Zucchini Baked Ziti

 

Holy cow it has been forever since I have posted on here!  Life has certainly gotten away from us and I truly miss enjoying cooking (not just the "throw it together for a cooked if not frozen meal" we have lived off of the last few months).

I don't know if this is your typical baked ziti or not because I put in hamburger but it was Oh, So Good!  I morphed some recipes together and added stuff of my own.  It was fun!  I actually used tomatoes and zucchini straight out of my garden!  Here we go:

Ziti pasta (cooked according to directions on box)
1 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
2 small zucchini sliced and fried in 1 T. Olive oil until brown
Mozzarella cheese, grated

Sauce:
1 cup minced onion
2 T. minced garlic
28 oz crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
2 T tomato paste
2 tsp honey
1 T ried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
Salt to taste

Cook onion and garlic until onion is translucent.  Add to sauce pan and add all other ingredients.  Cook on low for one hour.

Add all ingredients except cheese to a bowl and toss together.  Put in a casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Biggest Loser's Main Event Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

Olive oil spray

1 cup minced yellow or white onion

2 T freshly minced garlic

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup water

2 T. no-salt-added tomato paste

2 tsp. honey

1 T. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salt, to taste

Directions:

Spray a medium nonstick saucepan witht he olive oil spray and place over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender (they should not brown), 4 to 6 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low an with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes until well combined.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.  Season with salt, if needed.

I served this over Healthy Heart spaghetti noodles, with green salad and french bread on the side.  While this isn't as good as the Prego I usually buy, it definately was not bad.  The kids loved it just as much and at least it is a little more healthy and fresh.

Biggest Loser's Grilled Chicken with Warm Mango Salsa

Ingredients:
Pam Spray
4 large boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 1 1/2 pounds
Salt and Pepper to taste
Medium red onion, diced small
Small jalapeno, chopped fine
Medium tomato, diced small
Large mango, diced small
juice and zest of 2 limes
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Preheat grill or grill pan over high heat.  Spray chicken thighs lightly with Pam and season with salt and pepper.  Grill about 4 minutes per side, or until just cooked through. 

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick pan over med-high heat.  Spray with Pam and add onions.  Season onions with salt and pepper and cook until almost tender.  Add jalapeno, tomato and mango to the pan.  Cook tossing often, until just heated through.  Add lime juice and zest and cilantro. 

Serve chicken with warm salsa. 

We also had it with noodles that we had just a little butter and Parmesan cheese on.  This recipe got mixed reviews from my family.  We had everything from a 2 (on a scale from 1-5) to a 5.  Some thought there was too much lime, so you may want to adjust that if you don't like a lot of lime.

Slow-Cooked Teriyaki Meatballs

This is a half made-up recipe.  I used the recipe for meatballs from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.  Then I made up the rest myself.  Here are the recipes:

New Favorite Meatballs (Biggest Loser Family Cookbook)

Olive oil spray

2 egg whites

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup fat-free milk

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1 T. dried minced onion]

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb 96% lean ground beef

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly coat a large nonstick baking sheet with the olive oil spray.

In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix together the egg whites, oats, and milk until well combined.  Add the parsley, onion, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes and mix until combined.  Mix in the beef until well combined.

Make 32 uniform meatballs, each about 1 1/4" diameter (use a cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons for ease).  Roll the balls with your hands and arrange, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.

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Sauce

1 1/2 cups low-sodium, low sugar teriyaki sauce (kikomans)

Juice from large pineapple rings can

Mix sauce and juice together.

I made the meatballs one day ahead.  The morning we were having the meatballs, I put them in the slow-cooker and then poured the sauce over them and stirred until they were covered.  I then put the pineapple rings on the top of the meatballs and cooked for 6 hours on low.

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I served the meatballs and pineapple over rice.  This was really good.  The kids loved it!  Vince liked it, but he is not much of a sweet meat guy.

Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

Okay, so for the past 10 years I have made my same chicken enchilada recipe.  I used to bribe my dad with it (until he finally go sick of them), but now I have a new recipe to bribe him with. These are some enchiladas that we made last night.  They were so good!  We just wanted to try something new so we made up this recipe.  We had mexican rice with it which the kids LOVED!

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts or thighs

Mrs. Dash Southwest Seasoning

Sour Cream

Tortillas

Enchilada Sauce

Cheese

Directions:

Grill the chicken with the Southwest Seasoning on it.  When chicken is done, transfer it to a food processor to chop (or just shred it).  Add sour cream (the amount depends on what you like).  Roll in the tortillas and cover with the enchilada sauce and cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enchilada Chicken

Yet another Biggest Loser Family Cookbook recipe.  As you can see we are trying to eat more healthy and I am finding that healthy doesn't always mean it has to taste like the cardboard box it came in (well, in this case it doesn't because it is all from scratch).  You definately need to try this one.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. salt-free Mexican or Southwest seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle)
Olive oil spray
4 T. medium, mild, or hot enchilada sauce
2 oz. finely shredded light cheddar cheese
2 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350.

Place a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over high heat.  When hot, lightly mist witht he olive oil spray and add the chicken.  Cook, turning once, for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or just until the chicken is golden brown on the outsides.

Remove the pan from the heat and top each chicken breast with 1 T. of the enchilada sauce, followed by one-fourth of the cheese and one-fourth of the cilantro.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the cheese is melted.  Serve over rice.

Szechuan Pork and Broccoli

Another great recipe from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.  In the cookbook it actually called for beef, but I happened to have a pork roast on hand.  It was really yummy and the kids really liked it. 

Ingredients:

Pork or Beef Roast, sliced against the grain into scant 1/4"-thick strips

1 tsp. garlic powder

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

1 (14 oz) bag frozen broccoli

1 T. freshly minced garlic

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup bottled szechuan stir-fry sauce

Rice

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the pork/beef, garlic powder, salt and pepper and toss until well combined.

Place a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over high heat.  When hot, mist with the olive oil spray.  Add the broccoli and garlic and cook, stirring, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the garlic softens and the broccoli is heated through and crisp-tender, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Transfer to a large bowl and cover to keep warm.

Return the pan to high heat and add 1 tsp of the sesame oil.  When hot, add half of the pork/beef in a single layer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer the pork/steak to the bowl with the vegetables and re-cover.  Repeat with the remaining 1 tsp. sesame oil and pork/steak.  Return all the steak and vegetables to the pan and remove from the heat.  Add the sauce and mix well to coat.  Divide among 4 bowls and serve over rice.

Pan-Seared Salmon

Half of our family loves fish, and the other half hates it.  Every once in a while we will do two different meals so those of us who don't like fish can eat something we like.  Here is a simple salmon recipe that Vince likes to do.

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless salmon fillets
Olive oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Rub salt and pepper all over the salmon.
Put enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat over medium-high heat.  When oil is hot, add the salmon in a single layer and cook until browned on both sides (about 2 minutes per side depending on how thick they are)  Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, turning only one more time until the salmon is a pale pink in the middle.  Serve immediately.

Pineapple Teriyaki Pork Chops

This is another recipe from Biggest Loser Family Cookbook and again my kids loved it.  They all wanted to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  I tripled the recipe so we had leftovers and served it with brown rice, which is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:
8 trimmed boneless pork loin chops about 3/4" thick.
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/3 cup honey teriyaki marinade and sauce
1 20-ounce can pineapple slices, drained

Directions:
Preheat the broiler.  Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with olive oil.

Season the pork chops with thegarlic powder, salt,a nd pepper.  Place the chops, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet and broil about 3" fromt he heat for about 2 minutes each side (be sure to leave the oven door open a crack when broiling)  Turn the chops and brush or spread 2 tsp of teriyaki marinade evenly over the top of each.  Top with pineapple slices.  Broil for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the pineapple and glaze brown lightly and the pork is barely pink inside.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Chicken Parmesan from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook

I didn't eat this one because I was not feeling well, but I also didn't get a picture of it because before I could dish some up to take a picture, the kids had devoured it.   I am taking it that this is a "keeper" recipe.  As the title says, I got the recipe out of my Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.  It has some really good recipes that I plan on trying.  For the sauce, I made a quadrupal batch last week and froze it in 4 different containers.  This way, when I need the sauce, I just put it in a pan and thaw it.  It is yummy too.  Hope you enjoy it.  I served it with Pasta but you can also serve with salad.

Grilled Chicken Parmesan
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil
2 cups Main Event Marinara (recipe below)
1/2 c. shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 and preheat a grill to high heat.

Lightly brush both sides of the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the chicken, turning once, for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until it is no longer pink inside and juices run clear.  Transfer to a baking dish.

Heat the sauce on low in the microwave until warm.  Top each breast with 4 T. marinara sauce, followed by 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese.  Bake the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted.


Main Event Marinara Sauce
1 cup minced yellow or white onion
2 T. freshly minced garlic
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
2 T. no-salt-added tomato paste
2 tsp. honey
2 T dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste

Spray a medium nonstick saucepan with olive oil spray and place over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender (they should not brown), 4 to 6 minutes.  Reduce the tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes until well combined.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.  Season with salt, if needed.

Salsa Chicken

My friend Kristie told me about this recipe yesterday and so I decided to try it tonight for dinner.  I didn't write it down, so this is my own version out of my head plus an extra ingredient.  We really liked it (well, except two of the kids).  The amount of each ingredient is versatile.

Ingredients:
Chicken
Black Beans
Frozen Corn
Salsa
Cream Cheese

Directions:
Put the chicken in the crockpot and cook for 4 hours.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 2 hours.  Serve over rice.

Black Beans, Chicken and Rice

This is another new recipe we have tried.  Everyone loved it and the kids even wanted to take the leftovers for lunch.  We doubled it and it was perfect for us to be filled up and then we had enough leftovers for all of the kids.  The recipe says it is 4 servings.  This is also another fast meal to fix.  Very good!

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion stir-gry, coursely chopped

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed

1 3/4 cups porogresso chicken broth

2 T water

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Cook and stir rice, cumin and chili powder in oil 1 minute.  Stir in all remaining ingredients except cheese.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Remove skillet from heat.  Uncover; fluff mixture with fork.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover; let stand 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted before serving.

Instant Black Bean Soup

So, about 2 years ago my family discovered black beans. I always thought they looked nasty and never wanted to try them. Then I went to a pampered chef party and had a salad with them and fell in love with them. I figured I would try the recipe on my family so I made it the next week.

I sat amazed that my children picked out the black beans and ate them first. Since then, we have added black beans to many different recipes. Just the other day I found this recipe and decided to try it, and boy am I glad we did. It is just what we needed on this cold fall night. Everyone loved it!


I didn't add onions and cilantro because my kids really don't eat them well. Let me know if you try this recipe and if you add those other two ingredients. I would love to know if you like it.

Instant Black Bean Soup
Preparation time: 3 minutes

Ingredients
· 4 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, undrained
· 1 cup bottled salsa
· 2 tablespoon chili powder
· 2 (16-ounce) cans chicken broth
· 1 cup (2 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
· Sour cream
· Green onions
· Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Place beans and liquid in a medium saucepan; partially mash beans with a potato masher. Place over high heat; stir in salsa, chili powder, and broth. Bring to a boil. Ladle soup into bowls; top with cheese, sour cream, onions, and cilantro. Serve with tortillas.