Weight Watchers Wednesday: Calzones

I had some pizza crust (the Pillsbury kind in the tube) in the fridge, so in my quest to find a healthy Weight-Watchers friendly recipe, I knew I wanted to make something with the pizza dough. I thought a pizza or calzone would be a good choice ... if I could find a healthy recipe.

I found this recipe while looking through my Weight Watchers cookbook, and thought I'd give it a try. It also helped that feta cheese was BOGO this week at Publix, and I was able to find a coupon. Healthy AND cheap - score!

I must admit that this isn't what I would typically think of when I think of a calzone. There's no meat (calling all vegetarians!), and there's no sauce, so it's not really as much like a pizza as I had thought. But it's not bad.

In the interest of being transparent I will say that this isn't our favorite meal, but it's not bad. If I had all the ingredients, I'd make it again, but it's not going to be one of our go-to dishes. But maybe you'll enjoy it!

And I took a photo, but can't find it anywhere, dagnabbit! It was actually really pretty!

Calzones
1 1/4 teaspoon (about 1/2 envelope) active dry yeast*
3/4 cup lukewarm (105-115 degrees) water*
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon salt*
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup thawed frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of the lukewarm water through the feed tube just until the dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth and elastic, about 30 times. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray; place the dough in the bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise in a warm draft-free place until it doubles in volume, about 1 hour. (OR -- use a tube of Pillsbury pizza dough and roll it into a large circle on a baking sheet. Much easier!!)

Meanwhile, in a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shallots and garlic until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the spinach; cook about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in the ricotta, feta, egg, mint, oregano, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees; spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle a work surface with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Turn out the dough; divide into 6 pieces. Roll out each piece into a 6-inch circle. Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of filling on one side of each circle, then dampen all around the edge; fold over and press with a wet thumb to seal. Transfer the calzones to the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes.

Weight Watchers Wednesday: Goat Cheese & Roasted Corn Quesadillas

I weighed myself this morning and was not completely disgusted. I now have about 10 pounds to go before being at my pre-pregnancy weight. I'd love to lose a little more, maybe a total of 15 pounds, but I won't push my luck. Ten will do for now, I suppose (although I do have to fit into a bridemaid's gown in May ...).

So this isn't the best-looking photo in the world (a quesadilla is a quesadilla, right?), but a bad photo is better than nothing, I guess.

This isn't a Weight Watchers recipe, but it's from Cooking Light. Close enough, eh? I found this while wading through recipes looking for something healthy but not too off the wall. You know my love for cheese, so I thought we'd give this a try.

We enjoyed this; the flavor was good and it wasn't heavy like most of the quesadillas I make (with lots of regular cheese). I followed the recipe and only used one ear of corn, which yielded only 3/4 cup of corn. Next time I make this I'll use two ears of corn - I think this could have used more. And if you want to add more substance, you could add grilled chicken, too.

All in all, this was a pretty good meal. Healthy, easy and if you like goat cheese, tasty. Enjoy!


Goat Cheese & Roasted Corn Quesadillas
Recipe from Cooking Light, March 2009
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear)
2/3 cup (5 ounces) goat cheese, softened
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 1 green onion)
10 tablespoon bottled salsa verde, divided
Cooking spray

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn; sauté 2 minutes or until browned. Place corn in a small bowl. Add goat cheese to corn; stir until well blended. Divide corn mixture evenly among 4 tortillas; spread to within 1/4 inch of sides. Sprinkle each tortilla with 1 tablespoon green onions. Drizzle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons salsa; top with remaining 4 tortillas. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels; recoat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with remaining 8 tablespoons salsa. Serves 4.

Calories per serving (serving size: 4 wedges and 2 tablespoons salsa): 223; Fat:8.9g; Protein: 9.9g; Carbohydrate: 28.6g; Fiber: 3.2g; Cholesterol: 16mg; Iron: 1mg; Sodium: 266mg; Calcium: 75mg

Bacon Quiche

At our house, we sometimes enjoy breakfast for dinner. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, cereal ...we like it all.

Yup, you read right. Sometimes we eat cereal for dinner. And we like it.

But even when I do cook breakfast for dinner, I still like it to be a quick and easy meal. This bacon quiche fits the bill quite well. It's so yummy and hearty; served with a side of grits, it's a complete meal. I don't like Swiss cheese, but I love it in this. I also love that, besides the cheese, it's a recipe made with ingredients I typically always have in the pantry or fridge.

This quiche is also perfect for breakfast or brunch. It's not very healthy, but man, is it worth the calories!

Bacon Quiche
Recipe courtesy of Suzanne Akins
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
3 eggs
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/3 cup bacon, crumbled

Mix butter, milk, salt, pepper, and eggs. Beat well. Stir in Bisquick and pour into 9-inch cake or pie pan. Sprinkle bacon and cheese on top. (Do not mix.) Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Greek turkey burgers

I stepped on the scale last week and was not happy with what I saw. Of course, with the way I've been eating lately I should have known that I would be less than pleased with the numbers on the scale, but a girl can dream.

So in an effort to shed some of this baby weight I've still got hanging around, I am trying to cook and eat healthier. I don't really have much time to read these days, what with an infant in the house and all, but while (very) quickly skimming through the latest issue of Southern Living I found a recipe for turkey burgers. We're big burger fans in our house, but I've heard mixed reviews about turkey. I've heard that they can be dry and tasteless, but this recipe looked like it might be something we (or I...) would like. Anything with feta cheese is worth a try in my book.

Patrick was skeptical. He's a traditional burger kind of guy. But he humored me and grilled them anyway. He even ate one. And liked it!

These burgers aren't dry at all (I think the cucumber sauce helps) and are packed full of flavor. I really liked them a lot - they were so tasty and different from what we usually eat. Patrick liked them, too, and said that they didn't make him feel as full and heavy as a regular hamburger.

If you're looking for an alternative to your usual hamburger, give these a try. We finished them today and will be making them again.


Greek turkey burgers
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast
1 (4-oz.) package crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray, if using a grill pan
1/2 cup grated English cucumber (I couldn't find one, so I used a regular cucumber)
1 (6-oz.) container fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 French hamburger buns, split and toasted
Toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato slices, thinly sliced cucumber
Garnish: pepperoncini salad peppers

Stir together first 6 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Heat a grill pan* over medium-high heat. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Stir together cucumber, yogurt, mint, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Serve burgers on buns with cucumber sauce and desired toppings. Garnish, if desired.

*We used our gas grill and cooked them at 300-400 degrees for about 7 minutes each side.

Chicken and Spinach Manicotti

Last Wednesday, my mom and I enjoyed a wonderful day of mother-daughter shopping at St. John's Town Center in Jacksonville. Being pregnant, I was hungry pretty much the moment we got there. We both love Italian food, so we made a beeline for Maggiano's. Mom had a delicious dish of veal marsala while I had a tasty meal of chicken and spinach manicotti. I enjoyed it so much that the next day I got online to look for the recipe. Although it isn't exactly like Maggiano's (I actually had to cook this myself, but Patrick did serve me AND clean up the mess I made), it's a really good version, and a nice change from my typical plain cheese manicotti. We had it for dinner tonight and really enjoyed it; hope you do, too!

Chicken and Spinach Manicotti
Recipe courtesy www.recipezaar.com
Filling
1 cup chicken breasts, cooked
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
12 manicotti noodles, cooked until al dente

Sauce
16 ounces Alfredo sauce
16 ounces marinara sauce
Approximately 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Dice the chicken breast into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, pepper and salt, and mix thoroughly. Arrange precooked pasta sheets on waxed paper and fill with filling mixture. Combine Alfredo sauce and marinara in bowl and mix until well incorporated. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 ovenproof baking dish. Place the cannelloni, side by side, into baking dish. Pour remainder of sauce over cannelloni, covering completely. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over top of sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for approximately 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Click here for the original recipe.

Cheese Manicotti

Sorry - again - for my lack of posts/recipes lately. I've been in town ... just not cooking as much as I'd like! Please stick with me though; I promise it will get better soon!

This recipe is one I grew up eating, and it's sort of a comfort food to me. And, it's an Italian meal, which I adore. I tend to gravitate towards the delicious combo of pasta and cheese!

Again, I don't have a photo because (let's all say it together) we ate it too fast and by the time I remembered all I had left on my plate were a few blobs of marinara sauce. But y'all know what manicotti looks like, right? I paired this with garlic bread and a salad (with my favorite Italian dressing - Good Seasons - the mix that you combine with oil, red wine vinegar and water).

Delizioso!

Cheese Manicotti
Recipe passed down to my mom from a dear family friend, Mamie Coffey
8 oz. (2 cups) diced or shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Marinara sauce (I use a whole jar store-bought sauce for this recipe)
Approximately 8-10 uncooked manicotti noodles

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Mix the first seven ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour a small amount of marinara sauce in the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Fill uncooked manicotti noodles with cheese mixture and place in dish on top of marinara sauce. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the cheese-filled noodles. Top with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired. Cover dish with foil and bake, covered, for approximately 45 minutes (at 350 degrees).

Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

Y'all know what a fan I am of fast, easy, and delicious meals. This recipe has it all, folks, plus veggies, too! A hometown friend of mine, Dawn, created this fab dish and was gracious enough to share it with me.

The first two words I saw in the recipe were "goat cheese." SOLD!! I love goat cheese, but rarely have the opportunity to eat it, much less cook with it. The rest of the recipe could have included sardines and sauerkraut (two foods I wouldn't cook or eat), and I would still have made it, just for the goat cheese. Thankfully, Dawn's recipe included yummy ingredients like sun dried tomatoes, broccoli, Alfredo sauce and mushrooms. Mmmmm!! And did I mention this takes no time at all to make? 30 minutes, and you're sitting at the table, enjoying a scrumptious meal!




Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta
Recipe courtesy Dawn Norris
2/3 box of penne rigatte (must use the rigatte…it soaks up the sauce better)
1 package of broccoli-in-the-bag
1 tablespoon butter
Olive oil
½ of medium onion, diced
1 package of sliced mushrooms (if you're like my husband, you can pick these out or omit them. I happen to think mushrooms are quite yummy)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 jar (or more if you love sun dried tomatoes) of sun dried tomatoes, julienned (I couldn't find a jar, so I just used the package from the produce section)
½ of roasted chicken, cut up in big chunks, or 1 package of the precooked Tyson chicken strips
1 jar of Sun dried Tomato Alfredo pasta sauce (Classico is best)
Salt
Pepper
Container of goat cheese crumbles
1/3 cup of parmesan (optional)

Boil your pasta. Use about 2/3 the box of penne for about six people.

While pasta is boiling (that is literally all the time it takes to make this dish), put “broccoli in the bag” to steam.

Put butter and about two turns of olive oil (I always use some of the oil from the sun dried tomato jar) in LARGE sauté pan on medium to high heat. Begin sautéing onions. Once onions start to soften, place the mushrooms into the pan and begin cooking. When mushrooms are beginning to brown, add the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, chicken, broccoli, and jar of sun dried tomato Alfredo sauce. Add salt & pepper to your liking. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Lower heat to very low.

At this point, the noodles should be done. Add the noodles to the sauce pan directly from the pot using a slotted spoon or strainer (you want a little of the pasta water to get into the sauce mix—it helps the sauce stick to the pasta better).

Pour into a big pasta bowl (this feeds at least 6 people). Mix in the container of goat cheese crumbles and sprinkle on parmesan (optional).

Enjoy!

Don't be a chicken

I am fairly skittish when it comes to cooking chicken. I have a fear that my husband, whom I love dearly, will die a slow and painful death of salmonella poisoning. (That, or the chicken will be tough and rubbery and dry, which although not nearly as tragic as death-by-salmonella-poisoning, it runs a close second.) Thus, I usually steer clear of recipes that call for cooking chicken, roasting chicken, boiling chicken, and the like. Unless, of course, I can use the ever-popular rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, Purdue Shortcuts, or something of the like.

But y'all make me adventurous and want to live life on the edge.

Last week, I cooked us some chicken. And lived to tell about it. (Patrick is alive and well, too.)

I have to say, it was good. (My photo doesn't do it justice - it tasted much better than it looks. I need to work on my photography skills.)


Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan
Recipe from goodthingscatered.blogspot.com
4 large chicken breasts (about 3 lbs.)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups of bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups pomodoro/marinara sauce (make your own, defrost what you have or store bought is just as delicious)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Cooked pasta of your choice (I used spaghetti)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a shallow dish mix together egg and milk.
In separate shallow dish mix together bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, paprika, and salt.
Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry.
Pound to tenderize chicken breasts to about 1 inch thickness throughout.
Preheat olive oil in a oven proof skillet over medium heat.
Dip chicken breasts into egg/milk mixture and then cover in breadcrumb mixture.
Place coated chicken breast in hot oil and saute each side until lightly browned (about 1 minute per side).
Place skillet directly into oven.
When internal temperature of chicken reaches 160 degrees, carefully remove pan from oven and place a spoonfull of sauce and 1/4 of the cheese on top of each.
Place skillet back into the oven and bake until internal temperate reaches 170 degrees (about 15 minutes total).
Remove from oven and serve on top of pasta.

We ate this so fast there was no time to take a picture - Tuscan Ravioli

That's how stinkin' yummy this dinner is, y'all. It's so good. Hear me on this. Do not let the lack of photo deter you from trying this recipe. I implore you. For the love of all that is good and right, try this recipe. If you need backup, just head on over to Suzanne's blog and ask her what she thinks of it. She'll give you the scoop. Her family digs this dinner, too.

So that's my pitch.

As I think I mentioned last week, Patrick and I have a standing dinner date with the Akins family every Thursday evening. It's a ton o' fun. They're a family with four kids four-years-old and under - what's not to love about that?? We get loads of kid and baby time (and good adult hang time, too), and also get to have great meals each week with six of our favorite people. A while back, I introduced them to this ravioli dish, and it was an instant hit. Everyone loved it, and it's one of Patrick's favorite meals. It's become a staple on the Witherow and Akins menu rotations ever since. Once you try it, you'll understand why.

Oh, and one more thing. It's super fast and super easy. Again, I love this recipe.

Tuscan Ravioli
Adapted from a Southern Living recipe
1 package frozen cheese ravioli
1 jar sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce*
2 tablespoons white wine**
1 can petite diced tomatoes***
1/2 cup chopped basil
Parmesan cheese

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, pour Alfredo sauce into a large saucepan. Pour wine into sauce jar, cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan. Stir in tomatoes and chopped basil; cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Toss with pasta; top with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4-6 servings.

If you're planning on having bread with this dinner (bring on the carbs!), put it in the oven before you start making the ravioli. Cause I'm telling ya, this dinner takes no time to make. The ravioli take about 5 minutes to cook, and the sauce takes 5. SO FAST!!

*I use Classico Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta Sauce. Sometimes Publix has it buy-one-get-one-free and then I stock up!
**I don't know anything about wine and use Fairbanks Sherry instead. I use it for anything cooking-related that calls for white wine.
***I use Hunt's petite diced tomatoes, and it seems to have less liquid than some of the other brands. If you use something else, I would recommend draining the liquid first. You'll have less sauce, but that's okay. (Draining the liquid is actually what the "real" recipe recommends, anyway, but we like the sauce and want lots of it.) You could also be all fresh about it and chop two medium-size fresh tomatoes, but I take the easy way out of things. Hello - quick, easy.

Aloha!

It seems like all of my recent recipes have been of the "fast and easy" variety. Well ... I guess when you're a working woman, that's what you like to cook after a day of working - something fast and easy - but still delicious!

These little sandwiches certainly fit the bill. They take all of 10 minutes to assemble (if that), and 20 minutes to bake. Who doesn't love having dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less? These could also double as lunch, or as appetizers/snack food if you're throwing a party. They're quite the versatile little sandwich.

I got this recipe years ago, from one of my closest friends, Whitney. She claims that she can't boil water, but she can make a mean Hawaiian sandwich! And her mom, Rose, introduced me to butterbeans when Whitney and I were roommates at Ole Miss. Oh my word. I didn't know what I was missing until I had one of Mrs. Canterbury's butterbeans. Pure delight. Whitney - please get your mama to send me some of her recipes so I can try to make them! The Canterburys sure know how to put out a game-day spread in the Grove, too. Grovin' was always more fun when they were in town!


Hawaiian Sandwiches
Recipe courtesy of Whitney Puckett
1 package of King's Hawaiian sweet rolls (the original kind)
Lunch meat and cheese of your choice (I use turkey and ham, and colby/jack or cheddar)

Topping:
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Combine melted butter, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and mix well.

Spray pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Slice rolls; fill with meat and cheese and top with bread. Poke holes in top of rolls and drizzle topping over the top of all. (It's best to use a pan with sides so that the topping can pool in the bottom.) Cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Keep covered with aluminum foil until the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.

Mama Mia!

I love pizza. I could eat it daily. I also really like Caprese salad. Fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes ... mmm ... so good.

Put them together and what do you get? Pure deliciousness, that's what!


This Caprese Pizza is a quick, easy recipe (my favorite kind!), perfect for an after-work, weeknight meal. It's also a meatless dish, so it's great for any vegetarians out there. It's light and summery, too - just right for the hot, hazy days of August!

Caprese Pizza
Bake at 425 degrees
Toppings:
3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
Coarsely ground black pepper

Crusts:
1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 package refrigerated pizza crust
1 clove garlic
1 oz. (2 tablespoons) grated Parmesan cheese

1. Slice tomatoes into 1/4" slices. Place onto a paper towel-lined cutting board. Sprinkle both sides evenly with salt; let stand 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, for crusts, lightly brush pan with 1 tsp. of oil. Unroll dough onto pan. Press garlic into prep bowl and combine with 1 Tbsp. oil; brush over dough. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over dough.

3. Cut dough lengthwise into thirds. Carefully move dough slightly apart to separate. Bake 11-12 minutes or until bottoms of crusts are light golden brown.

4. While crusts bake, finish toppings. Chop basil; combine with oil and set aside.

5. Blot tops of tomato slices with paper towels. Slice mozzarella cheese into 1/4" slices. Arrange tomato and cheese slices in overlapping rows on baked crusts. Brush basil oil over pizzas and sprinkle with black pepper. Return to oven and bake and additional 4-5 minutes or just until cheese melts.

Ciao; Enjoy!