Olive Garden Style Salad Dressing and Garlic Bread

As part of my Olive Garden-style dinner, I made this recipe from Recipezaar. Also below is the delish garlic bread I made.



Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a food processor until well mixed.


Garlic Bread



Cut a loaf of italian or french bread in half and open it up. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the bread. Spread garlic to your desired level of garlicky-ness (I use a jar of already minced garlic and spread it around the bread with a knife.) Dot bread with butter, top with italian seasoning and grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pasta e Fagiole

I decided to make an Olive Garden style dinner tonight - Soup, Salad and Bread! The main event was Pasta e Fagiole, recipe adapted from Recipezaar.



Ingredients:
1 teaspoon oil
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
42 ounces beef stock
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 jar spaghetti sauce
4 ounces dry pasta shell macaroni

Directions:
Sauté beef in oil in large pot until beef starts to brown. Add onions, celery and peppers and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans, beef stock, oregano, pepper, red pepper flakes, spaghetti sauce and pasta shells.

Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Panko Crusted Fish Sticks with Herb Dipping Sauce

Adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe.



Ingredients:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup panko
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon prepared white horseradish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, sprayed with Pam; set aside.

To make fish sticks, cut tilapia fillets in half lengthwise down center line. Halve again lengthwise, then crosswise.

Place egg in a wide shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, combine panko and oil. Dip tilapia into egg, shaking off excess, then into panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on prepared baking sheets.

Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, parsley, mustard, lemon juice, and horseradish; season with salt and pepper. Serve fish sticks with sauce.

Cheesy Cauliflower

Adapted from this RecipeZaar recipe.



Ingredients:
1/4 large cauliflower
1/3 cup low fat milk
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 ounce butter
1 teaspoon breadcrumbs
1/8 teaspoon dried English mustard
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450°F.

Trim the cauliflower & break into small florets. Steam florets until tender. Drain in a colander and then place in a buttered ovenproof baking dish.

Meanwhile, add the milk, flour and butter to a saucepan. Heat and whisk continuously until the sauce thickens, boils and is smooth. Allow to simmer for another 2 minutes. Add three-quarters of the grated cheese, mustard, a pinch of nutmeg and salt/pepper. Cook until well blended.

Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower. Mix the remaining cheese, and breadcrumbs, if using, together, sprinkle over the top. Bake for about 15 to 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

Adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe. This was a REALLY yummy dish. I had wanted to add avocado slices, but the store didn't have any that were ready to use right away.





Ingredients:
Fish:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound tilapia fillet

Chipotle cream:
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce, blended
1 teaspoon lime juice

3 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/4 cup corn kernels

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the fish fillets and let marinate for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and saute in pan over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side. Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, and lime juice.

Heat the tortillas per package directions.

Flake the fish with a fork. Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with fish and corn.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

A wonderful Cooking Light recipe that I first tasted at Justin's Aunt's house over Xmas and made for Justin's birthday party this past weekend!

Ingredients:
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (13.5-ounce) package baked tortilla chips (about 16 cups)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (2 tablespoons Parmesan through spinach) in a large bowl, and stir until well-blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.