Making Tuesday Tasty-Fettuccine Alfredo-HEALTHY

It's January right? That means that most of us would like to lose a few or a lot of pounds and would like to do it in a tasty way! Here's a recipe I found on Food Network that gives the creaminess of the Alfredo without the tremendous amount of fat!

Website notes: The key to a tasty fettuccine Alfredo is a creamy sauce. By cooking and blending cauliflower to a smooth puree, you get the creamy mouth feel of butter and cream without the high calories and fat.

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower florets, about 8-ounces
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces whole grain fettuccine pasta
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-fat evaporated milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed, (4 ounces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1. Put the cauliflower, broth, and 1 cup water in a small pot; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool 5 minutes. Carefully puree cauliflower and all the liquid in a blender until very smooth; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, 8 minutes. Drain well, reserving about 1 cup pasta cooking water.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower puree and evaporated milk and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the peas until heated through, 2 minutes. Toss in the cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese and about 1/2 cup of pasta water until the noodles are coated but the sauce is still loose. Remove from the heat and toss in the butter, chopped parsley and lemon zest. (If the sauce seems thick, adjust the consistency with the remaining pasta water). Serve immediately sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Nutritional analysis per serving

Calories 324; Total Fat 7g (Sat Fat 3.5g, Mono Fat 2.5g, Poly Fat .5g) ; Protein 16g; Carb 53g; Fiber 10g; Cholesterol 17mg; Sodium 326mg

*recipe and photo courtesy of Foodnetwork.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Pear Cobbler w/Cranberry Streusel

It's pear season! I love pears, especially Bartlett pears. This looks like a super yummy recipe to make good use of pears and give you a little kick, with the cranberries.

Ingredients

4 Bartlett pears
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel Topping:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup whipping cream, beaten to soft peaks
Unsalted butter, at room temperature, granulated and sugar, for the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel the pears and cut them in 1/2 through the stem end. Use a melon baller to scoop out the cores. Put the pear halves in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the vanilla; toss. Then sprinkle over the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and toss to coat the pears with the flavorings. Line the pears up in a buttered, sugared baking dish, rounded sides up.

In the same bowl, mash together the butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt with your hands for the topping. Toss in the cranberries. Crumble the topping mixture over the pears in the baking dish and bake until the topping is crunchy and browned and the pears are very tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

*recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence/foodnetwork.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Kids love these. A nice contrast of salt and sweet and full of vitamins. Baking of course leaves this a way healthier option as a side dish for a great meal! If you want to make it a little fancier, add the herbs.

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices, then again into 1/2-inch-wide strips

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 garlic clove, minced

print a shopping list for this recipe

Preparation

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray large baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Toss sweet potatoes with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sweet potatoes to platter.

Mix parsley, thyme and garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.

*recipe courtesy of epicurious, photo credit recipetips.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Buffalo Chicken Dip

Yum! And no, it's not good for you at all, ha ha. I'm not big on bleu cheese so, I use the alternatives instead.

Ingredients

1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing or ranch salad dressing
2 cans (12.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained
1/2 cup any flavor FRANK'S® RedHot® sauce
Assorted fresh vegetables or crackers

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350° F.
Stir the cream cheese in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with a fork or whisk until it's smooth.
Stir in the dressing, pepper sauce and blue cheese. Stir in the chicken.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling.
Stir before serving.
Serve with the vegetables and crackers for dipping.

Recipe courtesy of Buffalochickendip.com

Making Tuesday Tasty-Beef Stroganoff

This is a pretty yummy recipe and fairly easy to make.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin fillet
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef consomme, available on soup aisle
2 teaspoons prepared Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup sour cream, eyeball it
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cornichons
1 pound extra wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
Chopped parsley leaves, garnish
Thickly sliced pumpernickel bread, optional

Directions

Slice meat into 1/2-thick by 2 -nch long very thin strips and season with salt and pepper. Set in freezer.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook with flour 1 minute. Whisk in consomme. Thicken 1 minute. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper.

Heat a second skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter, then add the meat and onion and cook over high heat until brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Then add the chopped cornichons and stir to combine.

Arrange meat on a bed of egg noodles and top with Stroganoff sauce and parsley. Serve with thickly sliced pumpernickel bread.

*thanks to Rachel Ray and Food Network for the recipe and photo*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Chicken And Dumplings

I grew up eating chicken and dumplings. My mom made it every once in awhile and it was delicious! My mom, like myself, never really used recipes. She would add things to taste and now that she is gone, I don't really have her recipe. Once the air started to get crisp, our home would fill with the smells of chicken and herbs. Beans and hamhocks or bacon, potato soup, vegetable beef and even hamburger soup(ground meat beef veg soup) Here is a modified, quick version that Rachel Ray has adapted. It doesn't include any dark meat, so those of you that like your dark meat flavor will need to adapt this to your liking.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders

1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

2 tablespoons butter

1 russet potato, peeled and diced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 rib celery, diced

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full

2 tablespoons flour, a handful

1 quart chicken broth or stock, canned or paper container, preferred brand Kitchen Basics

1 small box biscuit mix(preferred brand Jiffy Mix)

1/2 cup warm water

Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup frozen green peas

Directions

Dice tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.

Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 1/2 cup warm water and parsley. Drop tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Stir peas into the pan, remove chicken and dumplings from heat and serve in shallow bowls.

*photo courtesy of myrecipes.com*