Italian Pasta Bake

1 package 3 cheese refrigerated tortellini, uncooked
1/4 cup hot water
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 jar Spicy Marinara sauce
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine all ingredients except for cheese in a 2 quart pan.  Cover with foil.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove foil.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake, uncovered, another 10 minutes.

Serves 4

Raspberry Cape Breeze

1 tub sugar free Raspberry Ice low calorie drink mix
2 cups orange juice
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup spiced rum

Pour all into a pitcher.  Stir until completely dissolved.  Serve over ice cubes or freeze it to make a slushy.

Serves 6

Oven Roasted Vegetable Penne

9 roma tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups dried penne (about 6 oz)
3 Tbsp Italian style tomato paste
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

Place tomatoes and zucchini in 3 quart rectangular baking dish.  In a small bowl, combine oil, garlic, salt, and pepper; drizzle over tomato mixture.  Roast vegetables, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring once.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; stir.  Stir pasta into the roasted vegetable mixture along with the tomato paste.  Bake, uncovered, in the 400 degree oven for 10 minutes more.  To serve, stir pasta and vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen vanilla fat free yogurt
1/3 cup granola (or bran flakes)
1/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup bananas, sliced

Place all in blender container; cover.  Blend on high speed until smooth and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Eggs Benedict Casserole

Cooking Spray
8 large eggs
3 cups milk
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 pound Canadian bacon, cut into 1/2 inch diced pieces
6 English muffins, cut into 1/2 inch diced pieces
1/2 tsp paprika
1 (0.9 oz) package hollandaise sauce mix
1/4 cup butter

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Whisk together eggs, 2 cups milk, green onions, onion powder, and salt in a large bowl until well mixed.  Layer one third to one half the Canadian bacon in prepared baking dish.  Spread English muffins over meat and top with remaining Canadian bacon.  Pour eggs mixture over casserole.  Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

Next day:  Preheat oven to 375.  Sprinkle casserole with paprika; cover with aluminum foil.  Bake until eggs are nearly set, about 30 minutes; remove foil.  Continue baking until eggs are completely set, about 15 more minutes.  Whisk hollandaise sauce mix with remaining cup milk in saucepan.  Add margarine and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, and stir until thickened, about 1 minute.  Drizzle sauce over casserole to serve. 

Serves 12

Hot Spinach Dip

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 (6.5 oz) jar artichoke hearts, drained and mashed (or chopped finely)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
Crackers or fresh vegetables as dippers

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix together spinach, bell pepper, garlic, artichokes, sour cream and parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mixture will be thick; add cream to thin to dip consistency.  Spoon into a 1 quart baking dish.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.  Serve with crackers or fresh vegetables, such as carrots, peppers or tomatoes. 

Makes 3 cups.

Spicy Peach glazed Pork Chops

1 cup peach preserves
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-4 tsp Sriracha sauce, depending on how spicy you want it
4 boneless pork chops
1 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix peach preserves, Worcestershire sauce, Sriracha sauce (start with less...you can always add more), ginger, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Taste sauce.  This is very important.  Add additional sriracha to compliment your spicy desires.  We went with 4 tsp.  Spray 13x9 dish with cooking spray.  Add pork chops to dish and cover both sides with sauce.  Cook at 350 for 30-50 minutes or until pork is done. 

Serves 4

**You could also cook these on the stove by browning the pork chops (covered in sauce) in a skillet until cooked through.

Slow Cooker Pork Cacciatore

4 (1 1/2 inch thick) boneless pork chops, about 1 1/2 pounds total
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz) package fresh sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 (24-28 oz) jar tomato based pasta sauce
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried basil
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Add all ingredients, except cheese, to slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  To serve, top each chop with a slice of cheese and cover with sauce. 

Serves 4

Egg Salad Sandwiches

8 large eggs, hard boiled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cool, peel and chop eggs in bowl.  Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, and onion.  Stir in paprika, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve on bread or crackers

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 salmon fillets (4 ounces each)
1 tsp oregano

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a 15x10 pan with foil; coat foil with cooking spray.  Set aside.  In a saucepan, sauté garlic in oil until tender.  Stir in vinegar, mustard, water, honey, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Set aside 2 Tbsp for basting.  Place fillets on prepared pan.  Brush with sauce and sprinkle with oregano.  Bake, uncovered, 15-18 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.  Brush with reserved sauce before serving.

Serves 6