Red Potato Colcannon with Some Bread Pudding!

RECIPE #1: Healthier Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1. 6 slices day-old whole wheat  bread

2. 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

3. 1 large apple, peeled and chopped

4. 2 tablespoons butter, melted

5. 4 eggs, beaten

6. 2 cups low-fat milk

7. 1/2 cup white sugar  (I’m going to try organic coconut sugar!  They have it at Zehrs in the organic section!)

8. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8-inch square baking dish. Mix in raisins and apple. Drizzle with melted butter.

3. Combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up egg mixture.

4. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place bread pudding baking dish into a large roasting pan. Carefully pour boiling water around pan.

5. Bake in preheated oven until a knife inserted into the middle of pudding comes out mostly clean, about 45 minutes.

Recipe #2 -Red Potato Colcannon

Ingredients:

1. 1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half

2. 1 tablespoon butter

3. 1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced

4. 6 cups green cabbage,  thinly sliced (about 1/2 head)

5. 1 cup low-fat milk

6. 1 teaspoon(s) salt

7. 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Directions:

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam, covered, until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low. Stir in milk, salt and white pepper; cover and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 8 minutes. Add the cabbage mixture to the potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or a large fork to desired consistency.

CHEERS!

Spinach-Feta Quinoa Cakes with Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce

Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce:

1. 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, reduced-fat or whole

2. 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

3. 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

4. 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

5. Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quinoa Cakes:

1. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2. 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

3. 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4. 5 ounces chopped baby spinach

5. 2 large eggs, beaten

6. 1 1/4 cups cooked quinoa

7. 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese

8. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

9. 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

10. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

11. 1/2 cup bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:

Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce:

1. Whisk together the yogurt, scallions, lemon juice, and dill in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate the sauce for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Quinoa Cakes:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium-size bowl.

2. Add the eggs, quinoa, feta, dill, lemon zest, and black pepper and mix well. Mix in the bread crumbs and let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the bread crumbs to absorb some of the moisture.

3. Heat the panini press to medium-high heat. (I’m just going to use a frying pan because i don’t have a Panini grill and these look too good to miss out on)

4. Form quinoa patties about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place the patties on the grill, in batches if necessary, and close the lid. Grill the patties until they’re cooked through and browned on the outside, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with lemon-dill yogurt sauce.

#Recipe #Recipes #WeightLoss

Baked Beet Chips

Ingredients:

1. 4 medium beets

2. 2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

3. Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Peel beets and slice 1/16 inch thick with a mandoline. I’m just going to slice them as thin as I can.  In a large bowl, toss beets with extra-virgin olive oil. The beets should have a very thin coat.

2. On two rimmed baking sheets (or use one sheet and bake in two batches), arrange beets in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt.

3. Stack another rimmed baking sheet on top of each. Bake until edges of beets begin to dry out, about 20 minutes. Uncover and rotate sheets. Bake 10 to 20 minutes, removing chips as they become lightened and pale in color. Note: Pretty much all of mine needed the full extra 20 minutes of baking time. Transfer to a wire rack; chips will crisp up as they cool.