Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Teriyaki Pork and Vegetables with Noodles

TERIYAKI PORK AND VEGETABLES WITH NOODLES


Like I said in an earlier post, I am following Weight Watchers, so you'll be seeing a lot of lighter, healthier dishes. Over the weekend, I was thumbing through my old Cooking Light magazines and found this recipe. It sounded so good and I was really looking forward to trying it.

Boy am I glad I did. The flavor was so nice and light and it was a nice change from the typical chicken dishes I've been making. We'll definitely be having this again!

Teriyaki Pork and Vegetables with Noodles

INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti (I used whole wheat pasta)
4 green onions
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (I used a whole pepper)
3 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick), cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 (3 1/2-ounce) package shiitake mushrooms, sliced (I used 4 mushrooms)
1/3 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid; keep warm.

Remove green tops from green onions; thinly slice, and set aside. Mince white portions of green onions; set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced green onions, bell pepper, pork, and mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes or until pork is browned. Combine reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid (I omitted), teriyaki sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pasta and teriyaki sauce mixture to pan; toss well to coat. Stir in sliced green onion tops.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 444(27% from fat); FAT 13.5g (sat 4.1g,mono 4.6g,poly 2.7g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 40mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.9g; SODIUM 633mg; PROTEIN 26.3g; FIBER 3.1g

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Parmesan Chicken and Rice

PARMESAN CHICKEN & RICE

I'm still following Weight Watchers and coming along great! Since going back to meetings on June 28, I am down 13 pounds! Cooking Light has become my new favorite site for recipes. It's great because they calculate the nutritional information for you, so all I have to do is calculate the points. Easy!

This dish turned out great. It had really good flavor, it only required one pot and I had all of the ingredients on hand. This will definitely make it into our regular rotation.

Parmesan Chicken & Rice - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (8-ounce) package pre-sliced mushrooms (I only sliced up 3 mushrooms)
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I only used 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned. Add wine, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.

Stir in rice and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Stir in cheese and parsley.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 395(18% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 2.8g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.8g); IRON 4.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 57mg; CALCIUM 171mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.4g; SODIUM 656mg; PROTEIN 29.9g; FIBER 2g