EASY Chicken Curry

1/4 cup butter

1 small onion chopped

2 carrots julienned

1 stalk celery, sliced

sprinkle with 1/3 cup flour

*Mix well saute for 2 more minutes

stir in: 3 cups chicken broth

cook until thicken, stir occasionally

mix in small bowl:

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2Tbsp mayonnaise

stir contents of bowl into skillet

Add:

3 cups cooked chicken

Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately. Feeds 6

**To be honest I didn't follow this recipe a whole lot. I just did the "sauce part". I threw carrots and celery into a skillet and started to saute them until I knew this is what I wanted to make. Anyway. Just put whatever type of veggies in a pan, saute them, add the sauce and chicken, and eat with rice. WAY EASY, fast and REALLY GOOD! oh, we added cashews and baby corn when we added the chicken that was delicious too. **

Blondies

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For you Food Network fans, this is supposedly a Bobby Flay recipe. :)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×8″ baking dish. (Line with foil, wax or parchment paper if desired. Grease the lining too.)

Melt the butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; add both sugars and whisk until combined and sugar is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly drizzle in the butter and sugar while whisking constantly. Then add the flour and whisk until just incorporated.

*Now, at this point you could fold in your favorite add-ins: chocolate chips, milk chocolate chunks, nuts, etc.

*To make Nutella Swirl Blondies: Pour the batter into the prepared dish, then drop spoonfuls of Nutella over the surface. Swirl the batter in the pan making “S” shapes with a butter knife.

*Other optional add-ins and drop-ins? You could swirl in peanut butter or caramel. Or you could make a batch of cookie dough and press chunks of cookie dough down into the batter. The options are limitless! :)

Bake for 24-27 minutes...

We made the Nutella version. Heaven on earth!!!!

Stuffed Meatloaf

Katie went to Good Things Utah at the beginning of March. I decided to watch since my kiddos were sick and I was not able to attend with her...sorry again Katie, maybe we can go another time. Anyway, they did a cooking segment on Meatloaf. Here's the recipe and we liked it.


Favorite Meatloaf Recipe
Cream Cheese
Spinach
mushrooms


Make your favorite meatloaf recipe, it can be done with beef, ground turkey or ground chicken

Spread it onto a cookie sheet (LINED WITH TIN FOIL) like you would do a sheet cake or a big batch of brownies. Though for just a little family you may not get it to spread that big. make it about 1/2 inch thick and you should be good.

Spread softened cream cheese directly onto the meatloaf mixture, top with mushrooms and spinach.

Roll, using the tin foil as a guide, in to a spiral or a pinwheel, make sure your tinfoil is not rolled into it and reposition it on top of the loaf making sure the meat is covered. Bake 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Slice into pinwheel and eat.

* you can actually stuff it with whatever you want. On the show they did carmalized onions instead of mushrooms, but I don't eat onions like that so...mushrooms it was. ENJOY!

Creamy Vegetable Soup

1 large turnip or 2 med turnips - peeled and cubed
3 med. potatoes - peeled and cubed
2 carrots - peeled and cut
2 celery sticks - cut
1 small onion - quartered
1 large can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
5 cups chicken broth

Put all ingredients into a large pot and boil til veggies are soft. DO NOT DRAIN. Blend in blender to desired consistency. Season to taste.

I tried this before with fresh tomatoes - it was ok, but the consistency was similar to mashed potatoes. I found that if I used a can with the juice, it helped thin it out a little.

Eat This, Not That Recipes

I was watching "Good Morning America" the other morning and caught this segment. It's from the guy who writes the "Eat This, Not That" books. It's supposed to be healthy versions of the foods you would normally eat. I haven't tried these recipes, but I thought I'd copy them and share. Here's the link: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/video/rocco-dispirito-low-calorie-recipes-9986290

Macaroni & Cheese

Nonstick cooking spray

4 ounces whole-wheat elbow macaroni

½ cup Onion-Garlic Puree

½ teaspoon dry mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 cup shredded 50% reduced- fat cheddar, such as Cabot

¹/³ cup nonfat Greek yogurt

Salt

¼ cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs, such as Ian's All-Natural

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray an 8×8- inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set it aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions, 7 to 9 minutes; drain.

While the pasta is cooking, bring the Onion- Garlic Puree, mustard, and cayenne to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Whisk in the cheddar until it has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the yogurt.

In a medium bowl, toss the cooked macaroni with the cheese sauce to coat thoroughly. Season with salt to taste. Pour the macaroni into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the panko over the top. Top with the Parmigiano- Reggiano.

Bake until the cheese has melted and the macaroni is hot throughout, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

NOW YOU CAN EAT THIS!

Before After

Fat 32g 6.5g

Calories 670 227

Protein: 16g | Carbohydrates: 29g | Cholesterol: 20mg

Fiber: 3g| Sodium: 487mg

Low-Cal Brownies

Nonstick cooking spray

1½ cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon espresso powder (is there something else we could use??!??)

¾ cup egg substitute

2 tablespoons low-calorie sugar-free chocolate syrup, such as Walden Farms

2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream, such as Breakstone's

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

24 packets (84 g) Truvia or 8 tablespoons granulated Splenda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the beans, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and egg substitute in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.

Add the chocolate syrup, sour cream, butter, Truvia, and vanilla. Process until all of the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, turning the dish halfway through the baking time. A toothpick inserted in the center will come out with soft batter clinging to it.

Let the brownies cool completely in the baking dish on a wire rack. Then cut into 12 squares and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

NOW YOU CAN EAT THIS!

Before After

Fat 70g 1.6g

Calories 1500 53

Protein: 4g | Carbohydrates: 8g | Cholesterol: 4mg

Fiber: 3g| Sodium: 94mg

If anyone tries these recipes, make a comment. I am curious about the brownies.

White Chicken Chili

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 15oz. cans Great Northern Beans, drained
1 7 oz. can diced green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large pot saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in vegetable oil. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve immediately. Top with cheddar cheese, green onion, and sour cream. Also yummy with tortilla chips!

~~Simple Simon Cheesecake Pie~~

1 8oz. pkg. Cream Cheese
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Graham Cracker Crust

Cream the Cream Cheese and Milk together, add Lemon Juice and Vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Then pour into crust, refrigerate for 2 hours at least. Serve with favorite topping. :+)

Toppings:
Cherry Pie filling
Apple Pie filling
Fresh Strawberries or Strawberry Ice Cream topping
Drizzle Carmel Ice Cream topping on top.
Any fresh fruit or berries....