Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Lasagna rolls stuffed with spinach and cheese, then topped with a creamy butternut parmesan sauce and baked in the oven with even more cheese – trust me, you want these in your life!

Last year I fell in love with creamy butternut squash as a pasta sauce and have had this on my mind ever since. Now that the Fall is here it was the perfect time to play around with this idea.

They turned out as good as I could have imagined, even my teen daughter who is pretty picky loved these! And, they are meatless so they're perfect for meatless mondays. Use gluten free noodles to make them gluten free or whole wheat for added whole grain. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Easy Tomatillo Huevos Rancheros

Once in a while, I crave something different for breakfast; something with a little flavor and spice to wake up my taste buds. And that's when Huevos Rancheros land on the menu in my home. But this time, rather than making them the traditional way, I had some tomatillo salsa lying around and I thought why not simmer the eggs in there.



Turned out brilliant, and I only dirtied one pan – even better. But the best part was this took less than 10 minutes to make, so all in all it turned out to be a great morning.

And by the way, I'm excited to have partnered with Eggland's Best for my first sponsored post with them. I'm sure you can tell if you've been following me for a while that I only work with brands I would use in my own kitchen and I have always loved Eggland's Best so this was a no-brainer. Plus, I'm sure a lot of you are curious as to what makes their eggs different than other eggs on the supermarket shelf. Aren't they all the same you may wonder?



A few things actually set them apart. First their diet (the chickens are fed an all-natural diet of healthy grains, rice bran, alfalfa, sea kelp, canola oil and vitamin E, they are never fed recycled food, animal by-products or processed foods) and because of this they have less saturated fat, more vitamins, double the omegas and more Lutein than ordinary eggs found in the supermarket. Makes total sense, plus they never use hormones, antiobiotics or steriods on their chickens, which is always important to me.

This dish is gluten-free and perfect for Meatless Mondays as a lunch or dinner. To make it a main meal I would serve this with a big ole salad or some Fiesta Lime Rice on the side. Enjoy!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chicken Shiitake and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken, wild rice and mushrooms are combined in this rich and hearty soup – the perfect Fall comfort food.

We love this soup in my house, I originally posted this a few years ago and it's become a staple in my home on chilly nights. I've tinkered with the original recipe so if you have an older printout, you may need to reprint this one. The photo also needed a serious make-over because I was still working when I first posted this in 2011, and I probably took the photo the next day.

It was originally a make-over requested from a reader who asked me to lighten up her original recipe, which was loaded with butter and heavy cream. The beauty of this soup is you really don't need all the cream, because rice is a natural thickener for soups and it actually gets thicker the longer it sits (you may even need to add more water the next day before reheating to adjust the correct thickness to your taste.) I add a little sour cream at the very end to give it a touch of cream, and it's just delicious (my husband loves it!)

For the wild rice combo, I use a Carolina Long Grain and Wild Rice packet. If you can't find that brand, you could use Rice a Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Turkey Pastelón (Sweet Plantain Lasagna)

Sweet strips of plantains are layered with savory picadillo and cheese. It's that sweet salty thing that makes this taste SOOOO good!

It's Hispanic heritage month and in it's honor I thought this delicious Puerto Rican comfort dish (made light of course) would be an excellent recipe to honor it. My Mom is from Colombia, so we grew up eating plantains a lot in my home.

Plantains are like a cousin to the banana, and depending on the ripeness you'll cook them in different ways. For this recipe, you'll want them pretty ripe (they should be browned and soft). My plantains could have used a few more days to ripen, but I couldn't wait, I needed to make this.

I spent many summers as a kid with Aunt and cousin who moved to paradise (Puerto Rico). Those were some of my best childhood memories and the food I ate their were some of my favorite meals. Pasteles, empanadillas, pernil – their food is like no other, and they cook with so much flavor, only sometimes they tend to be a little on the not-so-light side. But with a few tweaks I was able to make this dish lighter, I just used a little less oil to cook the plantain, and to further lighten it, I made the picadillo with turkey instead of beef, and part skim cheese and I think it's just as good as the real deal – without the extra fat. To serve this, I sliced it into 9 slices and served it with a big salad on the side and my husband and I felt totally satisfied.

This is delicious (and gluten-free!), and now that it's gone, I'm craving some more! I just bought more plantains and this time I'm letting them get really ripe. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese

Cheesy baked spaghetti squash and baby spinach – a comforting, cheesy dish, without the guilt. Perfect for Meatless Mondays or any day of the week!

I am down to the last few days of finishing up the cookbook, so forgive me for not posting more recipes. But since it's Monday, I thought this delicious meatless dish from the archives would be perfect for this beautiful Fall day.

I'm really excited to share this recipe with you, I think you are all going to love this dish. I was craving something cheesy, without all the carbs from macaroni and came up with this.

I basically swapped the pasta from my Skinny Macaroni and Cheese recipe with spaghetti squash and was really impressed with the results.

No, spaghetti squash does not taste like pasta, it's slightly sweeter and of course a vegetable rather than a grain, but we all loved this dish. Even my husband gave it a thumbs up – I think we all found our favorite way to east this squash.

It can be prepared ahead, then baked just before ready to serve. I reheated leftovers in the microwave for lunch the next day and it was just as good as when I first made it.

If you are looking for a dish that is gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian and comforting, give this a try. Serve this as a main dish, or as a side dish. I think this would even freeze and reheat well, if anyone tries this let me know!

By the way, serving spoon is from Such A Time Designs.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Best Skinny Eggplant Rollatini with Spinach

This decadent, cheesy Italian comfort dish is my favorite way to enjoy eggplant and now that the weather is getting cooler, a great excuse to turn on your oven. Thin slices of eggplant are baked, then stuffed with ricotta, parmesan and spinach and baked with my homemade marinara sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. Folks, this dish is restaurant quality (without the frying and extra fat you'd get in a restaurant).

If you're thinking your not a fan of eggplant, I know this recipe will change your mind. The eggplant is sliced so thin (I used my mandolin for perfect even slices) that it literally melts in your mouth once it's baked. A serving is super generous, you'll be stuffed for under 250 calories. And it's meatless, so you can save this for meatless Mondays (but honestly I can eat this every day).

In the past I've sliced my eggplant a little thicker, but trust me, it's just not the same. I prefer to use two medium eggplants so my slices all come out even in size (can you say OCD?) and I save the odd-sized pieces for another recipe (chop it up and simmer it in marinara for a delicious Eggplant and Tomato Sauce). But if you prefer to use one large one and don't mind all your rolls coming out different sizes, go for it. This recipe is a little more time consuming, so save this for the weekend when you can play some music and sip some wine while you cook… Bon Appetit!

PS- for those who want to know what brand of Mandolin, it's available on Amazon, it's from OXO (click to see).

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

Oats, ripe bananas and chocolate chips – these healthy, "breakfast" cookies are chewy and delicious, and made with just three ingredients.

I was craving chocolate this morning, and decided to whip up a batch of these yummy cookies for breakfast (I ate 4 cookies, for 4 points). Some of you may recognize them, in the past I made them with walnuts in place of chocolate chips.

I would never eat cookies for breakfast, but these are made with healthy ingredients – oats, bananas, and a handful of chocolate chips (antioxidants, right?) with no added sugar or flour. If you wanted, you could replace the chocolate chips for cocoa nibs, raisins, craisins, whatever! Perfect for breakfast, snack or any time you crave a sweet healthy treat. And these are nut-free, gluten-free and egg free so they are perfect for different diet restrictions.

The riper your banana the better, so make these when your bananas are almost black and freckled with dark spots.

I personally think these are best eaten warm, right out of the oven. They taste almost like mini banana bread muffins, the texture is soft and chewy, not crisp like a dessert cookie. If you're expecting a crispy cookie you would keep in your cookie jar – you WILL be disappointed. But if you have a very ripe banana hanging around your counter, and you are craving chocolate... make these! You will be happy you did.

If you want more of a "traditional" oatmeal cookie recipe, then try my Low Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies instead... but I wouldn't eat them for breakfast.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...