Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Fresh Spaghetti Sauce
    *saute in olive oil fresh garlic & caramelize onion before adding meat*
1 lb hamburger browned in a pot
1 yellow onion
add:
2 cans of stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes and 1 can tomato sauce
or
8-10 fresh tomatoes (boil & peel the skins and then I pureed the tomato's in my vitamix) plus 1 can tomato paste
4-5 cubes bouillon ( beef is best, I used Better than Bouillon) 
about 1 tablespoon salt
garlic (4 cloves)
dash of lemon juice (couple of tablespoons)
sugar or stevia (a couple tablespoons)
Italian seasoning (thyme, garlic, marjoram, onion, rosemary, oregano, basil, savory and sage) 
(McCormick Tuscan Italian seasoning) a couple of tablespoons and maybe more

bring to a boil, cover when its the right thickness cover and simmer. 
To keep it HCG friendly- I make sure to use Stevia in place of sugar, and I just leave out the noodles. 

Creamy Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:
3 cups whipping cream*
3 egg yolks, beaten
2-3 tsp white stevia powder** or 2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

In a saucepan, whisk together whipping cream, (sugar if you're using it), egg yolks, cocoa, and salt. Cook over meduim low heat until mixture is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Cool completely, whisk in stevia powder. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into dessert cups & refrigerate overnight.

*If you want to make it lower fat and are not worried about carbs, use 1 cup whipping cream and 2 cups whole milk with 2 TBS flour.

**I use NuStevia brand white stevia powder. All brands are different, so always add it to taste. If you add too much, it can be really gross. Beware of brands that cost significantly less than others because they are often very bitter or really weak. I have also used Truvia brand and it has a good flavor but is a little weak so you may need to add more. Also, I have found that stevia does NOT like to be heated- it gets too strong and a little bitter, so be sure to add stevia to cooled mixtures.

Lemony No-Bake Cheesecake

This cheesecake is really light and creamy! I made mine sugar free and low carb (believe it or don't!), so I didn't make a crust, but there is a recipe for crust included. This makes a small cheesecake so I would recommend doubling the recipe and using a 9 or 10 inch pan for a larger group (no need to double crust or lemon topping). Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 pkg knox unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup water

2 egg yolks, beaten

2 TBS butter

2-3 tsp stevia powder* (to taste) or 2/3 cup sugar

16 oz (2 pkg) cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1 TBS stevia powder* (to taste) or 3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

If you want to use a crust:

Combine 1 1/2 cups graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs, 2 TBS sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Press into the bottom of the springform pan and bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over lemon juice, let stand 1 minute. Over meduim heat, bring to a boil and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved; measure out 1/4 cup and set aside to cool. Add water (and sugar if you're using it- do not add stevia yet!) to remaining lemon juice and bring just to a boil. Slowly whisk hot lemon mixture into beaten egg yolks, being careful not to cook them (you just want to temper them). Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium low heat until bubbly. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Cool completely and whisk in stevia powder.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and stevia (or sugar). Slowly beat in reserved 1/4 cup lemon juice & gelatin mixture. Beat in vanilla and salt. Fold in whipped cream. Gently spread into an 8 inch springform pan. Pour cooled lemon mixture over cheesecake. Cover and chill overnight.

*I use NuStevia brand white stevia powder. All brands are different, so add it to taste. If you add too much, it can be really gross. Beware of brands that cost significantly less than others because they are often very bitter or really weak. I have also used Truvia brand and it has a good flavor but is a little weak so you may need to add more. Also, I have found that stevia does NOT like to be heated- it gets too strong and a little bitter, so be sure to add stevia to cooled mixtures.

Pepper Poppers

These are a favorite at our house. They are the best on a grill, but if you can't grill outside, they work well in an oven, too. Ingredients:

2 Large bell peppers* (any color)

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese

16 slices of thick-cut bacon

32 Toothpicks

Chop each bell pepper into 16 chunks. Cut cream cheese into 32 squares. Cut bacon slices in half. Press one cream cheese square into each chunk of bell pepper and wrap in bacon (it's better if it doesn't overlap too much). Punch a toothpick through the popper to hold the bacon in place. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire cooling rack on the baking sheet (so air can circulate and bacon fat can drip). Place poppers on the wire rack and broil** on high for about 14-16 minutes until bacon is crispy, turning halfway through.

* If you like spicy, try substituting jalapeno peppers for the bell peppers.

** If you don't like to use broil, you can bake them at 450 for about 30-45 minutes, until crispy. If you have a convection oven (one with a fan to blow air while they cook) they cook much better and faster. Many toaster ovens are convection. You can also grill them, which we LOVE, but DO NOT leave them unattended because the dripping bacon grease will boost the flame and burn the bacon.

Fresh Salsa/ Pico de Gallo

This is a special treat in our family- we often do "Salsa Sundays"- get a bunch of chips and some great steak and eat your heart out!

6-8 roma or vine tomatoes, chopped (by hand!)
1 red or vidalia onion, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
2-3 TBS minced garlic (to taste)
1-2 tsp chili powder (to taste)
dash of cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
salt & pepper to taste
juice from 1 lemon (you can use more if you like it extra juicy)
juice from 1 lime

Gently mix well and enjoy immediately!
Note: This salsa does NOT keep well- use within 2 days.

You can also "personalize" this salsa to what you like- add fresh corn kernels, chopped cucumber, fresh pineapple, Johnny's seasoning salt, etc. Sky's the limit!