Death by Chocolate

This is a wonderful dessert for a special occasion. My Mom makes it in a glass punch bowl. It looks beautiful, and is definitely a treat!

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 c. coffee liqueur
4 boxes chocolate instant pudding mix
4 Heath bars, crushed
12 oz. whipped cream

Prepare cake and allow to cool. Pierce the cake with a fork, and drizzle the liqueur. Refrigerate cake, and prepare pudding according to package directions. Break up the cake into chunks, and layer half of the cake pieces at the bottom of the bowl, followed by half of the pudding, candy, and whipped cream. Repeat the layers, ending with whipped cream.

Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

This is definitely a comfort food meal, and reheats well for lunch the next day.

8 oz. whole wheat elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained
2 c. fat-free cheddar cheese or soy cheese
2 c. fat-free cottage cheese
1 c. fat-free sour cream
1 egg
1 10oz. box spinach, thawed and drained
1 lb. chicken, cut in small pieces and stir fried
Dijon mustard to taste

Preheat oven to 350F and use cooking spray to grease a 4 qt baking dish. Mix all ingredients together, and bake for 40-45 min.

Mikey’s Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

These amazing mushrooms can be served as a side dish or an appetizer, but you will need to eat them with a fork. I’ve also made the recipe with regular stuffing mushrooms and it worked just as well.

4 large portobello mushrooms
1 shallot, chopped
1 handful fresh spinach, cut into strips
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, and finely chopped
1 block FF feta, crumbled
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1 T Greek yogurt or fat free sour cream

Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and chop them. Remove the gills if you desire. Add a bit of olive oil to a large skillet, and saute the stems, shallots, jalapeno, and pepper until cooked through. Add the spinach, saute for a minute or two to wilt the spinach. Remove from heat, and mix in cheese and yogurt/sour cream. Stuff the caps. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 400F oven.

-Recipe courtesy of Mikey from the Weight Watchers community

Sweet Potato and Eggplant Curry

This recipe was my very first attempt at making curry. I bought garam masala from the bulk spice section at Whole Foods.

1 T and 1 t oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, cut in ½ inch pieces
3 minced garlic cloves
1 T curry powder
2 t garam masala
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1” pieces
1 ½ c. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1 ¼ c. water
½ c. yogurt

Heat 1 T oil in big pot. Add onions and potatoes, cover, and lower heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Clear center of pan and add t oil and garlic; cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add spices, cook 1 minute. Add eggplant, and stir until eggplant pieces are coated, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, water, and chickpeas. Bring mixture to a boil, scraping from bottom. Lower heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Add green beans, and simmer 5 minutes. Check to ensure that potatoes are done.

Add spoonful of yogurt on top when served.

-Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Banana Oatmeal

This is one of my Dad’s favorite recipes, and a very filling breakfast. It is a great way to use a banana that is past it’s peak.

1/2 c. oats
1 c. milk
1 ripe banana, mashed

Heat milk in small saucepan. Add oats and banana, and cook until done.

Quinoa with Apples

If you are looking to try something new, quinoa is a healthy whole grain with a slightly nutty taste. Ancient Harvest brand (sold at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s) does not need to be rinsed. Otherwise, you need to use a coffee filter to rinse the natural outside coating from the grain.

The original recipe called for almonds, but I had walnuts on hand. I really enjoyed this dish, but it has a very mild flavor. If you want to add more spice, consider red pepper or curry.

1 c. uncooked quinoa
2 t olive oil, divided
3/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. finely diced carrot
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c. vegetable broth
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c. finely diced unpeeled Granny Smith apple (about 1)
3 T chopped walnuts
Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse quinoa thoroughly.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender and carrot begins to brown. Stir in broth, quinoa, salt, and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Fluff with a fork; keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple to pan; saute 7 minutes or until apple begins to brown. Add apple, walnuts, and pepper to quinoa, tossing to combine.

-Adapted from Cooking Light

Couscous Pizza

This is a great alternative to traditional pizza crust.

2 – 2 1/2 c. cooked whole wheat couscous
2 eggs, beaten
¼ c. shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
Pizza Toppings

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray a deep 9-10” pie dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine couscous, eggs, and mozzarella cheese; mix well. Press into pie dish. Bake 20 minutes. Top with pizza sauce, vegetables, Canadian bacon, fat-free mozzarella, etc. and bake for another 20 minutes at 350F.

Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs with Yogurt Dill Sauce

These are easy to make ahead of time and bake just before your guests arrive. The sauce is what really makes this recipe great.

1 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for liberal drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped, divided
4 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
3/4 c. crumbled fat free feta cheese
1 lb ground chicken
1 T grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
1 1/2 c. fat free Greek-style plain yogurt
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
3 T fresh dill
1.5 t cumin
1.5 t coriander
salt

In a bowl combine 3/4 of onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry. Separate the spinach as you add it to garlic and onion. Add feta, chicken and grill seasoning to the bowl and a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix the meat with veggies and feta and form 18 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place the meatballs on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes until they are golden and juices run clear. Place yogurt, reserved onion and garlic, cucumber, dill, cumin, coriander and a little salt in food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve meatballs alongside sauce with toothpicks.

-Rachael Ray

Spaghetti Pie

This recipe works well with whatever vegetables you have on hand. It’s a healthier version of lazy lasagna.

8 oz. whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked
1 egg
24 oz. canned tomato sauce
8 oz. canned tomato paste
12 oz. fat-free cottage cheese
12 oz. mozzarella cheese or soy cheese, shredded
1 lb. meatless soy crumbles, or ground turkey, or lean beef browned
2 t olive oil
1 T garlic powder
1 small onion
1-2 c chopped vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, etc.)

Saute garlic, onion, vegetables, and oil. Add soy crumbles or meat, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sweetener and Italian herbs to taste. Simmer 20 minutes. Place cooked spaghetti in bottom of sprayed 9×11 pan. In medium bowl, combine beaten egg and cottage cheese. Pour cottage cheese mixture over spaghetti. Top with tomato mixture. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the tomato mixture. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I like these healthy pancakes topped with sugar free syrup, or chopped fresh fruit.

1/2 c. oats
1/4 c. fat-free cottage cheese
1 egg
2 packets Splenda
Cinnamon to taste

Mix all ingredients, and spoon batter onto pan coated with cooking spray. You can make either one large or two small pancakes. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.