Taco Soup

Low cal, low fat, and full 'o flavor!  Trust me, this will turn into your trusty, easy fall/winter vegetable soup.

1 can Staggs 99% fat free turkey ranchero chili
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 tbs taco seasoning
2 zucchinis, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
1 cup baby carrots
1 can diced green chilies
1 onion, chopped

Mix and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2 cups = 1 WW point

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert

My mom made this sometime over the summer when she had guests over.  Let me tell you, peanut butter and chocolate is, like, the best combination ever!  And I could have eaten the whole entire pan.  But I didnt, just 3 pieces.


Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert
Serves 12-16
Prep time: 20 min
Chill time: 3 hrs.

20 Oreo cookies (divided 16 and 4)
2 Tblsp softened butter

Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. (If you use a ziplock bag for crushing and mixing the clean up is a cinch.) Press into a 9X13 ungreased pan.

Filling 1:
1- 8 oz, softened cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar
1- 16 oz. container of cool whip (divided)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the cheese, sugar, and peanut butter. Fold in half of the cool whip. Spread over the crust.

Filling 2:
15 miniature Peanut Butter Cups, Chopped ( I 1/4 them)

Sprinkle over peanut butter filling.

Filling 3:
1 cup milk
1 pkg. (3.9 oz) instant choc. pudding mix.
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Cool Whip

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pudding mix, and powdered sugar on low speed for two min. Fold in the remaining cool whip. Spread over the other two fillings. Crush the remain 4 cookies and sprinkle over the dessert.

Cover and chill for 3 hr.

From 2008 Taste of Home Prize Winning Recipes

Zucchini Bread

Mid-last week I decided that it was time to use some of the zucchini I picked out of my garden.  It wasn't dinner time, so no zucchini dish needed; but I had wanted to make zucchini bread.  Honestly, that's one of the reasons why I planted the little $.80 plant, to have zucchini to make bread.  So Colleen (my future sister-in-law) helped and we went to town! 

Well, not literally went to town.  I had everything we needed. 

I took a loaf to work and a loaf to my parent's house.  The loaf at work was gone by 10am.  I had to call my mom and tell her to make sure she saved some for Colleen to try.  So good!  I was even told that someday I'll make somebody very happy with my culinary skills.

I found the recipe at tastykitchen.com. 

Zucchini Bread
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
3 whole eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tbs vanilla
2 cups loosely packed grated zucchini (do not peel)
2 cups flour
1 tbs cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. Beat eggs.  Add sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla.  Beat mixture until thick and frothy.
2. Stir in zucchini (do not peel it).  Sift and add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Pour mixture into two floured loaf pans.  Bake at 350F for 1 hour.  Insert cake tester in center until it comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and place on rack until it completely cools.

*I used 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce.  Totally good, you can't tell there was a partial substitute.

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Oh my goodness!  I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet!  Forgive me, I believe by not sharing I have sinned...

You start off with these ingredients:

regular mushrooms
pesto sauce
cream cheese (softened)
garlic (minced)
shredded parm
The this is what you do:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Gently clean the mushrooms.  Pop the stems out of the tops.

Mix the cream cheese and garlic together.  Use a spoon and put a little scoop into each mushroom to fill the hole where the stem was.

 

Then you put a little dollop of pesto onto of the cream cheese.

 

Sprinkle with the shredded parmesan.

Bake for oh, about 10-15 minutes to bake the little suckers.  Finish on broil to slightly brown the pesto and parm.

Warning:  The are HOT when the come out of the oven.  Give them a chance to cool, unlike I did, I just popped one in my mouth.  Oops!

Here's where I went wrong.  I didn't take a picture of the finished product.  Because I was at a party when I baked them.  And because I ate half of them.  So good.

Pesto Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Mushrooms

Cream Cheese, softened

Garlic, minced

Pesto Sauce

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Gently clean mushrooms.  Pop the stems out of the tops.
2. Mix cream cheese and garlic.  Scoop a little bit of the mixture into each mushroom top.
3. Put a little dollop of pesto on the cream cheese.
4. Sprinkle with parm
5. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes.  Broil to finish.
6. Let cool slightly!

Enjoy!

Lil' Smokies... pictures added

Check out the recipe for Lil' Smokies.  I haven't made them in awhile, but finally did this weekend.  So I added pictures.

I'll just put it this way...  They came out of the oven and within 4 1/2 minutes the entire 9x13 pan was gone!  Luckily I checked at 4 1/4 minutes, so I got a baconless smokie.