Chile Relleno Casserole

I really wanted to make Chile Rellenos but I decided to make a casserole instead because frankly, it's MUCH healthier. I took the long route & blackened my own chiles and peeled them. It's much more time consuming than using canned green chiles (which I LOVE) but the flavor seems so much more like authentic Chile Rellenos to me.

• 3-5 large Ancho or Anaheim chiles (or 3, 7 oz cans of whole green chiles)

Move oven rack to the top of oven and set to BROIL. Wash chiles and place on a tin foil covered baking pan. Place on top rack of oven, watch (and listen) closely. Chiles will crackle, pop & char. Once the entire pepper is charred evenly turn over with tongs. Char the other side of chiles completely. Remove from oven and wrap each pepper in a wet paper towel & place in a large gallon size ziploc bag. Seal the bag and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Remove from paper towel and peel the charred skin off completely. Cut the stem and remove the seeds & vein. Cut each pepper into half.

• 3 eggs
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp non fat sour cream
• 1 3 oz can of sliced black olives
• 1 cup of low fat Mexican blend cheese (or more if you want)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 can red or green enchilada sauce
• Sour cream (garnish)
• Diced green onion (garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, flour, sour cream, olives, salt and pepper to taste then mix thoroughly. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Add a layer of the chiles, and then egg mixture, then cheese, then black beans; repeat layers until gone. Top with enchilada sauce and a bit more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Top with sour cream and diced green onion. I serve this meal with the Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing (see recipe here). Enjoy!

Mushroom, Spinach & Sausage Frittata

This was a perfect Saturday morning breakfast. It's fairly healthy but doesn't taste like it! The flavors were great together & it was light but filling. My husband and son couldn't get enough of this dish.

• 8 eggs
• 2 Tbsp non fat milk
• 3/4 cup low fat cheddar or mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
• 2-3 turkey sausage links, cooked & diced
• 1/2 cup white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh spinach, slightly wilted
• 1 tsp butter
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the sausage in a skillet, remove from heat & dice. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add onions & mushrooms and saute until tender, remove from heat & set aside. Place spinach in the skillet with a tablespoon of water & cook over medium heat for 1 minute until slightly wilted. Drain water & set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Add 1/2 cup of cheese, sausage, mushrooms, onions, wilted spinach and salt & pepper to taste. Coat a tart or pie pan with cooking spray and add the egg mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top the frittata with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and return to the oven for 10 additional minutes. Remove from the oven cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Talk about comfort food. Not only is it really tasty but it's easy to make as well. I am still one handed these days (see Topping the list for details) so I couldn't do anything challenging. This dish only has a few steps and it makes a fabulous dinner. It paired nicely with Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan.

• 4 ounces of pancetta, diced into chunks
• 1 small shallot, diced finely
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded (use more if you desire)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Whole wheat spaghetti noodles, prepared per instructions (add salt to the water)
• 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the pancetta. Combine the egg with half the cheese, salt & pepper, mix thoroughly. Once the pancetta is cooked, remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Add shallots to the same skillet & saute until tender. Add garlic & saute for 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat and add the hot spaghetti noodles and a 1/2 cup of cooking water to the pan with the shallots & garlic. Add the egg mixture & stir thoroughly until creamy (be careful not to over cook the eggs - you don't want them to scramble). Add pancetta, parsley and the remainder of the Parmesan - taste & re-season if needed. Serve immediately. Enjoy.