I WON!!!!!!!

Found out little over an hour ago that I won the recipe suggestion for the month of May at Mac N' More restaurant in Lacey, Washington. Please, if you are in the area, stop by and order up a serving!! It's a combination of Chicken, Feta, and Artichoke Hearts. It won't be as tasty as my Mac n Cheese, but it's all good!! LOL!!!  https://www.facebook.com/Macnmore/posts/219707174807195

Salsa & Eggs

Warming up about 1 cup of homemade salsa (by Joanie Gebhart)
I coated my tiny cast iron skillet with butter flavored cooking spray.

Added eggs to the hot salsa. Cook until they start to set up a bit. 

Finished eggs in the oven under the broiler.  Approx. 2 minutes

BBQ Chicken Breasts

I grilled these tonite. BBQ chicken breasts. The BBQ sauce is reduced-sugar ketchup, 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce, one tablespoon agave nectar and a teaspoon of chili powder. I'll slice one of these and use it for a salad.

Turkey Picadillo Lettuce Wraps

Sauteed chopped onions and red bell pepper then added 1 pound of ground turkey.

Added one large tomato, chopped and cooked it down until there is no moisture. Add chili powder, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, oregano, and cinnamon. 

I did not have romaine or boston lettuce so I used my largest leaves of spinach. I drizzled an 1//8 of a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar over the turkey mixture and rolled it up. These turned out to be "one bite" sized.

Bacon Cheeseburger & Beer Soup

Browning 1 pound of ground turkey. I always use Ground Beef, but this was what I had and it needed to be used. 

Saute one medium onion in a little olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent and slightly brown in color. Approx. 10 minutes. It will add a grilled onion flavor to the soup. 

Put everybody in a large pot.

Added a bottle of Alaskan Amber Ale and chicken stock, add enough to make 4 cups of liquid. Any type of beer can be used or omit it completely. 

Cheese, cheese, Glorious cheese!! Oh, and I added some cooked chopped Bacon too. I use a combination of cheeses to make up approx. 3 cups, one of which is Tillamook extra sharp cheddar cheese. Use whatever brands or flavors you like, just make sure your soup stays the consistency of soup and don't let it come to a boil once you add the cheese, it will curdle the dairy in the products you added. Season with Salt and Pepper and anything else that you would want to taste on a bacon cheeseburger. 
At this point, you could also add a 1/4 cup of milk, half n half or heavy cream to give it more of a creamy texture. 

I serve my Bacon Cheeseburger & Beer Soup with chopped iceburg lettuce and chopped tomatoes. No Joke..it tastes really good! Make sure to use iceburg lettuce, it doesn't wilt as fast from the heat of the soup.

Low-carb Primavera

I cut my Spaghetti squash in half, removed the seeds and sprayed the inside flesh with a butter flavored cooking spray. Bake them in the oven at 350 degrees until tender.

Spray pan with cooking spray and saute one small onion

Add in Broccoli, Cauliflower and minced Garlic

Warm up 1 cup of reduced-sugar Marinara sauce

Spaghetti squash in cool enough to handle. Scrape out the "spaghetti" with a fork.

Add the squash to the veggies and warm it up

Finished dish! This recipe makes two servings.

Frittata: Mushroom, Asparagus, Cherry Tomato, Spinach and Green Onion

Non stick cooking spray and Mushrooms first. This Frittata would be best cooked in a 10 inch pan. Mine is 12 inches so the Firttata will come out a little thinner.

I added left over asparagus from last nights dinner and whole cherry tomatoes. 

Added spinach and green onions.

Spinach is wilted. Ready for eggs.

3 large eggs, 2 large egg whites (6 tablespoons of liquid egg white) 

Added eggs to the veggies. Cover and cook on low heat until eggs are set. 

I do not have a lid for my pan. Plus I like to finish my Frittata's this way. Under the broiler in the oven. Gets the the eggs completely set on top without burning the bottom of the Frittata.

Slide Frittata onto a cutting board or large plate. Cut into wedges. 

Finished Dish!

Cranberry Mustard Chicken Breast & Oven Roasted Asparagus

I bend a couple of asparagus to find their weakest point and snap them off there. Then I cut the rest to that length or you can snap each piece. I sprinkled them with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper and rolled them around so they all got coated. Roast in oven at 350 degrees for approx. 20 minutes or until tender. Cooking time varies based on the size of your asparagus.

I grilled one large chicken breast on my BBQ'er. As it cooked I mixed together 2 teaspoons of cranberry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon fat free low sodium chicken broth. I put the mixture over the chicken a few minutes before I pulled it off the grill. And, tahdah! Delicious!

Salmon Roll Ups

Bought a package of sliced Smoked Salmon and laid it out into a somewhat even layer to make a roll up.

I seasoned some Yogurt Cheese with salt, lemon pepper, dill weed an a little cayenne pepper. Spread the cheese on the smoked salmon. 

Roll it up!!!!

Roll up the Salmon roll in saran wrap and refrigerate.

Smoked Salmon Roll Up on a Cucumber Slice. This would also be good on your favorite cracker! 

Tomato Cup Stuffed with Chicken Salad

I'm making some lunch! I cut a 1/4 inch off the top of a tomato and took out all the seeds. Sprinkled it with a little bit of salt.

Totally forgot to take a picture of my chicken salad that I stuffed in the tomato cup. It was a mix of canned chicken, diced celery, green onion, non fat greek yogurt, salt and pepper. You can also add seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, etc. Added some extra veggies and some fruit for a great lunch!

Coleslaw and Blackened Halibut

Shredding some cabbage to make coleslaw.

I also julienned some carrots and orange bell pepper. I made a coleslaw dressing of non fat greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. I added other seasonings, but those are my secrets :)

Good looking coleslaw, isn't it??? It totally tastes good!!

Made my own Cajun rub for the Halibut. Coated one side of the Halibut filets and broiled the smaller filet in the oven for 6 minutes each side on a rack 4 inches from the broiler. The thicker piece of course did take longer, approx. 7.5 to 8 minutes.

Dinners Ready!!! Yuuummmm!!!! 

Yogurt Cheese

Greek yogurt in a strainer lined with paper towels, set in a bowl, cover and leave overnight in the fridge to release moisture.

It's like spreadable cream cheese! Except it's really tart. Divide into different containers and add whatever spices you want to add flavor to your food.

Grilled Salmon Salad

Half of a bag of mixed greens. Added chopped celery, mushrooms, orange bell pepper and sliced cucumber. Dressed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar.

Grilled the salmon on the bbq'er outside. I made something like a tartar sauce using non fat Greek yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper (other stuff too, but those are my secrets). I like creamy dressings, so this made it feel like that when it was all mixed up, without all the quilt.

Steak w/ "I'm Feeling a little Greek" Mac & Cheese

Start a pot of water for your choice of pasta, 1 pound. When it comes to a boil add a couple tablespoons of Salt. Use pasta like elbow macaroni, penne, ziti, etc.  Saute 2-3 diced shallots and 2 tablespoons minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of butter, plus 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil.  Cook until shallots are soft. If you do not have shallots you can use 1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped. 

MMMMMM....bacon!! This was left over I had in the fridge. I chopped it into bite size pieces. 

Added one pint of Half N Half for one pound of pasta. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. *To speed things up, You could do a classic Bechamel Sauce: 1 or 2 tablespoons butter, melted and flour (equal parts). Whisk over medium-high heat until it becomes thick and pastie. Then add approx. 2 cups of 2% milk.

Added one small jar of marinated artichoke hearts.  I lightly rinsed the hearts before I added them.

Added 1 pound of Ziti pasta and Feta (1 1/2 cups) and grated Parmesan (1/2 cup). I added the Feta at the same time I added the pasta so that I end up with small chunks of Feta because I like the flavor. If you don't want chunks, add it to the cream mixture/Bechamel to melt a little more before adding the pasta.

Mac N Cheese all done!!! If the cheese sauce gets too tight (thick), I will add a little bit of the pasta water, or you could use some warm chicken stock or milk.

Toasted 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs with Lemon pepper in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet on the stove. A little crunch for the top of my Mac N Cheese.

Came up with the idea of Mac N Cheese because we are having steak. 2 are marinated in a packet of Southwestern spiced marinade. One is just Salt & Pepper. 

The grill would not light, so oven broiled it had to be. 3-5 minutes on each side, rare/medium rare. Cook it longer if you don't like the rare side. I topped the salt & peppered steak with a medallion of a compound butter that I made. (I mention the compound butter recipe in the Philly Cheese Steak post) It really did add to the flavor of the steak. Let your steak rest at least 5 minutes before slicing into it so it won't be dry.

Finished plate!! Looks yummy! I'll eat half the steak and have the rest on a salad tomorrow!! Got plenty of left over Mac N Cheese for my lucky co-workers....they're foodies...like me!