That's How We Roll

FYI, April came up with tonight's entry title :)  April has been craving marinara and we found this lasagna-type recipe that looked like it would do the trick!  Suzanne brought over a simple salad and the homemade rolls, and it made for a tasty dinner - definitely one to add to the repetoire! 

April's recipe:

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna Rolls
from WeightWatchers Online

-6 items dry lasagna noodles

-1 tsp olive oil

-1/2 pound uncooked ground turkey breast

-1 medium onion, chopped

-1 bell pepper, yellow, seeded and finely chopped

-16 oz marinara sauce, refrigerated, fresh

-1/3 cup water

-1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

-5 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

-1/4 cup basil, chopped fresh

-2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

-1 large egg, lightly beaten

-1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

-1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles and lay them flat on wax paper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, onion, and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until all the pan juices evaporate and the turkey browns, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the marinara sauce and water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened and the flavors blend, about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, spinach, basil, Parmesan, egg, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Spread the ricotta mixture over the length of each noodle and roll up from one short end.Spread half of the turkey mixture in the bottom of an 8 x 12-inch baking dish. Add the rolls. Top with the remaining turkey mixture.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake until heated through and the top is golden, about 10 minutes longer.

April: We made 10 rolls instead of 6. I personally thought the nutmeg would be weird... LOVED IT! The yellow bell pepper, which I also thought was going to be strange, was a perfect way to sneak a veggie into this dinner. Not that Alden ate it anyways but we did. It is a process though so be warned. Maybe more like a Saturday or Sunday evening dinner for those working parents out there. This was a bit much.... and I prepped the onion, yellow pepper, turkey and spinach mix early to boot. This would be fun to do with children over 3.... you get your hands messy and squishy in the spinach!!!

Suz: So, while we were making this, Maggie decided she wanted to nurse and I became in charge of getting the lasagna rolls into the oven.  I didn't double check the recipe, so I did not put the aluminum foil over the pan.  This resulted in the sauce drying out - totally my fault!

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Suzanne's recipe:

 

I found this recipe for Tomato Herb Rolls in an old WW cookbook I got from the library.  The points values were totally messed up, but I recalculated the recipe and figured I'd try it tonight (according to the cookbook, there is 1 point in each roll - according to my calculations, there are 3 - a big difference!).  I actually made these rolls on Sunday, since the dough needs to rise twice.  We reheated them tonight while the lasagna rolls baked.

 

Tomato-Herb Rolls

 

-12 medium sun-dried tomatoes, without oil, halves (I found these at the Co-Op for pretty cheap)
-1 envelope yeast 

-2 cups boiling water
-1 1/4 c lukewarm for the yeast 

-3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 1/2 tsp table salt

-2 tsp rosemary, minced

-2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped

-1/2 tsp ground oregano

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1 egg white, plus 2 teaspoons of water

In a small bowl, pour the 2 cups of boiling water over the tomatoes. Let stand about 5 minutes. Drain well.

In another small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube just until the dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth and no longer sticky, about 30 times.

Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray; place the dough in the bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume, about an hour.

Punch down the dough; lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour. Turn out the dough; knead in the tomatoes, herbs and pepper until they are evenly distributed. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, forming each into an oval with tapered ends.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; place the rolls 3" apart on the sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or damp cloth and let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake on the center oven rack about 20 minutes; brush with the egg white. Bake until the rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the baking sheet and cool completely on a rack.

Suz: I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, with the possible exception of the rosemary.  I was worried that it might overpower the rolls, so I went a little shy of the 2 teaspoons called for.  Next time, I'll put all of the rosemary, if not a little bit more, in the dough.  This basic dough recipe was so easy, and I definitely plan on changing up some of the mix-ins - maybe I'll do garlic and thyme next time and leave out the tomatoes. Also next time I make something at home, I need to remember to pull out the camera to get some good shots like we got for the lasagna!

April: They were quite tasty!!! I ate too many and now I have paid for it in my inability to move.

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We got out the fancy wooden salad bowls, so even though it's nothing new, we took pretty pictures of the simple salad anyway!

 

Next week is Labor Day, and the plan is to have a cook out and do new food for that!  Of course, we'll have to include some old standbys too, lest we scare the guests!

  

Breakfast for Dinner

Tonight's meal consisted of two make-ahead recipes that can be used for breakfast, brunch or dinner.  Suzanne made the egg casserole this morning before work and stuck it in the fridge.  She put together the apple pancake after work and brought it over to April's house - it was still warm after the 15 minute car ride.  We paired it with english muffins and called it a day.  Maybe next time, it would be good with a fruit salad or yogurt parfait.

We were both really tired tonight, so it was nice to come into the house and have everything pretty much ready to go.  We reheated the eggs in the microwave, toasted the muffins and sprinkled some powdered sugar on the pancake.

Both recipes are from the WeightWatchers Meals in Minutes cookbook Suz got out of the Downtown Roanoke Library (I finally got a library card last week!)

Spiced Apple Skillet Pancake

1 tsp canola oil

2 medium apple(s), Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and cut into thin

3 Tbsp apple juice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

a pinch of ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp sugar

3/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk

1 egg, large

1 item(s) egg white(s), large

2 tsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp table salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Heat oil in a medium ovenproof skillet (cast iron) over medium heat. Add apple, apple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and most liquid has evaporated, about 10 min.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Whisk together milk, egg, egg white, melted butter, salt and remaining sugar in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in flour, whisking until smooth. Pour batter over hot apple mixture. Transfer to oven and bake 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temp to 350 and bake until pancake is puffed and golden, 15-20 min longer. Cool in skillet on rack for 10 minutes. Sprinkle top lightly w/ confectioner's sugar and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temp.

Suz: This pancake cooked way faster than the directions said - not sure if it's my oven or what.  I think I will try this again, but not start it out at 400, just do the whole thing at 350.  The edges were darker than I wanted them to be :(  Overall, I still thought it was pretty good.

April: Seeing as I did not cook this week I can not complain. :O) I'm not a fan of crispy  edges so that turned me off to this otherwise delicious dish. The apples were thin and the seasoning was just right. The crust just threw me...  might have to try that again.

Hash Browns, Egg, and Cheese Casserole


6 slice(s) uncooked turkey bacon, sliced crosswise into 1⁄4-inch strips
3 cup(s) frozen hash brown potatoes, 12 ounces
4 medium scallion(s), sliced
3 large egg(s)
3 large egg white(s)
3/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese, small-curd
2/3 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp poultry seasoning, or ground sage
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Place the oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 1 1⁄2-quart shallow baking dish with nonstick spray.

Spray a nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until nearly crisp, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and scallions; continue cooking and stirring until tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Beat together the eggs and egg whites in a large bowl until blended. Beat in the cottage cheese, 1⁄3 cup of the cheddar cheese, the Parmesan cheese, flour, poultry seasoning or sage, baking powder, salt, and pepper until combined. Stir in the cooled potato mixture and spread evenly into the baking dish. Bake until golden and set in the center, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1⁄3 cup cheddar cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, and serve hot or warm.

Suz: When I read this recipe, I thought the flour and the cottage cheese sounded a little strange.  I'm not sure what the cottage cheese added, but I know that the flour made the casserole more solid, for lack of a better word.  A decent dish, definitely a good one to bring to a breakfast/brunch potluck.

April: I'm a big fan of eggs in casserole form. I thought the texture was more dense, but this is great for people like my loving mother who want their eggs... COOKED. Other casseroles I have made of this style were too moist for her likings. This would be great for her. The other ingredients were well blended. I thought it was great.

A Welcomed Distraction

Because of Suzanne's crazy work travel schedule, this week's meal was postponed until Thursday night instead of our regular Monday night dinner.  This week has been interesting, to say the least, dealing with teething babies, annoying co-workers, a great Girls Night Out and a whole lot of rain. 

We didn't even start to think about cooking until 5:00 (with the exception of the pie) and everything was still on the table by 6:30.  Not too bad with two cooks and three cookbooks in the kitchen!

Sloppy Janes
from Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World

1lb raw extra-lean ground turkey
5 small hamburger buns (light, if available)
1/2  cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 cup canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup canned no-salt-added tomato sauce (we didn't use this)
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 tablespoons Splenda (granulated)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon steak seasoning blend, dry

dash of salt

Directions:

Spray a large pan with nonstick spray, and bring to medium-high heat. Add turkey to the pan. Spread the meat around in the pan to break it up a bit.

In a small dish, combine Splenda, salt and steak seasoning. Sprinkle this mixture over the meat, and continue to stir meat in the pan. Once the meat has browned, reduce heat to medium.

Add onions, peppers, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar to the pan. Stir, and then continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauces and paste to the pan and stir well. Reduce heat to low, and cook the mixture for an additional 5 minutes.

Toast the buns, if desired. Put 1/5th of the mixture on each bottom bun, and then finish off with tops of the buns.

MAKES 5 SERVINGS

Heads Up! These Sloppy Janes are a little sweet, because, well, that's the way we like 'em! If you don't like yours sweet, feel free to leave out the Splenda.

Serving Size: 1 sandwich

Calories: 271

Fat: 3g

Sodium: 835mg

Carbs: 32g

Fiber: 3g

Sugars: 8g

Protein: 31g

POINTS® value 5

April~ I'm a big fan of Sloppy Joes, but without red meat in our diet this was a fun try. It was good. Even though they warned it was sweet... we didn't think it was at all. It is a nice recipe. I think next time I will add a little more of the seasoning and spice it up a bit more.

Jeffrey's Cauliflower au Gratin

from Rachel Rays Home for the Holidays book page 136

Feeds 8-12 (fyi and a small army)

2 heads cauliflower, rinsed and separated into florets

6 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, minced

4 tablespoons all- purpose flour ( a handful, for sprinkling) -- just add the 4 tablespoons... save yourself the confusion.

2 1/2 cups milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 pinches ground nutmeg

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Steam cauliflower, sprinkled with a pinch of salt, in an inche of water brought to boil then reduced to a simmer for 10 minutes covered, Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325F and lightly grease a baking dish (try two 9X 13)

In a large skillet or deep pan, melt butter and saute onion over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle wiht a little flour and cook a minute more. Add milk and cook until milk begins to thicken.  Add salt and pepper and 2 pinches of nutmeg. Stir in cheese until it melts. Add cauliflower and coat. Pour into baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

 April~ I love low carb things... so this was my kind of thing! I think next time I will add more nutmeg, salt and pepper during the cheese part. I've made plenty of cheese sauces in the past so I was suprised by the directions, but it ended up being fine. It makes a crap load of cauliflower... no really a lot of cauliflower. In the future... I will cut the recipe in half.

Cumin-Scented Sweet Potato Wedges

from Hit the Spot: 140 Savory, Crispy, Spicy & Sweet Recipes You'll Love by WeightWatchers

2 large sweet potatoes peeled, each cut into 8 wedges (I used one sweet potato and one baking potato)

1 teaspoon olive oil (it gets in one of your healthy oils for the day, and I like it better than non-stick spray)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  Put the potato wedges in a large bowl and toss with olive oil to coat evenly.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a cup, sprinkle evenly over the potatoes.  Toss to coat.

Arrange the potatoes on the cookie sheet and bake 25-30 minutes, turning once to brown evenly.  

Each serving is 4 wedges and has a Points value of 1.

Suzanne: I didn't think I liked sweet potatoes.  In fact, I was pretty darn sure that I didn't like them, even though I haven't tried one in about five years.  So in the spirit of The Recipe Victim, I decided I would make this side to go with the Sloppy Janes.  In the event that I didn't couldn't handle the sweet potatoes, I decided to substitute one of them for a regular baking potato.  Turns out, the sweet potatoes were good!  The mixture of the sweet potato and the semi-spicy paprika and cumin was surprisingly delicious. 

Frozen Key Lime Pie
from Hit the Spot: 140 Savory, Crispy, Spicy & Sweet Recipes You'll Love by WeightWatchers

1 14-ounce can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

1/2 cup lime juice

2 cups thawed frozen fat-free Cool Whip

1 6-ounce prepared reduced-fat graham cracker crust

1 small lime, thinly sliced (I omitted this)

Whisk together the condensed milk and lime zest and juice in a large bowl.  Fold in the whipped topping one third at a time, just until blended.  Spoon the filling into the graham cracker crust, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.  Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or up to one day.

To serve, let the pie stand at room temperature 10 minutes for easier slicing.  Garnish each serving with a slice of lime and serve at once.

Serves 10-12 and each slice has a Points value of 4.

Suzanne: I made this pie on Wednesday during my lunch hour and stuck it in the freezer.  It was one of the easiest desserts I've probably ever made and included almost no prep.  I do believe this is my new go-to item to bring to any event that I'm asked to bring a dish.  The pie is awesome - zesty and sweet and it almost melts in your mouth.  Can't wait for my next slice!!

 

So Good Luke Didn't Get Any

April: Chicken tenderloins. I make them at least once a week and I'm always looking for a new way to make them. This is an altered recipe from one I found online. I made it smaller and added or took out quite a few items to make what became this "Yummy Marinade"

Yummy Marinade

10 frozen chicken tenderloins thawed.

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium mixing bowl mix oil, soy, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice together Add mustard, salt and pepper until dissolved. Place chicken in bowl and cover for at least an hour for the flavor to really set in. Some people say 15-30 minutes. I let mine set in for a few hours.

Suzanne: I had been itching to make this Edamame Succotash that she'd seen the recipe for in Cooking Light magazine last month.  I made a few modifications to the order in which I added stuff to the pan, but for the most part, kept the recipe pretty much in tact.  I've got to say, this makes a LOT of succotash.  The recipe says it feeds four (giants?), but I changed it to eight, especially when served as a side dish.

Edamame Succotash

from Cooking Light, August 2010

1 slice center-cut bacon

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups chopped sweet onion

2 cups fresh corn kernels (I used frozen, it was just easier)

1 16-ounce bag of frozen, shelled edamame, thawed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I used about 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved)

1 red bell pepper seeded and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons torn basil

1. Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan; coarsely chop bacon.

2. Increase the heat to medium- high. Melt butter in drippings in pan. Add onions and saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn kernels; saute for three minutes or until lightly charred.  add edamame and saute for three minutes, stirring occasionally.Stir in vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through bell pepper); cook 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with bacon and basil.

Yields: 4 servings at 1 1/4 cups.

I added the pepper and cooked it for a few minutes before adding the vinegar, sugar, etc.  i also waited to add the tomatoes until the very end, so they were still very firm when we ate them. 

Rice: We placed the chicken on Saffron rice that Suzanne made from a package... super tasty. She got it at Kroger. Doesn't remember the name of it so we'll harass her later.

If you're counting Points, the whole meal was about 9 (4 for the chicken, 3 for the succotash, and 2 for 1/2 cup of rice).

The Plan

As friends, Suzanne and April, we decided we needed to try out new recipes. Instead of taking that newbie to cookouts, get togethers and parties... we thought we might want someone else to tell us honestly if it tasted like crap before we victimized any other poor souls. We get together on Monday evenings while John is rehearsing for Big Lick Conspiracy and we make Alden and Maggie the guinea pig as well. Luke manages to scrounge up a few scraps as well... poor dog made at least two trips around the table just this evening... only to find cheerios.

Our goal is to provide each other with healthy choices without bringing cardboard to the table. Due to dietary restraints from shell fish, red meat, pork, and  some fruits we are somewhat limited. Toss in a picky eater and this truly will be a challenge.  We don't want to sacrifice our lifestyle choices... but there will be a lot of turkey and chicken on here people! And desserts... lots and lots of desserts and maybe a few healthy cocktails.

We will post recipes and  any modifications we made, whether or not we liked them. Photos will be included of course... when the steam doesn't clog the lens.