Pita Chips

• 4 6-inch whole-wheat pitas
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Position oven racks in middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Coat 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cut pitas into 8 wedges each and separate each wedge at the fold. Place the pita wedges, rough-side up, in an even layer on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt.
3. Bake the pita wedges, switching the baking sheets halfway through, until golden and crispy, 6 to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness).

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Cauliflower Cheese Pie

A lighter healthy take on Quiche and it's GLUTEN FREE

Cauliflower Cheese Pie
(serves, um, 2)
for the crust
2 c. grated raw potato (from 2-3 peeled potatoes)
½ t. salt
1 egg white, beaten
¼ c. grated onion
for the filling
1 T. olive oil
1 c. diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t. salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ t. dried thyme
½ t. dried basil
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 c. (4-5 oz.) grated cheddar cheese (any cheese you enjoy works well...we use Jalapeno, usually)
2 eggs
¼ c. milk
1) Preheat the oven to 400°F and generously oil a 9″ pie dish.  Seriously, be generous.  This is the difference between ending up with the crispy potato crust attached to your pie and the crispy potato crust attached to your pie dish.
2) Keeping each separate, grate the cheese, then the potatoes, then the onion using a food processor or box grater.
3) To make the crust, place the grated potatoes in a colander and toss them with the salt.  Wait ten minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.  A salad spinner works well for this, or you can wring the potatoes out in a dishtowel.  Stir together the potatoes, egg white and onion in a large bowl, then pat the mixture evenly into your pie dish , building them up the sides to form the crust.
4) Bake for 30 minutes, then brush the crust lightly with olive oil and bake for 10 more minutes.  Remove from oven and lower the temp to 375°F.
5) While the crust bakes, heat 1 T. olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper (to taste) and herbs and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.  Add the cauliflower and stir well to coat.  Cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender, 8-10 minutes.  Add a tablespoon of water if the cauliflower begins to stick to the pan.
6) Spread half the cheese over the crust and spoon the cauliflower mixture over, then sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.  Whisk together the eggs and the milk, then pour this mixture over the cauliflower cheese mixture.
7) Bake 35-40 minutes, until set.

Serve with a salad or (as we did) roasted fresh Brussels Sprouts

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided 
• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs PANKO
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided 
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten 
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil and spray pan with "Pam"
• 1 1/2 cups bottled fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen Organic) (Rick makes our Marinara sauce)
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese 
• Cooked wheat Linguini to serve (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Combine 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.
3. Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a small sauce pan and heat while you prepare dinner..cook until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and broil 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Homemade Cream Cheese Mints

Calories per mint: about 10

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon pure mint extract

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

(Optional) Food coloring

(Optional) Rainbow-colored sugar crystals

Directions:

Line baking sheets with waxed paper.  I use jelly roll-size pans.

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer beat together softened cream cheese and mint extract.

*Note: While creaming the cream cheese is the ideal time to add food coloring to dye the dough.

Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until smooth, kneading in the last of the powdered sugar with hands or a heavy spoon.

Lightly dust the wax paper-lined baking sheets with sifted powdered sugar.

Using a 1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon, form mixture into balls the size of a cherry.

NOTE:  I do not roll the mints in sugar crystals.  Although that colorful sugar makes the mints sparkle, for our family, biting into the mint and having the crunch of the sugar crystals is undesirable.  However, if you like that sugary crunch, at this point roll the dough ball in a bowl of granulated or sugar crystals. I sprinkled mine with superfine sugar.

You may also fill mini muffin cups with melted chocolate. Add a flattened mint (small and centered so chocolate surrounds it.). Add chocolate to cover. let set at least 1 hour or more. May refrigerate. Makes a great gift!

makes 6 yogurt cups

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Vanilla yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
• 1 (3 oz) package of Lemon Jello mix
• *optional, whipped cream to top

How to Make

1. Line a muffin tin with 6 cupcake liners.
2. In a medium microwave safe mixing bowl, combine yogurt and Jello mix, stirring to combine.
3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute.
4. Fill each cupcake liner with about 1/4 cup of yogurt mixture.
5. Chill cups for at least an hour until set.

* I used a double boiler method because I don't have a microwave....

Notes

You can easily mix and match different flavors or yogurt and Jello. Also, try making them in mini cupcake liners as well for a more bite-sized treat!

Store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Adapted from Jello