Beef and mushrooom skillet dinner

Beef and Mushroom Skillet Dinner


1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cups beef broth (I only had 2 cups so added 1 cup chicken broth)
16 oz dry pasta ( I used bowtie pasta)
1 cup sour cream


Brown and drain the ground beef - set aside.
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender.   Add the sliced mushrooms and cook several minutes.  Add ground beef and broth.  Stir to mix well. 
Bring to a boil.  Add pasta, stir to mix.  Cover and allow to cook.  Stir occassionally until pasta is al dente.
Turn temperature down to low and stir in 1 cup sour cream.

Herbed Chicken and Rice

Herbed Chicken and Rice (Original recipe in Quick Cooking)



 

1/2 lb chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 tbsp margarine
1 jumbo carrot, diced fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 large onion, diced fine
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp sage
1/8 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
2 cups water
2 cups instant rice

Melt the margarine in a large skillet.  Saute the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes until no longer pink.  Add carrots and onion and cook for several minutes until carrots are tender.
Add water and herbs - bring to a boil.
Stir in rice, cover and set aside for 5 minutes.  Stir and serve.

(It was good but could have used a little more flavor. Next time I think I will replace 1 cup of the water with 1 cup fat free chicken broth and maybe increase the herbs to give it a little more flavor.)

 

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie ( a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes if you have any - or next time you make mashed potatoes, make extra and you are a step ahead for your next meal)



Meat layer
2 lb ground beef
1 medium yellow onion
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce (maybe use more next time)
1/2 cup beef broth (fat free)
2 cups frozen peas or peas and carrots

Potato layer
6 to 8 cups mashed potatoes -
I used
8 medium russet potatoes - peeled, cut up and boiled until soft
1/2 cup chicken broth (fat free)
1 Tbsp margarine

Brown ground beef and onion until beef is no longer pink and onion is translucent. Stir in worcestershire, tomato paste and beef broth - heat to boiling. Add peas and cook until peas are warmed through, stirring occasionally.
Mash potatoes adding margarine and chicken broth. These should be a little stiff.
Spray 9 x 13 inch baking dish with oil. Spread meat mixture in bottom of dish. Spread potatoes over the beef mixture. The best way I have found to do this without having the meat mix in with the potatoes - take very thin spoonfuls of the potatoes and place on top of the meat - spreading just a little. Once you have covered the whole dish with a thin layer, spread the remaining potatoes over top. To finish off the top, take a fork and make lines through the potatoes - this will help give the crunchy brown potato edges that are so good!


Serving size is 1/8 of the casserole - 8 WW PointsPlus.



Serve with a veggie or fruit on the side and you have a meal! I thought it could have used a little more salt (but of course I like salt and need to cut back).
I pre-cooked this yesterday by preparing everything up to the point of layering it in the casserole. Very easy to assemble and bake after church today (and very little mess).

Italian Zucchini Pie

This is another recipe I have had from many years ago. DH is not a fan of zucchini so I never make it but had to try it today. (I had two servings for lunch) I think if he just tries it, he will like it. 

 Italian Zucchini Pie 6 servings (if you are using an 8 inch pie crust/pan, cut the recipe in half)

 4 c thinly sliced zucchini (no need to peel it)

 1 c chopped onion 

1/4 c margarine (I had some butter so used that - I'm sure that made it taste better)

 2 Tbsp dried parsley or 1/2 c chopped fresh parsley 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 tsp basil

 1/4 tsp oregano (I used a little more as I really like oregano) 

2 eggs 

8 oz mozzarella, shredded 

10 inch pie crust

 2 tsp prepared mustard (I used dijon) 

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

 Cook and stir zucchini and onion in margarine about 4 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano and cook 1-2 minutes longer. It will be a litle watery. Using a slotted spoon, remove zucchini from pan and place in a large mixing bowl. Discard liquid. (I could have eaten the zucchini just like this as a side dish. Will have to remember that for another meal.) Slightly beat the eggs and add to the zucchini. Add the 2 cups cheese. Stir to mix well. Spread mustard in bottom of prepared pie crust. I did not measure - just squirted some in the pie crust and spread with the back of a spoon. Pour in zucchini mixture and spread evenly. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

I got this recipe from Weight Watchers online. I believe it was a community recipe. I may have changed it just a little - my version is 7 PointsPlus.

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana - 6 serving - 7 PointsPlus each
5 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 cup dried plain bread crumbs
4 egg whites
1 medium eggplant ( approx 1 lb after trimming, 1/4 inch slices)
14 oz tomato sauce
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
2 cups mozzarella part skim, shredded
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray (I put aluminum foil on my baking sheets and sprayed the foil)


Combine the flour, oregano and black pepper in a shallow bowl. Beat the egg whites in a second shallow bowl. Put the bread crumbs in a third shallow bowl.


Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, place in the flour turning once so both sides are lightly coated.


Dip the floured slice into the beaten egg whites. Lastly, dredge the slice with bread crumbs to coat both sides.


Place in single layer on the baking sheets. Spray tops of all the slices with cooking spray.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes - turn and bake another 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile mix tomato sauce, garlic powder and Italian seasoning in a bowl. Spray bottom of 9 x 13 casserole dish. Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of tomato sauce in dish and spread to lightly coat the bottom.
Layer half the eggplant on top of the sauce in the dish. Spoon half of the remaining tomato sauce over the layer of eggplant. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella.
Place rest of eggplant slices on the cheese - cover with remaining tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese.


Bake 12 -14 minutes (I was baking dinner rolls so the oven was set at 350 degrees so I baked about 15 minutes. Since the eggplant is already cooked you just need to heat it through and melt the cheeses).

Mexican Layered Chicken

2 lb chicken, cooked and cut up in bite size pieces
3 cup sour cream
2 cups Mexican cheese
8 oz canned diced chilies
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
12 corn tortillas

Mix together chicken, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, chilies, cumin, and black pepper.
Arrange 6 tortillas in bottom of lasagne pan. Top with half the chicken mixture.
Repeat. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with salsa if desired.

Texas Casserole

Cooking spray
30 frozen tater tots or 2 lb bag of frozen hash browns, thawed
1 cup pepper strips (can use frozen)
1 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
Scallions or onions, chopped (if desired)

1 cup skim milk
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 link smoked sausage (I use turkey smoked sausage), sliced

1 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with the cooking spray.

Place potatoes in bottom dish, cover with the pepper stripsm corn and onions (if desired). Top with sausage.

In a small bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables and sausage.
Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is browned.

6 servings

Mexican Chicken Salad

1 ripe avocado
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken thigh meat
3 scallions, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, rinsed in hot water to thaw, drain well
4 cups lettuce
cherry or grape tomatoes

Cut avocado into small pieces and mix in bowl with the lime juice until coated. Stir in olive oil, salt and cumin. Add chicken, scallions, black beans and corn. Stir to mix.
Place 1 cup lettuce on plate, top with 1/4 of the avocado chicken mixture. Decorate with tomatoes.

Makes 4 large servings.

Honey Balsamic Salmon

Cooking spray
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb frozen salmon fillets (4 fillets, 2 ounces each), thawed
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Spray large skillet with cooking spray then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat to medium high.
Place salmon in skillet and cook on each side about 3-4 minutes until browned and salmon is cooked through.
Remove salmon and keep warm.
Mix together vinegar, honey, salt and pepper together. Pour into skillet (careful - the vinegar fumes can be powerful). Stir and heat until reduced by half.
Pour 1 tbsp of the honey vinegar sauce over each fillet to when serving.

Serves 4
(original recipe from Weight Watchers - I made some modifications - 6 points per serving)

Spinach Lasagna

16 oz ricotta cheese, part skim
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and well drained
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
4 cups spaghetti sauce (or more if you like lots of sauce)
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease 8 x 11 baking dish ( can use a 9 x 13 inch but I don't think it firms up as much when that is used).

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 cup of mozzarella, egg, spinach, salt, oregano and basil. Spread 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on 3 of the lasagna noodles. Place side by side, cheese side up, over the sauce in the pan. Spread about 1 to 1 1/3 cup sauce over the noodles. Make 2 more layers of noodles and sauce. Pour water around the edges.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and back uncovered an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to firm up before serving.

Serving size -1/8 of casserole

To make a meat version - omit the spinach and add 1 lb browned ground beef or Italian sausage to the spaghetti sauce after the 1/2 cup is spread in the bottom of the baking dish.

Greek Pizza

Pita bread - split into 2 layers
Black olives, sliced
Green peppers, diced
Scallions, diced
Feta cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place pita bread layers on cooking sheet.
Spread the vegetables on the pita bread. Sprinkle the cheeses on top. Bake until cheeses are melted.