Gazpacho!

The weather is starting to warm up (at least, some days, it is)!  It's been a crazy winter and I've spent a lot of time slurping soup.  But no one wants to eat soup on a warm spring or summer day.  Those are the days I tend to go for something light and cool...something like gazpacho.

Gazpacho is a tomato-based vegetable soup that is typically served chilled.  Gazpacho is typically a Spanish dish, originating in the Andalusia region of Spain.  I love gazpacho because it's a cool and refreshing (yet filling) dish, but also because it is full of vegetables...which makes it very colorful and pretty!  So, as the weather starts to (hopefully soon) turn towards summer, cool off with this chilled soup.


Ingredients

• 6 tomatoes, diced (I used Roma tomatoes
• 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 5 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup vinegar (red or white wine)
• 1/8 cup lime juice (or 2 fresh squeezed limes)
• 1.5 tablespoons sugar (I actually used Truvia...I would bump this up to 2 tbsp if using regular white sugar)
• Tabasco sauce (I'm not a fan of spice, so I used only a few shakes...but use more to suit your taste buds)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Avocado, sliced (optional...I used it for garnish)

1. Dice, chop, and mince the tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, celery, garlic, and onion. Set aside some of the raw vegetables for a garnish later.

2. In a food processor or blender, add half of the tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, garlic, onion, tomato juice, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper.  Pulse until all of the ingredients are well blended.  Add the remaining portions to the food processor or blender, and mix until all of the ingredients evenly mixed.

3.  Pour mixture into a large bowl and stir.  Check seasonings and adjust if necessary.

4.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

5.  When serving, garnish with the avocado and the vegetables set aside in step 1.

Serving suggestion: I paired my gazpacho with a whole wheat cheese quesadilla

Eggplant Parmigiana

As a way to switch up my eating habits lately, I've been incorporating more vegetarian options into my routine.  I have several friends in my life who are vegetarian or vegan, and they've assured me that limiting meat in my diet will not be as challenging as I anticipate.  So far, I have pretty much cut out red meat completely.  I had a craving for a burger the other day, and I substituted the beef for a vegetable burger.  In the last few weeks, I found my body craving meat less.  I still crave the protein, but opting more for beans or eggs or...gasp...tofu.  Yes, my loyal followers, I have tried tofu.

The other day, I wanted something that tastes like home...something like grandma's cooking.  Chicken parmigiana!  But wait!  I substituted the chicken for some eggplant.  Guess what?  Still delicious.  (Although, the chicken parmigiana is still my favorite...)

Ingredients
1 eggplant, large, uncooked (mine was about 1lb)
1/2 cup egg whites
Flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (divided)
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
1.5 cups fat-free mozzarella, shredded
About 2 cups tomato sauce (you could use store-bought tomato sauce, in a jar...or you could pre-make my tomato sauce recipe, found here!)

1.  Slice the eggplant, about 1/4 to 1/3 inch in width.

2.  In one bowl, mix flour, salt, oregano, and pepper.  In a second bowl, add the egg whites.  In a third bowl, mix the bread crumbs and half of the grated cheese.

3.  Prepare a baking 13 x 9 baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

4.  One by one, dip the pieces of eggplant first into the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumb mixture.  Place them on to the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.  Spray lightly with the non-stick cooking spray, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 425.  After 10 minutes, flip the eggplant slices over and bake for another 10 minutes.  Then, set aside to cool slightly.

5.  Add a layer of tomato sauce to a casserole dish (or a baking pan, whichever you prefer).  Layer the slices of eggplant on top of the sauce.  Top with half of the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese as well as the mozzarella on top of the eggplant.  Bake on 425 degrees for about 13-15 minutes (or until the cheese is melted). 

Don't forget to cook your pasta, too!

Yields about 3 servings total
Points Plus value: 5 (add another 5 points for 2 oz of pasta)

Vegetable Soup

I realize that when writing about the cold weather, I should qualify this and say that I've lived most of my life in South Florida.  You know, Florida...where people bust out the coats and scarves and boots when it hits 60 degrees.  So for the temperature to plummet to single digits (with a wind chill factor below zero), well...it felt absolutely inconceivable to me.  I'll be honest; I didn't think Georgia had that level of cold in her. 

It was a new experience scrapping frost off the windshield, using the heat in my apartment (and subsequently, skyrocketing my electric bill), driving on icy roads, and literally wrapping my face with a scarf to keep it warm.  Seriously. Here's the proof. 

So what do you do when the weather dips to a chilly 8º?  Wrap yourself up really warm, make sure your cat has his favorite blanket, and make some soup! 

The great thing about this recipe is that you can literally add anything you want into it.  Initially, I used zucchini, peppers, onion, diced tomato...but the second time, I added cannellini beans, yellow squash, and mushroom.  Also, choose a different flavor broth for different tastes...beef gives it a heartier flavor, but vegetable broth complements the other ingredients  Chicken broth is even a perfectly viable candidate, as well. 

After I made the base of the soup, I added something different each day I had it.  Day one, I added some crumbed turkey sausage.  Day 2, some pasta.  Another day, I added some shredded chicken breast.  Make it your own.  I love recipes like this!  And the best part...it's so easy to make!

Ingredients

Ingredients from one time...

2 tbsp olive oil
6 cups broth (vegetable, chicken, or beef...depending on your preference)
1 diced pepper
1 diced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 package of celery (leafy parts, only)
1/2 cup corn
1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
Oregano, rosemary, basil, and thyme (to taste)
Salt & pepper

Ingredients from a second time

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot on medium.  When warm, saute onion.  Add garlic. 

2. Add all other ingredients.  Bring to a rapid boil.  Lower heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

From the first batch

From the second batch

Depending on what you add, this soup is either 1 WW point/serving...or 0! 
You can also add pasta or meats (sausage, chicken, etc).  Adjust points accordingly. 

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich: Quick and easy...and super low in points!

Ingredients
1 Portobello mushroom cap
1 sandwich round
Tomato, sliced
1 oz. provolone cheese
Roasted red pepper
Basil
Balsamic vinegear

1. Over medium-high heat, sautee onions in a pan prepared with cooking spray.

2. Meanwhile, grill the Portobello mushroom cap (on a George Foreman grill, etc) until tender.

3. Place mushroom cap on sandwich round.  Top with cheese, tomato, basil, roasted red pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Viola!

Yields 1 serving total
Points Plus value: 5

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Bars

Everyone has those recipes that you make for special occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays.  Well, this recipe is part of my family's Holiday baking ritual...it's probably the least Italian thing my very Italian family produces around Christmas, but it's definitely one of my favorites.

It's peanut butter.  It's chocolatey.  Together.  In one bite.  How could that be wrong?

I recently made this for a gathering and they were a big hit.  I'm not surprised.  You will be delighted. 

Ingredients
About 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cups peanut butter chips
(Optional: 1/2 cup toffee bits)

1. In a preheated oven, melt butter in a 13x9 baking pan.

2. When butter is melted, sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of the pan.  The crumbs should completely absorb the melted butter and cover the entire pan bottom.

3. Cover the graham cracker crumbs with the can of sweetened condensed milk. Be careful with this step: if you keep the can in one place and try to spread the condensed milk after you've poured it all out, you'll probably ruin the graham cracker layer.  Try to use a zig-zag motion, going back and forth, covering the whole pan with the condensed milk. It should spread fairly evenly on its own.

4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the peanut butter chips onto the condensed milk layer.  Use a solid spatula to press the chips into the condensed milk.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.  They chips should be soft and meltey (but not entirely melted), and the edges should be golden brown.  Let them sit for at least an hour before you cut them.

I'm not even going to try to calculate the WW points for this dessert...

Chicken with Peach Salsa

Sometimes, I'm really overwhelmed by the number of recipes I have.  Despite the fact that I'm usually very organized, my recipes are all mixed together. There's no rhyme or reason to their storage, especially if those recipes are online.

Recently as I was trying to organize my "bookmarks" on my internet browser, I came across a version of this recipe and decided to give it a shot.  The cool thing about this recipe is that it would probably taste just as good with fish or shrimp.  I chose chicken, because that's what I had on hand.

Ingredients
3/4 lb chicken breast, cut into cube-like pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (for some extra flavor, I used "fire-roasted" diced tomatoes)
1 can peach halves, chopped, drained
Lime juice
Basil
Salt and pepper
Rice, prepared as directed on package (I used Vigo yellow rice)

1. Chop the onions.  Saute the onions in a pan prepared with cooking spray over medium to high heat.

2. Add the chicken and then cook thoroughly, about 5 to 7  minutes.  

3. Add the diced tomatoes, peaches, lime juice, and basil.  Bring to a rapid boil, and then lower the heat. Use salt and pepper to taste

4. Serve over prepared rice.

Yields 4 servings total
Points Plus value: Approximately 10 points per serving

Dipped S'mores

In my years supervising undergraduate students, I learned that very few of them will turn down free food. Especially if that food is a dessert.  At the end of the Spring semester, I hosted a week-long movie marathon for my staff members. I had a different treat each night. These dipped s'mores were by far the most popular.

Everyone loves an ooey, gooey s'more. They are warm and delicious and they get all over your face. The great thing about this recipe is that the bonfire is not necessary.  You can make these in your kitchen and enjoy the taste of a s'more.

Ingredients
1 box of graham crackers
Marshmallow Fluff
Hershey's Chocolate Bars (at least 3 of the regular sized ones; I used a package of the snack-sized bars)
Sprinkles

1.  Prepare the graham crackers first.  I broke them into quarters, but you can also break each cracker into a half.  Lay the out in a baking pan. 

2. Break the Hershey's bars into small pieces.  In a small saucepan, over low to medium heat, melt the chocolate.  I wound up adding a little milk to liquify the chocolate.  (Note: a second time I made them for a group of friends, I added a little Sambuca, too).  Stir constantly until fully melted.  Leave on the stove on very low heat. 

3. Spread Marshmallow Fluff on 1/2 of the graham crackers.  Top with the remaining crackers.

4. Dip each graham cracker and Fluff sandwich in the melted chocolate (be careful, because they may break easily).  Top with sprinkles for decoration.  Allow the dipped s'mores to sit for ten minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.