Tuna Macaroni Salad

1 (16 oz) package elbow macaroni or medium shell pasta
2 (6 oz) cans tuna, drained (I used chunk light tuna in water.)
1 medium onion, chopped (I used a Vidalia sweet onion. Yum.)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder (Could have used more.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used reduced calorie mayo.)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons ranch salad dressing (or to taste)
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Rinse under cold water, and drain.
Mix tuna, onion, celery, garlic powder, mayonnaise, mustard, and salad dressing together in a large bowl. Add pasta, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Can be served immediately, or kept chilled in the refrigerator.

Servings: 10-12 (1 cup servings)

Notes: When I was growing up, my mom would always make tuna macaroni salad for dinner on really hot days. Today it hit about 95 degrees in Seattle, so I think that qualifies as hot. Because neither Kevin nor I felt like cooking, and the thought of eating something hot didn't appeal to us, I decided to take a stab at making this salad. I searched the internet and combined a bunch of different recipes into my own, and this is what I came up with. And it pretty much tastes exactly like the tuna macaroni salad I remember as a kid... except this version probably has a whole lot less fat in it. Kevin said it needed more flavor, and he's probably right. So next time we'll kick it up a notch and try something new. Maybe lemon pepper seasoning, or red pepper flakes, or a little dill pickle relish. But even as is, I thought the salad was fine, and the Vidalia sweet onions were a great addition. We'll see if the flavors meld together and intensify overnight when we eat the rest of the salad for lunch tomorrow.

Nutrition Facts:
224 Calories
2.8g Fat
18mg Cholesterol
329mg Sodium
37.5g Carbs
2g Fiber
1.8g Sugar
13.8g Protein

Macaroni & Cheese (Cooking Light)

Recipe from Cooking Light - Five Star Recipes

1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 oz) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup nonfat sour cream (I used light sour cream.)
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons grated onion
1-1/2 teaspoons reduced-calorie stick margarine, melted (I used butter.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (cooked without salt or fat)
Vegetable cooking spray
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon reduced calorie stick margarine, melted (I used butter.)
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Combine first 10 ingredients; stir well. Spoon into a 2-quart casserole coasted with cooking spray.

Combine breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon margarine, and paprika; stir well. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover casserole, and bake 5 additional minutes or until set.

Servings: 6 (1 cup each)

Notes: I made this recipe a while back in my quest to find a great macaroni and cheese recipe. Although it was better than the first recipe I tried, it's still not perfect. Don't get me wrong, it was nice and cheesy, and the fact that it was "healthier" than other mac & cheese recipes was an added bonus, but it didn't have the creaminess that I'm looking for. I thought the cottage cheese would be strange, but it actually tasted fine. It just didn't live up to the standard I'm trying to achieve. A couple of you gave me some good suggestions on my previous mac & cheese post, so I still have a couple more recipes to try. (I'll just wait until it's not 95 degrees to turn on the oven again.)

Nutrition Facts:
356 Calories
11.2g Fat (sat 5.2g)
63mg Cholesterol
724g Sodium
37.5g carbs
1.2g Fiber
24.9g Protein

Chicken Salad (Martha Stewart)

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 small whole breasts)
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt (or 3/4 cup mayo)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup finely diced fennel
1/2 cup finely diced celery
2 cups halved red seedless grapes

Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with half of the salt-pepper mixture; place in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from the pan; set aside.

In a bowl, combine yogurt, mustard, chives, tarragon, and remaining salt-pepper mixture. Place apple in a medium bowl with lemon juice, and toss to combine. Add fennel, celery, and grapes. Cut reserved chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to salad with yogurt dressing; stir to combine.

Servings: 6
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Notes: My friend Adrienne made this salad for a wedding shower we hosted on Saturday. She left out the tarragon and fennel, and used 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup mayonnaise instead of 3/4 cup yogurt. The result was a very flavorful salad, which we served on croissants. Everyone raved about them.

Nutrition Facts:
139 Calories
1.2g Total Fat
0.1g Saturated Fat
41mg Cholesterol
633mg Sodium
16.1g Carbohydrates
1.4g Fiber
13.2g Sugar
17.6g Protein

Cheesecake Squares

5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 package (8 oz) bar cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two criss-crossed rectangles of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Add flour, and mix until just combined; set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining dough into bottom and 1/4 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Add egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla; mix to combine.

Spread filling in crust; crumble reserved dough on top. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

The squares can be refrigerated, covered in plastic wrap, for up to two days.

Servings: 9
Recipe from Everyday Food

Notes: These cheesecake squares were very tasty. The only problem I had was that the crust partially separated from the filling when I took the bars out of the baking dish. I'm not sure why. Was the crust overcooked? Undercooked? Was the dough too dry to begin with? It just kind of came off in flaky layers. A minor set-back, but they still tasted good.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 square
256 Calories
15.5g Total Fat
9.9g Saturated Fat
77mg Cholesterol
121mg Sodium
24.4g Carbohydrates
0.2g Fiber
14.7g Sugar
4.1g Protein

Lemon Squares

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel, if desired
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar. Press into ungreased square pan, 8x8 or 9x9 inches, building up 1/2-inch edges. Bake 20 minutes. Beat remaining ingredients about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Pour over hot crust.

Bake about 25 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly in center; cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into 1-1/2 inch squares.

Servings: 25
Recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Notes: This is just your basic lemon bar recipe. They're super easy to make, and they taste great.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 square
91 Calories
4.1g Total Fat
2.5g Saturated Fat
29mg Cholesterol
40mg Sodium
12.9g Carbohydrates
0.1g Fiber
9.3g Sugars
1.1g Protein

Broccoli Salad (Light Version)

8 cups broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup craisins (or substitute raisins)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted

Dressing:
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, onion and craisins. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss until well combined. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Before serving, toss salad with sunflower seeds.

Servings: 16

Notes: I was looking for a lighter version of the Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad I've made in the past. I had to take out all of the good stuff like cheese, egg and bacon, but I still ended up with a yummy salad. This recipe only has 133 calories per serving compared to 348 calories in the other recipe, with 7 grams of fat instead of 28 grams. Not too shabby.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1/2 cup
133 Calories
7.3g Total Fat
1g Saturated Fat
5mg Cholesterol
134mg Sodium
16g Carbohydrates
2.1g Fiber
10.9g Sugar
2.4g Protein

Cheesy Brunch Casserole

1 pound turkey Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage instead.)
5 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farm)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (8 oz) cartons egg substitute

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain. Place sausage in a large bowl; add stuffing mix, tossing to combine.

Place stuffing mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Drizzle stuffing mixture with broth and butter; sprinkle with cheese. Combine milk and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk; pour milk mixture over stuffing mixture.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until set. Let casserole stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 9 servings

Recipe from Cooking Light magazine.

Notes: My family came over for breakfast on Saturday morning, so I thought I'd try out a new breakfast casserole on them. It's very similar to the Cheese & Sausage Breakfast Casserole I've made a couple times in the past. The biggest difference is that this recipe calls for egg substitute instead of real eggs. The nutritional facts are about the same, except that this recipe has a lot less cholesterol. I also used a different chicken sausage for this recipe. Usually I get my sausage from Whole Foods, but I didn't want to fight the crowd on Saturday, so I went to my local QFC and bought Isernio's Italian Chicken Sausage instead. I thought it added a lot of nice flavor to the dish compared to the sausage I get at Whole Foods. And I was happy to see that the sausage was only 100 calories per link. That's almost half the calories of Emeril's chicken sausage, so I have a feeling we'll be eating more of this product in the future.

This casserole turned out very good, or so the family says. It did come out of the oven a bit mushy in the middle, so I'd recommend cooking it a bit longer or turning up the oven temperature to 350 degrees. I'll definitely be making this recipe again.

Nutrition Facts per serving (1/9th of recipe):
360 calories
16g fat (7g saturated fat)
55mg cholesterol
1030mg sodium
29g carbohydrates
2g fiber
5g sugar
26g protein
15% vitamin A
0% vitamin C
30% calcium
20% iron