Zuppa Toscana

Oh my gosh, this was so good. Way better, in my opinion, than the one Olive Garden serves. Yum yum yum. One batch made plenty for my family of 6 with a little left over.
Credit for this delicious recipe goes to That's Some Good Cookin'

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1/2 pound bacon, chopped

7 cups chicken stock

2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean and cubed

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups chopped kale

1 cup heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces. Drain, set aside.
2. In the same Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat, brown bacon; remove and set aside to drain on paper towels. Leave two tablespoons of rendered bacon fat in the skillet.
3. Sauté the potatoes, onion and garlic in the rendered bacon fat over medium or medium low heat. Sauté until the onion begins to be translucent and the potatoes are still a little firm, but are beginning to soften.
4. Add the sausage, bacon, 7 cups water, and 3 chicken bouillon cubes to the pot. Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
5. Stir in kale and cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat until warm throughout.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This is an adapted recipe from Bob Harper and Rachael Ray. It is super healthy, stuffed with vegetables, but surprisingly delicious too. It made enough for two nights for 6 people.

• 2 clove crushed Garlic
• 1 cooked Spaghetti Squash
• 1/2 cup low fat Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 2 cups roasted Vegetables (such as red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)
• 1+ cup Marinara

1. Roast halved and seeded squash face down in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
2. At same time, roast vegetables on cookie sheet.
3. Saute onion about 10 minutes, to translucent.
4. Add sausage and garlic and brown the meat
5. Combine squash, roasted vegetables, cheese and meat in a large bowl.
6. Add marinara sauce
7. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese on top
8. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes

Zucchini Fritters (or pancakes)

Another recipe from my favorite recipe blog, and this one is a big winner. I hate zucchini, but these were delicious. I even ate way more than my share. It wasn't a chore at all to swallow this zucchini down and it was significantly healthier than making bread with the squash.

My mom made something like this when we were kids, that we called zucchini pancakes. I don't think it had the Parmesan cheese in it though. We would douse those in malt vinegar and gobble them up. It's been decades since I've had her version, and had actually forgotten about them until this tasty treat popped up online.

For the record, I'm doubling their recipe here because that's how I made them and we ate every last one.

8 C. grated zucchini (one medium-large and one regular sized zucchini got me there)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
1/2 C. sliced green onions
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp. flour
1 egg + 1 egg white
Olive oil

Place shredded zucchini in a strainer over a bowl or in sink.  Toss with salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press zucchini down with hands to expel liquid through strainer.  Transfer zucchini to several layers of paper towels and place another layer of paper towels on top of it.  Press and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.

Place zucchini in a bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Toss together.  

Heat a large, non-stick skillet to medium-high heat.  Add enough olive oil to coat the pan.  Drop zucchini batter by 2-tablespoons full (I used an ice cream scoop) into pan and lightly spread/flatten.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp on one side and then flip.  Continue cooking until golden and then transfer to a wire rack with a paper towel on it.  *note cooking time greatly varies due to pan type, stove, etc.  Go by color and cook until they’re nice and golden-crisp.  

 Nutritional Info (per 1 fritter): Cal: 27, Fat: 1, Carb: 2, Pro: 2, Fib: 0

Quinoa in the pressure cooker

Not a recipe, just instructions so I don't forget...

1 1/2 cups quinoa 
2 1/4 cups water

Cook 2 minutes on high pressure, followed by 10 minutes letting it sit.

Quinoa Couscous Salad

This is a good basic quinoa salad recipe. It's easy to add or take away from this and have it still taste good. I really like the addition of the couscous, which gives the salad a much lighter texture.

1 C. cooked quinoa
1 C. cooked couscous
2 stalks chopped green onions
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 C. pinenuts
1/2 C. corn
1/4 C. raisins
1/8 C. parsley
lemon juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Greek Quinoa Salad

2 C. uncooked quinoa
4C. chicken broth
1 cucumber
1 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
crumbled feta cheese
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
olives
cherry tomatoes halved

Dressing:
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. olive oil
black pepper to taste

Bring quinoa and broth to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Chop remaining ingredients. When quinoa is done let it cool. I put the pot in a sink full of ice to speed this process up. Toss all ingredients together and enjoy

Mango Steak Stir Fry

This recipe comes from  OurBestBites.com. It has a distinctly Thai flavor to it. I think it's probably the mint. Whatever it was, delicious would be a great way to describe it. Though next time I might add a bit more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce (if this needs to be gluten-free, check the soy sauce label)
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
12 ounces flank steak, thinly sliced (if it’s semi-frozen, it’s easier to slice)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil (olive, coconut, or canola), divided
1 small red onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 cup cubed, ripe (but not too ripe) mango
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped or torn
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Instructions:
Whisk together the water, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, and corn starch. Set aside.

Toss together the basil, cilantro, and mint and set aside.

Sprinkle the steak with crushed red pepper and black pepper and toss to combine. Heat half of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. When hot, add the steak and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until almost cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and add the onion, pepper, and ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender-crisp.

Add the garlic, steak, mango and stir-fry until the steak is cooked through.

Add the sauce and cook until thickened slightly.

Serve immediately over rice and sprinkle with herb mixture. Serves 4.

Calories: 215
Fat: 11
Fiber: 2
Carbs: 13
Protein: 16
WW Points Plus: 6