Honey Spiced Salmon

This turned out sooo good! I picked up a large piece of boneless salmon on sale. Hubby usually doesn't like fish but he deals with it, this he actually described as delicious!

Honey Spiced Salmon
1 lb salmon, raw
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 orange, peeled and pureed
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil

Combine all ingredients in a ziplock storage bag. Squeeze out the air, seal and marinate 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375. This is a good time to prep side dishes too, I made brown rice, sweet potato oven fries and sauted greens to go with. Just cook rice by package directions, it takes the same cooking time as the salmon. The sweet potato fries just cut into sticks or wedges, toss with olive oil or spray with nonstick spray and bake in a single layer on a cookie sheet at the same time as the salmon. The greens were fresh from my container garden, I washed and chopped them then tossed into a hot cast iron skillet
with a dash of canola oil for a couple minutes after removing everything else from the oven.

To cook the salmon, remove from marinade and discard leftover marinade. Wrap salmon in foil, place in a dish and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes. Yum!

This doesn't have a strong fishy flavor, it's slightly sweet, tender and has great flavor! Leftovers get more fishy but are okay for using in things like tuna casserole recipes.

Pumpkin Soup

This is just divine. Warm, lusciously creamy, sweet and laced with spices, pumpkin soup tastes like pumpkin pie - without the huge calorie count or nearly as much work! Ready in about 15 minutes. I used cooked pureed pumpkin I made previously and froze leftover, canned pumpkin turns out more orange. Fresh pumpkins are dirt cheap in the fall and early winter, so I buy several, cook them and freeze leftovers to cook with later. High in fiber, very nutritious, cheap and yummy!

Pumpkin Soup
cooked pureed pumpkin or canned pumpkin, about 2 cups
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch cloves
milk, as needed

Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot
. Add milk as needed to get the texture you want, it takes a bit more than you'd expect. Add about 1/4 cup at a time, stir through and decide if you want more, different batches of pumpkin have different moisture content so there isn't a set amount of milk needed. Heat over low or medium low until warm through.

Serve warm. Great with a couple graham crackers, or topped with a small scoop of ice cream or frozen cool whip on top.

Some people like less or more sweetness. I prefer a bit less than this, so I add the sugar a little at a time and taste it, with this much it really tastes like pie but it does have quite a bit of sugar.

Italian Turkey Stew

I made this for dinner a few days ago. Rich, hearty turkey stew with Italian herbs, served over spaghetti squash. Yum!

Italian Turkey Stew

1 lb ground lean turkey

1 can diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained

2 cups diced zucchini

1-2 cloves garlic, diced or pressed

1 small can tomato sauce or some leftover marinara

Italian seasoning or fresh herbs such as parsley and oregano, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Simmer over medium low until cooked through. I put it on low and just slow cooked it about 2 hours until dinner time, but it should work just as good to cook it higher until done through.

Spaghetti squash is easy to prepare to serve this over. I used a small one. Just wash it, place on a plate and microwave about 10 minutes. It will pop while being cooked. The shell is really hard, better to let it pop than try to stab a vent hole in it. Once it's cooked, cool enough to handle. Cut or pull it apart, scrape out the seed section in the middle and use forks to shred up the rest like spaghetti.

You could also serve it over pasta, rice, bread, in cooked tiny pumpkins or bread bowls, or just straight as a soup by adding a bit more water.

Creamy Roast turkey & veggies stew with herbed dumplings

This sounds a lot more complicated than it is! Since it's made of precooked ingredients it only takes about 20 minutes to throw together, and looks and tastes like something that took all day! With all the carbs it's not the most diet friendly, but it's relatively low fat, low sodium , nutritious, very cheap, and it's super yummy on a cold day!

The turkey and veggies are leftovers. I thawed and cooked a turkey from the freezer a few days ago, then froze a few portions of shredded, cooked turkey to make things like this or tacos out of. At the holidays whenever the grocery stores offer a deal where I can get one for $5 or so I grab one and put it in the freezer for cheap food later. The veggies I made as a side dish.

Roasted veggies
2 zucchini, sliced (unpeeled)
1 onion, cut into chunks
4 carrots, sliced (unpeeled)
Nonstick spray or oil
herbs of your choice - I used basil, oregano and parsley

Toss veggies with a little oil or spray with nonstick spray. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at whatever temp anything else is cooking until tender. Time is very forgiving but figure about 40 minutes at 325 or 30 at 400. Serve hot as a side dish, or add to other dishes such as casseroles, to stretch meat for tacos, in place of meat in dishes like lasagne, as a simple topper for brown rice with some tomato sauce, like a stir-fry or add to soups.


Creamy Roast Turkey and Veggies Stew with Herbed Dumplings
2 cups cooked veggies (I used the roasted vegges above)
1 1/2 cup shredded or cubed cooked meat (I used roasted turkey)
water, boullion or broth to cover
1/4 cup flour
fat free milk, up to 1 cup
pepper and herbs to taste
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, pressed, diced or cut up
1 recipe herbed dumplings, below

Combine turkey and veggies in a medium soup pot. Add as much water, boullion or broth as you'd like. Season with garlic, worcestershire sauce, pepper and a few shakes of herbs like italian seasoning, parsley, or any fresh herbs you have leftover, to taste.

Combine flour and milk in small bowl, adding milk slowly and stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Can also combine in a small jar and shake to combine. Add to soup, stirring well. Heat over medium until bubbling in a slow boil. Soup will thicken and get a nice creamy texture. You can serve it at this stage if you want, or you can skip the flour & milk to make a thinner (and lower carb) soup. I like it creamy and with dumplings on dreary, cold rainy days, it's hearty like a chowder without the huge fat content.


Herbed Dumplings
2/3 cup flour
1 tbsp dried herbs
dash pepper
dash salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp canola oil

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Combine milk and oil in a small cup, pour all at once into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. If it's a little dry and not holding together, add a dash more milk. Drop by heaping spoonfuls into simmering soup. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 4 dumplings. Yum!

Luscious little lemon cookies

I tried making these cookies this morning. I wanted a lemon dessert recipe that is at least healthier than my old favorites, lemon bars. I found a few recipes for lemon olive oil cookies, and modified it. These little wonders are OUTSTANDING! They definitely don't taste like anything I should be eating! They're crisp on the bottom like a crust, luscious and tender in the middle. Not gooey, but moist, soft, cakey and almost a little chewy. Zippy lemon flavor just like lemon merringue pie. I think I have a new favorite easy cookie recipe! Try 'em out, I bet you'll love them too!

Luscious Little Lemon Cookies

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

dash salt

dash ginger powder (optional)

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp poppy seeds (could probably leave these out)

2 eggs

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup canola oil

zest of 1 lemon, grated

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, beat together remaining ingredients. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until combined well.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Makes 16 cookies, only about 92 calories each!

Next time I may try swapping out even more of the flour for whole wheat, or replacing the whole eggs with eggwhite or simmered flaxseed meal. Awesome as they are!

Here's the bottom of the cookies, see how golden and lovely? Perfect crisp but tender. Yum!

Stuffed Cabbage

These are soooo good! Easier to make than it seems. A little time consuming, but worth it!

Stuffed Cabbage

1 head cabbage (I used purple since it was on sale, I usually use green)

1 lb ground lean turkey

1 1/3 cup shredded cauliflower (I shredded with cheese grater)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup parmesan
1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp italian seasoning or herbs of your choice

1 can diced tomatoes

Boil a large pot of water, enough to cover cabbage.

Meanwhile, cut core from cabbage, discard core. Isn't it pretty in the middle there?

When water comes to a boil, use large tongs to put the cabbage into the water for 4-5 minutes. Move cabbage to a plate, peel off outer leaves that are cooked and softened. Set leaves aside and return cabbage to water for 4-5 more minutes. Repeat until all leaves large enough to work with are cooked.

Meanwhile, prepare filling. Combine turkey with cauliflower, onion, parmesan, worchestershire sauce, garlic, pepper and herbs.

When all the cabbage leaves are cooked, begin filling. Fill each cabbage leaf with turkey mixture, about 1/4 cup for the largest, most take less depending on size. Fold in sides, fold up stem end then roll top over like a burrito. Place seam side down in baking pan.

At this point you can put them away for later if you want. Just put foil over the top and into the fridge. I like to assemble them during morning nap time so I know there are no "little helpers" in the kitchen when I'm messing with boiling water. Or you can cook them right away.

When you're ready to cook, just top with tomatoes, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

I shred the stem and large coarse pieces of cauliflower to make this filling, and cook the nice florets as a side dish. Just pile them in a casserole dish, cover and bake alongside the stuffed cabbage. A little cheese or lemon on top makes them yummy!

These are in the fridge for now, I'll post pics of dinner after they're cooked :)

If you love stuffed cabbage but don't want all the hassle, this is easy to make into a casserole too! Just quarter and coarsely chop up the cabbage, then layer cabbage and filling into a casserole dish instead of making rolls. Top with tomatoes and bake. Yum! Not as visually appealing, but tastes just as good!

..and here's a picture of dinner ready to go!