Good Things Come in Foil Packages

This has to be one of my favorite summertime meals - potatoes & corn on the cob in foil, and burgers on the grill. It's so easy, quick, and just sooooo yummy! I make some variation of this just about every week. I love adding different things to the potatoes - garlic, onion, mushrooms, butter, fresh herbs......I'll stop right there - enjoy!


Wrapped & Grilled Herbed Baby Reds

8 baby red potatoes, washed and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch slices
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley

In a bowl, toss potatoes with above ingredients, except for parsley. Spray a sheet of tin foil with extra virgin olive oil or butter cooking spray. Spread out the potatoes into a thin layers (maybe two or three potatoes thick). Add additional seasonings if desired. Fold over the tin foil, press all edges and deal into a neat little packages.

Grill over medium heat, carefully flipping over once. Cook for about 15-20 minutes. (the thicker the potatoes, the longer it needs to cook) Remove from grill, and add freshly chopped herbs.

Herbed Grilled Corn

I didn't take a picture of it, but it looks just like the other grilled corn pics in my blog ;)

2 ears of corn, husks & silk removed
2 tbsp Smart Balance 50/50 blend, softened (or butter, or whatever you like!)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp dried Italian herbs
a few sprigs of freshly finely chopped parsley

Spray a piece of tin foil (not too big, just enough to wrap around the corn) with non-stick olive oil or butter flavored spray. Spread butter mixture on corn, and wrap in foil. Grill over medium heat for 20 minutes, turning often to cook evenly. Remove from grill, and sprinkle some fresh parsley over corn.

Double Cheddar Burgers

1 LB ground sirloin
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp finely chopped or grated onion
1 tbsp BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/4-1/3 cup shredded Monterrey Cheddar Jack cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
slices of Sharp cheddar cheese
lettuce, tomato, red onion, or desired toppings

In a bowl, mix all ingredients through the garlic. Form into 3 or 4 burgers, pressing down slightly in the middle. Grill on med-high heat for 16-18 minutes or until cooked as desired, flipping halfway through, add the cheddar slices in the last couple of minutes of cooking.

I usually toast the buns when I put the cheese on the burgers. Finish off with desired toppings/condiments.

Menu - Week of June 22

I haven't done one of these in a while, yeah it's a little late, but I hope to get back on track! This week may not be the healthiest, but I'm trying to use up some stuff I have on hand.

Sunday - Pepperoni Roll & salad

Monday - chicken wings & thin crust pizza, vegetables & low fat dip

Tuesday - Basil tomato sauce over whole wheat penne with turkey meatballs & caesar salads

Wednesday - Taco salad bowls

Thursday - Chicken fajitas, chips & salsa

Friday - Going out to eat

Saturday - Pad Thai w/shrimp & chicken

Eat Your Bowl....Taco Salad

I've made taco salad a couple of times before, but I forgot to blog it. So the third time, I did some more experimenting, and this is my favorite so far. It's such an easy & quick meal that is also great for the summer time. I got the original idea for the tortillas from Chelley, a fellow WC'er. The idea to add the rice came from one of my favorite cooking sites Cooking Light. Then I played around with all of those ideas, and came up with the following. You could also use the filling to make burritos, tacos or nachos, which I probably will do with the leftovers.

Eat Your Bowl Taco Salad

(the recipe makes too much for two servings, but I plan on using the leftovers)

1 lb ground beef

low carb large flour tortillas

2 coves garlic, minced

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 can of black beans

handful of shredded or torn lettuce

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced (or green onion would be great sprinkled on top of salad)

2% Mexican cheese blend

1/2 -3/4 cup cooked brown rice (yellow or Mexican rice would have been great, but I didn't have any on hand)
1 tsp cumin

juice and zest of half a lime

Preheat the oven to 425. Brown ground beef, drain and add minced garlic, seasonings & water, recipe below. Add diced onions and black beans to meat mixture. Simmer till slightly thickened. (I kept rice separate since Jamie didn't want any, if not, you could add it to meat mixture)

Brush tortillas with some vegetable oil or use non-stick spray, and bake on balls of tin foil or inverted ramekins on a baking sheet for about 6 minutes, till slightly browned and crispy.

Add the lime juice, zest and cumin to the cooked rice.

Toss the meat and rice mixture, or just layer into the bowls, add the dressing, and top with tomatoes, lettuce, extra onions if desired, and cheese.

Taco Seasoning:

1 tsp cilantro (I only had dried on hand)

1/2 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp cumin

2-3 tbsp Mexican chili powder

Mix above ingredients together in a bowl, and add 2 tbsp or more if desired, to browned ground beef and add 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp of water, and simmer till slightly thickened.

Dressing:
2/3 cup fat free sour cream

2/3 cup fresh medium salsa

1/2 tbsp of taco seasoning

Mix above ingredients, and toss in or put on top of taco salad.

Penne & Turkey(meat)balls

I love pasta & meatballs, and decided to switch and lighten things up a bit. I have never cooked with ground turkey, so I gave it a try. The meatballs turned out great, they were moist & flavorful, nothing was sacrificed because of substituting turkey for beef. I'll definitely be adding ground turkey to my meals...I'm thinking my next venture will be turkey burgers....

Simple Basil Tomato Sauce

1 can of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand, with juices

15 oz tomato sauce

1/2 cup Merlot

6 oz tomato paste

salt & pepper to taste

1/8 tsp red peeper flakes

pinch of sugar

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp dried Italian herbs

bunch of fresh basil, torn by hand (maybe 12 leaves)

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic and cook till tender. Add tomato paste and cook for a minute.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. I served on top of Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate.

Turkey(meat)balls

1 lb ground turkey (I used 93/7 fat content)

1/3 cup onion, finely diced

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 and spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix ingredients and form into 1 1/2-2 inch equal sized meatballs.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, turning a few of times so the sides cook evenly. Remove and add to the sauce and simmer for 40 minutes.

Think Thin

You might be thinking....not another pizza post??? But after making the pepperoni bread & grilled pizza, I had some leftover ingredients. And since pizza is my favorite food...here goes! It's a very simple, under 20 minute & light dinner which uses a Flatout wrap as the crust, so it's thin & crispy. Add a salad, and you've got a great summer meal.

Easy As Pizza Pie Flatout Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza

1 Flatout Italian Herb wrap
turkey pepperoni

sliced button mushrooms

fresh basil

finely shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

pizza sauce (I used my own recipe in the post for Grilled Pizza)

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil on a wrap and place on a pizza pan or cookie sheet, and bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned and crisp.

Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce, and add cheese and toppings. Bake for an additional 7 minutes till cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and top with torn fresh basil leaves.

Chicken Wings - 2 Ways

In an effort to not deep fry one of Jamie's favorite foods, I made two different types of chicken wings, both baked in the oven. He gave both kinds a very enthusiastic thumbs up.....enjoy!




Sticky-Gooey Glazed Chicken Wings

1/2 lb chicken wings, rinsed, dried, separated at joints, tips discarded
1/8 tsp each of salt & pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
zest & juice of half a lime

Preheat oven to 400. Mix the garlic & onion powder, salt & pepper and paprika together in a bowl. In another bowl mix the rest of the ingredients, set aside. Rub dry mixture on chicken.

Drizzle a little vegetable oil (or use non-stick spray) in a baking dish, add chicken and bake for 40 minutes, turning over halfway through.

Add honey mixture to chicken, toss wings to coat. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, turning halfway through. Sauce will caramelize and stick to the chicken. Jamie said it tastes good dipped in Ranch dressing.



Baked Buffalo Wings

1/2 lb chicken wings, rinsed, dried, separated at joints, tips discarded
1/8 tsp each of salt and pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp of melted butter, divided (I used Smart Balance 50/50 blend)
1/2 cup Frank's Buffalo Wings sauce (approximately)

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Mix flour & seasonings. Toss wings in flour mixture, and put in dish. Drizzle the melted butter over the wings.

Bake for 40 minutes, turning halfway through. Mix one tbsp melted butter & Buffalo sauce and pour on chicken. Bake for another 20-30 minutes, turning halfway through. Goes great with celery & bleu cheese dressing.

Rollin, Rollin', Rollin' - Pizza Style

This is my second time making this pepperoni bread, and it was fantastic - I forgot to take pics the first time around - it was so good, everyone gobbled it up too fast! I got the original recipe from Amber's Delectable Delights, and made some changes. Actually, there are so many things you could do with the basic recipe, and it's great for parties, a snack, or add a salad and it's a meal. Enjoy!

Pepperoni and Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1 roll refrigerated french bread dough OR 1 loaf frozen bread dough (thawed)

Regular or turkey pepperoni

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Dried Italian seasoning

My pizza sauce (in post below)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Roll out bread dough, and drizzle with olive oil, a few small dollops of sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan cheeses, Italian seasoning, and place pepperoni on top of the cheese.

Carefully roll the bread dough into a cylinder shape. Pinch ends and top to seal. Brush top and sides with some olive oil.

If desired, top loaf with cheese, pepperoni, and/or Italian seasoning. Make a few diagonal slices in top of loaf for air to escape while cooking.
Bake at 350 for ~20 min. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with pizza sauce.