Yeast Dinner Rolls

2 cups lukewarm water (85-105 degrees)
1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 tsp salt
1 egg
6 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. melted butter
6 cups flour

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Let douh rise 1 hour or until double in size. Punch down. Form into rolls and let them rise for 1 hour in a lightly greased pan.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush tops of rolls lightly with melted butter and bake for 10-15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen rolls.

Pumpkin Bread

1 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients together. Add eggs, oil, pumpkin, and water. Beat well. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Grease and flour pans and bake at 325. Start testing after 1 hour of baking time. Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf.

Fudge-Striped Cookie SALAD:)

1 cup buttermilk
3 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding
8 oz. carton Cool Whip
15 oz. can mandarin oranges (drained)
2 sections fudge-striped cookies (crushed, about 10-14)

Mix together pudding and buttermilk. Fold in Cool Whip, oranges, and one section of crushed fudge stripe cookies. Sprinkle remaining crushed cookies on top of salad.

Fettuccine Pasta with Black Bean Sauce

This is a recipe I got from Jami. I love it! It's like a vegetarian spaghetti (it came from a website that posts diabetic recipes, but I added salt :) It is still very healthy and very tasty. I hope you enjoy it.

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onions , chopped
2 medium garlic cloves , minced
6 fresh mushrooms (med), sliced (button)
1 1/2 tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
1/8 tsp black pepper
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes
4 oz fettuccine
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup Beans, black, canned,rinsed

Directions
1 Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the basil, oregano, pepper, and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
2 Cook the pasta in accordance with the directions on the package. Do not add any salt or fat.
3 Add the tomato sauce and beans to the onion mixture and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
4 Divide the pasta onto 4 plates and top with the sauce.

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (I used 2 pints, I think it needed more tomatoes but Chris thought it was just fine, I will use 3 pints next time:)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving (I just bought one package of basil and used all of it. I don't think there were 18 leaves but I used all that I had and it was still good)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 pound dried angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (this seemed like too much to me. I will try just one cup next time and I didn't use the freshly grated, I used what was in the bottle in the fridge)

Combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.

Just before you're ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 Tbsp. salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package (be careful--it only takes 2 to 3 minutes!). Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on each serving.

Muhammara (Red Pepper - Walnut Dip/Spread)

I got this off of Dadra Call's Healthy Lifestyle Blog: http://mifit.blogspot.com/

It makes a great dip for vegetables and pita chips and we discovered that putting it on sliced baguettes and baking in the oven for a few minutes is DIVINE!!

Muhammara (Red Pepper-Walnut Dip/Spread)

1 12-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup panko (found in breadcrumb aisle)
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. honey
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until puree forms. Makes about 2 cups. Keep covered in refrigerator for up to one week (if it lasts that long!!)

Cafe Rio Pork (for salad/burritos/ or tacos)

Night Before:

3 1/2 - 4 lb Pork Roast
4 Tbs Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt


Mix ingredients together and rub on pork roast. Put in crock pot on low. Cook all night.

Next Morning Add:

1 can coke (we tried other pops and they were gross)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped

Keep cooking all day in crock pot on Low.

About one hour before serving, shred roast and add 1 c. brown sugar. (I added about 3/4 c. It depends on how sweet you want it.)

This is super yummy, if you've been to Cafe Rio in Utah and love their pork, you will love this recipe! We had tacos with it and it was delicious. We have left overs so I'm going to make the salad tomorrow. I will post the salad dressing for the pork salad later. Enjoy!

Jerk Chicken Nachos

6 Cups Tortilla chips
3 Cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
2 Cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese Blend
2 Tbsp. Jamaican Jerk Rub, divided
1 Small yellow or red bell pepper or combination
1 Lime
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 Cup sour cream and 1 tsp additional Jamican Jerk Rub (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 Degrees. Arrange tortilla chips in a slightly overlapping layer on Large Round Stone.
2. In bowl, combine chicken, cheese and 1 Tbsp. of the jerk rub; mix gently using small scraper. Sprinkle chicken mixture evenly over tortilla chips. Bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted; removed from oven to cooling rack.
3. Meanwhile, dice bell pepper with knife. Cut lime in half crosswise. Juice half of the lime using press into bowl; add remaining jerk rub and bell pepper and mix well.
4. Snip cilantro in mincing cup of herb keeper using kitchen shears. Slice remaining lime half using in half.
5. Spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with cilantro. If desired, combine sour cream and additional jerk rub in resealable plastic bag; trim corner to allow osour cream to flow through. Pipe sour cream mixture over nachos. Garnish with lime slices.

Yeild: 12 Servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 180, Fiber 1 g.

"Healthified" Salsa-Beef Chili

1 lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef (I used turkey)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) Muir Glen organic no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained (I used 1 28oz can of H.E.B. brand diced tomatoes)
1 jar (16 oz) Muir Glen organic mild or medium salsa (I just used the Pace we already had)
1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen organic tomato sauce (I just used regular tomato sauce)
1 can (15 oz) Pregresso dark red kidney beans, drained rinsed (I used regular H.E.B. brand)
1 can (15 oz) Progresso black beans, drained, rinsed (I didn't have any so I just didn't put any in)
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Reduced-fat sour cream, if desired
Chopped green onions, if desired

1. In 4-quart nonstick Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Return to Dutch oven. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute.
2. Stir in all remaining ingredients except sour cream and green onions. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. To serve, top individual servings with sour cream and green onions.

Substitutions: Any of the called-for beans you can use black-eyed peas or pinto beans instead.

Simplify: Get every once of flavor from the tomato sauce by rinsing any remaining sauce from the can with 1/2 cup water. (I am not sure if this is in addition to the other 1/2 cup water, I just used a 1/2 cup water to rinse it out, that way doing two things at once, I am sure it wouldn't hurt to have 1/2 cup more water in there then called for.)

Nutritional Information: 1 serving = 1 1/4 cup, calories 260, Fiber 9 g. For other nutritional information google: "healthified" Salsa-Beef Chili

It had a really yummy taste. When I ate it for leftovers a couple days later it was a little hotter then I remember it being the night I made it but still very tasty. Enjoy!

Jack's Style Salmon

Ok I have promised some fish recipes for a long time. Here is one of our favorites.

Marinade
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Sugar ( don't not use sugar substitute like "Splenda")
2 tbls ginger minced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 lg jalepeno seeded and minced
4 green onions thinly sliced

Put all ingredients in a zip-lock bag with 4 salmon portions (4 oz.). If you are cooking for more then 4 , double the marinade recipe for up to 8-10 portions. let sit in the fridge for several hours but not more then 24. Then the fish can be broiled on high for 8 min or put on a BBQ grill. Cook until fish is flaky. Mouth watering....:)

Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

My Mom ordered this at Caraba's Italian Restaurant. It was the best lentil soup I have ever tasted. I found a copycat recipe that tastes just like it.

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup minced onion
* 3/4 cup grated and minced carrot
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 lb uncooked hot Italian sausage
* 2 ounces diced ham (about 1/2 cup)
* 7 cups water
* 5 cups chicken broth
* 1 lb dry lentils
* 1 medium tomato, diced
* 2 tablespoons vinegar
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Directions


1. Heat up olive oil in a dutch oven or large saucepot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Remove sausage from casing, and add it to the pan. Saute for 8 minutes, stirring often. Break up the sausage into bite-size bits as it cooks. Add ham, and cook for an additional minute.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

3.Serve 1 cup for a "cup" portion, or serve 2 cups for a "bowl" serving.

Killer" Chile con Queso

I got this recipe from the Dining Diva. Here is the web site: the Dining Diva

Amy wanted this to make for New Years. It is amazing....if you like Queso.

Serves 10-12

1 can	Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 cup	Evaporated Milk
7oz can	Diced Green Chiles
2 tbsp	Chopped Jalapenos (optional)
4oz jar	Chopped pimento, drained
1 pkg	Ranch dip mix
1 can	Rotel tomatoes and peppers
1 lb	Velveeta, cut into cubes
1/4 cup	Minced, fresh cilantro
	Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
1 tbsp	Tortilla Chips for dipping

Heat in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until cheese melts and mixture is combined.

This queso can be made ahead or even frozen and reheated before event. Serve warm with chips!

Sweet Potato Casserole (REALLY YUMMY)

6 sweet potatoes or 1 large can sweet potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter

Cook the sweet potatoes. Whether they are fresh or canned, reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. To reserved liquid add the other (non-topping) ingredients. Add in potatoes. Mash the mixture. Put in a 9x13 inch dish.
Topping: Mix the sugar, flour and pecans of the topping recipe. Sprinkle this over potatoes. Drizzle on butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until hot.

Perfect Peach Cobbler

This was so good at the Elder's Quorum potluck dinner on Sunday that I had the Farrer's send me the recipe. Mmmmmm this is good. Chris loved it and let me have a little taste:)

1 can (20 oz) peach slices, with juice
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling (apple pie filling can be substituted)
1 white or yellow cake mix
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut
1/8 cup butter or margarine, thinly sliced

Pour juice from peaches into a separate bowl. Spread pie filling and peaches on bottom of greased 4 1/2 to 6-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle cake mix, cinnamon, and coconut over top. Pour peach juice over dry ingredients. Place butter slices over the dry areas. Cover and cook on low heat 4 hours or on high heat 2 hours. Makes 10-12 servings.

Manicotti

Allison asked me for this recipe many moons ago and I am finally getting around to doing it.

12 large manicotti shells (the pkg usually has 14 in it and I use every one if they are not too broken)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups ricotta cheese (since I use more shells I use 2 - 16oz tubs of low-fat ricotta cheese)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil
1 (26 oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on wax paper or aluminum foil.
3. For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzerella with the ricotta and basil. Using a small spoon, carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture.
4. Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella.
5. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately. ENJOY this pretty quick, meatless, yummy meal!!

Note: I use all the shells and can usually fit 10 lenthwise and then put the other four in two rows above the 10 shells. To save a TON of time I cut open each shell lengthwise, fill it up and then close it and make sure the cut part is on the bottom when I put it in the bakeware. You would never know that I cut the shells unless someone told you.

Chili-Lime Chicken Breasts with Turmeric

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 4
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes


Ingredients
• 1 cup dry, quick-cooking brown rice (I used regular brown rice and it still worked well)
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 cup Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 1 1/2 lbs uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp Roasted Garlic Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp grated lime zest
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves, divided
• 1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste

Instructions
• Cook rice according to package directions adding turmeric and 1 tablespoon oil to the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with chili powder and cook until no longer pink in center, about 6 minutes per side.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice and 2 tablespoons cilantro.
• Remove chicken from heat; add vinegar mixture to skillet. Flip chicken several times to coat with vinegar mixture; cover and let stand to absorb flavors, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Spoon rice into a serving bowl; toss with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and remaining tablespoon oil. Place chicken on top and drizzle with pan drippings; Season with salt and pepper. Yields about 3 ounces chicken, 3/4 cup rice and 1 tablespoon sauce per serving.
• Cook’s Tip: Turmeric gives a brilliant yellow color to the rice.

I couldn't find Roasted Garlic Red Wine Vinegar. I only found Red Wine Vinegar, so I used that and then added some garlic that I cooked in the skillet. It still tasted really, really good! This was also a little time consuming, but well worth it!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Ginger Sauce

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 4
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Prep time : 38 minutes
Roasting time: 30 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
• 4 sprays olive oil cooking spray, divided
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal 1/4-inch thick
• 2 medium cippolini onions, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 small turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (optional)
• Apple-Ginger Sauce
• 2/3 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon brandy OR apple cider
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions
• Pre-heat oven to 425ºF. Coat inside of large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Combine carrots, onions, sweet potato and turnip in pan. Coat vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Roast for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, ginger and pepper in a small bowl; sprinkle and rub evenly over surfaces of pork. Coat a large heavy skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Lightly brown pork over medium-high heat about 2-4 minutes; transfer to a plate.
• Off heat, recoat roasting pan with cooking spray. Stir and push vegetables to edge of roasting pan; place tenderloin in center of pan. Continue roasting in for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature of pork tenderloin reaches 155ºF. about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board and loosely cover with foil; let rest for 5 minutes. Turn oven off. Stir and return vegetables to oven to keep warm. While tenderloin is roasting, prepare sauce.
• Combine 2/3 cup apple cider and chicken broth in small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup.
• Combine water, brandy (or apple cider) and cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture using a wire whisk. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, butter and ginger. Makes 1/2 cup of sauce or 2 tablespoons per serving.
• To serve, cut pork tenderloin into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with roasted vegetables and apple-ginger sauce. Garnish with chives if desired.
• Makes 4 servings. Yields about 3 ounces of pork, 1 cup of vegetables and 2 tablespoons of sauce per serving.


This recipe took awhile to prepare, but we thought it was very tasty! The pork was very tender and juicy. It took longer to cook for me. Check it after 25 minutes and take it out when it is no longer pink in the middle.

Butternut Squash Soup

To make this recipe more healthy I halved the butter and used less cream cheese. I also made sure I used low fat cream cheese. I also used my whole squash which was more then 6 cups. Low sodium chicken stock could be used in place of the bouillon and water. for nutritional info go here.
This recipe makes 6, 2 cup servings. That is huge. If you half the portion and add a green salad and a whole wheat roll, this meal is not bad at all. (around 400 cal.) depending on the dressing you use on your salad. For dessert, I love cutting up 1 Granny smith apple with some warm caramel dipping sauce. (170 cal 0g fat)

Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS
* 6 tablespoons chopped onion
* 4 tablespoons margarine
* 6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
* 3 cups water
* 4 cubes chicken bouillon
* 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
2. Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

Crusty White BRAIDS

I got this from a bread class that I went to at Sister Durda's house. I finally got around to making it and it turned out really good and I was so proud of myself for making bread from scratch without using the breadmaker and it was all fancy-shmancy. I love that it is a loaf of bread that is braided. We had it with soup and just pulled it apart. Chris was so impressed with me when he came home from school that not only did I make bread all by myself but that is was braided.

4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1/4 cup oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
Mix all - knead several minutes. Let rise in greased bowl, covered 1 1/2 hours until doubled. Divide into 6 balls. Cover and let rest 10 mins. Roll each to a 16" rope. Put on greased baking sheet 1" apart. Braid each from center to ends. Pinch ends and tuck under. Let rise again 45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Macaroni Grill Bread

This is a bread recipe that I got from my Father in Law. It is just like the bread they serve at Macaroni Grill. It is sooo Yummy!

Ingredients:

1 T. Dry Yeast
1 T. Sugar
1 Cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
2 1/2 Cup white flour
1 t. salt
2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 T. canola oil, peanut oil or olive oil
nonstick cooking spray
2 T. butter

Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and
allow mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 2 cups of flour and the salt. Add one tablespoon of
the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or
in food processor about 30 seconds until smooth and elastic. add flour if
necessary. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a
warm place for one hour until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 - 10minutes.
Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the
dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Melt margarine or butter. Brush over the top
of the loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tabelspoon of rosemary over the
loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about
45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly sprinkle course salt over the loaves.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until lightly browned.

This makes 2 loaves.

YOU MUST USE FRESH ROSEMARY!