Twice-Baked Ranch Potatoes (fat-free)

You need:
2 potatoes
1 small container fat-free sour cream
1 dry packet ranch dressing seasonings

Directions:
1. First I baked my potatoes in the oven, directly on the rack, coated in olive oil and salt, and poked with a fork 6-10 times, for 1 hour 15 minutes at 400.
2. Let the potatoes cool, scoop out insides and mix with the sour cream and ranch
3. Place mix back into skins and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Vegan Southwest Salad

You need:

-salad mix of choice

-1 tomato, diced

-1 can "fiesta corn" or "mexicorn," drained

-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

-1 small handful blue corn chips (I used the "red hot blues" flavor by Garden of Eaten)

-1-2 tablespoons Jalapeno Jack Style Almond cheese (I can only find this at Earthfare)

-1-2 tablespoons Roasted Red Pepper vinaigrette (I used Seeds of Change brand from Earthfare)

Directions:

I mixed my corn and black beans together in a storage container and then used about a handful in my salad.

Mediterranean Salad

You need:

- 2 tomatoes, diced

- 1 english cucumber, diced

- 1 cup roasted red peppers, diced

- 1 can hearts of palm, diced

- 1 small can sliced black olives

- juice of one fresh lemon

- herbed feta cheese

Directions:

1. Dice all vegetables and toss together in a bowl.

2. Squeeze lemon juice into bowl over vegetables

3. Top with feta right before serving (otherwise the feta will get soggy if left in mix in refrigerator)

Baked Ravioli and Cheese

*not my picture

I got this recipe from my Martha Stewart "Great Food Fast" book (thanks Shawna!)

Here is the recipe, with my additions of extra fresh vegetables.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 Bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or oregano
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes 
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes (I used one large jar of stewed tomatoes, because I had it on hand)
• 1 small can tomato paste (I added this because it seemed too runny without it! perfect consistency once I added this)
• 2 pounds store-bought ravioli (I used frozen)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, spinach, mushrooms and garlic, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5-10  minutes. Add thyme and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with spoon, add tomato paste, and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot.
3. Toss sauce with pasta. Pour pasta into a large gratin dish or 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Low(er) Fat Baked Mac n' Cheese

You need:
1/2 finely diced white onion
1 tbspn minced garlic
1 generous handful of spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips, coarsely chopped
1 small handful of sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup non fat or low fat milk
2 cups (8 oz) grated cheese- (i used a bag of reduced fat cheddar) you can use all cheddar or your favorite cheese or a combination whatever you have on hand
4 cups elbow noodles cooked (8oz uncooked)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika

Directions:
1. Boil and drain pasta according to directions on box.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in a small amount of butter. Add the spinach, red peppers, and mushrooms and continue to sauté over medium/low heat, until leaves are wilted (about 5 minutes).
3. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, and shredded cheese in a bowl. Mix thoroughly.
4. Add sauteed veggies to the cheese mix, and mix together. Add the noodles and place into a casserole dish.
5. Sprinkle paprika over top of casserole (about 1-2 tsp), and then cover lightly with bread-crumbs.
6. Cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes (or 45 if you make this the night before like I did).

Potato Side Dish

You need:
-Several medium sized potatoes, enough to fill a casserole dish when sliced
-1 cup white wine
-1 squeeze of Italian blend herbs from the tube (about a 2 inch squeeze)
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 tablespoon minced garlic
-Roughly 8 shakes of "Season All" or just salt and pepper
-Parmesan cheese (1-2 handfuls)

Directions:
1. Slice potatoes and arrange in a greased casserole dish.
2. Mix the next 5 ingredients together in a jar (put the lid on and shake)
3. Pour dressing mixture over potatoes - If there isn't enough sauce to cover the potatoes, make another batch and pour again.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
5. Cover in foil and bake at 350 for 1.5 hours.

Mexican Style Chicken Casserole

I N G R E D I E N T S :

1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 spoonful chopped garlic
Vegetable cooking spray or olive oil
2 cups chopped and cooked chicken breasts (I got a rotisserie chicken and used the meat from it, no skin)
1 (10-oz) can cream of onion soup
1 (10-oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 small container fat free sour cream
1 (10-oz) can diced tomato and green chiles (rotel or generic brand, mild or medium)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 bag chili-cheese flavored Fritos
1 (8-oz) bag shredded cheddar cheese

D I R E C T I O N S :

Saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper in a large skillet coated with cooking spray or olive oil over medium-high heat 5 minutes, or until tender.

Stir in chicken and next 7 ingredients; remove from heat.

Layer Fritos on the bottom of a 13x9-inch (or 2 8x8-inch) baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.