Penne Alla "Not-Ka" (no alcohol)

So I have been watching (or rather DVR-ing) "Cook Yourself Thin" on Lifetime. This show is based on the recipe book by the same title. They take favorite recipes and make them with half the calories or less. The great thing is, they use a lot of seasoning and wonderful flavors that make these dishes come alive. You can find the recipes here: This is a healthier version of penne alla vodka, but called "Not-Ka" because there is no alcohol. I actually made it with multi grain penne and left out the red pepper flakes since I didn't have any on hand. The mixture of tomato, basil and red onion is fantastic!! Oh- I also used fresh parmesan which made a difference too. I also did NOT drizzle olive oil on before serving. I didn't feel it was necessary. Even my pickiest eater loved this!!! One more note - I don't know anything about nonfat evaporated milk so I just used regular non-fat milk.

Penne Alla "Not-Ka"

Serves 4
Calories per serving: 371

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes in juice, pureed in a food processor
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces penne
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne.
. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

3. Meanwhile, after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the drained penne to the saucepan and simmer until the penne is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.

4. To serve, divide pasta among 4 serving bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Ravioli Lasagna

Wow, I can't tell you how good this was and super easy and fast.

2 bags of beef ravioli's
1 jar your favorite pasta sauce
about 2 cups cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cook ravioli's according to package instructions. Place foil on the bottom of a 13x9 pan and spray with cooking spray. Put some sauce on the bottom then place a layer of ravioli's down with the flat side up. Put a layer of sauce and cheese. Repeat once and cover with foil. Cook for about 45 min or until bubbly. Take off foil and let it cook for about 5 more min until cheese is slightly golden.

You can always add more stuff to the sauce, but it is good just as it is.

Everyone over 15 loved this!

BACON AND MUSHROOM QUICHE

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. cooked, crumbled bacon
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. dried minced onion
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 frozen deep dish pie shell, thawed and baked for 10 minutes at 400 degrees
5 eggs
1 c. fat free half & half or milk
1/2 tsp. white pepper

Place layers of Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, bacon, Parmesan cheese, onion, and Swiss cheese in pie shell. Beat eggs until frothy and add half & half. Season with pepper. Pour custard mixture evenly over pie filling. Place quiche on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until set. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

This is from my cousin Julie Ward's recipes. She is an awesome cook and has some pretty amazing recipes. This one is really worth trying.

4 T. honey
2 T. lime juice
1 T. oil (I used olive oil)
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Mexican blend shredded cheese
Flour tortillas, soft taco size
1 can green enchilada sauce

Cook and shred 4 chicken breasts. Mix above sauce with shredded chicken. Roll chicken mixture and grated cheese into flour tortillas. Top with green enchilada sauce and a little grated cheese. Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes.

Chicken Spaghetti

These ingredients sound funny and it looks funny when you make it, but Eric will eat a whole pan by himself if there is no one else home to eat it.

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 cups uncooked spaghetti noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces (about 7 ounces)
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine broth, salt, pepper, and soup in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add soup mixture to chicken mixture; toss. Divide mixture evenly between 2 (8-inch) square or (2-quart) baking dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over each casserole. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Thai Chicken

1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 lb chicken, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper cut into ¼ inch strips
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano hot pepper seeded and minced (I usually only use half because we don't like it super spicy)
4 Tbsp hoison sauce
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup fresh basil leaves (you can use dried but it is better with fresh - with the dried I add about a TBSP when I am cooking the chicken)

Heat the oil, stir fry the chicken, until almost done. Add pepper, garlic and Serrano, Cook 2-3 minutes. Add hoison sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Throw in basil leaves and toss until wilts. Serve over rice!! Wow it is good!

Holiday Cranberry Salad

So I really liked this but Eric didn't. So maybe it is a woman thing. But I thoroughly enjoyed it.

1 12oz. bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen), coarsley chopped

1 can crushed pineapple with juice

2 c. sugar

1/2 pt. whipping cream

1 c. chopped walnuts

2 c. mini marshmellows

chop up cranberries and put in bowl. Mix in pineapple with juice and add sugar. Mix carefully and let stand for 1 hour. Pour mixture into strainer over a bowl to save juice and refrigerate that way overnight.

Before serving, whip cream (sweeten if desired). Mix fruit with whipped cream, walnuts, and marshmellows.

If you want they recipe says to reserve the juice and mix with sprite or something like that for a tangy punch. We haven't tried that part yet but it is in our freezer.