Oven "Fried" Green Tomatoes
                          with Spicy Dipping Sauce

 
I made these last year and posted the recipe. Except this time I did not use a wire rack to back them. I just laid them out on a foil lined baking sheet spray with non-stick spray. These were the best yet. I think do to the fact that I used stone ground cornmeal that I got from the Amish grocery in Casey County, Kentucky. These tomatoes were also "heirloom" type tomatoes and were not acidic at all! I also made a spicy dipping sauce from fat free sour cream. I will post that recipe a bit later! So here you go!

First step (lightly dust in mixture)
1/2 cup cornmeal for dusting
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Second step (egg wash)
1 med egg beaten or 1/4 cup egg beater

Third step (dredge in coating mixture)
1/2 cup panko
3 Tablespoons of cornmeal
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place on wire rack that has baking sheet beneath it and has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes until tomatoes are browned and give slightly to the touch. Enjoy!
Makes two servings
160 Calories and .75 grams fat

                        

Kentucky Bourbon Brownie Pie

                                                 

                                       Kentucky Bourbon Brownie Pie


I decided to try making a chocolate dessert to celebrate Derby Day in Kentucky. Two things Kentucky is known for is horses and bourbon.The bourbon of choice was Makers Mark.The alcohol is evaporated in the cooking process. What is left is a wonderful combination of great flavors and a chocolate lovers dream. Best of all its a lower fat and lower calorie treat!

Brownie crust:
1/2 box of reduced fat brownie mix
6 T of eggbeaters
2 T Makers Mark
2 T of chopped pecan pieces
2 T of plain Greek yogurt
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until combined. Pour into a 9 inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the middle. If batter slightly sticks to it when removed and the brownie is set, it is  done. Let cool on a wire rack.

Second layer, Chocolate topping:
1 box of Fat Free chocolate pudding
3/4 up skim milk
With a hand mixer whip until just combined
Then add:
2 cups light whipped topping that has been thawed fold into pudding mixture until completely combined.

Spread over completely cooled brownie. Refrigerate until set.

Bourbon sauce:
2 T Makers Mark
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T skim milk.
Bring to a boil until it just begins to bubble, cook about 1 minute. Let cool and garnish individual slices with a sprinkle of chopped pecans, frozen whipped topping and a drizzle of sauce.

Makes 8 servings 220 calories a slice and 3.5 grams of fat!

Thanks to my wife for helping with this recipe and kitchen duty!

Cabbage Casserole Redo.....Southern Comfort Food

                       Cabbage Casserole Redo....Southern Comfort Food

     A co-worker of mine told me about making Cabbage Casserole for holiday meals and how much her family loves it. The thing is, it has Velveeta Cheese and butter in the original a big no-no for me and my healthier eating lifestyle. The recipes I found for the original has about 260 calories and about 18 grams of fat per serving. I made a redo of it at Christmas but it needed more flavor in it. When I started to make it I decided to give  it a kick and my weapon of choice was Franks Red Hot Sauce. It gives it the tang that was missing! It was a last minute idea to post the recipe so the pics aren't so great. After I dug into it and tasted I had to share. So here is my recipe, thank you Mrs. R for the idea!

1 medium head of cabbage cut in chunks

2 cups of fat free lower sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

1 can of Healthy Request Cream of mushroom or Cream of Celery soup-your choice

1 cup of 2% Sharp Cheddar cheese shredded

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 Tablespoons of Franks Red Hot Sauce

Pepper to taste

1 Cup of Panko bread crumbs

Place cabbage in large sauce pan and with chicken broth and water. Cook on medium heat until translucent and fork tender. Do not over cook.

Remove cabbage from pan leave about 1/2 cup of liquid in pan. Add 1 can of condensed soup and whisk together. Then add cheese and other spices and hot sauce, whisk. Return cabbage to cream mixture and gently stir till coated. 

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour cabbage mixture into baking dish and top with Panko. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbly. Enjoy!

Makes 8 (1 1/2) cup servings 

113 calories 

4 grams of fat

Twice Baked Zucchini Poppers

I love my veggies and love cheese. So I came up with this recipe that is lower in fat and calories than the traditional twice baked potato. These are so good!

           3 medium zucchini ends trimmed, split in half with the seeds removed.

      I gave them a good sprinkle of coarse black pepper and baked them at 375 for about 20 minutes.


The filling I used was as follows:
1 can of lower sodium chopped artichoke hearts, rinsed.
1 frozen 10oz box of chopped spinach, thawed and pressed out in a colander so the water is removed.
1 cup reduced 1% cottage cheese.
1 diced garlic clove
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning to taste.

 Mix together and press into the hollowed out zucs. Bake at 375 for about another 20 min or until cheeses are slightly brown and bubbly. I grated 1/3 cup of 2% sharp cheddar on top the last five minutes of baking. But Mozzarella would have been better. The flavor and texture is great with the salt, fat and calories!

1 half zuchnni is: 112 calories and 1.3 grams of fat.

                                        Southwestern Vegetable Soup

It's been awhile since I last posted a recipe. With the weather turning colder this soup will warm you on those cold winter days!

Southwestern Vegetable Soup

1 small potato peel and diced small.
1 1/2 cups of low fat low sodium chicken broth.
2 8 oz. cans of low sodium tomato sauce
1 16 oz can of low sodium black beans
1 cup corn
1 small zucchini chopped
1 small yellow squash  chopped
1 small onion diced
1 stalk celery
1 large carrot
1 jalapeno diced 
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cloves garlic
Place all ingredients with 16 oz. of water into stock pot bring to a simmer on low-medium heat, for about 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. The last 15 minutes of cooking add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Enjoy with baked tortilla chips! Spices can be adjusted to your taste. Makes about 8 cups. Here is the nutritional breakdown.
1 cup=126 calories, 0.6 grams of fat and 8 grams of fiber!

                Asian Style Ginger Sesame Green Beans

I love Asian food. I usually don't care for crunchy green beans. I tried these the other day at a restaurant and decided to try making them lower fat. Here is what I did!

                                                  The Ingredients

                                      Ms. Ginger wanted her own close up!
                                         (you can use fresh grated ginger)

1 14 oz bag of frozen green beans
   Par boil for 4-6 min in water, then drain.

Whisk together the following in a bowl:
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce.
2 Tablespoons of water.
1 teaspoon of ginger.
1 crushed clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon of rice wine or red wine vinegar.
1 Tablespoon of Splenda.
1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. (whisk until lumps are gone)

Spray large skillet or wok with non-stick cooking spray bring to a med-high heat. Add drained green beans. Add ginger mixture toss and  coat till covered.
Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sesame seeds over beans.
Enjoy!
Makes 3.5 servings: 58 Calories per serving 1.25 grams of fat.

As with all recipes know your food allergies!

                           Remade "Fried" Green Tomatoes
I have been asked several times the Summer to come up with a recipe for "fried" green tomatoes. I finally have got around to making these and I don't know why I waited so long. This is my favorite recipe that I have done so far. They have a wonderful crunchy outside and when you bite into them you get that tangy goodness. These don't have that greasy batter coating that falls off when you eat them. I baked mine on a baking sheet elevated on a wire rack so the coating gets crunchy on both sides. I dusted them lightly in flour. Then coated in egg wash. You can use a real egg or 1/4 egg beater. Then in the cornmeal and panko coating.

1 large green tomato (slice into 8 pieces about 1/4 inch thick)

First step (lightly dust in mixture)
1/2 cup plain flour for dusting
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Second step (egg wash)
1 med egg beaten or 1/4 cup egg beater

Third step (dredge in coating mixture)
1/2 cup panko
3 Tablespoons of cornmeal
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place on wire rack that has baking sheet beneath it and has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes until tomatoes are browned and give slightly to the touch. Enjoy!
Makes two servings
160 Calories and .75 grams fat