Summer Crock

Summer Crock

• 1 lb italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups eggplant, cubed
• 1-1/2 cups yellow squash, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, canned
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook the sausage and, using a wooden spoon, crumble it. Drain grease and place the sausage in the crockpot.

Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Now add the onion, eggplant, squashes, and garlic, sauteing about 2 minutes. Add this to the crock.

Now add the broth to the skillet and bring to a boil. Using a wire whisk, get all the stuff up off the bottom of the skillet and incorporate into the broth. Allow to boil vigorously for about a minute. Pour this over thet op of the crockpot.

One last time in the skillet, add the tomatoes and their juice and the seasonings. Heat to a boil, then add on top of everything else in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on the type of slow cooker you have, or till veggies are tender but not overcooked. (*note: I cooked it on high for about 4 hours and it turned out AWESOME!)

Per Serving
469 calories; 20g fat; 20g protein; 14 carbohydrates, 4g dietary fiber; 86mg cholesterol; 988 sodium

Another note: I used a green pepper instead of eggplant because I didn't have any, and it wound up being the same for carbs.

This recipe makes quite a bit, so I was able to get away with having only this with a salad and it was more than filling! YUM.

Kitchen Sink Soup

This is a recipe I made up on my own. It really was very tasty!

Kitchen Sink Soup
By Dawn

• 1 c carrots, sliced
• 1 c celery, sliced
• 1 c yellow snap beans (wax beans)
• 1 c frozen spinach
  
• 2 c yellow summer squash sliced
• 1 lg onion (1 cup)
• 2 c chopped chicken (see below)
• 1/2 c green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbs garlic chives, chopped
  
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp chicken soup base
• 1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

While I was chopping the veggies, I placed 4 chicken quarters (the leg and thigh section) that had been picked on for dinner the other night in about 7 cups of water and set it to boil. To that, I added the tops of the inside sections of celery (the leafy portion), the top portion of a fresh onion (what most consider green onions), and salt & pepper. That boiled the whole time I chopped veggies, about 45 minutes or so.

After the veggies were chopped, I poured the chicken and broth into a strainer that was placed in a bowl. The bowl caught the broth, and then I placed the chopped veggies (all except the yellow squash and onion) into the pot, along with about a tablespoon of olive oil.

The yellow squash and onion went on a lightly oiled cookie sheet in a 425 ° oven for 25 minutes.

I sauteed the veggies in the pot for a while, while picking the chicken off the bones.

Finally, I put the broth, chicken and roasted vegetables into the pot and brought it back to a boil. To this, I added the rosemary, chicken base and garlic salt.

I cooked this for about 10 minutes (the time it took to wash the dishes I'd dirtied during this time), and then turned it off. I left it off until we ate lunch, about 40 minutes.

Later, I'll reheat it for a few minutes, and serve it again, but with a salad, for dinner!

I figured out the nutritional info and it fell as such:

Per serving, which I'm figuring is about 1 cup of soup.
Cal 129; Fat 22; Cholesterol 42; Sodium 239; Potassium 492; Carbs 8; fiber 3.5; protein 14.5

ENJOY!

Faux-Tay-Toe Salad

Faux-tay-toe Salad

• 1 lb cauliflower, steamed
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 3 T mayonaise
• 1/2 T relish
• 2 eggs, hard boiled, chopped
• 2 green onions, minced
• salt & pepper to taste

In a bow, mix everything together, and season with salt & pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours for best flavor.

(Note: I left out the eggs and relish, but this was still excellent and very easy to mistake for real taters!)

Per Serving:
151 calories; 12g fat; 6g protein; 9g carb; 3g dietary fiber; 110mg cholesterol; 141 mg sodium.

Classic Salisbury Steak

Classic Salisbury Steak

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbls dry whole-wheat bread crumbs (I use low-carb breadcrumbs from 4c)
  
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 Tbls horseradish
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 Tbls vegetable oil, divided
• 1 can beef broth
• 3 cups mushrooms, sliced (I leave these out)
  
• 2 Tbls cold water
• 2 tsp cornstarch

In a medium bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly, then shape into 4 oval 1/2 inch thick patties.

In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil until hot and place patties in the skillet. Cook about 7 to 8 minutes or until no longer ink and juices run clear, turning ust once. Remove patties from skillet and keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute' mushrooms till soft. Remove mushrooms and add broth, using a wire whisk to scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Allow broth to simmer until slightly reduced. Mix cornstarch with cold water, mixing well until combined (no lumps!). Add to broth mixture and cook over medium heat (it needs to simmer) for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Add back the mushrooms and stir well, serving the mushroom gravy over patties.

Per Serving:
358 calories; 24g fat; 24g protein; 12g carb, 1 g dietary fiber; 79mb cholesterol; 381 sodium

Mashed Faux-tay-toes

Mashed Faux-tay-toes

• 1 head cauliflower, about 1 lb
• 3 Tbls cream cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Wash the cauliflower, peel off any leaves, and trim down the stem. Place the head in a pan containing about 2 inches of water. Place the pan on high heat and bring to a boil, lower the temperature to about medium, cover the pan and cook till cauliflower is fork tender, about 10 minutes or so.

Drain well and add cream cheese and salt & pepper to taste. Using a potato masher, mash the way you would mash potatoes and serve when you get the desired consistency.

Per Serving:
66 calories; 4g fat; 3g protein; 6g carb, 3g dietary fiber; 12mg cholesterol; 66mg sodium.

**Note: I made this and my 2 yr old daughter couldn't get enough of it!