Sylvia's Scenario

Tonight, I made a high protein vegetarian dish to take over to Lauren and Ari's house for dinner and we all agreed it was blog-worthy, which means it passed the taste test.  They both had to work today so I thought a meatless, 17 grams of protein per serving, cheesy, gooey, hot dish would hit the spot after a weekend of celebrating the New Year.   They had a New Year's Eve party at their house and spent yesterday cleaning up so I did what moms do; make dinner.   Their party included a sit down dinner of pork roast for eleven friends, karaoke, a photo booth and even played outside in the snow after it started snowing Saturday night. Fun times.  And Bruce and I couldn't even stay up until midnight...oh, to be young again.  I got this recipe from  skinnytaste  blog that is full of delicious, healthy recipes with Weight Watcher's points listed for each recipe so it's a good blog if you want to watch your calorie intake after all this holiday ...

It's still "soup weather" here - gray, cloudy and wet - so no better time than one of my favorite family recipes of pasta fazool. This is the ultimate comfort food (still in demand after the Super Bowl ) and this dish always hits the spot on a rainy day. Needless to say, we ate this often when we lived in Seattle, one of the kids' favorite meals.  It's a one-dish meal, although we usually have a salad and bread with it. Our version is thicker than a lot of versions you might get in Italian restaurants where it is called Pasta Fagioli but I've always loved our home cooked version the best. I think the macaroni in this recipe causes it to be thicker because it continues to absorb the soup as it cooks but I like it that way.  The Italian name means "pasta and beans" and was considered a peasant dish, made by those who could not afford expensive food with meat.  This is not an expensive dish at all but it is healthy with beans for protein, l...

I'm never buying bottled pasta sauce again.  This is a delicious recipe.  Love it, love it, love it!  This recipe is so good and so easy and it makes such a quick, simple dinner.  It is a recipe from  The Pioneer Woman , so you know it's yummy.  I added meat to it but you really don't need meat since this recipe has 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese mixed into the sauce along with a 1 cup of heavy cream. Needless to say, you don't need to eat much of this to feel satisfied.  Top it off with a nice salad and dinner is ready.  Serves 6 1 pound spaghetti or pasta of your choice 2 Tbs. olive oil 2 Tbs. butter 1 medium onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground beef (optional, it's rich enough without meat) 2 -15 oz. cans of tomato sauce Salt and pepper, to taste Dash of sugar pinch of red pepper flakes 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1.  Cook pasta according to directions on box, reservi...

This hearty vegetarian soup warms up chilly nights.  Use any type of canned beans you happen to have on hand and add chicken or Italian sausage for a heftier dish, if you prefer. Makes 4-6 servings 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 tsp. salt, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups vegetable broth, divided 7 cups stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch) 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and divided 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1.  Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion, carrot, and celery, and saute 6 minutes or until tender.  Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt and garlic; cook 1 minute.   2.  Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simme...

It's been a week since New Year's and everyone is getting into a regular routine again but now it's time to spice things up again!  This is still a good soup to keep with the "cleansing" theme but now with  a little kick to it!  To keep it low calorie, used baked tortilla chips but we used Tostitos Artisan Fire Roasted Chipotle tortilla chips which went really well with this soup. Serves 4 1 chopped onion 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 can beans, drained (use your favorite kind, I like black beans) 1 cup frozen corn 1 Tbsp. fresh, seeded jalepeno 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1 quart broth 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can reduced fat tomato soup crushed tortilla chips 1.  In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in a little broth. 2.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour. 3.  Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla chips.

It's time to start cleansing after the holidays and this is a good soup to start with.  All vegetables. The vegetables give this soup a natural sweetness so you'll have no problem devouring the whole pan. Serves 6 3 carrots, diced 1 small yellow onion, diced 4 cloves garlic 1/2 head green cabbage, diced 2 cups spinach 2 small zucchini, diced 1/2 head cauliflower, diced 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced  1 can diced tomatoes 2 quarts chicken broth 2 tsp. basil 1 tsp. oregano salt to taste 1.  In a large pot, add a small amount oil, then add carrots, onion and garlic; saute vegetables over low heat until softened. 2.  Add cabbage, spinach, and zucchini, stir and continue to saute vegetables until softened. 3.  Add diced tomatoes and broth.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat, add basil and oregano.  Simmer, covered for 15 minutes.  Salt to taste.

This is called Bon Fire Soup because I made it this fall evening after we set fire to our burn piles for a big fall bon fire and this soup really hit the spot!  Delicious! 2 carrots, diced 1 cup mushrooms, sliced  1 onion, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 zucchini, diced 1 cup sweet potatoes, diced 1/2 head green cabbage, sliced 1 package fresh, prewashed spinach 6 cups chicken broth 2 Tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp salt 1 package Chinese style noodles 1.  Heat oil in pan and add carrots, mushrooms, onion and garlic.    Saute vegetables over low heat for 5 minutes, until softened.  2.  Add zucchini, sweet potatoes, cabbage, spinach, and saute until soft. 3.  Add chicken broth and bring to simmer. 4.  Add tomato paste, basil, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. 5.  Add noodles and continue to simmer for 2 minutes.   S...

Here is another recipe from  Flavor First  cookbook.  I love it and it's so healthy and delicious  I could just scream!  I still have some tomatoes and Swiss chard in the garden and this recipe uses both so if you're trying to use up your last little bit of garden delight, here's the recipe for you. Serves 4 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or drained canned, diced tomatoes 1 Tbsp.  chopped garlic 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini or great Northern white beans, rinsed and drained 3/4 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth 3 cups chopped Swiss chard or 1-1/2 cups thawed frozen spinach 1/3 tsp. ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. salt (optional) 4 ounces dry whole wheat rigatoni pasta, cooked until al dente 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil 1.  In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, or until  the tomatoes are tender. ...