You can add a tin foil tent over the pan for a few minutes to make the marshmallows melt nicely but it isn’t necessary.
Let cool and cover with icing (recipe follows).

Chocolate Icing
1/4 cup butter (softened)
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbs cocoa
2-4 tbs half & half (I didn’t have any so I used milk and it worked fine)

Mix the butter sugar and cocoa in a bowl until it starts to combine. Add two tbs. of half & half and mix well. Add additional half & half until you reach the correct consistency.

Well they may be puffs of sweetness if someone else makes them! Sadly I don’t think I am cut out to make meringues. My husband and I have been trying to get back into shape and back into the routine of eating healthy. I saw Ellie Krieger make these Chocolate-Almond Meringues on her show the other day and thought they would be a perfect (low fat) sweet treat for us. I made a first attempt at them last week and they completely flopped. I cooked them for 40 minutes at 250 degrees as the recipe instructed. Once they cooled they became super sticky and soggy. Yuck!

I didn’t want to let them defeat me so I asked the girls on the WC Nest board about their experience with meringues and I referred to a few other recipes. I decided to try the route of heating the oven and then turning it off when I put the meringues in and leaving them in for a few hours. When I took them out I could tell they weren’t done so I put them in the oven at 250 for another 30 minutes and then let them stand in the oven for quite a while again after I turned it off. When I first took them out they were PERFECT!! I was so happy and thought I finally had a success. Well, to my disappointment they weren’t as perfect the next day. :o( They aren’t as soggy as the first time but they aren’t crispy like they should be either. I think I am going to give the meringue making up now. I have posted the recipe below in case anyone else would like to take a crack at it. Please let me know if you have any better success!

Chocolate-Almond Meringues

courtesy of Ellie Krieger
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup superfine (caster) sugar*
3/4 tsp. almond extract
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (I actually had to use two baking sheets). Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer and beat until foamy (I used my hand mixer). Add sugar and almond extract, beat until meringues hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Fold in chocolate gently until just incorporated. Using a pastry bag or a sealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, pipe meringue by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from parchment paper. Transfer to an airtight container.

*You can make your own caster sugar by pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor for 30-40 seconds.