Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter full of faith, family, food and fun. Our usual family tradition is Seafood Gumbo on Good Friday. Ham, Potato Salad and Green Vegetable Medley for Easter dinner. But we have made two Seafood Gumbos already this year, so we are skipping that tradition. This Easter we are having another brunch. My dear sister has to work again. So Easter morning is our best chance to celebrate together as a family. We will have our ham, a frittata, hashbrowns and fruit for brunch. Then we will make a non-traditional potato salad and the Green Vegetable Medley for the evening meal. I will be sure to share recipes and photos real soon.

Easter Menu

Brunch
Baked Ham
Asparagus and Gouda Frittata
Shredded Hashbrowns
Cucumber Melon Salad

Sister's Work Potluck
Baked Beef Dip

Dinner
Leftover Baked Ham
Two Potato Salad with Sour Cream
Green Vegetable Medley

Dessert
Easter Eggs
Grasshopper Pie


Linking to:
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Easter Foods

Italian Style Vegetable Soup

Last week I made Southwestern Style Vegetable Soup inspired by a can of light Progresso soup. This week it was an Italian Style Vegetable Soup also inspired by Progresso. This has to be my favorite. I used the same base of onions, carrots, celery and garlic in both soups, but the garlic really shines in this soup. It really adds a sweetness to the soup. It was great plain but I experimented with other garnishes. Of course Parmesan is great, but parsley and lemon zest is AMAZING! It adds a bright and fresh component to the soup. So so good! The only thing I might do different next time is use mini penne pasta. The regular size was a little big for a soup spoon.

Italian Style Vegetable Soup

Serves 12; generous 1 cup serving

Ingredients

1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp Italian seasoning

8 cups vegetable stock

1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup frozen green beans

1 cup frozen green peas

1 cup whole wheat penne pasta

2 cups baby spinach leaves

Optional garnishes:

Parsley, chopped

Lemon zest

Parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery, sauté until onion in translucent. Add garlic; continue to sauté about a minute. Add flour and stir to combine. After flour has cook a minute, add tomato paste. When tomato paste is fragrant, add Italian seasoning, stock, tomatoes and green beans; bring to a boil. Add green peas and penne, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat add spinach. Serve with Parmesan or with parsley and lemon zest as a garnish.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving: Calories 79.2; Total Fat 2.0 g; Saturated Fat 0.3 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g; Monounsaturated Fat 1.3 g; Cholesterol 0.0 mg; Sodium 857.3 mg; Potassium 239.1 mg; Total Carbohydrate 14.0 g; Dietary Fiber 2.5 g; Sugars 4.5 g; Protein 2.3 g; 2 WW PointsPlus.

Linking to:
Buns in My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Jam Hands:Recipe Sharing Monday 
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Mondays with Countrified Hicks
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays Link Party
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Cheesy Lasagna Casserole

This recipe is adapted from a recipe that my favorite person in the world gave me. We made it when I was visiting for New Years. It was originally made with full fat ingredients and Owens brand hot sausage. It made a lot! I enjoyed it but wanted to lighten the recipe and make a smaller portion. I used all light and low fat ingredients. It was delicious! Tastes like mac and cheese meets lasagna. I love the sour cream and neufchatel cheese in the cheese layer. It is a little tangy, so different and delicious. I did cut the recipe in half and I was scared it would not fit in the 8x8 baking dish. (Look at the photos) It filled that dish to the tippy top. I baked it on a cookie sheet covered in foil just in case. But to my surprise everything shrunk. The cheese melted into the noodles and there was very little that bubbled over. I think this is a great comforting family meal.

Cheesy Lasagna Casserole

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

8 oz egg noodles

1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped and divided

4 oz neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat), softened

6 oz low fat cottage cheese

3 oz light sour cream

1-1/2 cups 2% cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz reduced fat pork breakfast sausage

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 (24 oz) jar of pasta sauce

Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set neufchatel cheese in a mixing bowl to soften.  Cook egg noodles one minute shy of package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat; cook green pepper and half of the onions until onion is translucent. Place in bowl with the neufchatel cheese, add cottage cheese and sour cream; mix until well combined.

Add sausage and remaining onion to nonstick pan season with red pepper flakes, fennel and black pepper; cook breaking up the sausage into crumbles. Cook until browned and cooked through.

Spray a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the dish as follows; all of the cooked egg noodles, press down to condense, all the shredded cheddar cheese, all of the neufchatel cheese mixture and then the cooked sausage. Cover the entire dish with pasta sauce and top with Parmesan cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes covered; uncover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Serve.

Linking to:

Buns in My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Jam Hands:Recipe Sharing Monday 
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Mondays with Countrified Hicks

Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays Link Party

Shepherd's Salad

This salad is fabulous!! The original recipe came from an old Weight Watcher's cookbook. The recipe served twelve. I modified the recipe to serve four and used herbs my family enjoys. I use one part parsley and half parts mint and oregano. I chop everything in a small dice. It would make a great salsa with pita chips. It is best served fresh, but will keep in the refrigerator overnight not longer. If stored in the refrigerator it will release a lot of liquid but is still delicious. I great side with grilled proteins like chicken and fish.

Shepherd's Salad

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

1 english cucumber, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 cup mix of fresh parsley, mint, and oregano, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

4 oz. feta, crumbled

Directions

Combine everything but feta in a bowl; toss to combine well. Add feta and toss again.

Linking to:
Buns in My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Jam Hands:Recipe Sharing Monday 
Mondays with Countrified Hicks
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays Link Party
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Cucumber

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

I have made several different recipes for Stuffed Cabbage Soup. One had too much spices and beef. Another one was too plain and not enough beef. I think I have got the recipe just right now. (I feel like "Goldie Locks" as I type this.) I love the parsley and dill in this soup. It adds a little freshness. I also like using the coleslaw mix as a short cut to shredding a head of cabbage and you get carrots to boot. Be careful not to overcook the rice. I used converted rice so it does not absorb too much of the broth. But it will keep absorbing liquid, so if you are making it as a make ahead meal; cook the rice separately. You can serve the soup over the rice when ready to eat.

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Serves 12

Ingredients

16 oz lean ground beef

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 bay leaf

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

16 oz bag of shredded coleslaw mix (green and red cabbage with carrots)

28 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

10 3/4 oz can low sodium, reduced fat tomato soup

4 cups low sodium, reduced fat chicken stock

1 cup uncooked Minute Rice

1 Tbsp dried dill

Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the beef and begin to brown, 2-3 minutes. Season the meat with Worcestershire sauce, allspice, coriander, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add bay leaf, onions, and garlic. Cook veggies 2-3 minutes to begin to soften them, then add cabbage and wilt it down a bit. Add tomatoes, tomato soup, and stock; cover the pot. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the rice and reduce the heat and continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in parsley and dill, adjust salt and pepper to your taste. Serve garnished with additional parsley.

Linking to:
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Southwestern Style Vegetable Soup

This soup was inspired by a can of light Progresso soup. Years ago, I wrote down the ingredient list and thought one day I would try to re-create it. Friday was the day. It turned out great! I don't know that it is exactly the same as Progresso, but it is delicious. It is smoky and spicy from the chipotle powder and tomatoes. If you are sensitive to spice add the chipotle powder a little at a time or omit. The heat from the chipotle builds as it cooks. I found it was a little more spicy re-heated the next day. The Masa adds nice body to the broth and boosts the corn flavor. I adore the squeeze of lime at serving time. I will make this soup again. I like having it in the frig for a quick lunch.

Southwestern Style Vegetable Soup

Serves 12; generous 1 cup serving

Ingredients

1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 celery ribs, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp. Masa Harina (corn flour)

1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano

1/4 tsp cumin, ground

8 cups low sodium reduced fat chicken stock

1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with chipotle, undrained

1/2 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (a scant cup)

1/2 (15 oz) can corn, drained (a scant cup)

1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder, or to taste

Handful cilantro, chopped

Garnishes:

More cilantro, chopped

Lime wedges

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery, sauté until onion in translucent. Add bell peppers and garlic; continue to sauté until peppers begin to soften. Add Masa and spices, stir to combine. Add stock, tomatoes, beans and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add chili powder and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and add cilantro. Serve with additional cilantro and a squirt of lime for a garnish.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving: Calories 75.3; Total Fat 2.0 g; Saturated Fat 0.3 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g; Monounsaturated Fat 1.3 g; Cholesterol 0.0 mg; Sodium 305.3 mg; Potassium 212.9 mg; Total Carbohydrate 10.0 g; Dietary Fiber 2.5 g; Sugars 1.0 g; Protein 3.4 g; 2 WW PointsPlus.

Linking to:
Dear Creatives: Inspiration Spotlights
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Mondays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Taste and Tell Thursday
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays Link Party
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Seafood Gumbo with Whole Crabs

This is the second Seafood Gumbo the family has shared this year. The sister requested it for her birthday dinner. So Mom and Dad prepared one. We also had one this year on Christmas Eve. Yes, I have been sitting on this post and pictures since then. Shame on me! But better late than never, right?

Now let me be honest with you. I have never liked messing with whole crabs in my Gumbo. They are so messy! But... they do add a whole lot of flavor. So I just lift them out of the bowl and put them aside on a plate. Then I enjoy my Gumbo and pick the crabs later. When I was young my Mom would use lump crab and peeled crab claws. That is really more my style. Less of a mess. But I do admit the gumbo has more seafood flavor when you use the whole crabs. So you can decide what is right for you. But I assure you, if you like seafood this is the gumbo for you. With this recipe you get the most seafood flavor possible; using whole crabs and making the shrimp stock. I do plan to make the next pot the short cut way. I will use store bought peeled and deveined shrimp, lump crab meat, peeled crab claws and just plain water no stock. I know my Mom has done it this way in the past. I remember it being good too. I will be sure to share that pot with you too.

Seafood Gumbo with Whole Crabs
Serves 14 plus

Ingredients

1 cup oil         

1 cup flour

1 small can tomato paste

2 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

6 stalks celery, chopped

5 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined(shells reserved)
12 to 15 whole crabs, cleaned

2 pints oysters

1 bunch green onion, sliced

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

Salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Cajun seasoning to taste

Directions

Peel and devein the shrimp, placing shrimp in one bowl and shells in a 3 quart pot. Chop the onion, celery, and bell peppers and set aside. Add just enough water to cover the shrimp shells. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer and cover.

Heat flour and oil on medium-low heat until milk chocolate or dark caramel color. Add tomato paste and stir until well mixed. Add bell pepper, celery, and onion cook until softened. Add crabs cook until liquid forms. Season the shrimp with a little salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Cajun seasoning; add to gumbo and cook until they start to turn pink. 

Turn shrimp shells off and strain the liquid into the pot. Stir well. Add additional water until the constancy of a full bodied soup broth not a stew. Bring to a boil and check seasoning; season with additional salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Cajun seasoning to taste.

30 minutes before serving strain oysters, reserving liquid.  Add liquid to Gumbo and oysters one by one to make sure oysters are free of pieces of shell.  Add green onions, and parsley. Check seasoning again and adjust to taste. Serve in a large bowl over rice. Be sure to put a plate under the bowl for those crabs!

Linking to:
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia - LOUISIANA and Link Party
Rediscovering Lost Arts from Our Mothers: Tried and True Recipes
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Crayfish, Lobster & Crab

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I can not take credit for this dish. Cuisine at Home gets all the credit. They have wonderful recipes and a great magazine. I am just happy to give you a review and tell you how amazing these Lettuce Wraps are. I have made them several times. Most often with turkey because it is always in the grocery store. But they are also delicious with chicken when I can find it.  I love the warm, spicy turkey filling in the cold, crisp lettuce leaves. You can use any lettuce. I have used romaine, iceberg and bibb lettuce. Bibb has to be my favorite though. Bibb lettuce leaves are the perfect size and soft enough to wrap around the delicious filling. They made for a great lunch for sister's birthday.

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from: Chicken Lettuce Wraps; Cuisine at Home, August 2012

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. peanut oil

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic

1 lb. ground turkey breast

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 tsp. light brown sugar

2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (more if you like spicy)

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Minced zest of 1 lemon

Iceberg or Bibb lettuce leaves

Fresh cilantro and mint leaves

Chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Lime wedges

Directions

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium until shimmering. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add turkey and increase heat to medium-high. Sauté turkey until cooked through, 10 minutes. Crush turkey with a potato masher.

Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce; stir into turkey. Cook mixture until liquid is evaporated, 3-4 minutes. Stir in onion; remove skillet from heat. Stir in chopped cilantro and mint, and zest.

Serve turkey in lettuce leaves and top with cilantro and mint leaves, peanuts, and a squeeze of lime.

Per serving: 220 cal; 13g total fat (3g sat); 98mg chol; 482mg sodium; 7g carb; 1g fiber; 21g protein.

Almond Cheesecake Muffins

The sister just had a birthday Wednesday! We celebrated the entire day. Actually it started the night before. She spent the night at my house and when she woke up we had coffee and Homemade Egg McMuffins. I made Turkey Lettuce Wraps for lunch. Then we moved the party to Mom and Dad’s where we had Seafood Gumbo. I surprised her with these Almond Cheesecake Muffins. I got the idea from a pin I saw on Pinterest. It was a beautiful white frosted cake covered in almond flowers with blueberry and raspberry centers. The pin turned out to be a bogus pin. It did not go to the original source, so I have no idea what kind of cake they decorated this way. But it did serve for great inspiration. I combined my cheesecake muffin recipe with the flavor of an Almond Cheesecake recipe I love. The Pinterest garnish just seemed like the logical topping on the cheesecake. They turned out so cute and delicious. I love the almond crunch in the batter and the garnish. This just may have to become a spring tradition.

Almond Cheesecake Muffins
Makes: 2 dozen

Ingredients

1 pkg. Amaretti (almond) cookies
3 (8 oz.) pkg. neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat)
3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 Tbsp. amaretto (almond liqueur)
1/4 cup silvered almonds, toasted and chopped

Toppings:
Lite cool whip
Sliced almonds
Blueberries
Raspberries

Directions

Toast silvered almonds in a dry pan over medium low heat. Remove from heat when almonds are fragrant and slightly brown. Set aside to cool. Cream the cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, all spice, and amaretto; beat until well mixed. Chop toasted almonds and fold in batter. Place 1 Amaretti cookie in paper lined cupcake pan.  Spoon mix on cookie until cup is 2/3 full.

Bake at 350° for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Top each muffin with cool whip, a berry and decorate with a ring of sliced almonds around each berry. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Linking to:
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Mondays
Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party
Taste and Tell Thursday
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays Link Party
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays-Desserts

Tuna Salad Puttanesca Style

Yesterday for lunch I got a little adventurous in the kitchen. Instead of boiling eggs and making my usual tuna salad with mayonnaise, I thought I would try an Italian style tuna with olive oil. The only problem was I could not put my hands on the recipe I thought I had. I remembered it had olives, an herb and olive oil, but that was all I remembered. I thought about other Italian recipes that had olives in it and Puttanesca came to mind. It is usually a tomato based pasta sauce with anchovies, garlic, red pepper flakes, olives and capers. I make Rachael Ray’s version with tuna all the time. I decided to try to turn it into a tuna salad. Oh! I am so glad I did. This is a great blend of ingredients. The white balsamic vinegar really smooths out all the flavors, I love the capers too. They are the one ingredient that pops on occasion with a little salty bite. Next time I might try adding orzo or another short cut pasta to fill it out. Then it will be a meal with all the food groups represented. I will definitely make this again before Lent is over.

Tuna Salad Puttanesca Style

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients

12 oz can light tuna in water, drained and flaked

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 roma tomato, chopped

2 tsp capers

1 Tbsp kalamata olives, sliced

1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil, or to taste

1 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

Optional garnish for serving:

3 – 4 roma tomatoes

Directions

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients stir mixing well until all ingredients are well distributed. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill. (It is delicious just mixed but if you chill it a while the flavors will blend a little more.)

For serving: Remove the tops from the roma tomatoes, turn cut side down and cut into quarters leaving the bottom 1/4” still attached. It should open up like a flower. Fill the center of each tomato with tuna salad.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: All My Bloggy Friends
Ms.enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Tuna

The Crafty Side of Sarcasm: Retro Repin Party

Shrimp with Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots

This will be the last Chinese dish I try to re-create for a while. I promise! Last week I made Beef with Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots. Tonight I tried to make Shrimp with Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots. I was surprised at how different the two dishes turned out. I used pretty much the same ingredients except for the protein, but they are so different. The beef version is very rich with huge beef and mushroom flavor. The shrimp version is so much lighter and the shrimp almost sweet. I don’t think I could pick just one. I love the combination of veggies too, so good! As I said before the mushrooms are wonderfully "squidge" and the snow peas crispy crunchy. So whether you’re in the mood for shrimp or beef these recipes have you covered.

Shrimp with Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the stir-fry:

2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil, divided

1 lb 26/30 shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

8 oz shitake mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp white wine vinegar

2/3 lb snow peas, trimmed

8 oz can bamboo shoots, drained

For the sauce:

3 tsp oyster sauce

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 tsp chicken bouillon

Directions

Be sure to prepare and gather all ingredients before you start cooking. Peeled and devein the shrimp. Prepare the snow peas; trim the ends and peel the edges (they are tough).  In a small bowl, mix remaining oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, water and bouillon. Stir to combine and set aside.

Heat up a large deep pan or wok over med-high heat.   Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil.  Wait until oil is very hot.   Add shrimp, saute for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms; cook for a minute or so until the fragrant, then add the white wine vinegar.

Add the snow peas and bamboo shoots, stir. Stir-fry with the vegetables until combined.

Add the sauce mixture.  Keep stirring.  Do not overcook the snow peas.  Remove from the heat when the sauce has thickened. Serve over cooked white or brown rice (optional).

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Ms.enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays

Taste and Tell Thursdays
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays Stir-Fry