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.

Homemade Chipotle and Red Pepper Pita Chips

Okay, these aren't ACTUALLY home made per se.  It entails going to the store, buying Pita's (I used whole wheat), brushing them with olive oil and then sprinkling spices over them.  Bake them at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes and voila, pita chips.

 I was actually really impressed with these.  They went great with the Guacamole I made. To serve with the Guacamole, I sprinkled choptle powder on some and red pepper on some.  Then I had a hey day with my spice rack. I sprinkled garlic salt on some, rosemary (this was my favorite), sea salt, ground black pepper, and I tried some with fresh thyme, but it kind of fell off.

Ann Hodgman's Guacamole, Homemade Pita Chips, and Cucumber Apple Mint Coolers

I made the perfect summer meal last night. Everything came together so well.  I was a little nervous about the Guacamole because I really didn't want nachos with it and I had no idea what to serve it with.  My friend brought up the idea of pita chips and it worked so well.  I went a little crazy and added some chipotle powder to some of them, red pepper to others and a lot more.  You can find the Pita Chip recipe here: Homemade Pita Chips.

Anyway, as far as the Guac goes, I was under the misconception that it is something you can whip up in a few minutes and serve to your friends and voila! You are master chef.  Not the case.  At least not for me anyway.  Ann Hodgeman's Guacamole recipe had a lot of ingredients in and was a lot of work if you ask me, but it was really worth it. Not to mention I FINALLY got a food processor.  I realize this is the nerdiest thing to get excited about ever but I mean, when you make carrot cake and have to grate a pound of carrots by hand, you begin to appreciate things like food processors.

This might be the best Guac I have ever had.  And then of course, I was flipping through this the June 2010 Cooking Light magazine and saw this recipe for Cucumber Apple Mint Coolers.  Everything went together great and I loved all the green...so pretty. 

ann hodgeman's guacamole.
2 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 avocados
1 large tomato, diced
1 small red onion (I used white, I can't tell the difference between onions though)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
salt to taste

1. Turn food processor on and while it is running (obviously you need to use that tube at the top, or whatever it is), add the jalapeno and the garlic; chop until it is as fine as possible.
2. Add one of the avocados and the lime juice and process until the mixture is smooth; scrape into a medium sized bowl with a spatula.
3. Add the other two avocados and coursely* mash with a fork.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Tightly cover with plastic wrap** and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. 

*Coursely isn't a word. I tried to look it up on dictionary.com b/c I didn't know how to spell it. Hahaha. 
**If you cover this really really tightly, it won't turn brown.  I left mine in the fridge overnight and it is still bright  green! Neat.

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.