Ham Jambalaya

This is really easy to make and it's pretty healthy too. Mark and I like it a lot. We like to make it spicy, but you can tone down the cayenne pepper and it won't be too hot.

2c diced ham
1c diced green pepper
1c diced red pepper
1c diced red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
28oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2c water
3/4c long-grain white rice, uncooked
1t paprika
1t basil
1t thyme
1t cayenne pepper

Saute green & red peppers, onion & garlic until soft; about 10 minutes. Mix in ham, tomatoes & spices. Stir in water & rice. Bring to a boil, cook on low for about 25 minutes.

Stuffing

This is the stuffing I made for our Holiday Dinner 2008. The good news is that it is a healified stuffing recipe. You don't have to tell your husbands that though. They will never know. Evidently it is supposed to be better for you because it doesn't use butter and therefore it cuts out 2/3 of the fat.

Stuffing
from www.eatbetteramerica.com

Makes 12 servings (1/2 cup each)

15 slices bread
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped carrot
2 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. dried sage leaves crushed or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray; set aside.

2. On large cookie sheet, place bread slices. Back 15 to 20 minutes, turning each slice once, until firm & very light golden brown. Remove bread slices from cookie sheet; cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

3. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion & carrot; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in broth, sage, salt, thyme & pepper; heat to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in bread cubes until well mixed. Spoon mixture into casserole.

4. Cover; back 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until hot and top is light golden brown.

Nutritional information per serving:
120 Calories (35 from fat)
4g Fat
0g Cholesterol
380mg Sodium
18g Carbohydrates
4g Protein

Pizza Sauce

Did you know you can make pizza sauce out of a small can of tomato paste? I used one of the really small ones from Wal-Mart. They cost something like $.49 each. To make my sauce, I added some olive oil and water until the consistency looked right. Then I just added spice to taste.

We're don't put a lot of sauce on our pizza, so I was able to get 3 large pizzas out of one $.49 can. I froze the sauce in between pizzas.

Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

After more than one experiment with wheat bread in our bread machine, this one came out the winner. Not crumbly or dense - I think the wheat gluten helped control that.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar ***
1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3-4 tbls Vital Wheat Gluten

***I use 1 1/2 tabls of honey instead of white sugar. This helps keep the bread from getting too dry.

DIRECTIONS
1.)Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer.

2.)Select Whole Wheat setting and press start. You may also need to select a crust preference. I choose medium.

3.) When it is finish, let it cool completely. I slice it right away and freeze it in a plastic container. I pull it out as we need it. This helps it last longer and keeps it softer.

Bread Machine Pizza Crust

Here is the bread machine pizza crust recipes I discovered on another website. It's been a HUGE hit in our home.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon dry milk powder
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS
1) Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. With mine, it's wet ingredients on the bottom, top with dry ingredients and make the "well" for your yeast.

2)Select Dough cycle; press Start.

3) When finished, removed dough and place on a floured surface. I usually let it rise for another 5-10 minutes.

4.) Roll out and use with your favorite pizza toppings. I make one large pizza on my Papmered Chef Pizza Stone. You could probably get 2 smaller pizzas out of it. It also makes about 4 calzones.

5.) Bake at 375* for 15-20 minutes. That's what works for my Pizza Stone on a lower rack. I usually just keep an eye on it and pull it when it looks done.