"HEALTHIFIED" MINI CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

"HEALTHIFIED" MINI CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

We all really liked these. Great FHE treat. They didn't taste "healthy". Kids had fun helping me make them.

12 foil baking cups
12 thin chocolate wafer cookies (from 9-oz package), crushed (2/3 cup) used Oreos
12 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), softened - used 1 cube 1/3 and 4 oz regular2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 oz bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate, melted

Topping - I used Ganache instead of hot fudge topping (see below)
1/3 cup fat-free hot fudge topping
Fresh raspberries, if desired - we used blueberries

1 Heat oven to 325°F. Place foil baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. With back of spoon, firmly press slightly less than 1 tablespoon cookie crumbs in bottom of each foil cup.

2 In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in cocoa. Beat in whole egg and egg white until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate. Divide cheese mixture evenly among crumb-lined foil cups.

3 Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on cooling rack 15 minutes. Remove cheesecakes from pan; cool 15 minutes longer. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled.

4 To serve, carefully remove foil baking cups. Spread fudge topping on cheesecakes. Garnish with raspberries. Store cheesecakes covered in refrigerator. Nutritional Information 1 serving: Calories 200 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 180mg; Total Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 18g); Protein 4g % Daily ValueVitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 4% Exchanges 1 Starch, 1/2 Other Carbohydrate, 2 FatCarbohydrate Choices 1 1/2 GANACHE: 1 cup heavy whip 2 cup choc. chips Heat heavy whip to simmer then take off heat. Add choc. chips and stir with whisk. Cool.

PORK CHOPS

PORK CHOPS

These are so yummy and easy!

http://www.hiddenvalley.com/recipe/v/121/Original-Ranch-Pork-Chops/

• 1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 pork loin rib chops about 1-inch thick
• Dash of paprika (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

In a small bowl, add the Seasoning mix, together with the salt, pepper, and paprika and mix well. Liberally sprinkle the porkchops on both sides with the seasoning mixture.

Arrange the chops on a baking sheet or try with a rack. Bake the pork chops for 20 minutes, turning once until browned or an internal temperature of 160ºF is reached. Serve immediately.

CROCK POT PORK

1 big pack of pork chops

1 packet of Ranch

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can water

Put all in crock pot.  Cook for 4-6 hours on low.

ITALIAN CHOPS

So good!  Found in crock pot cookbook pg. 137.

16 oz bottle Italian salad dressing (use less if only cooking 2 chops) - we really like Ken's brand
2-4 pork chops (I did 10 thin pork chops and it worked great)

Place pork chops in slow cooker.  Pour salad dressing over chops.  Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours.

Variation: add cubed potatoes and thinly sliced carrots and onions to meat before pouring over top.  

SHALOM'S PORK CHOPS

We liked these. Easy!  Cook in the oven for an hour.  See Cowboy Cookbook pg. 145.


PORK CHOPS
Made these in the instant pot.  We really liked them.  4 pork chops.  Were the thick ones from Costco.  If using thinner ones I would cut the cooking time.  I started marinating the chops in the morning then came home between jobs and put in instant pot.  Worked well!

Marinated the chops in:
1/4 c oil
1 tsp steak seasoning
2 1/2 T soy sauce

Add 1 1/2 cup water to instant pot.  Put in trivet.  Put chops on top of trivet and add marinade.  

High pressure for 8 minutes.  Let naturally release.

PESTO SALAD

St. Patrick's Day Pesto Pasta

Lisa made this for her family on St. Patrick's Day. I thought it sounded good. Easy to make. The kids and I loved it. Might try adding some spinach next time. I mixed the spinach noodles and whole grain linguine noodles.

1 1/2 cups tightly packed, washed and dried basil leaves

1/2 cup walnuts

2 chopped garlic cloves

2/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. spinach linguine or fettuccine

Instructions

Chop basil leaves in a food processor or blender. Add walnuts and garlic. Process until finely ground. With the machine running, slowly add oil. Next, pour in grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Mix and then set aside.

Cook linguine or fettuccine according to package instructions. Drain and toss with the pesto in a serving bowl. Top with more Parmesan cheese. Serves 4 to 6.

LENTIL SOUP

GERMAN LENTIL SOUP

We all liked this. It was posted on the Allred Biggest Loser Blog by Melody. This is what she said about it:

I made this soup for my family, my parents, and my sister's family. Everybody gobbled it up and wanted more, even the kids. We realized that it is actually quite healthy! It's got lots of fiber and nutrients, as well as being relatively low-calorie. Yes, it has bacon in it, but is also makes about 8 servings, so you are only getting a half a slice of bacon, which isn't bad at all. Enjoy!

4 bacon slices, diced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced
3 or 4 celery stalks, sliced
1 ham steak, cut up
1 16 oz package brown lentils
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
8 cups hot water
2 tsp salt

---2 T lemon juice (the lemon juice makes it!)

In 5 quart pon over medium-high heat, fry bacon until lightly browned (next time I would cook it until almost crisp). Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add ham, lentils, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, hot water, and salt. Cover and simmer over low heat 1 hour or until lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves.

Stir in lemon juice.

INSTANT POT LENTILS
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-lentils
I really liked this recipe.  Tasted like minestroni soup.  Really good with croutons or crackers.
I soaked and rinsed my lentils.  I also cooked them for about 2 minutes in the instant pot and then rinsed again.  I felt this helped a lot with the gassiness.

2 cups lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, roughly diced
2 ribs celery, roughly diced
2 T unsalted butter or olive oil (I didn't use this - just used vegetable stock)
1 # smoked kielbasa sausage (didn't add)
1 onion, roughly diced
1 shallot, roughly diced
6 cloves garlic, roughly diced
14 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp cumin seed, ground
1 T regular soy sauce
1 T fish sauce (can substitute with regular soy sauce)

Garnish: (didn't do this)
dash of balsamic vinegar
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in saute more function to heat up Instant Pot.  Wait until HOT appears on the screen (8 min)

Add to 2 T butter or oil or broth - add in sausage and saute 5 min

Add in diced onion, shallots and saute for 3 minutes.  Add in minced garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin and 2 bay leaves then saute another minute.

Pour in 1/2 cup unsalted stock, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot.  Give it a quick mix.

Add in 2 cups green lentils, diced carrots,, diced celery, 1 T soy sauce 1 T fish sauce.  Pour in 3 1/2 cups stock then give it a quick mix.  Layer 14 oz crushed tomatoes on top of the other ingredients in Instant Pot - do not mix!

Make sure venting position is on sealing.  Pressure cook 10 minutes - natural release 10 minutes.

If you want it thicker, change to saute more function.  Take a little out and put in a bowl to see if you like the balsamic vinegar before adding to the whole pot.

Curried Sweet Potato, Lentil and Chicken Soup

1	large or 2 medium dark-orange sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 cups)
1/4	cup chopped onion
1/2	cup apple juice
1/2	cup water
2	cans (19 oz each) Progresso® Vegetable Classics lentil soup
1 1/2	cups Green Giant® frozen cut green beans
1	cup finely chopped cooked chicken
2	to 3 teaspoons curry powder

1.

In 3-quart saucepan heat sweet potatoes, onion, apple juice and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook 5 minutes.

2.

Stir in soup, beans, chicken and curry powder. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. 1 Serving: Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 30); Total Fat 3 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol20mg; Sodium 670mg; Total Carbohydrate 34g (Dietary Fiber 6g, Sugars 6g); Protein 14g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 150%; Vitamin C 6%; Calcium 6%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 1Vegetable; 1 Very Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

THAI HEAVENLY PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

THAI HEAVENLY PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

This is seriously so good. We all LOVED it. A new family favorite. Two tips for the next time I make it:

*Start rice at least 2 hours before wanting to make (I had some frozen in the freezer and just defrosted it)

**Have everything cut etc. before starting. This is very important! Once you start you don't have time to prepare things.

http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm

This classic Thai pineapple fried rice recipe is real vegetarian Thai food. Make this easy fried rice at home - it's as good or better than take-out fried rice! Thai jasmine rice is fried up with chunks of pineapple, plus cashews, peas, and currents with a curry-flavored sauce. Includes cooking tips to create perfect fried rice every time. Proof that vegetarian Thai cooking is anything but boring. Mmmm - heavenly!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes

Ingredients:

• SERVES 2-4
• 1 small can pineapple chunks, drained, OR 1 whole pineapple
• 3 cups cooked rice, preferably several days old (Tip: if fresh, leave for an hour or more in the refrigerator uncovered)
• 3-4 Tbsp. vegetable or faux chicken stock for stir-frying (or regular chicken stock if non-vegetarian)
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
• 1 red or green chili, thinly sliced (reduce or leave out if you prefer very mild fried rice) I think diced green chilies would work too.
• 1 egg (vegans can omit)*
• ½ cup frozen peas
• optional: 1 small carrot, grated (about 1/4 cup)
• ¼ cup raisins or currants
• ½ cup raw unsalted whole cashews
• 3 green onions finely sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (we don't really like, so I would either not put any in or just a little bit)
• STIR-FRY SAUCE:
• 2 Tbsp vegetarian fish sauce, OR 3 Tbps. soy sauce (use regular fish sauce if non-vegetarian)
• 2 tsp. curry powder

Preparation:

For instructions on preparing fresh pineapple (or to create a "pineapple boat" for your fried rice), see: How to Buy/Prepare Fresh Pineapple.

For a non-vegetarian version of this recipe, see: How to Make Thai Heavenly Pineapple Fried Rice, step by step.

1. Mix 1 Tbsp. oil with the rice, using your fingers to separate any chunks into grains. Set aside.
2. In a cup, stir the soy sauce/fish sauce together with the curry powder.
3. Drizzle 1-2 Tbsp. oil in a wok/large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic, and chili, stir-frying until fragrant (1 minute). Whenever the wok/pan becomes dry, add a little stock (1/2 to 1 Tbsp. at a time to keep the pan sizzling).
4. Crack egg (if using) into wok and stir quickly to cook (like making scrambled eggs).
5. Add the carrot (if using), peas, cashews. Stir-fry 1 minute in the same way, adding more stock if needed.
6. Now add the rice, pineapple chunks, and currents. Drizzle the fish/soy sauce mixed with curry powder over and gently stir-fry to combine over medium-high to high heat until the rice "dances" (begins to make popping sounds) - about 3 minutes.Tip: Avoid adding any more stock from here on, or your rice will turn out soggy. The wok/pan should be hot and dry.
7. Remove from heat. Do a taste-test for saltiness, adding a few shakes of salt or up to 2 Tbsp. more [veggie] fish sauce or soy sauce, as needed. (If you happen to over-salt the dish, add a squeeze or two of lime juice.)
8. To serve, scoop rice onto a serving platter (or in a carved-out pineapple, if serving at a party - see link at beginning of recipe). Top with green onions and cilantro, and ENJOY!