Broiled Tilapia with Coconut-Curry Sauce

(adapted from this sept2002 cooking light recipe)

• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• generous scoop of minced garlic
  
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 heaping tsps curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups hot kashann's coconut rice
  

Preheat broiler.
Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.
Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce over kashann's delicious rice.

Cinnamon-Apple Cake

this was a favorite dessert my college roommate NICOLE used to made all the time! (thanks nicole & cooking light!!) as served at book club last night for cry the beloved country at kashann's (& also at richard & erica's first-ever BATTLE OF THE SEXES PARTY on 6/8/07).

you can also double this and cook in a 9x13 pan... recipe calls for "springform pan," but lets get serious: I don't have one of those. so I used my lovely favorite ever williams-sonoma pie pan (thank you wedding gifts) and it worked out fine.

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided (I use raw turbinado sugar)
1/2 cup butter, softened (I used smart balance)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat neufatchel cheese)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1 C white, 1/2 C white whole wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 C chopped peeled apples
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl (GO KITCHENAID, WOOHOO); beat on medium speed until well blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture, beating at low speed until well blended.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Combine 2 TABLESPOONS of cinnamon mixture and chopped apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour the batter into an 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350° for 60-75min (I cooked it 75min) or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cake will look pretty "done" on the outside, but will be delicious and moist on the inside! Cool cake completely on a wire rack. Cut into 12 wedges, using a serrated knife. (This can be served warm or cold.)

12 servings
Nutritional Information: CALORIES 281(28% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.8g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 39mg; CALCIUM 89mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.3g (COOKING LIGHT 1997)

Onion Bread Pudding

on monday i tried a new dish: onion bread pudding. my kids were not excited by the name. i believe various versions of "ewwh" were heard during the course of cooking. however, once we ate it, EVERYONE except for toran LOVED it! toran tolerated it though, and didn't vomit, so that was a good sign! glenn says it tastes like very delicious warm bread. it was really good. i made the bread crumbs using a cubed up loaf of tasty italian bread from the wegman's bakery, and then toasting the chunks in the oven at 200, for about 30 minutes. check and stir every 10 minutes.

Birthday Dinner

on sunday, we celebrated haven's birthday with some of her favorite foods. haven (and most of our family) love this butternut squash risotto. it's from cooking light, but i have altered it a bit. go from the recipe, and then follow these instructions:

*increase onion to a full 1 cup
*do not salt the squash, use plenty of pepper.
*after mixing in the squash and water, cover pan and simmer for about 15 minutes, until squash is very tender.
*omit the butter and the parsley.

this is sooo good, we eat it all the time during the chilly season. and it's pretty easy to prepare. risotto's are to be stirred constantly once adding the broth mixture, but i have periodically had to stop for moments to aid a small child or halt a disaster, and it is still delicious!


haven LOVES oranges! wegman's sells more than just your garden variety kind, and they are more spendy, but perfect for a dinnertime treat. the orange closest to the bottom is the cara cara. very sweet with hints of raspberry and a very pretty salmon color. the other orange, was nicknamed "sunset" by my ciela last year when we first tried them, but they are a type of italian orange, and the name has been different nearly each time i purchase them. currently at wegman's i believe the sticker says "italia vitta", but the sign said something to the effect of: italian orange. these are more tart, but incredibly striking served up.

A cool dessert for a hot day!

I love peanut butter! So I decided to make chocolate peanut butter pie for Jay and I, from the August edition of Cooking Light. Not only is there only 250 calories per slice, but it is cool, creamy and delicious for this hot weather we have been having! You only have to bake the crust so you won't have to have your oven on for more then 15 minutes which is another added bonus!

Ingredients:
2/3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 8 1/2 cookie sheets)

7 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

1 1/4 cups fat-free milk object

2/3 cup crunchy peanut butter object

1/2 teaspoon vanilla object

1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened object

(8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

3 tablespoons finely chopped salted, dry-roasted peanuts object

1/4 cup shaved milk chocolate (about 1 ounce)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and egg whites; toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Prick crust with a fork before baking. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack.
Combine milk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly; transfer mixture to a bowl. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stirring with a whisk until combined. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Place cream cheese in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Fold in whipped topping; pour mixture into prepared piecrust. Freeze, uncovered, 8 hours or overnight or until hard. Sprinkle with peanuts and shaved chocolate. Transfer pie to refrigerator 30 minutes before slicing.

Yield
10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 259(30% from fat); FAT 8.7g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.8g,poly 2g); PROTEIN 9.4g; CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 136mg; SODIUM 249mg; FIBER 1.6g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.5g

Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Sauce

I found the recipe on cookinglight.com, but this is how AARON made it because we didn't have any apples. & we didn't feel like toasting almonds.

1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
3 cups cubed pineapple (1 can or 1 med fresh)
1 peach, chopped
1 cup orange sections (about 2 oranges)
1 cup chopped peeled kiwi (about 2 large)
1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 medium banana, sliced


Combine yogurt, honey, and lime rind in a small bowl.
Combine pineapple and next 4 ingredients (through coconut) in a large bowl; toss gently to combine. Just before serving, stir in banana. Top fruit mixture with yogurt sauce.
NOTES: You can prepare and refrigerate the yogurt sauce up to a day in advance. You can also combine and refrigerate the fruit mixture (except the banana) up to three hours ahead; stir in the banana just before serving to prevent discoloring.

6 servings

Nutrition Facts (serving size: 1 1/4 cups fruit mixture, 2 tablespoons sauce, and 2 teaspoons almonds)
CALORIES 196(22% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 1.8g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 4.3g; CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 111mg; SODIUM 40mg; FIBER 4.7g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 37.9g

Southwest Chicken Pasta Salad

I took this salad to Crystal beach the other day. I got it from Cooking light, a nice fun summer salad to take on the go!
1/2 pound uncooked penne rigate
2 cups shredded Chicken(seasoned with parsley,lemon,garlic,thyme)
1 cup fresh corn kernels
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato (2 tomatoes)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add Chicken and next 5 ingredients (through tomato); toss well to combine. Combine orange juice and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

Rigatoni Mediterranean

This is from the July 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked rigatoni
1/4 cup olive oil
5 1/2 cups diced eggplant peeled
6 garlic cloves minced
2 cups sweet onions
1 large zuchinni thinly sliced
3/4 cup green onions (may be omitted)
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups shredded mozarella
cooking spray
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta, drain and set aside. Heat 2 T of olive oil in a large pan. Add eggplant and saute 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Heat remaining 2 T of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 30 sec. Add the onion, zucchini and green onions and cook for 6 min. Add the spices, basil and tomatoes. Boil and than simmer for 15 minutes.

Combine pasta, eggplant and tomato mixture in a large bowl. Add the mozzarella and mix. Transer to a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evening with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Let sit for 10-20 minute sto allowing flavors to meld.

Yeld 10 servings

French Toast Soufflé

we served this at steph's breakfast-themed baby shower. it's a recipe favorite of kristen, courtesy of cooking light.

• 10 C (1-inch) cubed sturdy white bread (about 16 (1 oz) slices)
• Cooking spray
• 8 oz 1/3-less-fat-cream cheese, softened
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 C 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2/3 C half-and-half
• 1/2 C real maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tb. powdered sugar
• 3/4 C maple syrup

Place bread cubes in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Beat cream cheese at medium speed of mixer until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add milk, half-and-half, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over top of bread; cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°. Remove bread mixture from refrigerator; let stand on counter for 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the souffle with powdered sugar, and serve with maple syrup. serves 12.

NUTRITION INFO: 1 slice of souffle and 1 tablespoon maple syrup:
CALORIES 346 (30% from fat); FAT 11.5g (sat 5.5g,mono 3.8g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 11.6g; CHOLESTEROL 169mg; CALCIUM 131mg; SODIUM 396mg; FIBER 2.7g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.7g