Grilled Sausage Panzanella

This is a great recipe for the end of summer.  It's a fantastic way to get out and use your grill a few more times before the cold weather hits.  We had this one week in early summer and then have quickly repeated it almost every week since.  It's a great, fast weeknight meal and tastes fabulous.  Grilling the bread as well as the sausage really emphasizes smoky, charred flavors in the dish.  And it's so versatile.  We always have a few packages of sausage in the freezer, usually a flavored chicken sausage.  Trader Joe's has a great selection of varieties and our favorite grocery store in the world, Wegmans, has also recently launched a line in their own brand name as well.  We've done this with pesto sausage, sun-dried tomato sausages, Italian (both sweet and hot), smoked chardonnay and apple, andouille, spinach and feta, the list can go on and on.  I bet kielbasa would be particularly good as well -- which gives me another excuse to put this dish on the menu for the upcoming week (like I needed one!).

Grilled Sausage Panzanella

adapted (and infinitely customizable) from EveryDay with Rachael Ray, June/July 2010

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped (I've also used cherry/grape tomatoes that are halved and chopped heirloom tomatoes.)

1/4 large onion (or 1/2 medium), thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped 

Salt and pepper 

Four thick slices bread (Use your preferred variety, I find Italian or sourdough work well.)

4 sausage links (about 1 pound), any variety 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

15 fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

Directions:

• In a large bowl mix together the tomatoes, onion and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Preheat your grill to medium.
• Once grill is hot and ready, grill bread slices, about 2 minutes in each side.  You want them to get toasty brown and have some charring around the edges.  
• After removing the bread, grill the sausages.  If your sausages are precooked then you are just heating them up, so about 5-7 minutes total.  If you are using raw sausages you will need to grill until cooked completely, so about 10-12 minutes total.  Turn sausages often for even cooking/heating and nice grill marks.  
• Add olive oil and red wine vinegar to the tomato mixture.  Cut bread into 1/2 -3/4 inch cubes.  Cut the sausages into similar sized slices.  Add the bread, sausage, basil and half the parmesan to the tomato mixture.  Toss until combined.  Divide into bowls and serve with the additional parmesan for sprinkling on top. 

Tilapia with Bacon Tomato Butter

As soon as I had the first bite of this dish in my mouth I thought "Bacon tomato butter -- where have you been all my life??!!??"  It is seriously, seriously good stuff.  The best part (well, besides the bacon since bacon in any dish would clearly be the best part) is that it is made with cherry or grape tomatoes which means it will be easy to make year-round.  I tend to avoid regular full-size tomatoes when they aren't in season since the quality declines so much, but cherry and grape tomatoes are generally good all year round.  They are at their best in late summer, like any tomato, but I think they don't suffer as much over the winter months.  I know many localvore, seasonal eaters would disagree and consider eating any tomatoes in the dead of winter to be non-foodie behavior, but I'm okay with that.  

I found this recipe in an issue of Cooking Light and I really don't know why I waited so long to make it.  Big mistake, huge, big mistake.  I made only one major change, using tilapia instead of mahimahi.  I think mahimahi would be great in this dish, we just had tilapia in the freezer so that's what I used.   I think it would be equally good over grilled or pan-cooked chicken as well.  Really, I mean, let's be honest -- there isn't much that I wouldn't eat bacon tomato butter on.  I also added more bacon than was called for in the original recipe, partly to use up what I had on hand, and partly because when is more bacon ever a bad thing??  I contemplated using the leftover bacon tomato mixture as a filling to a grilled cheese, but there wasn't any leftover.  Maybe next time I'll show some restraint and save some but I'm not making any promises.  ;-)

Tilapia with Bacon Tomato Butter

slightly adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar

4 tilapia filets

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

4 slices bacon, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow baking dish.  Add fish.  Let stand 20 minutes.  Remove fish and pat dry with paper towels. 
• Heat grill.  Season fish with the 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt.  Place fish on grill, cook until done, flipping once, about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
• While the fish is grilling, heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon to pan.  Cook 5 minutes or until almost crisp.  Add garlic and cook for two more minutes, stirring frequently.  Add paprika and cook for 30 seconds, continuously stirring.  Add tomatoes and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.  Stir in butter.
• Serve fish fillets on plate, topping with bacon tomato butter, about 2 tablespoons on each fillet. 

Smoky Tomato Soup with Couscous

I found this recipe as I was looking for a new soup to try.  It's January after all, and what better way to warm up at the end of a long, cold day than a delicious, hot soup?  Also, I wanted to participate in a blogging event over at Branny Boils Over.  She's holding a Charity Souper Bowl to raise money to donate to the ASPCA.  I made this Smoky Tomato Soup with Couscous, but before I tell you about the recipe, I'll first dedicate my post to my special animal - Jala.  My family got Jala, a miniature dachshund puppy back in the spring of my freshman year of high school.  She's about to turn 16 and is still my little puppy.  She's slowed down in her old age, but she's still a great friend and dog.  Here she is in her typical winter day outfit - a cute sweater!  Since she's so skinny and has barely any fat (6.5 pounds!), the cold weather leaves her shivering all day unless she wears a sweater.  If only Jala could have some delicious soup to warm her up! 

Okay, now on to the soup.  As soon as I saw this recipe had chipotle peppers in it, I knew it would be a hit in our house.  Both Zach and I love the smoky flavor and spiciness they give a dish.  I found this in the January/February 2011 issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray and thought it would go very nicely with a loaf of our favorite bread.  I did change it a bit, mostly in the preparation method.  After the onions, tomatoes and broth had cooked I chose to use my immersion blender to make a smooth soup.  I really liked the flavors and consistency I got by adding that step.  I also added the topping of Cojita cheese, mostly because we had some leftover in the fridge, but I really loved the salty bite it gave the soup.  The finished soup really reminded me of a grown-up version of spaghettios!  Since the Israeli couscous cooks in the soup liquid, it gets a little pink tint to it that reminded me of spaghettios (seen better in the first picture) but the chipotle and cilantro sour cream make it grown-up.  It was delicious and made for a quick and easy weeknight meal.  

Smoky Tomato Soup with Couscous
Adapted from: EveryDay with Rachael Ray, Jan/Feb 2011
Makes 4 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 large onion, finely chopped
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup Israeli couscous
4 ounces ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
Salt and pepper 

4 ounces Cojita cheese

Directions:

• Using a food processor, pulse the sour cream and 1/4 cup cilantro until smooth; refrigerate. 
• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chipotle chile and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 
• Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Insert an immersion blender in the soup and blend soup until desired consistency. 
• Add the couscous and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Stir in the ham; season with salt and pepper to taste. 
  
• To serve, top the soup with the cilantro sour cream, cojita cheese and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.

Fried Green Tomato BLTs

I found this recipe after getting green tomatoes in our CSA box one week.  I haven't yet cooked with green tomatoes, but I knew we could always fry them up and eat them.  I wanted something a little different though, and went on a search for a recipe.  I found this one in one of my Cooking Light cookbooks, my newest one called Cooking Light: Cooking Through the Seasons.  What I love about Cooking Light is that even though their recipes are lower in fat and calories, they still use real ingredients -- bacon!  This sandwich was a great use for the green tomatoes; we ended up making it several times throughout the summer.  Their acidity is a great balance to the saltiness of the bacon. 

Fried Green Tomato BLTs

serves 4

Ingredients:
8 slices bacon
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
12 (1/4-inch-thick) slices green tomato (about 2 tomatoes)
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
8 slices  white bread, toasted (I used sourdough)
8 lettuce leaves

Directions:

• Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings. Set bacon and drippings aside. 
• Combine cornmeal, cheese, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge tomato slices in cornmeal mixture. 
• Heat 1 teaspoon reserved drippings and 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. 
• Cook 6 tomato slices 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 teaspoon bacon drippings, remaining 1 teaspoon oil, and 6 tomato slices. 
• Spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise over each of 4 bread slices. Top each slice with 2 lettuce leaves, 3 tomato slices, and 2 bacon slices. Top with remaining 4 bread slices. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information 
Calories: 380
Fat: 13g   
Fiber: 5.1g
WW Points (per sandwich):  8

TBL Panzanella

I know, I know, I've been a bad blogger lately.  Good Eats: The Early Years was my cookbook of the month for June, and I only ever got one recipe posted in it,w ell, technically two, since the macerated strawberries and the shortcakes were from two different episodes.  But, in my defense, school ended in June and things were crazy then I took off to the lake for two weeks in the end of June and July.  I didn't bring the cookbook with me and the lake has no internet access, so no new recipes for me to blog.  Anyway, this cookbook will travel on into July as the cookbook of the month and I hope to get at least one more recipe out of it before we leave for a week in Chicago.  

We made this as part of our anniversary meal.  Our "real" anniversary meal will be in August, when we have reservations at Table 21 at VOLT.  We called back in October and mid-August was the earliest we could get.  So that will be our anniversary treat, but on the date of our actual second anniversary we decided to open a nice bottle of wine (Fabbioli Cabernet Franc Reserve -- local people should check them out, they are great!), cook up some steaks and spend a nice night at home.  This was the salad we made, and it was delicious.  The bread cubes with bacon drippings - mmmmmm.  We had some great grape tomatoes from our CSA and we picked up a great yellow heirloom tomato at a nearby farm stand.  If you are a bacon lover (as I am) definitely try this salad!

TBL Panzanella

Good Eats: The Early Years, and available on FoodNetwork.com

4-6 servings

Ingredients
4 cups French bread cut into 1-inch cubes
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
2 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes
2 cups chopped lettuce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chiffonade basil

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread bread cubes on a sheet pan.  Toast in oven until dry, but not browned, around 10 minutes.  
• Cook bacon in skillet over medium heat until crispy.  Drain on paper towels and reserve drippings.  
• In large bowl, toss bread cubes in half of the bacon drippings.  Set aside.
• Sear the halved grape tomatoes in other half of bacon drippings, cut side down, until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
• Combine red wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl, slowly whisk in olive oil in a thin stream until emulsified.
• Combine all tomatoes, bread, bacon, and lettuce and dress with vinaigrette, toss well, garnish with basil and serve.

Scalloped Tomatoes: Barefoot Bloggers

This was the one of the two Barefoot Blogger recipes for June.  Yes, I know it's practically the end of July, but I was on vacation for several weeks from the end of June until the middle of July.  We made this in June, but I haven't been able to write it up until now.  It was super!  The tomatoes and bread and basil were all so fabulous.  I think this might be even better to make now, headed into late summer and prime tomato season.  Maybe some yellow, orange, even purple heirloom tomatoes -- yum!  It's a great side dish and I will definitely be trying it again!

 Scalloped Tomatoes


chosen by Josie of Pink Parsley Catering

Turkey Taco Burgers with Guacamole

This was a super yummy recipe!  It's one I found on Rachael Ray's website.  I know lots of people don't like her show/personality/over-used phrases/scratchy voice, and I myself tend to avoid her in any manner except print (I love her EveryDay magazine!).  But, say what you will about her, she knows how to concoct a good burger!  I like to try different flavor combinations in burgers, especially turkey/chicken burgers since they can get rather bland without some sort of add-in.  So, if I am looking for a new burger idea I usually go to Rachael first.  This was a winner, it had really great flavor and the guacamole was super easy.  I did not not make the salsa from the recipe as I figured one topping was enough, but I added in some tomatoes, cilantro and onion to the guacamole.  We served with a side of refried pinto beans and some baked whole wheat tortillas for dipping with the remaing guacamole. 

Turkey Taco Burgers with Guacamole

adapted from RachaelRay.com

1 pound ground turkey breast

1 small red onion, 1/2 grated, 1/2 minced

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 cup taco or chili sauce

Salt and pepper

3 ripe avocados, flesh removed from skin, pit removed and discarded

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 lime

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

4 Kaiser rolls

Your choice of tortilla chips

Directions:

• Place the ground turkey in a mixing bowl, then add the grated red onion, shredded cheddar, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, taco or chili sauce, salt and some pepper. Mix to combine, divide into 4 patties.
• Grill burgers on each side for 6-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
• While the burgers are cooking, put together the guacamole.  Place the avocados in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Add the minced garlic, the juice of the lime and the minced jalapeño. Mash together, taste and add more salt and pepper, to taste.  Stir in the tomatoes, remaining minced onion and cilantro.  
• Toast the rolls until golden brown. Place the burgers on the bottom of the toasted rolls, then top with a spoonful of guacamole. Arrange the tops of the toasted rolls. Serve the burgers alongside some tortilla chips and the remaining guacamole.

Pesto Pizza with Tomatoes and Pancetta

After we got garlic scapes for the second week in a row in our CSA Box, we figured we would make the pesto again.  It's great because we can freeze half of it, and use half of it now.  We went with a different application this week, pizza instead of pasta.  It was delicious!  We used the pesto as the sauce and then added toppings we thought would work well -- pancetta, fresh tomatoes and cheese.  When it came out of the oven we added fresh basil leaves, which you can see in the second picture.  They got a bit discolored by the heat, but they tasted just fine!  You can use any kind of pizza dough, either homemade, store-bought dough or a store-bought partially baked crust.  

Pesto Pizza with Tomatoes and Pancetta
Serves 4


Ingredients:
pizza dough (I used the recipe below)
1/2 cup pesto 
2 ounces pancetta, cubed
2 tomatoes (I used 1 roma and 1 orange), seeded and sliced into strips
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella


Directions:

• Prepare pizza dough or crust on stone with cornmeal, or as directed.  Preheat oven as appropriate for the dough you choose.  
• Cook pancetta in skillet over medium heat until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.
• Spread pesto on prepared pizza dough.
• Sprinkle pancetta on pesto.
• Arrange tomato slices on pizza.
• Top with mozzarella.
• Bake according to directions for pizza dough.  

Pizza Dough 

from The Best of Cooking Light

Makes 2 12 inch pizza crusts

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (1 package)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)

3 1/2 to 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

cooking spray

Directions

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water in a large bowl.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add 3 1/4 cups flour, oil and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well blended.  
• Knead until smooth and elastic, about ten minutes.  I use my stand mixture, but you could do it by hand on a floured work surface.  Add remaining flour as needed to prevent dough from being too sticky.
• Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.  
• Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes.  
• Divide dough in half , shape each half into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface.  
• Top and bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

NOTE: This dough may be frozen.  After the kneading step, you can separate the dough into two balls.  Coat with cooking spray  and place into a zippered plastic bag to freeze.  Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.  Shape and bake as instructed.   

Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

After making the garlic scape pesto, I knew we'd have to use it in a pasta dish.  This was quick and easy to throw together after a long day.  I made the pesto that night (love my food processor!) but you can certainly make it ahead of time and cut down the preparation time even more.  Also, you could use any pesto you prefer, homemade or store bought.  You can also do it with or without chicken.  This is more of an application/procedure than a real recipe since it can be modified so many ways depending on your preferences and what you have on hand.  It's certainly not an "original" recipe, meaning written by me, but I have no real source either, I would just credit hours of watching Food Network chefs for knowing the basics of a pesto pasta dish and grilled chicken.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/2 pound whole wheat pasta (definitely a rotini or penne, to catch the pesto on the ridges)

3/4 cup pesto (I used Garlic Scape Pesto)

1/4-1/2 cup pasta cooking water

1/4 cup basil, cut into strips

salt

pepper

Directions:

• Start grill for the chicken and put water on to boil for the pasta.
• Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt & pepper.
• When water boils cook pasta as recommended on package. 
• Grill chicken 6-8 minutes per side.
• Drain cooked pasta.  Toss hot pasta in bowl with pesto, adding the pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce until it covers all the pasta.  
• Add tomatoes and basil and combine.  
• Let chicken rest for a few minutes after coming off the grill.  Slice and add to pasta dishes, serve.

Italian Meatloaf with Fresh Basil and Fontina

I found this recipe while looking for ideas to use up some of the ground beef we had stored in the freezer.  I wanted something fairly low points, and I don't think that 6 points for two slices of this is bad at all.  We really enjoyed it, it was a nice twist to traditional meatloaf because of the Italian flavorings.  It was pretty straightforward and easy and made for good leftovers the next day.  We served it with our standard meatloaf accompaniments, mashed potatoes and baby carrots.

Italian Meatloaf with Fresh Basil & Fontina

adapted from The Best of Cooking Light

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 slices)

Ingredients
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded cheese (provolone or fontina)
2 large egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
Cooking spray
1/3 cup ketchup

Directions:

• Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain tomatoes; finely chop.

• Preheat oven to 350°.

• Combine 1/2 cup ketchup, breadcrumbs, and the next 6 ingredients (breadcrumbs through beef) in a large bowl. Add tomatoes to meat mixture.

• Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread 1/3 cup ketchup over meat loaf.

• Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 160°.

• Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into 12 slices.

Nutritional Information

Calories:294

Fat:8.7g

Fiber:2.5g

WW Points: 6

Taco Pasta Toss

As soon as I saw this in my latest issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray, I knew we'd be making it soon!  We really love tacos, and we really love pasta, so combining tacos and pasta sounded like a win-win situation.  I do like Rachael Ray's recipes, but I always find that they make a TON of food.  I cut down the pasta in this dish to half a box, 8 ounces instead of a full pound and still had enough to make 6 servings.  We enjoyed it for dinner and for lunches for a few days.  I also added sour cream to mine, since I had used a ground chipotle chili powder, which was rather spicy.  I used ground turkey instead of beef, and also only one teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan to cut down on calories.

Taco Pasta Toss

slightly adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray, March 2010

Ingredients

• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound whole grain penne 
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large jalapeño chile—halved, seeded if desired and thinly sliced crosswise
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• One 12-ounce bottle beer or 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups shredded cheddar, monterey jack or any Mexican semisoft cheese
• 2 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 head iceberg letuce or 1/2 small heart romaine lettuce, chopped 

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
2. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add three-quarters of the onion, the jalapeño, garlic, chili powder, coriander and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the beer.
3. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss. Spoon into a serving dish, top with the cheese and tent with foil to melt the cheese, about 1 minute. Top with the remaining onion, the tomatoes and lettuce— just like tacos!

Caesar Club Sandwich: Barefoot Bloggers

This is the second recipe in March for the Barefoot Bloggers.  I made these for a Sunday lunch.  They were super, and since the recipe made four sandwiches we had some leftover for a few lunches during the week.  They only got better as the week went on.  The only change I really made was to use sun-dried tomatoes not packed on oil, just the regular ones in the bag.  I also used boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I sauteed on the stove top in olive oil.  I loved the caesar dressing in the recipe.  We had some leftover and used it to make a wrap later in the week.  It was salty, garlicy and just delicious.  I did make one other change, which was to use my local grocery store's whole wheat ciabatta rolls instead of a loaf of bread.  They were very good sandwiches and I'd definitely make them again.  Every few months we like to visit a few local wineries and take a picnic lunch along to eat at one of our stops, these sandwiches would be great to take along!

Caesar Club Sandwich 

chosen by Karen of Shortbread

Smoked Turkey and Black Eyed Pea Salad

I found this recipe when cutting up my latest Food Network magazine.  When I get the newest version of a cooking magazine, I take my scissors to the old one to save just the recipes I want and file them away in my box of recipes.  It used to be an old show box, but I just got a nice new filing box at Ikea so now my clipped out recipes can wait patiently in style.  :-)  I don't think to have main dish salads at all really.  When I think salad for dinner I think of some awful version of a salad buffet with the iceberg lettuce with the carrot savings and purple cabbage, not so great veggies that have been sitting out too long and goupy dressings.  This salad convinced me I need to start thinking differently.  I forget about the many different kinds of salad greens that are ready to go right in the supermarket and different ways to top them.  The black eyed pea and turkey mixture was warm and played off the crispness of the romaine.  I liked it a lot and have since dug out my stack of recipes filed under 'Salads' to review for some yummy main dish options.  

We made just a few changes -- all romaine for the lettuce, no celery (I don't like it) and our grocery store did not have frozen black eyed peas so we got canned instead.  I really liked the heat of the cayenne and the bites of the pickle found throughout the salad.  In fact, we've made this salad twice in the last two weeks!  I can't say I've remade a recipe that fast before!  We did have some of the smoked turkey to use up, but this is definitely a winner!

Smoked Turkey and Black Eyed Pea Salad

Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 10-ounce box frozen black-eyed peas, thawed
1/3 cup sliced bread-and-butter pickles, plus 4 tablespoons pickling liquid
8 ounces smoked turkey leg or breast, skin removed and meatshredded
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Creole or whole-grain mustard
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
10 cups torn arugula, escarole and/or romaine
2 stalks celery, chopped (with leaves) (omitted)

Directions

• Combine the garlic, thyme and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas and 2 tablespoons pickling liquid and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the turkey and heat through, about 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the scallions, and salt and cayenne to taste. Discard the thyme.

• Meanwhile, whisk the mustard and the remaining 2 tablespoons pickling liquid in a large bowl. Add salt and cayenne to taste, then gradually whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the tomatoes and toss. Add the arugula, celery and pickles and toss again. Divide among bowls and top with the black-eyed peas and turkey.

Per serving: 

Calories 318

Fat 18 g 

Fiber 5 g

WW Points: 7

Lighter Eggplant Parmesan

I found this recipe in an old copy of Everyday Food that I "borrowed" from my parent's house over the holidays.  By "borrowed" I mean that I took it without telling my mom, cut out the recipes I wanted and threw out the rest of the magazine.  :-)  I was looking for a meatless recipe for the first Friday of Lent and this was perfect.  I thought it turned out fantastic.  I can't say too much about the actual execution of the recipe, since Zach made dinner that night, but the flavors and taste were great.  I really liked the pink sauce that was used for between the layers of eggplant, it was not acidic like a straight marinara sauce might be, and I really enjoyed it.  This definitely makes our "keeper" recipe list.  We had it with a slice or two of Italian bread.  Yum!

Lighter Eggplant Parmesan

from Everyday Food, December 2008

Serves 4

WW Points per serving:4

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant (2 pounds), sliced 1/2 inch thick crosswise
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Arrange eggplant on two rimmed baking sheets. Brush eggplant on both sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and very tender, 20 to 25 minutes, turning slices and rotating sheets halfway through.

• Meanwhile, make sauce: Off heat, in a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/4 cup milk, flour, and garlic. Gradually whisk in remaining 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup marinara sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until pink sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

• Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Alternate layers of baked eggplant with pink sauce. Dollop with remaining 1/4 cup marinara sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake on upper rack until browned and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes.

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans and Quesadillas

I found this Tortilla Soup with Black Beans recipe in an old copy of Everyday Food.  My mom, aunts and grandma each subscribe to a magazine, then they pass around the copies of the magazines to each other.  By the time this January 2009 issue got to my mom it was Christmas 2009.  I swiped it from my parents house while we visiting over the holidays.  I knew it would get more use with me than at my mom's.  I love my mom and her cooking, but she doesn't regularly try new recipes, so I knew I'd find at least a few things for Zach and I to make.  I really like that the magazine listed the nutrition info since we're following the Weight Watchers program and that makes it super simple to find out the right points for a recipe.  Seeing it would be fairly low points, and a large serving size I was sold!  We also needed a meatless meal for Ash Wednesday and this fit perfectly.  We decided to make the quesadillas to turn it into a mexican inspired version of tomato soup and grilled cheese.  It was very good, and the leftovers made a great lunch. 

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

From Everyday Food, January 2009

Serves 4 (2 1/2 cups per serving)

WW Points per serving: 5

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for serving (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), beans, broth, corn, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper.

• Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Add tortilla chips; cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve soup with lime wedges and, if desired, more chips.

Quesadillas
serves 2
WW Points per serving:  5

Ingredients:
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 red pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup 2% mexican shredded cheese

Directions:

• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add oil to pan, then peppers and onions.  Saute until tender crisp, about 5 minutes.  When done transfer vegetables to a bowl.
• In same skillet, spray with PAM cooking spray and turn heat to medium-low.  Then begin layering quesadillas -- whole wheat tortilla, half of pepper and onion mixture, 1/4 cup of cheese, then a second tortilla.  Heat until bottom tortilla gets browned, then spray the top of the second tortilla with PAM spray.  Next, carefully use either a large spatula or a large plate to help flip tortilla.  Cook until browned on other side. 
• Cut into quarters and serve.