Cheesy Beef and Tomato Lasagna Roll-Ups

In my last post I mentioned that some ingredients are not easy to come by here in Italy. Case in point, the original version of this recipe calls for manicotti noodles. I couldn't find manicotti or even cannelloni noodles at the Commissary. I live in the pasta capital of the world, but really didn't feel like braving the Italian traffic to hunt down some manicotti. Recently, I have seen several recipes for lasagna roll-ups so I decided to try lasagna instead. I simply boiled 12 noodles, drained and blotted dry then spread the filling on each noodle and rolled them.

It was so much easier than trying to stuff cooked manicotti.  The recipe also calls for a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies with garlic, oregano, and basil of which I couldn't find.  Instead, I used a can of Rotel (for a little kick) and simply added some fresh basil, dried oregano and fresh garlic.  It can be frustrating to not be able to find needed ingredients, but there is usually a similar ingredient that can be substituted.

Many of you know that I often alter recipes to make them a little more figure friendly.  This recipe calls for Italian sausage which is very tasty, but also very fattening.  A healthier option is to use lean ground beef and add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and fennel seeds.  I calculated the calories and fat grams for each version and was amazed at the difference made by simply altering a few ingredients.

I was so pleased with how this recipe turned out using lasagna noodles and low fat ingredients that I will make it like this from now on.

These are generous serving sizes. I typically eat 1/2 of a serving (one lasagna roll-up) with a salad or side veggie and a slice of bread for a well-balanced delicious meal.

Cheesy Sausage and Tomato Manicotti ~ Original Version 

Southern Living

Yield: 6 servings

Calories 801 per serving

Fat grams 52

Ingredients 

• 1 (8-ounce) package uncooked manicotti noodles
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies with garlic, oregano, and basil
• 1 pound Italian pork sausage
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water. Drain.
2. Process tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a blender 20 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.
3. Remove casings from sausage, and discard. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Spoon into manicotti shells; arrange stuffed shells in lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
4. Pour tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle top with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
6. Note: Casserole may be assembled and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer a smaller casserole, use 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Proceed as directed.

Cheesy Beef and Tomato Lasagna Roll-Ups ~ Figure Friendly

6 servings

adapted from Southern Living

Calories 587

Fat grams 23

Ingredients

• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced Rotel added approximately 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp. dried oregano, and 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 pound 94% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 (8-ounce) 1/3 less fat package cream cheese
• 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
• 4 cups (16 ounces) reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cold water. Drain and pat dry.
2. Process tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a blender 20 seconds or until smooth. Set aside.
3. Cook ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in cream cheese, ricotta cheese, and 2 cups mozzarella cheese. Spread mixture on cooked shells and roll. Place in lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
4. Pour tomato mixture over shells; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let casserole stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle top with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
6. Note: Casserole may be assembled and frozen up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you prefer a smaller casserole, use 2 (11- x 7-inch) baking dishes. Proceed as directed.

Buon Appetito!

Strawberry Pudding Trifle

I couldn't let another strawberry season pass without sharing this recipe.  This is one of my all-time favorite desserts.  This recipe was created by my sister's mother-in-law who is a fantastic cook.  She served this at my sister's bridal shower, and it was truly love at first bite.  I think I asked her 3 times before the shower was over if I could PLEASE have the recipe.  I am sure she thought I was crazy, but I could not help myself.  I HAD to have the recipe.


Here in Italy we don't have access to all the varieties of food products that are available in the states.  It forces me to be creative or at least attempt to be creative.  This recipe calls for strawberry glaze and chocolate graham crackers.  Neither of which are available at my local Commissary so I had to tweak this recipe a bit.  I made homemade strawberry glaze and chocolate cookies to substitute for the store bought strawberry glaze and chocolate graham crackers.  I also used low fat ingredients for a more figure friendly version. It still turned out great!  These changes are a little time consuming so if you are short on time and the ingredients are available, I would definitely suggest using store bought strawberry glaze and chocolate graham crackers.

Strawberry Pudding Trifle ~ Original Version

Prep time: 30 minutes                                                                             Serving Size 12

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5 ounce) package instant white chocolate pudding mix (or cheese cake flavor pudding)

3 cups cold milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (16 ounce) containers of frozen sweetened strawberries

1 carton (16 ounce) strawberry glaze

2 T. cornstarch

Chocolate Graham Crackers, crumbled

1.       In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in ½ of the whipped topping.

2.     Place frozen strawberries in a saucepan. Gradually moisten 2 T. cornstarch with water until it forms a paste. Add enough water to thin this paste to the consistency of buttermilk, stir into berries. Cook and stir until thick. Cool and mix in glaze.

3.      Layer trifle bowl with crumbled chocolate graham crackers, strawberry mixture, and pudding mixture. Repeat twice and top with remaining whipped topping. Chill. Garnish with crumbled crackers and/or strawberries before serving.

Strawberry Pudding Trifle ~ Joy's Version

Prep time: I have no idea                                           Serving Size 12

1 (8 ounce) 1/3 less fat package cream cheese

1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 1/3 package instant sugar free white chocolate pudding mix

3 cups cold 1 % milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) container frozen light whipped topping, thawed (I think I used a little more than the recipe calls for)

32 ounces fresh strawberries

16 ounce strawberry glaze (see recipe below)

2 T. cornstarch

Mom's Famous Chocolate Cookies, crumbled (see recipe below)

1.   In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in ½ of the whipped topping.

2.   Place strawberries in a saucepan. Gradually moisten 2 T. cornstarch with water until it forms a paste. Add enough water to thin this paste to the consistency of buttermilk, stir into berries. Cook and stir until thick. Cool and mix in glaze.

3. Bake cookies and allow to cool.

4.   Layer trifle bowl with crumbled chocolate cookies, strawberry mixture, and pudding mixture. Repeat twice and top with remaining whipped topping. Chill. If desired, garnish with crumbled cookies and strawberries.

Strawberry Glaze

adapted from www.recipes.com

2 cups chopped strawberries, washed and hulled

2/3 cup honey

2 T. cornstarch

2 T. water

1. In a saucepan place strawberries and honey. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly mixed and heated through. Remove from heat.

2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water stirring to combine. Add cornstarch mixture to strawberry mixture. Return to stove top and cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.

Mom's Famous Chocolate Cookies

Yield: about 5 dozen

adapted from Southern Living All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

  

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

 2 large eggs

 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa

 1 teaspoon baking soda

 3/4 teaspoon salt

 Parchment paper

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugars at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Add eggs and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, beating until blended.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 14 minutes (I bake them 12 minutes) or until desired degree of doneness. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 15 minutes).

Buon Appetito!

Baked Goat Cheese Dip

Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body is one of my favorite blogs.  I love the author's humor and often lol when reading her post.  Her food looks great and is very different from my style of cooking.  I think one reason I like her blog so much is because I get ideas for foods that I wouldn't normally cook. For example, I have noticed that she often shares recipes that include goat cheese.  She even has a recipe for Goat Cheese Stuffed Cookies.  I had never tried goat cheese before and was really curious. I saw this recipe for Baked Goat Cheese Dip in Southern Living Magazine I thought I would give it a try.

Goat cheese has a very distinct flavor and reminds me a lot of feta cheese, which I love.  If you like feta, I think you will really enjoy this easy appetizer recipe.

 

Baked Goat Cheese Dip

Southern Living

DECEMBER 2010

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients 

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Pinch of sugar

1 (14.5-oz.) can petite-diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil

1/4 cup torn basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

2 (4-oz.) goat cheese logs, softened

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

Assorted cut vegetables and bread cubes

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Sauté onion in hot oil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic and next 3 ingredients, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in diced and sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in basil and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Stir together goat cheese and cream cheese until well blended. Spread into a lightly greased 9-inch shallow ovenproof dish. Top with tomato mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 15 to 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with assorted vegetables and bread cubes.
Make ahead: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2. Cover and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Bake as directed.

Buon Appetito!

Coconutty Orange Salad

Last week I baked some delicious $100,000 Cinnamon Rolls. The recipe calls for orange zest which left me with four zested oranges. I hate to waste food and try to either eat as leftovers, freeze, or use in another dish. I started thinking about what I could do with those oranges. In Sicily, they have an amazing orange salad that consists of blood oranges, green onion, and olive oil. I know it might not sound too appealing, but I can assure you it is wonderful. These simple ingredients go perfectly together. I didn't have any green onions but the thought of the Sicilian blood orange salad gave me inspiration to create a different type of orange salad.

Having just made the cinnamon rolls, I had some leftover pecans. I found some shredded coconut and golden raisins in the pantry and added them to the oranges. I drizzled some honey on top and sprinkled with cinnamon then stirred well. I was very pleased with the results and really enjoyed the light, tropical flavor the coconut added. My hubby really enjoyed it too, which is always a good sign. Topped with whipped cream or light cool whip this Coconutty Orange Salad would make a nice figure friendly dessert.

Coconutty Orange Salad

yield: 4 servings

4 medium oranges

1/4 cup golden raisins (or regular)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

2 shakes of cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon of honey

Mix ingredients together. It can be eaten immediately or allowed to chill then eaten.

Buon Appetito!

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Once upon a time I used to do a lot of freezer cooking. It was a peaceful and joyful time in my cooking "career". Peaceful because I knew what was for dinner everyday. In the morning I would take the dish out of the freezer to thaw and in the evening bake/cook as directed by the recipe. Preparing side dishes, bread, and occasionally a dessert was a breeze since the main dish was already done. It was joyful because I could share meals with others since I had food ready to go in the freezer. Not only does freezer cooking save time but saves money too. By planning meals, it eliminates the last minute takeout dinner or errand to the store to purchase pricey readymade meals that are often loaded with preservatives. I truly love freezer cooking, but since I do not have much freezer space here in Italy, I am not able to do as much as I would like. I hope to do more freezer cooking again when we move back to the states.

These chicken chimichangas are one of my favorite freezer meals. When freezing, prepare chimichangas per directions, then wrap in foil and freeze. When ready to cook, simply thaw and following baking instructions.  

Chicken Chimichangas

From: Southern Living

Yield: 20 servings

1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce or salsa, divided

7 cups chopped cooked chicken - great tip for shredding chicken, place cooked chicken in a kitchen aid mixer and mix for a couple of minutes and you will have perfectly shredded chicken.

1 small onion, diced

2 to 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

20 (8 inch) tortillas

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato

Combine 1 ½ cups picante sauce and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven (I don't have a dutch oven so I use a skillet); cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. I did this for the blog, but I don't really think it is necessary to use toothpicks. I just lay the seam side down and it works just fine.

Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Coat chimichangas with cooking spray.

Bake at 425° for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; top with remaining picante sauce and desired toppings.

Chicken Chimichangas

From: Southern Living

Yield: 20 servings

1 (16 ounce) jar picante sauce or salsa, divided

7 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 small onion, diced

2 to 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

20 (8 inch) tortillas

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato

Combine 1 ½ cups picante sauce and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Coat chimichangas with cooking spray.

Bake at 425° for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; top with remaining picante sauce and desired toppings.

Buon Appetito!

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken (updated with photo)

I am reposting this recipe because the original post didn't include a photo. This is one of my favorite easiest dishes to prepare. The dish only calls for 4 ingredients. A friend of mine suggested adding pineapple chunks to the sauce. I think that sounds delightful!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

serves 4-6

2 to 3 lb. chicken breasts

12 oz. jar apricot preserves

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

8 oz. Russian salad dressing

Place chicken in a shallow baking pan. Mix soup mix, dressing, and preserves and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serve with white rice.

Copycat Olive Garden Salad

Typically when someone is called a copycat it is not meant to be a compliment, but I guess that depends on who or what you are accused of copying. If someone were to tell me that I was a Celin Dion copycat, I would definitely not consider that an insult, but since I can't sing very well I don't have to worry about that ever happening :)

I think it is best to be original. I don't like to copy others; instead I like to get "inspiration" from others. For instance, I am not a fashionista, but I can identify those who are and get inspiration on how to dress.

There are times however when something is so good you just need to flat out copy the original. This is definitely true with this salad recipe. I am sure that many of you have enjoyed the wonderful salad at Olive Garden Restaurants. Their unlimited soup, salad, and breadstick deal is awesome! I could just about eat my weight in the salad. I was so excited when I came across this recipe a few months ago at www.tammysrecipes.com. I filed it away in my recipe binder waiting for just the right occasion. About a month ago my neighbor had a girl's movie night/Wii dance party. It was loads of fun! I took this salad to the party and it was a hit! It really does tastes just like Olive Garden's salad. So in this case, being a copycat is a good thing.

Olive Garden Salad and Dressing

Yield: 8-12 servings

 Salad Ingredients:

1 bag American Blend Dole Mix
4-5 slices red onion
1 can Black Olives chopped or sliced (I prefer to use kalamata olives.)
2-4 Pepperoncini peppers
1/2 cup or more Croutons (for gluten free, don't add croutons)
1 Tomato, chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup White Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup (I add a tad bit more since I like the dressing a little sweeter.) 
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Romano cheese
1/2 tsp Garlic salt or clove
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Parsley Flakes
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Instructions:

1. Combine salad ingredients and toss.

2. Whirl all dressing ingredients in the blender and pour over salad, coating well. Toss if desired. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top and serve.

Buon Appetito!