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Foodie Weekend


Well, I must say it was a good weekend. Friday, I did a lot of the stuff on my list and a couple of other things got checked off throughout the rest of the weekend. I updated the list from the last post.

It also ended up being quite the food weekend. On Friday, our friends Mike and Holly came over and Mike helped Matt put together our new treadmill. Then we went to dinner at the little Italian restaurant in our neighborhood (about a 3 min wal from our house). The food was amazing! I had penne with some sort of great sauce and shrimp. Continue reading “Foodie Weekend”

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My Spontaneous Chef

I would like to think that I have a spontaneous chef in me; you know that character that can take a few items from the pantry and whip up an excellent, elegant dish. However, the reality is that my spontaneous chef gets a bit heavy-handed with something, or misses a key ingredient and makes a spontaneous mess of things. Last night, though, the stars must have been in alignment. Spontaneous chef and I whipped up an excellent dinner. Continue reading “My Spontaneous Chef”

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Tandoori Chicken

from: Cooking Light, January 2006

Ingredients
Salsa:
1/2 cup chopped peeled avocado
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Remaining ingredients:
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
3/4 cup (3 ounces) preshredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Directions
Preheat broiler.
To prepare salsa, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Toss gently, and set aside.
Combine 2 tablespoons water, lime juice, cumin, salt, ground red pepper, and black beans in a blender; process until smooth.
Place tortillas on a baking sheet, and spread about 1/4 cup black bean mixture evenly over each tortilla. Top each evenly with 1/4 cup chicken and 3 tablespoons cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts and tortilla edges are just beginning to brown.
Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup lettuce, 1/4 cup salsa, and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges.

Nutritional Info (1 tostada(
CALORIES 410(32% from fat); FAT 14.4g (sat 5.9g,mono 5.9g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 25.3g; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; CALCIUM 264mg; SODIUM 858mg; FIBER 7.2g; IRON 3.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47.7g

from: Cooking Light, September 2002

Ingredients
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray

Directions
Place first 3 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add yogurt and the next 8 ingredients (yogurt through nutmeg); pulse 4 times or until blended.
Make 3 diagonal cuts 1/4 inch deep across top of each chicken breast half. Combine chicken and yogurt mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
Prepare grill or broiler.
Remove chicken breast from bag; discard marinade. Place chicken on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

Nutritional Info (1 chicken breast half(
CALORIES 146(12% from fat); FAT 1.9g (sat 0.6g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 27.4g; CHOLESTEROL 67mg; CALCIUM 50mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.4g

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Soft Black Bean Tostadas

from: Cooking Light, January 2006

Ingredients
Salsa:
1/2 cup chopped peeled avocado
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Remaining ingredients:
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
3/4 cup (3 ounces) preshredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Directions
Preheat broiler.
To prepare salsa, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Toss gently, and set aside.
Combine 2 tablespoons water, lime juice, cumin, salt, ground red pepper, and black beans in a blender; process until smooth.
Place tortillas on a baking sheet, and spread about 1/4 cup black bean mixture evenly over each tortilla. Top each evenly with 1/4 cup chicken and 3 tablespoons cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts and tortilla edges are just beginning to brown.
Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup lettuce, 1/4 cup salsa, and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges.

Nutritional Info (1 tostada(
CALORIES 410(32% from fat); FAT 14.4g (sat 5.9g,mono 5.9g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 25.3g; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; CALCIUM 264mg; SODIUM 858mg; FIBER 7.2g; IRON 3.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47.7g

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Chicken, Mushroom, and Cheese Quesadillas

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) preshredded light Mexican cheese blend (such as Sargento)

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine ground cumin, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to pan, and saute 5 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; set aside. Add onion, mushrooms, garlic, jalapeno, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper to pan; saute 5 minutes. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Wipe pan with paper towels.
Heat pan over medium heat. Sprinkle each tortilla with about 1/3 cup cheese. Arrange 1/2 cup mushroom mixture over one-half of each tortilla. Arrange chicken evenly over mushroom mixture. Carefully fold each tortilla in half. Add 2 quesadillas to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadillas. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Info (1 quesadilla)
CALORIES 388(29% from fat); FAT 12.5g (sat 5.7g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 38.5g; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 429mg; SODIUM 759mg; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 2.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.3g

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Fruity Tuna Pita

 

Ingredients
1 hard-cooked egg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash of black pepper
1 (8-ounce) tuna steak
Cooking spray
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons minced green onions
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 (8-ounce) can unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained
2 (5-inch) whole-wheat pitas, cut in half
1 1/3 cups torn Bibb lettuce
8 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

Directions
Slice egg in half lengthwise, and remove yolk; reserve egg yolk for another use. Dice egg white halves; set aside.
Prepare grill or broiler.
Sprinkle the lemon juice and pepper over tuna. Place the tuna on a grill or broiler rack coated with cooking spray; cook 4 minutes on each side until tuna is medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Coarsely chop tuna.
Combine tuna, diced egg white, celery, and the next 5 ingredients (celery through pineapple) in a bowl. Line each pita half with 1/3 cup lettuce and 2 tomato slices. Divide the tuna mixture evenly among pita halves.

Nutritional Info (one pita half(
CALORIES 227(22% from fat); FAT 5.5g (sat 1.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 17.9g; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 47mg; SODIUM 218mg; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 26.6g

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Apple Streudel

from: Cooking Light, October 1996

Ingredients
1/3 cup raisins
3 tablespoons amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur)
3 cups coarsely chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Butter-flavored cooking spray
2 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream
Fresh mint (optional)

Directions
Combine raisins and amaretto in a bowl. Microwave at high 1 1/2 minutes; drain well.
Combine raisins, apple, sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl. Toss well, and set aside.
Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time, coat remaining 7 phyllo sheets with cooking spray, placing one on top of the other. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over phyllo, pressing gently to seal sheets together; discard plastic wrap.
Spoon apple mixture along 1 long edge of phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold over the short edges of phyllo to cover 2 inches of apple mixture on each end.
Starting at long edge with 2-inch border, roll up jelly-roll fashion. (Do not roll tightly, or strudel may split.) Place strudel, seam side down, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Score diagonal slits into top of strudel using a sharp knife. Lightly spray strudel with cooking spray.
Bake at 350? for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

Nutritional Info (1/8 recipe, 1/4 C ice cream(
CALORIES 211(15% from fat); FAT 3.6g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.9g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 3.1g; CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 53mg; SODIUM 121mg; FIBER 1.5g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.3g

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Creamy Mushroom Phyllo Triangles

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 3/4 ounce)
1 pound button mushrooms
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
24 (18 x 14-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray

Directions
Cover porcini mushrooms with boiling water in a bowl. Let stand 1 hour. Drain well; chop.
Place half of button mushrooms in a food processor; pulse 8 times or until finely chopped. Remove from processor. Repeat procedure with remaining button mushrooms. Add onion to processor; pulse 8 times or until finely chopped.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes. Add button mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are tender and liquid evaporates (about 10 minutes). Stir in porcini mushrooms, oregano, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until cheese melts. Stir in parsley.

Preheat oven to 375?.

Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining phyllo to prevent drying). Cut sheet in half lengthwise; lightly coat with cooking spray. Fold each phyllo piece in half lengthwise to form a (3 1/2-inch-wide) strip. Spoon a level tablespoon of mushroom mixture onto 1 short end of each strip, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold 1 corner of edge with 1-inch border over mixture, forming a triangle; continue folding back and forth into a triangle to end of strip. Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo, cooking spray, and mushroom mixture. Place triangles, seam side down, on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat tops with cooking spray.

Bake at 375? for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Nutritional Info (2 triangles(
CALORIES 49(37% from fat); FAT 2g (sat 0.8g,mono 1g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 1.5g; CHOLESTEROL 3mg; CALCIUM 7mg; SODIUM 97mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.2g