Beef Stroganoff

For years I have thought about trying beef stroganoff, but darn near every recipe I saw had mushrooms as a main ingredient and they are not an ingredient I am particularly fond of.  As I was trying to think about what to have for dinner I was mentally running through the items in my fridge and kept coming up with zucchini, onion and beef.  It was at that moment a light bulb went off that I was going to make my own version of stroganoff - one without mushrooms but with zucchini and onions.

This dish reminds me a lot of a dish from my childhood - Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Egg Noodle Casserole but was a bit healthier with the addition of the sauteed vegetables. I recommend giving this dish to some picky eaters as there are no large chunks of vegetables but you know they are there and you are getting their benefits.



Beef Stroganoff: Serves 4

8oz Whole Wheat Egg Noodles
1lbs Ground Beef - I use 93/7
1 Large Onion - Diced
1 Large Zucchini - Shredded & Squeezed of excess liquid (approx 3-4C shredded)
1tsp Olive Oil
1/2-1tsp Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
1 Can Campbells Condensed Mushroom Soup - 98% FF
1/4C Sour Cream - I use Daisy's Light
1/4C Chicken Stock - FF or Water

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, drain and set to the side. In a skillet over medium heat add the olive oil with the onions and some salt and pepper, cook for 2 minutes until they start to soften then add the zucchini with more salt and pepper. After another 2 minutes add the ground beef and sprinkle with the garlic powder and more salt and pepper, brown the meat with the veggies and once completely browned put the whole mixture into a large colander and push out excess liquid - the zucchini and beef will give off juices that make it kinda soupy so you want to get rid of these, I just used the back of my spoon and pushed, stirred and pushed again until most of the liquid was gone.

Add the mix back to the saute pan and add the soup, sour cream and chicken stock to it over low heat until incorporated and starting to bubble, add the noodles back in and stir around. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before stirring one last time, serving and enjoying.

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WW: 11 Points Plus / serving
(Note if you served a half serving it would be 5PP - I will be doing this for the leftovers with some roasted carrots on the side!)

Bangers and Mash

This week has been a long one for me and I wanted a low key comfort food dinner but didn't want to feel guilty about eating it! This dinner was easy to put together and I was able to clean up my kitchen as it cooked. Now I have a clean kitchen, a full belly and lots of leftovers. This recipe uses my Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower recipe and adds Chicken Sausage to complete the Bangers and Mash theme.

Bangers + Mash: Serves 4

1.25 lbs Red Potatoes
3C Frozen Cauliflower (or Fresh)
1/4C Sour Cream (I use Daisy’s Light)
2TB Butter
2-4TB Milk
Salt / Pepper
4 Italian Chicken Sausages - approx 4oz each.
1tsp Olive Oil

I like to have the skins of the potato in my mashed potatoes, if you do not then peel your potatoes! Either way scrub them clean, and chop into even pieces (I do 1/2″ cubes), rinse under cold water, then place in a sauce pot covered with cold, salted water and bring to a boil and cook until easily pierced with a fork. In a separate pot cover the cauliflower with salted water and bring to a boil and cook until a fork easily pierces the stems.

Drain the potatoes & cauliflower and place the cauliflower in a mixer and beat until well minced. Add the potatoes, milk (start with 2TB), sour cream, butter and some salt and pepper and continue to mash until nice and smooth. Add more milk if you like your potatoes a little more loose and taste to see if you need more salt and pepper.

While the potatoes and cauliflower are cooking add the olive oil to a saute pan and heat over medium heat, add the sausages to the pan, cover with a lid and every few minutes turn them over until they are brown all over and cooked through. Once completely cooked place a sausage on top of a serving of the mash, serve and enjoy!

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WW: 9 Points Plus / serving

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

I was at Olive Garden a few weeks ago and tried their Chicken Gnocchi Soup and was inspired to make my own version that was much chunkier with more veggies and chicken in a delicious creamy broth. This made a huge pot that I can't wait to dig into! Very filling, and a different take on a traditional chicken soup / chowder.



Chicken Gnocchi Soup: Serves 12-16

6-8 Chicken Thighs - Skinless
1 Large Onion - Diced
4-5 Celery Stalks - Diced
4-5 Carrots - Diced
2 Bay Leaves
1TB Chicken Bouillon (I use Better then Bouillon)
1C Heavy Cream
1.5C Milk (I used Fat Free)
2TB Corn Starch
~10-12C Water
15oz Can Creamed Corn
1lbs Gnocchi - I bought Fresh Prepackaged from Wegmans
Salt & Pepper

In a large - and I mean large, soup pot add the chicken, onion, celery, bay leaves, generous salt and pepper (about 1TB salt / 1-2tsp pepper) and water (note I did not measure my water, I was using a huge dutch oven and had about 4-5" of water in the pan - enough to cover the chicken by an inch or two). Bring this up to a boil and let the chicken cook through. Once the chicken is completely cooked remove it from the pot, remove and discard any excess fat and bones then take the chicken and shred it either by hand, with two forks, or toss it into your stand mixer and beat on low for about 30 seconds.

While you are shredding the chicken turn the the pot down to a low simmer and remove and discard the bay leaves. You'll notice that excess grease will be gathering on top, with a large spoon carefully remove this grease from your pan and discard. Add the chicken back to the pot with the carrots, creamed corn and bouillon and give it a taste test - is it flavorful? is it bland? adjust as necessary - I like mine peppery so I always use fresh ground pepper in high quantities.

Next mix the milk with the cornstarch until completely incorporated then add to the soup pot, bring up to a boil and stir for a few minutes, add the cream and continue to stir another 3-4 minutes letting all the flavors mesh together. Lastly add the Gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes per the package instructions, remove soup from the heat and let the soup sit. Ideally you would make this the day before eating as the cream sauce will really absorb the soup flavors overnight but you can eat it now if you can't resist! (I may of had a bowl!)

Serve & Enjoy!

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WW: 7 Points Plus / serving @ 12 servings
5 Points Plus / serving @ 16 servings

Creamy Shrimp, Zucchini & Bell Pepper Pasta

One of my favorite recipes to adapt is originally from Skinny Taste for a Creamy Chicken Pasta that I subbed Shrimp for and now I've substituted even more. I dropped the tomatoes and added julienned zucchini strips which blended right in with my noodles - note if you have picky eaters you may be able to fool them into eating something green with the zucchini prepared this way! I love this recipe, it tastes so decadent as if I used all kinds of cream and cheeses and other deliciousness to achieve the creamy when in reality I used nice healthy alternatives.



Creamy Shrimp, Zucchini + Bell Pepper Pasta: Serves 4

8oz Pasta
1 Red Pepper – Sliced
1 Large Onion - Sliced
1 Large Zucchini - Julienned - Approx 3-4C
2 Garlic Cloves – Minced
1lbs Shrimp – Peeled & De-veined
1/4C Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat)
1/3C Milk (Fat Free)
1TB Flour
1/2C Chicken Stock
1-2tsp Old Bay
1TB Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente and set to the side. While the pasta is cooking, toss your shrimp with 1tsp of olive oil and 1/2tsp of old bay seasoning. Add to a skillet that has been preheated over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove from the pan and set to the side (or pour in the pasta pot if the pasta is done cooking and has been drained).

Now onto the vegetables! I like to cut all the veggies into strips / slices so once they are softened they will twirl easily with my pasta. I have a julienne peeler which makes cutting the zucchini a breeze, I highly suggest investing in one or using a julienne attachment on a mandolin to make fast work of this task. Place the remaining 2tsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat with the garlic cloves and let them cook for up to a minute being sure not to let them burn, add the peppers and onions with approximately 1/2-1tsp of cajun seasoning (if you aren’t a fan of heat go with the 1/2tsp). Give it all a toss and let it cook for 2-3 minutes then add the zucchini and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Either in a blender or with some determination, blend the milk, chicken stock, flour and cream cheese together until nice and smooth. Add to the cooked vegetables and bring up to a simmer and let it cook for a few minutes to thicken, add the pasta and shrimp, toss, remove from the heat, cover and let it sit for 5 minutes, give it one last toss, serve & enjoy!

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WW: 10 Points Plus / serving