Rosemary-Merlot Flank Steak

ROSEMARY-MERLOT FLANK STEAK

I had seen flank steak on sale at the meat market, so I decided to give it a try. It was such a nice change from our typical chicken dishes! Good stuff!

As far as an update on my weight loss, I am on Week 15 and down 21.75. I have to say that these Cooking Light recipes really make it easy for me to stick to the program. I have yet to have a bad meal and they don't taste light at all!

ROSEMARY-MERLOT FLANK STEAK - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
3/4 cup Merlot or other dry red wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat grill or broiler.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes, turning once. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade.

Place steak on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices; keep warm.

While steak cooks, combine reserved marinade, tomato paste, and mustard in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 7 minutes). Serve the sauce with steak.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 203 (39% from fat), Fat: 8.8g (sat 3.6g,mono 3.5g,poly 0.5g) Protein: 23.8g, Carbohydrate: 6.1g, Fiber: 1.1g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Iron: 2.7mg, Sodium: 445mg, Calcium: 32mg

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD

So, I decided to make a couple loaves of pumpkin bread to take into work. With doing Weight Watchers I don't make too many sweets. Having them around usually leads to me eating them, so I just don't tempt myself like that. Anyway, I took a loaf and Matt took a loaf. Everyone loved it. When I got home, Matt had only taken 3/4 of his loaf and saved some for us. I was so happy because I was dying to try it. This is seriously my favorite pumpkin bread. It's so moist, sweet and incredibly tasty. It's the perfect fall recipe.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sugar (I only used 1.5 cups)
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding (I used fat-free vanilla yogurt)
4 large egg whites
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 152 (30% from fat), Fat: 5g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.1g), Protein: 2g, Carbohydrate: 26.5g, Fiber: 1.1g, Cholesterol: 0.0mg, Iron: 1mg, Sodium: 137mg Calcium: 10mg

Barbecued Pork Chops

BARBECUED PORK CHOPS

I'm always looking for new ways to cook up pork chops. This recipe is now my ABSOLUTE favorite. The BBQ sauce is so tangy and flavorful and the dry rub on the chops is so yummy! So, yeah, I'll be making this quite often. Maybe, one day, I can get a better picture. This one isn't very good!!

I doubled the sauce and doubled the rub. I used most of the rub, but not all of it.

BARBECUED PORK CHOPS - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

Remaining ingredients:
6 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick) (I used 4 boneless center cut chops)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare grill or broiler.

To prepare sauce, combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Place 1/4 cup sauce in a small bowl, and set aside.

Trim fat from pork. Combine the thyme, garlic salt, and pepper; sprinkle over pork. Place pork on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side, basting with remaining sauce. Serve pork chops with reserved 1/4 cup sauce.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 244 (42% from fat), Fat: 11.3g (sat 3.9g,mono 5g,poly 1.4g), Protein: 24.6g, Carbohydrate: 9.9g, Fiber: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 77mg, Iron: 1.5mg, Sodium: 649mg, Calcium: 22mg

**NUTRITIONAL INFO IS FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE MY CHANGES**

Spicy Jalapeño Corn Bread

SPICY JALAPENO CORN BREAD

This was my first attempt at corn bread and it turned out excellent. It went perfectly with the chili. Yum ... you must try this!!!

Spicy Jalapeño Corn Bread - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups stone-ground cornmeal
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeño peppers
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet coated with cooking spray in oven 5 minutes or until heated (I used a 9 inch pie plate).

3. Combine cornmeal, corn, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, cheese, jalapeños, butter, honey, oil, and eggs in a small bowl; add to cornmeal mixture. Stir just until combined. Spoon mixture into preheated pan. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut into 12 wedges.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 138 (33% from fat), Fat: 5.1g (sat 1.9g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 4.7g, Carbohydrate: 19.5g, Fiber: 2.9g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Iron: 0.8mg, Sodium: 263mg, Calcium: 68mg,

Springfield Chilli

SPRINGFIELD CHILLI / CHILI

Per Cooking Light, the Illinois version of chili is typically spelled with an extra "l," so don't think I didn't use spell check!

This was so, so good. All the flavors went perfectly together. This has to be the best chili I have ever made!! I was very impressed!

Springfield Chilli - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
1 bacon slice, finely chopped
2 1/4 cups finely chopped onion, divided (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound coarsely ground turkey breast
1/2 pound coarsely ground sirloin
1 (12-ounce) can beer (such as Budweiser)
3 tablespoons chili powder (I used an extra 1/2 T)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I doubled)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (I doubled)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I added an extra can of kidney beans)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Oyster crackers (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in 2 cups onion; cover and cook until onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Uncover and stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.

2. Increase heat to medium-high; add turkey and sirloin to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add beer; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup (about 7 minutes). Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through tomato sauce). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in beans; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 1 cup chili into each of 6 bowls. Top each serving with 4 teaspoons cheese and 2 teaspoons onion. Serve with crackers, if desired.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 278 (25% from fat), Fat: 7.7g (sat 3.4g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.6g), Protein: 33.1g, Carbohydrate: 20.3g, Fiber: 4.5g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Iron: 3.2mg, Sodium: 623mg, Calcium: 123mg

(Nutritional information is for the recipe made as printed. It does not include my changes.)

Healthy Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

HEALTHY PUMPKIN RAISIN MUFFINS

I love, love pumpkin and was so excited to see this recipe on Elly's blog. Not only are these muffins incredibly tasty, they are healthy too! I followed the recipe exactly and will definitely make these again!

Healthy Pumpkin Raisin Muffins - (Elly)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ginger

1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or vegetable/canola oil, if you're not calorie counting)

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Sift together flours, baking powder and soda, salt and spices.

In a separate bowl, beat egg with brown sugar until well combined. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, applesauce and pumpkin puree.

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts and raisins.
Pour mixture into muffin cups and bake approximately 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Nutrition Info, per muffin: Calories: 143 / Fat: 3g / Carbs: 27g / Dietary Fiber: 2.4g / Sugar: 2.2g / Protein: 3.8g

Roasted Garlic Zucchini

ROASTED GARLIC ZUCCHINI

I'm always looking for tasty ways to get in our veggies. This is a recipe I use on my broccoli, but I decided to give it a try with zucchini. It turned out excellent.

ROASTED GARLIC ZUCCHINI

INGREDIENTS:
2 large zucchini
lots of sliced garlic (I use 5-8 cloves, depending on their size)
lemon pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)
a couple swirls of olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Clean the zucchini. Chop off the ends and discard them. Chop the zucchini into thin slices. Slice the garlic. Place the sliced garlic and zucchini on a baking sheet and add the remaining ingredients. Toss to coat.

Roast in the oven for approximately 15 mins, or until cooked through.

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast

SLOW COOKER CHAR SIU PORK ROAST

I had a great WI at Weight Watchers. I hit 20.5 pounds this weekend. Everything is going so well! Therefore, I will continue to make these fabulous Cooking Light recipes to keep me on track.

This was a perfect meal to make today. I woke up with a headache and didn't feel like doing much. So, I threw this together and popped it in the slow cooker. It was so, so good.

I served the sauce on the side. I didn't add much to my serving, but you can definitely add more, or even toss the pork in the sauce at the end. I served this with rice and roasted zucchini. YUM!

SLOW COOKER CHAR SIU PORK ROAST (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (I didn't have hoisin on hand, so I used chili garlic sauce instead.)
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed (I used a pork loin roast. It was leaner.)
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:
Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (I only cooked mine for 4 hours and 45 mins on low and it was perfect!).

Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.

Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 227 (38% from fat), Fat: 9.5g (sat 3.1g,mono 3.9g,poly 1.1g), Protein: 21.6g, Carbohydrate: 12.7g, Fiber: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Iron: 1.7mg, Sodium: 561mg, Calcium:
30mg

Turkey Meatballs

TURKEY MEATBALLS

I decided to make some of Cooking Light's turkey meatballs and serve them along with a jar of Kroger brand Extra Tomato Spaghetti Sauce (the best eva). This was a super good dinner. Definitely low calorie and something we will be making again. The best part about the meatball (outside of the deliciousness) was how perfectly round they were. I've never made meatballs like that! It was odd to me that this recipe didn't call for onions, but it packed plenty of flavor. Yum!

TURKEY MEATBALLS (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds ground round (I used ground turkey)
1/4 cup finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in a bowl; stir well. Shape mixture into 30 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until done.

Yield
30 meatballs (serving size: 5 meatballs)

Nutritional Information
Calories: 228 (35% from fat), Fat: 8.8g (sat 3.4g,mono 3.5g,poly 0.5g), Protein:
27.4g, Carbohydrate: 8.2g, Fiber: 0.8g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Iron: 3.4mg, Sodium: 70mg, Calcium: 95mg

(The nutritional information is based on the original recipe without my change of ground turkey)

Chicken Stew with White Beans and Spinach

CHICKEN STEW WITH WHITE BEANS AND SPINACH

This is my most favorite, favorite stew. I have already made it so many times. I have no idea why I haven't blogged about it yet. I mean, it's one of my favorite weeknight dishes.

Anyway, credit goes to Elly for this recipe. It's one of her many recipes that have gotten rave reviews in my house. This recipe was so good that Matt was mad that I didn't double it. Be sure to check out Elly's blog for more fabulous dishes. She's got tons of them!!!

I follow this recipe exactly most of the time. However, sometimes I can't find chicken thighs in the grocery store, so I use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. Either work great. I usually cut the chicken up in chunks too.

CHICKEN STEW WITH WHITE BEANS AND SPINACH
(Elly - Elly Says Opa)

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 slices bacon, chopped
4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skinless
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. oregano
1 can cannellini or other white beans, drained
2 cups fresh spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saute pan with lid, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off the bacon fat until about 1 Tbsp. remains in the pan.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and sear it in the bacon fat, to brown, on both sides. Remove from pan.

Add the onions and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic and once the garlic becomes fragrant, stir in the tomato paste. Cook approximately one minute.

Add the wine to the pan to deglaze. Cook for about 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken back in the pan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash about 1/3 of the can of beans with a fork or the back of a wooden spoon--not into a paste, but just breaking up some of the beans (this will make the texture of the final product better). After the chicken has simmered 15 minutes, add the whole beans and the mashed beans into the pan. Cover, simmering an additional 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Add back in the bacon and the spinach. Cook just until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Nutritional Information per serving (for 2 servings; based on sparkrecipes.com): Calories: 490 / Fat: 10.9g / Saturated Fat: 3.2g / Carbs: 44.7g / Dietary Fiber: 10.1g / Protein: 44.5g

(We can usually get 3-4 servings out of this, so adjust the nutritional information accordingly)

Low-Fat Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

LOW-FAT PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

Okay, so this is my 10th week on Weight Watchers. I weighed in yesterday and I'm down 17.25 pounds so far! I'm so excited. Then, to top that, I ran my first 5K today. I've ran the distance a few times on the treadmill and was running it in 38:00. Then I practiced outside with my friend, Jenny, and we were running a 5K in about 34:00-35:00. Well, today at our first official race, I ran my 5K in 29:52 and Jenny ran hers in 29:51! WOW! I can't believe I came in under 30:00. I never saw that coming!

Now, on to the recipe! I had a major sweet tooth today and picked up some canned pumpkin at the store. I searched online and came across this recipe. It turned out really good and hit the spot. The cookies are really dense, so they are filling. They aren't super sweet, but they have great flavor and for a low-fat sweet treat, these are perfect. Best part is, the cookies are only 1 WW point each! Can't beat that!

LOW-FAT PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES (Michelle Jones)

INGREDIENTS:
1 c. pumpkin
2 egg whites, whipped
1 c. brown sugar, packed (I used half brown and half granulated)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
3 c. rolled oats
1 c. raisins (I omitted)

DIRECTIONS:
Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine pumpkin and egg whites. In a separate bowl combine sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, oats, and raisins (batter will be very dry at first). Mix ingredients together just until moistened.

Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet, 2" apart. You can leave the cookies in the shape of a ball (the baked cookie will still be a ball) or flatten them out with the bottom of a glass before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Makes 30 cookies

Nutritional Information Per Cookie: Calories 81.8 / Fat 0.6 / Fiber 1.5

Italian-Style Meatloaf

ITALIAN-STYLE MEATLOAF

First off, it's really, really hard to take a nice picture of meatloaf. So, sorry for the picture! Now, lets talk about this recipe. Another fabulous Cooking Light recipe. YUM! I don't like meatloaf. Well, I *thought* I didn't like meatloaf! This recipe totally changed my mind. This was packed with flavor and was so easy to put together. This will make great sandwiches too!

ITALIAN-STYLE MEAT LOAF - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds 92% lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce, divided

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded fresh Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 large egg whites

Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine beef, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl. Shape beef mixture into an 8 x 4-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray (I put mine in a loaf pan). Brush remaining 1/2 cup pasta sauce over top of meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut loaf into 12 slices.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 2 slices)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 263(42% from fat); FAT 12.1g (sat 5.7g,mono 4.7g,poly 0.6g); IRON 3.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 67mg; CALCIUM 175mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.9g; SODIUM 859mg; PROTEIN 27.8g; FIBER 1.4g

**This nutritional information is for the original recipe. It does not reflect my substitution of ground turkey.**

Chicken Shawarma

CHICKEN SHAWARMA

This is BY FAR the BEST Cooking Light recipe I have made and it's finally making its way to my blog. I've made this 3 different times. It's so good that we eat it so fast and I forget to take pictures!! The flavor is so, so good. If you love garlic, you'll love this. This is a must make. You won't be sorry ... and it's WW friendly!

CHICKEN SHAWARMA - (Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 garlic cloves, minced (I used a couple extra)

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 16 (3-inch) strips

Sauce:

1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt (such as Fage)

2 tablespoons tahini

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced (I used a couple extra)

Remaining ingredients:

Cooking spray

4 (6-inch) pitas

1 cup chopped romaine lettuce

8 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

Sliced onions (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. To prepare chicken, combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.

3. To prepare sauce, combine yogurt and next 4 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove), stirring with a whisk.

4. Thread 2 chicken strips onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done. (I broiled my chicken for about 15 mins)

5. Place pitas on grill rack; grill 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted (I put the pitas in the toaster oven for a few mins). Place 1 pita on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1/4 cup lettuce and 2 tomato slices. Top each serving with 4 chicken pieces; drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons sauce.

Yield
4 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 384(23% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 2.1g,mono 4.1g,poly 2.7g); IRON 4.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 64mg; CALCIUM 106mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40g; SODIUM 821mg; PROTEIN 34.4g; FIBER 2.5g

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

Cooking Light

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

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

Spicy Peanut Chicken

SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN

I've really been concentrating on eating better and exercising! In an effort to keep up with our new healthy lifestyle, I am trying to change over to more healthy dishes.

I found this recipe in my latest issue of Cooking Light. When I read the recipe, it stood out. It's rare that you find recipes that you have all of the ingredients already in your pantry.

This dish was so, so good! It was packed with flavor and the chicken was so tender. The recipe makes a good amount and we'll have leftovers for a day or two! Gotta love that!

SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN
(Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon peanut oil (we used Canola oil)
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (we used a heaping tsp)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
3 cups chopped plum tomato (about 6 tomatoes) (we used canned diced tomatoes)
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
8 cups hot cooked brown rice
3/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage) (we omitted)

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring frequently. Stir in peanut butter and next 5 ingredients (through tomato paste); cook 1 minute. Add tomato and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve chicken mixture over rice; top each serving with yogurt.

Yield 12 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup chicken mixture, 2/3 cup brown rice, and 1 tablespoon yogurt)

Nutritional Information:
CALORIES 340(20% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 1.6g,mono 3.1g,poly 2.2g); IRON 2.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 59mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38g; SODIUM 523mg; PROTEIN 30g; FIBER 4.6g

Spicy Garlic Roasted Broccoli

SPICY GARLIC ROASTED BROCCOLI

This is ladychicago's famous broccoli recipe. It is, honestly, the only way to eat your broccoli. The flavor is amazing. Be prepared to fight for the garlic slices leftover in the pan! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
2 large broccoli florets
olive oil
4-5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or more, or less)
crushed red pepper, to taste (optional, but recommended)
salt, to taste
lemon pepper (or black pepper), to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Clean the broccoli by rinsing with cold water. Next, trim the base of the stem. Cut the broccoli into large chunks and place on a baking sheet.

Coat the broccoli with olive oil. Add the garlic slices, crushed red pepper, salt and lemon pepper. Toss to coat.

Bake for 15-20 mins, or until the garlic begins to lightly brown.