Stick of Butter Rice

This recipe isn't exactly "healthy", but it's absolutely delicious! I found this on Pinterest, and made it as-written (with a full stick of butter); but I thought the whole stick seemed a little excessive, because there was butter left in the bottom of the bowl I was eating from. I tried this with "light" butter, and it didn't turn out as well. Finally, I settled on using about 2/3 of a stick of butter, which was perfect.

Stick of Butter Rice

1 (10 oz) can condensed French onion soup
1 (10 oz) can of beef broth
5 Tbsp. butter, sliced
1 cup uncooked white rice
8 oz. can of mushrooms, drained

Preheat oven to 425. Combine all ingredients (the butter can just remain in slices) in an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake for another 30 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

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Infamous Glazed Carrots

My family hated these, but I happen to love them! You can read the story of how these became "infamous" on my blog.  You can make glazed carrots with pretty much anything that contains sugar. When you heat it, some of the liquid evaporates and it reduces down into a syrup-like glaze.

The first time I made these, I used frozen carrots. I've also made them with canned carrots. I'm sure I'd like them with fresh carrots as well. Just make sure that the carrots are cooked until fork-tender before you add them to the glaze.

Infamous Glazed Carrots
1 can sliced carrots, drained (or fresh or frozen, but make sure you cook them first)
1 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. dried cranberries (Craisins)

In a skillet, combine the orange juice concentrate, the butter, the cranberries, and the maple syrup, and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes until thick and syrupy. Add the carrots and brown sugar and toss to coat, keeping over the heat until the carrots are heated through.

Makes 4 side-dish servings (approximately 1/3 cup each)

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Sweet Potato Wheels

I had a sweet potato sitting on my counter for a while, so I decided to turn that into my lunch yesterday. It was SO GOOD that I just have to share--it's not much of a "recipe", more of a "method". But either way, you've got to try it!

Sweet Potato Wheels (because "Wheels" sound so much more fun than "fries" or "rounds")

1 large sweet potato (mine was 12 oz)
cooking spray
salt & pepper to taste

Set the oven to 'broil' (mine has high and low, so I chose high). Peel the sweet potato and slice into thin slices (about 1/4 inch). Spray a baking sheet with the cooking spray, and then lay all the sweet potato pieces out on the sheet.

Lie the wheels on a sprayed baking sheet

Spray the tops with a little cooking spray and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Put the sheet under the broiler until the tops are starting to burn darken in spots, like this:

When they look like this, flip them over

I think it took about 10 minutes for mine. Flip each piece over, and put the sheet back under the broiler. When you can smell the sweet potato goodness, and they look like this, they're done:

Pile them all on a plate and devour them. Share them with someone, because this is probably at least two servings. I ate the whole batch for about 280 calories, which was totally worth it. These taste just like sweet potato fries, but they are so much easier to make--they cook more evenly, they don't stick to the baking sheet, and they take less time overall.

A very well-spent 280 calories!

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AMAZING Garlic Green Beans

These are anything-BUT low-calorie, but they're sooo delicious! I figured, what better way to spend my calories than tasty vegetables?  Next time I make them, I'm going to try cutting the butter and oil in half, but somehow I don't think it'll be the same. :)  Even my husband, who is a complete "meat & potatoes" guy told me to make these way more often.



Garlic Green Beans

1 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 head garlic
2 cans green beans, drained
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, add oil and butter. Peel each clove of garlic (it takes some work, but trust me, it's worth it!) then slice into very thin slices. Add the garlic to the oil and saute until the garlic is BARELY brown (you don't want to burn it, so keep the heat at medium/medium low). Add the green beans and stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter. Cook until the beans are heated through, just a couple minutes.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese over each serving.

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Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan

This is my VERY FAVORITE vegetable-- I can eat an entire head of cauliflower in one day this way, that's how good it is.

(This is more of a cooking method than a recipe, because you can adjust the amount of oil and cheese depending on how many calories you want to spend). This is how I usually make it:

1 head cauliflower
2 tsp. olive oil
8 tsp. grated parmesan cheese (2 Tbsp + 2 tsp)
salt & pepper
garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 425. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces, and put them in the casserole dish. Drizzle with the olive oil (I have one of those pump sprayers, where you just fill it with oil, pump the top, and then spray--I like that, because it gets more coverage). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss it all together with your hands, to coat the cauliflower. Bake UNCOVERED for about 30-40 minutes--for softer cauliflower, cook longer. I usually take it out when it starts to brown, like in the picture.  Makes 4 servings.

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Quinoa with Spinach and Feta

Quinoa tastes great, it's very versatile, and it's healthier for you than brown rice (although it's a similar texture and taste). You can substitute quinoa for brown rice in pretty much any recipe.  And likewise, you could also make this with brown rice. This recipe is definitely for garlic lovers like me!  (This recipe that I created was featured many times on Sparkpeople too!)

1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced very thin
1-2 cups spinach, cut into strips
2 ounces reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled

In a small saucepan, add the quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic in the oil, watching it CLOSELY so that it doesn't burn. Cook it until the edges of the garlic turn very light brown. When the quinoa is done cooking, add it to the skillet, along with the spinach.. Stir it together until the spinach wilts. Add the feta cheese and stir to combine.  Makes 2 servings.

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Crispy Potato Halves

My husband and I are now OBSESSED with these potatoes! They take a long time to cook, which sucks when you're throwing something together... but if you have the time, this is the perfect side dish!

Crispy Potato Halves

1 (5 oz) potato
1 tsp. olive oil
dash salt
dash pepper
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
dash chili powder

Preheat oven to 350.  Slice potato in half length-wise.  Stab the flat side of the potato a few times with a knife. Spread 1/2 tsp oil on the flat side of each half, and sprinkle with the spices. Turn the halves FACE DOWN onto a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream and chives.

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