From My Stovetop to Yours

Today I bring you a yummy, yummy, yummy recipe. I highly suggest you make this asap!

Baked Ziti
PointsPlus Value: 7
Serves 12

Ingredients:
3 spray(s) cooking spray
1 pound (s) uncooked pasta, rigatoni or penne
3/4 pound(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 cup(s) marinara sauce, store-bought, divided
1/2 pound(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeses
1/4 cup(s) basil, cut into ribbons, for garnish

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat bottom and sides of lasagna pan with cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cool water and drain.

While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup marinara sauce.

To assemble ziti, spoon 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of prepared pan; top with half of pasta in an even layer. Evenly spread pasta with ricotta mixture; cover with half of remaining sauce. Top with remaining pasta and spoon remaining pasta on top; sprinkle with mozarella and remaining tablespoon Parmesan. Bake until cheese melts and is browned, about 20 to 30 minutes. Allow ziti to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces.

ENJOY!!!!

From My Stovetop to Yours

I'm going to start off this post by saying that I am NOT a vegetarian. I applaud those of you who have chosen that path but I would hope that as I respect your lifestyle, in turn you will respect mine. Many of my recipes include meat so if you find that incredibly offensive, I would unfortunately advise you to stear clear of my Sunday posts.

Moving on, today I bring you yet another Weight Watchers recipe. (What can I say? They're delicious AND diet friendly!) We tried this for the first time this week and mmmm... yum yum yum!!!

Filet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce
PointsPlus Value: 6
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste, divided

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste, divided

1 pound(s) Beef, filet mignon, trimmed, raw, use four 4 oz pieces

2 spray(s) cooking spray

1 large egg yolk(s)

1 Tbsp water

2 1/3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp chives, and/or parsley, fresh, minced.

Instructions

Rub 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper all over steak.

Coat a grill pan with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Heat pan until it's almost smoking and sizzles when water is dropped onto pan surface.

Place steak on pan and cook, without turning, about 5 minutes. Flip steak; cook about 4 to 6 minutes more for medium doneness.

Remove steak to a cutting board and loosely cover with aluminum foil; let rest for at least 10 minutes (steak will continue to cook under foil)

Meanwhile, to make sauce, bring a small saucepan one-third filled with water to a boil (creating a double boiler). In a metal bowl, beat egg yolk with 1 tablespoon room temperature water until frothy; set bowl over saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until egg yolk thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove egg yolk from heat; slowly whisk in melted butter until well combined. Stir in lemon juice and remaining salt and black pepper; whisk in fresh herbs. Serve steak with sauce. Yields about 3 oz of steak and 1 tablespoon of sauce per serving.

Note: Make sure you have all the ingredients prepped and ready before you start making the sauce.

**I would definitely recommend having everything prepped or a friend/significant other help as I found this easier as a 2 person recipe. For a side, we cooked potatoes, onion and zucchini in a skillet for 10 minutes.



Thanks to Weight Watchers for the picture and recipe!

From My Stovetop to Yours

Happy Sunday! Happy New Recipes :)

Pork Piccata
PointsPlus Value: 5
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp table salt, divided

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided (or less to taste)

1 pound(s) lean pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 16 thin slices

2 1/2 tsp olive oil, divided

3/4 cup(s) canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium

1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp butter

1 Tbsp capers, drained

1/2 tsp minced garlic

12 oz spinach, baby-variety

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sprinkle over both sides of pork, shaking off excess.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork (in 2 batches if necessary) and cook until just cooked through and golden, about 1 1/2 minutes per side; set aside on a serving plate and cover to keep warm.

In a cup, whisk together broth, lemon juice, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until blended. Pour into same skillet and whisk to combine with pan drippings; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat; stir in butter until melted. Stir in capers and spoon over pork; cover to keep warm.

Heat remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach to skillet in batches, tossing mixture and adding more spinach as some of it cooks down. Cook, tossing, until wilted and tender, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, a pinch of pepper and serve with pork. Yields 4 slices pork, about 3 tablespoons sauce and 1/2 cup spinach per serving.

We just made this for lunch today for the first time. While I'm not a fan of spinach, the pork was absolutely delicious!

Thanks to WeightWatchers for the picture!

From My Stovetop to Yours

Today I bring you another weekly staple from our household and another wonderful Weight Watchers recipe.

Whole Wheat Chili Mac
Serves 6
Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 4

Ingredients:

12 oz uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)

1 medium onion, chopped

14.5 oz canned stewed tomatoes, Mexican-style, undrained

1 1/4 cup(s) canned tomato sauce

2 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, diced, drained

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 cup(s) dry whole-wheat elbow macaroni

15 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions:

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is browned, about 10 minutes; drain off fat. Stir in undrained stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili peppers, chili powder and cumin; bring to a boil.

Stir in uncooked macaroni and kidney beans. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

The Fabulous Way

Instead of using whole wheat macaroni noodles, we use whole wheat rotini. We also switched out the chili peppers for jalepeno peppers--it gives it a bit of an extra kick (if you are prone to heartburn, stick with the chili peppers!) I also don't bother measuring out the tomato sauce and just use the entire can since it is only an extra 1/4 cup and it helps keep the mixture a bit more moist. I also only reduce the heat to medium, because otherwise the noodles don't cook all the way through. But keeping it on a higher heat requires you to stir every few minutes so it doesn't start to stick. It took me a couple of times to perfect this recipe but I suppose that is the joy of cooking: taking someone else's recipe and making it your own :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Thanks to Weight Watchers for the picture!



From My Stovetop to Yours

How was everyone's weekend? Ours was fabulously low-key and we are going to be making this yummy dish for my family this evening!

White Chicken Lasagna
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
8 oz lasagna noodles
Two (2) 10 oz cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
One (1) cup grated Parmesan Cheese
One (1) cup finely chopped white onion
Half (1/2) tsp garlic salt
Half (1/2) tsp minced garlic
One (1) tsp butter
Three (3) cups diced, cooked chicken
(1 breast=1 cup)
Two (2) cups shreeded American cheese
(use slices and break them up)
Additional parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:
Dice chicken breasts and onion. Cook together in skillet with butter and minced garlic. Cook lasagna (if necessary). Blend soups, parmesan cheese, sour cream, and garlic salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in cooked chicken and onions.

To assemble- spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Alternate layers of lasagna, chicken mixture, American cheese. Do this three (3) times, ending with American cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Cooking-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Let stand ten (10) minutes before serving.

The Fabulous Way
My husband adds a tsp of cajun seasoning and instead of using two cans of Cream of Chicken, he uses one can and then one jar of Alfredo sauce. Its DELICIOUS! I love being married to an Italian :)

From My Stovetop to Yours

Today we have one of mine and my husband's favorite dinners. It is a weekly staple and while you may wrinkle your nose at the sound of it; if you like Mexican food, it is a must try!

Here we have...
Mexican Meatloaf
Serves 6
Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value= 4 per serving

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1/2 pound extra lean gound beef

1/2 pound lean ground turkey breast

2 large egg whites

2 oz cornbread stuffing dry mix (about 1 cup)

1 medium chopped onion

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

4 oz canned green chili peppers, diced

8 oz canned enchilada sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix beef, turkey, egg whites, stuffing mix, onion, chili powder, cumin, chilies, and half of enchilada sauce together. Shape into an oval with your hands and place on prepared broiler pan. Cook for 1 hour, top with remaining enchilada sauce and bake for 5 minutes more. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.

**The Fabulous Way

We cook our meatloaf in a cupcake pan. Weird I know, but it cooks the meatloaf better and cuts down on the cooking time (only 35 min instead of 60)

From My Stovetop to Yours

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
This recipe is from the P90X cookbook.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1.5 pound top sirloin steak, sliced 1 inch thick
1 tablesoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
4 cups broccoli florets
8 ounces dried soba noodles

Directions:
1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat a small amount of soy sauce in a large saute pan, add the onions and garlic and saute until opaque.
3. Add beef and saute, turning often for 7 to 10 minutes. Stir together the oil, vinegar and ginger and add to the saute mixture.
4. Blanch broccoli in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Add to the meat mixture and keep warm.
5. Prepare soba noodles according to package directions. Drain, toss with the beef and broccoli, and serve.
Serves 4

We have tweaked the recipe a bit at my house. We no longer add the soba noodles, because I wasn't a big fan of them and they didn't reheat very well for leftovers, however scrapping the noodles will decrease your servings to a large 2 or small 3. And we use white onion instead of red, simply because we use white onion in a lot of our other recipes during the week so it is merely more convenient. Overall, this is a weekly staple that we really enjoy making together!

Hope everyone has a Happy Sunday!