Tortellini Soup

Serves 7

• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 29 oz. diced tomatoes… undrained
• 2 cans low-sodium defatted chicken broth (I only picked up one can of chicken broth so added a can of water plus dashes of Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, pepper, salt, red pepper, and basil.)
• 1 bag tortellini, cheese-filled
• 1 bag spinach… chopped (I just bought regular spinach, tore it to pieces and added spinach until there seemed to be way too much spinach!)

Lightly sauté garlic in olive oil spray, then add broth and bring to boil. Add tortellini & cook according to package directions. Add tomatoes near end of cooking time and spinach right before serving.

My Review: This was a very tasty, super-fast soup. It's also very pretty with the red of the tomatoes and the green of the spinach. Next time I make this, I think I'll try it with beef broth!

Lemon and Herb-Dressed Zucchini and Arugula Salad

from the WW Hit the Spot cookbook

Serves 2

• 1 Cup Baby Arugula -- I used 2 cups of spring mix
• 1 Zucchini, sliced
• 2 Teaspoons Grated Lemon Zest
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Coarse Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced Basil (I used dry)

Toss together arugula and zucchini in a bowl. To make the dressing, whisk together all the remaining ingredients except the basil in a small bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the arugula mixture and toss evenly. Sprinkle with the basil.

My Review: Yum! The dressing was to die for! It was bright, sunny and zesty flavored. I never use zucchini in salads and I really should because it's delicious. One cup of lettuce seemed too skimpy so I upped it to two. I also doubled the dressing. Next time I make this, I think I'll add some feta.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Servings: 4 -- this only served two here!

• 1 pound(s) lean beef round
• 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp yellow mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp coriander seed(s)
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 piece(s) bay leaf
• 16 baby carrot(s)
• 1 medium head(s) green cabbage, coarsely shredded (I used cole slaw mix because I'm lazy)

Coat beef all over with salt and pepper and place in a large stockpot; pour enough water into pot to cover beef. Add seasonings and bay leaves and stir to coat meat; set pot over high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 40 minutes.

Add carrots and cabbage and increase heat to medium-high; return to a boil. Partially cover pot and boil, until vegetables and beef are fork-tender, about 10 minutes more. Drain water from meat and vegetables, reserving 1 cup of liquid; discard bay leaves.

Thinly slice meat against the grain and serve with vegetables. Pour some reserved cooking liquid over each serving. Yields about 3 ounces of meat, 1 1/2 cups of vegetables and 1/4 cup of cooking liquid per serving.

My Review: Blech -- I did not enjoy this at all. It didn't really have a flavor. Plus, the meat shrunk up a great deal. What looked like a big chunk of beef ended up not being all that exciting in terms of portion size. And I have no idea what that grain business is all about. Maybe if I understood that, I would have enjoyed this meal more!

Tomato-Basil Pasta Nests

I halved this recipe to make what I thought would be 4 servings -- it was more like 6!

adapted from 365: No Repeats by Rachael Ray

• 1 pound whole wheat pasta, angel hair (I used thin spaghetti)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 can(28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 20 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (I substituted dry basil)
• 3 tablespoons pesto sauce (I omitted)
• 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (I used regular grated Parmesan)

Bring a large pot of water for the pasta to a boil and add some salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. Meanwhile, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, and onions. Saute for 8-10 minutes. Turn the heat down if the onions begin to brown. You want them sweet and soft, not caramelized.

Stir in the tomatoes and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the basil to wilt and remove from heat. Stir in the pesto sauce. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss to distribute. Sprinkle in the cheese. Using a meat fork, stick it into the pasta and bring up a heaping forkful. Turn and twist the pasta using your palm to guide it a bit, to form a nest.

My Review: Yum-o! This was an easy, quick pasta dinner.

Inside-Out Eggroll Casserole

I got this recipe from multiple websites -- it made 3 giant-arse servings

• 1 bag cole-slaw mix (shredded cabbage, carrots, etc.))
• 1tsp olive oil
• Low-sodium soy sauce, to taste (my taste was lots of it!)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder (or allspice - works just as well) (I didn't have this so I threw in a bunch of random spices)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Add-ins of your choice: Cooked tofu or other meat and your choice of canned, drained water chestnuts, snow peas, canned hearts of palm, canned bamboo shoots, etc. (I added a can of sliced waterchestnuts, 2 cups of snow peas and a package of Canadian bacon, diced)

Saute slaw mix in oil until it cooks down.Add soy sauce and spices; saute a bit longer. Throw in your choice of add-ins (I sauteed Canadian bacon ahead of time.) Cook until you're happy with consistency; add more soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

My Review : Yum! This was delicious AND healthy. I kept thinking of all the veggies I was eating. One reviewer of this recipe suggested cooking an egg over-easy, putting the egg in the bowl and topping with the slaw mix. I tried that and it was very tasty.

Oven-Roasted Broccoli

by Rachael Ray

Serves 4

• 1 head broccoli, cut into pieces all the way through the stem
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons (eyeball it) extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Liberally drizzle EVOO over broccoli, add garlic, salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Transfer to oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until broccoli is nice and crispy on the ends and a little brown.

MY REVIEW: Delicious! My new favorite way to cook broccoli!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

From Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee

serves 4

• 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into small strips
• 1 cup buffalo wing sauce plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza dough -- I used a pre-made pizza crust
• 1 cup blue cheese dressing -- I used light ranch dressing
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup red onions, sliced (1 small red onion)
• 1 cup celery, diced (2 stalks)

Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat, and oil grill grate when ready to start cooking. Place chicken strips in large bowl with 1 cup buffalo wing sauce and toss to coat chicken.

Grill the chicken strips about 3 to 4 minutes per side. While chicken is grilling carefully remove pizza dough from can. Unroll dough onto a flat surface. Spray both sides of the dough with nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough on the grill and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Carefully watch the crust, it can burn quickly.

Spread the blue cheese dressing over pizza leaving a 1-inch border. Next, top with mozzarella cheese, red onion, celery, and chicken strips, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of buffalo wing sauce.

Cover with grill lid and cook 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot.

Indoors: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Carefully unroll dough and place on prepared baking sheet. Press out dough with clean hands to form 13 by 9-inch rectangle. Place baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake for 7 minutes or until crust just begins to brown. Remove crust from oven and top as directed. Return to oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted.

My Review: The flavors in this pizza were great, but I screwed up the execution. I started grilling the chicken (on my George Foreman) before I realized it was supposed to already be coated in buffalo sauce. I also cooked it a little too long (I should have adjusted the cooking times for my pre-made crust) so it was extra crispy.

Still, I think I'd like to try it again. I definitely liked the combination of all the different flavors.