win a hamilton beach stand mixer!

a cowboy’s wife is having a contest on her food blog! you can win a hamilton beach® stand mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible! i can’t even tell you how much i would love this mixer. i’ve been dying to get one. it would make baking so much easier and more fun!

roasted red pepper dip

recipe courtesy of spark recipes

nutrition info
servings per recipe: 12
serving size: 3/4 cup

amount per serving
calories: 16.4
fat: 0.1 g
carbs: 3.9 g
protein: 0.5 g

ingredients
2 medium red sweet peppers
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon crushed and dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, chopped

directions
1. cut peppers into quarters and remove stem, seeds, and membranes.
2. line a baking sheet with foil. Ppace peppers down on foil, skin side up and press each segment to lie flat on sheet.
3. bake in an oven at 425 F for 20 minutes or until skin is blackened and blistered.
4. remove peppers from oven and place in a paper bag. Close bag and let cool for 10 minutes.
5. peel and discard skins.
6. place peppers in a food processor, cover and blend until finely chopped.
7. add tomato paste, sugar, thyme, salt, red pepper flakes and garlic. cover and blend until smooth.

options: for a different colored dip, try orange or yellow sweet peppers.

lemon-zesty zucchini with pine nuts

ingredients
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large zucchini cut into 3/4 inch chunks (about 1 pound)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 lemon, zest stripped off in large pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces fresh ricotta

directions
1. preheat oven to 425 degrees f.
2. toss pine nuts with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread out on a sheet pan. toast the nuts in the oven, shaking the pan about half way through, until evenly brown, about 7 minutes. transfer to a serving bowl. reserve the baking sheet.
3. toss the zucchini with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper. 4. spread out on the baking sheet and roast until crisp tender and slightly brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
5. toss zucchini and lemon with the nuts, and scatter dollops of the cheese on top. serve.

cranberry salad

ingredients
1pkg of fresh cranberries
2 oranges
2 apples
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 pkgs. unflavored gelatin
3/4 cups pecans

directions
1. peel oranges and apples; cut in quarters.
2. blend cranberries, apples and orages in food processor
3. put everything except nuts in pot; stir
4. bring to a boil and cook for about 30 min.
5. take off heat and stir nuts into mixture thoroughly
6. pour into a pretty serving bowl and place in refrigator to gel.

berry banana frozen treat

recipe courtesy of spark recipes

nutrition info
servings per recipe: 4

amount per serving
calories: 83.8
fat: 0.3 g
carbs: 15.4 g
protein: 4 g

ingredients
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup frozen strawberries (or mixed berries)
1 banana
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

directions
blend all ingredients in a food processor and freeze until ready to eat.
you can divide into 1/2 cup serving dishes before freezing, for treats that are pre-portioned.

100 calorie cinnamon pancakes

recipe courtesy of spark recipes

nutrition info
servings per recipe: 8
serving size is one pancake. if you use less than 1/3 of a cup batter (like 1/4, or 1/6) you can have two for 100 calories! smaller, but more!

amount per serving
calories: 92.6
fat: 0.4 g
carbs: 18.2 g
protein: 5.2 g

ingredients
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. splenda no calorie sweetener
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup eggbeaters
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. cinnamon

directions
1. mix flour, baking soda, and splenda in bowl.
2. mix milk, eggs, and vanilla in another bowl.
3. beat into dry mix roughly, so as to add more air to mix.
4. stir in cinnamon last. use pam on skillet when cooking and sweeten with sugar free syrup and/or fruit!

peppermint chocolate pudding pie

recipe courtesy of yahoo! recipes

this is a recipe i plan to try this christmas. it sounds delicious!

servings per recipe: 10

ingredients
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4 serving size) jell-o chocolate flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 honey maid graham pie crust
1 cup jet-puffed miniature marshmallows
1 (8 ounce) tub cool whip whipped topping, thawed, divided
2 (1 ounce) squares baker’s semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/4 cup crushed candy canes

directions
1. pour cold milk into large bowl. add dry pudding mixes. beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. (mixture will be thick.)
2. spoon 1-1/2 cups of the pudding into pie crust. top with marshmallows. gently stir 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spoon over pie. refrigerate 3 hours.
3. meanwhile, microwave chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on high 1 min. stir until melted. cool slightly. place melted chocolate in resealable plastic bag. snip off small piece from one of the bottom corners of bag; squeeze chocolate into 10 desired shapes on wax paper-covered baking sheet. refrigerate until firm.
4. top pie with remaining whipped topping just before serving. garnish with crushed candy canes. serve each slice with a chocolate decoration.

hearty vegetable stew

recipe courtesy of recipezaar.

prep time: 10 min.
total time: 30 min.

nutrition info
servings per recipe: 6

amount per serving
calories: 117
fat: 0.5 g
carbs: 26.7 g
protein: 4.2 g

ingredients
2 medium potatoes, diced 1/2 inch cubes (I prefer red skinned)
2 small turnips, diced 1/2 cubes
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 small zucchini, chopped or 2 medium zucchini, chopped
6 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons ground savory
salt & pepper

directions
1. in a large pot combine potatoes, turnip, carrots and canned tomatoes and simmer covered over medium heat until vegetables are on the verge of tender, but are still firm.
2. add zucchini, savory, salt and pepper; simmer for 5 or so more minutes or until all vegetables are cooked.
3. serve as a side dish or as main course.

hearty vegetable stew

recipe courtesy of recipezaar.

prep time: 30 min.
total time: 1 1/4 hrs.

nutrition info
servings per recipe: 6

amount per serving
calories: 259
fat: 3.4 g
carbs: 48.3 g
protein: 10.4 g

ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup carrots, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 cup celery, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
4 cups mushrooms, cut into quarters
3 medium potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 (1 lb) can tomatoes, undrained, coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked kidney beans (12 ounces)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine

directions
1. heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.
2. add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.
3. cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. add small amounts of water, if necessary, to prevent sticking.
5. add remaining ingredients, except flour, 1/4 cup water, and wine.
6. cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
7. stir occasionally while cooking.
8. in a small bowl, gradually stir flour into 1/4 cup water until smooth.
9. add to stew, along with wine.
10. cook, stirring, 5 more minutes.
11. remove and discard bay leaf before serving.

triple mushroom saute with toasted walnuts

recipe courtesy of spark recipes

nutrional info
servings per recipe: 4 (approx. 1 cup)

amount per serving
calories: 75.2
total fat: 3.7 g
total carbs: 9.3 g
protein: 3.6 g

ingredients
2 tbsp. walnuts
1 tsp. olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced portobello mushrooms, stems removed (about 1-2)
2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed (about 6)
2 cups thinly sliced white mushrooms, stems removed (about 6)
2 tbsp. minced parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lite soy sauce

directions
1. in small skillet, toast walnuts over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. in large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, without stirring, about 2 minutes. Begin stirring. Add parsley and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until mushrooms release their liquid and begin to darken.
3. in small bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Add to mushrooms and cook 1 minute.
4. top mushrooms with walnuts and serve.