BSI Entry: Zuppa Toscana alla Mara

If you’ve ever been to the Olive Garden (or the O.G. as we call it), you’ve probably seen Zuppa Toscana on their menu. It’s one of the things they’re famous for there, in addition to the oh-so-fabulous breadsticks and salad. Adam LOVES this soup. I’m new to it, and I absolutely LOVE it. Too bad that it has heavy cream, pork Italian sausage, bacon…and all sorts of other goodness that isn’t exactly healthy.

When Beadie revealed this week’s BSI contest, I figured that there was no time like the present to attempt to recreate this soup with a healthier twist. After looking over a few recipes online, I thought I had a good idea as to what was in the “real” version of the soup. Off to the store I went, and I have to say, I did a fantastic job!

Even better than the O.G.!

Zuppa Toscana alla Mara (serves 6)

Ingredients

1 lb. turkey hot Italian sausage

5 small potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

5 slices center-cut bacon, cut into small pieces

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

6 cups chicken stock

5 kale leaves, deveined and cut into small pieces

1/4 c. fat free half & half

Directions

Remove the sausage from its casing and brown in a large pot, stirring to crumble. Once it’s cooked, drain and set aside. Then, add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, reserving about 1 Tbsp. fat in the pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until nearly caramelized. Then add the potatoes, and chicken stock to at least 1/2″ above the potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer about 20 minutes or until potatoes are done. Return bacon and sausage to the pot and add the kale. Cook another 10 minutes and then stir in the half & half. Serve and enjoy!

This had a nice kick to it, and was just as rich and hearty as the restaurant’s version. Here’s some nutrition comparison:

Olive Garden Version (serving size 1 c.): Calories: 335, Total Fat: 23.7g, Fiber unknown

Mara’s Version (serving size 2 c.): Calories: 331, Total Fat: 12 g, Fiber: 4.3 g

So needless to say, my version is significantly healthier and even tastier! There’s nothing like making something yourself and having it taste better than out!

Yesterday, Miss Eating Bender gave me my very first blogger award! It originated with Julz, whose blog I just found. She is truly a talented writer and has one of the most genuine spirits I’ve ever had the pleasure of “knowing.” So thank you Julz for starting this award, and thanks to Eating Bender for passing it along!

Thanks so much! I'm honored!

It’s now my duty to pass this fantastic award on to more people, and I’m choosing:

1. Lindsay at Love of Oats for hosting my first guest post.
2. Biz at Biggest Diabetic Loser for being my most local blogger buddy
3. Michelle at LuckyTasteBuds for leaving me the sweetest comments!
4. Hallie at HealthyTwists for loving obscure Jewish holidays as much as I do!
5. And finally, to Beadie at What I Ate Yesterday, for being a true and sincere friend, always being there to be a helpful ear, and sharing my successes and failures without judgement.

You have all impacted me in some way, and I’m truly grateful for each and every one of you, mentioned above or not! Thank you for welcoming me into this blogger community and helping me re-find my love of writing.

Being Thursday night, I’m off to immerse myself in the truly unrealistic Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice crossover episode finale! Have a great night!

xoxo,

A Day to Remember

Today was a fantastic Valentine’s Day! I remember thinking during many a Valentine’s Day in college that I’d never love V-Day, I’d just think of it as “Singles Awareness Day” for my entire life. Today was the kind of V-Day that I’d always hoped for!

Rather than boring you with all the details, I’ll show you the day in pictures!

Adam got me the Top Chef cookbook for Valentine’s Day!

My adorable new “Life is Good” Nalgene bottle…it’s BPA Free!

Thank you, U.S. government for the lovely tax return which allowed us to be able to afford this fancy coffee maker!

Lovely sets of K-Cups for our fancy new coffee maker

smiley face splash guard for my new Nalgene bottle

Amazing, fresh-out-of-the-oven Italian bread, served with Plugra butter

I hope you all had a wonderful day too, whether or not you celebrated Valentine’s Day! The winner for the sushi scarf will be announced in the morning and comments are now CLOSED! Don’t forget to get your BSI entries in by tomorrow night!

Have a great night all!

xoxo,

Holy Fritatta, Batman!

I can remember my mom making fritattas when I was a little kid. I would watch her throw a bunch of stuff in a pan, cook it a few minutes, put the pan in the oven and then POOF yummy breakfast (or dinner) served with sour cream. Not too long ago, I asked my mom to actually show me step by step how to make one of these delicious dishes, and she happily did. I made them at friends’ houses for brunches, and for my mom on Mother’s Day, but I had yet to make one in my own home, in my own kitchen. Adam had never even had one!

At our engagement party, my good friend Josh and his wife Anna gave Adam and I a 10″ cast iron skillet. My first thought was “FINALLY! I can make something that goes from the stove to the oven… FRITATTA!” Tonight there was a dilemma: frozen pizza or fritatta? I counted up my Points® for the day and realized that I did NOT have enough for pizza. Fritatta it was!

According to Wikipedia, a fritatta is:

A frittata is a type of Italian omelette that frequently features fillings such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Like a traditional French omelette, a frittata is prepared in a skillet. However, whereas an omelette is cooked on a stovetop and served folded, a frittata is first partially cooked on a stovetop but then broiled (grilled) to finish and served open-faced.

So, thats what I did!

It's like a beautiful landscape!

Fritatta Delizioso

Ingredients

3 eggs

3 egg whites

1/4 c. skim milk

4 or 5 small red potatoes

1 box frozen chopped spinach

2 c. frozen broccoli

2/3 c. fat free cheddar cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 375*. Pre-cook the potatoes in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Then, cut the potatoes into small chunks. Heat your oven safe pan on the stovetop, and add the potato chunks to the pan. Add the frozen spinach and broccoli, and cook until the vegetables are thawed and softened. The frozen vegetables provide enough water to finish cooking the potatoes, but fresh vegetables can be used as well. Sprinkle the vegetables with the garlic powder, salt and pepper and then stir. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and egg whites together with the milk until frothy. Add the cheese to the vegetables, then pour the eggs into the pan. Cook until the eggs are partially set, then tranfter the pan to the oven. Cook until the eggs are fully set and the top is browned. Cut into slices and serve with sour cream. Makes 4 4-Point® servings or 8 2-Point® servings.

This recipe can be made with pretty much any vegetables or any fillings you like. I’ve had them with peppers, tomatoes, bacon… anything! Of course the Points® value would change with different fillings. Adam said that the best way to describe the taste was like a combination of a quiche and a breakfast skillet.

I’m thrilled with the fact that if I happen to get hungry later tonight, another slice of this will only be a small dent in my daily Points®!

Stay tuned for some changes in my food photos in the next few days… see if you can spot the changes!!

Albóndigas y Espaguetis (Spaghetti and Meatballs)

I started teaching my students food words today, and I have to say, talking about food for an additional 97 minutes today sure got my appetite going! My students were fascinated by so many of the words they learned today, so I thought I’d share a small sample list of the ones that cracked them up:

• Albóndigas – Meatballs
• Espaguetis – spaghetti
• Gofre – waffle
• Budín – pudding
• Manteca de cacahuate – peanut butter

The talk of Italian foods during our vocabulary lesson got me thinking… hey! I have the stuff for spaghetti and meatballs! Then I had the thought that if I make spaghetti and meatballs, I can have a fun Spanish title for my blog entry tonight, and that sealed the deal!

I know I just made meatballs a couple weeks ago but I decided to make a different recipe that were a bit more sturdy so they could hold up cooking in some sauce. The key to these meatballs (and keeping them at a Point® a piece) is to use super-lean ground beef and ultra fluffy Panko bread crumbs.

Cooking meatballs is a cinch in my new cast iron skillet!

Simple Italian Meatballs

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 C. panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 egg

1 jar of your favorite jarred pasta sauce

Directions

In a mixing bowl, gently mix the ingredients (except the sauce) together until well combined. Form into about 15 meatballs, and place into a hot skillet. Cook about 5 minutes on one side, then gently turn. Cook another 5 minutes, then add 1 cup water (watch the steam!) and the jar of sauce. Simmer on low heat about 25 minutes. Serve on pasta.

I had mine on high-fiber pasta with fresh broccoli!

It was a fantastic and satisfying dinner, and I’m so excited that I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Happy almost Friday everyone!

Gnocchi with Tomato-Basil Sauce

Don’t get all excited… I didn’t make gnocchi! Adam made a trip to Super Target yesterday and came home with a delicious looking package of rainbow gnocchi, so literally, all I did was boil water and open a package and a jar (of tomato-basil sauce). It was quite simple and delicious though!

Tomato-potato goodness!

I also pan-roasted a broccoli-cauliflower mix with some olive oil and garlic. BIG FAN OF THIS ONE!! There’s something about the crunchiness of a roasted vegetable that I completely love. I have broccoli to roast tomorrow, and then maybe some sweet potatoes…and I need some brussels sprouts.

Look at that roastiness!

Did everyone see my post on Love of Oats today? What did you think?? I had such fun writing it, thanks for the opportunity Lindsey!

Layers and Layers: Spinach Lasagna

It’s cold here. REALLY cold. Like, -20 wind chill cold. Darn Chicago! SO my title is two-fold: Layers as in the amount of clothing necessary to be comfortable, and layers in my lovely lasagna. (And parfaits. Everyone likes parfaits! Name that movie?)

I’ve wanted lasagna for about 2 weeks now. Sometimes, people will talk about making something at home, usually my coworkers, and it will be ALL I can think about until I can get around to making it myself. Sure, I could’ve ordered lasagna at the Olive Garden last night, but I would’ve been sorry because it wasn’t MY lasagna. So, tonight, darn it, I was making lasagna!

This recipe is the result of a LOT of trial and error, and a lot of watery lasagnas. This one though, was perfect.

LOOK at that layering action!

Fantastic Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

1 package whole wheat lasagna noodles

1 jar pasta sauce

2 boxes frozen chopped spinach

1 15 oz. container fat free ricotta cheese

1 c. fat free cottage cheese

2 cups reduced fat mozzarella cheese, divided

1 tbsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. oregano

1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 375* and spray an 11″x14″ pan with non-stick spray. Pour about 1/4 c. pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan. Thaw the spinach in the microwave and drain VERY thoroughly. Mix all the ingredients besides the noodles in a large bowl. Layer noodles, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, more noodles, sauce, spinach and so on, finishing with sauce. Top with cheese, cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.  Let sit about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

This was such comfort food for me, and I’m beyond thrilled that there’s so much leftover! Adam went right back for seconds, and I’m going to dig into a second piece in a minute.

A few announcements!

Happy thoughts are working!!! Thanks for sending them our way!

Make sure you check out the Honest Foods giveaway over at one of my favorite blogs, Oh She Glows!

Be watching for a special guest post tomorrow night… someone else is cooking ME dinner!!

Aunt Della’s Meatballs

This whole going back to work thing is NOT getting any easier! When my alarm went off at 5 a.m. today, I just about threw my cell phone across the room! Luckily, the kids are getting more used to being back, as are the teachers, so the environment at work is much more “up” than is was the last 2 days.

After watching far too many episodes of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on Food Network, and watching dozens of cooks make amazing-looking meatball sandwiches, I decided tonight was meatball night! Then I remembered, Adam’s Aunt Della gave me her meatball recipe after I raved about them at Thanksgiving! I’m not sure I remembered it exactly, but I knew it was simple, and we had all the ingredients. Her original recipe uses all kosher ingredients, and does not mix milk and meat. My meatballs tonight would not follow these rules, but they were still good! Adam said they tasted like Aunt Della’s, so I think that’s a seal of approval. I also made some sweet potato fries and creamy polenta to go with the meatballs.

Meatballs, on top of creamy polenta, topped with sauce, and surrounded by sweet potato fries

Aunt Della’s Meatballs (or close enough!)

2 lbs lean ground beef (90% lean or more)

1 c. seasoned bread crumbs

1 c. jarred tomato sauce

2 eggs

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined. Form into 24 (or so) meatballs and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tops are brown and the juices run clear. Serve as desired.

Yup. That’s it. Seriously a simple recipe! It works well with turkey, and I’d be willing to bet it would work well with TVP or other “meat”.

So, Aunt Della, if you’re reading… Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be making these again for sure!

Tuscan-Style Chicken “Cassoulet”

I’m back! Did you miss me? I hope you’re all having a wonderful Christmas eve! After almost a week of not cooking or blogging, I was beyond thrilled to FINALLY make a dinner and know exactly what was in it! Just a quick recap of the last week before I start with today’s dinner:

• Friday night (12/19), Adam and I went to a Hanukkah/Birthday party at my stepdad’s family’s. We got catered-in fantastic Italian food, whipped cream-topped cupcakes, and extremely generous gifts.
• Saturday (12/20), I spent the day crocheting scarves for Hanukkah gifts, and then spent the evening babysitting. Dinner was Taco Bell (shameful, I know)
• Sunday (12/21), was the first night of Hanukkah! We went to my mom’s for dinner and she had all our favorite Hanukkah traditions: latkes, smoked turkey sausage, and teriyaki chicken wings. Dessert was a homemade tiramisu!
• Monday (12/22), we went to Adam’s mom’s for the 2nd night of Hanukkah, and had a dinner of fruit, veggies, and appetizers, and mini cheesecakes for dessert.
• Yesterday, it decided to snow another oh, 5″, so neither Adam nor I wanted to go out! Dinner was carry-out Chinese!

PHEW!! No wonder I’m tired!! Tomorrow, my mom, stepdad, sister, and I are going to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and out for Chinese food again (like the rest of the Jews do on Christmas!). Then, we finally get a break until New Years.

On to tonights dinner… My mom got me the prettiest little casserole dish for Hanukkah on Sunday, and I absolutely had to break it in! We had a ton of chicken, so when we went to the grocery store for soda, I picked up a few things to throw into a simple dinner. I’m calling it a “cassoulet” because it’s got the beans and meat in it that a standard cassoulet has, but it’s not technically in a cassoulet dish!

How cute is that pan??

Tuscan-Style Chicken “Cassoulet”

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts

2 red or yellow potatoes, sliced thin

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Italian-style diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 c. reduced fat shredded Italian cheese

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350*. In a small casserole dish, place slices of potato so that they make one even layer. Top the potatoes with the beans and tomatoes and half of the garlic powder. Add the chicken in one layer, then top with the other sliced potato. Bake covered, about one hour. Once the chicken is done, uncover the pan and top with the cheese. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and browned.

This was what I would call a “beyond satisfying” meal! One chicken breast and the equivalent of half a potato and about 1/2 c. beans was more than enough! Adam enjoyed it as well, and I’m looking forward to putting the remaining beans/potatoes on top of some polenta tomorrow!

Earlier today, I sent this picture to my mom via text message:

back yard, take 2

She said, and I quote “You should put this on your blog! Barbecued snow has zero Points®!” So…this is for you mom

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday…you’ll be seeing more of me now that the super craziness is done!

Zesty Slow-Cooker Italian Pot Roast

It’s apparently Italian Week in our house… with the pizza chicken yesterday, and this amazing pot roast today! Before I get to the recipe, just a quick health update: I finally made it to the doctor today after a week with this lovely intestinal issue. My doc thinks I have a bacterial infection in my gut, so she gave me some heavy-duty antibiotics to get rid of it. I hope it does the trick because I’m DARN SICK of not feeling well!

Now, onto this recipe… back in my pre-crockpot days, I used to long for a tender potroast, but never had the equipment to make one. I didn’t have a crockpot, a dutch oven, or even a deep roasting pan in which to make said potroast. I finally caved and bought a high-tech crockpot with a timer, and the FIRST thing I made was a potroast. And it SUCKED. I scoured my favorite websites for recipes, and finally found this one. It was a hit with Adam because it didn’t have onions in it. I liked it for the roasted garlic. This recipe is from my absolute favorite recipe website, maintained by a wonderful woman named Heather. She’s famous on the Weight Watchers message boards!

Zesty Slow-Cooker Italian Pot Roast

Ingredients

This was so delicious!

4 medium potatoes, cut into quarters (4 c)
2 c whole baby carrots
1 stalk celery, cut into 1″ pieces
1 medium Italian plum tomato, diced*
2.5 lb lean beef round
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 c water
1 TBS chopped roasted garlic ** OR chopped fresh garlic
1 tsp each dried basil leaves, dried oregano leaves and dried parsley flakes, crushed
1 tsp vinegar

Directions

Place potatoes, carrots, celery and tomato in 3 1/2-qt. slow cooker. Season roast with pepper and place on top.

Mix soup, water, pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley and vinegar. Pour over all.

Cover and cook on LOW 10 to 12 hr (or on HIGH 5 to 6 hr), or until done.

*I used a 16 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, drained.
**To roast garlic, place whole garlic bulb on piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with vegetable oil and wrap. Roast at 350°F. for 45 min. or until soft. Peel and chop garlic.
Serves 6

One note: I’ve tried this multiple times, and one time I didn’t roast the garlic. It is SO WORTH the extra time to roast the head of garlic instead of using raw! It adds a whole new dimension of flavor! This also works well with bone-in chicken breasts.

Pizza Chicken

Growing up, my mom used to make a delicious thing that she lovingly called “pizza chicken”. Once I was older, I realized that pizza chicken was just a kid-friendly name for chicken parmesan! I can remember very vividly the day in college when I was determined to make “pizza chicken” for my group of 5 friends. I called my mom and asked her how she did it, and when she told me, I didn’t believe her. I thought it had to have been SO MUCH MORE COMPLICATED than she let on! I followed her instructions and mastered it on my first try.

As my weight climbed in the following years, I adjusted the recipe to be MORE fattening, MORE heavy, and FAR LESS good for me. Once I joined Weight Watchers, I took a hiatus from making my mom’s pizza chicken. I realized today that not only could I make the original recipe, but it would be darn good and healthy!

I mistakenly bought pre-cut chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts, but the general process is the same.

Just like mom used to make!

Pizza Chicken

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 jar marinara sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

First, mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Pre-heat oven to 350*. Then, heat oil in a large frying pan. Coat the chicken with the breadcrumb mixture, and place in the frying pan. DO NOT discard the extra breadcrumbs! In a 9×13 baking dish, pour about 1/4 c. marinara sauce and shake to evenly coat. Brown the chicken on both sides, but don’t worry if its not cooked through. Place chicken in the baking dish, then top with remaining breadcrumb mixture. Pour remaining sauce on top. Top with cheese and bake until chicken is done and cheese is brown, about 20 minutes.

I served this tonight with some pan-roasted broccoli and cauliflower. It was a very nostalgic taste to have pizza chicken and broccoli!

So, my mom’s secret? USING those extra breadcrumbs! It makes more of a “crust” for the pizza chicken, and makes it a very substantial meal. The equivalent of about 2/3 of a chicken breast was enough for me for dinner! I am, however, treating myself to something delicious:

I will only have one, I will only have one...

That’s all for tonight… I’m going to do nothing productive and watch House and Fringe.

QOTD: What’s your favorite “mom” dish?? I have so many of her favorites I can’t choose just one!