YUM.. bought some pizza crusts yesterday~

  I love boboli but it has milk products in it!  so we went with another brand that was hanging next to boboli.   READ YOUR LABELS.  The crust was tasty, thick and crispy... very good.. we added Great Value ( blah to walmart but it is a good sauce with the least amount of junk in it, it is pretty natural) pizza sauce, fresh mushrooms, fresh onions, black olives,  sliced zucchini, seasonings, and bit more sauce, baked in a 425 oven for around 11mins.. very very good.. and oh so healthy! 

a growing favorite snack of ours~

chocolate  almond milk OR chocolate soy milk.. omg.. it is so good, and eat a  couple of good handfuls of baked lays with it, or some  fat free premium saltine crackers, yummy... just enough to NOT be hungry...

YUMMMMMMM... last night

we all went to Cheddar's to have dinner. Dad and I had the veggie platter, well we redid that today for lunch. I could kick myself for not taking a photo, maybe tomorrow when we do this again, probably one of my fav meals.


baked potato~microwaved
st eamed corn
steamed broccoli
steamed baby carrots
light honey mustard when  needed


YUMMY, and oh so healthy!! 

KIKKOMAN Teryaki sauce~

                    wow,   OVER brown rice and veggies, yikes so good.. just remember, IF YOU ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT,  you want to LIMIT your processed sugars and fats! that means easy on the breads, and read labels! oil ends up adding up at the end of the day! 

BAKED POTATO AND TOPPINGS

I love baked potatoes and yams, so I do that a lot, it's easy, and so filling and you can put really anything on top of it. 


We use left over chili, or steamed veggies of any kind, brown rice,  salsa , anything you like... t hen we add light honey mustard dressing (READ LABELS, just realized honey mustard has EGGS IN IT blah! so no more of that) or the light dressing of your choice.


this is always  a great alternative when you don't feel like cooking and you are hungry, I bake them in my microwave...on the potato setting...

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES~ I had these years ago, they were yummy, I want to try them again but need to round up the ingredients

Recipe courtesy of:
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
This is a printer-friendly version of the recipe.  For complete article with photos, please click here.

Lower-Fat Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

One of the great things about this recipe is that you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry. Use chunky peanut butter if you like pieces of peanut in your cookies (I do!)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup mashed banana
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

Cream together the peanut butter and sugars. Add the mashed banana and mix until creamy.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter a little at a time until totally absorbed. Add the chocolate chips, if desired, and mix until well-blended, but do not over-mix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared pans, about 2 inches apart. Flatten with a fork dipped in water. (These cookies will not spread as they cook, so the shape they're in when they come out of the oven will be about the same as when they went in.) Bake for about 10 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Remove and let cool before serving.

Makes 20 cookies. Each without chocolate chips contains: 102 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat; (27% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 63mg Sodium; 1g Fiber. Weight Watchers 2 Points.

With chocolate chips: 116 Calories (kcal); 4g Total Fat; (30% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 64mg Sodium; 1g Fiber. Weight Watchers 2 Points.

 

BEAN BURRITOS~now these are soooooo yummy

Bean Burritos

I have discovered over many years that the beans have a different taste if they are cooked in a slow cooker.  This is the way I make them most of the time, and the way I serve them to guests.  I do cook them in a pressure cooker or on the stove occasionally, but they just don’t have the same long-cooked flavor.  My family has been eating this meal for about 30 years and it is my most requested dinner, by family and friends.  It is easy to serve to any number of people, because everyone makes their own burrito, adding as much or as little of the toppings as they wish. 

Preparation Time:  15-30 minutes
Cooking Time:  all day
Servings:  variable, at least 10-12

Smashed pinto beans:
2-3 cups dry pinto beans
Water to cover at least 2-3 inches over beans
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4-6 whole cloves fresh garlic 

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook for 8-10 hours on high.  Pour off almost all of the water that remains after cooking (save for another use, if desired) and mash with an electric hand mixer or a hand held bean masher.  (The onion and garlic will be soft enough to mash with the beans.)  Season with a little salt, if desired.

Hint:  There will be beans left-over when you make this amount.  They may be refrigerated for about 5 days or put them in the freezer for later use.  I always make a lot of these and use the left-overs for Bean Enchiladas, Mexican Pizza or another meal of burritos for lunch later in the week.

Taco “meat”:  (Since this is made from processed soy protein, I use this only for a special occasion.)

1  12 ounce package ground soy “meat”
1 package Bearitos or Hain Taco Seasoning mix water as directed on package (about ¾ cup)

Place the soy “meat” in a non-stick frying pan and break up with a wooden spoon.  Add the taco seasoning and the water as directed on the package.  Mix well.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes. 

Guacamole:
4 avocados, mashed
1/8 cup chopped green chilies (canned)
1 tomato, chopped
squeeze of fresh lime juice
dash Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 

Hint:  The guacamole is a high-fat treat.  If you are trying to lose weight or regain your health, it would be best to avoid this on your burrito.  It is nice to have this available for guests, though.  You only need a small amount to add a lot of flavor to your burrito.

Enchilada sauce:
1  8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 ½ cups cold water
1  to 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and mix with a whisk.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

Toppings: chopped onion, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, grated soy or rice cheese, assorted fresh salsas.

Assorted burrito shells, both flour and corn

To serve:
Place all ingredients in individual bowls and place on a serving counter or table.  Let each person take a burrito shell, warm it on a dry non-stick griddle if they wish, ( or wrap all of the shells in a kitchen tea towel and heat in the microwave) and then layer it with all the ingredients that they like.  For example:  burrito shell, beans, taco “meat”, guacamole, non-dairy cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and salsa.  To make a “wet” burrito, fold over the burrito shell and ladle on some warm enchilada sauce. 

GARLIC SAUCE MADE EASY~sauce for Chinese cuisine

I surfed and googled and experimented with sauces online, and YUK.


Yesterday I played in the kitchen a bit and  YUM.


ok so here goes, yes it has sugar...but NO OIL! 


1cu water
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cu brown sugar
2tsp honey
1 tsp dried mince garlic
1-2 tsp oyster sauce


Mix ingredients in sauce pan, stir continuously while bringing to a boil,  take off heat when thickened...


the ingredients are sort of guessed, so you may play a bit yourself if you need to with thickening etc... when I make it again, I will pay more attention and make needed changes .. 


pour over steamed rice, stir fried veggies, etc...

EGGPLANT PARMESAN without the dairy!

 ahh.. we had this last night, it was  yummy! 


1 large eggplant
2cups unsweetened almond breeze
2cups + Italian seasoned bread crumbs
 tomato sauce ( I used prego fresh mushroom, yes it has oil in it, and I usually make my own, but not last night)
 mushrooms cut up
 salt


preheat oven to 375


pour some tomato sauce in bottom of large glass baking pan


 slice up eggplant ( I do not peel it)
dip in  almond milk
then in breadcrumbs,sprinkle with a bit of kosher  salt,then
layer eggplant on a BAKING SHEET and bake for 15 mins at  375 degrees


take eggplant after it is baked and layer on top of  tomato sauce, then mushrooms , more tomato sauce, then another layer of eggplant then more sauce


bake at 400degrees for 20 mins or so...til  bubbly


yummmmmmmmm