Mushroom-Sauced Pot Roast

ingredients

1 1-1/2-pound boneless beef chuck eye roast, chuck pot roast, eye round roast, or round rump roast

4 medium potatoes (about 1-1/2 pounds), quartered

1 16-ounce package frozen tiny whole carrots

1 4-ounce can (drained weight) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon or basil, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 10-3/4-ounce can condensed golden mushroom soup

directions

Trim fat from roast. If necessary, cut roast to fit into a 3-1/2- to 4-1/2-quart slow cooker. Set aside.

In the slow cooker combine potatoes, frozen carrots, mushrooms, tarragon or basil, and salt. Add roast. Pour mushroom soup over mixture in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Makes 5 or 6 servings.

Chicken-Orzo Soup

Nothing says comfort like a bowl of hearty chicken soup. Pair with a sandwich for a simple, heartwarming dinner option.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

1 (32-ounce) container fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided

1/2 cup uncooked orzo

2 teaspoons olive oil

2/3 cup coarsely chopped carrot

1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 1/4 cups water

3 fresh parsley sprigs

1 fresh thyme sprig

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Bring 1 3/4 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add orzo; cook 10 minutes or until done. Drain.

2. While orzo cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add carrot, celery, onion, and chicken; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 2 1/4 cups broth, 1 1/4 cups water, parsley, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard herb sprigs. Add orzo, spinach, juice, salt, and pepper; simmer 1 minute.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

224

Fat:

4.7g (sat 0.9g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

22g

Carbohydrate:

22.6g

Fiber:

3g

Cholesterol:

47mg

Iron:

1.5mg

Sodium:

750mg

Calcium:

43mg

Candace-Chinese Pork Chops

Chinese Pork Chops

6 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)

1 small finely chopped onion

1/3 cup ketchup

3 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

3 tbsp water

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp ground ginger

3 cups hot cooked rice

Coat crock with non stick cooking spray, place chops in bottom. Combine the rest of the sauce ingrediants in a small bowl and pour over chops. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours or until meat is tender. Serve over rice with cooking juices.

I also added a roughly chopped green pepper since I like that in Chinese food and I'll be serving it over jasmine rice. I may also thicken it with cornstarch and water if the sauce is too thin. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Candace-Tex Mex Bean and Rice Cassarole

Tex Mex Rice and Bean Casserole

* 1 sprays cooking spray

* 1 cup canned yellow corn, drained, or frozen, thawed corn kernels

* 1 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, chopped, mild or hot

* 15 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

* 1 cup cooked brown rice, fresh or day old

* 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese

* 3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

* 1/4 tsp chili powder

* 1/4 tsp table salt

* 1/8 tsp black pepper

* 2 Tbsp scallion(s), chopped (dark green part only)

* 2 Tbsp shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese

* Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2-quart glass baking dish with cooking spray.

* In a large bowl, combine corn, chilies, beans, rice, 3/4 cup of cheese, sour cream, chili powder, salt and pepper; stir in scallions.

* Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes to firm up before slicing into 6 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Notes

* Change the beans or cheese to your liking: white or black beans, reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheeses all work well.

If you want to brown the cheese more, place the dish (make sure it's broiler safe) under the broiler for a minute or two.

Points~ POINTS® Value: 4

Servings: 6

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 40 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Candace-Roasted Asparagus Lasagna

Roasted Asparagus Lasagna

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

* 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

* 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

* 2 tablespoons butter

* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

* Dash ground cloves

* 1-1/2 cups milk

* 1 cup thinly sliced red onion

* 2 garlic cloves, minced

* 12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

* 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place asparagus and mushrooms in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; toss to coat. Bake at 450° for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are browned; set aside. Reduce heat to 350°. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and cloves until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Remove from the heat; add roasted asparagus and mushrooms. In a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer four noodles, a third of the asparagus mixture, a third of the white sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. 12 servings.

Candace-Creamy Pork Chops

4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1/2 cup sauce)

Ingredients

* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

* 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

* Cooking spray

* 1/3 cup minced shallots (about 2)

* 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

* 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

* 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

* 1/4 cup Marsala wine or dry sherry

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork from pan.

Add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Add remaining 2 tablespoons flour and thyme to pan, and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. Combine chicken broth and Marsala, stirring until smooth. Gradually add broth mixture to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Return pork to pan; cook 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

242 (25% from fat)

Fat:

6.8g (sat 2.5g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

27g

Carbohydrate:

15.4g

Fiber:

1.1g

Cholesterol:

67mg

Iron:

2.1mg

Sodium:

299mg

Calcium:

44mg

Candace-Dorito Cassarole

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9?x13? baking dish with Pam.

Brown ground beef; drain.

Stir in chili powder or taco seasoning, soup, and Rotel.

Crush Doritos and sprinkle half in bottom of baking dish. Add a layer of meat mixture, half the cheese, and another layer of Doritos.

Add remaining meat. Top with cheese.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until bubbly