November 2008

There was an amazing deal on red, yellow and orange peppers at the grocery store and I couldn't resist purchasing them. I found this amazing recipe for stuffed peppers on Allrecipes.com. Give them a try. The recipe calls for green peppers but I really enjoyed the other colors--especially red.

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice (I used brown rice)
  
• 2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

October 2008

Tasty Lentil Tacos

I love Mexican Food! Here is a way I can still eat tacos:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup salsa
• 12 taco shells
• 1-1/2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa.
Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream. Yield: 6 servings.

TIME: Prep: 10 min. Cook: 35 min.

September 2008

Tofu Parmigiana

Here is a safe way to try tofu for the first time. I took this recipe from allrecipes.com but I changed it just a little to suit my needs. I usually dip the tofu slices in two beaten eggs before I bread them. Don't be afraid of tofu--I think you'll enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (12 ounce) package firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt, and black pepper.
2. Slice tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices, and place in bowl of cold water. One at a time, press tofu slices into crumb mixture, turning to coat all sides.
3. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook tofu slices until crisp on one side. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, turn, and brown on the other side.
4. Combine tomato sauce, basil, garlic, and remaining oregano. Place a thin layer of sauce in an 8 inch square baking pan. Arrange tofu slices in the pan. Spoon remaining sauce over tofu. Top with shredded mozzarella and remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan.
5. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

August 2008

Spinach Lasagna (recipe and picture from Kraftfoods.com)

2 eggs, beaten

1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

3 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce, divided

HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

LAYER 1 cup spaghetti sauce, 3 lasagna noodles and 1/2 the cottage cheese mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and cheeses.

BAKE 45 min. or until heated through. Let stand 10 min. before serving.