For me lasagna is right up there with mac and cheese when it comes to comfort food. Gooey cheeses and pasta warm you comfort and soul. I am one of those people that could eat pasta every day twice a day. But variety is the spice of life….

Last night I made a starch-free lasagna that was such a hit, the BF took it upon himself to take the pictures of the finished product. That is saying a lot!

Feel free to add more ingredients and change the amounts. This recipe is really fool proof.

Preheat oven to 375

What you will need:

Casserole pan

Precooked and cooled spaghetti squash

Marinara sauce- add meat and vegetables to suit your tastes

Cheese mix- 1 ½ c ricotta or cottage cheese, 2 eggs, ½ mozzarella combined well

Mozzarella cheese for topping

Ladle a small amount of marinara in the bottom of a casserole pan. Lay a layer of precooked and cooled spaghetti squash followed by a layer of cheese mixture and a layer of marinara. Repeat layers and cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave pan in for another 20-30 minutes.

Do you live with a meat and potatoes person? I do. This can lead to challenges in the kitchen. You want to switch things up and try new flavors, but he/she could eat the same thing every night of the week and be happy. Preferably a burger and fries.

What do you do? One night this week substitute their regular potato dish with my sweet potato fries and test the waters. Seriously, even my 18 month old nephew loves them.

Preheat you oven to 425F. Cut a large sweet potato into long strips about ½ in thick or smaller. I find when they are thicker they don’t get as crisp.

Toss the potatoes lightly with 1t of olive oil, ½t salt, ½ t pumpkin pie spice,1 T Splenda, and a pinch of dried red chili flakes (optional). Spread evenly on a non stick baking sheet. Bake the fries for 10-15 minutes or until the tops are starting to bubble and brown. Turn the fries and bake another 10 minutes or until tender. I like to bake mine on a pizza pan that has holes throughout the bottom. I find that my fries get crisper this way.

You don’t have to use the seasonings mentioned above if they aren’t flavors you like. I personally like the sweet and hot thing, but they are equally as good with just a little salt and pepper.

Other flavors to try:

Chili powder and cumin, garlic and thyme, cayenne and salt. YUM

Are you familiar with Taste of Home magazine? Well, the #1 cooking magazine in the country is reported to have a new book out and on shelves December 31, 2009. The title, Comfort Food Diet Cookbook, quickly got my attention. The book is said to provide a sensible approach to eating, cooking, and living that helps readers shed pounds without feeling deprived.

Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook has 433 recipes along with real success stories of people that have lost weight following the books program and recipes. Along with recipes the book is said to provide tips for a balanced diet, portion-size chart, six-week meal plan, 80 “Free Foods” and worksheets to plan meals. It will even have tips for ordering healthy when dining out, and a removable clip-and-keep calorie guide. With an online community featuring additional recipes, success stories, and other helpful tools, readers have the support they need to succeed. There is even a dietician available online to provide support and answer questions.

I look forward to taking a look at the book when it comes out. It is perfect timing after the holidays when most of us have indulged a little too much. Instead of going on some silly New Year’s resolution fueled crash diet, you can eat the foods you love and still lose those extra holiday pounds. I am definitely anticipating a SweaterFood approval.

Links of love- Comfort Food on the Web

Comfort Food with Chesapeake Home

One Dish Meals with The Georigia Table

Sweet and Spicy Kabocha Squash Soup at Cooking for a Vegan Lover’s Blog

Giner Maple Pumpkin Butter at Nutrition as Nature Intended

My Mother’s Pork Adobo at ShowShanti

Risotto is perfect soul warming comfort food. White arborio rice lends a lovely starchy creaminess to the dish. But when you are trying to eat healthier versions of whole grains, white rice is usually the first to get the cut. Enter barley. Yes barley, the stuff thrown in soups. Last night I made a dish I am calling barley risotto because the creaminess and texture was so indicative of the “real” stuff it felt as though I was cheating. The barley lent an earthy flavor that went so well with the winter vegetable mix.

½ t olive oil

½ onion, diced

1 large carrot, sliced

1 celery rib, diced

½ c sweet potato, diced

1 c mushrooms, sliced

1 t poultry seasoning

2 c vegetable stock

2/3 c quick cook barley

Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee vegetables with the olive oil until they start to sweat. Add stock and poultry seasoning and bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer until sweet potatoes and carrots are tender. Stir in barley and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes covered. Take off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

A few months ago, on my personal blog, I posted a recipe for Kinda Pudgy Fudgy Monkey Muffins(yes, I named them myself!).  It was one of the first recipes I tweaked to make it more healthful. I guess you could say it’s what got me started on the road to creating SweaterFood. Comfort foods are one of my favorite things to make (and eat), and yet most of them are not the most healthy things to consume. So I set about making my favorite foods, just in a healthier way.

These are the perfect break-up muffins. Instead of crawling into bed to cry with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, bake these and share with friends. Your thighs will thank you. Although these muffins are not the healthiest treat out there, I think you will find that they have a lower sugar and fat content than most traditional recipes. These muffins are a great treat. Muffins make for great portion control, too!

Preheat your oven to 350F

In a large mixing bowl add

1c frozen ripe bananas mashed (about 2 medium bananas)

2 eggs- or egg substitute

½ c  applesauce

Mix together well and set aside. In a separate bowl add

1/2c all purpose flour (you can use 1 1/2c all purpose if you don’t like whole wheat)

1c whole wheat flour

3/4c sugar

1/4c packed brown sugar

7 T cocoa

1t baking soda

½ t salt

½ t pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Use a whisk to blend the ingredients together (way easier than sifting!)

Pour dry mix into wet and mix JUST until incorporated. Pour into a greased and lined muffin pan that makes 12 muffins. I spray the liners as well; they come off the muffins easier. Bake for 25-35 minutes depending on muffin size and temperature of batter from the bananas. My last batch took 30 minutes. I dare you to let them cool before eating! Oh and these guys freeze beautifully so you can always have some on hand.

Check out the link below for some interesting and exciting news on comfort food. No wonder people are happy at Thanksgiving!

http://www.physorg.com/news178270511.html

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

I remember the first time I tried a jerk chicken. The bold flavors filled my mouth and I was at once hooked on the bright heat and aromatic spiciness. Since then I have tried this flavorful mix with everything from pork to fish and have never been disappointed. So what does a jerk addict do when she is faced with a cold winter’s day and an Ultimate Chili Cook-off on the horizon? She combines the two, that’s what! The result was fantastic. I wish I could say that about the photo….

I entered the recipe in the Ultimate Chili Cook-off on MixingBowl.com. Click here for the recipe and to vote for your favorite recipe (mine of course). If you haven’t heard of MixingBowl you should definitely go check it out. IT is a great cooking community, everyone is so helpful, and the recipes are endless.

Fear not, I have been cooking away; But I am really working hard to update this blog’s appearance. So give me a few days and I will be back full steam ahead. And hopefully with improved photography skills! (although I doubt those skills can be mastered in a weekend)

Brisket. The ultimate comfort food, but not the healthiest thing on the menu.  But as I like I like to say, you can have your comfort food and eat it too.  I had leftover brisket and was craving warm barbeque flavors. C’mon, everyone knows barbeque is big in the south. This is what I came up with. It’s a far cry from a chopped brisket sandwich with loads of sauce on white bread. But I assure you it is a taste of home without breaking the calorie bank. So the next time you have a hankerin’ for some good ol barbeque give this a shot. There is a small amount of the traditionally fatty meat;  I trimmed all the fat I could find on it. I also added a leftover baked potato to the mix for some feel good carbs. Yes, people! Leftovers can be good. I bulked out the meal with sweet potato and other veg. You could totally use roasted chicken in place of the brisket… but then it wouldn’t be Brisket Hash….but Roast Chicken Hash…mmmm.

This is what I did. I trimmed  all the fat I could find on the brisket , then cubed it and set it aside.  I then cubed the baked potato and sliced the other vegetables to add in. I sautéed sliced onion, bell peppers, and sliced sweet potato in a teaspoon of olive oil over medium high heat. I added ½ c vegetable stock, covered, and reduced the heat to low until the potatoes were fork tender. I then added the chopped brisket and baked potato and just enough barbeque sauce to coat, probably a couple tablespoons.  I then covered the pot to warm thru and let the liquid be absorbed.

Dinner is served!