Personal Pizzas

Remember how much fun it was to get those little personal pizzas at Pizza Hut when you were a kid?  Well, now you can relive those childhood memories, but in a healthier way!  These little pizzas are just 350 calories (without toppings)!  And they take just 15 minutes to make!!!  Could it get any better?

INGREDIENTS:

1 pita pocket
1/4 cup of pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese made with part skim milk
Toppings of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.  If you have a toaster oven, and you're making just one or two pizzas, I highly recommend using that instead.  It heats up MUCH faster and I feel like it uses far less energy than the big one.

2. Place a pita pocket on a cookie sheet.  Spread pizza sauce onto the pita pocket.  Top with the cheese.  Add toppings of your choice if desired.

4. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, just long enough to melt the cheese and toast the pita a little.

Brunch Burrito

This is a terrific weekend treat!  Great for those Saturday and Sunday mornings when you wake up late and can't decide whether to eat breakfast or lunch. :)

Now, for my calorie counting friends, you're probably thinking you could never eat this.  I'll admit, it's definitely more calories than my typical weekday breakfast (I calculate it's almost 700 calories).  But, if you eat it for brunch (i.e., 2 meals in one), you're actually probably eating fewer calories than you normally would with a separate breakfast and lunch.  At least that's how I look at it.  Plus it's so filling, you won't get hungry again for hours!  And all that lean protein...yum yum, eat up ladies! :)

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large flour tortillas
1.25 lbs ground turkey (that's the size of one Jennie-O package)
2 large russet potatoes
4 eggs
1 medium sized yellow onion
1 cup shredded cheese (any kind will do, but I used a "Mexican" blend; cheddar would also be good)
Milk
Steak seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Scrub and chop the potatoes into small, bite size pieces.  Coat a frying pan with a generous amount of oil and put the potatoes in it.  Cover and heat to medium-low.  Let it cook while you prepare everything else, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until potatoes are a nice golden brown.  When they're done cooking, season with some salt and pepper to taste.

2. Dice onion and add to another frying pan, lightly coated with oil.  Add ground turkey and sprinkle with steak seasoning (optional, but it really makes it taste like sausage with just a fraction of the fat!).  Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until turkey is thoroughly cooked. 

3. Scramble eggs in a bowl with just a touch of milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring as they begin to cook (you know, scrambled eggs style!).  When they're done cooking, season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. When everything is done cooking, assemble your burritos.  Onto each tortilla, place 1/4 of everything you just cooked (mean & onion mixture, scrambled eggs and potatoes).  Sprinkle on top 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.  Microwave for 1 minute to melt the cheese and warm the tortilla.

Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

In honor of St. Patricks day, here is a delicious Irish stew recipe!  We had it for dinner last night, and it was a great way to celebrate the holiday.  The Guinness beer really adds a great flavor - it turned out even better than I expected!

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs beef roast meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 12oz bottle of Guinness beer
4 cups of fat free beef broth
1-1.5 cups of peeled and chopped turnip
4 large peeled and chopped carrots
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbs parsley flakes (I used dried, but fresh is probably better if you have it)
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs butter, divided
3 Tbs canola oil, divided

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by combining beef broth and beer in a large soup pot.  Begin to heat it over medium-low heat.

2. Next melt 1 Tbs butter and heat 1 Tbs canola oil in a large skillet.  Dredge half the meat in flour and cook in skillet until well browned.  Repeat with the rest of the meat.  Once all the meat is cooked, add it to the broth and beer.

3. Heat the last 1 Tbs canola oil in the skillet and cook the onions over medium heat until they begin to look transparent.  Then add them to the soup pot.

4. Add the vegetables, salt, pepper and parsley to the soup pot.

5. Bring soup to a boil, stirring frequently.  Then cover and simmer for about an hour. Enjoy!!

NOTE: I was lazy and did not make the bread bowl in the picture from scratch.  But if you are interested in how to make the lazy man's bread bowl, here's what you do:

• Buy a little loaf of bread at the store
• Cut off the top
• Scoop out most of the bread inside, leaving about an inch to 1.5 inches of bread on the edges
• Brush olive oil onto the inside of the bowl
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes
• That is all! :)

Couscous Salad

It's finally spring, so I decided to celebrate by trying a new light, (healthy!), vegetarian dinner.  I kind of made this up as I went, but it turned out great!  It's only about 400 calories per serving (if you divide the recipe below into 4 servings).  And it's super fast too -- takes about 15 minutes to throw together.  This could also be a nice side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of plain couscous (or 4.5 cups)
1 cucumber, diced
1 can/jar (12-14oz) of artichoke hearts, chopped
2.5 cups of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
40 kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cup of feta cheese 
4 tablespoons of basalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the box of couscous according to package directions.  Set it aside to cool while you chop the vegetables.

2.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the couscous and stir.  That's it!

Steak Fajitas

Mmmmm, steak fajitas!  One of my ALL TIME favorite recipes!  These don't need much of an introduction, I'm sure everyone has had them before.  This recipe is simple, but soooo delicious.  I've tried many more complicated recipes, but I've settled on this one as being the best. 

INGREDIENTS:

A couple of steaks, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 bell peppers, any color, coarsely chopped
Packet of fajita seasoning (I use Meijer brand)
1/3 cup lime juice
About half a bottle of beer (I prefer Corrona, but any kind works)
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Flour tortillas, any size
Sour cream to taste
Shredded Mexican blend cheese to tast

DIRECTIONS:

1. Marinade the steak in the beer and lime juice.  Overnight is best, but an hour will do if you're crunched for time.

2. Drain most of the liquid and then put the steak into a slightly oiled frying pan.  Add the onion, bell peppers, packet of fajita seasoning and fresh cilantro.  Cook over medium-high heat until the meat is well browned.

3.  Serve in flour tortillas with as much cheese and sour cream as you desire.  Que delicia!