Creamy Cauliflower Pasta Sauce

Ohhhhhh my do I have a recipe for you today!

 

I’m not a huge pasta eater, but today I had a craving for pasta so I decided to experiment a little with a few different pasta sauces.  This is fabulous, and by far my favorite version of the cauliflower Alfredo sauce.  The small addition of cream cheese makes this so much creamier and cooking the cauliflower in a low sodium chicken broth contributes considerably to the flavor.  Now I’m not going to say that this tastes exactly like Alfredo sauce, it has a wonderful flavor all of its own.  I can hardly wait to try the leftover sauce for a Chicken Alfredo Pizza.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cauliflower, break into florets

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 ounces cream cheese

¼ cup skim milks

salt and pepper to taste

 Instructions:

Put the cauliflower into a large saucepan and add chicken broth.

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat or until cauliflower is very tender.

While the cauliflower is cooking, sauté the minced garlic with the olive oil and butter in a large non-stick skillet over low heat. Cook for several minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned.  Watch carefully as garlic tends to burn fast.  Set aside.

Drain cauliflower reserving at least ½ cup of the liquid.

Place the cauliflower, sauteed garlic, cream cheese, skim milk and ¼ cup of the cauliflower liquid into a food processor or blender.

Puree or blend several minutes until sauce is very creamy and smooth. More of the cauliflower liquid can be added at this point if you want a thinner sauce.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot over linguine or any pasta of your choice. I opted to make a farfalle pasta tonight and added some cooked shrimp and peas.  Ohhhh sooo good!

The addition of leftover chicken and broccoli would be yummy as well.  The possibilities are endless.

Makes 5-6 cups.

I also whipped up a Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with some pumpkin I still had leftover from Thanksgiving  which I will feature on another post.

 

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Roasted Turkey Noodle Soup

I love to make this soup or at least the soup stock every time I roast a turkey.  Roasting the turkey bones along with aromatic vegetables adds incredible depth of flavor and color to this deep rich soup.  Once you make this soup stock by roasting the bones and vegetables before simmering, I promise you, you will never go back to just simmering the turkey bones. The flavor is incomparable.  This stock freezes well if you want to enjoy turkey soup at a later date.

 

Turkey Stock 

Ingredients:

Carcass from a 12-18 pound cooked turkey, broken into smaller pieces

2 medium yellow onions, cut into 8 pieces

3 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 stalks of celery, cut into 1 inch pieces              

4 large cloves of garlic

hot water

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of thyme

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

Place the turkey, onions, carrots, celery and garlic in roasting pan.

Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bones are brown.

Transfer to a large soup pot.

Add enough hot water to the pot to cover the bones and vegetables by about 2 inches (about 4-5 quarts of water).

Add the peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer very gently for 6-8 hours.

Set a large colander over a large pan in the sink.

With a pair of tongs remove the larger pieces of turkey bone and discard.

Carefully pour the rest of the stock into the colander.  Lift colander to strain.

Rinse colander.

Set the colander into a large pot or bowl.  Place a fine sieve in the colander and strain the stock one more time. 

Let the broth cool about 1 hour.

Skim fat from broth and discard, or chill until broth is cold, then skim fat.

Use the broth immediately, keep refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Makes 4 to 4 ½ quarts of stock.

Note:  I like to rinse the roaster I cooked my turkey in with hot water, scraping up any browned bits and add this to my stock before I cook it as well.  This adds a lot of additional flavor.

To Make the Turkey Soup

1 tablespoon reserved fat from turkey drippings or olive oil

Equal amounts of chopped onion, carrots, and celery.

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

turkey stock (from above)

turkey meat leftover from turkey

salt and pepper to taste

egg noodles, prepared according to package directions 

Instructions:       

In a large pot set over medium-high heat, melt reserved fat from turkey drippings or oil.

Add onions, carrots, celery, and parsley to the pot and sauté until vegetables are just softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in turkey stock, and cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Stir in reserved turkey meat, and simmer 5 minutes to warm.

Serve soup spooned over prepared egg noodles. 

Note:  I never add the egg noodles directly into the soup as they tend to get soggy. 

 

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Soft Honey Wheat Dinner Buns

There is nothing more comforting than the no beat aroma of fresh bread baking.  This soft and moist recipe is made mostly of whole wheat flour.  The addition of honey gives them a natural sweetness and the buttermilk keeps them nice and soft. No hockey puck texture here, these buns are the perfect accompaniment to soups and stews.

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons instant yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup honey

3 eggs (warm to room temperature)

1 cup warm buttermilk

3 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1-1  ½ cups unbleached all- purpose flour

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in water.

Add the honey, eggs and milk.  Mix well.

Add the whole wheat flour and salt. Beat until smooth.

Add enough all-purpose flour to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. 

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, punch down and leave it rest for 2-3 minutes.

Shape the dough into a rectangle and divide it into 15 equal pieces for buns, or 24 pieces for dinner rolls.

Shape the dough into buns or rolls and place on a lightly greased 10x15 cookie sheet. 

For buns place 3 across and 5 down.  For dinner rolls place 4 across and 6 down.

Cover shaped rolls with kitchen towel and let rise in warm draft-free area until rolls have almost doubled in volume and have expanded enough to touch each other, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes rotating the pan halfway through bake time.

For a nice soft top brush the warm buns with butter.

Cool on wire racks.

Note:  For 100% whole wheat buns use all whole wheat flour.  Buns will be slightly heavier.

 

 

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Bubble Up Pizza

Well, all I can say is that I have made a lot of homemade pizza in my day (my family is pizza crazy, especially my husband) and I have never before tried Bubble Up pizza.  I remembered coming across this recipe a few times on the internet but never thought to make it.  Today I was busy making pies and getting a few things done ahead of time for Thanksgiving and remembered this recipe.  Off to the store hubby went for biscuits and I got busy.  Wow… given the simplicity of this recipe I was impressed.  Now I can hardly wait to try a few different variations of this pizza.  Next on the list ham and pineapple or maybe chicken and BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce some red onion and gouda cheese.  Ohhhhh the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

1 roll of refrigerated biscuits, 10 pieces, low fat if you can find them

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 ½ cups of mushrooms, sliced

1 cup green pepper, chopped

1 cup turkey pepperoni, sliced thin

1 ¼ cup low fat mozzarella cheese, grated and divided in half

1 – 15 ounce jar of pizza sauce                                                            

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium frying pan, sauté mushrooms in olive oil.  Set aside to cool.

Break biscuits apart.  Cut each biscuit into 3 or 4 pieces, depending on how big you want your biscuits.  Remember they almost double in size.

Place biscuits into a large mixing bowl and add the mushrooms, green pepper, pepperoni, and half the cheese.

Add the pizza sauce and mix everything together, making sure everything is evenly coated with the sauce.

Mix together making sure that  the biscuits are evenly coated with pizza sauce.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake for 25 minutes and remove from oven.

Spread the remaining cheese on top and sprinkle on some parsley flakes or basil leaves.

Return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and brown and dough is cooked through.

Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

Serves 6

 

 

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Herbed Turkey Meatballs and Cranberry BBQ Sauce

There is something about Thanksgiving that doesn’t feel right if at least one meal doesn’t include turkey.  But not everybody wants to roast one of those beautiful birds so these tender meatballs are a delicious alternative.  Served in a tangy smokey barbeque sauce they are perfect for a main course with creamy mashed potatoes and a green vegetable or serve the sauce on the side for a perfect Thanksgiving appetizer.  The sauce is equally delicious on leftover turkey sandwiches.

 

 

Ingredients: 

Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey

½ cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon parsley

Sauce:

1-12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries

½ cup orange juice

½ teaspoon ginger

1 chipotle pepper in adobo or a few pinches of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Instructions:

For the Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray gently with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly with your hands.

Shape into 16- 20 meatballs and place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.

For the Sauce:

Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat.

Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened and cranberries have burst.

Serve the meatballs with the sauce on the side as an appetizer or mix meatballs into the sauce for a main course.

Serves 4 as main course or 8-10 as an appetizer.

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Pumpkin Orange & Cranberry Muffins

It’s more things pumpkin and I have yet to figure out why I only think to make these muffins around Thanksgiving.  They are among my most favorite muffins, incredibly moist, and bursting with pumpkin and orange flavor.  Topped with toasted sunflower seeds or an orange glaze, they’re guaranteed to become a family favorite.

Ingredients:

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/4 cup walnut or canola oil

1/2 cup greek yogurt or low fat sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 orange

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries or fresh chopped cranberries

toasted sunflower seeds or Orange Glaze for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Spray two muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, spices, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl whisk two eggs. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until combined.

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full and top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Makes 24 muffins.                       

Orange Glaze  (not shown)

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice and zest from 1 orange      

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, zest and juice and smooth.

Let muffins cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with the orange glaze.

 

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SkinnyLicous Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust

I love dessert, and cheesecake and pie are two of my favorites. This silky smooth cheesecake combines the traditional New York style cheesecake with traditional pumpkin pie.  To lighten things up and make it a wee bit healthier, I have replaced some of the butter with walnut oil, Stevia for half of the sugar and low fat cream cheese, for full fat.  Perfect for Thanksgiving entertaining.  Sinfully delicious, and your guest won’t know it’s healthier.

 

Ingredients:

Gingersnap Cookies, crushed, about 2 cups

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 tablespoons walnut or canola oil

2-8 ounce packages of low fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup Greek yogurt, I used vanilla

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon Stevia, or 1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla        

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Move one rack to centre position.

Spray a 9” spring form pan with cooking spray.

Mix melted butter and walnut oil together and press  the mixture firmly into the prepared pan.

Beat together the cream cheese, brown sugar, Stevia and pumpkin pie with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined.

Increase speed to medium and beat in eggs 1 at a time.

Beat in the vanilla.

Gradually beat in the pumpkin puree just until mixed.  Do not overbeat.

Pour the pumpkin mixture onto the prepared crust.

Bake the cheesecake until firm and set on the outside, still slightly jiggly in the middle, about 1 ½ - 1 ¾ hours.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and  refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight if desired.

Remove the sides of the pan and transfer the cheesecake to a cake stand or serving plate.

To serve, top with a dollop of whipping cream and a toasted pecan.

 

 

 

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Pumpkin Spice Chia Smoothie

It’s all things pumpkin this week given that fall is upon us and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  This super smoothie is loaded with protein and tastes like pumpkin pie in a glass. It also has the added benefit of chia seeds which are high in omega-3 fatty acids and full of fibre.  Chia also expands up to ten times when mixed with liquid so will keep you feeling super full.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond milk (or your favorite milk)

1/2 banana

1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup greek yogurt           

1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice             

6 ice cubes

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. 

Serves 1

 

 

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Parmesan Crisp Baguettes

The perfect dunker for fall soups.

Ingredients:

• 8 baguette slices, sliced on the diagonal
• olive oil
• parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions:

• Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil. 
• Sprinkle parmesan cheese on both sides of the baguette and press down slightly.
• Place bread in a non-stick fry pan without any oil and over medium heat, toast until golden
• Flip bread over and toast the other side.
• Serve warm.

 

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Apples & Carrots

A sinfully delicious, very low fat bowl of creamy silky goodness.  Roasted butternut squash is  pureed with carrots and a granny smith apple to mellow out the richness of the squash.  This comforting soup tastes delicious with a crusty slice of bread for dipping.
 

Ingredients:

·         1 medium butternut squash

·         2 tablespoons olive oil,

·         1 small onion, diced

·         2 small carrots, peeled and diced

·         1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced

·         1 teaspoon garlic, crushed

·         1 teaspoon ginger, grated

·         4 cups low sodium chicken broth

·         salt & pepper to taste

·         1/3 cup half and half cream (I used 1% milk)

 

Directions:

·         Preheat oven to 375°. 

·         Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

·         Place the squash pieces cut-side up on the baking sheet. Brush 1/2 of the olive oil (1 tablespoon) on the inside and outside of the squash. 

·         Turn squash over, cut side down, and bake about 45 minutes or until tender.

·         Cool the baked squash enough to handle. 

·         Meanwhile while the squash bakes heat olive oil in a large pot.

·         Add onions, carrots and apple and sauté, until soft.

·         Add garlic and ginger.

·         Add the chicken broth and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

·         When the squash is cool, scoop the flesh into the pot with the chicken broth.

·         Simmer all together for an additional 10 minutes, breaking up large pieces of squash.

·         Add salt and pepper to taste.

·         Remove from heat and add 1/3 cup half and half cream.

·         Puree soup in a food blender, or food processor until creamy smooth.

Keep warm until service, or cool then reheat before serving.  Soup thickens when cool, so when reheating you may have to add some additional chicken broth.

Serve with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

I also like to serve this soup with Parmesan Crisp Baguettes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

 

With the “chili” fall weather upon us, nothing beats coming home to a comforting bowl of chili.  Delicious served alone, or on top of rice or mashed potatoes.  I especially love this recipe in my Chicken Chili Cheese Fries or Chicken Taco Salad.  (Recipes coming soon)  As with most chili recipes this tastes even better the next day.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound ground chicken

1 cup onions, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, fire roasted preferably, juice drained      

1 (15 ounce) can kidney bean or black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (7 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon chicken boullion

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

Instructions:

In a large non-stick fry pan cook the ground chicken, onion, green pepper, and garlic until chicken is browned.

Drain excess fat and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir. 

Cover and cook over low heat for 8 hours.

Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, green onions, or sour cream if desired.  

Serves 4   (about 5 cups)

You might notice this recipe does not call for as many beans as most, simply because when I use this recipe over Chicken Chili Cheese Fries or Taco Salad I like less beans.

 

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Low Fat Pumpkin & Spice Latte

If you love coffee and pumpkin you will love this low fat version of the famous Star Bucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.  A perfect treat for a chilly fall afternoon or with dessert at Thanksgiving.

Just a bit of heaven in a cup!  As an added note, Canadians gulped down more than 1.2 million litres of pumpkin-spice latte last year, primarily from Starbucks.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons real pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
• 1 1/2 cup 1% milk or almond milk
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup              
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup very strong coffee (or a couple of shots of espresso)

Directions:

• In a blender, blend pumpkin, milk, maple syrup , vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. 
• Blend until smooth.
• Transfer to a small sauce pan and heat until smooth.  This can also be heated in the microwave
• Pour the coffee into the hot milk mixture.
• Serve as is or top with low fat whipped cream.
• Additional sugar, stevia or maple syrup can be added if you like it really sweet and you don’t mind all the empty calories.Serves 2.

*Note*  If you don’t have Pumpkin Pie Spice, you can make your own by combining:

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4  teaspoon ground allspice

Serves 2

 

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Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

Delicious homemade tomato sauce that is so much better than store bought.  Since the sauce is pureed after it has simmered it’s your choice as to leave the skins or not.   In the batch in the photo I used about 2 pounds of skinned rom tomatoes and 3 pounds of cherry tomatoes being my plants produced way too many to eat….even after giving lots away.  Didn’t bother to skin them, those suckers are too small.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• 5 lbs ripe tomatoes, (to peel, cut a small “x” on the top and drop in to boiling water for 10 seconds and drop in to an ice bath. Skin will easily peel off) 
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 medium onions, finely diced
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

• Pour the olive oil into a large stockpot over medium heat.
• Add diced onions and garlic.
• Saute for 6-8 minutes or until onions are translucent and tender.
• Add tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley and salt.
• Simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours or until cooked down and starting to thicken.
• Optional: Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree sauce until smooth.
• Place into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
• This sauce freezes nicely as well.  To freeze I use freezer bags.

 

 

 

 

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Greek Grilled Chicken

When the weather is hot the grill is where I do most of my cooking.  This super moist chicken breast, marinated in Greek seasonings and fresh lemon juice is perfect served with a Greek Salad for a light summer supper.

 

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts rinsed and trimmed of fat

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 teaspoon low salt Greek seasoning
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (1/2 teaspoon dried can be substituted)

Instructions: 

1. With a sharp knife, make tiny slits in the tops of the chicken breasts about half an inch apart.  This helps the marinade to penetrate the meat and aids in an even cooking time.
2. Mix marinade ingredients together.
3. Place chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag and pour in marinade.
4. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6-8 hours.
5. Preheat grill to medium heat.
6. Grill chicken for about 25 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

Serves 4

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