Favorite New Recipes

I wish I could say that these beautiful photos were mine, but they're not. They are all from Cooking Light magazine. I still haven't figured out how to take stunning pictures of food. Usually the pictures I take of food don't look nearly as good as the food tastes. Maybe someday I'll learn, but for now I decided to share these photos instead. My grandma has given me a subscription to Cooking Light for several years, and I almost always love the new recepies I find. I had to share a few of the latest with you. If you decide to give them a try, let me know how they turned out. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread I've made this several times now, and my kids love it. It's very moist and easy to make.

This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze the extra bread, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to one month. Omit the nuts or substitute chopped walnuts, if you prefer. Check the bread after 50 minutes of baking--you may need to cover the loaves with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 15 ounces)

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

2/3 cup water

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

Cooking spray

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl. Place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 2 loaves; 12 servings per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)CALORIES 198 (30% from fat); FAT 6.6g (sat 0.7g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 3.4g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 53mg; SODIUM 287mg; FIBER 1.2g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.3g Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Citrus Vinagrette I used the Tilapia fillets from the frozen food section at Costco. The fish doesn't have a real strong flavor, so the vinagrette adds a nice kick. I served it with broccoli and couscous. My kids liked this too!

Sherry vinegar is mildly acidic. If you can't find it, substitute white wine vinegar. Total time: 36 minutes.

Cooking spray

4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add 2 fillets to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining fillets.
Add white wine to pan; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates. Combine shallots and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add shallot mixture to pan; sauté 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons sauce.

Yield: 4 servingsCALORIES 215 (31% from fat); FAT 7.4g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 34.5g; CHOLESTEROL 85mg; CALCIUM 24mg; SODIUM 357mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2.9g Cooking Light, JANUARY 2008

Golden Winter Soup I LOVED this soup! I tastes a lot like my Dad's squash soup, but it's a lot easier to make. Definitely make the toasts to go with it. The first time I made it I used a multi-grain baguette and swiss chees (the Gruyere is kinds pricey) and it was delicious.

Leeks and potatoes provide the base for this hearty vegetable soup, and butternut squash adds a hint of sweetness. Gruyère toasts add a salty note.

2 tablespoons butter

5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)

2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half

12 ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese

3 tablespoons chopped chives

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preheat broiler.
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture. Stir in half-and-half. Cover and keep warm.
Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Yield: 8 servingsCALORIES 329 (30% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 6.2g,mono 3g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 12.8g; CHOLESTEROL 30mg; CALCIUM 217mg; SODIUM 813mg; FIBER 4.8g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.7g Cooking Light, JANUARY 2008

Another favorite recipe I tried recently was from the back of the bag of Sweet Potato Spears they sell at Costco. (You can find inspiration anywhere, right?!) I thought they were so good, and Michael especially liked them with ketchup. I went a little bit easy on the hot stuff because I don't like my food too spicy, and I used yellow mustard because that's what I had on hand. These were easy to make, and it was so convenient to have the sweet potatoes already washed, peeled and cut.

3 Cups Sweet Potato Spears
1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 Tbsp. Lime juice
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. Spicy brown mustard
1/4 tsp. Ground black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, chili powder, brown mustard, and black pepper. Add potatoes and mix until evenly coated. Arrange spears in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake twenty minutes in preheated oven. Then turn spears over, and continue to bake for 10 more minutes, until crispy and browned. Season with salt and serve.

Okay, last but not least, I have to share this new discovery with everyone. I know you are all dying to know. . . I like ice in my milk! When I read this post on thisweekfordinner.com I thought "that is so disgusting." But I decided to try my milk "on the rocks" as Jayne would say, and I was converted. It makes my milk nice and cold, and I will never go back to drinking it plain. So, if you try the Pumpkin bread, definitely have it with a nice COLD glass of milk!

Enjoy!