Crazy Cuisine...Cincinnati Chili

In the evenings the hubby and I watch Food Network.  On several different shows they have talked about Cincinnati Chili.  The recipe always seemed so peculiar to me, that I was nervous to try it, but intrigued all at the same time! The chili is unique because it is served on top of spaghetti.  You can order it "one way, two way, three way, or four way" depending on the toppings you want.  I believe one way is topped with spaghetti. Two way is cheddar, three way is cheddar and onion, and four way adds in oyster crackers. This recipe has chocolate, cinnamon, and negates the usual chili ingredient of beans.  I finally worked up the guts to try interesting concoction.  I was amazed.  It did not taste like chili or spaghetti.  It was a spicy dish, not hot spice, but cinnamon, clove, allspice type spicy.  It reminds me of Indian food or even African food in a way.  The flavor is just so different from anything I have ever tasted.  While I was incredibly hesitant to try this recipe, I am happy to say I will continue to make it in the future! Supposedly, it tastes like a recipe from a famous restaurant called Skyline.  This chili has a cult following and I can see why!  So don't be nervous, go ahead and give it a shot!  Since this was a new to me experience, I did something I rarely do. I actually followed the recipe as best I could.  You can click here to find the recipe!  I didn't have allspice in my cupboard, but oddly enough I had pickling spice which had very similar seasonings to what was called for in this recipe.  I only used one pound of ground beef.  I also cheated slightly. After simmering my ground beef, I just rinsed it and added water again to simmer.  I didn't use the whole technique of putting it in the refrigerator overnight and skimming the fat off.  I also used a lot of water.  We have heavy duty pots that retain heat REALLY well, I found myself adding 1 cup of water every half hour to keep everything simmering nicely.  This says ten servings, but my pot made more like 5 servings.  Let me know if you try it, hope you find it to be just as wonderful as we did!

Pumpkin Perfection.

Today we got around to preparing our baking pumpkins.  I had eleven in my pumpkin patch.  Earlier we had used a couple to make pumpkin bars and bread.  Today, we made puree and measured 1 cup servings into freezer bags.  I am hoping I get to make the pie for Thanksgiving!  Here is how we prepared our pumpkins...we washed them, cut the stem off, sliced them in half, scooped out the guts, and put them cut side down in about a half inch of water on a baking sheet.  We baked them for an hour at 400 degrees.  We let let them cool and scooped out the flesh.  We finished by using the food process to puree it.  I plan to have a baking pumpkin patch again, it has been a very rewarding plant!  In fact, I tried a new recipe today and we both LOVE it!

Pumpkin Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bars

I originally got this recipe from the Weight Watchers website which claims it to be just a couple points a slice.  Mine is slightly higher and I did change the recipe from what was on the Weight Watchers site.  I think mine is higher because of the cranberries I used...the nutrition on the packages seem to be twice as high as what most websites site it should be.  In fact my chocolate chips were lower in calories than the cranberries were!  The Weight Watchers website did not use chocolate chips.  They used buttermilk and I used regular milk.  The final product is a cake like bar that has sweet chocolate accenting sour cranberries in a soft pumpkin confection.  It really is delicious!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Brown Sugar (I used dark)

4 Tbsp. Margarine (Mine was 60% vegetable oil)

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree (You can certainly use canned, that's what the original recipe calls for)

1 Large Egg

1 Egg White

1/3 Cup Fat Free Milk

1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 Cups Uncooked Old Fashioned Oats

1 Tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (I used Apple Pie Spice, because that's what I had on hand)

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Table Salt

2 oz. Craisins or other Dried Cranberries (I used 2-100 calorie packs of Craisins)

1 oz. Miniature Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour dust a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  In a large bowl cream brown sugar and margarine.  Beat in egg and egg white, pumpkin, and milk.  Mine looked very granular or almost slightly separated at this step, which concerned my slightly, but by the time it gets to the pan it will be mixed nicely.  In a separate medium-sized bowl combine flour, oats, pie spice, baking soda, and table salt. Stir in pumpkin mixture just until moistened.  Fold in cranberries and chocolate chips.  Spread evenly in baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Cool completely and cut into 18 rectangles.  Enjoy with a tall glass of milk or hot cup of tea or coffee.

Each bar has around 174 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1 gram of fiber, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of protein, 154 mg of sodium, and 384 mg of calcium.  This calculated out to 4 Weight Watchers Points per bar.  This is a great snack or could be a nice breakfast bar!

Souptastic

For two years or maybe even longer I have wanted to try a specific soup recipe.  I had heard there was a recipe for Olive Gardens Zuppa Toscana floating around the Internet.  I looked at several versions of it and considered it about three million times.  For some reason I decided to put it on our menu this week.  I have been trying a lot of new recipes lately.  Some have been pretty good and others have not made it in to my recipe collection! In fact, I take pictures of a lot of them, but there is no sense in posting a recipe that is just so-so.  Today is a different story. This soup recipe is just like eating at Olive Garden and I even changed it slightly!

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, washed and chopped

6 slices bacon (I used thick cut and chose a meaty bacon)

Jennie-O Lean Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey (Cooked and crumbled)

1 small onion

1/3 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Quart Water

2 Tablespoons Chicken Bouillon

1 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

2 Cups Chopped Kale (washed and dried with paper towels before chopping)

Crushed Red Pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese to taste

In a sauce pan, fry bacon with chopped onion.  When bacon is crispy, remove and crumble.  Set bacon aside for later use.  Add garlic to onion and saute for one minute.  Add water, chicken bouillon, and potatoes.  Let simmer for 15 minutes or less if potatoes seem to be cooked thoroughly. Add crumbled bacon, crumbled sausage, chopped kale, and heavy cream.  Let simmer an additional 4 minutes.  Garnish with a dash of red pepper and Parmesan cheese (not included in nutritional information).

Yield: 10 servings as a cup of soup or 5 servings as a bowl

Nutritional information: 6 WW points for a cup or 11 points for a bowl.

A bowl is around 523 calories, 33 carbohydrates, 27.9 grams of protein, 31.4 grams of fat, 3.2 grams of fiber. A cup is about 261 calories, 16.5 carbohydrates, 13.9 grams of protein, 15.7 grams of fat, 1.6 grams of fiber.  When I figured this out I included the bacon drippings that do not get drained off and add a lot of flavor!

Italian Style Pork Tenderloin with Faux Tato Salad and Green Beans

We had a wonderful 300 calorie dinner tonight. The green beans are easy- you can just steam them! We had ours pickled. A cousin gave me a jar of her pickled green beans and they were REALLY good. I can't wait until summer, I think I am going to grow and pickle green beans! Anyway, we also had faux tato salad. Here is the recipe:

Faux Tato Salad

12 oz. Frozen Cauliflower

1/2 Cup Cottage Cheese

1 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. vinegar

8 dill pickle rounds

Salt and pepper to taste

Steam cauliflower. Make sure the cauliflower doesn't get over cooked. You still want it to be a little firm. As soon as it has been steamed, rinse with cold water to chill the cauliflower and stop it from cooking any more.

While the cauliflower is being steamed, put your cottage cheese in the food processor or blender. Mix until creamy (this may require a few minutes of mixing/blending, but don't rush it...you want a creamy texture). After you have creamed your cottage cheese, use a spatula to move it to a medium to large bowl. Add the mustard and vinegar. Using kitchen shears or a knife cut up the dill pickles into small pieces. Add pickles to mixture. After the cauliflower has been rinsed, add it to the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste!

Serves 4, each serving is 49 calories.

Italian Style Pork Tenderloin

1 Pork Tenderloin

1/2 Cup of Ragu Light Tomato and Basil Sauce

Basil (I used the type in the tube)

Spray a small glass pan with cooking spray. Brush basil on top of tenderloin. Brush marinara on top of tenderloin. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Let sit for 2-5 minutes and slice. One 3 oz. serving has 190 calories.

Green Beans (16 string beans): 27 calories

Faux Tato Salad: 49 calories

Italian Style Pork Tenderloin: 190 calories

Total: 266 calories

Go Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S

I had the best snack today! It was amazing! While I didn't balance it with a protein, it was incredible! Are you ready for this?



For each serving you need:

1 Frozen small (6-7 inches)Banana

1 TBSP. half and half (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla



Optional Topping:

1/2 Tbsp. Milk Chocolate Morsels

1/2 Tbsp. White Chocolate Morsels

1 drop or two half and half



Chop the frozen banana up and process in your heavy duty food processor for a few minutes. It will suddenly start to look like soft serve ice cream! Add in the optional half and half and vanilla. Scrape into your bowl. You could eat it just like this...amazing soft serve banana ice cream.



If you feel adventurous- the "ice cream" is so good on its own you probably won't want to feel adventurous, but if you do...simply microwave your chocolate and half and half for just a few seconds to melt. Pour on top.



It's amazing, in my opinion! I was skeptical at first, but yummy! Oh, and guess what...definitely under 300 calories! Here is the break down:



Banana Soft Serve "Ice Cream" with vanilla and no half and half: 100 calories

Banana Soft Serve "Ice Cream" with vanilla and half and half: 119 calories

Chocolate Topping: 72 calories



Enjoy!

Wrapped up in Rubens

I love Rubens! Unfortunately, the average Reuben is loaded with calories. I recently saw a Ruben dip recipe in my new Hungry Girl cookbook. I didn't follow the recipe, but I did note two distinct differences between their dip and a traditional Reuben. One change was to use turkey and the other was fat free French dressing. At the grocery store I bought one pound of deli turkey, a can of sauerkraut, some Kraft Free French Dressing, Swiss cheese, and some LaTortilla Factory Rye Wraps.


The original recipe probably called for veggies to dip, but part of the Reuben for me is the rye bread. Thinking I would prepare meals for the week, I got out four small Ziploc containers. I think they are 6 oz. containers. I sliced my deli turkey into inch long and 1/4 inch wide slices. I usually prefer everything to be fairly chopped up to make dipping or biting easier, especially with braces! I dropped 3 oz. of turkey into each container. You will have just a little extra, perfect for salad or a mid afternoon snack. Next I added two ounces of drained sauerkraut. I noticed that there is a slight caloric difference between mild sauerkraut and Bavarian sauerkraut. I used mild sauerkraut which had 10 calories per serving as opposed to Bavarian that has 20 calories. Next I stirred in one tablespoon of French dressing. Finally, I added 3/4 of an ounce of Swiss cheese. I chopped my Swiss cheese into butter pad sizes to make melting a little easier. That's it...I put in the refrigerator until I need them (by the way, nothing stays in my fridge for more than 6 or 7 days...I'm kind of weird about leftovers and such, so I would also suggest eating this recipe in 7 days...anything longer is at your own risk.).


When I grab one out of the fridge, I just heat my tortilla for 20 seconds and my Ruben filling for 1-2 minutes. I spread the filling on the tortilla, wrap, and enjoy! It's instant Ruben pleasure for just 295 calories! One serving of a regular Reuben has around 800 calories. So, enjoy this toned down and delicious swap.

Crab Cakes

I am enjoying my day off. I slept in, took a long shower, and made lunch. I have lots of food in the fridge that I need to make this week. I also have some random items on hand like a butternut squash and spaghetti squash. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and may go hang out with my niece and sister-in-law for a little bit. Such a wonderful day so far. Since I am home for lunch and had time to be in the kitchen before the hubby came home for lunch, I decided to actually whip something up.

Growing up my parents would periodically make us tuna patties or trout patties or salmon patties. I always loved the texture and I really enjoy fish. Last week at the store I was checking out the fresh fish and saw a package of crab. That's right, crab with a "c" not krab with a "k". The price was right, so I decided to give the foil package a shot. I was a little thrown off when I looked at the package and it said, "virtually no shell". Hmmm, virtually? I am happy to report we didn't find any shells.

I broke apart 3 pieces of melba toast and made some chunky crumbs. Next I dropped in one large egg. I whipped this with a fork and broke the melba toast up a little more. I added about 2 tsp. of Caribbean jerk seasoning and the same amount of cajun seasoning. I really wanted to use Old Bay, but could not find it anywhere! My Cajun seasoning is a little salty, so I didn't add in any extra salt. Next I added the crab and stirred it around until everything looked equally covered. The mixture was actually fairly dry and I considered adding another egg, but was afraid of adding too much and covering up the taste of the crab. After all, we are talking crab with a "c", not a "k"!

I sprayed my small frying pan with cooking spray and formed three patties. I let cook until I could see the egg firming up. I carefully flipped the patty over and turned off the heat. We use All Clad pots and pans, so they retain a lot of heat! We also never turn our stove top on above medium heat. You may need to adjust accordingly if making this recipe at home. Anyway, while I was letting my patties finish cooking, I split a bag of romaine lettuce on to two plates. I also chopped some cantaloupe. When the patties weren't sizzling anymore, I checked the bottoms and they were nicely browned. I plopped one on each bed of lettuce. I wasn't sure what kind of dressing to put on top. I wanted a vinaigrette or something light. I settled on Ken's Steakhouse Lite Asian Sesame Ginger dressing.

I was really happy with how everything turned out. The husband also liked it and he normally doesn't eat crab. In fact, I let him think it was tuna for a few bites until I knew he would eat it without caring that it was actually crab. There was one crab cake left over. I went ahead and ate it. I was pleasantly surprised when I calculated the calories. For two crab cakes, the lettuce, dressing, and cantaloupe the calories ended up being 294! Each crab cake comes in at 82 calories. The photo shown is actually only 212 calories and was delicious!

Something that I have learned is really important is to always have a carbohydrate and protein together. Carbohydrates and proteins work together to break down into nutrients. A carbohydrate on it's own won't break down the same and a protein on its own breaks down very slowly. The melba and crab alone are a really good balance in this recipe, but the fruit just seemed like a nice addition!

If you wanted to change the recipe some you could probably use just about any fish. You could also use flavored melba! Delicious, simple, and well under 300 calories-enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

One of my favorite ways to prepare Spaghetti Squash is in pizza! I am a thin crust pizza gal, so I love that I can make a nice thin crunchy crust! I also like that I am slipping vegetables in when most people expect carbohydrates. Okay, here is the recipe.

2 Cups Spaghetti Squash
2 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 egg white
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
Olive Oil
Garlic

Toppings:
Assorted Chopped Veggies
12 oz. Turkey Breast Sausage
1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning (Optional)
4 oz. Mozzarella

I start by pressing out the moisture in the spaghetti squash. I layer paper towels or dish towels and press as much water out of the squash as possible. Next I mix the egg white with the mozzarella and Italian Seasoning. I always feel a little defeated when I mix my moist egg with my now slightly dry squash, it just seems to completely counter everything I just did! Haha, oh well. Now I spray my pan with cooking spray and press in my squash mixture. This gets squashed in VERY thin. Brush olive oil on the crust and sprinkle with fresh garlic. Next I put the pan in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges (just slightly).

As soon as my pizza crust comes out, I am topping it. I love a variety of vegetables like mushrooms, spinach (sometimes pre-tossed with a little olive oil so it doesn't get dry and crunchy), bell pepper, green onion, or tomato. I also use turkey sausage. I make my own turkey sausage in advance, but you could use any sort of sausage, pepperoni, chicken, etc. Finally, I top my pizza with mozzarella. I love having cheese on top of all my other ingredients because it keeps everything slightly more moist. If I order pizza, I even try to remember to ask for the meat under the cheese! I top my pizza and throw it in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. It really depends on what toppings and how many toppings you have on your spaghetti squash pizza. Once my cheese is melted and bubbly, I pull the pizza out. Generally, I make my pizza into four servings. Which brings this recipe in at under 300 calories! It's tasty pizza with a healthy spin!

Preparing for the Spaghetti Squash Trilogy

I am in love with spaghetti squash! I was a little intimidated by this vegetable in the beginning, but now it's nearly a staple on our menu. I always choose a bright yellow squash without scuff marks if possible. Our grocery store only carries a small number at a time, so if they are in stock I often buy two. Once prepared, this squash can be used in various recipes or frozen. I usually start by washing the squash and removing any stickers or adhesive residue from stickers. I then cut the squash in half lengthwise. This can be the most difficult part of the process. I have read that this process can be made easier by putting the squash in the microwave for a couple of minutes. I usually just use my brute strength or ask the husband for help.

Once I get the squash cut, I use a large serving spoon to scoop out the seeds and guts. Originally, I was worried that I was scooping out the noodles, so I left the slimy guts inside. I quickly learned this was not accurate. Grab those guts and seeds!

Next I pour about a half inch of water into a baking dish. I then set my spaghetti squash cut side down. I preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake my squash for 40 minutes. Once the squash comes out, I take a fork and pull out the "spaghetti". You might be pleasantly surprised with how much comes out of the squash. When I am done, there is just a thin shell left. From here the possibilities are endless! I will post three easy recipes very soon! This squash is wonderful with just about any seasoning or in place of spaghetti noodles. Oh and a serving is definitely under 300 calories!

Strawberry Chicken Salad with Roasted Sweet Pepper Vinaigrette

I got to sleep in this morning! Woohoo! We got ready to go out for groceries and found lots more snow on the ground. We still went out for groceries. I came home with lots of food to make various recipes. I took pictures and will post the recipes very soon. We really wanted to see a movie today, but there wasn't a lot of choices at the theater, the red box didn't have anything we wanted to see, and the Pay Per View selections weren't too exciting. Have you seen anything really good lately? Last night we watched Up and The Hangover. They were both good in their own special ways, haha.

Okay, I decided to spotlight another 300 calorie or less meal option. I have decided that putting fruit on your salad is an instant hit. When I bring this salad or similar salads to work, no one believes that I made them. They all think I went out to a chain restaurant and brought food back. This salad is best if you are very hungry. Here you go, Strawberry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

8 oz. romaine lettuce

6 oz. sliced strawberries

4 oz. cooked chicken, seasoned with Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Seasoning

1 oz. of pepper jack cheese shredded

*Suggested addition Eating Right Roasted Sweet Pepper and Garlic Dressing, this addition brings the total caloric value of the recipe to 311 calories.

I use a large bowl, a soup size bowl will not due in this recipe. Go ahead, get out a mixing bowl! I add my ingredients and toss before adding the dressing. It's simple and delicious. Not to mention the colors are so pretty together. If I were going to modify this recipe I might try a sharper cheese like feta or goat cheese. I think that would be divine. However, those cheeses are not on my current meal plan. In addition to Mrs. Dash on my chicken before I grilled it with the George Foreman grill, I sprinkle more Mrs. Dash on my salad. I love the tomato basil flavor! As I ate this for lunch I thought about taking it to the next potluck we have.

Coming to a blog near you: A Spaghetti Squash Trilogy. Stay tuned!

300 Calorie Series - Ranch Dip with fruit and veggies

Okay, perhaps N's Wonderful World should have been titled Cards, Cooking, and other Crazy ideas, haha. I think I am going to start posting a few 300 calorie or less meal options. Not that I expect everyone who reads this to be losing weight, but I know at different points everyone is conscious of what they are eating. Not to mention there are days where you know a big meal is on the way and want something a little lighter.

To begin, I will give you one of my favorite meals. In fact this meal runs 240 calories. I particularly love this meal because of the portability, quick preparation, and it's a plate FULL of food. The star of this meal is the dip. Here is the recipe:

6 oz. of low-fat cottage cheese

1/4 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning

Blend the cottage cheese in a food processor, blender, or magic bullet until smooth. Mix in ranch seasoning packet.

Serve with 8 oz. of raw snap peas or other vegetable such as celery or bell pepper.

Finish off the meal with a sweet piece of fruit, such as a peach or orange.

I usually make a few servings in advance, put them in small air tight containers, purchase the 8 oz. bag of snap peas, and an orange. This is so simple and so portable! The cottage cheese is a good source of protein and the fruit rounds out some good carbohydrates. Not to mention the fiber in the veggies and fruit.

If you are not a fan of ranch, you can try taco seasoning (sodium free or low sodium), or any other seasoning combination. Give it a shot, you might just be pleasantly surprised with the ranch dressing substitute! In fact if you want lightened up ranch dressing, just add a little water to your mixture until you find the desired consistency! Yum!