Black Bean Chicken with Rice

Not only is this flavorful dish easy, it's also very healthy. We were out of chicken, so I used pork chops instead, and it worked fine. We also put some Café Rio dressing on top. Delish!
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3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
2 tsp olive oil
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
1 cup salsa
2 cups cooked brown rice
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1. Combine the chili powder, cumin, pepper and salt; rub over chicken.

2. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken in oil on both sides.

3. Stir in the beans, corn and salsa.

4. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees.

5. Slice the chicken; serve with rice and bean mixture.

Nutrition Facts: 1 chicken breast half with 3/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup rice equals
400 calories, 7 g fat, 52 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 32 g protein.

Italian Veggie Soup

This is a super easy and super healthy recipe, and so tasty too! I don't have the nutritional values for it, but it's 0 Weight Watcher points... if you know what that means.
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10 oz baby spinach leaves
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
4 cups (or two cans) vegetable or beef broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
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Place all ingredients in a large pot on the stovetop. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low; simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes. DONE!
You can also just put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours.

Serves 8

Great to keep on hand in the fridge for a healthy snack/meal.

Peppery Fish Chowder

This soup is really good. I made it with the bacon, but I think you could make it a little healthier by using peppered ham and adding a Tablespoon or two of olive or canola oil to replace the grease that comes off of the bacon.

2 medium red potatoes

1 1/2 c. water, divided

3 slices peppered bacon

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves, pressed

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 c. clam juice

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 lb boneless, skinless tilapia fillets (or any firm, white-fleshed fish)

1/4 c. snipped fresh parsley

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

Hot sauce (optional)

Dice potatoes and place them, 1/2 c. water and 1/2 tsp. salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover, microwave on High 6-8 minutes or until tender. Remove from microwave, do not drain.

Meanwhile, dice bacon into 1/2 in. pieces and chop onion. Place bacon into 4 qt pot. Cook over medium high heat 5-7 minutes or until crisp.

Add onion and pressed garlic to pot (I just use finely chopped garlic as I don't know how to press it). Cook until onion is tender, add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until flour is evenly distributed. Slowly add clam juice, potatoes with cooking water, 1 cup of water, 1 tsp of salt and black pepper, bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 3-5 minutes.

Carefully remove dark reddish brown vein down length of tilapia and cut the rest of the fish into 3/4 in pieces. Add to pan and cook until tilapia is opaque throughout (should only take a few minutes).

Snip parsley. Remove soup from heat. Stir in cream and parsley. Serve with hot sauce if desired.

Chipotle Chicken Soup

We just tried this one tonight, and it was a hit. Very hearty! I got it out of one of my Healthy Cooking magazines, and even though it was healthy, it sure was tasty. You definitely want to serve it with sour cream, because it's  a little spicy. Oh, and it makes a lot, it actually serves 8, so we'll have leftovers for awhile. I modified it a bit to make it easier.
 

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1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 C chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans, rinsed & drained
2 cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 cans whole kernel corn
1 can chipotle peppers, minced
2 tsp green taco sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cubed, cooked chicken breasts
1/2 C fat free sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 lime juiced
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In a big pot, saute onion in oil until tender.
Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chipotle peppers, green sauce, cumin, & pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
Stir in chicken and lime juice; heat through.
Garnish with sour cream and cilantro.

Nutrition facts: 1 2/3 cups with 1 Tbsp sour cream equals 287 calories. 4 g fat, 7 g fiber, 21 g protein. 2 servings of vegetables.

Serves 8

Strawberry Butter

This is great on rolls. I take it to family dinners and everyone loves it. You can also use raspberries instead of strawberries if you prefer.
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2 cubes of butter, softened
1/3 - 1/2 cups strawberry jam
1/4 cup fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
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Puree the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Chill and serve on bread or rolls.

Chocolate Frosting

This is the perfect chocolate frosting for cakes and cupcakes. 
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1 cube butter, softened
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp shortening for consistency
2-3 Tbsp ice water
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 Combine all ingredients while beating with a mixer.

Mom's Wheat Bread

We love this recipe. The bread is very fluffy, very tasty even though it's wheat, and even though it's a bit of work, you end up with two loaves of fresh bread.
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5-6 cups wheat flour (freshly ground if you have it)
3 cups hot water
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp Saf instant yeast
1 Tbsp lecithin (granulated or liquid; you can get it at a health food store in the bulk area)
1 Tbsp dough enhancer (optional)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp gluten (also found at the health food store)
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Combine 3 cups wheat flour, hot water, yeast, lecithin, dough enhancer, oil, and brown sugar. The kitchenaid mixer is great for this. While mixing, add an additional 2 to 2 1/2 cups of additional wheat flour. Mix this all for 2 minutes.
Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
Add 1 Tbsp salt and gradually add 1 to 3 cups of flour until you get the correct consistency. Mix for 8 minutes.
Roll the dough out on an oiled surface and divide into two bread pans.
Let rise for 30 minutes with a dishtowel over the top.
Put the loaves in a COLD oven and then turn the temperature to 350 degrees. (I think this keeps the bread from collapsing.) Cook for 25-28 minutes.
Remove the bread from the pans for cooling to avoid overdone crust. Once cool, slice and serve.

Easy Fettuccine Alfredo

This is a fast and easy, but fancy dinner. You can add cooked and seasoned chicken to make it even better.
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2 cups fettuccine pasta
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
Parsley flakes
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Cook the fettuccine according to directions. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir the flour gradually into the butter until you have a nice paste. Slowly stir in the milk. Cook and stir constantly over medium heat until it is thick and bubbly. Stir in the garlic and salt and cook one more minute. Remove and stir in the Parmesan Cheese. Pour the sauce over the noodles and sprinkle parsley over the top.
Serves 4.

Homemade Maple Syrup

Goes great with Waffles, pancakes, cornbread, and German pancakes.
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1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp maple flavoring
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Bring the water to boiling, then add the sugar, vanilla, and maple. Reduce heat and let boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. This makes enough for 4 people.

Mom's Wheat Waffles or Pancakes

This is Dave's favorite breakfast these days. The wheat flour makes it very filling, and pretty healthy if you serve it with strawberries and fat free whipped cream. Of course, I prefer homemade maple syrup which defeats the purpose, but, oh well.
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2 cups flour (You can use white and wheat flour in the ratio you prefer. I usually do 1 cup white, 1 cup wheat)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
Dash of salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter or oil
2 eggs
Water for right consistency
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Mix all the ingredients in the above order and pour the batter in your waffle iron or griddle for pancakes. Homemade, and it's that easy!

Grandpa's Cake

This was my Grandpa Thurston's favorite cake, and I always asked my mom to make it on my birthday. It's a very decadent white cake that is best with homemade chocolate frosting. Really, it melts in your mouth. It's a bit of work, but very worth it.
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2/3 cup Shortening (solid coconut oil works too, but the cake will be much denser, I recommend shortening)
1 1/2 cups White Sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups Flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups Milk
5 egg whites
1/4 cup white sugar
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(Let the egg whites sit for 30 minutes before beating them with the sugar later.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until it is light and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla and almond extract.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and add it to the mixture alternately with milk.
Now you'll use those egg whites. Beat the egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar until stiff and fold it into the batter.
Divide into two greased 9" round baking pans. (It's best if you line the bottom with wax paper cut to size.) Bake at 350 degrees and check after 20 minutes.
Once cooled, frost with chocolate frosting.

It actually tastes even better the next day, so let it sit covered over night if you can wait.