Healthy(er) Croque Monsieur

If you've never been to La Madeleine, go. If you've been but you've never had they're Croque Monsieur, go and have it. It's out of this world! I have found a recipe that's easy to make at home and satisfies my hankering for the real thing, and it's low in fat and calories. You can't really beat that now can you?!
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(a variation of the recipe from the Cooking Light cookbook)
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1 loaf of French bread
low fat thin-sliced deli ham
honey mustard
5 reduced-fat Swiss cheese slices
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
salt and pepper
cooking spray
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
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Cut the French loaf into 5 sections.
Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into eat section, being careful not to cut all the way through.
Spread honey mustard in each pocket and stuff with ham and a slice of cheese.
Whisk together milk and egg whites with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Coat skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium/medium-high heat. (The cookbook says medium-high, but it was too hot for my stove top, I blackened my first side!)
One at a time (or two if you're crafty like me), dip each sandwich in the milk/egg mixture being careful to coat all solid bread sides and immediately place in skillet. ( I suppose you could coat the meat-filled side, but what about the raw egg mixture getting inside the sandwich pocket and creating a salmonella gooey mess?! That's how my brain works! LOL)
Cook each side until well toasted. I even flipped it over to toast the meat-filled side and get the cheese nice and melty.
Place finished sandwiches on a baking sheet in oven to keep warm while you prepare the remaining sandwiches.

I served this alongside a cup of (store-bought) tomato soup, which I don't usually care for but this one was very tasty. The brand was Pacific Natural Foods and it was Organic Creamy Tomato Sou; it's in a carton rather than a can. I'm weird about acidic things in cans. V8 is all I can handle and that's not very often! Anyhow, I topped the soup with some fresh-chopped oregano and basil and a pinch of reduced-fat mozzarella. It was delicious! Not quite La Madeleine, but I'm sure it was half the calories!

Canadian Bacon Potato Skins

Got this recipe from a Taste of Home Summer Appetizers issue.
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I halved this recipe and still have leftovers!
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6 large baking potatoes
2 tsps canola oil
1/8 tsp Tabasco or some other hot pepper sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce, and I added more than 1/8 tsp!)
1 tsp chili powder (I used a little more)
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
2/3 cup chopped Canadian bacon
2 tbsps finely chopped green onion
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (I, of course, used 2% milk cheese)
salt and pepper (my added touch)
sour cream
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Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate; prick with a fork. Microwave uncovered on high 14-17 minutes or until tender but firm, turning once. Let stand 5 minutes.
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Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. (Discard, save for a later use, or feed it to your 20-month old mixed with cheese, tomatoes, onion and peas!)
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Preheat oven to 450. Combine oil and hot sauce; brush over shells. Sprinkle with chili powder and a little salt and pepper. Again, cut each shell in half lengthwise. Place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with tomato, bacon, onion and cheese. I also sprinkled a little more chili powder and salt and pepper on top. I live with two Irish men, they are very picky about their potatoes and they prefer them with salt and pepper! LOL
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Bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. If you use 2% or reduced-fat cheese, watch it carefully. It can turn crispy if heated too long. Serve with sour cream.
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As I said, I live with two Irish men (my husband and my father-in-law) and they were pleased with this meal, anything with potatoes makes them happy. I served it with the Layered Salad I posted below. Something for them, something for me! LOL
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Layered Salad

This one is from my friend Christine, and not only is it beautiful, it's scrumdillyumptious! My pic below does not do it justice because I hurriedly threw this together last night. If I would have taken more time, it would have looked better.

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In a big glass bowl (for presentation purposes) layer the following:
4 cups torn iceberg lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup purple onion
1 (10 oz) package frozen English peas, thawed
3 cups torn fresh spinach
3 cups chopped smoked turkey (I left this out)
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Mix the following well and spread in a layer over the above layers:
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used lite)
3/4 cup sour cream (I used lite)
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Then to top off:
1/2 cup sliced pimento stuffed olives, around the edge
1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar, in the middle (I used 2% milk cheese)
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled on top of cheese (I used low sodium)
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To serve: Do not mix up, go down into it like a lasagna or something, then mix it once it's on your plate. This way you get a little of everything on your plate. Makes a lot, but it tastes great the next day!
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I must add that my husband who does not like peas, mayo or sour cream did a good job of eating this. But it had bacon on it, so I guess it was a given! LOL I served this with the Canadian Bacon potato skins I'm about to post, so I knew he would be happy with the potatoes and I could enjoy this salad!
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Random Risotto

*1 box Mushroom risotto

*1 bundle asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces and sprinkled with lemon juice

*1 squash, diced

*1/2 can chick peas (garbanzo beans), warmed

*1 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese

*1 small can mushroom pieces and stems, drained

*Shredded Parmesan

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*Cook risotto according to instructions on box.

*Boil squash until tender

*Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes

*Saute mushrooms in butter

*Once risotto is cooked, add asparagus, squash, chick peas, mushrooms and Gorgonzola.

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Purple Hull Peas

I had never even heard of purple hull peas until this past weekend when we went to our farmers market and they were selling them fresh. Man, are they good! Joe likes to think of himself as a bean (pea) aficionado and he told me time and time again while eating tonight that this was the absolute best (bean) pea soup he has ever eaten. I say it was due to the fresh peas, or maybe it was the cook...?! Or maybe, just maybe, he was really hungry.
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2 pints fresh purple hull peas
4-6 slices of thick, center-cut smokey bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
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In a dutch oven, brown bacon with onion and garlic.
Add peas and water, adding enough water to cover peas plus an inch; add cilantro.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer approximately 20-30 minutes until peas are done.
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I topped mine off with homemade pico de gallo and served it with a green onion and butter-topped cornbread muffins.

McKerr Muffins

And this is yet another delicious recipe out of my new Cooking Light cookbook.

Cooking Spray
4 (2 1/2 inch) mushrooms
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I used more because we like it hot!)
1 tsp butter
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2 whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted
4 (1 ounce) slices Canadian bacon
4 (1 ounce) slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped green onions

Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat; coat with cooking spray. Remove stems from mushrooms and discard stems (I also cleaned out some of that weird stuff on the inside). Add mushrooms to skillet, under sides up. Pour 1/2 tsp lemon juice into each cap. Sprinkle evenly with dill and red pepper. Cook 6 minutes or until mushrooms are browned; turn mushrooms over and cook 1 minute more. Remove from pan, cover and keep warm.

Wipe same pan with a paper towel. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add egg substitute and allow to set about 30 seconds. Gently scrape cooked part of egg substitute to center and continue doing so ever so often until all egg substitute is set (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.

Preheat broiler.

Arrange muffin halves cut sides up on a baking sheet. Top each muffin half with 1 Canadian bacon slice, about 1/3 cup scrambled egg substitute and 1 mushroom cap, stem side down. Gently press mushroom cap down. Top each mushroom cap with 1 cheese slice. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately.

I served mine with jalapeno hash browns and tomato slices.

The husband was happy!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Yet another recipe from my new Cooking Light cookbook.

Three words:

1. Oh

2. my

3. goodness!

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1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 minced garlic cloves

1 seven ounce bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I just used canned)

1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

8 six-inch corn tortillas

cooking spray

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled queso fresco

1/2 tsp chili powder

4 lime wedges

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1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Place first 4 ingredients in a blender (next time I would add a jalapeno because I like some heat); process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1.2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

3. Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan, then flip. You only want to get it moist, turning it only once or else it will become soggy. Remove tortilla; drain on paper towel covered plate. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth and chicken mixture.

4. Pour reserved salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco and chili powder (I forgot to do the chili powder but it was still mouthwateringly delicious). Bake at 425 for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges.

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Yield: 4 servings (2 enchiladas and 1 lime wedge)

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Serve with cilantro-lime rice and black beans, I even added some sliced avocado.

Thanks for the amazing cookbooks, Jenn!

(I'll work my way to the other one soon. The recipes in there sound great too, this one just has more enticing pictures! LOL!)