Low Fat Sausage, Egg and Cheese Calzone

This was another Cooking Light recipe that I found in one of my older magazines.  My version probably wasn't so low-fat but the original recipe is actually really good for you. I used hot Italian sausage where they called for Chicken Sausage and I didn't use low-fat cheese, but in theory, you could make this really healthy can low fat. I've been doing p90x which is this extreme workout program where Tony Horton (the "trainer"), kicks my butt every night when I get home from work and NEVER shuts up.  They have a really strict diet that goes with the program and I'm pretty sure if you made this the low-fat way, it would be acceptable for the program.  It also called for pre-made pizza dough. I used Pillsbury Thick Crust pizza dough but I'm sure you could find a lower fat version? Maybe not.  Anyway, this was super amazing and definitely kept me full until well after lunch time.  Enjoy!

low-fat sausage, egg and cheese calzone.
1  (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
cooking spray
1  tablespoon  olive oil
1/4  cup  chopped onion
4  ounces  chicken sausage with jalapeño peppers, chopped (I used hot italian sausage)
2  large eggs, lightly beaten (substitute 4 egg whites for a lower fat version)
1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4  cup  shredded cheddar cheese
1/4  cup  chopped seeded jalapeño peppers (I didn't have any jalapeno's..boo, so I used red and yellow sweet peppers)
1  large egg white, lightly beaten

1.  Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle Monterey Jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over egg mixture; top with jalapeño peppers.
5. Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

Cooking Light: Greek Barley Salad with Feta and Olives

I know, I know, another non-baking recipe.  But this was so good I had to share it.  I'm slowly gaining my confidence back after my cooking disaster a few weeks ago.  I was trying to cook a steak in a frying pan with a lot of olive oil and this was the result:

Yep, that is my scorched hand.  It was a third degree burn and that sucker hurt.  I was in a lot of pain, but mostly I just felt like an idiot.  It did scar, but its actually not very noticeable.

Anyway, this is another Cooking Light recipe.  It actually won recipe of the year award in 2009 which is awesome and I concur with the judges, it definitely deserved to win.  It was a little bit of work.  Took me about 3 hours total but that was because I was doing P90X while I was cooking and the chicken breast I used was ginormous.  Probably the only time you'll ever hear anybody complain of a large breast...ha.  My friend and I had it with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, so whoever said you can't have chicken with red wine is full of crap, because I thought it tasted fabulous.  

salad.
2  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8  teaspoon  kosher salt
1  teaspoon  olive oil
4  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1  cup  uncooked pearl barley
2  cups  cubed seeded cucumber (about 1 large cucumber)
1  cup  grape tomatoes, halved
1/2  cup  cubed yellow bell pepper (I used red, not sure if it made a difference or not)
1/3  cup  reduced-fat feta cheese
1/4  cup  chopped pitted kalamata olives 

dressing.
3  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
1  tablespoon  minced fresh basil
1  teaspoon  minced fresh thyme
1  teaspoon  red wine vinegar
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
3  garlic cloves, minced

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium high heat. 
2. Sprinkle chicken with 1/8 teaspoon salt and place in pan (careful not to burn yourself like an idiot); cook for 2 minutes on each side until browned.
3. Add 1 Cup of broth, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until done (my massive breast took about 25 minutes). 
4. Cool chicken and then shred (i.e., pull apart like pork); put aside*
5. Bring the remaining 3 cups of broth to a boil in a large sauce pan; add barley.
6. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. 
7. Fluff with fork, cool.
8. Combine chicken, barley, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, feta and olives in a large bowl. 
9. Prepare dressing by adding all 'dressing' ingredients (noted above) and stir well.
10. Mix dressing with barley mixture; chill. 

*I put the chicken in the fridge after it was done to let it cool faster.  I did the same with the barley as I was chopping the vegetables and preparing the dressing.  The barley was taking forever to cool so I spread it out on a large plate and put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Cooking Light June 2010: Cucumber Mint Apple Cooler

Cucumber and mint and apple in a smoothie...you really can't go wrong with this.  I found this recipe in the June 2010 Cooking Light magazine while I was flipping through it in a grocery store (ha).  I usually subscribe to that magazine but I haven't received it and yet and I'm starting to get antsy about. I know I know, lame.  BUT with recipes like Cucumber Mint Apple Coolers, I mean...you'd get antsy too.

cucumber mint apple cooler.
1 cup cucumber; peeled, seeded  and chopped
1/3 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
10 ice cubes

Put everything in a blender = cucumber mint apple cooler.  I used my 'Magic Bullet'.  I love that thing.  I am not going to talk about what I thought it was when my friend first mentioned the name of it to me.

Corn, Crab and Potato Soup: Chunky Potato-Crab Chowder with Chipotle Cheddar Biscuits

I am so stoked that the weather is finally warm and this weekend was perfect...made me think of beer and crabs.  I had a really big craving for both so I decided to test my hand at cooking again.  A few weeks ago acquired a 3rd degree burn on my hand from trying to cook a steak in a frying pan.  The oil splashed out and let me tell you, it was not a pleasant site.  Regardless, I am glad I got past that little fear because this soup was awesome.  I found it in an old copy of Cooking Light magazine.  I am always a little skeptical about Cooking Light recipes because they always seem to be hit or miss and after spending $16.99 on 8 ounces of crab meat, I did not want to end up with a nasty soup.  BUT...the recipe seemed promising enough so I gave it a try and I'm so glad I did.  I paired the soup with Chipotle Cheddar Biscuits, another fabulous recipe from 'Baked' Cookbook.  The night ended with Miller Lite, Biscuits, Crab Chowder, my good friend Allyson, and of course...GLEE.  Needless to say, it was a good night.


chunky potato crab chowder.
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Cup chopped onion
3/4 Cup chopped celery*
1 Garlic clove, minced
3 1/2 Cups cubed red potato (I used baby red potatoes and cut them into quarters, worked well)
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 1/2 Cups of 2% reduced-fat milk (I used skim, the thickness was still good)
2 Teaspoons chopped fresh thyme*
1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 Teaspoon grated whole nutmeg*
1 (14 and 3/4 oz) can creamed style corn
1 (14 oz) can fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
8 oz lump crab meet (shell pieces removed)
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 Teaspoon salt

*I didn't put the celery in for 2 reasons: A) I didn't have any. B) I don't know, it seemed weird with crab to me.  I very well could be wrong, if you make this and use the celery, let me know how it turns out, maybe I will add it next time. Make sure not to skimp on the thyme.  It adds a really good flavor to the soup.  As far as the grated whole nutmeg, maybe I'm an idiot but I had no idea what that was supposed to mean.  I just used ground nutmeg from my spice rack...seemed fine to me.

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion, garlic and celery; saute for 4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with flour; stir for 1 minute.
4. Stir in milk, thyme, pepper, nutmeg, corn and broth; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
5. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender (20 minutes worked well, it probably could have simmered for a few minutes less if you like a little more texture in your potatoes); stirring occasionally
6. Stir in crab, parsley and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This was so good and the biscuits were a really nice compliment to it.  I reheated it for dinner tonight, didn't taste AS good as yesterday but I would definitely not let it go to waste! Biscuit recipe is here: Chipotle Cheddar Biscuits 

Avocado and Egg White Salad

I know this isn't a baking recipe and has nothing to do with cookie dough but I threw this together so quickly last night for dinner and it was so good I had to share.  I found this recipe in a random 'Food' magazine that had been sitting on my bookshelf for who knows how long and who knows why.  I had some lump crab meat that I bought to make soup and I added a little bit. This was amazing and so easy to make.  The avocado takes place of the egg yolks, which is good because egg yolks make me gag.  Also, this recipe is so versatile.  You could add chicken or tuna even and I bet it would be great.  Put it on crackers, bread, toast, a bagel. I put mine on an english muffin and I ate some plain. Yum.

avocado and egg white salad.
1 teaspoon light mayonnaise* (I used the light Olive Oil Mayo)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard *(Grey Poupon anyone)
1 teaspoon light sour cream*
4 egg whites from hard boiled eggs (discard the yolks. or eat them if they don't make you gag)
1/2 avocado, diced
1/4 cup red onions, diced**
1/4 cup crab meat

Mix everything together...and thats it. That simple.

*So, the story here is that sometimes I'm an idiot, so I actually used a tablespoon each of mayo, mustard and sour cream.  It actually wasn't horrible, but it was a little too creamy for me so I just added two more egg whites and a little bit more avocado.

**I didn't put the onions in the recipe.  I don't really like raw onions and I don't think I would have missed them.

Mint Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I finally got a chance to appease my angel food cake craving this weekend.  I probably could have made it prettier but I was feeling slightly lazy, however; I did put my own twist on it and made mint chocolate angel food cake.  The best part about this recipe is that it tastes amazing and there is no butter in it! Imagine that.  Egg whites and sugar...that means there are no calories correct? Correct.  Anyway, here it is, my own recipe:

mint chocolate angel food cake.
2/3 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cups super fine sugar
12 egg whites (room temp)
1/3 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tsp peppermint extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, cocoa, the salt and 1/2 of the sugar.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites, extract, water and cream of tartar on medium speed.  
4. Add the sugar to the mixture that had not yet been combined with the flour mixture and continue to beat until medium peaks form. 

5.  Sprinkle flour mixture over the top of the egg white mixture and fold in with a spatula.  Continue to  do this with the rest of the flour mixture until it is completely incorporated.
6. Pour batter into a 10" tube pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
7. Let cool upside down on a cooling rack for at least one hour before removing from pan.