Pumpkin French Toast

Source:  Closet Cooking

Serves:  4

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2 tbl brown sugar

8 slices bread

Directions:

1. Mix the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and brown sugar in a low, shallow bowl.
2. Dip the bread into the egg mixture on both sides; lightly brown 2-3 minutes per side.
3. Serve with syrup.

Shrimp Francesca

Source:  Allrecipes
Serves 4


I love baked shrimp, and this recipe is wonderful.

Ingredients:
1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 8oz can artichoke hearts in water, drained
1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup butter
1.5 tbl minced garlic
1 tbl finely shredded romano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Arrange the shrimp in the bottom of the baking dish.  Gently squeeze excess liquid from the artichoke hearts, break the hearts into quarters, and arrange in spaces between the shrimp.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parsley over the shrimp and artichoke hearts; sprinkle lemon juice over the crumbs.
3. Melt butter with garlic in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat; drizzle the butter mixture over the bread crumbs.  Sprinkle the top with romano cheese.
4. Bake until the crumbs and cheese brown lightly and the shrimp turn opaque, approximately 10-12 minutes. Serve over angel hair pasta, rice, etc.

Note:  I reserve the juice from the artichoke hearts and pour over the shrimp and pasta when served.

Shrimp Fried Rice

I've had my eye on this recipe for awhile now, and I'm not sure why I never tried it. It was very good, and you can't tell it is a light recipe.

Source: Cooking Light's Fresh Food Superfast Cookbook
Serves 4

Seasoned shrimp
Cooking spray
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
1/3 cup diagonally sliced green onions
1 (8.8oz.) pouch microwavable cooked brown rice (I used SteamFresh frozen brown rice)

1. Prepare Seasoned Shrimp; keep warm.
2. Wipe pan with paper towels; re-coat with cooking spray. Return to medium-high heat. Add egg; cook 1.5 minutes or until set. Remove egg from pan; cool and thinly slice.
3. While egg cools, add peas and onions to pan; stir-fry 1 minute. Add rice; stir-fry 2 minutes or until heated. Add egg and seasoned shrimp; stir-fry 1 minute.

For the Seasoned Shrimp:
Cooking spray
1 lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tbl. minced garlic
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tbl low-sodium soy sauce

1. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp and crushed red pepper to pan; stir-fry 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger to pan; stir-fry 1 minute. Add soy sauce; stir-fry 1 minute or until shrimp is cooked.

Peach French Toast Bake

Source: Ellie Krieger, Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 large whole-wheat baguette (about 8 oz)
4 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 cup low-fat milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups sliced peaches
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 1.5 tbl)
3 tbl brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Spray a 9x13 in. baking pan with cooking spray. Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices and arrange them in a single layer in the baking pan.
2. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla extract. Pour mixture over the bread in the pan.
3. In a medium bowl, toss peaches with the lemon juice and 1 tbl. of brown sugar. Scatter the peach slices evenly on top of the bread.
4. Combine the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Uncover and bake 40 minutes.

Top with a dollop of vanilla yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Miso-Sriracha Glazed Salmon

This was amazing. Mr. B's exacts words were "Winner, winner, chicken dinner!" Salmon isn't my favorite fish, but I really loved the flavors in this sauce. The directions called for broiling, but we grilled our salmon, basting with sauce. We also served some of the sauce on the side.

Source: adapted from Oishi
Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 tbl toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup white miso paste
3 tbl Sriracha
1 clove garlic, minced
nonstick cooking spray
6 6oz. salmon filets
6 sliced green onion, green part only (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler.
2. In a small nonreactive bowl, combine the sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, miso, Sriracha and garlic.
3. Line a rimmed baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place the salmon on the foil and brush some of the glaze over the salmon.
4. Broil 6 inches from the flame, basting salmon twice with more glaze (there will be plenty leftover). Broil until the salmon flakes easily, about 9-10 minutes.
5. Remove salmon from baking pan and transfer to plates. Garnish with green onions.

Southeast Asian Grilled Flank Steak

This was really good! I think I am in love with Sriracha. In this marinade, you can taste just a hint of Sriracha, therefore it is not too spicy. This marinated 24 hours, but something came up so we ended up letting in marinate 48 hours. I think it turned out better due to the longer marinating time.

Source: Cooking Light
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tbl sugar
3 tbl fresh lime juice
1 tbl fish sauce
2 tsp Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. flank steak, trimmed
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large ziplock plastic bag. Add steak; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
3. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade.
4. Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove steak from grill and let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into thin slices.
   

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

I recently made this dish for a cook-out and it was a huge hit. It is simple to make, and is high in fiber and protein. I served it as an appetizer with tortilla chips, but it could be served as a side dish.


Source: skinnytaste.com
Serves: 12

Ingredients:
15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
9 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 tomato, chopped
1 small avocado, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp cilantro
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper.
2. Mix with lime juice and olive oil.
3. Marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.