Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Cinnamon rolls

5 cups all purpose flour
1 pkg yellow cake mix
2 (.25 oz) packages quick-rise yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

In a mixing bowl, combine 4 cups flour, dry cake mix, yeast and warm water until smooth. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured suface; knead until smooth and elastic about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lighly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 14-in x 10-in rectangle. Brush with butter; sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon mixture. Roll up jelly roll style, starting with a long side. Cut each roll into 12 slices; place cut side down in two greased 13-in x 9-in baking pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 20-30 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15-20 minutes. Frost warm rolls with icing below.


Icing
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk
3 cups powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, vanilla and powdered sugar. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Frost warm rolls.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix sugar, eggs & pumpkin. Add dry ingredients & spices. Mix well.

Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. Or pour into cupcake pan with liners, about 3/4 full. Bake 16-20 minutes or until done.


Cream Cheese Icing
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
Chopped nuts (optional)

Cream until good consistency, spread on cake. For cupcakes, I put icing into a pastry bag w/ a large star tip and pipe the icing on each one. You can top with chopped nuts if desired.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Veracruz-Style Tilapia

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 (6 oz) tilapia fillets or other white fish
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes with juice
1 Anaheim chile, stemmed, seeded and cut into this strips (these are very mild)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup pitted & halved green olives
1/4 cup capers, drained

In a medium saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the fish fillets on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute the fillets until they are opaque and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plate and cover with foil to keep warm or put into a warm oven.

In same saute pan, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, Anaheim chile, and oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and let simmer until the chiles soften, about 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, add the olives and capers, and cook until the flavors combine, about 4 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve fish with sauce over the top. I served with brown rice and wilted lettuce.

Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Lasagna

3/4 lb dried lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat)
4 cups whole milk (I used 2 % and it tasted great)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 lbs portobello mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375. Cook lasagna noodles for 10 minutes in boiling water with a dash of salt. Drain and set aside.

For white sauce, bring milk to simmer in saucepan. Set aside. Melt 1 stick of butter in a large saucepan, add flour and cook for one minute over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour hot milk into butter/flour mixture. Add 1 tbsp salt, the pepper and nutmeg, stirring until thick (about 3-5 minutes). Set aside.

Remove stems from mushrooms and slice caps 1/4 in thick. (I used baby bellas and chopped them up into smaller pieces.) Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in large saute pan. Saute mushrooms with a sprinkle of salt until tender (about 5 minutes). If they become too dry, add a bit more oil. Toss to cook evenly.

To assemble lasagna, spread some sauce in bottom of 9 x 13 greased baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce. Then 1/3 of the mushrooms and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. Repeat layers 2 more times,and finally top with a layer of noodles, sauce, then parmesan cheese.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, until top is browned and sauce is bubbly. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then serve.

I got this recipe from Sierra Schlegel (soon to be Longobardo). It is super delicious, hope you enjoy!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup

1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp minced shallot or onion
4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 (14 1/2oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup 1% or fat-free milk
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and ginger and cook until softened. Add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan. Simmer for about 4 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the broth and milk and just bring to a boil.

Carefully transfer the soup to a food processor or blender. (I used a hand blender and blended it in the saucepan.) Blend until smooth. Return to the pan and serve immediately. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also added a little hot sauce at the end because we like it a little spicy.

60 calories/2 grams fat in 3/4 cup.

Mexican Turkey Burgers

1 (20 oz) pkg extra lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup diced fresh mushrooms
1 Tbsp Mexican seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle)
1 tsp minced garlic
Whole grain buns

In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, cilantro, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, seasoning and garlic. Mix well. Divide into 4 or 6 burgers.

Grill for 3 minutes on each side, or until the inside is no longer pink. (I cooked them in a skillet on the stove with a little bit of olive oil in the bottom.) Serve on buns, top with salsa, avacodo, etc. These are less than 200 calories per burger/3 grams of fat. And realllly good.
I actually made an avacodo aioli and served that with them. Recipe is below.


Avacado Aioli
1 med. ripe avacado
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ground black pepper

Combine avacado, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. You could also serve this on sandwiches or as a dip. Only 35 calories/4 grams of fat in 2 Tbsp.

Tortellini Salad

Lg. (20 oz) container fresh cheese tortellini (Buitoni), cooked according to directions on pkg.
Lg. jar marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
1 cup Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian salad dressing
Broccoli flowerettes
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Green onions
Olives
Parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini, drain and let cool a little. Add remaining ingredients, refrigerate a couple of hours to let all the flavors mix. You can add or subtract any of the veggies, whatever you like. You may have to add more Italian dressing after it has sat a while.

Enjoy :)