Thursday, January 13, 2011

Thai Peanut Stir-Fry Sauce

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
cayenne pepper

Combine above ingredients and stir until creamy. (It helps to soften the peanut butter in the microwave.) Add sauce to the stir-fry during the last minute of cooking, stirring to coat food evenly.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Simple Spinach Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups non-fat cottage cheese
1 (8 ounce) package part skim mozzarella
cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
8 ounces lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large pot over medium heat saute spinach, onion, oregano, basil and garlic in the olive oil. Pour in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 20 minutes. In a large bowl mix cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.
3. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place 4 uncooked noodles on top of sauce and top with layer of sauce. Add 4 more noodles and layer with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheese mixture, noodles and repeat until all is layered, finishing with sauce.
4. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 55 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

WW Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients
1 bulb garlic (large, 1/4-inch-slice cut off top)
3 lbs potatoes (rinsed, pierced with a fork, about 6 large baking potatoes)
6 slices uncooked turkey bacon
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
6 tablespoons low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
6 tablespoons scallions, sliced

Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Wrap entire garlic bulb tightly in foil; place garlic and potatoes in oven. (You do not need to put them on a pan; they can go right on an oven rack.).
Bake garlic until soft when squeezed, about 45 minutes; remove from oven and let cool. Continue baking potatoes until tender when pierced, about 15 minutes more; let potatoes stand until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 6 minutes.
Place bacon on paper towels to drain off any fat; chop bacon.
Unwrap garlic and squeeze pulp from bulb with hands into a large saucepan.
Peel potatoes and add to saucepan; mash with a potato masher until smooth.
Gradually stir in broth, thyme, salt and pepper until blended; place saucepan over medium heat and cook until hot, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 10 minutes.