A healthy meal for Bowl Game viewing

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It’s going to be (yet) another sports weekend in our house – outdoor activities and must-watch sporting events. To create a festive mood for game time, I’m making a taco salad for dinner – it’s healthy, delicious, low-fat and quick. This recipe can be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd for a Bowl Game Party. Thankfully, taco salad combines many of my favorite snack items so I’ll be less tempted by chips and dip…

Quick and Healthy Taco Salad

4 servings

Ingredients

• 12 ounces ground round or lean turkey
• 2 cups chopped yellow, red, or green bell pepper (or 1 medium onion, diced)
• 2 cups bottled salsa
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped plum tomato
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup crumbled baked tortilla chips (about 12 chips)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• Optional toppings – low fat sour cream, pickled or fresh jalapenos, additional salsa, diced avocado, or guacamole

Preparation

1. Cook meat and bell pepper or onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until meat is browned; stir to crumble. Add salsa; bring to a boil. Stir in cilantro; keep warm.
2. Place 1 cup lettuce on each of 4 plates; top with 1 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 cup tomato, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup chips, and 1 tablespoon onions.

For vegetarian guests, pan cook tilapia fillets (about 3- 4 minutes/side) on medium-high, remove from pan; keep warm. Sauté some diced onions for 5 minutes until soft then stir in some salsa, bring to a boil. Place lettuce on the plate, 3 oz of fish, generous ladle of onion salsa mixture, and other toppings.

Serving suggestion for a crowd – create a taco bar: Set out plates or bowls with the lettuce and meat and invite your guests to top their own taco salad.

Any suggestions for a healthy, delicious and low fat dessert for half-time?

Recipe inspiration: Cooking Light, October, 1999 myrecipes.com; Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Mama Says: There is no reason to order a pizza when you can whip-up a thrifty, quick and tasty meal in minutes. Ask a friend prepare the toppings while you saute the meat and salsa.

Sparkling Wine: Riondo Prosecco (Italy)

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Thrifty Tip of the week from Mama Says – sparkling wine to ring in the New Year. Entertain your guests with a sparkle without out breaking the bank.  Or bring your NYE hostess a bubbly wine (at a bargain price) to keep the party flowing. There is no need to drink cheap sparkling wine or to break the bank to serve a single bottle of fancy Champagne when you can offer your guests Prosecco (Italy).

During that past several months, I’ve served this delicious wine to celebrate a special birthday and for a ‘Just Because’ dinner.

Riondo Prosecco Italy Sparkling NV 750ml

This sparkling wine is a party in bottle – with a simple green label. It’s delicate, clean and bubbly.  And at around $10 a bottle it is a bargain. Buy one for a special toast and another to make peach bellini (here’s recipe from Rachel Ray).  You don’t have to take my word for it; Robert Parker of Wine Advocate (WA) gave this gem a 90, noting:

“This effusively fruity, light-bodied offering offers terrific floral notes, persistent effervescence, and a clean, delicate finish. There is not much body or weight in this crystal clean, pure, sparkling white.”

A little background: Prosecco is a grape variety from the Veneto region of Italy. It’s bubbly-ness or sparkle is an

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elegant fizz, while the nose is a soft melon and citrus. The Riondo Prosecco has only 10.5% alcohol, so it doesn’t wallop you with a heavy punch – rather it’s a lovely sipper – a great to start the evening. This wine is so delicious and pairs easily with a variety of foods – from salty to spicy or a fruit plate.

And the good news, it is widely available. I’ve purchased it at Costco and Whole Foods.  Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.  Thank you for joining us in the kitchen.

Caramel corn meets brittle for a savory crunch.

Over the next several days, the house will swell with family and friends — and periodically we’ll need a nosh, a hostess gift to take on visit, or a nibble to enjoy during a movie. We just make a batch of Popcorn Brittle — from the December 2009 issue of Cooking Light and available at myrecipes.com. I’m inviting a helper into the kitchen to make a another batch.  YUM.

Cookie Blog Carnival – Rugelach

We’re pleased to bring you this recipe as part of chic crafty chick’s Cookie Blog Carnival.

Not all cookies are quick and easy. Some take a little more time, but boy are they worth it!  I make these cookies at Chanuka for my kids, pulling them out on one of the nights where the presents are a bit thin.  Nothing makes a better present than a home baked goodie.

Cream Cheese Rugelach

Dough:

1/2 lb unsalted butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups all purpose flour

RAISIN NUT FILLING:

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c raisins

1 t cinnamon

1 c finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1/4 c sugar (for topping)

ALTERNATE FILLING – STRAWBERRY JAM:  1 cup ground almonds, 1 cup strawberry jam

1.  Cream the butter and cream cheese together.

2. Beat in the flour, a little at a time.

3. Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Divind the dough into 4 portions.

4. Prepare one of the fillings (except for the 1/4 c sugar for the topping)

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Roll out one portion of the dough into a thin circle.  With a knife, cut the circle into 16 pie shaped wedges.  If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle some flour on it.

7. Spread the filling of your choice on each wedge.  Beginning at the wide edge, roll the dough up toward the point.

8. place on an ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with a tiny bit of the reserved sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  If you really want to be decadent, brush with melted butter about 10 minutes into the baking process.

Be sure to head on over to chic crafty chick’s site to see the other cookie recipes in the Cookie Blog Carnival and to learn more about the Sweet Give Aways!  Happy Baking.

Simple weeknight dinner with a touch of bourbon

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Continuing my quest to cook through the items in my pantry I expanded by sights to include an ancient bottle of bourbon we inherited from my mother-in-law when she purged her cupboards. Since many bourbon recipes call for large quantities of sugar, I searched myrecipes.com for a sauce/marinade with minimal sugar and found this delicious bourbon-glazed salmon. To make this a week night meal, prepare the glaze the night before or in the morning and allow the fish to marinade until you are ready to cook.

Bourbon-Glazed Salmon

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh limejuice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4  (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
Cooking spray
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 1/2 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish and marinade to pan; cook fish 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates; drizzle each serving with about 2 teaspoons sauce. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon green onions and 3/4 teaspoon sesame seeds.

Source: www.myrecipes.com Esther Maples, Harlem, Georgia, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007

Do you have a favorite recipe that calls for bourbon? Please share! Just leave a comment below.