Cranberry Pecan Stuffing

A light and easy Cranberry Pecan stuffing recipe loaded with sweet cranberries and crunchy pecans for the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving, make the stuffing the day before in your slow cooker, it tastes so much better once it has all those herbs marinating with the stuffing  over night.



Ingredients

• 12 oz. bag Sage & Onion cubed stuffing
• 1 c. leeks, chopped (or substitute green onions)
• ½ c. dried cranberries
• ½ c. golden raisins
• ½ c. chopped pecans
• 5-6 leaves of fresh sage, minced
• 3 c. low sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg beaten
• ¼ tsp. pepper

• 1 tsp. ground mustard
  
  Instructions
  

 Toss your cubed stuffing, leeks cranberries, fresh herbs, raisins and pecans in a sprayed 5 quart Crock Pot.

In a medium bowl, whisk the chicken broth, olive oil, egg, ground mustard and pepper.

Pour over the bread mixture in the Crock Pot and gently fold together.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours

Valentine's Day Recipes

Valentines Day is on February 14th every year  and a great way to get to your partners heart is through food, you don't need to buy those expensive  pieces of jewelry or those sugary candies, a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day is with a home cooked meal, here are a few ideas on what to prepare. Start your Valentine's day with a tasty breakfast or brunch.

DASH DIET VALENTINES DAY BREAKFAST

Valentine French Toast

Cut out bread slices with a 3-3/4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter; discard trimmings.

Ingredients: 

1⁄2 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons white sugar
1⁄4 cup unsweetened applesauce
6 slices whole wheat bread

Preparation: 

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, sugar and applesauce.
Mix well.
Lightly soak the bread one slice at a time until mixture is slightly absorbed.
Cook on lightly greased skillet or griddle over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.
Add fruit of your choice, blueberries, kiwi and strawberries are delicious, serve hot.
For another Valentines' Day Breakfast treat try this Chocolate Berry Smoothie, it's outstanding.

DASH DIET VALENTINE'S BRUNCH

DASH Scrambled Egg and Mozzarella Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients

2 Eggs
1 whole wheat English Muffin
2 mushrooms, sliced
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons diced green or red bell pepper
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 teaspoon pepper oregano or Italian seasoning,
4 teaspoons pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Split English muffin in half and toast; set aside.
Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, green onions and bell pepper.
Cook, and stir continuously for 2 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Stir egg substitute, pepper and oregano into vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring continuously until egg substitute is set, about 2 minutes. Spread 2 teaspoons of pizza sauce onto each English muffin half.
Spoon a quarter of the egg mixture over pizza sauce then sprinkle with a quarter of the cheese. Spoon the remaining egg mixture and cheese evenly on top of the muffins.
Place the muffins on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes

Here is low sodium Pumpkin Mash Potato recipe , combining the pumpkin and potato gives you less calories. Its a winner for Thanksgiving or your Christmas meal without all those rich ingredients in it. This is a great way to get your antioxidants and vitamin A , C  and E with  just some of the health benefits of pumpkin'


Ingredients

1 pound medium peeled potatoes
2 cups of cooked mashed pumpkin
1 tablespoon garlic
2 tablespoon of reduced fat cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup fat free milk
½ tablespoon butter

Directions

1. In a covered large saucepan, cook potatoes and garlic in enough boiling water to cover for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain. Mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer on low speed until nearly smooth.
2. Beat in mashed pumpkin, cream cheese, butter, ground sage, 1/4 ground pepper. Gradually add milk, beating until light and fluffy.
3. Return to saucepan; heat through.
4. Garnish with fresh parsley or sage.

Servings Per Recipe: 4


PER SERVING: 159 cal., 5 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 13 mg chol., 206 mg sodium, 26 g carb. (4 g fiber, 4 g sugars), 4 g pro.

Prosciutto Brussel Sprouts

Prosciutto Brussel Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are rich in many valuable nutrients. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K. The are an excellent source of protein , iron and potassium these are not generally all found in one vegetable.They are a  great source of numerous nutrients, they are really a super vegetable.

It’s not easy to make Brussel Sprouts taste good, but I have found this recipe which is my go to recipe when Brussel Sprouts are in season, add a little Prosciutto- a thinly sliced Italian bacon - and you won't believe how good Brussel Sprouts taste.

Ingredients

• 
  • 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, any loose outer leaves trimmed and the sprouts halved, or quartered if large
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5-6 slices of Prosciutto,(Italian Bacon) cut into thin pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • White pepper
  • Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Preparation
Fill a medium saucepan with several inches of salted water and bring to a boil. Add the sprouts and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse immediately under cold water. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan (not nonstick) over medium-low heat. Add the prosciutto and sauté until browned in spots, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the sprouts, spreading them out so that they are, for the most part, in a single layer.
Add the white pepper. Then cook until the sprouts are nicely golden in spots and fork-tender, about 12 minutes, turning them occasionally. If the sprouts begin to brown all over and stick to the pan, add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the pan to help loosen the browned bits.

Transfer to a serving dish, add a splash of balsamic vinegar (if desired) and serve.

Guacamole

You don't need a special occasion to make this very simple Guacamole.
This mild guacamole can be customized easily to suit a variety of tastes. Place small bowls of chopped jalapeño or serrano chiles, cilantro, garlic, tomato, onion, and seasonings around the guacamole bowl and let everyone build their own perfect dip.

Ingredients

4 ripe, fresh avocados, seeded, peeled, cut in chunks
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ small sweet white onion, minced
1 ripe Roma tomato, seeded and diced
Pepper and a little hot sauce to taste

Instructions 

1. Mash avocados with lime juice in a bowl, leaving some chunks.
2. Gently stir in remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

Green Egg Casserole

Green Egg Casserole

This is one of my favorite St Patrick Day breakfast recipes, but it really is a good overall healthy low sodium breakfast recipe.

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs - beaten
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 2 cups bread cubes or small torn pieces of bread
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup grated low fat Swiss or Monterey jack cheese (optional)
• Pepper to taste (optional)
• Jalapeno peppers if you like it spicy
• 3 Shallots chopped
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare one large casserole dish or two eight-inch dishes with a light coating of cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine all ingredients (except cheese) until bread pieces are well soaked.
Pour mixture into casserole dish and cook for 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over partially set eggs.
Cook for an addition 20 minutes or until eggs are fully set.

Delicious Side Dishes

Looking for some delicious side dishes for that special occasion,  here is a low sodium green bean recipe for you to enjoy.

Low Sodium Roasted Green Beans

While you have the oven on try including this really easy low sodium Green Bean recipe, it’s so much better for you than those heavy Green bean casserole dishes.

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh green beans stems removed
• 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 lemons
• Ground Pepper
  

  Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, and minced garlic.
Add the beans to the bowl and toss to coat the beans liberally on all sides.

Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange green beans in a single layer on the sheet.
Cut the lemons in half and place cut side down in the four corners of the baking sheet to roast with the beans. Grind pepper over beans to taste.

Roast for 15 minutes, or until green beans become lightly brown and crisp on the outside.
Remove from the oven and place in your serving dish.

Squeeze the roasted lemon halves over the dish (be careful to catch any seeds) and serve immediately.

Looking for some delicious side dishes for that special occasion,  here is a low sodium green bean recipe for you to serve.