Shannon's Kitchen Creations

This time of year fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to find. The oranges I bought the other day were from South Africa and my tomatoes were from Brazil. It is hard to buy local when you live in a cold climate. Especially in a place like Connecticut that gets slammed with 9 inch snow storms in October! Yuck!!! You can however find one type of vegetable everywhere and that is SQUASH. I was never much of a squash fan growing up. I like zucchini and yellow squash, but never really knew what to do with the spaghetti, acorn and butternut varieties. My mother always would roast them with butter and salt and pepper, which was okay, but nothing that I craved. I picked up two butternut squash at a local farm stand for 1.00 each. If you are not sure what a butternut squash looks like here is a picture.

To prepare a butternut squash you must peel it. (I used a vegetable peeler) Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and then cut it into bite size pieces. I have 2 amazing recipes for you coming up this week. The first Roasted Butternut Squash Saffron Risotto and then Roasted Butternut Squash Goat Cheese Ravioli with a brown butter, caramelized onion, bacon sauce. And yes…they are ww friendly!!! So the next time you see those strange looking squash in the grocery store, grab one! They are delicious and really good for you!!

    Saffron Butternut Squash Risotto

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We have eaten a lot of eggplant this summer. I loved making the roasted eggplant dip for a quick snack and sandwich topper and I love grilling slices of it as a quick side. One of my favorite ways to eat eggplant is an eggplant Parmesan or eggplant rollatini. These cheesy dishes are a ww No No, each dish can pack up to 20 points +! I however created a delicious and easy dish to make for only a few points per serving! My entire family loved it. I served it with brown rice. Yummy! Enjoy!

Image from Ava Catau

Light Eggplant Rollatini

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Indian food is one of my favorites. But, I am not a fan of the smell or taste of curry powder. A few years ago on of my Mom’s friends, Indira, came to her house to visit. She was born and raised in Nepal which is very close to India. The flavors are similar and the dishes are mostly vegetarian. She loves to cook and decided to treat us all to a traditional Nepalese meal. Dumplings with a tomato, chili sauce, curried vegetables with yogurt sauce, Chicken Curry and rice. It was amazing and she didn’t use curry powder in anything. This recipe is very easy to make and extremely healthy! I used a bunch of my fresh tomatoes from our garden. You can serve it as a main course over rice or as a side. Enjoy!

Curried Vegetables with a Yogurt Cream Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas drained
• 1 head of cauliflower cut into small pieces
• 1 zucchini sliced
• 4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 small piece of fresh ginger (1 inch) chopped or 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsps plain, fat free greek yogurt
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

1. Add the oil to a large pot. Saute onions and garlic until soft.
2. Add chickpeas, cauliflower, zucchini, tomatoes and spices. Stir well and let simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stir often to help tomatoes break down.
3. Check that chickpeas and cauliflower is softened.
4. Add greek yogurt and stir well.
5. Serve over rice. (add points for rice)

Amount Per Serving 1 cup

3 points + per serving (with out rice)

Nutritional Information

Calories

131

Total Fat

1.2g

Sodium

321mg

Total Carbohydrates

24.4g

Dietary Fiber

4.7g

Protein

5.9g

My family loves Roast Chicken especially this recipe, but it can be a messy and time consuming process. You need to clean the bird, wrap it in twine, baste it, carve it and then of course there is all that cleaning! I decided to make the process super easy, fast and there is only one pan to clean up! Yeah! A whole chicken cut up at the store is very inexpensive and you can make Chicken Pot Pie with the leftover meat and vegetables. I did leave the skin on and YES it was totally worth it! You can use boneless, skinless breasts for a lower points value. Did you know that the skin only adds 1 point + per piece of chicken. In my mind the skin all crispy and delicious is totally worth it! This is a perfect fast evening meal and it is even perfect for a Sunday dinner. Enjoy!!

One Pan Roast Rosemary Garlic Chicken and Vegetables

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I love macaroni and cheese!  I love the creamy, cheesy sauce and the warming feeling the dish gives me. It reminds me of childhood. My Mom always made the best mac and cheese. We had the boxed variety sometimes, but it was always special when my Mom made it from scratch. She also browned hot dog slices in butter and threw those in. Ahhh childhood!! Of course now I actually have to watch what I put in my mouth, but I still want to eat my favorites. I have created some amazing mac and cheese dishes. If you love buffalo wings with blue cheese, you will love my Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese and the most amazing, low point invention ever Super Cheesy Low Fat Cauliflower Macaroni and cheese. You will not be able to even tell there is cauliflower in it! (cut the pieces really small) Here is my version of my Mom’s famous Mac and cheese with hot dogs, with a fall spin. I used apple chicken sausage and added some nutmeg for a warm homey feel. Enjoy!

Tomato and Apple Chicken Sausage Macaroni and Cheese

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I love hosting and going to home parties. I actually was a consultant for “The Body Shop at Home” (yes the cosmetics store in the mall) for 7 years.  I did facial, makeup and pedicure parties. They were so fun and I love meeting new people and allowing woman to pamper themselves. I love getting all my friends together to hang out, relax, eat and drink!. I had 10 friends over on Friday night, my kids slept at my mother in laws and I was ready to chill out!  My friend Raeshelle is selling these adorable bags and storage bins for Thirty One Gifts!! I earned 200.00 in free products!!! Wooo Hooo!!! I will be giving away one of her adorable bags this fall, but check out her website! The bags are awesome quality and I love the fabric choices and how you can personalize them!

The Best Bag ever!!! The organizing utility tote has 7 outside pockets!! I got one to keep in my mini van to hold all my “Stuff” in the well between the front two seats and it was only 25.00!!!!

I was so excited when I was able to try some delicious wine and champagne from Barefoot Wine and Bubbly!! They sent me their Sweet Red and their Brut Cuv’ee Champagne. I also picked up a bottle of their Moscato for the home party that I hosted on Friday night!

The first wine we tried was the Sweet Red.

I made a sangria with it. I added  tons of fruit. Chopped apples, mango, pineapple, green grapes, and orange slices. All you have to do is pour the bottle of wine in a large pitcher, add one can of diet sprite or ginger ale and all your fruit. Let it marinate for 1 hour. It was amazing and you can eat the fruit with a fork.

I also bought a big bottle of the Moscato at my local liquor store. My friends loved it and they drained the bottle in no time! It was light, fresh and delicious!!

Moscato

Tastes & Delights

Delightfully sweet with lush fruity aromas. Hints of citrus skip across flavors of juicy peach and ripe apricots. A bright, crisp finish dances in at the end. It’s a bit sweeter than our Riesling.

Time to Uncork

Swingin’ on the porch swing watchin’ the world go by.

Perfect Partners

Good at keeping things fresh with some fruit or mild cheese

Brut Cuvée

Tastes & Delights

Green apple, jasmine, hints of kiwi and peach flavors bubble up for a crisp finish. Bubbling with aromas of Chardonnay, it’s our most traditional bubbly.

Time to Uncork

Simple moments. Big moments. Everyday moments…

Perfect Partners

Make a toast to that buttery lobster or fresh fruit & enjoy!

Now the best part at home parties besides the drinking and shopping is the food! I made tons of naughty favorites, but also made my delicious Roasted Eggplant Dip and a ww friendly artichoke cups. My friend Julie shared this recipe with me and I know you will love them. They are like eating artichoke dip in a wanton wrapper. Easy, low in points and everyone wanted the recipe!

Artichoke Cups

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Hi everyone, you may be wondering where I have been and the answer is in the DARK! Connecticut was hit hard by hurricane Irene and we did not have power for 7 DAYS!!! Yes 7 day with out power. Which included no phones, water or flushing of toilets. Living with 3 kids on cereal was crazy, so I escaped to my parents house. To top it all off school was delayed by a week due to trees down on many streets. But, I have been working on some cool stuff for you; I did a review for Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, I am working on a review for Amy’s Organic Foods new light and lean meals (only 6 points + each) and I have a new recipe for you! Oh and the best news is I was chosen to create an ad for Nature’s Path Granola Bars!! I created a 30 second musical commercial for them! My first paying gig!! Yeah!! I will be posting the video soon.

With all the lack of power stuff going on, the grill was our best friend. This is a recipe we made to eat along with grilled chicken and it was amazing!!!!! It is actually totally filling and is a meal in itself. You will love it!!

Image and recipe from Self Magazine

Polenta Stack with Navy Bean, Feta, Basil Salad [...]

The recipe I chose to feature in this post is one that has been sitting in my recipe box for over a year. I get Food Network magazine and love tearing out recipes that sound and look delicious. I am a huge fan of Buffalo wings. I love the spicy kick mixed with the creaminess of the blue cheese dressing. However, in restaurants they are deep fried and very high in points!! So when I took out this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese I knew the nutritional info was going to be scary….IT WAS!!!!

Each serving had 868 calories, 48.2 grams of fat, 1465 mg of sodium, 79.6 grams of carbs, 3.9 grams of fiber and 28.9 grams of protein! 1 cup was 23 points + each!!! Ouch!!!

So I decided to modify the recipe with some healthy alternatives. I swapped out the half and half for 1 % milk, used low fat cheese and sour cream and opted for whole wheat pasta. I was able to shave a whopping 15 points off per serving, so 1 cup is only 8 points +!! This was spicy, creamy, cheesy and just down right awesome!!! Enjoy and make sure to Check out my full post over at Danica’s Daily! Make sure and enter my Food Should Taste Good Chip Giveaway Here!

Light Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

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Hi all, Did you miss me??? I have been incredibly busy the last few weeks and have not had time to cook or post. But, I am back with some delicious recipes for you!!! I have 3 new recipes to share with you this week! Taco Cupcakes (complements of Emilybites), Freezer Pancake and waffle Mix and Roasted Eggplant dip!

One of my neighbors is a fabulous cook! She makes bruschetta and stuffed mushrooms to die for! The last time I was at her house she was telling me all about her new weight loss plan. She has cut all white flour, sugar and most meats out of her diet. She has lost a lot of weight and looks great! One of the recipes she served was Roasted Eggplant Dip and it was AMAZING!!! I inhaled half the dip in about 2 seconds (I hadn’t eaten most of the day, I know bad Shannon) and I demanded the recipe! I made it for guests we had this weekend and they loved it. I know you will too! I will be posting my newest giveaway tomorrow morning…..

Roasted Eggplant Dip

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Today I decided to go blueberry and peach picking at a local orchard. It was very hot out, but we were able to get a good amount of fresh fruit. Not only is this fruit local, fresh and grown with minimum pesticides, it was cheap! I couldn’t wait to get home and make a peach cobbler.

Check out some of these fun pictures from our picking adventure!

Getting Ready to pick!

Beautiful CT peaches

Trying one out!

Look what we picked!!

This peach crisp  is absolutely delicious and I paired it with some vanilla ice cream!! This is easy enough to whip together for dinner and yummy enough to share with friends!

Peach Crisp

Peach Crisp

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