Starving Artist

The start of 2010 brings a whole new slew of New Years resolutions. I’m willing to bet that more than half of you have resolved to start living a healthier lifestyle in the coming year, and eating healthier is one way to do that. I’m a big believer in substitution, not deprivation. You can still have your favorite comfort food, guilt-free, if you make some simple swaps!

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Calzones are one of my favorite guilty pleasures, but thankfully with substituting some of the key ingredients, it can actually be quite healthy! Go with whole wheat dough, instead of regular pizza dough, and look for lower fat versions of your favorite savory stuffers.

Here’s what I decided to use:

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Ingredients:

• 1 bag (1 lb) of whole wheat pizza dough
• 3 cups of part skim shredded cheese (I used a cheddar, monterrey jack and mozzarella blend)
• 8 oz of fat free ham
• 1/4 cup of pepperoncinis
• 1/2 cup of roasted peppers
• 1/4 cup of low fat parmesan cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp oregano

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The first step is to cut of the ham and peppers into bite-sized pieces.

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Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl.

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Roll out the dough onto a cookie sheet, and top with the filling. Fold up each of the ends of the dough so that they cover the filling. Pinch to ensure the filling doesn’t leak out.

This recipe will leave you with about 1/2 cup extra of the filling. Save that for a round #2 recipe of a Spiced Up Chicken Cordon Bleu Rollup (I’ll post the extremely easy instructions later this week with photos when i make it :)  )

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Top with a sprinkling of cheese.

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Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

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Let the calzone cool a bit, and then slice and serve!

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Really good!!

Happy New Year everyone :)

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Looking for an easy, lightened up, yet extremely decadent dessert for your holiday table? This trifle will definitely impress! It’s so simple to make, so it’s a great dessert to bring to a party. I really like making trifles for the holidays. There are so many different combinations of flavors that you can play with. I love the cheesecake, raspberry and chocolate-y red velvet cake together! Enjoy :)

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The Red Velvet cake cooling

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The lineup of yummy ingredients

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RECIPE

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Ingredients:

• 1 package of red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 2 1oz packages of Jello Instant Sugar Free Cheesecake Filling
• 2 cups of cold skim milk
• 1 12oz tub of Lite Cool Whip
• 3/4 cup of raspberry preserves
• 2 oz of dark chocolate
• 3 tbsp Frangelico (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Red raspberries for garnish

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Directions:

1. Cook the red velvet cake according to the directions, but substitute the apple sauce for the oil. Also, stir in the chocolate chips right at the end. Let the cake cool completely after baking.
2. Make the cheesecake filling according to the directions on the box (mix the packets with the skim milk, and chill for 30 minutes).
3. Mix the raspberry preserves in a small bowl with 2 tbsp of the Cool Whip.
4. In the tub of Cool Whip, mix in 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
5. Once the cake and the cheesecake filling are ready to go, you may begin layering. Break up 1/3 of the cake and layer it at the bottom of the trifle bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of Frangelico. This will keep the cake moist and add a nice hazelnut flavor. The Frangelico can be omitted if you’d like.
6. Spread 1/3 of the cheesecake filling over the cake layer.
7. Spread 1/3 of the raspberry mix over the cheesecake layer.
8. Spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip over the raspberry layer.
9. Repeat twice more. The Cool Whip should be your final layer. With a vegetable peeler, shred the dark chocolate over the top of the trifle. Garnish with fresh raspberries if you have them.
10. Chill for an hour or two before serving.

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Happy Holidays! :)

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Well after realizing that the last time I posted was on Thanksgiving, I figured that I better get my butt in gear and get back to it with the blog! Work has been crazy busy, which is always a good thing, but unfortunately that doesn’t leave me much energy for jumping back on the computer after a 10+ hour day. Luckily I am on V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N this week, so it’s time to get a’ posting :)

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more healthy yummy holiday recipes for you, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with some snowy snapshots of wintry Boston.

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For a short amount of time this winter, Fenway Park has been converted into an ice rink for some special events, public skating, college and Bruins games! My dad’s company is one of the main sponsors of Frozen Fenway, so we got to go skating last weekend. It was so much fun!

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MMMM hot chocolate!

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I hope you all are able to relax and enjoy the holidays! If you’re in need of some last minute dessert ideas, I’ll have 2 delicious ones for you tomorrow! Good night for now :)

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The day after Thanksgiving – a day filled with leftovers and probably almost as much eating as the day before (in our house at least!). My mom cooked up her famous homemade raviolis, sauce and meatballs which is a Thanksgiving tradition in my family. And here I am, once again stuffed with delicious food :)

I wanted to share with you the stuffing recipe that I came up with yesterday. In my opinion, stuffing is the king of the side dishes, and I’m loving this flavor combination. The earthy flavors of the sausage, pears and chestnuts paired very well together, and were really balanced. To go vegetarian, just swap the sausage for Morningstar Veggie links, and chicken broth for veggie broth :)

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Sausage, Pear and Chestnut Stuffing

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Ingredients:

• 1 bag of whole wheat stuffing mix
• 6 sweet Italian sausages
• 1 pear
• 1 large white onion
• 3 celery stalks
• 5 chestnuts (shelled and chopped)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 18 oz chicken stock
• 6 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

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Directions:

1. Cook the sausages on the stove in a large frying pan until cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, chop up the onion, celery, pear and chestnuts into small pieces.
3. Remove the sausages from the pan (let cool, and then cut into small pieces). Add 2 tbsp of the butter to the pan. Once melted, add in all of the chopped ingredients, garlic, and poultry seasoning. Cook until the veggies are soft.
4. In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, sauteed veggies, chicken stock, parsley, salt and pepper. Melt the remaining butter and add as well. Stit until all ingredients are combined.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″x9″ baking dish. Fill the dish with the stuffing mixture. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crunchy.

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I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with family, friends, and of course lots of delicious food! I’m writing this post in the midst of a massive food coma, lounging on the couch (not 100% by choice, I really don’t think I could move if I wanted to). I leave you with a photo snapshot of my family’s Thanksgiving spread (recipes to follow tomorrow, when I can bring myself to actually think about food again). Enjoy the rest of your holiday! :)

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Brie with cranberries, walnuts, and an apple cider brown sugar glaze

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The anticipation was brutal

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Our Thanksgiving table

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Cranberry Sauce

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Sausage, Chestnut and Pear Stuffing (recipe to come tomorrow!)

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Whipped Ranch Mashed Potatoes with Chives

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Maple Roasted Yams and Carrots

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The Star of the Show

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My heaping plate… Round 1

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