Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

Courtesy of Kraft's Whats Cooking Fall 2008 1 - 540ml can of undrained diced tomatoes (I used herbed) 1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix 2 cloves minced garlic 1 1/2lb of diced chicken or turkey 1 tsp dried basil leaves (I omitted because my tomatoes were spiced) 1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozarella) Mix first 3 items until stuffing is moist. Layer into a lightly greased casserole dish: 1/2 stuffing mixture, chicken/turkey, basil, cheese, 1/2 stuffing mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with green salad or soup...... "Bon Appetit!"

So, in an effort to try to prevent my legs from turning blue as a result of too-tight jeans, I'm trying to keep my diet in check. No, I'm not swearing off of all of the things I love, but we'll just have a more on again, off again relationship rather than a steady thing. And I'm on a mission to find healthier versions of the things I love the most, which is why I have become a fan of the Hungry Girl daily e-newsletter and other healthy-but-realistic recipe sources. To that end, I've chosen Eat, Shrink and Be Merry by the Podleski sisters and the Hungry Girl cookbook for recipe sources for this weekend's/next week's cooking. Here are a few recipes I'm hoping to try from the ES&BM cookbook. I'll post some from HG later tonight (It's on my bedside table and frankly I don't feel like going to get it). Will post the actual recipes as I try them. Na-cho Ordinary Taco Salad (page 39) The Squash Court (Butternut squash soup with orange and g...

I love this recipe: SPINACH COUSCOUS SALAD 1 c. chicken broth 3/4 c. couscous 1/2 c. Italian salad dressing 2 c. shredded fresh spinach 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 of 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts Spinach leaves In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to boiling; stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; add salad dressing. Cover and chill for 2 to 4 hours or until completely chilled. Before serving, toss couscous mixture with shredded spinach, tomatoes and water chestnuts. Serve on spinach leaves. Makes 8 servings. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1843,155162-246194,00.html Le dîner est servi . . .

I made this salad for Paula's baby shower a couple of weeks ago because I thought it would go nicely with the spare ribs that Deb was bringing. I was right. Ingredients: 1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups cooked long-grain rice, chilled 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 tomato, seeded and chopped 2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lime juice 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper fresh chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish, if desired Preparation: Combine beans with rice, green and red bell pepper, tomato, and green onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, mustard, sugar, cumin, and pepper. Add dressing to beans and rice and stir gently to blend ingredients. Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve chilled. Serves 6. http://southernfood.about.com/od/beansalads/r/bl91029c.htm Le dîner est servi . ...

The proportions in this recipe depend on what you have in your fridge, how big the dish is you are making this in, and your preferences, so I'll just list the ingredients and once you read the instructions you'll be able to gauge how much you'll need. Or, you could do what I did and use up stuff from the fridge! I used: 1 package small flour tortillas (about 8) 1/2 to 3/4 of a 14 ounce can refried beans (I used vegetarian) 2-3 cups your favourite chili recipe or canned chili (I used my own homemade chili) 2-ish cups shredded cheese (I used marble) 1/2 cup corn (thawed if frozen, drained if canned, left alone if fresh!) Jar of salsa Optional, for garnish (but they make it really, really good) Diced tomato Chopped green onion Ranch dressing Shredded iceberg lettuce In a casserole dish, layer: Tortillas (torn to fit) Refried beans Tortillas Chili Salsa Cheese Repeat layers until your dish is full or your ingredients run out, whichever comes first. Bake in 350 degree oven for...

This is a hit with my entire family (OK, so there are only three of us, but one of us is 2 years old, so I consider this a victory). Ingredients: 1 frozen pie crust 1 pound extra-lean ground beef (or use regular and drain it after you brown it) 1/2 small onion, chopped finely 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup crumbs (cornflake, bread, cracker...doesn't really matter) 1/2 cup ketchup (or bbq sauce, or 1/4 cup of each) squirt of mustard (any kind; we often use honey mustard) salt, pepper and Mrs Dash Italian flavour to taste 1/2 tsp (or more if you like it spicy) crushed red pepper flakes or chili sauce 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar or mozzarella cheese Instructions: Thaw pie crust at room temperature. Preheat oven to 375F. Brown ground beef and onions in a skillet until meat is cooked through and onions are soft. Drain off excess fat if necessary. Add water and mix well to combine. Add crumbs, ketchup, mustard and seasonings. Mix together. Pour mixture into pie shell and smooth top. Cover wit...

So, Thanksgiving dinner is over. You forgot to cook the squash, there are leftovers everywhere and no-one wants anymore turkey. This is what I did, loosely based on a recipe. Step #1 Ingredients: 1 stalk of celery (leftovers from the veggie tray) 1/2 bag of mini carrots (leftovers from the veggie tray) 3-4 slices of ham (leftovers) ***Grate these three items, I used my food processor, and then add salt & pepper 1-300ml box of Knorr red pepper/tomato soup ***mix well and pour into greased casserole dish. Step #2 Ingredients: 1 chinese eggplant (on its last leg) 1 zucchini (use it or toss it) 1 purple pepper (or green, red, orange) 1 red onion 1 green onion 1 peeled butternut squash (par cooked in microwave) ***I would in the future add 3-4 potatoes thinly sliced too! I used my food processor to thinly slice these veggies. Layer one veggie at a time on top of the ham/carrot mixture in the casserole dish. Step #3 Ingredients: 1 can of diced tomatoes (or fresh leftovers) Cover the top ...