Applesauce

• 8 apples, peeled and cored
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Throw it all in a sauce pan and cover.  Cook on medium heat for 15-20 mins.
2. Puree or mash with a potato masher.

I had no idea applesauce was THIS easy to make.  And the aroma in the house – yum!  Not to mention how delicious the final product was!  We gobbled our first batch up quickly!!!  Bryker even turned to me during our taste test of it and said, “Mommy, Bryker really likes this.”  Yup – I’d call it a hit!

 

Corn Chowder

yield: 8-10 servings

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/2 cup celery, minced
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 2-1/4 cups skim milk
• 2 bags of frozen corn
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp thyme
• paprika to taste

1. Melt butter and add onion and celery.  Saute until tender.
2. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
3. Slowly add milk, stir until mixture is thick and bubbly.
4. Add corn, salt, pepper and thyme and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Puree half of the mixture in the blender and return to pot.

I would suggest you taste this and play around with the spices.  I ended up adding more pepper and some garlic salt.  I’ve made a couple versions of corn chowder and this one is by far our favorite.  It shocked us how much flavor we got from such an easy recipe.  And Bryker loved it, too!  He insisted I take a picture of him with his soup…

Delicious Enchiladas

• half an onion, diced
• 1lb of chicken, cooked & cubed
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup picante sauce
• 3 oz of 1/3 fat cream cheese
• 1 tomato, diced
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• tortillas

1. Mix everything except the tortillas together.
2. Stuff into shells.
3. Bake for 15 mins at 350 degrees.

You could do SO many variations of this.  I’d love to add corn and black beans next time.  I don’t recall the exact nutritional facts but this came from a healthy website and all I changed from that was to add the tomato and cilantro.  YUM!  We really enjoyed this one!  I was a little nervous about the cream cheese (I hate cream cheese) but I didn’t notice it at all in the dish – yum, yum, yum!

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

• 1lb chicken breast, thawed and trimmed
• 1 Tbsp cajun seasoning
• 1 pkg creamy garlic alfredo sauce (the powder mix)
• 3 pieces laughing cow cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups pasta
• parmesan cheese

1. season chicken with cajun seasoning
2. fry or grill chicken
3. prepare pasta as directed on pkg
4. combine alfredo mix, laughing cow cheese and milk in a small sauce pan
5. stir sauce mix constantly until it boils, then boil for one minute and remove from heat
6. when chicken is cooked, dice (or leave it, it’s up to you)
7. toss pasta with parmesan and then combine pasta, chicken and alfredo sauce
8. YUM…this is from a selection of low-fat recipes and trust me – there is nothing about this that tastes low-fat

Monte Cristo Turnovers

• 1 sheet frozen pastry puff, thawed
• 4 tsp honey mustard (we didn’t do this)
• 4 1oz slices of smoked turkey
• 4 1oz slices of smoked ham
• 4 slices of swiss (we used provolone)
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• raspberry preserves

1. preheat oven to 400-degrees
2. line baking sheet with parchment paper
3. unfold pastry puff onto floured surface, roll into 12-inch square and cut into four squares
4. spread mustard on each square and top with turkey, cheese and ham
5. whisk egg with 1 Tbsp of water and brush onto edges of all four squares
6. fold squares to form triangles, use a fork to seal edges
7. place on baking sheet and brush with remaining egg mixture
8. bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown
9. serve with raspberry preserves

This was delicious and just as good as the deep fried version.  I’d recommend doubling the recipe and if you warm up leftovers in the oven – they’re just as delicious the second time!