Chicken Paprika

YouTube: https://youtu.be/e8ZyJpqvUMA

Serves 6

Estimated Values per serving:

Calories = 480                                              Fat = 4 grams

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

1 T. olive oil

6 skinless/boneless chicken breasts

¼ cup flour

4 cups onions – thinly sliced

4 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups fat free chicken broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup chopped tomato

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup fat free half and half

1 Tablespoon corn starch

1 package of yolk free noodles

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and lightly coat with flour.
2. Heat a sauté pan on medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Sear chicken pieces until brown on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a tray.
3. Add onions to the pan and sauté, covered, for 15 minutes on medium heat until golden brown, stirring often.
4. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
5. Add the vinegar and wine and scrape any pieces from bottom of skillet. Add chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the tomato paste, tomato, and paprika. Stir until well blended. Add the thyme and bay leaf.
7. Add the reserved chicken pieces and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
8. Whisk half and half and corn starch in a small bowl and then add to pan.  Continue to simmer another 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
9. While simmering, cook egg noodles according to package directions.  Drain, rinse and transfer to a serving platter
10. Transfer chicken to the serving platter.
11. Pour sauce over chicken.

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Bouillabaisse

This is a great healthy recipe that is so easy to prepare.  I was rushing around last week and needed an idea for dinner.  I had frozen shrimp, scallops and sea bass and remembered my bouillabaisse recipe that never fails.  All I had to do was stop for the clams and I had a complete meal.  Because of my limited time, I cooked the sauce in advance then just heated it up 15 minutes before dinner and added the fish.  You can easily substitute any fish of your liking as well.

Sorry for not having a picture, I was really busy.

Enjoy…

 

Serves 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Estimated Values per Serving:

Calories: 300                        Fat: 2.5 grams

Sauce ingredients:

Olive oil cooking Spray

1 leek, chopped

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 bottle of clam juice (8 ounces)

½ cup white wine

2 cups fat free chicken broth

1 cup diced tomatoes (can be canned)

½ teaspoon saffron

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.    Heat deep sauté pan on medium low heat and spray with cooking spray.  Sauté onions and leeks until soft.  Add garlic and flour and sauté for an additional minute.

2.    Add clam juice and raise heat to medium.  Let come to a boil and add wine, chicken stock and tomatoes.  Cook until it comes back up to a boil.

3.    Lower heat to a simmer and add saffron, parsley, thyme and pepper.

4.    Simmer for 1 hour (covered).

Fish:

1 pound fillet fish (i.e. tilapia, cod, sole)

1 pound scallops

1 pound shrimp – deveined, shelled and tails off

1 dozen clams

Directions:

1.    Add fish fillet cook for 5 – 7 minutes, add shrimp, scallops and clams and cook until clams have opened, the shrimp have turned pink and scallops are firm, about 5 minutes.

Serve with rice.

 

Chicken Sauté in Sweet Wine Sauce

Chicken Sauté in Sweet Wine Sauce

Serves 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Estimated values per serving:

Calories = 150                      Fat = 3 grams                        Points: 3

Chicken Sauté in Sweet Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion – chopped

2 cloves garlic – sliced

½ cup white wine

2 tablespoons cream sherry

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Combine thyme, salt and pepper and rub on both sides of each chicken breast. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and coat with cooking spray.
2. Add chicken breast and cook for 5 – 7 minutes on each side until cooked through.  Remove chicken from skillet, cover and set aside.
3. Add olive oil to skillet then onion and sauté for 5 minutes until browned and tender.  Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.  Add wine and sherry, scraping any pieces from skillet.  Cook liquid down until almost completely absorbed.
4. Add chicken broth and simmer for 5 – 7 minutes until reduced to half.  Add chicken breasts back to skillet with sauce and coat with sauce on both sides, simmering for 2 minutes.
5. Remove chicken breasts and place onto serving platter.  Pour sauce on top and serve.

Shrimp in Wine Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta

Shrimp in Wine Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta

Shrimp in Wine Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta

Serves 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Estimated values per serving:

Calories = 320                      Fat = 5 grams                        Points: 6

Ingredients:

8 ounces high fiber angel hair pasta

1 ½ pound shrimp – peeled and deveined with tails removed

1 clove garlic – minced

1 tablespoon reduced calorie butter spread

1 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms

½ cup white wine

1 cup marinara sauce

4 8-ounce bottles of clam juice

1 cup Cannellini Beans

6 ounces baby spinach

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of water and add pasta.  Cook for about 3 – 5 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water.  Keep pasta in a little cool water until ready to add to the sauce.
2. Heat large skillet on medium high heat, spray with cooking spray and add shrimp and garlic.  Sauté for 3 – 5 minutes until shrimp turns pink.  Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.
3. Add butter spread and mushrooms and sauté for 5 – 7 minutes until browned.  Add white wine and reduce by half.
4. Add sauce and clam juice and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add beans, spinach and cheese and cook for 1 minute until spinach is wilted.
5. Add back shrimp and toss in pasta that has been drained of water.  Toss to warm shrimp and pasta and then spoon onto serving platter.

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe with Polenta

Broccoli rabe is a very nutritious vegetable but tends to be a little bitter.  If your family doesn’t like the taste of broccoli rabe, you can substitute it with escarole or spinach instead.

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe with Polenta

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe with Polenta

Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Estimated Values per Serving:

Calories: 390                               Fat: 9 grams                            Points: 6

Ingredients:

1 cup instant polenta

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 onion – chopped

2 cloves garlic – minced

½ cup white wine

12 ounce package sun dried tomato chicken sausage

1 bunch broccoli rabe – stems removed and chopped*

1 – 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook polenta as the labels directs.  Remove from heat, stir in parmesan cheese and cover to keep warm.
2. Remove casing from chicken sausage and chop, set aside until ready to sauté.
3. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, covered, until soft and browned.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add wine and cook until liquid is absorbed.
4. Add sausage and sauté for about 5 minutes until browned.
5. Add broccoli rabe, cover and sauté for about 6 minutes until tender.  Add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 7 – 10 minutes.
7. Spoon polenta onto a serving platter and then spoon sausage and broccoli rabe on top and serve.

*NOTE: Escarole or spinach can be substituted for broccoli rabe.  If cooking with spinach, add it at the very end of the dish after simmering to prevent overcooking.

Fun with Figs Part 2

This recipe is very similar but a richer sauce that goes well with pork but would overpower chicken. 

PS: Sorry for the lack of pictures, I can’t seem to get the camera to work this evening.

Pork loin Medallions with Fig Sauce

Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Estimated Values per Serving:

Calories: 340                        Fat:7 grams                           Points: 7

Ingredients:

4 6-ounce boneless pork loin steaks

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar

¼ cup fat free half and half

¼ cup honey

½ cup figs – stems removed and thinly sliced (about 3 figs)

2 tablespoons reduced calorie butter spread

Directions:

1. Pound pork until ½ in thick and season with salt and pepper.  Heat a sauté pan on medium high heat, spray with cooking spray and add chicken breasts.  Sauté for 7 – 10 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.  Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.
2. In a saucepot, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil over high heat. Boil until the vinegar has reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Once reduced, whisk in the half and half, honey, and sliced figs and cook for another 1 -2 minutes.   Remove from heat and stir in butter spread.
4. Arrange pork on a warm serving platter and drizzle with the fig sauce.

A friend for dinner

My son had a friend over for dinner tonight.  Since I wasn’t sure what he likes to eat (he’s 5 ½), I decided to take the safe route and cook chicken cutlets with pasta and sauce.  This isn’t really what I would call a gourmet recipe but the boys ate them with pleasure and Nick’s friend even asked for a second serving.  When I met up with his parents, they seemed delighted that their son ate an entire chicken cutlet for dinner.  Because of the reaction I received from the parents, I thought it would be a good idea to post this recipe for tonight.

Chicken Cutlets with Pasta and Sauce

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

½ onion – chopped

1clove garlic – minced

1 can crushed tomatoes

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

1. Heat sauce pan and spray generously with cooking spray.  Add onions and cook on medium low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. 
2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Increase the heat to medium high and add tomatoes, salt, pepper and onion powder. 
3. Simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes. 

 

Chicken cutlet Ingredients:

4 split skinless/boneless chicken breasts

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup egg substitute

½ – ¾ cup Panko bread crumbs

½ pound (8 ounces) penne pasta (or any shape pasta you like)

Directions:

1. While sauce is simmering, prepare chicken cutlets.  If they are thicker pieces of chicken breasts, pound them with a rolling pin until about ¼ inches thick (the thinner they are, the quicker they cook).
2. In a bowl, combine flour, basil, oregano, garlic powder and salt and mix until blended.  In a separate bowl, measure and pour the egg substitute and place the bread crumbs in a third bowl.
3. Press one chicken breast at a time into the flour mixture, then dip in egg substitute and finally press into bread crumbs on both sides.  Continue for each chicken breast until all are coated. 
4. Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add chicken cutlets and cook for 5 – 7 minutes on each side.
5. While chicken cutlets are cooking, boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to the package directions. 
6. Drain pasta and add to tomato sauce.
7. Place chicken cutlets on a serving platter and serve pasta in sauce in a separate serving bowl.

NOTE: You can prepare the chicken cutlets in advance, cover them and refrigerate them when about 15 minutes before you plan on serving.  The sauce can also be prepared in advance and simmering on low, covered, for several hours.

Estimated values per serving:

Calories = 510          Fat = 3 grams

Turkey/Beef Burger Twist…

Tonight Dean made dinner.  He grilled hamburgers and sautéed string beans.  To keep the hamburgers light and delicious, I combine half of the burger meat with 93% lean ground beef and turkey breast meat.  I emphasize the breast in the turkey meat because it only has 1 gram of fat per serving, unlike just ground turkey meat which has about 10 grams of fat per serving.  Combining the two types of meat gives you a tasty yet lighter burger.

To make the burgers a little more interesting, I cooked onions and ketchup sauce as a topping to the burgers.  It’s a little tastier than just ketchup and doesn’t add any fat to the dish.  Try it out…

Onion and Ketchup Sauce

Prep and cook time: 45 minutes

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion – thinly sliced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup ketchup

3 – 4 drops Chipotle sauce

Directions:

1. Heat a saucepot on medium low heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add onions, cover, and cook slowly for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (TIP: if the onions stick to the bottom, add a little water and stir).
2. Add sugar and Worcestershire sauce and cook, uncovered, for about 2 minutes until liquid reduces to ½.
3. Add ketchup and Chipotle sauce, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and serve room temperature with burgers or meat.