I am so impressed with the recipes these magnificent ladies came up with. I will be trying out some of these soon, I’m sure! Here are this week’s BSI contestants.
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Balsamic and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers
Ingredients:
1.25 lbs. Brussels sprouts (roughly 5 c. chopped)
1.5 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop Brussels spouts, removing hard ends and wilted leaves. Combine all ingredients, tossing to coat the Brussels sprouts in the mixture. Spread on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 13 minutes before flipping the Brussels sprouts and baking for an additional 5 minutes.
Spicy Yogurt Chicken by Taylor at Joy of Food
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skinless & boneless
1 1/2 cups plain fat free yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients, except chicken in a bowl. Stir well.
2. Add chicken breasts. Wrap tightly and marinade in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.
3. Preheat grill to 350 or medium heat. Be sure to grease the grill first with non-stick spray.
4. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and pat off excess marinade with a paper towel.
5. Place chicken on grill and cook for 3-5 minutes or until bottom is no longer pink. Flip breasts and cook until done all the way through. This should be another 5 minutes or so.
6. When chicken is done cooking, slice into 1/2 inch thick slices and make your sandwiches.
You can then serve this chicken with anything, on a sandwich, in salad, with noodles and stir fried veg.
Italian Bread with Warm Garlic Spread by Ashley
1 loaf of Italian bread
1 small yellow onion, quartered
5 large cloves of garlic
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
White Pepper
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over Medium heat. Add quartered onion and cook for two minutes. Add garlic cloves and sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Cover saucepan and cook until garlic is soft. Turn down heat if necessary, do not burn garlic! Once garlic is soft, add complete contents of the saucepan to a blender or Magic Bullet. Pulse until mixture is well blended, but not completely smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Spread on sliced pieces of toasted Italian bread. YUM!!
Spinach Cannelloni by Jessica at Johnstone’s Vin Blanc
1 package (8 ounces) whole-wheat manicotti or cannelloni, or fresh pasta sheets
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium (8 ounce) onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 celery stalks (8 ounces), finely chopped
1 carrot (7 ounces), finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 can (28 ounces) San Marzano tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes (do not use the ones that are packed in oil, follow package instructions to rehydrate the tomatoes)
1 1/2 pounds (about 24 ounces) low fat ricotta cheese
5 ounces of spinach, stemmed and chopped
1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup chopped fresh soft herbs of choice, such as tarragon, parsley, and basil
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
For the Pasta: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Stir well to prevent the pasta from sticking together and cook until just al dente, usually 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer partially cooked pasta to a large bowl of ice water. Once cooled, transfer to damp kitchen towels and cover until ready to assemble the cannelloni.
For the Sauce: In a 4 quart saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté onion and shallots until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 4 cloves of the minced garlic and cook for 20 seconds longer. Add red wine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the flavors concentrate slightly. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and then immediately turn down to a simmer and cook the sauce until the tomatoes break down and the sauce starts to thicken, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
When the sauce is finished, remove from the heat and carefully blend with a hand-held mixer. (Alternatively, sauce may be pureed in a blender, in batches, after it has cooled slightly. Take care in pureeing hot liquids; cover the blender tightly with a kitchen towel to prevent lid from coming up while pureeing.) Stir in the sun dried tomatoes and set aside until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
For The Cannelloni Filling: Place the ricotta in a medium mixing bowl. Add the spinach, the lemon zest, fresh herbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the remaining black pepper. Mix well to combine. Fill a pastry bag with the ricotta mixture if using cannelloni, otherwise use a spoon to fill the pasta sheets.
To Assemble: Lightly spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish to cover. Spoon the ricotta filling onto each pasta sheet and roll up. Arrange in a single layer onto the casserole dish. Spread the remaining sauce over the cannelloni, making sure the pasta is well coated. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and salt and transfer to the oven and cook until it is heated through, bubbly and golden brown on top, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Creamy Garlic and Chicken by Josie at The Skinny Way of Life
Boneless skinless chicken thighs
Half a large onion
2 tbsp butter
3 small cans of sliced mushrooms
LOTS OF GARLIC!!
1 can of Carnation Evaporated milk
Parmesan cheese
Whole Wheat Rigatoni pasta
Chop chicken into bite size pieces and dice onion. Chop garlic into fine pieces. Add everything to a screaming hot pan with 2 Tbsp of Olive oil and let everything brown, once everything is brown add salt and poultry seasoning. Next add 2 drained cans of mushroom and let flavors blend. While the Rigatoni is cooking melt 2 Tbsp of butter (or margarine) in a large pot. When the butter is melted add 1 can of Evaporated Milk along with salt (not too much b/c of the saltiness from the Parmesan cheese), pepper and Parmesan cheese (once again, just eyeball everything you can always add more later!). While the mixture is heating through, whisk 1 Tbsp of cornstarch with a little cold water till smooth. This is the BEST trick I’ve learned! using cornstarch instead of flour thickens the sauce quicker without any clumps plus cornstarch has fewer calories than flour and has no flavor which will not leave a pasty taste to the sauce. Mix the cornstarch to the milk mixture and bring to boil stirring constantly for 1 min. Taste the sauce and add any extra salt or pepper as needed. Mix the Rigatoni and Chicken/garlic mixture and blend to coat everything. Add to a platter and grind extra pepper on top.
Roasted Garlic Soup with Parmesan Toast by Biz at Biggest Diabetic Loser
20 cloves roasted garlic
10 cloves raw garlic
4 cups water
3 teaspoons chicken soup base
2 tablespoons light margarine
1 tsp. dry thyme
1/2 cup fat free half and half
sprinkle of crushed red pepper when serving
Melt butter in pan. Add roasted garlic, raw garlic, thyme and soup base and cook for 2 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the raw garlic is tender. Using a stick blender, puree. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup fat free half and half. Serve with toasted parmesan bread.
Makes Four Servings: Each one cup serving: 79 calories, 3 fat, 10.75 carbs, .5 fiber and 1.5 protein.
Pasta with Mushrooms and Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Sauce by Kallie at Kall Cooks
Ingredients:
4 servings of rotini pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced mushroom
2 cups vertically sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk, fat free
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Preparation:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Keep warm.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine chopped rosemary and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and cheese to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes or until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pumpkin, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
4. Add pasta and pumpkin mixture to mushroom mixture; toss well to combine.
Yield: 4 servings
Garlic Guacamole by Aunt Melissa
[Image]
Avocado
Minced Garlic
Salt
This one’s simple but scrumptious: Mix a mashed avocado with minced garlic and salt to taste.
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I really couldn’t decide which recipe to pick just by looking at them, and since there was obviously no time to make them all, I decided the most fair way to pick a winner would be a random number generator.
Congratulations, Kallie! Please email me your address and I’ll get your prize basket to you.
I really want to sincerely thank you all who took the time to enter.
Also, Julie has agreed to host next week’s BSI, so you should check out her blog to see what the next secret ingredient is!
