Chicken Parmesan

Made this last night. Rachel ate seconds!

Ingredients

• 4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
• ½ cups Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ¾ cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)
• 3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• ¼ cubes Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pound Thin Linguine

Preparation Instructions

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.
Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

Cilantro Cream Chicken, Salad

Cilantro Cream Chicken, Salad

Cilantro Cream Chicken and Tossed Green Salad
Serves 4
9 points per serving plus salad dressing of your choice.
Approximate cost for this meal: $7

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
3/4 cup fat free half and half
3 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
I used 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes this time. It was just as good.
6 oz. uncooked whole wheat pasta
I used penne rigate this time but I've used just about all types. They all work.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta cooks:
In a large skillet on medium high heat add 1 Tablespoon olive oil. When the skillet is nice and hot add the chicken. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Cook 2 -3 minutes, browning on all sides.
Remove the chicken from skillet and set aside.
Add remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil to same skillet.
Add onions and peppers. Cook stirring often till vegetables are crisp tender and beginning to brown. About 5 minutes.
Add reserved chicken, cream cheese, half and half, lime juice and cilantro to the veggies in the skillet. Cook and stir till cream cheese has melted and ingredients are well combined.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Add cooked and drained pasta to chicken and sauce. Stir to combine. Allow to stand about 5 minutes and the sauce will thicken.

One serving is 1 1/2 cups of the cilantro cream chicken.
Serve with tossed salad.

Chicken Lo Mein

Looks Delicious

Chicken Lo Mein

This is an old favorite. It was one of the first Rachael Ray recipes I tried. We love it and we've had it dozens of times but not at all since I joined WW. Here's the original recipe which serves 4 at 18 points per serving. yikes! I've made it over to be WW friendly. It's easy on the wallet as well. And an extra bonus is that it's an all in one dish (2 pans). Less mess to clean up after dinner.

Chicken Lo Mein
serves 6
9 points per serving
Approximate cost for this meal: It's really going to depend on how well your pantry is stocked with the spices and sauces. But I would think it's doable for $10.

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 Tablespoons tamari
This is just aged soy sauce. I've used regular soy sauce as often as not. It's just as good.
2 teaspoons hot sauce
I skip this and let everyone add as much heat as they want to their own plates.
salt
14.5 oz. package Ronzoni Smart Taste thin spaghetti
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
2 teaspoons ground coriander
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
6 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths, then sliced lengthwise
1/2 pound fresh shitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
I usually just use white mushrooms(stems and all). I have to search for shitake and I often just don't want to bother.
1 red bell pepper, cut into quarters, seeded and then sliced
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
2 cups fresh bean sprouts or half pound shredded cabbage

In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin, tamari, hot sauce and about 3 Tablespoons of water. Set aside.

Bring a big pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente.

While the pasta cooks, heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil ripples, add the beaten eggs and scramble them to light golden brown. Remove to a plate and reserve.

Season the chicken strips with salt, pepper and the coriander. Heat the remaining Tablespoon of oil to a ripple over high heat, then add the meat and stir fry for 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and all the veggies. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Then add the drained pasta and the eggs to the skillet. Pour the reserved sauce over the lo mein and toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Toss for 30 seconds and let the pasta absorb all the liquids. Taste it to adjust the seasonings.

One serving is 2 1/3 cups of lo mein. Which filled a regular sized dinner plate. See photo below.

What we thought~
We all agreed that it was just as good as ever. The WW changes were undetectable.
This is a recipe that everyone loves, young and old, at our house.

Pumpkin cream cheese muffins

I made these last night. They were delicious but need more cream cheese in them to be like Glauss.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 pinch cardamom (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• chopped pumpkin seeds (optional) or walnuts (optional) or pecans (optional)

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350.

2. 2

   Put the entire brick of cream cheese on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper and shape it into a long log.

3. 3

   Put it in the freezer while you mix and fill the pans, up to an hour.

4. 4

   Unwrap and cut with a sharp knife so each cream cheese disk equals 1-2 teaspoons. If the cream cheese disks are too big around, cut thick slices and then cut them in half. This lets you push it down into the batter easier.

5. 5

   Mix all ingredients together (except cream cheese and nuts).

6. 6

   Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) half full.

7. 7

   Put cream cheese disc in the middle, pressing down.

8. 8

   Sprinkle with 1 tsp chopped nuts.

9. 9

   Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin part (do not touch the cream cheese!).

10. 10

    Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Do not touch the cream cheese until it cools.

Yummy looking

Caesar Pockets

Sometimes, a recipe is just so easy that I almost feel silly sharing it. Like these Caesar Pockets. So super easy, but so good at the same time. And sometimes, the simple, delicious lunches or dinners are the ones I have the hardest time coming up with. So next time you are feeling stuck, try these out!

Caesar Pockets
adapted from Food & Family Spring 09

Makes 4 servings

4 cups torn romaine lettuce
6 oz. deli shaved turkey breast, cut into strips
1/4 cup drained roasted red pepper strips
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Caesar dressing
4 pita breads, warmed, cut in half

Toss the lettuce with the turkey, peppers, cheese and dressing. Spoon into the pitas.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Another one I want to try.

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour (I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I'd opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

updated 9/20/09: I've heard from a few readers that 1 tablespoon of salt is too much. If you are using iodized or table salt, this will be the case. Kosher salt doesn't taste as "salty" as regular salt, and since the granules are larger, you don't get as much in the tablespoon as you would with regular salt. Adjust accordingly. xoxo steph

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

Teriyaki Beef

John and the kids loved this

• MARINADE:
• 1 pound Flat Iron Steak Or Flank Steak Cut 1/4" Thick Across The Grain And On The Bias
• ¼ cups Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• COATING:
• 1 Tablespoon Seasame Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• Sauce:
• 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce (or Substitute Regular Soy Sauce)
• 2 Tablespoons Regular Soy Sauce
• ½ cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• ½ cups Plus 3 TBSP Sugar
• ¾ teaspoons Grated Fresh Ginger
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 pinch(es) Red Pepper Flakes
• VEGGIES:
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, Cut Into 1/4" Strips
• 1 bunch(es) Scallions (white And Light Green Parts), Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Cut the steak across the grain and on the bias into 1/4″ thick pieces. To cut the meat on the bias, position your knife on top of the meat (perpendicular to the grain), then tilt your knife at a 45 degree angle, then slice through the meat. Place the cut meat in a resealable bag, add the soy sauce and rice vinegar, then seal and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours, make the sauce by whisking together the soy sauces, water, rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Add the meat to a colander and allow it to drain. While it is draining, combine the coating ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk. Add the meat and toss to coat evenly.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 TBSP oil. Add half of the coated meat in an even layer and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, flip, and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the meat to a clean plate and add some additional oil to the pan if needed. Cook the other half of the meat and remove it from the pan when done.

Add the sauce, red bell pepper slices, and scallions to the skillet and allow the mixture to briskly simmer for 2 minutes. Add all of the meat to the skillet and toss to coat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the beef. Add the beef and veggies on top of a bed of steamed rice using a slotted spoon – leaving most of sauce in the skillet. This recipe serves 4 but can be easily halved to serve 2.

Another yummy want to try recipe

I want to try these!

Black Bean Dip

2 cans (15 Oz.) Black Beans (slightly Drained)
1 can (8 Oz.) Tomato Sauce
¼ teaspoons Cumin
¼ teaspoons Paprika
¼ teaspoons Pepper
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or Cheese Of Your Choice)

Over medium heat, warm beans until they begin to simmer.

Mash beans. Add tomato sauce, spices and stir. Add cheese and mix well.

Makes about 3 cups.

Welcome!

I am chronically food that John likes so I can make sure to never make it again :)