No Cream - No Cry Penne Alla Vodka

Since my entry about my favorite cookbooks, it has become official.  I am in love with my Rocco DiSpirito Now Eat This cookbook!  And not just because it is filled with full page-sized photos of its drool-worthy author (that's just an added bonus)... it's full of healthier versions of the foods we all want to eat, but the mere thought of consuming the associated calories makes us want to cry.  Mac n' cheese?  Rocco's got it!  Brownies?  You betcha!  Burgers?  Absolutely!  One of my favorites and closest to the real thing I've tried from this book so far is the No Cry - No Cream Penne Alla Vodka.  It is SO GOOD.  Brian claims he wasn't its biggest fan (I'm pretty sure he's just jealous of my crush on Rocco), but I loved it.  Personally, I'd never guess there was no cream in it if I hadn't seen it made with my own eyes!  I present to you, ladies and gentlemen...


No Cream - No Cry Penne Alla Vodka
(From Now Eat This)
Serves 4

• 8 ounces whole- wheat penne
• 2 cups low fat marinara sauce
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• One 7-ounce container 2% Greek yogurt
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

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

While the pasta is cooking, bring the marinara sauce and crushed red pepper to a simmer in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Cook the sauce, stirring it occasionally with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, until it is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the saute pan from the heat.

Stir about 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the yogurt until smooth (this tempers it and prevents the yogurt from curdling). Then whisk the yogurt mixture back into the marinara sauce.

In a large serving bowl, toss the sauce with the drained penne and the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and serve.

Fat: 4.8 g
Calories: 320
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrates: 55 g
Cholesterol: 11 mg
Fiber: 6 g
Sodium: 416 mg

Chili Burgers / Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

If you're like me, every once in a while, you get a craving for a big juicy burger with fries.  Turkey burgers are a good lower calorie solution, but sometimes I really need my burger to be made with beef.  So how do I get that big juicy burger without the big juicy body to go with it?  Here's a good recipe to try!  If you only like a little bit of spice, you should remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeño... but if you like more of a spice, you can leave them in (that's what I did).  I am also completely in love with this sweet potato recipe!



Chili Burgers
(From EatingWell)
Serves 4

1 tsp canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup canned black beans
12 oz 90% lean ground beef
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 whole wheat Kaiser rolls

Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until light golden, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeño, and cumin; saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes longer. (If the mixture becomes too dry, add 1 Tbsp water.) Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Prepare the grill or preheat the broiler. Add beans to the onion mixture and mash coarsely with a potato masher. Add beef, tomato paste, cilantro, thyme, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly but lightly. Shape the mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.

Grill or broil the patties on a lightly oiled rack until browned and cooked through, aout 5 minutes per side. Place on rolls and garnish with tomato and lettuce.

Nutrition Info: 377 calories; 8g fat; 53mg cholesterol; 50g carb, 30g protein; 7g fiber; 705mg sodium.

If you'd like to cut out a few more calories/carbs, you can use light wheat burger buns instead of Kaiser rolls.  This is a hearty burger, so I preferred using the bigger rolls.


Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
(From Weight Watchers)
Serves 4

2 large sweet potatoes, (about 1 3⁄4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick wedges

1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Combine the potatoes, chili powder, Cajun seasoning, and oil in a large bowl. Spread the potatoes in one layer on the baking sheet. Bake until tender and golden, 30–40 minutes. Yields generous 1⁄2 cup per serving. 

Take a Look. It's In a Book. A Reading Rainbow!

Reading Rainbow was a great show.  I just Wikipedia'd it and I guess it existed from 1983 until 2009!  Why do I have this growing suspicion that future generations are doomed?  Because Reading Rainbow doesn't exist anymore, and shows like Jersey Shore and Skins do.  Listen to me... I'm slowly but surely approaching "Stay off my lawn, you damn kids!" ranks.

ANYWAY!  The original intent of this post was to talk about cookbooks, so I'm going to steer back in that direction now.

I try to eat as healthy as I can as much as I can, but if the healthy food I'm eating doesn't taste good, it becomes less likely that I'm going to continue the trend.  It's really hard to stay focused on eating smart in today's world where everything seems to be drenched in fats and oils or smothered in cheese (mmmm... cheese)... especially if you eat out a lot!  Want a sure-fire way to make me bitter?  Take me to a restaurant when I'm "being good", order a bacon cheeseburger with fries, and watch me scoff at you from over my grilled chicken salad (dressing on the side, please).  It's so hard to stay focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle sometimes!  I want to eat food that tastes good!  I am not a bunny... I do not want to exist on a diet of lettuce and carrots.  I want things like mac n' cheese, burgers, potatoes, etc.  Fortunately, if you tend to cook your own meals most of the time, there are SO many resources out there for making healthy foods that still taste fantastic!  Here are a few of my favorites, and you'll probably see a lot of the recipes I post come from one of these:

Weight Watchers - Make it in Minutes
This one is great for weeknights.  Everything in it takes 30 minutes or less!  Recently, we made the tortellini with prosciutto (we omitted the peas, bleck) in creamy sauce, and it was deeeelicious!  I also have another Weight Watchers cookbook that I like a lot, but I bought it 4-5 years ago and it appears they don't sell it anymore.  I'll just have to post my favorites from that one in here!  :)

Cooking Light - The Essential Dinner Tonight Cookbook

Brian gave me this one for Christmas.  I'd say this one is probably my favorite of my healthy cookbooks.  It has pictures, and everything I've made from it so far has been fantastic!  My favorites so far have been the chicken chilaquiles and the chicken thighs with roasted apples and garlic.  So so delicious! 

The Essential EatingWell Cookbook

Brian also gave me this one for Christmas.  The only negative is that it doesn't have as many pictures as I would like.  Cookbooks with pictures of the recipes tend to get used more in my house.  However, almost all of the recipes in here sound delicious, and the couple that I have tried were excellent!  I can't remember which recipes specifically came from it, though.  I think maybe the mini meat loaves?

 

Now Eat This!
Okay, so I haven't actually tried making anything from this one yet, since it's brand spanking new, but I can already tell I am going to love it!  The hunk on the cover caught my eye while meandering around Borders one day, so I looked it up on Amazon and saw it got rave reviews, so I ordered it (right there in in Borders using my Amazon Droid App... gotta love technology!).  I can't wait to try making the mac n' cheese they show on the cover!

So... if you're trying to eat better, but still want your food to taste more like people food than bunny food, and you like to cook, then I would highly recommend any of these books!  Now, I've made myself pretty hungry, so I am off to find some lunch!

Oven-Roasted Honey-and-Apple Pork Loin / Mashed 'Potatoes' With Chives

Oven-Roasted Honey-and-Apple Pork Loin, Mashed 'Potatoes' With Chives, and Steamed Veggies

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes!  The combination of ingredients may seem a little bit odd to some, but if you don't mind a little spice, the flavor is absolutely AMAZING!  Also pictured here are some steamed veggies and my newly discovered recipe, Mashed 'Potatoes' With Chives.  It's a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes that is extremely extremely delicious!  You would never know they weren't 100% creamy buttery potatoes.  I will include that recipe as well!  Also, please note that the picture shows a much bigger serving size of pork than I take (Brian's plate, I believe).  Enjoy!

For the Pork:
(Recipe modified from Better Homes Oven-Roasted Honey-and-Apple Ribs)

Oven: 350 F
Makes: 6 servings

2 pound pork loin
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 apple, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 tablespoons Frank's red hot sauce
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

Place loin in a shallow roasting pan.  Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven until internal temperature reaches about 100 degrees.  Drain off fat.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion, apple, and garlic and hot oil until tender.  Stir in hot sauce, apple cider, honey, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard.  Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 of the sauce over the loin.  Bake, covered, until tender (inside meat temperature 155-160 degrees).  Heat sauce and serve with loin.

For the 'Potatoes':
(Recipe from Weight Watchers)

8 oz cauliflower, florets 
3 small uncooked Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 10 oz) 
2 cloves garlic cloves, peeled   
1 tsp table salt, divided 
1/4 cup low-fat milk 
2 tsp butter 
1/8 tsp black pepper 
1 Tbsp chives or green onions, fresh, snipped 

Place cauliflower, potatoes, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain and return to saucepan.

Stir in milk, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper; mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in chives and serve. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.