BBQ Chicken Pizza Roll Up

This recipe is from the Taste of Healthy Cooking Magazine. The girls really seemed to like it.

1 tube refrigerated pizza crust
1/4 cup honey barbecue sauce (or plain)
1 1/2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
 1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. Italian seasoning, optional
1 egg white
1 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll crust into a 12 in. x 9 in. rectangle; brush with barbecue sauce. Layer with cheese, chicken, onion, cilantro and Italian seasoning if desired.

2. Roll up jelly roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with a cooking spray.

3. Beat egg white and water; brush over top. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before slicing.

Thai Chicken Pasta Salad

I made this recipe for supper one night and used it as the main dish instead of just a salad. It makes quite a bit.
This recipe is from Taste of Healthy Cooking magazine.

Dressing:
3/4 cup reduced fat creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. lime juice
3 Tbsp. molasses
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salad:
12 oz. uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
2 large carrots, julienned
8 cups finely shredded Chines or napa cabbage (I used med. sized head)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I used small cubed chicken breast)
2/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp. unsalted dry roasted peanuts, chopped (I used salted peanuts-that were in the can of mixed nuts I had)

1.For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the first nine ingredients until smooth; set aside.

2. In a large saucepan, cook spaghetti according to package directions, adding the carrots during the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in cabbage and chicken.

3. Whisk dressing and pour over spaghetti mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts. Serve immediately or chill before serving.

Crab Cakes

Matt and I made this recipe using packaged imitation crab (I'm sure real tastes better but if you are on a budget and/or don't want to take the time to pick crab out of the shells).
Matt made a dipping sauce of Miracle Whip and Old Bay but I'm sure there are sauces online you can find.
This recipe is from Food Network online

• 1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
• 1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz/saltines)
• 3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise/Miracle Whip works too
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash cayenne pepper
• Flour, for dusting
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• Favorite dipping sauce, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and peanut oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Serve warm with preferred sauce.

Baked Shrimp

Matt and I made this recipe on Friday night along with the crab cake recipe. It is some of the best food we have made! This recipe is from Taste of Healthy Cooking magazine.

1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs whites
1 Tbsp. fat free milk
3 Tbsp. all purpose flour-(we needed more)
3 tsp. seafood seasoning (we use Old Bay)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
30 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (We used the medium size uncooked frozen in a bag from WalMart)
Cooking Spray

1. Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine eggs whites and milk. In a third shallow bowl, combine flour, seafood seasoning, salt and pepper. Dip the shrimp in the flour mixture, egg mixture, then the bread crumbs.

2. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 8-12 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and coating is golden brown, turning once.

Beef and Potato Soup

I made this soup last Sunday (when the Packers lost :(  

It is super easy to make using the crock pot! This recipe came from the Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine.

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (90% lean)  We used 1 lb of venison hamburger and it was plenty of meat

3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) reduced sodium chicken broth

5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

5 medium carrots, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

3 tsp. dried basil

2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

12 oz. reduced fat process cheese (Velveeta or I used WalMart brand), cubed

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Combine flour and 1 can broth until smooth. Add to beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

2. Transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, seasonings and remaining broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese and milk. Cover, cook 30 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Just before serving, stir in sour cream.

Creamy Lemon Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake when the Jenks family came over for Christmas. My sister in law Melanie made it for the Flyte family Christmas. It is time consuming but certainly worth the work and wait! The recipe calls for a water bath and only cook for 45 minutes but it took about 1 1/2 hours to bake. I used the juice of real lemons too instead of lemon juice from a bottle. This recipe is from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. butter melted
Filling:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) reduced fat cream cheese
1 pkg. (8 oz.) fat- free cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Toppings:
1 cup (8 oz.) reduced fat sour cream
4 tsp. plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. grated lemon peel

1. Place a 9 in. springform pan coated with cooking spray on a double thickness of heavy duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 6-9 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheeses and sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and peel. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combine. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
4. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes (it took me 1 1/2 hours) or until center is almost set. Let stand for 5 minutes. Combine the sour cream, 4 tsp. sugar and vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes longer. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.
5. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the cornstarch, salt and remaining sugar. Stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
6. Stir  a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolk; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Gently stir in the lemon juice, butter and lemon peel. Cool to room temperature without stirring.
7. Spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan.