Sautéed green beans with a Parmesan crisp

Sautéed Green Beans with a Parmesan crisp

This isn't my recipe, I got it from Giada from food network. I just changed it up a little

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons butter (I can't believe it's not butter)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil or 1 & 1/2 tbs dry basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan Crisps, recipe follows

Directions
Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling water until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain well; set aside.
Melt the butter and oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (if using dried basil use put it in now) Add the beans and cook until the juices evaporate and the beans are almost tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine (and basil. )Simmer 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.
Parmesan Crisps:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet and lightly pat down. A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended. Repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing the spoonfuls about a 1/2-inch apart.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool.
Yield: 8 to 10 crisps

Roasted cajun sweet potato fries

Roasted cajun sweet potato fries

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into spears
Cajun seasoning to taste
1 tbs extra Virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar


Preheat oven to bake at 400°F.
Rinse sweet potato under cold water.
Pat dry, then cut into small spears.
On a cookie sheet (with raised edges) ,
Combine potatoes oil and cover with cajun seasoning. Mix all together then lay the potatoes all flat (none on top of each other)
Cover with sugar.
Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
Take out and place on paper towels. Salt to taste immediately

Pancetta and Roasted Shrimp over Spaghetti Squash

Pancetta and Roasted Shrimp over Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter (I can't believe it's not butter light)
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 package of pancetta
1/2 cup of chicken stock (or shrimp stock)
1 medium spaghetti squash (about 3 pounds), halved lengthwise
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or just 1/2 a lemon)
4 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Poke squash 5 times with fork. Cook in microwave for 12 min. Turning every 3 min.
Allow to cool then cut in. Half and remove seeds, then pull out spaghetti squash with a fork.

Cut pancetta in small pieces.
Cook in 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Cook until crisp.
Take out and put aside on a plate lined with paper towels
In a sauce pan melt butter.
Cook onions until tender.
Add garlic and cook for 1-2 min.
Add lemon juice and stock.
Season with salt and pepper
Cook on low for 10 min. (Want it to thicken up)
Pat shrimp very dry
On a lined and rimed baking sheet , toss shrimp with 1 teaspoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add shrimp and pancetta
Season with salt and pepper
At the last minute add parsley
Turn off heat
Add spaghetti squash and mix thoroughly

Crawfish Philo Cups

Crawfish philo cups

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 stick butter (I can't believe it's not butter
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley
1 or 2 lb frozen crawfish tails (I stretched 1 lb with this but if you want it to be really meaty get 2 lbs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 tbs cajun seasoning
16 oz. fat free cream cheese
4 boxes of philo cups

(Makes 60 cups-- to cut down just cut the entire recipe in half)

Directions

Melt butter
Saute onion and bell pepper
Cook until tender
Add green onions and garlic and cook for 1-2 min
Add cream of mushroom and cook it on low for 10 min
Season with 1 tsp of cajun seasoning
Stir constantly
Add crawfish
Cook for 10 min. Add a little more cajun seasoning
Stir frequently on medium low heat
Cut cream cheese into cubes
Add cream cheese a few at a cubes at a time until melted through. Repeat the process with the rest of the cream cheese
Season to taste. Add the parsley at the last minute

Heat philo cups according to directions on the box. Fill each one with about a table spoon of crawfish filling.


****if you have left over crawfish filling, serve it as a dip!

Panko crusted squash with eel sauce (made skinny)

Panko crusted squash

2 yellow squash (coined)
1 TBS Tony's (cajun seasoning)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
2 splashes of milk
1 cup Panko (Italian style)
Extra virgin olive oil ( as needed)
S&P

Preheat oven 450°
In a big zip lock, put flour and Tony's together and mix well
Put squash in the bag. Shake it to where each one is coated well.

In a large bowl, mix eggs and 2 splashes of milk
On a plate put panko, spread out to where it's flat)
For each of the squash, shake off the excess flour and put it in the eggs, then shake off that excess and put it in the panko. Coat on both sides.
Place on a pan (that has been sprayed with Pam)
( you want to use a pan with a lip in case the oil drips)
After all the squash are on the pan sprinkle with S&P
Drizzle each one with extra virgin olive oil
Cook in the oven for 10 min (or until golden)
Then flip
Cook for 10 min (or until golden)
Take out and place it on paper towels
Salt immediately while its hot!

Yummmmmm

Eel sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1/4 cup Splenda blend white sugar
1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
***I substituted mirin by: 1/2 cup white wine and 3 tbs of sugar, whisk well, and let it dissolve in the fridge for about 5 min)

Directions

Heat soy sauce, sugar, and mirin into a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir frequently until liquid is reduced to about 3/4 cup.

(If it starts bubbling up like crazy and it looks like a foam--you burnt it)

Bourbon Glazed Salmon

Bourbon Glazed Salmon

(One of my all time favorites!)

4 8oz pieces of salmon (your choice skin on or off, see note)
1/2 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1/2 stick of butter (I can't believe it's not butter)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 green onions
1/2 cup brown sugar (Splenda blend)
1/4 cup Crown Royal (if you just have Jack Daniels use 2 TBS)
Pepper

Rub each piece of salmon down with black pepper
Place in a big ziplock
Pour soy sauce in back
Marinate for 10 min (don't want to go too much past that bc it will get waaaaay to salty)
Melt butter in a large sauce pan over med-low heat
Once melted, add garlic and green onion
Cook for 1-2 min
Add brown sugar
Stir constantly
Cook for 3-4 min on low
On Med heat, add salmon skin side down
Pour in all the marinade (soy sauce)
Cook for 5-6 min, still constantly stirring constantly
At about 4 min, add crown. Keep stirring. When you stir, try to get the sauce on top of the fish at the same time
Flip and cook for 3-4 min
Taste, add a little more soy sauce if needed
Season with pepper to taste

You know the fish is done when it is flakey (push on it with a fork)

You don't want to cook it to where the albumin comes out! ( that's a white protein substance that comes out of the salmon if you cook it too long)

Serve immediately. Top with sauce from pan
Serve with brown rice

**your choice to do salmon with skin on or off
The skin is fatty so some healthy cooks take it off. BUT it is a good source of iron and a lot of other nutrients. I need as much iron as I can get, so I keep it on

Grilled red fish salad

5 small pieces of red fish
1- 1 1/2 tbs cajun seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp agave nectar
Splash of white wine
1/2 onion, diced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
S&P to taste

Cook onion in oil put in agave nectar. Caramelize onions in nectar for 4 min. Put in garlic. Cook for 1 min.
Add wine, red pepper, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season to taste
Mix together
Add fish
Cook for 4 min on 1 side and 3-4 on the other (you want it to be blackened on both sides)

Serve over your favorite things for a salad

Quick dressing

Mix juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 tbs white wine vinegar, 1 Clove of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp agave nectar, & dash of salt and pepper. Whisk in 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil.

Chicken and dumplings made skinny

Chicken and Dumplings

3 boneless skinless chicken breast (cubed)
1 tbs butter (I can't believe it's not butter)
1 large onion diced
3 stalks of celery chopped
3 carrots peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
3 TBS flat leaf parsley
1 box of fat free chicken broth
Water (as needed)
1 bay leaf
I can of reduced fat biscuits
S&P to taste




Season chicken with Tony's
In a large pot
Put in 1/2 TBS butter
Cook chicken, take out and put aside once all the way cooked through
Put in a little more butter if needed celery, carrots, &onion
Cook for 5 min, then add garlic
Put in chicken broth and about half of that amount of water
Put in bay leaf and season to taste

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and add chicken. Cook for 30 min. (Slightly covered)
Break apart little pieces of the biscuits and drop in the pot
Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add parsley and season to taste
Take out bay leaf
Serve immediately

**Option for chicken if you have more time:
Season 1 chicken fryer
Brown all sides at the beginning
Put back in after chicken stock
Put enough water to cover chicken
Cook for 1 hour (until chicken is cooked)
Remove chicken and let stand until cool enough to handle.
Remove skin from chicken and tear meat away from bones.
Return meat to soup; discard skin and bones.