Mini Rice Balls with Eggs and Cheese

Mini Rice Balls with Eggs and Cheese are a fun finger food for the whole family. Just serve these with our Mom's quick marinara sauce for dipping and watch as they vanish! Italian mini rice balls are made with tender rice, eggs, cheese, butter and parsley,  then gently fried in oil until golden brown. Yummy!

A classic Neapolitan recipe from Mom, and Aunt Tina.  Aunt Tina and Mom are both great cooks.  At family gatherings and on Sundays, you can bet Aunt Tina makes these rice balls every time!

These can be made to any size you prefer.  We made them appetizer size which is my family's favorite!  Make these a day in advance and fry them up just before you serve them.  They're fun at parties, great as an appetizer, or as a side dish.  Either way, everyone will LOVE THEM!

Here are some Tips:  For a healthier appetizer, use brown rice instead of white rice.  Also, if you make the rice balls slightly larger, 2 to 3 inches, you may add a small chunk of mozzarella in the center of each ball just before you roll into breadcrumbs.  Then fry them up!  Making them more delicious with a surprise waiting!




Mini Rice Balls with Eggs and Cheese

•  1+ 1/2 cups  Long Grain Rice ( I prefer Carolina Rice)
•  1/2 stick of butter
•  1 cup of Parmigiana grated cheese
•  3 whole eggs
•  1 Tbsp. fresh parsley- chopped
•  pinch of cayenne pepper
•  salt and pepper to taste
•  1 + 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
•  1 cup of canola oil
•  1 cup Mom's Quick Marinara Sauce (recipe under Sauces)

Boil rice according to the directions,  3 cups of water with 1+ 1/2 cups of rice.
Cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Until all water has been absorbed. Turn off heat.

Add butter and eggs.  Mix well with a large spoon until the butter has completely melted.
Add grated cheese,  parsley, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
Continue to mix until well combined. Taste for salt and pepper.

Place rice mixture into a large bowl and set aside to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes.
As the mixture cools , the rice mixture will start to thicken and become sticky enough to make into balls.

 In a different bowl,  place bread crumbs.
 Using your hand and a teaspoon. 
Take one teaspoon amount of rice and form a 1 + 1/2 "  ball in your palm.

While in your palm,  place your hand over the bread crumbs and  take some bread crumbs to coat the rice and pat gently until the rice ball is completely coated. Repeat this process of making rice balls until all entire rice mixture is gone.

Using a 10" frying pan or skillet.  Heat canola oil on medium to high heat.  When OIL is HOT, gently add the Rice Balls one by one (no more than 9 at a time).

Fry until golden on all sides.  Remove and drain on paper towels.
Place Rice Balls into a serving platter. 
Place a cup of Marinara Sauce in a small bowl for dipping.

Optional: Add some crushed red pepper to the dipping sauce - to spice it up. And serve. Enjoy!

Yields: 28 - 30 rice balls ( depending on the size you make).

Chocolate Madness with Cake and Ice Cream!

Here is a fun dessert you can make with the kids in only 5 minutes!  Chocolate Madness happens to be another one of Liz's ingenious creations! It's made with chocolate ice cream,  pieces of chocolate cakes filled with cream, topped with fresh whipped cream, chocolate syrup and caramel sauce. Yum-my!

She created this dessert using only the sweets she had on hand.  It's really nothing fancy, and nothing home-made, but she made it look incredibly DELICIOUS! And, it was AWESOME!

Chocolate madness looks like a huge Mount Everest of a dessert and something that Aunt Liz knew the kids would go bonkers over!  And they certainly did!  Try making your own creation..... you'll have fun doing it!


Chocolate Madness!

• 1 box of  Drakes Yodels
• 1 box of Devil Dogs
• 2 Klondike Chocolate Ice Cream Bars
• 1 can whipped cream
• chocolate syrup
• caramel sauce
• chocolate sprinkles

Use a large tray or serving platter.  Place two Klondike ice cream bars in the center.  Chop and scatter a couple of Drakes Yodels and Devil Dogs.  If you don't have any,  just use any chocolate cake you prefer.

Make white mountains of whipped cream everywhere!

Drizzle chocolate syrup on top and then caramel sauce!  Top with chocolate sprinkles. Serve immediately!   It 's that EASY!  

All the kids devoured it in seconds!  The adults tried to taste it, but.. the kids fought them off...

Serves 4 - 6

EASY Risotto with Marinara Sauce

Cook up an easy risotto with marinara sauce for a no-fuss lunch or dinner when your busy schedule needs a kitchen break!  A few days ago we posted our "Moms Marinara Sauce."

With Mom's marinara sauce already made,  you can to whip up this dish in matter of minutes.  Just cook or steam your favorite long grain rice,  add marinara sauce to it and serve!   It's that easy!

As kids growing up, comfort food to us was having some kind pasta or risotto EVERY night for dinner.   Like most of us, comfort food sometimes bring us back to those cherished memories from the good old days.  Enjoy this easy risotto dish and bon appetite!

  

EASY Risotto with Marinara Sauce

• 1 cup Long Grain Rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups Moms Quick Marinara Sauce
• chopped parsley for garnish

In a medium sauce pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil.
Add salt, butter and long grain rice.
Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is tender.

Remove.  Add 1 cup of marinara sauce into the rice. Stir in the sauce until well combined. Spoon the rice into pasta bowls.  Spoon some additional (pre-heated) sauce on top. Garnish with a some chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 2- 4

Baked Chicken Parmigiano- Lightened!

Theres' nothing more delicious than an old classic Italian Chicken Parmesan smothered with tomato sauce and melted cheese.  Only this time, we wanted to take this great classic dish and give it a healthier twist, ultimately to make it less fat and fewer calories.

 

 

 Baked Chicken Parmigiano  is our version of just that!  Ideally, when you bake chicken cutlets rather than pan-fry them and you add less sauce and cheese, you are cutting the calories and fat by more than half.     

It's a dish you can enjoy without sacrificing taste!  It takes only 15 minutes to prep, and if you have some marinara sauce on hand,  this meal is ready for dinner in less than half an hour.  Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Parmigiano - Lightened!

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 6 thinly sliced chicken cutlets
• 1 cup of  Mom's Marinara Sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
• olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cover baking sheet with some foil wrap. Spray lightly with cooking spray.  

In a shallow dish, place the bread brumbs and in a small bowl for the eggs.

Dip chicken into the egg and then into the bread crumbs coating both sides.

Bake chicken cutlets for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Turn over the cutlets. Add 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce and sprinkle shedded mozzarella on top. Bake in oven for another 10-15 minutes. Remove and serve.

Serves 4-6

Low-Fat Banana Walnut Muffins

Many of you have been asking if we can make a "low-fat" muffin, and at first, we were a little tempted to say no, but in that same moment, we welcomed the challenge! 

Since everyone loves our recipe for our banana bread,  we decided to make low-fat banana walnut muffins.

So immediately we got to work experimenting,  and after a few batches of mixing and baking,  we made some low-fat banana walnut muffins and brought the treats to some friends. We let them be the judge and  we were very happy to hear, they all gave us a thumbs-up!

Low-Fat Banana Walnut Muffins

  

• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup low fat sour cream
• 4 very ripe bananas
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. baking soda
• 3+1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, blend together oil, sugar and eggs. Add all dry ingredients and blend until well combined.  Add mashed bananas, blend again. Stir in the walnuts.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Lightly sprinkle sugar and some cinnamon.
Top each muffin with a few extra chopped walnuts.

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20 - 22 minutes.

Remove and place muffins in an air-tight container, refrigerate or freeze.

Yields: 30 muffins

Organic Black Bean, Celery & Rice Soup or Stew!

Nutritious, delicious and easy, this black bean and rice soup or stew is sure to become every ones favorite! Black beans have plenty of protein and fiber and adding the last minute addition of steamed rice adds a nice velvety texture.

Organic black beans, celery, onions, simmered with vegetable stock and rice can be either called a soup or a stew!  It's rich and thick like a cold winters stew but prepared easily like a soup.

There's nothing more comforting than coming home on a cold winter's day to the wonderful smell of a simmering pot of homemade soup or stew!   A great recipe for the whole family, and we like to call it a bowl of health!

Organic Black Bean, Celery & Rice Soup & Stew

• 2 cans (15 oz) organic black beans- rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 medium onion - peeled, chopped
• 2 celery stalks- chopped
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup steamed rice

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil and add the onion.

Saute` for 5 minutes.

Add the stock, water, salt, cayenne pepper and black beans.

Bring soup to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the cooked rice and stir until well combined for about 2 minutes, or until heated through. Turn off the heat. Taste for salt.  Optional: add some grated parmigiana cheese on top before serving.

Serve.

Serves 6- 8

Roasted Potatoes and Red Peppers Omelet

Good Morning! An easy and delicious roasted potatoes and red peppers omelet that is light and packed with flavors is a real treat for breakfast! Yesterday, we posted our recipe for roasted potatoes with sweet red bell peppers combined with onions, garlic and crushed red pepper and had about one cup remaining at the end of dinner as leftover.

So we decided to save the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.  And this is really terrific to do especially on the weekends,  turning some leftovers into delicious omelets!  I think it must be an Italian thing?  I am not sure, but our Mom made omelets out of everything!

Anyway, we combined the remaining leftover potatoes and peppers with 1 egg and some grated parmigiano cheese, (only enough to coat the entire mixture) to make this quick omelet.

It was so easy and absolutely delicious to have for breakfast.  We now make omelets all the time.  And, the best part is you can make healthy omelets with your leftovers anytime for any meal!  Buon Giorno!




Potatoes and Red Peppers Omelet

• 1 cup remaining potatoes and peppers
• 1 whole egg- lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp.  parmigiano grated cheese
• pinch salt and pepper
• cooking spray

In a medium bowl, combine egg, parmigiana cheese, salt and pepper with remaining leftovers. Mix until well combined and coated with the egg and cheese.
In a small non-stick pan, spray with cooking spray. Heat pan on medium to low heat.

Pour the mixture into the skillet.  Lower the heat.
Cook for 2 -3 minutes, or until edges are lightly brown, then flip the omelet over and simmer omelet for another 2 minutes.  Remove and serve immediately.


Serves 1

 

 

Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Red Peppers

Potatoes and sweet bell peppers are by far, one of the most favorites in our vegetable medley's.  They are so versatile, and we have many uses for them including roasting!  A simple technique that pumps up flavors, is to roast them together with onions, garlic, a few herbs, extra-virgin olive oil and crushed red pepper. Super easy!

Exquisite taste, you'll LOVE this recipe! The potatoes become so moist and tender with flavors infused from the peppers along with the garlic and onions, it's really Yummy! 

And, both potatoes and red bell peppers are really good for you! They provide wonderful minerals and vitamins including carotene and lycopene to help fight disease.

You can enjoy this recipe all year long by oven roasting them, our Mom's recipe makes enough to feed a large family!   A nice choice for a buffet menu, when you can make it ahead of time and reheat before serving.

Pair these roasted vegetables with any entree`, they are even terrific as leftovers the next day!  Enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Red Peppers

• 5  Idaho potatoes - chopped
• 4  Red Bell peppers- chopped
• 4  garlic cloves - chopped
• 1 large onions- chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter - chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• cooking spray
• extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

Add all the ingredients together.

Mix all together using your hands.

Roast in the over for about 40- 45 minutes.

Turning them over once or twice.

Potatoes should be soft and tender. Remove.  Taste for salt.  

Transfer to a serving platter.  Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil on top. Serve.

Serves 8-10

Jump-Start Detox Drink with Apple, Blueberry and Pomegranate

As we all know, we usually eat and drink too much over the holiday's and then try to lose weight for the coming Spring.  And, over the years, the "three of us"... me , myself and I have literally tried many diets, to say the least, and sometimes they worked for only short periods of time, but never really helped keep the weight off.

So I decided to try something different, on my own.  I bought a juicer by Health Master and decided to juice my way into a healthier new year!  I've been reading health magazines and interesting articles about detoxing your body and how to jump-start it with juicing. So I decided to give it a try!

The first detox drink I made has only 3 simple ingredients,  one Macintosh apple, a half cup of fresh blueberries and one quarter of a Pomegranate - only the seeds.  Very easy!

A delicious and healthy drink that is full of antioxidants, vitamins, high in fiber, and liquefied for easy digestion to help promote good health. I highly recommend it!

Detox Drink with Apple, Blueberry and Pomegranate

• 1/2 cup fresh Blueberries- rinsed
• 1 red apple- cored, sliced
• one fourth of pomegranate seeds
• 8 ounce bottled water
• handful of ice cubes

Add all the ingredients to the Juicer or blender. Puree for about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves: 1

More detox juice recipes to follow!

Simple Egg White Breakfast Sandwich

Simple Egg White Breakfast Sandwich is a delicious protein sandwich you can easily make in only a few minutes! Using only egg whites, honey cured ham, and melted cheese wedged between a multi-grain flat bread is incredibly delicious and low in calories!

 

Egg whites gently cooked with Amercian cheese gives the eggs a flavorful creamy and soft texture to the sandwich.  Just add a healthy meat like Hillshire Farms Honey Ham which has only 70 calories per serving and it's 97% fat free! 

Add both to a "100 Calorie" multi-grain thin bread, and you have an inexpensive, healthy protein sandwich!  This will surely give you enough protein to last throughout your day!

We prefer using multi-grain breads such as Arnold Multi Grain Thins.  It gives you 11 grams of whole grains,  along with 5 grams of fiber, making a low calorie, yet very tasty breakfast sandwich.  Try making your own variations! 

 

Easy Avocado Dip

Happy New Year!  Another year goes by so quickly and every new year its always the same resolution. Can you guess what I am thinking? Of course!  Shedding some pounds, what else! You know the same pounds we tend to put on during the holidays every year. 

Anyway, I thought I should post an easy avocado dip that is super easy to prepare and kid friendly.  An avocado dip that is light and delicious with a tangy punch from the lemon, onion and cayenne pepper, served with some fresh cut vegetables (instead of chips) to make it more healthy!

This easy avocado dip is a great appetizer to whip up and serve just before dinner, or its perfect as an after school snack.  I guess you could call it guacamole, but I prefer not to since it's missing the tomatoes, cilantro and black olives.  Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts on new years resolutions too!




Easy Avocado Dip

• 3 medium Avocados
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 small shallot or red onion- minced
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
•  Assortment of mix vegetables - chopped

Cut each avocado in half. Scoop out the flesh.
Discard the large pit.
In a medium bowl, mash the avocado flesh with a fork.
Add the lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper and onion.
Mix until well combined.
Serve with chopped vegetables on the side.
Optional: serve with some sour cream on the side.

Serves: many