Alright it has been a while...but I do have an excuse!

English summer work...

End of story. Three books, Three essay's, all major crap but done at least.

So now that they are done I can tell about my hand pies little adventure! Well I tried this twice...the first time it didn't turn out all to well. The pies kept breaking open and ooey gooey blueberry juice leaked out all over my counter! But then I got smart! Well not exactly really smart just more like common sense, I made them more of a half pie rather then a rectangular and made them thicker. Tah Dah fabulous small hand pies that tasted good. but only good. I needed just a little something else. Icing. And then is was done.

The recipe is from VeganYumYum.

I used her recipe for the pie dough and the filling but my process was a little different from hers. but not much just a little...

Ok so I rolled out the dough like she did but instead of making it into a rectangle I formed mine into an oval. I rolled it out to about the thickness/thinness I thought would be about right. Before I added the filling I lifted up one side of the oval, or the side you would turn over, and made sure it would come up easy. Once this was done I added the filling but don't add to much! Leakage is not good! But it probably will happen as you can see below blueberry everywhere. Parchment is a good idea to place underneath before you start. It just makes cleanup and leakage manageable! So anyway once you have added your filling fold over one end carefully. Pinch the ends together so they hold and use a fork to press down on the edges just for extra hold. Careful you don't puncture your pie! It does happen, believe me!

Now slowly.....transfer the pie to a baking sheet....SLOWLY....this is by far the moment when all your yummy filling is bound to fall out. I had a spatula with me but most of the time I just used my hands but which ever works best for you go ahead and do that. Now once one the baking sheet insert little slits on top.

Keep making pies until the rest of the dough is all used up.

Then put them into the oven (The degrees is on her website). When I put mine in I just watched them really closely to see if they were done or not. I think my timing was around 10 min to give you a ball park.

Now they are complete, well almost. The icing must be added. To make the icing I just took powdered sugar and the liquid from my filling and mixed them together until I got the right consistency. The icing really made them amazing. Not too dry but not too sweet either just perfect!

These were originally made for my friend's birthday and she did get some but so did a lot of other people...They all liked them a lot! Especially with the icing of them. So the verdict was DELICIOUS. Thank you Veganyumyum! I love your blog and I love your food!

It was experiment day.

Plan: Make beet ravioli with poppy seed butter using homemade pasta dough, plus make kalamata olive bread with oregano.

Beet Ravioli with Poppy Seed Butter

(This recipe came from Bonappetit.com)

Ingredients

• 2 large red beets
• 1/2 cup fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tbs dried breadcrumbs
• 1 1/4 fresh egg pasta or wonton wrappers
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tbs poppy seeds

To begin we must first make the fresh egg pasta. You will need 2 3/4 cup soft wheat flour (Cake flour) and 4 large eggs. Mix flour until clumps of moist dough form but do not make it into a ball. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and work into a ball. Knead until smooth using flour if it begins to stick. Wrap in plastic and let rest at room temp for at least 20 min and up to 2 hrs.

Now we can begin the actual recipe.

Roast beets in oven, preheated at 400 degrees, wrapped in foil for about an hour. Cool beats and peel skin. Grate the beets into a bowl and add ricotta cheese and breadcrumbs. Add pepper and salt if needed.

Roll fresh egg pasta into thin sheets (use pasta maker if you can, I lacked one and you can tell). Using a 3-in round cutter, cut sheet into 7 rounds. There will be a total of 56 rounds. If you are not using the pasta but wonton wrapper just cut them accordingly and follow the same instructions.

Spoon about a tsp of the mixture onto one side of each round or enough to be able to taste it but not overflow when shut. Dampen edges with water and fold dough over. Try to get as much air as possible out and seal shut. Make sure they are sealed shut very well, you don't want them to open up while you cook them!

Melt butter and add poppy seeds to butter. Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling water for about 2 min or until they seem ready, stirring often. Transfer cooked pasta to dish with butter coat and serve! Sprinkle Parmesan on for an extra layer of flavor.

Kalamata Olive Bread with Oregano

Recipe courtesy of Cooking light magazine

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 tbs butter, melted
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 tbs chopped fresh oregano (I used dried, worked out fine too)

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Heat oil in a skillet and add onion. Saute until tender.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Mix buttermilk, butter and egg whites with a whisk and pour contents into well. Stir until just moist. Fold in onion, olives, and oregano.

Spread batter into a 8 x 4 in loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cook for 45 min.

Nutrition: Calories 133, Fat 4.6 g, Fiber .8 g, 3 points per serving (12 servings)

My two experiments for the day. One was...interesting. The other successful! The pasta was a really interesting task. I will not lie it did not turn out anything like the picture but it did taste incredibly good! Just didn't look that way. My biggest problem was making the pasta dough so thin. It was incredibly thick. When I cooked the pasta it grew in size to about double! It was fun watching them though! I tried using the wonton wrappers instead and those turned out a little more like the picture but they kept breaking open! So eventually my butter turned pink and then my noodles turned pink...The bread was really good though and looked like it should have! The olives made it kind salty but in a good way, if that makes sense...

The conclusion is I tried, I failed, I conquered..

and made a mess.

So before I go to bed I decided to give you one more recipe.

This one is of course low in fat but still relatively good. It is the classic full of bread calzone that I made yesterday evening. I LOVE bread. Actually it's beyond love. I can't even describe my addiction and desire for bread. Yeah...it's not good. Why does bread have to be soooo good and sooo not good for you?! Of course I have to like the things that I shouldn't...

Corn and Broccoli Calzones

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets


• 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
  
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
  
• 2/3 cup nonfat ricotta cheese


• 4 scallions, thinly sliced


• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil


• 1/2 tsp garlic powder


• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper


• 20 oz prepared whole-wheat pizza dough


• 2 tsp canola oil
  

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine broccoli, corn, mozzarella, ricotta, scallions, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

On a floured surface, divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into 8 in circle. Place as much filling on one half of each circle as you can, leave a border of dough so as to be able to close and seal the calzones. Brush border with water and fold edges over. Seal together with fingertips. Make two slits on the top of each for ventilation. Spray with olive oil cooking spray to give it a nice color when put int he oven. Cook for about 15 min.

Makes 6 calzones (334 calories, 5 g fat, 4 g fiber, 6 points)

This recipe is from the book EatingWell For a Healthy Heart. I liked the bread part of course and the insides were pretty good but my biggest complaint (which was probably my fault) was adding the basil. I used basil from my own garden and knowing me I probably planted some kind of basil only meant for decoration...

Another problem I had was the dough WOULD NOT STAY PUT! I had the hardest time keeping the dough to stay at the 8 in and ended up just quickly putting on some of the mixture an closing the thing up. I also would tell you to watch the cooking time. Since its so high of a temperature I made sure to watch the calzones really carefully in case they burned.

My parents liked them and apparently my friends did as well. After we watched the meteor shower I offered the left overs and they wanted more! At least someone enjoyed them!

Next time no basil...

I am tired...

Last night I stayed up until 3, attempting to watch a meteor shower with some friends. I saw maybe four... It was fun though. I hung with my buddies and it was really calming to just lay out and look at the stars. I never have enough time to do that anymore. It's kind of sad....

But that's life.

Awhile back I made that delicious looking macaroni and cheese. And trust me, it was delicious. How can you resist mac and cheese? It is pretty much the one thing that I think everyone must like. This was a really great recipe because of the toasted bread crumbs that went on top and the little pieces of onion. Every bite you just hoped you could have a little crunch of an onion!

Don't even get me started on the cheese....

It was pretty much heaven in my mouth and it was extremely difficult to not eat the WHOLE ENTIRE THING!

Oh and guess where this recipe is from? Correct! Weightwatchers!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli

Ingredients

• 12 oz uncooked pasta, gemeli or other twisted pasta


• 10 oz broccoli small florets


• 1 tsp butter


• 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs


• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese


• 2 1/2 cups fat-free skim milk


• 1/3 cup all purpose flour


• 1/2 cup onions, diced


• 1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp-variety


• 1 tsp Dijon mustard


• 1 1/2 tsp table salt


• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to package while adding broccolli about 3 minutes before it is done so as to cook the broccoli as well. Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to pot (make sure your pot is big! It needs to be able to hold the liquids too!).

Melt butter over medium heat and add breadcrumbs. Cook the breadcrumbs, stirring often, until light golden. DO NOT BURN. They should just be lightly toasted. Remove from heat and transfer crumbs to small bowl. Stir in 1 tbs Parmesan cheese. In same saucepan, whisk together milk and flour until blended, add onion. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. The sauce should begin to thicken in itself. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened.

Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, pepper and rest of Parmesan. Pour over pasta and broccoli. Mix and transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake until bubbly at edges, 20 to 25 min.

Serving size: 8 (1 Piece equals to be 5 Weightwatcher points.)

Ready for some more recipes?





First we will begin with Red Lentil Soup from, as you guessed it, WeightWatchers! This recipe was a little interesting but still very good. I actually really enjoyed it but I don't think it was enough for my mom and dad. They like really hearty meals. But if your needing a nice light meal (not to mention sweet), this is the recipe for you.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil


• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin


• 1/2 ground coriander


• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper


• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon


• 1 small sweet red pepper, chopped


• 2 medium carrots, chopped


• 29 oz fat-free chicken broth


• 8 oz dry lentils, red, washed


• 1/8 tsp table salt


• 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt (I did without and it still tasted good!)

Heat oil in a medium nonstick pot and add cumin, coriander, ground red pepper, and cinnamon. Once you begin to smell the different fragrances you can add the bell pepper and carrots. Cook them until they start to become tender.

Add broth, lentils, and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer the lentils until they begin to become tender. It takes about 20 min.

Puree in batches in blender. (I didn't puree all of it so there would still be some texture from the lentils). Serve with dollop of yogurt (or not).

Serving size is 1 1/4 cup and 1 tbs of yogurt and serves about 4 people. Points Value is 6 (5 without the yogurt).

As I said I did really enjoy this meal. It was definitely different from what I normally have but still an interesting meal that I would try again. I think a side of bread would really be tasty with this soup and give it a little extra boost. All in all it was good, I would try it again, but not my favorite.

So I was going to post another recipe except that recipe is MIA at the moment. Way to many cookbooks....

Aaaah, just got done eating my Kashi maple oatmeal. If you haven't tried it yet, go out and buy some RIGHT now. It is so amazing and I think I might be addicted to it....

It has been a few days since I have posted so I have a lot of recipes backed up...I will not overload you! .... No, really I will post two recipes and that's it. Then I will post maybe some more tonight, maybe.

Ok, so first recipe happens to be Chipotle rice! Um, yum? I have actually been wanting to make a duplicate for some time now but I never could find a recipe but now I do! All thanks to Gina!

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain rice
  
• 1/2 lime, juice of
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 3 tbsp cilantro
  
• 4 tsp vegetable oil
  

Cook rice according to package:

Add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt. Boil on high until most of water evaporates. Reduce to low and cover for 15 min. Turn off heat and cover for another 5 min.

Once rice is cooked combine the cilantro, lime, and rest of oil.

This recipe produces 4 serving's (serving size being 6 oz) and each serving is 4 points

Once you have done this your delicious Chipotle's rice is complete! I mean really who does not love their rice! It totally makes the whole restaurant. Without who knows what we all would do!

Now on to the next recipe!

Like a lot of my recipes this one happens to be from WeightWatcher's. It is Angel Hair Pasta With Eggplant-Tomato Sauce. I know a mouth full but a yummy mouth full! I had been wanting to try eggplant for some time. This wasn't extremely focused on the eggplant but it was enough for me to expierence the taste and cooking of it. What really made this recipe was the feta cheese that went in with it! So good! (of course I am a feta cheese fanatic...)

Ingredients

• 1 medium raw eggplant, baby-variety, sliced into 1/3 think rounds


• 1 meduium sweet red pepper, cut into 8 strips


• 1 spray olive oil cooking spray


• 3/4 tsp table salt, divided


• 1 medium garlic clove, minced


• 2 large tomatoes, coursely chopped


• 1/4 small crushed red pepper flakes


• 1/8 tsp black pepper


• 2 tbsp basil, fresh, minced


• 2 tbsp chives, fresh, minced


• 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth


• 8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta, cooked according to package


• 4 oz reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat grill to medium.

Place eggplant slices and pepper strips in a grill basket. Coat vegetables with cooking sray and season with 1/2 tsp of salt. Grill until tender, about 2 to 3 min per side. Remove and cool. Cut veggies into bite size pieces and set aside.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over low-mediium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 min. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly pulpy, about 1 min more. Stir in veggies. Add remaining salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, chives and broth. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook until broth is slightly reduced and mixture has a sauce consistency, about 2 to 3 min. Add pasta and toss to coat. Add feta cheese on top.

Serving size is 1 1/2 cup and serves about 6. Each serving is 4 points

>you can also roast the vegetables instead of grilling them which is what I did. It still turns out incredibly good!

This recipe was good and a really good amount for the points value. I will definitely try this recipe again.

Two down and about four more to go not to mention today's lunch and tonight's dinner...

At least you know I am cooking and not slacking...well at least in the cooking department, kind of slacking on the writing department but it is summer!

More to come....

Time for a little Mexican food!


For dinner I made a recipe from WeightWatchers called Mexican Bean and Tortilla pie. It was pretty good and my father liked it ALOT. Which is always a good sign!






Ingredients

• 1 cup canned tomato sauce


• 3/4 cup salsa


• 1/4 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped


• 2 tsp chili powder


• 1 tsp ground cumin


• 5 medium corn tortillas, 6 in each


• 30 oz canned black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed


• 8 oz chopped green chilies, canned


• 1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Combine tomato sauce, cilantro, chili powder and cumin in a bowl

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add corn tortillas (none should overlap, so do two rounds if necessary). Lightly toast each side and try not to let them burn! I flipped mine a couple times just to make sure they were nice and toasted on both side. Once youv'e done this set them aside for later use.

Now the fun part! The layering! Ok, to begin put 1/4 cup of tomato sauce mixture at bottom of 9-in pie plate (or whatever fits your needs). Top with tortilla and add 1/4 cup more sauce. Next comes 1/2 cup of mashed beans. Then 2 tbs green chilies and 1 tbs cheese. Repeat for 3 more layers. Top with remaining tortilla, sauce, and cheese.

Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 min. Uncover for last five minutes and bake until sauce bubbles around edges.

Your Mexican Bean and Tortilla Pie is complete!

Serving size is 6 (4 points value for each serving).

Once again this was tasty and well done! I never seem to find a bad recipe of Weightwatchers, which is awesome considering it has really helped me keep my weight off and stay healthy. Thank you WeightWatchers!