2014 Team Wellness Healthy Holiday RecipesKarima Dash Low Carb New York Ricotta Cheesecake

Ingredients 24 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup extra-fine whole milk ricotta cheese (to refine, process in a food processor for

1 minute) 1/2 cup sour cream 1 1/2 cups sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda) 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon no sugar added vanilla extract 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 eggs 3 egg yolks Special Equipment: 1 (8-inch) springform cake pan

DirectionsPreheat oven to 400 degrees F.Spray the springform pan with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside. In a shallow roasting pan big enough to fit the cake pan, pour about 1-inch of water and place it on the center rack of the oven to preheat.In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream and sugar substitute on low speed for about 1 minute until well blended.In a separate bowl, using a wire whisk, mix heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, eggs, and egg yolks until blended.Turn the mixer on medium speed, and slowly pour the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Beat just until blended and then turn off; be careful not to over-whip.Pour batter into the greased springform pan. Place pan into the heated water bath. Bake for 15 minutes, and then lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees F. Continue baking for 1 1/2 hours, or until top is light golden brown and cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Turn the oven off when finished cooking and leave the cake in the oven to cool for 3

more hours. (This will keep the cake nice and tall.) Then remove cake and refrigerate before serving. Serve chilled.

Anissa Irby’s Maple-Glazed Salmon With Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Brush the salmon with maple syrup and mustard before roasting to impart sweet-tangy flavor.

Ingredients

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges, stem ends left intact 2 tablespoons olive oil kosher salt and black pepper 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts and onion with the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast on the bottom rack, tossing once, until golden and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the maple syrup, mustard, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. After the vegetables have cooked for 12 minutes, place the salmon on a second rimmed baking sheet and brush it with the maple mixture. Roast on the top rack until opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Serve the salmon with the vegetables and lemon wedges.

Sharon Carmichael’s Green Bean Bundles with Garlic Browned Butter

Ingredients 1 pound thin green beans 24 long, thin slices red bell pepper 8 long, thin scallions 2 tablespoons butter 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon flaked sea salt, such as Maldon Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large pan fitted with a steamer basket. Steam

green beans and bell pepper until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Trim whites off scallions and place the 8 long greens on the vegetables in the steamer during the last minute of cooking to soften. Transfer the vegetables to a large plate.

2. Divide the beans into 8 portions (10-14 beans each). To make a bundle, lay a scallion green on your work surface and place 1 portion of beans and 3 pieces bell pepper across it. Wrap the green around the vegetables and tie a knot to secure the bundle. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining vegetables.

3. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat; smash garlic flat, add to the pan and cook, swirling often, until the butter is nutty brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Discard the garlic. Stir in oil. Serve the bundles drizzled with the butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Tips & Notes Make Ahead Tip: Keep assembled bundles warm in a 225°F oven for up to 15

minutes; brown the butter (Step 3) and hold until ready to serve. Reheat if necessary.

Laura Session’s Bacon Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

Ingredients 12 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled 1 cup mayonnaise 1½ tsp rice vinegar ¾ tsp ground mustard ½ tsp sugar 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped 6 pieces bacon, cooked, crisp, and crumbled paprika

  Instructions1. Slice the hard boiled eggs in half, lengthwise2. Remove the yolks and put them in a mixing bowl3. Mash the egg yolks with a fork4. Add the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, ground mustard, and sugar to the mashed egg yolks

and stir until well combined5. Mix in the jalapenos and bacon6. Put the mixture in a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag7. Fill each egg hole with the mixture8. Sprinkle with paprika9. Chill until ready to serve

Jerry Smith’s Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients 8 oz. fat free sour cream 1/2 tbls. fresh chopped cilantro 1 1/4 cups cooked shredded chicken breast 1/2 can Mexican Rotel 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/2 can diced green chiles 2 cups fat free/ reduced sodium chicken broth

1. In a saucepan, mix together sour cream, soup and cilantro. Heat through and set aside. 2. Combine the chicken, Rotel, onions and green chiles in a pan sprayed with cooking

spray. Heat until onions are transparent.3. Mix together the chicken mixture with the sour cream mixture in a large saucepan and

add the chicken broth. Heat through and serve.4. Can serve over tortilla chips or with warmed tortilla

3 chicken breasts (cooked and cut into pieces or chicken breasts shredded) 4 ozs green chilies (chopped) 12 onion (chopped) 1 oz cream cheese 2 cups cheddar cheese (grated cheddar cheese or your favorite cheddar cheese mix

monterey jack pepper jack) 1 pt heavy whipping cream 1 butter (bit) 1 can black beans Avocado Corn

1. Sauté onion in small amount of butter.2. When transparent, add chicken pieces and can of green chilies.3. Mix well and add cream cheese.

4. Cook over low heat until cream cheese melts.5. Put mixture in a 13 x 9 baking pan, top with 1 cup of grated cheese Pour the whipping

cream over the top and then put the last cup of grated cheese over that.6. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or so, checking to make sure the cheese gets bubbly, not

burnt.

Jane Bivens’ Crustless Pumpkin Pie

15 oz. can pumpkin ¾ cup Splenda 4 egg whites 1 ½ cup nonfat milk ½ tsp. salt 1 tbsp. flour 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1. Beat all ingredients together. 2. Spray pie plate with cooking spray. 3. Pour batter into pie plate and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. 4. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until knife

inserted in center comes out clean.

Jennifer Wall’s Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients 4 cups fresh green beans (trimmed) 1 cup onion (diced) 2 cups mushrooms (diced) 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup skim milk 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 16 low sodium whole wheat crackers 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon onion powderDirections

1. Blanch the green beans in boiling water for about 3 minutes for crisper beans, longer for a softer texture. Then plunge in ice water. Drain and set aside.

2. Place diced onions and mushrooms in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for about 1.5 minutes on high to soften. Set aside.

3. Melt the butter over medium heat. Once heated, stir in flour with a whisk and cook for about 2 minutes (continuously whisking).

4. Whisk in the milk and cook over low heat until you have a thick white sauce.5. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.6. Stir the drained green beans, onions, and mushrooms into the white sauce.7. Pour into a casserole dish sprayed with nonstick spray.8. Crush the crackers and toss cracker crumbs with olive oil and onion powder.

Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until crackers are golden

brown.

Chief Joe Costa’s Turkey and Tomato Salad

Leafy Salad Greens Tomatoes Cucumbers Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Fat Free Vinaigrette Dressing

1. Chop greens, tomatoes and cucumbers to taste and combine them all in a bowl. 2. Drizzle lightly with vinaigrette dressing and toss. 3. Chop leftover turkey and place on top of your salad. 4. Serve and enjoy with a large glass of spring water!

Kathleen Shields’ Brussel Sprouts Gratin

2 hickory-smoked bacon slices

4 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

1 (2-ounce) slice French bread baguette

3 tablespoons butter

Preparation1. Preheat broiler.2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings; crumble. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to drippings in pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add Brussels sprouts and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil; cook 6 minutes or until

Brussels sprouts are almost tender. Uncover and remove from heat. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss to combine. Spoon Brussels sprouts mixture into a 2-quart broiler-safe glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.3. Place bread in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Add cooked, crumbled bacon to toasted breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over Brussels sprouts mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until golden and thoroughly heated.

Tennille Holloway’s Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Ingredients 3 whole ancho chiles 3 whole pasilla chiles 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled 2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce 1/2 medium white onion, roughly chopped 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon cider vinegar Kosher salt 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican 3 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (untrimmed), cut into chunks Freshly ground pepper 2 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving Assorted taco toppings, for garnish

Directions1. Put the ancho and pasilla chiles and the garlic in a bowl; add 2 to 3 tablespoons

water. Microwave on high until soft and pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Stem and seed the chiles; peel the garlic. Transfer the chiles and garlic to a blender.

2. Add the chipotles, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and the oregano to the blender; puree until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat; add the chiles sauce and fry, stirring,

until thick and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth and reduce until slightly thickened.

3. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and transfer to a large slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, then pour in the sauce. Cover and cook on high until the meat is tender, about 5 hours. (Or cook the meat in a large Dutch oven, covered, for 1 hour 45 minutes at 350 degrees; uncover and cook 30 more minutes.)

4. Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the pork with 2 forks; season with salt and pepper. Serve the shredded pork in the tortillas, along with toppings.

Carolyn Campbell’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Pearl Onion, Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

1 yellow onion 3 T olive oil, divided 1/2 C fresh strawberry juice 1/2 C high quality balsamic vinegar 1 lb. Brussels sprouts 4-5 pieces of bacon or pancetta

Caramelize onion:1. Cut off ends of onion, peel, and cut in half. Slice lengthwise to desired thickness, and

peel apart the different layers. Over medium-high, heat enough olive oil in large saucepan to coat pan and onions. After a few minutes, add onion slices. Stir them to coat with oil, then let cook for around 10 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Add a dash of salt at this point, then continue to let cook without disturbing often. Stir occasionally, but allow onions to brown. If you stir too much, they won’t brown, but too little and they will burn. Continue to stir occasionally, scraping browned bits off the bottom of the pan, until onions are a deep brown color. It should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Balsamic Vinegar Glaze1. Place 1/2 C balsamic vinegarin a small sauce pan. Bring to a low simmer and cook

for around 20-30 minutes, or until thickens.

Roasted Brussels sprouts:1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the ends of Brussels sprouts off and peel outer layer of

leaves. Cut in half and place in large bowl. Add about 1/2 of the reduction, or enough to coat sprouts. Toss to coat, then place them on baking sheet, cut side down.

Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and roast for 15 minutes. Flip over and cook another 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

2. Cook bacon in onion pan or bake in 400°F oven and slice into small pieces. Combine caramelized onion, roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon pieces in a large bowl. Drizzle with extra reduction to taste.

Sharon Poldrack’s Sweet Potato Casserole

½ cup Melted Butter (can use low-fat substitute) 3 cup Cooked Mashed Sweet Potatoes 1 cup Sugar (use 1 cup Splenda in place of sugar) 2 eggs, beaten 1 tsp. Vanilla ½ cup Milk (use skim milk or 2% in place of whole)

Topping

½ cup Packed Brown Sugar ¼ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup Chopped nuts 2 ½ tbsps Melted Butter (can use low-fat substitute)

1. Combine ½ cup melted butter with next 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl; mix well, pour into a 2 quart casserole.

2. Combine flour brown sugar, and 2 ½ tbsp. melted butter and nuts in a small mixing bowl and mix well.

3. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.

Tracie Hlavinka’s Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup fat-free low-sodium vegetable broth 1 tablespoon olive oil Zest and juice of 1 medium orange (or 2 tbsp fresh orange juice) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt 2 ounces fresh goat cheese (chevre), crumbledInstructions1. Place sweet potatoes in a large pot, cover by 1-inch with cold water and add kosher salt.

Bring to a boil over high heat. When it boils, cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook until potatoes are knife tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Drain and set aside to cool briefly. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead and stored refrigerated in an airtight container.)

2. When cool enough to handle, mix sweet potatoes with broth, olive oil, zest, juice, and spices, and turn into a 2-quart baking dish.

3. Heat oven to broil or 500°F and arrange a rack in the upper third. Spread yogurt in an evenly layer over potatoes then sprinkle goat cheese all over the top.

4. Broil until lightly toasted, about 1 to 3 minutes. (Watch carefully so they don’t burn.) Serve warm.

Jimmy Stephen’s Lemon Dill Green Beans

Ingredients 1 pound green beans, trimmed 4 teaspoons chopped fresh dill 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation1. Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add

green beans, cover and cook until tender-crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. Meanwhile, whisk dill, shallot, oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the green beans and toss to coat. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving to blend flavors.

Jenette Naranja’s Reduced Calorie Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour 1 cup quick 1 minute oatmeal 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup dark Hershey chocolate morsels 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 2 ½ tablespoon melted butter 2 tablespoon loose brown sugar 2 tablespoon of honey 1 large egg

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder,

and salt. Then mix in the chocolate chips and nuts3. In a larger bowl whisk together melted butter, applesauce, honey, brown sugar, egg

and vanilla extract. Then mix together all the dry ingredients until well combined. Then by using a ¼ dry ingredient measuring cup, fill and pack using a rubber spatula.

4. Drop the rounded cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Tamara Bell’s Apple Oats Crisp

Ingredients 1 lemon 3 pound(s) Granny Smith and/or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut

into 1-inch wedges 1/3 cup(s) (plus 1/4 cup) packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoon(s) (plus 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt 1 cup(s) old-fashioned oats, uncooked 4 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine, softened

Preparation1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. From lemon, grate 1/2 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2

tablespoons juice. In 13" by 9" glass or ceramic baking dish, toss lemon peel and juice with apple wedges, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, ground cinnamon, and salt until apples are evenly coated.

2. In medium bowl, mix oats with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup flour. With fingertips, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press crumb mixture into clumps and sprinkle over apple mixture.

3. Bake apple crisp 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is lightly browned. Cool crisp on wire rack for 10 minutes to serve warm, or cool completely (1 hour) on rack to serve later. Reheat if desired.

Happy Holidays from theCity of DeSoto 2014 Team Wellness Program!