Monthly Archives: December 2015

Mona’s Southwestern Chili

Mona’s Family Favorites: This chili may look like it contains a lot of ingredients, but many of them are staples that you most likely already have in your pantry and fridge. Everyone has their own secret ingredient for their chili recipes, and mine is freshly chopped basil! I find it adds even more herbaceous punch than the cilantro you’d typically use in a Southwestern dish.

Mona's Southwestern Chili
 
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Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 5 Lunch or 4 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
  • 2 cups chopped bell peppers
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
  • ¾ cup frozen corn kernels
Directions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat.
  2. Brown the ground beef until fully cooked. Add the bell peppers, onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, just until the onion and peppers begin to soften.
  3. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pot, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Add the black beans and corn to the chili, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Mona's Southwestern Chili

HELPFUL TIP: Topping a bowl of this chili with 1 tablespoon of sour cream will add 30 calories. Topping it with 1 tablespoon of reduced-fat sour cream will add around 25 calories, depending on the brand.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Our moist and tender party meatballs hit all the parts of your taste buds, keeping you coming back for more. We boost the flavor of these miniature morsels by generously seasoning the meat with bold ingredients and then simmering them in a rich and tangy sauce. To keep the meatballs warm on a party buffet, simply serve them in a slow cooker set to low heat.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
 
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Recipe type: Entertaining
Makes: 24 meatballs or 6 appetizer portions
Ingredients
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3 tablespoons minced yellow onion
  • 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
Directions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to combine all meatball ingredients, except the canola oil.
  2. Form the meatball mixture into 24 meatballs that are 1 inch in size (about the size of a ping-pong ball).
  3. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Add the meatballs to the skillet, and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add all the sauce ingredients to a large sauce pot over medium heat and stir to combine.
  6. Transfer the browned meatballs into the sauce ,and toss to coat. Cover, and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve stuck with toothpicks to easily pick up.
Sauce:

½ cup ketchup
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon onion powder

Perfect Portion Sweet and Sour Meatballs

HELPFUL TIP: These can also be made with extra lean (99% fat-free) ground turkey, if you prefer, though the final result will have nearly the same amount of calories.
Serving size: 2 meatballs Calories: 100

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Supreme Flatbread Pizza

We double the serving size of the average slice by using flatbread for our supreme pizzas! Cut the flatbreads at alternating angles for a sophisticated-looking appetizer that you know your guests will love. Enjoy a whole delicious flatbread pizza for lunch!

Supreme Flatbread Pizza
 
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Recipe type: Entertaining
Makes: 4 pizzas or 6 appetizer portions
Ingredients
  • 4 flatbread pizza crusts (see tip)
  • 1 cup prepared pizza sauce
  • 1 ⅓ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 32 slices turkey pepperoni
  • ¾ cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • ½ cup diced green bell pepper
  • ¼ cup sliced black olives
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F, and place the pizza crusts on sheet pans.
  2. Spread ¼ cup of the pizza sauce over each pizza crust.
  3. Top the pizza sauce on each crust with ⅓ cup of mozzarella cheese.
  4. Arrange 8 slices of turkey pepperoni and an equal amount of the mushrooms, bell peppers, and olives on each pizza. Sprinkle lightly with Italian seasoning.
  5. Bake for 8–12 minutes, just until the cheese is bubbly and the pepperoni is crisp.
Perfect Portion Supreme Flatbread Pizza

HELPFUL TIP: Many brands now sell low-calorie flatbread pizza crusts (usually
located in the deli, near the pita bread Standard sizes are 5 x 13 or 7 x 9 inches).
Serving size: ⅓ flatbread Calories: 100

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Sweet Potato Hash

This loaded hash is a stunner, starring tender-on-the-inside and caramelized-on-the-outside sweet potatoes. We often think of serving hash with eggs, but this sweet and slightly spicy version is an excellent side dish for chicken, pork, and especially fish as well.

Sweet Potato Hash
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Makes: 4 side dish portions
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ cups cubed sweet potatoes, skin on
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup diced red bell pepper
  • ⅔ cup diced red onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Directions
  1. Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling water, and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the drained potatoes, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the potatoes begin to brown.
  3. Sprinkle with the allspice, chili powder, salt, and pepper, and sauté for an additional 2–4 minutes, or until potatoes are crispy on the outside.
  4. Remove from heat, and stir in the chopped sage before serving.
Perfect Portion Sweet Potato Hash

HELPFUL TIP: If the potatoes are sticking to the skillet, they are simply not ready to be stirred. Let them cook until they have browned and they will easily lift away from the pan.
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 100

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French Toast

Mona’s Family Favorites: The winner of all French Toasts! The secret? Better Butter Batter! Mix melted butter right into the batter to make sure that each bite has big butter flavor. The combination of maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon makes this French Toast naturally sweet. Pair with fresh berries for a great breakfast.

French Toast
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Makes: 4 breakfast portions
Ingredients
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg white
  • ½ cup 2% milk
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 8 slices “light” bread (see tip)
Directions
  1. In a wide mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg white, milk, butter, sugar, honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.
  2. Spray a large griddle or nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and place over medium heat.
  3. Working in batches of as many pieces of French Toast as you can fit on the griddle, dip each bread slice into the egg mixture to coat both sides before placing on the hot griddle.
  4. Cook each piece until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side.
  5. Serve garnished with fresh berries (about 25 calories per ¼ cup) or topped with pure maple syrup (50 calories per tablespoon).
Perfect Portion French Toast

HELPFUL TIP: Light bread is sold in loaves in the normal bread aisle. It usually contains only 45 calories per slice and far more fiber than ordinary white bread.
Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 100

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Enchilada Bake

Authentic enchiladas are time consuming, as they require filling and rolling delicate individual tortillas. We capture the same flavors and textures in a fraction of the time by assembling the tortillas, beef mixture, and cheese as a family-friendly Mexican lasagna. It’s hard to beat good food that’s also easy to make! Olé!

Enchilada Bake
 
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Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 12 Lunch or 8 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 pound (96%) extra lean ground beef
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • ½ cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 ½ cups picante sauce (such as Pace®)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • ½ cup sliced black olives
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 10 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas, halved
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spray a large sauce pot with nonstick cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the ground beef to the pot, and cook until well browned, crumbling the beef as it cooks.
  3. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the pot, and sauté for 3 minutes, just until onions are translucent.
  4. Add the picante sauce, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, black olives, and cilantro to the pot. Bring to a simmer, and then remove from the heat.
  5. Build the casserole by layering ½ of the corn tortillas on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top the tortillas with ½ of the ground beef mixture. Top the ground beef mixture with ½ of the shredded cheese.
  6. Repeat the last step to create a second layer using the remaining tortillas, ground beef mixture, and cheese.
  7. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until bubbly hot.
  9. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. For 100 calorie portions, slice casserole into 24 sections by cutting 4 rows by 6 rows.
Perfect Portion Enchilada Bake
Serving size: 1/24 Calories: 100

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The Perfect Omelet

Tender eggs filled with melted cheese and hearty meat and vegetables…so simple but so satisfying. We cook our omelet over moderate heat to prevent overbrowning and then fold the finished omelet twice for a simple and impressive presentation. Mix and match the ingredients below to build your favorite omelet.

The Perfect Omelet
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Makes: 1 breakfast portion
Ingredients
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon 2% milk
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons butter
Directions
  1. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended.
  2. Heat the butter in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, tilting the pan to fully coat the bottom with melted butter.
  3. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, and let sit until the edges begin to cook.
  4. Use a rubber spatula to gently push the cooked edges of the eggs toward the center of the pan, and tilt the pan to allow uncooked egg to reach the edges.
  5. Continue doing this until the bottom of the omelet has set.
  6. Cover the pan for 30 seconds, or until the top of the omelet is no longer runny.
  7. Remove from the heat, and place the fillings down the center third of the omelet. Fold one side over the fillings, then fold the other side of the omelet over the top of the first side to overlap.
  8. Cover for an additional 15 seconds to heat the fillings before transferring to a serving plate, seam-side down.
Fillings:

3 tablespoons shredded cheese (85 calories)
3 tablespoons shredded 2% milk cheese (60 calories)
3 tablespoons diced lean ham (50 calories)
2 slices cooked bacon (90 calories)
2 slices cooked turkey bacon (50 calories)
3 tablespoons diced onions (10 calories)
3 tablespoons diced bell pepper (10 calories)
2 mushrooms, diced (10 calories)
1 tablespoon chopped chives (1 calorie)

Perfect Portion The Perfect Omelet

HELPFUL TIP:
You can also make a “Perfect Egg White Omelet” by substituting 3 large egg whites in place of the 2 large eggs and omitting the tablespoon of milk. This will lower the calories of the full omelet (without fillings) from 200 down to an even 100 calories.
Serving size: ½ omelet Calories: 100

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Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

We gave classic vanilla ice cream a slim-down and a huge boost of flavor. We add a small amount of cornstarch to the ice cream base for ultra creamy texture without the use of heavy cream, and we add both vanilla extract and a freshly scraped vanilla bean for a winning punch of flavor. Divine! Please note that a 1½-quart (or larger) ice cream maker is required for this recipe.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
 
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Recipe type: Desserts
Makes: 1 quart ice cream or 12 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 ¼ cups 2% milk
  • ¾ cup half-and-half
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large egg yolks, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
Directions
  1. Add the milk, half-and-half, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a sauce pot over medium heat.
  2. Cook the ice cream base, whisking constantly, for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
  3. In a mixing bowl, quickly whisk 1 large ladle of the hot ice cream base into the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth and combined.
  4. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pot with the remainder of the ice cream base.
  5. Add the vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds to the ice cream base, and stir until the seeds are incorporated throughout. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating until ice cold, at least 8 hours.
  6. Churn the ice cream base, and chill according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your brand of ice cream maker.
Perfect Portion Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Serving size: ⅓ cup Calories: 100

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Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine, the clear-cut king (or should we say “queen?”) of quiches, shines for its simple combination of bacon and Swiss cheese in a savory custard filling. This version ditches the crust to allow for a much larger portion of the filling, because when it comes to cheese and bacon, isn’t that all that really counts?

5.0 from 1 reviews
Quiche Lorraine
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Makes: 6 breakfast portions
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 5 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chopped chives
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Transfer to paper towels to cool. Crumble the cooled bacon, and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour into the prepared pie plate.
  4. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon, Swiss cheese, and chives over the egg mixture in the pie plate. Press down to gently submerge the ingredients into the eggs.
  5. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top of the quiche begins to brown and the center is springy to the touch. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Perfect Portion Quiche Lorraine

HELPFUL TIP: The better the cheese, the better your quiche will turn out. Look for imported Gruyère (a type of Swiss cheese that melts nicely) for the traditional cheese used to prepare Quiche Lorraine.
Serving size: 1/12 Quiche Calories: 100

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