Last Few Weeks 2

Well I wasn't kidding when I said soon.. Here I am again. I need to get you all caught up and so while I am on here I might as well keep going. Right?? Right! 


So lets go back to Italy!


Chicken Cacciatore


1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs (with juice) (Or if you like a little spice do 1 can of Rotel with a small can of tomato sauce)
1/2 cup dry white or red wine or nonalcoholic white or red wine
2 cups halved or quartered mushrooms
Salt and ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups hot cooked whole-wheat pasta or Roasted Spaghetti Squash (I do the last one for lower carbs and its just really good)
Minced fresh parsley

Coat a large no-stick skillet with no-stick spray. Warm the skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken with the Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Add to the skillet and cook over medium heat, turning once, for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add the onions, to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 mins til the onions start to wilt then add the green peppers, and garlic and saute 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the tomatoes (with juice), wine and mushrooms. Return the chicken to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. 

If the sauce is too thin, transfer the chicken to a warm dish and set aside. Cook the sauce, uncovered, at a brisk simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thick. Season to taste with the salt and black pepper. Serve the chicken and sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle with the parsley. Serves 3-4

 

Just the breasts

Just the Sauce

Ok Back to Mexico for:

Turkey and Black Bean Chimichangas

and you wont believe they AREN'T FRIED!! Yep you read that right and yet they are sooo good!


6 - 10 inch low carb, low fat, whole wheat tortillas
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 - 15 oz can of black beans (no salt added), rinsed and drained (or 1 3/4 c cooked black beans)
1 - 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (no salt added), drained
1/4 cup bottled salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese 
(3/4 cup cheese for inside, 3/4 cup cheese for outside of chimichangas; divided as 2 Tbsp inside and 2 Tbsp on outside of each Chimichanga )


For the Table: Sour Cream, Salsa, Chopped Cilantro


Heat oven to 425


Cover sheet pan in foil and spray with cooking spray


Wrap Tortillas in foil and place in oven for 5 mins to get warm for folding


Meanwhile saute onions over medium heat until just wilting add Turkey, Season with a little Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder. Cook tile turkey if fully cooked and no longer pink. Add black beans and then mash some of them slightly in the pan with a fork or potato masher. Add the tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, lime juice, and cumin. Simmer together til heated through.

Your filling is complete!

Place 1/2 cup of filling in the bottom 1/3 of  the tortilla (just below center). Top with 2 Tbsp of Shredded Cheese. Roll up the bottom edge until just covered and then fold in the sides of the tortilla and continue rolling up to the top. VIOLA!  Burrito!! LOL


Place seam side down on foil and sprayed sheet pan.

Once all are on the sheet pan spray each chimichanga with cooking spray, covering the top and sides.


Place sheet pan in oven and bake for approx 10-12 mins or until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with left over cheese and place back in oven to just get cheese melted.

(This one is with out the cheese on top so you can see it gets nice and crispy brown)

Makes 6 Chimichangas


How about a great Chocolate Dessert??? This is a favorite of mine cuz its easy and well... CHOCOLATE for when I just got to have it!


Chocolate Coconut Mousse


1/4 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
2 cups Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp Unsweeted Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Granulated Sugar Substitute (we use Splenda)
1 tsp Almond extract
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Coconut extract
1/2 cup Ready Whip (we don't use cool whip in our house)
1/4 c slivered almonds (optional)


Heat oven to 350. Place coconut on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and toast for 3-5 mins. checking after 3 mins to be sure it gets to a nice golden brown (once it goes it can cook fast so don't walk away to answer the phone because you will forget it). Take out and let cool. If you are using nuts also toast the nuts but they will take longer about 5-8 mins. You want to stir both the coconut and the nuts after they have been in about 3 mins and then every time you check them to be sure they don't burn.  Also be sure the nuts get cool, if using.


In a large bowl beat the ricotta with an electric mixer until light and airy about 4-5 mins. Add cocoa powder, sugar substitute, all three extracts and beat until well blended. Scraping down sides.


Fold in 1/4 cup Ready Whip. Once in, fold in remaining 1/4 cup Ready Whip, toasted Coconut and nuts (reserve some to sprinkle on top). 


Spoon mousse in to dessert cups and chill for at least 2 hrs. If you are chilling for more than 24 hrs cover with plastic wrap. Garnish with reserved nuts and/or coconut just before service.

Ladies Lunch

My mom wanted to have the ladies from her work over to see the upgrades she had done to the house, so she asked me if I would handle the catering portion. Since we had started this new way of eating, I didn't want to derail any of that so I came up with a menu that would be good for us as well as other people coming in. Plus it turned out that one of the ladies my mom works with is a vegitarian so the menu was perfect for her with no alterations.

Ladies Lunch Autumn Menu

Very Veggie Chili

Jicama Cilantro Lime Slaw

Tropical Iced Tea and Pink Lemonade

Chocolate Pecan Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

I had made this chili before and I knew it was good and both my parents didn't realize there was no meat in it at all, not even broth or stock, and didn't miss it.  I remember them coming home from work and saying how good it was and when I asked about the lack of meat they were both just shocked. Especially my dad, I think, who is very meat and potatoes.

Here is the recipe for this AWESOME and SUPER EASY as well as HEALTHY and FLAVORFUL Chili

Very Veggie Chili

Makes 4 - 2 cup servings

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Bell Peppers, chopped (any color you like)

12 oz of White Mushrooms, chopped (thats a little more than 1 pkg check the weight listed on the pkg)

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Ground Cumin (we use more)

1/4 tsp salt

2 - 15oz cans of beans (I use a mix Pinto, Black, Kidney and don't drain and rinse them!!!)

1 - 15 oz can of no-salt added diced tomatoes (undrained)

In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add Celery and cook until white portion just starts to turn translucent, add onions and cook again until it just starts to turn translucent, add bell peppers and cook about 4 mins until peppers are just getting soft, add garlic and mushrooms and cook 4 mins until all the veggies are soft. In between every layer of veggies sprinkle some salt on the veggies as you go to season each layer. Once the veggies are all softened but NOT BROWN Chili Powder, Oregano, and Cumin. Cook everythign together in the spices about 5 mins don't let anything brown.

Add everything from the cans of Beans and Tomatoes. Bring it to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until chili thickens some and is fragrant about 25-30 mins.

As you can see by these pics I did this in a crock pot for this occasion but usually I do it on the stove top. For the crock pot I doubled the recipe. I also still sautéed the veggies BUT I did them one at a time and once each one was fully softened I would dump the whole pan of the one veggie in the pot and move on to the next one. Then I added the spices, tomatoes, and beans right to the crock pot and set it to cook overnight for lunch the next day. This recipe freezes well BTW so if you wanna make a big pot and then freeze leftovers do so it will reheat like a charm. Also feel free to add more spices cuz we do but some people like a milder chili. Also I use Rotel in place of canned diced tomatoes again for more spice.

We dress it up with a little Green Onion, Chopped Cilantro, Fat Free Sour Cream, and Cheese. About a Tablespoon of each. Its about the Chili not the toppings LOL

The Jicama Slaw is so super easy. If you have never had Jicama its really good. 

It a root with a yellowish tan/brown exterior, while its inside is creamy ivory with a crisp texture that resembles raw potato or pear. The flavor is sweet and starchy, reminiscent of some green apples and it is usually eaten raw, sometimes with salt, lemon, or lime juice and chili powder. It is also cooked in soups and stir-fried dishes. If you don't have Jicama you can usually replace it with a granny smith or other green apple. The easiest way to peel it is by using a knife to thinly slice off the the exterior exposing the ivory interior. I would start by cutting it in half to give you a safe flat surface to work with so it doesn't roll around on you. 

For this slaw 

I cut 1 Jicama into the matchsticks (like you see in the picture above)

Add 2 bags of Broccoli Slaw

cut 1/2 Red Onion (or Sweet White Onion if you prefer) in thin slices (cut through the root and then in wedges through the root end thats left and then thin slices)

Cut 1/2 red Bell Pepper in thin strips

Mix all that together

The dressing is a grandma/dump method. Do it to your taste

In the blender put approx 1/2 cup Lime Juice, Salt, Garlic Powder, 1 tsp of Dijon Mustard, a small hand full of rough chopped Fresh Parsley, a small handful of rough chopped Fresh Cilantro, some cracked Black Pepper and 2 Tbsp of Sugar Substitute. Turn the Blender on and slowly add 1/2 cup of Olive Oil. It should be smooth and like a vinaigrette. If its too sweet add more Lime Juice, too sour add more Sugar Substitute, not enough flavor try adding more spices and or herbs, if you taste more oil than anything definitely add more lime juice and then re-season, if its not liquid enough add 1/2 as much oil as you think you need liquids then enough lime juice and re-season. ( I am sure this all very no-brainer to most of you but some people have never made a vinaigrette and just don't know what to do to fix it to their taste.) The more you make this the more you will know how much everything works for you and your family.

Once the Vinaigrette is where you want it add it to the Veggies and toss and refrigerated. This slaw, like mosts, gets better the longer it sits and the great thing is that Jicama or anything else in here wont wilt. I have had this slaw in my fridge for 4-5 days (a single girl can only eat so much LOL) and the only thing that happens is that the purple color from the cabbage and red onions will leach off but it doesn't effect the flavor and when tossed mixes into the dressing. 

This is the final bowl I served:

Last but not least I made Chocolate Pecan Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Brownies without the frosting

Brownies with the frosting

The Brownies were ok... but I wanna play with the recipe a bit before I share it. I think I can make it better and will share then. The taste was ok but they seemed a bit dense so I wanna see if some techinque things can help lighten it up so they are softer and more brownie-like in texture

Finally this was the set up:

 

It was a great lunch over all.

Baked Ricotta Custard for Gypsy

Heat oven to 250 and set a tea kettle to boil water.

In  large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed beat:

3/4 cup part-skim Ricotta Cheese

4 oz non-fat tub style cream cheese - room temp

Beat these together til creamy. Then add:

1/4 cup Granular Sugar Substitute (Splenda or the like)

Beat until well combined. Then add:

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half

1/4 tsp Vanilla

Beat until well blended. Be sure to scrape sides well.

Place a neatly folded tea towel inside an 8X8 dish so it covers the bottom. Place 4 8-oz ramekins on top of the tea towel in the dish. Pour mixture into ramekins evenly.

Pull out oven rack as to balance the dish of ramekins. Pour the boiling water into the baking dish around the ramekins to a depth of 1 inch from the top. Bake until custard set approx 45 mins. They should not jiggle at all. Let cool in bath until they can be handled and then remove to cool on rack at room temp. Serve cilled or at room temp, sprinkled with cinnamon.