Cook Without Book

Prep Time:  5 minutes Cook Time:  11 minutes Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 2 wedges)                     Ingredients Cooking spray 1  green bell pepper, chopped 1  (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms 4  (1.3-ounce) frozen vegetable protein sausage patties, thawed and crumbled 1/8 teaspoon   salt 1/8 teaspoon   freshly ground black pepper 1 cup   egg substitute 1/4 cup   fat-free half-and-half 1/2 cup   (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese Preparation Preheat broiler. Place a 12-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chopped bell pepper and mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes. Add sausage, salt, and pepper; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 1 minute. Combine egg substitute and half-and-half; carefully pour over sausage mixture. Cover and cook 6 minutes. (Frittata will be slightly moist on t...

Prep Time:  2 minutes Cook Time:  22 minutes Total Time:  5 minutes Yield:  6 servings (serving size: 1 slice)                  Ingredients 1 pound   ground round 1/2 cup   frozen chopped onion 1  (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained 1 teaspoon   salt-free Mexican seasoning 1  (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough Cooking spray 1 cup   (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar or part-skim mozzarella cheese Salsa (optional) Reduced-fat sour cream (optional) Preparation Preheat oven to 425°. Cook beef and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well, and return beef mixture to pan. Stir in tomatoes and seasoning; cook over medium-high heat 1 minute or until thoroughly heated; set aside. Unroll pizza crust dough. Press into bottom and halfway up sides of a 13 x 9-inch ...

Yield:   Makes about 4 1/2 dozen Monster Eyes (serving size: 1 monster eye)                       Ingredients 3 cups   all-purpose baking mix 1 pound   ground mild or hot pork sausage 1  (10-ounce) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (we used Cracker Barrel)   54  small pimiento-stuffed olives Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 400°. 2. Combine baking mix, sausage, and cheese in a big bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until blended. 3. Shape sausage mixture into 1-inch balls, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Press 1 olive deeply into each ball. Reroll using the palms of your hands if you need to reshape. Bake at 400° for 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove baking sheets from the oven using oven mitts. Make-Ahead Tip: Freeze Monster Eyes in an airtight container up to 1 month. To reheat, place frozen balls on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake at 350° for 10 minu...

Yield:  8 servings                    Ingredients 2 1/2 cups   water 1 cup   dried lentils 2  bay leaves 1 teaspoon   olive oil 1 cup   finely chopped onion 1/2 cup   finely chopped carrot 1 cup   (4 ounces) shredded smoked cheddar cheese 1/2 cup   dry breadcrumbs 2 teaspoons   chopped fresh thyme 1 1/4 teaspoons   salt 3/4 teaspoon   garlic powder 3/4 teaspoon   paprika 1/2 teaspoon   freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon   ground red pepper 3  large egg whites, lightly beaten Cooking spray 8 teaspoons   stone-ground mustard 8  (2-ounce) whole wheat sandwich buns, toasted 8  (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato 2 cups   trimmed arugula Preparation Place first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Discard bay leaves. Place lenti...

Yield:  10 servings                 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups   egg substitute 3  large eggs 1 1/2 cups   (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 1/2 cups   (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, divided 1/2 cup   1% low-fat milk 1/2 cup   all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces) 1 teaspoon   baking powder 1/2 teaspoon   salt 1  (16-ounce) carton fat-free cottage cheese Cooking spray 4 cups   sliced zucchini (about 4) 2 cups   diced potato with onion (such as Simply Potatoes) 1 cup   finely chopped green bell pepper (about 1) 1  (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms 1/2 cup   chopped fresh parsley 2  tomatoes, thinly sliced Preparation Preheat oven to 400°. Beat egg substitute and eggs in a large bowl until fluffy. Add 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup Jack cheese, milk, flour, baking powder, salt, a...

Yield:  Serves 6 (serving size: 1 slice cauliflower and about 2 tablespoons sauce)                Ingredients 1  (3-pound) head cauliflower, trimmed Cooking spray 1/4 teaspoon   kosher salt 1 tablespoon   all-purpose flour 3/4 cup   2% reduced-fat milk 1/4 teaspoon   salt 1 1/2 ounces   Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1/3 cup) 2 tablespoons   sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (optional) 2 tablespoons   coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 425°. 2. Place cauliflower on a large cutting board, stalk end down; cut lengthwise into 6 planks (about 1 inch thick). 3. Place cauliflower on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. (You will have long cross sections as well as florets.) Spray cauliflower with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and browned, turning after 15 minutes. Remove cauliflower to a servi...

Yield:  2 servings (serving size: 1 potato)                  Ingredients 2  medium sweet potatoes (8 to 10 ounces each) 3 ounces   Canadian bacon, diced 2 tablespoons   reduced-fat sour cream 3 teaspoons   chopped fresh chives 2 tablespoons   shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese Preparation Pierce potatoes with a fork, and arrange on paper towels. Microwave on high 8 minutes; turn potatoes over after 4 minutes. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Mash pulp with 3 ounces Canadian bacon, 2 tablespoons sour cream, and 2 teaspoons chives in a bowl. Spoon mixture into shells. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over tops of potatoes. Microwave on high 2 minutes, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chives. Nutritional Information Calories per serving: 341 Fat per serving: 6g Saturated fat per serving: 3g Monounsaturated fat per serving: 2g P...

Yield:  Makes 12 servings (serving size: 2 sliders)                Ingredients 3 pounds   lean ground sirloin 4 tablespoons   Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon   white pepper 1 tablespoon   kosher salt 1 tablespoon   garlic powder 1 tablespoon   onion powder 1 1/2 tablespoons   smoked paprika 12 ounces   sharp cheddar, thinly sliced 24  Martin's Famous Party Potato Rolls, sliced (1 pack) Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine meat and next 6 ingredients (through paprika); mix well. Divide into 24 (2-ounce) patties. Cook sliders on a grill or grill pan until a thermometer registers 160° (medium) or desired degree of doneness (3-4 minutes per side). 2. Place 1 slice cheddar on each patty; cook until cheese melts (1-2 minutes). Lightly toast roll slices. Place 1 patty on each roll; serve. Nutritional Information Calories per serving: 344 Fat per se...

Vegetarian Chipotle Nachos                               These vegetarian nachos flavored with chipotle chiles have all the heartiness of the beef version. You can also use the spicy bean mixture to fill  tacos  and burritos. Look for meatless crumbles in the produce section near the tofu and other soy products. Ingredients   Cooking spray 1 cup   chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)   1 cup   chopped onion (about 1 medium)   1  (12-ounce) package meatless fat-free crumbles (such as Lightlife Smart Ground) 1  (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 1  (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained 1/4 cup   chopped fresh cilantro   8 cups   baked corn tortilla chips (6 ounces) 2 cups   shredded romaine lettuce 1 cup   diced...

There's just something about cheese that folks can't resist, and these deep-fried cheese nuggets are no exception. I barely finish making a batch before they disappear! Ingredients 1/2 cup  dry bread crumbs 1 tablespoon  sesame seeds 1 package  (10 ounces) extra sharp cheddar cheese 2 eggs, lightly beaten Oil for deep-fat frying Directions In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and sesame seeds. In another shallow bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Cut cheese into 3/4-in. cubes; dip in eggs, then coat with crumb mixture. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until coating is set. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat 1 in. oil to 375°. Fry cheese cubes for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.   Yield:  2 dozen.

Ingredients 1 cup green gram dal 1 cup chopped onions 1 tsp chopped garlic 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp chilli powder - 1/2 tsp garam masala 1/4 tsp turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp bread crumbs 1/4 cup grated cheese 2 Tbsp tomato ketchup 2 Tbsp oil Salt to taste Method Soak the dal for 8 to 10 hours and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Heat the pan with 1 tsp of oil and saute onion, garlic and carrot. Add all dry spices and required salt. Let onion and carrot cook well with the dry spices. Mash the cooked dal with a potato masher or ladle and add required salt (drain the water completely from the cooked dal before mashing). Add the sauteed onion, carrots in the dal and mix well. Make small portions of the dough into hot dog shaped patties and roll it in bread crumbs. Heat the tawa and shallow fry the patties by adding oil. Place the patties in the hot dog buns and sprin...

INGREDIENTS Olive oil 1 cup of roughly chopped zucchini or summer squash (1-2 zucchini or squash, depending on the size) 1/2 medium onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 large fresh mild green chili (Anaheim or Hatch), seeds and stem discarded, chopped 1/2 fresh jalapeno chili pepper, seeds and stem discarded, minced (or more, if you desire more heat) Salt Pinch of ground cumin Pinch of ground oregano 1 small to medium tomato, chopped 4 corn tortillas 4 slices cheddar cheese 1/4 cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese (a salty, crumbly cheese, you can substitute feta) A few sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped (okay to include the stems, if small) METHOD   1  Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the zucchini, onions, garlic, green chiles, and jalapeño to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and cumin. Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil in the pan. Spread the veggies out in the pan and then stir only occasionally, u...