Chicken Souvlaki, by Diane

 

The latest Cooking Light recipe... I have been craving souvlaki since munching on it at the Acropolis in Athens. Now this recipe is NOTHING like the actual thing, but it looked like a decent and healthy substitute. I have to say after cooking it exactly as described in the magazine, I really did not like this dish. Maybe because I've had the real thing, because the rest of my family thought it was good. One thing that definitely would have made a difference was marinating the chicken, which the recipe does not call for. I found that the flavor of the chicken could have been a lot stronger, and marinating it would have definitely helped. I may try this again in the summer on the grill with grilled veggies too, but overall I'm sorry to say I was not too impressed.

Ingredients:

6  tablespoons  plain fat-free Greek yogurt
2  tablespoons  shredded cucumber
1 1/2  tablespoons  tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
5  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice, divided
5  garlic cloves, minced
1  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
1  teaspoon  dried oregano
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
Cooking spray
4  (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
1  cup  shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2  cup  thinly sliced red onion
16  (1/4-inch-thick) slices cucumber
16  (1/4-inch-thick) slices plum tomato

Directions:

1. Combine yogurt, shredded cucumber, tahini, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, olive oil, and next 4 ingredients (through chicken) in a small bowl. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Thread chicken pieces evenly onto 4 (8-inch) skewers. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 10 minutes or until done, turning every 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skewers.
3. Divide chicken evenly among pita halves. Fill each pita half with 2 tablespoons lettuce, 1 tablespoon onion, 2 cucumber slices, 2 tomato slices, and 1 tablespoon sauce.

Chicken Quesadillas, by Cheryl

Once again I found myself with the kitchen cabinet open wondering what to make for dinner. There's so many random things in my kitchen that it would seem like I could make a ton of meals, but I can never come up with any ideas. I'm not sure how or why I thought to make chicken quesadillas, but they came out better than expected! I adapted this recipe from http://annies-eats.com. The spices that I mixed together for the rub for the chicken was oh so tasty! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
lemon juice (about 1.5 tbsp)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced (I didn't use this, but think it would be great to add)
2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 an onion
tortillas
shredded cheese

Directions:

1) Combine the first 7 ingredients (through cilantro) into a bowl and mix.

2) Coat each chicken chunk with the mixture. Cook chicken in a pan. When done, shred the chicken into small pieces.

3) Add the onion with some oil to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

4) Combine the onion, chicken, and tomatoes in a bowl and toss.

5) Lightly brush one side of a tortilla with vegetable oil. Flip it over and place some of the chicken mixture onto one side of the tortilla. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over the tortilla and repeat with the other tortillas.

6) Cook the quesadillas over medium high heat until browned on the outside and has melted cheese on the inside. Slice into wedges and serve with salsa or sour cream.

Mushroom and Root Vegetable Pot Pie, by Diane

This is my second recipe in one day, and it is yet another goodie from the March issue of Cooking Light! I was intrigued by this recipe because it was a different spin on a favorite of mine, chicken pot pie. This version was more savory than a regular chicken pot pie, and healthier too. Plus, it uses ingredients that are new to me, such as sherry and whole wheat flour. I chose this recipe for today because it is another snowy winter day, and I wanted something warm baking in the oven to cheer me up!

The end result turned out really tasty and reminded me a lot of the food I had in France- kind of rustic and earthy thanks to the wheat flour, herbs, mushrooms, and the root vegetables. The root vegetables have a certain flavor that isn't for everyone- but I really like them. It was perfect for this cold evening, and definitely filling! I think that next time I am going to try this recipe with chicken, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms and skip the root veggies.

 My only complaints are that the recipe stated it would take 50 minutes to put together before baking (another 45 minutes) and for me it took 1 hour and 45 minutes to put together- so it was VERY time consuming. Also, it took only about 25-30 minutes to bake, whereas the recipe called for 45, and if I hadn't have been watching it I would have burned it. Finally, the recipe does not call for salt, but I tasted the sauce before baking it and it really needed some, so I added about a 1 1/2 tsp. In the end I think it actually could have used more, so I would say 2 tsp. of salt should be added. One final correction- I did not have 6 ramekins to bake this in, so I used a large pot pie dish and doubled the crust recipe, dropping it into lumps that covered the entire top.

Ingredients:

2  cups  (1/2-inch-thick) slices carrot
2  cups  (1/2-inch-thick) slices rutabaga
2  cups  (1/2-inch-thick) slices parsnip
3  cups  organic vegetable broth
2  cups  fat-free milk
1  bay leaf
1  tablespoon  butter, divided
1  tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme, divided
3  (4-ounce) packages presliced exotic mushroom blend
2/3  cup  finely chopped shallots
2  garlic cloves, minced
1.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
2  tablespoons  heavy whipping cream
1  tablespoon  dry sherry
Cooking spray
3.2  ounces  whole-wheat flour (about 2/3 cup)
3  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
1 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
2  teaspoons  minced fresh parsley
3  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2/3  cup  plus 2 tablespoons fat-free buttermilk, divided

Directions:

1. Place first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove the carrot mixture from pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid, and set aside. Discard bay leaf.
2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme and mushrooms; cook for 12 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
3. Melt remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 2/3 cup chopped shallots and garlic; cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Pour 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid into a bowl. Weigh or lightly spoon 1.5 ounces (about 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add 1.5 ounces all-purpose flour to 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid in bowl; stir with a whisk.
4. Add remaining reserved cooking liquid, remaining thyme, cream, and sherry to pan with shallots; bring to a boil. Add flour mixture; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until mixture thickens and is reduced to 3 cups (about 10 minutes), stirring frequently.
5. Place the reserved carrot mixture, mushrooms, and shallot mixture in a large bowl, and stir to combine. Spoon 1 1/3 cups mixture into each of 6 (10-ounce) ramekins coated with cooking spray.
6. Preheat oven to 400°.
7. Weigh or lightly spoon whole-wheat flour and 3 ounces all-purpose flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine whole-wheat flour, 3 ounces all-purpose flour, baking powder, and parsley in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in 3 tablespoons chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2/3 cup buttermilk to whole-wheat flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto vegetable mixture, dividing evenly among ramekins. Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk over topping. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Hummus and Veggie Wraps, by Diane

I recently had the best hummus at a family party, and asked my cousin to email me the recipe. I decided today to make it for lunch with some carrot sticks, but when I opened up the fridge to get the carrots I found a leftover salad from yesterday and a package of tortillas. I decided to combine everything into a healthy veggie wrap and the result was SO good. Despite the fact that this is a super healthy lunch, I felt that I was cheating a bit when I was eating it because it was that yummy. I loaded it up with spinach leaves and fresh shredded carrots since those are my favorite veggies, then added the salad ingredients which included cucumbers, mushrooms, colored peppers, and purple cabbage. Any other veggies could be easily added in though, along with some tuna or chicken for protein. Needless to say this is one lunch I will be having again- possibly as soon as tomorrow! I would also like to add that this may be my best photo to date thanks to the glare of the snow coming through the window! :)

Ingredients:

1 soft tortilla
1/2 cup hummus (see recipe below)
5 slices each cucumber, mushrooms, and tri-colored bell peppers
1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 large carrot, shredded
1 large handful fresh spinach

Hummus Ingredients:
1 14 oz. can of garbanzo beans (reserve liquid; add to desired consistency)
1/3 C tahini
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp cayenne
* blend in food processor until creamy*

Makes 2 cups

Directions:

1. Spread hummus onto the tortilla.

2. Layer the veggies, then cabbage, then shredded carrot, and then spinach down the center of the tortilla.

3. Wrap and eat!

Chicken Piccata, by Diane

My March issue of Cooking Light came in, and that means.....more fun new recipes!!! Tonight's attempt was Chicken Piccata (the actual recipe was Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata, but I couldn't find good Meyer lemons so I used regular ones instead). I also omitted the capers for the same reason. For the chicken breasts, I used 4 and pounded them flat rather than using 2 and halving them into 4.

The dish turned out really good, the lemon flavor with the wine and butter was a really nice touch to the chicken, and all in all it was a good healthy meal that I would make again!

Ingredients:

2  (8-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
2  tablespoons  unsalted butter, divided
1/3  cup  sauvignon blanc or other crisp, tart white wine
1/2  cup  fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/3  cup  fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2  tablespoons  capers, rinsed and drained
1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Split chicken breast halves in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets. Place each cutlet between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each cutlet to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle cutlets evenly with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge cutlets in flour.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cutlets to pan, and sauté 2 minutes. Turn cutlets over; sauté for 1 minute. Remove the cutlets from pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 2 cutlets.
3. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 4 minutes). Stir in juice and capers. Serve over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Shrimp with Sausage and Cheesy Grits, by Cheryl

My first experience with grits was when Jon and I moved down to Norfolk, VA a few years ago. At our monthly meetings at work each grade level supplies a spread of food for teachers to eat. Being in a southern city, grits are a staple at these meetings. And not just grits, but cheesy grits, bacon flavored grits, grits buttered down so much you can feel your arteries clogging as you eat them grits. Hesitant at first, I finally gave in and tried some of the cheesy grits. They were really good! It was almost like mashed potatoes, but grainier. Now of course whoever made these grits probably spent hours making them as no self respecting southerner would buy instant grits (so I was told... and for that matter, instant oatmeal as well, which I still religiously use and get made fun of for at work), but being that I hail from the northeast I didn't put the time into making my grits. I was looking for a quick meal as always, and I'm quite pleased with how my grits, and my whole meal turned out. This is definitely a meal that I am planning on making again as the texture and taste of the grits really balanced out the spiciness of the meal. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 small sausage links (I used chicken sausage)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 dashes of Tabasco sauce
2 tbsp flour
lemon juice of one lemon
salt
1 cup chicken broth or stock
instant grits or quick cooking grits
cheddar cheese

Directions:

1) Combine the shrimp with the lemon juice and Tabasco sauce. Set aside.

2) Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for about five minutes.

3) Sprinkle the flour in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.

4) Meanwhile, slice the sausage and cook in a separate pan.

5) Stir in the broth or stock and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes.

6) Add the shrimp mixture to the sauce and cook until the shrimp are done- about 4-5 minutes.

7) While the shrimp is cooking, cook the grits. Add in some cheddar cheese and mix.

8) Add sausage to the main pan and mix. Serve on top of the grits in a bowl.

Southwestern Baked Halibut, by Cheryl

Halibut is a fish that I've never made before. When I make fish I usually only make salmon so I was excited to try this. I really liked the rub that I made for my fish tacos a couple of months ago so I used some of those spices to make the rub for this one. It was super easy to make and very quick... perfect for a hectic Monday when you don't feel like spending a lot of time on dinner. I served it with white rice and a sweet chili sauce. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb halibut
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Combine and mix all ingredients except for the fish in a bowl.

3) Pat the fish with a paper towel. Rub the fish with the spice mixture.

4) Cook for 10 minutes.

Coconut Shrimp, by Cheryl

I have been wanting to make coconut shrimp for a long time. Consider this the healthy version... baked, not fried, and panko crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs. The result was really tasty, especially when paired with a spicy chili sauce. The coconut was a little too subtle... I would have liked it a little bit sweeter, but Jon said the subtleness made the dish. Also, I'm not too sure about the cooking times... it seemed that the coconut flakes were starting to burn (our smoke alarm went off). Maybe that's a reason for the subtleness of the coconut? I found this recipe on www.highlowfooddrink.com. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb raw shrimp - peeled, deveined with the tails left on (I took them off)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2-3 egg whites
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup Panko crumbs
cooking spray

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

2) Spray the baking sheet.

3) Mix flour and salt in a small bowl and dredge shrimp. Shake off excess.

4) Dip floured shrimp in egg whites.

5) Mix coconut and panko in a large plastic bag. Add shrimp to mixture and shake the bag.

6) Place shrimp on baking sheet and bake in oven for 7 minutes on each side (possibly for less time).

Crispy Buttermilk Chicken, by Diane

This is another recipe from Cooking Light, which I just got a year subscription of as a holiday gift- so lots more from them sure to come! I had to use their photo too, because mine came out looking horrible! Luckily they had a great one! I know that buttermilk is usually used in fried chicken, but I wanted a healthier version- and this recipe is essentially the same ingredients but the chicken is pan seared instead of fried. Anyway, this chicken was pretty decent, and actually tasted like fried chicken!! It was pretty spicy though, and next time I might reduce the black pepper in half. I also didn't finish the chicken in the oven since we didn't have an oven proof skillet, so I just flipped the chicken and cooked it on the other side for an addition 4-5 minutes. Note before cooking- the chicken marinates in the buttermilk mixture for 4 hours- so plan ahead!

Ingredients:

4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 3/4 cups whole buttermilk
1 large egg
3/4  teaspoon onion powder, divided
3/4  teaspoon ground red pepper, divided
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
1  cup all-purpose flour
2  teaspoons black pepper
1  teaspoon celery salt
2  tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a zip-top plastic bag. Combine buttermilk, egg, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper; add to bag. Seal. Marinate in refrigerator 4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle kosher salt over chicken. Combine 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper, flour, black pepper, and celery salt in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Place chicken on a wire rack.

4. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes. Turn chicken over. Bake chicken at 425° for 10 minutes.