What You Need:

3 T of sesame oil, divided

1 C of couscous

1 C + 2 T of chicken broth

2 (4 oz.) tuna steaks, chopped

1/2 C of orange juice

4 t of honey

6 T of soy sauce

6 garlic cloves, chopped

4 T of toasted sesame seeds

1/2 t of ginger

4 C of broccoli florets

1 small yellow squash, sliced thin

How to Make It:

Allow the oven to preheat to 450 degrees and drizzle 1 1/2 T of the oil over the bottom of the pan.

Spread the couscous over the bottom of the pan.

Pour the broth into the pan and stir to coat the couscous.

Spread the couscous into an even layer.

Drizzle the tuna with 1/2 T of the sesame oil and place into the pan.

Place the orange juice, honey and soy sauce into a small bowl.

Add the remaining sesame oil and whisk until well blended.

Stir in the garlic, sesame seeds and ginger and pour half of the mixture over the ingredients in the pan.

Layer in the broccoli and squash and pour the remaining orange juice mixture over the vegetables.

Cover and bake 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Makes 4 servings

Make this meal simple by using frozen tuna steaks.  Just place the frozen tuna into the pan without thawing.  They will cook with out adding any extra baking time.  If you prefer, you can make this dish using salmon or halibut.  Not that crazy about fish? Try it with pork, turkey or steak instead.

Preparation Time:  approximately 10 minutes

Baking Time:  approximately 45 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 55 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)

Calories 475; Fat 14g; Carbohydrates 51g; Cholesterol 43 mg; Sodium 1286 mg; Protein 38g;

Fiber 7g

What You Need:

1 (16 oz.) bag of frozen hash browns

2 lbs. chicken breasts

1/2 t of salt

1/4 t of pepper

1 (12 oz.) bag of frozen peas and carrots

1 (6 oz.) can of sliced mushrooms, drained well

How to Make It:

Allow the oven to preheat to 450 degrees.

Spray the lid and inside of a cast iron Dutch oven well with a non stick cooking spray.

Spread the frozen hash browns over the bottom of the pan.

Lay the chicken pieces of the potatoes and sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper.

Add the bag of frozen peas and carrots and top with the sliced mushrooms.

Cover and bake 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Makes 4 servings

Want a bit more flavor?  Add a few halved garlic cloves underneath and around the chicken before adding the peas and carrots.  You may also make this dish a little Italian by rubbing the chicken pieces with Italian dressing instead of sprinkling with the salt and pepper.

Preparation Time:  approximately 10 minutes

Baking Time:  approximately 40 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 50 minutes

Nutritional Information:  (approximate values per serving)

Calories 440; Fat 4g; Carbohydrates 47g; Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 33 mg; Protein 41g;

Fiber 15g

What You Need:

4 scallions, chopped

1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch slices

2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch strips

1 (8 oz.) pkg. mozzarella cheese, finely shredded and divided

1 (26 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

3 green chilies, stemmed, seeded and chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

4 fresh oregano sprigs

4 whole wheat tortillas

How to Make It:

Allow the oven to preheat to 450 degrees.

Spray a cast iron Dutch oven well with a non stick olive oil cooking spray.

Scatter the scallions over the bottom of the pan.

Layer the zucchini slices over the scallions and sprinkle with the cilantro.

Spread the bell pepper strips over the zucchini.

Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over the top.

Spread the pinto beans evenly over the cheese.

Scatter the green chilies over the beans.

Spread the tomatoes over the top of the beans and add the remaining cheese.

Tuck the oregano sprigs into the crevices.

Spritz both sides of the tortillas lightly with the olive oil spray.

Cut the tortillas in half and roll each half.

Lay the tortillas rolls over the top of the other ingredients.

Cover and bake 35 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender.

Makes 4 servings

This dish can be made with any type of cheese.  If you need to make this dish a nondairy healthier dish use soy cheese substitutes instead of real cheese.  This will help reduce the amount of saturated fats in this side dish. 

Preparation Time:  approximately 15 minutes

Bake Time:  approximately 35 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 50 minutes

Nutritional Information:  (approximate values per serving)

Calories 500; Fat 39g; Carbohydrates 66g; Cholesterol 50 mg; Sodium 153 mg; Protein 30g;

Fiber 16g

What You Need:

2 C of jasmine rice

2 C of vegetable broth

1 T of grated lime zest

1 T of grated lemon zest

1/2 C lime juice

2 T of lemon juice

2 T of soy sauce

2 T of rice vinegar

3 t of light brown sugar

2 t of jalapeno pepper, minced

4 scallions, chopped

1 bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

1 C of fresh mint, chopped

1 1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 head of cabbage, chopped

1 C of snow peas

How to Make It:

Allow the oven to preheat to 450 degrees. 

Spray a cast iron Dutch oven generously with a non stick cooking spray.

Dump the rice into the pan and cover with the vegetable broth.

Spread the rice into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.

Place both types of zest, the lime and lemon juice, soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar into a mixing bowl.

Whisk to blend the ingredients together well, making sure the sugar has completely dissolved.

Fold in the jalapeno pepper, scallions, bell pepper and mint.

Crumble the ground pork into the mixture and mix until blended together well.

Drop the meat mixture into the pan by forkfuls, without packing them together too tightly.

Layer in the cabbage and top the cabbage with the snow peas.

Cover and bake 45 minutes or until the meat is done and the cabbage is tender.

Makes 4 servings

Jalapeno peppers will give your dish a spicy flare.  You can substitute Serrano, Anaheim or any other type of pepper that you prefer.

Preparation Time:  approximately 20 minutes

Baking Time:  approximately 45 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 1 hour 05 minutes

Nutritional Information:  (approximate values per serving)

Calories 652; Fat 21g; Carbohydrates 81g; Cholesterol 99 mg; Sodium 123 mg; Protein 35g;

Fiber 4g

What You Need:

12 slices of white bread

12 slices American cheese

4 T butter, room temperature

How to Make It:

Spread each of the slices of bread on one side with the butter.

Place a skillet or griddle over medium heat on the stove.

Lay 6 slices of bread in the skillet butter side down.

Lay 2 slices of cheese on each piece of bread in the skillet.

Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices buttered side facing up.

Brown for 3 minutes then flip the sandwiches.

Continue to brown an additional 3 minutes or until the sandwich is a golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

Serving Size:  6 sandwiches

These good ole American grilled cheese sandwiches will show your children just how loved they are on Valentine’s Day.  Use heart shaped cookie cutters to cut each sandwich into different size edible hearts for the kids to enjoy. 

You can also use your cookie cutters to make special sandwiches for your hubby today, or any time!

What You Need:

3 eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes

3/4 C butter at room temperature for 30 minutes

3 C flour

2 t unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 t salt

2 1/4 C sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla

2 T red food coloring

1 1/2 C buttermilk

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t vinegar

Powdered sugar

Conversation heart candies

How to Make It:

Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and allow the oven to heat while making the batter.

Spray two twelve cup muffin tins with a non stick cooking spray and sprinkle both with a little flour tapping out any excess.

Place the flour, cocoa powder and the salt together in a mixing bowl and toss to combine.

Place the butter in a separate mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. 

Add the sugar and the vanilla and continue to beat until all the ingredients are incorporated together.

Add the eggs one at a time beating after each egg addition until they are incorporated into the mixture.

Add the food coloring and beat on the low speed until combined.

Alternating back forth between the flour and buttermilk add them to the butter mixture beating on low speed after each addition until both have been added.

Place the baking soda in a small bowl and stir in the vinegar.

Add the mixture to the batter and beat on low speed until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle come out clean.

Remove and cool to room temperature.

Place a heart shaped cookie cutter on top of each cupcake.

Sprinkle powdered sugar carefully inside each cutter.

Remove the cutter and place 1 conversation heart candy in the middle of the powdered sugar heart. 

Serving Size:  24

You can make 12 jumbo cupcakes out of this batter if you prefer.  The baking time will change to 20 minutes but the rest of recipe remains the same. 

What You Need:

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1/2 t pepper

1 green onion, chopped

1 1/2 C instant potato flakes

How to Make It:

Pour the broth into a saucepan over medium high heat.

Stir in the pepper well.

Bring the broth to a brisk boil then remove from the heat.

Gently stir in the green onion.

Pour the potato flakes into the pan and let them stand until they have absorbed all the broth liquid.

Lay a heart shaped cookie cutter in a skillet over medium heat.

Fill the cookie cutter with the potato mixture. 

Cook 5 minutes then flip and continue cooking 3 minutes or until browned.

Serving Size:  4

Make these heart potato cakes extra special for your Valentine by adding a spoon of applesauce with red hot candies on the top of each one.