Liz's Healthy Devilish Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This is Liz's Healthy Devilish Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies made from scratch!  Everyone loves these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and you'll see why!

 
Believe it or not, this is a weight watcher cookie with just a few more points added....okay, maybe more than just a few more points!  It's a moist cookie made with all the fine ingredients the recipe calls for, but with more chocolate added on top, which is why Liz calls these devilish cookies!

She bakes dozens at a time and freezes them in trays, so she can bring them whenever she visits friends.  Everyone raves how delicious, and just can't get enough of them!   To say the least, they are very addicting!  So make sure that when you eat these,  have someone nearby to stop you.  Because, you CAN'T just have two!  This is by far our favorite cookie recipe!  You must try these.....

Here's a Tip:   This recipe calls for pecan nuts, but you may substitute any kind of nut you prefer....or leave them out completely. Either way they taste just as great!  Enjoy! 


Liz's Healthy Devilish Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 1/4 cup(s) of rolled oats (I use the Quakers instant version)
• 1/2 cup (s) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cups (s) chopped pecans, finely chopped
• 1/8 tsp table salt
• 1/3 cups (s) butter, melted
• 1 large egg,  beaten
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips - for mixture
• 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips melted - to drizzle on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using a large wooden spoon and  a large mixing bowl.

Mix well together the oats, sugar, baking powder, pecans and salt.

Add butter, egg and vanilla to the Oats Mixture:  mix well.

Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to mixture, mix well.

Drop teaspoons of batter onto prepared cookie sheets.

About 2 " apart.

Bake cookies until edges turn golden, about 8-15 minutes, depending on oven.  Do not over bake.

Let cookies cool before removing to rack.

In a double boiler.  Melt 1/2 cup of Semi-Sweet chocolate chips.

Using a fork... drizzle melted chocolate on top of each cookie.  Wait for cooling.  Chocolate takes about 10-15 minutes before hardening.  Enjoy!

Yields 3 dozen.

Salmon Piccata with Lemon and Wine Sauce

      Salmon Piccata is Salmon sauteed with onions, garlic, capers and black olives in a buttery lemon and white wine sauce.  This tasty recipe for salmon piccata, paired with a refreshing salad, is all you need for a complete wonderful meal! 

      The butter with lemon and wine, makes this dish so good you won't believe your eating salmon.  No need to add any salt with this recipe!  The capers along with chicken stock, and a touch of clam juice, give the right amount of sodium to the sauce.  If you don't have any clam juice, not to worry, leaving it out is OK.  Just taste the seasonings before you serve.  It's delicious! Enjoy!

Salmon Piccata with Lemon and Wine Sauce

• 2  small Salmon steaks
• 3  tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• 4  tbsp. of butter
• 1 medium yellow onion - thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves - chopped
• 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tsp. of Capers
• 1 tsp. of All Purpose Flour
• 1 fresh Lemon -squeezed
• 1/4 cup of White Wine
• 2 tbsp. All Natural Clam Juice
• 1/4 cup All Natural Chicken Stock
• 1/4 cup  Greek Calamata Black Olives - cut in half (about 14 olives)
• Some fresh ground pepper

In a large non-stick skillet.
On medium heat,  melt 2 tbsp. of butter and heat with olive oil.
Add onions, garlic,  and red pepper flakes;  saute` for a few minutes.
Add the Salmon Steaks and Cover.
Simmer the Salmon for a few minutes until Salmon turns pink, or until cooked to your liking.

Add  white wine.  Transfer the skillet into the oven to broil  for 2 minutes, or until you brown the tops of Salmon.  Remove skillet from oven.  Then remove Salmon and place onto a platter.

Into the skillet again,  add  1 tsp. flour,  2 tbsp.of Butter, stock, clam juice, capers and lemon juice.
Simmer on low heat for about 2 minutes.  Whisk vigorously.  Taste the seasonings.  Add fresh ground pepper.  Taste the sauce again.
Last,  add in the black olives and mix well.   Pour the sauce over Salmon and  Serve.

Serves 2-4

Zucchini and Tomato Sauce with Rotini Pasta

          A tasty dish for your palate!   All you need is the pasta, some fresh zucchini, onions and some tomato sauce and you'll  have a quick and healthy dish at your table. Curly pasta is a fun pasta to make for the kids and the whole family.  Zucchini and Tomato Sauce with Rotini Pasta is an easy recipe to assemble once you have tomato sauce ready to go.

          Throughout the years,  mom always gave us some good advise.  It was to plan ahead our meals,  either in the morning, or the night before.  She reminded us often that if you have fresh tomato sauce and  fresh vegetables in the refrigerator,  then you can easily whip up a fast meal during the week. She was right!

Zucchini and Tomato Sauce with Rotini Pasta

• 1 pound of Rotini pasta- ( curly pasta)
• 5-6 zucchini ( about 7 oz ) - cut in circles 1/4 inch thick
• 2  onions - medium size - chopped
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. of butter
• 1tbsp. of fresh parsley - chopped
• 2-3 cups of tomato sauce - (I prefer Mom's Marinara sauce)
• salt & pepper to taste

In a large saute pan,  heat olive oil and butter.  Add chopped onions, zucchini,  some salt and pepper.
Lower the heat and Saute the zucchini  for about 10 minutes or so,  until the zucchini  is tender.
Add 1 and 1/2 cups of tomato sauce into the zucchini  and mix well.
Turn off the heat.  Taste the zucchini .. should be tender and delicious.

In a large pot (8 qt) of boiling water, add some salt.
Add the Rotini Pasta and cook untill the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta.  Add the remaining cups of tomato sauce to the pasta. Mix well.  Serve the pasta into a serving bowl and give a scoop of the zucchini sauce on top.
And enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Italian Ricotta Lemon Cookies with Lemon Icing

 

           Italian ricotta lemon cookies with lemon icing are made with just a few simple ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, butter, lemon zest and ricotta cheese.  A very light and soft texture cake-like cookie that the whole family will love!  This is a recipe passed down from our Mom, who uses fresh  ricotta cheese in many of her recipes.  Making these cookies, as my kids would say an "AWESOME" Cookie!

           Since this weekend is Easter Sunday, my girls wanted to bake some cookies today. With a little food coloring added to the icing,  they created these beautiful pastel color cookies, just in time for the Easter Holiday! 

              But be careful - they can be addicting!  My girls made a batch this morning, and they were gone in just a few hours.  It's definitely a fun way to spend time with the kids, and getting them involved for the Holiday!  Enjoy!

Here's a Tip:    Try using Vanilla Extract in place of the lemon and  zest, and you have Vanilla cookies instead of lemon. Add other colors to the icing and have fun making these for all Holidays!

 

Italian Ricotta Lemon Cookies with Lemon Icing

•    1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter - softened
•    1 cup white sugar  
•    2 eggs
•    1 tsp. lemon extract
•    8 -10 ounce Ricotta Cheese ( Polly O, or Sorrento )
•    2 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•    1/2 tsp. baking soda
•    1/4 tsp. salt
•    1 tsp. lemon zest
•    cooking spray
•    Food Colors ( I used Betty Crocker Gel Food Colors)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. 
Spray baking sheets with cooking spray oil.
In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs.
Stir in ricotta cheese, and vanilla.   Then combine with flour, salt and baking soda, adding to the mixture and stirring until well combined.  The dough should be soft and sticky.

Drop by teaspoons onto baking sheets,  leaving 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are golden only.
Do not over bake.  Cool completely.

Lemon ICING for the cookies:

•  2 Tbsp. butter- softened                    
•  1/4 tsp. lemon extract
•  2 cups confectioners sugar
•  2  Tbsp. Milk
•  1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Beat all together in a small bowl.
Divide the Icing into 4 small bowls.
Add one drop of  food color into each bowl to create pastel colors.  Mix well.

Frost each cookie.  Add some jelly beans around the cookies to decorate for Easter! .....Enjoy!

Yields 3 dozen.

Low-Calorie Grilled Chicken With Balsamic and Lemon

         Grilled Chicken with Balsamic and Lemon is another one of my mothers recipes.  I am not sure where she got it from, but I didn't need to change a thing!  She made it very healthy and pretty much...... non-Italian.  Marinated chicken cutlets with simple ingredients like balsamic vinegar and lemon juice, then grilled to perfection,  makes this a delicious, low-calorie protein dish. That easy!  So, I am very proud of my mother when she breaks out of her Italian cooking mode and becomes such an adventurer!.. .See what you get when you try different things!  I tell her that all the time. LOL.....

          Eating healthier is what we try to do! It's a fact that Chicken is much more healthier than red meat.  If you compare broiled "skinless" chicken breast to a broiled sirloin steak, with the fat trimmed;  weight and measurements being the same, steak has a little less protein, and about 1/3 the calories more.  And, here is the whopper; it has FOUR times as much fat than chicken and half of it is saturated.  So when making a meat choice...Choose the healthier one!

Here's a Tip:  Try marinating the chicken in freezer bags the night before. This way, you can pull out  the amount you need in the morning.  Leave in the bag to defrost in a bowl till you come home. Its that easy!

Low- Calorie Grilled Chicken with Balsamic and Lemon

• 1 lb. of Chicken Cutlets ( about 4-5 slices)- thin sliced
• 1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/3 cup of Lemon Juice (I use Real Lemons from Concentrate) works just as well as fresh lemons.
• 1/4 tsp of Salt.
• 1/4 Tsp of Black Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp of Garlic Powder
• Cooking Spray ( I use Pam)

Marinate the Chicken in a Zip block bag with all of the above ingredients  (except the Pam cooking spray)  You only need about 10 minutes to marinate.  Then,  follow grilling directions below.

Spray Hot grilling pan with cooking spray if cooking inside.  Or, just throw it on a barbecue.

Grill both sides of chicken until cooked, around 2-5 minutes per side.

Photographed with a healthy side dish of STEAMED EDAMAMME with Sea Salt.

Enjoy!

Serves 2-4

Low-Calorie Broccoli Italian Style

Easy and delicious steamed broccoli anytime! Simply steamed fresh broccoli then add some fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil and it is a perfect low-calorie side dish everytime!

             The benefits of Broccoli are huge!  If steamed,  it can provide you with some cholesterol lowering benefits, as well as, help with our Vitamin D deficiency that some of us may have.  It also has a strong combination of both Vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene and Vitamin K.  Be careful not to overcook broccoli where it becomes soft.  That is an indication that it has lost some of its nutrients and flavor. Enjoy!

 

Sweet Sausages and Peppers

           Italian Sweet Sausages grilled with sweet peppers, onions, and capers. Ahh, just the sound of this is mouthwatering!   Add some bread and a green salad, and its all you need for a delicious lunch or dinner!  When the weather starts to get warmer,  my husband gets out the grill... and when the aroma of grilling meat is in the air, no need to call everyone, they come running to the table.  It's that easy!

          Grilled sweet sausages are delicious enough to eat alone, but when you add some bell peppers to them, it's another dimension of  flavors infused together. Try slicing the sausages in half and make these into hero's for lunch or for dinner one night. The kids will love it!



Sweet Sausages and Peppers

• 12  links of Italian Sweet Sausages ( 2 packages of 6)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 3 Red Bell peppers - sliced
• 3 Yellow Bell peppers- sliced
• 3 onions -sliced
• 2 garlic - sliced
• 1 tsp. of capers
• Salt and pepper- if needed

Place sausage links on a grill and brown on all sides.  Set aside.
Place a skillet on the grill, and heat Olive Oil.
Add the onions and garlic and saute` until they soften, about 3 minutes.

Add the Peppers and Capers, saute` and stir while the peppers soften. Taste for salt.
Sometimes the capers adds enough salt to the dish... you may not need to add any.
Add the sausage links back into the skillet with the peppers and  heat through for a few minutes and serve!

Serves 6-8

Creamy Cauliflower with Spaghetti

Creamy Cauliflower with Spaghetti pasta is an irresistible dish!  When Nonna Maria makes this "Pasta Cavolfiori" for her family,  her grandchildren go nuts over it!  The cauliflower is cooked down to a creamy mixture, then slowly stirred and cooked with broken spaghetti to creates this fantastic and delicious dish!

There is NO cream in this recipe at all.  Yet,  it's so creamy and flavorful  everyone will be asking for seconds without a doubt.  If you make Nonna Maria's "Pasta Cavolfiori," everyone will be licking their bowl clean!   For a healthier twist, try using multi grain thin spaghetti. 


 Creamy Cauliflower with Spaghetti

• 1 small or medium Cauliflower
• 3/4  pound of spaghetti - broken into pieces
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves- chopped
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 to 3 cups of water
• 1 tsp. salt
• fresh cracked pepper to taste
• Pecorino Romano grated cheese

Wash and cut cauliflower into chunks. Discard the core. 
In a large pot with 1 inch of water,  add the cauliflower.
Cover and steam for 5 minutes. Drain water.  Remove and set aside.

In the same pot. Dry with a paper towel.
Add olive oil,   garlic and crushed red pepper.
Saute' the garlic until golden brown.
Add the cauliflower back into the pot with the garlic and oil.

On low heat, saute together for a few minutes.
Add 2 cups of water to the mixture.  Add salt and parsley.  Cover.
Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower melts into a creamy mixture.

In the meantime,  break the spaghetti into small pieces.
If you have a large cauliflower then you can use the entire package of spaghetti.
I prefer a lot of  creamy cauliflower with my pasta,  so I prefer to use less pasta in this dish. Raise the heat. Bring to gentle boil.

Add the broken spaghetti into the creamy cauliflower.
Stir constantly.  This will need nurturing like risotto. 
Add more water as needed.  The mixture will be thick and creamy.
Cook the spaghetti for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until al dente.
Turn off heat.  Taste for salt.  Add fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Add grated Pecorino cheese on top and serve!

If the mixture is too sticky, stir in some extra virgin olive oil into the pasta.

Serves 4-6

Low-Calorie Chicken Soup with Quinoa

         This is our Mother's Italian version of traditional chicken soup!  However, we gave it a healthy twist. What makes this a low calorie and low fat chicken soup?  It is the removal of all the skin and fat from the chicken. Then, we decided to replace the pastina or noodles with a high protein grain like Quinoa, giving it a full body flavor while adding more protein into the soup. Using Quinoa makes this a great gluten free dish.

You can pair this soup with a tossed salad and crunchy Italian bread.  It's full of flavor and delicious without the fat and calories, and its GLUTEN FREE! Its perfect for lunch or dinner. Its so good that everyone in our family asks for more!

Low-Calorie Chicken Soup with Quinoa

• One whole chicken cut with bones
• 2 whole carrots - cut
• 2 celery stalks - cut
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 large white onion cut in half
• 1 fresh tomato cut in half
• 1 cube of beef bouillon
• 1 TBSP Salt
• 1 cup of Quinoa ( pre-washed, no rinsing brand )
• Option:  add Parmesan cheese for Extra flavor
• NO PEPPER

In a large bowl, remove all the skin and fat from the chicken and rinse thoroughly.  Fill a large pot (about 8qt pot) with water.  Add all ingredients.  Bring to boil and simmer for two hours.  Set aside to cool.

Remove most of the vegetables, leaving only carrots and celery. Remove all bones from chicken and discard the bones.   Turn the heat on low.  Bring to Boil.  Add the Quinoa and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add some Parmesan cheese onto each bowl of soup and serve!

Serves 6-8 people

Low Fat - Baked Chicken Recipe

        This  Low Fat Chicken recipe is one that is actually baked, yet tastes fried. With a crunchy crust on the outside and moist and tender meat  inside, it will surely be one that the whole family will enjoy!  This chicken is baked with corn crumbs and herbs, which makes this dish low fat and gluten free. We took our mothers recipe and made few small changes in the ingredients to make it healthier!

         As children, our mother 's recipe for this baked chicken was usually made with her bread crumb mixture, making the chicken tender and crispy.  Liz was not a very big fan of pasta as a child,  she preferred  meat and potato meals, so this was her favorite.  Our mom referred to this as an "American dinner" in our home.

          Making small changes in her recipe and removing the unhealthy parts, such as the skin and fat on the chicken,  makes this a low fat recipe.  We also substituted her bread crumb mixture for the Gluten Free CORN Crumbs,  making the chicken even more flavorful and crispy without the Gluten! Serve with rice or roasted potatoes for an easy weeknight meal.  Your friends and family will think it was Fried Chicken!

Low Fat- Baked Chicken Recipe

• 1 Whole Chicken - cut up into parts.
• 2 Cups of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• 2 Cups of Corn Crumbs (Gluten Free)
• 5 Sprigs of Flat Italian parsley.  Curly will work as well.
• 1 Tbsp. of dried parsley
• 1 Tsp. of Salt
• 1 Tsp. of Black Pepper
• 2 Tsp. of Garlic Powder
• 1/8 Tsp. of Cayenne pepper
• 1 Tsp.of Onion power
• 3 Tsp. of grated Parmesan cheese

Use one bowl for olive oil.

Use a separate bowl for all dry ingredients - make sure to mix all ingredients well.

Remove Skin and Fat from chicken parts.

Rinse Chicken thoroughly.

Dip chicken parts one at a time  in olive oil making sure all sides are well dipped.

Drip excess oil back into oil bowl.

Then dip the chicken into Corn crumb mixture and place into a baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes carefully turning once after 20 minutes.

Bake the last 10 minutes at 450 degrees to make  chicken crunchy.

Serves  6