Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

I got this recipe from Cooking Light. I've had a bundt pan since my wedding and never used it, so now I can say, I have. My lovely stepdaughter helped me make the yummy icing and we're having this cake for dessert tonight. Here's the recipe and a few photos, courtesy of Emma and myself.

Cake:
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar (I used 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1/2 cup of splenda)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries (I only had a little more than 1 cup but it was plenty!)

Glaze: (I only used about half of the glaze this made. It was way too much.)
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, butter, and rind in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (about 4 minutes total). Beat in vanilla and sour cream. Add flour mixture; beat at medium speed just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Makes 16 servings. Nutrition ingredients based on the original recipe CALORIES 299(23% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 4g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 5g; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 68mg; SODIUM 172mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 53.2g

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I was a little afraid of the spice but it actually was perfect. Not too hot, not too mild. This one was a WINNER!

3 chicken breast halves, cubed
1/2 palmful Monterey chicken seasoning or 2 TBSP crushed red pepper
1 small can of tomato sauce
2-3 TBSP hot sauce
2 TBSP Worcester sauce
2 TBSP I can't believe it's not butter light
1 Boboli whole wheat pizza crust
1 cup light mozz or other italian cheese
1/4 cup parm cheese

Heat the oven to 425. Cook the cubed chicken in the seasoning in a pan. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, then add the sauces and combine. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken. Spread the chicken mixture over the pizza crust, then top with the cheeses and bake for 10 minutes.

It's so easy for a weeknight, enjoy!

Chicken and pasta salad

This is one of my favorite, most simple things to make. I wouldn't call it a recipe because it's so easy but everything just tastes so good together. It's great for parties or to make and have for lunch/dinner all week.

1 box tricolored rotini
4 thin chicken breasts, 12-16 oz., cooked and cubed
2 avocados, cubed
1 bunch broccoli, slightly cooked (still crunchy)
4 oz. low fat shredded cheddar cheese (0r any cheese you want)
1 cup low fat ranch or italian dressing

Cook ingredients as indicated and combine together. I squeezed a lemon over the avocado so that it doesn't turn brown. I also cook my chicken with italian seasoning to give it some flavor. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Turkey Meat Loaf

YUM! The family loved it so it was a success and so easy. I got it out of Real Simple magazine and it caught my eye 'cause I could finally use that jar of roasted red peppers I bought. No picture :-( as I forgot to take one before we ate. Meat loaf never looks that good in a pic anyway. Here's the recipe.

1.3 lb. ground turkey (93/7 lean)
1 jar (7 oz) roasted red peppers
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 small onion, chopped (I used a shallot)
1 TBSP oregano
2 TBSP dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400° F.

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Shape the meat into an 8-inch loaf and place in a baking dish, not a loaf pan

Bake until no trace of pink remains (internal temperature should be 165° F), about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Garden-Style Lasagna

I love Cooking Light and got this recipe from their magazine This is one of my all time favorite meals. It's full of veggies and an excellent (low fat) cheese sauce. It's definitely a weekend one though because it takes about an hour of prep and 40 minutes in the oven. It's worth the effort, a tried and true recipe. I got the original from Cooking Light and made a few minor modifications. In the future I'd like to add mushrooms in. Here's the recipe in full with my changes next to it in red. Try this out when you have some time to kill on a Sunday. It's worth it! Make sure to prep all the ingredients before you start cooking, otherwise you'll be in trouble!








Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped zucchini (about 8 ounces)
2 cups chopped yellow squash (about 8 ounces)
2 cups thinly sliced carrot (about 8 ounces)
2 cups chopped broccoli (about 6 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
3 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese (1 1/2 cups fat free ricotta + 1 egg)
2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
12 no-boil lasagna noodles

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Spoon onion mixture into a large bowl.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and yellow squash; sauté 4 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown. Add to onion mixture.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced carrot; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add chopped broccoli; sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add to onion mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine.

Place flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stir until smooth. Stir in spinach.

Combine cottage cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella; stir well. Spread 1/2 cup spinach mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over spinach mixture in dish; top with half of cottage cheese mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), half of vegetable mixture (about 2 1/2 cups), and about 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining spinach mixture over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield

12 servings

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 272(27% from fat); FAT 8.3g (sat 4.4g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 18.5g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 456mg; SODIUM 589mg; FIBER 3.6g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.2g

Chicken Divan

All I can say about this one is MMMMM... It was fabulous. We ate it so fast that I don't have a picture but it was a quick and easy meal to make after a long day of painting our new home. And I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Cooking spray
2-3 cups broccoli
4 4-oz chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 can cream of chicken soup (low fat)
1 cam cheddar cheese soup (low fat)
3/4 cup light mayo
2 tsp cajun seasoning (or any other spice with a kick)
3/4 cup Panko (or bread crumbs)
2 tsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (or any other light butter)

Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces and layer the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with it. Cook the chicken through on the stove with cooking spray and salt & pepper to taste. Add it on top of the broccoli. Combine the soups, mayo, and cajun seasoning together in a bowl. Pour the soup mixture onto the chicken and broccoli. Melt the butter on the stove. When melted add the panko and saute one minute. Spoon on top of the casserole. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes or until the panko is nicely browned.

Angel Hair Bolognese

I got this from the Food Network and watched Ellie Krieger make it online. I made a few changes based on what I had in my house but my husband and stepdaughter really liked it so I guess it was a hit!

3/4 pound whole-wheat angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large carrots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
5 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef (90 to 95 percent lean)
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 (14 1/2-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup fat-free half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil, and cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ground beef, and basil and cook until the meat is browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and broth and cook for 5 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Stir in the milk and peas and cook for 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is done, drain it, put it back in the pasta pot, add the sauce and stir the sauce and pasta together. Put into serving bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

We Moved!

Get ready... the kitchen is about to get busy again. I've got some new recipes to try out... shrimp cakes, upside down sausage and mushroom pizza, and sesame chicken!