The Hungry Wife

Mushroom Pasta Recipe is a simple dish to make, perfect for those busy weeknight meals.  The best thing about this recipe though, is that it is low fat so you can feel good about serving it to you and your family.  The recipe results in a creamy dish, full of flavor with no heavy cream in sight.  So much so, that you will have a hard time believing it is low fat.
Mushroom Pasta Recipe, continued…

Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.  The gravy gives me this warm cozy feeling, and this simple dish is full of subtle flavors that make my mouth water.  Slow cooking the chicken not only saves you from having to make a big meal at the end of the day, but it makes the chicken pieces so tender they melt in your mouth.  Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms is perfect for a chilly day or anytime your looking for some of that special feeling that only comes from food made with the heat.
Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms, continued…

Mushroom caps can be filled with all sorts of ingredients, like crab meat, breadcrumbs, bacon, and cheese, and often times a combination of these ingredients.  These Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms are simple in their construction, but rich in flavor.  This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd, and there are never any leftovers.
Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms, continued…

French Dip Sandwiches are a favorite of mine.  I used to only eat them when out at restaurants, not having a good recipe to make them myself.  This is about as simple as it gets.  Even though the cooking time is long, your not really doing much, but letting the slow cooker do its job.  The great thing about making this roast beef in your slow cooker, is that unlike roasting beef in the oven, you don’t have to worry about the meat drying out.  The final product is a super moist, tender and flavorful beef.
French Dip Sandwiches, continued…

Beef Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional, all-in-one comfort dish.  Shepherd’s Pie is full of flavor, and with the veggies mixed in with the beef filling, it is the perfect way to sneak in veggies to picky eaters.  The creamy mashed potatoes on top are one of my favorite parts of this dish.  To help make the preparation easier, you can purchase frozen potatoes that are ment for mashing.  Simply cook in microwave and you are ready to mash away.  Much faster then peeling, cubing, and boiling your own potatoes.
Shepherd’s Pie, continued…

Stuffings are a delicious side dish, often found on tables around the holidays with turkey, but is also a perfect accompaniment to pork chops and chicken.  It seems like there are endless possibilities to stuffing recipes, but my Crock Pot Stuffing Recipe is one that I found is a hit with all that try it.  When you are going to be busy in the kitchen preparing your holiday meal, it is great to be able to make Crock Pot Stuffing and not have to worry about it until you are ready to serve.
Crock Pot Stuffing, continued…

Spinach Lasagna is a healthy, super flavorful pasta dish that the whole family is sure to love.  A few weeks before my son was born, I decided I wanted to stock the freezer with pre-made dinners that only had to be reheated in the oven or stove top.  This would help us in the first weeks after bringing baby home, and ensure we were still eating well.
Spinach Lasagna Recipe, continued…

Broccoli Casserole is the perfect way to sneak vegetables into dinner.  This dish is creamy and flavorful, and my favorite part, cheesy.  One of the things I love best about this recipe, is that you can really play with the ingredients.  Your not going to make any major mistakes if you decide to add a little something extra to it.  This allows you to really make Broccoli Casserole Recipe your own.
Broccoli Casserole Recipe, continued…

Baked Pork Chops are a classic dinner item.  There are several ways to prepare the average pork chop; breaded, fried, seasoned, sauced, and baked are just a few examples.  Baked Pork Chops recipe is the perfect solution for when you’re looking for something really easy and different for your dinner.  Baking is always a healthier alternative to frying your food, and this dish has simple ingredients that work awesome together.
Baked Pork Chops, continued…

Chicken Enchiladas is an awesome dish, and this recipe is a bit unique.  A super creamy and flavorful white sauce is makes these enchiladas so special.  If you do prefer a red sauce on your Chicken Enchiladas, omit the soup, sour cream, and 1 cup of milk.  Stir the reserved chile peppers into 2 1/2 cups of canned or homemade red sauce.  Bake as directed.
Chicken Enchiladas Recipe, continued…

Stromboli Recipe:

This year for Christmas, my mother finally gave me what I have been wanting for a very long time, a family recipe cookbook.  She has been working on this collection since I was a little girl, and I have been dreaming for the day when I would finally get it.  I though to start off the historic cooking collection, it would be fitting make one of my mothers recipes.

Stromboli Recipe, continued…

Recently, I’ve been watching old Julia Child cooking videos from her TV show “The French Chef”.  I came across this recipe for Spinach Turnover, and instantly wanted to make one.  Now, I don’t own any of Julia Child’s cookbooks, something I intend on  fixing soon, so I had to write down this recipe straight from the video.  It is kind of a long recipe, but it’s not too complicated to make, and it tastes delicious!  If you should have any questions about the recipe, you can easily search for Julia Child’s cooking videos.  This one in particular is found on PBS.com and is called “The Spinach Twins”.  The video should help clear up anything I did not make clear in the recipe.
Spinach Turnover Recipe, continued…

I recently realized that I have a ton of slow cooker recipes, and that I use them a lot.  One of the things I love best about crockery cooking is that at the end of a busy day, your meal is done with minimal effort.  It might take some time in the morning, but I think slow cooking is totally worth it.  Potato Casserole Recipe is one of my favorite type of crockery recipes, an awesome creamy side dish that makes a lot of servings with little effort.
Potato Casserole Recipe, continued…

Shrimp and Grits are a classic dish found in lowcountry cuisine, which is cooking traditionally associated with the South Carolina Lowcountry and the Georgia coast.  They are a staple food in this area of the south, and are served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Spicy Shrimp and Grits is the ultimate food.
Spicy Shrimp and Grits, continued…

Cantonese Steamed Chicken is something I came up with by combining a couple different recipes.  The steaming process leaves the chicken so moist and juicy, and the flavors meld together very well.  This Cantonese Steamed Chicken dish has a delicate flavor that even the most picky eaters will love.
Cantonese Steamed Chicken, continued…

Perusing some vegetable soup recipes on weight loss program menus inspired The Hungry Wife to develop one of our own.  The Zero refers to the fat content and the calorie count is also fairly negligible.
The Zero Soup, continued…

Roasted vegetables served on a bed of pasta puts a new spin on classic comfort food.  Try them topped with a spinkling of Parmesan or feta cheese.

To ensure even cooking and a pleasing appearance, cut all of the vegetables into approximately 1-inch cubes or pieces.  Seed the zucchini if it has a very seedy center.  Roasted vegetables are best served soon after baking.  If you’re not serving them right away, leave them on the baking sheet; when hot roasted vegetables sit in a serving bowl for too long, they steam and lose some of their special roasted texture.
Roasted Vegetables for Pasta, continued…

This Asian Fried Rice is everything you’d expect it to be and much more.  Normally fried rice is pretty simplistic in its ingredients.  The Hungry Wife Asian Fried Rice recipe adds in a whole new dimension.  You still get all the deliciousness, but with some extras.  I love that when eating this dish that I can taste each ingredient individually.  Nothing overpowers or takes away from the fried rice, all of it is subtle and perfect.

Hearty enough to be the main dish, you could even add some tofu or chicken for extra protein, but also makes an awesome side.  I think you’ll really like the different twist on the usual fried rice.  Feel free to experiment around a little.  Swap the bok choy with other types of cabbage and taste the subtle differences between cabbage varieties.  You can even try out different types of mushrooms to see what you like best.  When I made this last night, I used baby bella mushrooms, which are one of my favorites.  A note on ingredients:  if you are having a hard time finding soy miso in your local grocer, you can also go to an asian specialty store or you can use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base.  What you are looking for is a soy miso paste that comes in a jar.  This Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base is close to it and will give you a very similar effect.
Asian Fried Rice with Bok Choy, continued…

Who doesn’t love a good cup of soup?  Everyone has a favorite kind, and at only 123 calories per serving, you just might find this Creamy Broccoli and Carrot Soup to be you new favorite.  The crunchy pepper relish provides an interesting counterpoint to the creamy broccoli and carrot soup.  The relish serves to compliment the curry powder and yogurt in the soup.  If you like, try the soup both ways, with and without the relish, I think you’ll find that the relish adds something really special and completes the Creamy Broccoli and Carrot Soup.

I used canned cream of mushroom soup as a shortcut in this recipe.  Sometimes, for variety, I use cream of celery soup instead.  No matter which type you use, look for brands low in fat and sodium.  Don’t let this Creamy Broccoli and Carrot Soup fool you, it  is simple to make and tastes really good.  All the ingredients are balanced very well, nothing is overpowering.  One last tip, if you have a smaller food processor like I do, puree the ingredients in batches and then mix together well.
Creamy Broccoli and Carrot Soup with Pepper Relish, continued…

Artichoke Lasagna Rolls are a perfect way to use up left over lasagna noodles.  I always seem to have a few left in the box – not enough for a whole pan of lasagna.  You may assemble the rolls ahead and refrigerate them until you’re ready to bake them.  Any leftover Artichoke Lasagna Rolls reheat nicely – just microwave them for 1 to 2 minutes.  When I made this recipe, I only had no-boil lasagna noodles in the pantry.  So, instead of making rolls I simply made lasagna the classic way (by layering sauce, noodle, ricotta mixture, mozzarella ect.), just on a smaller scale using the 8×8 dish.

Sometimes you need scaled-down recipes.  Maybe you live alone or with just one other person.  Maybe the rest of the family is out doing something else, and you don’t really feel like preparing a lot of food.  No matter why you’re on your own, this is a recipe to turn to.  Artichoke lasagna rolls are also awesome if you are looking for low-fat recipes.  Coming in with 545 calories, 12.7 grams of fat, 8.4 grams dietary fiber, 10 mg cholesterol, and 547 mg sodium per serving, Artichoke Lasagna Rolls and good for you too.  You don’t have to be a non-meat-eater to appreciate the deliciousness of the low-fat recipe.
Artichoke Lasagna Rolls, continued…