Recipe: Tuscan Baked Chicken and Beans

I know it's not very original that I copy recipes from Cooking Light to my blog. But I can't  help it. I love that magazine, and I love every recipe I've cooked from it! I can't help but share, so here's tonight's yummy meal. This is definitely going into our rotation, it was delicious and simple, and healthy!

Tuscan Baked Chicken and Beans

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half or 1 leg and 1 thigh and about 1 1/4 cups bean mixture)

Ingredients

• 1  (3 1/2-pound) roasting chicken
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3  slices center-cut bacon
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 1/8  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 2  cups  packed torn spinach
• 1/2  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 2  (16-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Cut chicken into 2 breast halves, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook bacon in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; chop and set aside, reserving drippings in pan. Add chicken pieces to reserved drippings in pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; set aside.
3. Add onion and 1/8 teaspoon salt to pan; reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in bacon, spinach, rosemary, beans, and tomatoes; remove from heat. Arrange chicken pieces on top; bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes. Discard skin before serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 307

Fat: 4.9g (sat 1.2g,mono 1.5g,poly 1.4g)

Protein: 36g

Carbohydrate: 30g

Fiber: 9.5g

Cholesterol: 91mg

Iron: 5mg

Sodium: 759mg

Calcium: 238mg

 

My  note: I basically cut this in half, but used one 10 oz. can diced tomatoes w/green chili because that's somehow all I had in the pantry. It added a nice subtle heat. I also kept the 2 cups of spinach, since it shrinks down to nothing when you cook it.

 

Cooking Light, October 2010

Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken
Making Chinese food at home is not easy, and eating it out is usually not very healthy. This was a very simple and delicious recipe. I served the peanuts on the side at the table, because I am not a peanut fan.

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  dark sesame oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4  cup  water
• 3  tablespoons  lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2  teaspoons  cornstarch
• 1  teaspoon  brown sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon  bottled minced ginger
• 1  to 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1  cup  thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
• 1  cup  snow peas, trimmed
• 2  tablespoons  chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; sauté 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.
2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Sprinkle with nuts.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 275

Fat: 13.8g (sat 2.6g,mono 5.3g,poly 4.8g)

Protein: 25.3g

Carbohydrate: 11.9g

Fiber: 2.2g

Cholesterol: 94mg

Iron: 2mg

Sodium: 502mg

Calcium: 41mg

Cooking Light, December 2010

Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers

In pursuit of my goal to be healthier, I have decided to try out one new healthy recipe each week. When I find something I really like, I'll share it on the blog.

This recipe is great. It was super easy, quick, and tasted wonderful. Don't let the anchovies scare you away! The dish doesn't come out fishy at all, just full of flavor. Plus, anchovies are a great source of omega 3s!

Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers
Anchovies melt into the pepper mixture, adding a savory, salty quality. If you don't like anchovies, omit them and add 3 tablespoons minced olives. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and about 1/2 cup bell pepper mixture)

Ingredients

• 1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick medallions
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 4  canned anchovy fillets, drained and mashed
• 3  garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1  red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips
• 1  yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch strips
• 2  teaspoons  balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork to pan; cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; turn pork over. Add 1 teaspoon rosemary, anchovies, garlic, and bell peppers; cook 7 minutes or until peppers are tender and pork is done. Drizzle with vinegar. Top with remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 215

Fat: 10.1g (sat 2.7g,mono 5.4g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 25.2g

Carbohydrate: 5g

Fiber: 1.4g

Cholesterol: 78mg

Iron: 2mg

Sodium: 441mg

Calcium: 26mg

Recipe from Cooking Light, January 2011

Recipe: Italian Beef

This recipe is so good that I've made it twice in the past three weeks! The funny thing is, I've had this recipe for a long time, but never made it myself. My aunt Bonnie makes it, and so I already knew it was wonderful. My husband is from the Chicago area, and a huge Italian beef fan, and yet in the 7 years we've lived together I had never made it for him. No reason, I just hadn't thought to. It wasn't until shortly before Thanksgiving, when I was thumbing through my recipe binders looking for things to make while Marty's parents were visiting, that I stumbled across it. Since they were driving halfway across the country, we weren't sure when they were arriving, so it would be the perfect thing to cook for their first night, ready to eat whenever we wanted. As a former vegetarian, I'm not generally a huge beef fan, but this was amazing. You must make it!

I forgot to take any pictures as I was making it, but I stole borrowed this one online. It looked exactly like this, I swear. Not that Italian beef is pretty anyway, it just is what it is.

Bonnie's Italian Beef

3-5 lbs. rump roast

1 can beef broth

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

salt

1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper

 1 Tbsp. Oregano

3-4 bay leaves

1 clove garlic, crushed

5 pepperoncinis

Place meat in slow cooker, salt the outside. In bowl, mix remaining ingredients, pour over meat. Cook on low 6-8 hours. {I was short on time the 2nd time I made it, and did high for 4 hours, low for 1.5 and it was still great}. Remove meat from slow cooker and place on cutting board to rest 15 minutes. Slice as thinly as possible, cutting across the grain. An electric knife works great for this. Place slices back in the juice in the slow cooker for 15 minutes to heat through. Serve on toasted rolls. Optional topping for Chicago folk (as pictured above): giardiniera.

Note: Bonnie's recipe adds 1/2 quart of water when roasting it in the oven, 3-4 hours at 325.

I made it again last weekend, at Marty's request. I have a feeling it's going to become a regular part of the rotation around here! Full disclosure: Oliver wouldn't touch it. But that's not saying much, since he rarely eats anything other than cheese and grapes these days.

It's Chili Time!

Time for a recipe! You gotta love chili in the Fall, and I made up a new recipe tonight that I wanted to share. I was inspired by some I found online, along with my mom's that I grew up with. This also means it has macaroni in it. I know some people don't call that chili, but we do! Is that a Midwestern thing or a Southern thing? I never know because of our mixed heritage (Midwestern grandparents whose families came from the South). I tried to keep it healthy, and the verdict from my boys was two big thumbs up!!

Note: The reason for the V8 is that Marty had never had it, and wanted to try it to drink to get some more veggies in his diet. So we decided to buy some and I'd put it in the chili in place of tomato juice, saving him a glass to drink. You could easily substitute regular tomato juice. I was skeptical about using V8 at first, because I'm not a fan, but I couldn't tell a difference once it was cooked, and I felt better about having some extra veggies hidden in there. Next time I might add some corn, zucchini, and carrots, as I saw in one recipe online, to make it even healthier.

Chili

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1.5 pounds lean ground turkey

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 46 oz. bottle V8 Juice

1 15 oz. can beef broth 

1 packet Williams Chili Seasoning

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 cup elbow macaroni

Directions

In large soup pot, heat canola oil and add diced onions. Cook over medium heat until caramelized. Add bell peppers and cook a few minutes longer until softened. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, adding garlic at the end to avoid it burning. Add beans, tomatoes, juice, broth, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Cook 1.5 hours or more on low simmer. 10 minutes before serving, turn heat back up to small boil and add macaroni, stirring often to prevent sticking. Cook until macaroni is al dente.

Make it a little less healthy by sprinkling cheese on top and give it a side of yummy corn bread!

If you are not a macaroni fan, you might want to lessen the V8 and/or the beef broth to keep it thick. Then you could also finish it in the crock pot, which I don't think would work when you need to add the macaroni at the end.
If you can't find William's Chili Seasoning, then I'm sorry, because it rocks (so does their Chicken Chili seasoning). You're on your own for a substitute!

Banana Cupcakes

Isn't it a requirement that when you visit your grandmother, you bake banana cupcakes? It was when I was growing up, with both my grandmothers. So when Nee-Nee decided to give Oliver his first baking experience, it brought back lots of great memories for me. Even down to the crunchy banana cupcakes. What, you mean eggshell isn't supposed to be an ingredient?

Mixing the batter

I think he thought I was going to scold him for something!

Pouring the batter

Tasting the batter (of course!)

Watching them bake

Giving one a try

Celebrating their success by helping Nee-Nee eat hers! Isn't he so proud of himself?!

Want the recipe? Old family secrets about to be shared here! Actually, I think it's the same as most banana cupcake recipes out there, it just feels special to me because I grew up eating and making them. We use the same recipe whether for cupcakes, cake, or bread. Best when topped by my Grandma Ruth's Fluffy White Frosting, you know, the kind that tastes like marshmallow cream. Or by my Grandma Evelyn's Caramel Icing, which Grandma Ruth also made. Maybe they exchanged recipes? Who knows. Anyway, don't make me choose between them! When I was younger, I always had to have this cake for my birthday.

Banana Cake/Cupcakes/Bread

1-1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter

2 eggs

1/4 c. sour milk (to make your own: mix milk w/1 capful of lemon juice and let stand a few minutes)

3 very ripe mashed bananas

2-1/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Mash bananas. Add sour milk to the bananas, set aside. 

Combine all dry ingredients, set aside.

Cream sugar and butter. Add beaten eggs.

Add alternately flour and banana mixtures (always begin and end with dry mixture). Add vanilla.

Bake until golden brown on top and toothpick comes out clean. 

For cupcakes: about 30 minutes. For 9 x 13 cake: 35-40.

Note: my brother told me he recently made them using lime yogurt instead of the sour milk. I didn't have any lime yogurt around, so I tried it with lemon. I have to say, it was delish. Not that I'm going to say it was better than grandma's, that would be blasphemy!

Grandma Ruth's Fluffy White Frosting (aka 7 Minute Frosting)

2 egg whites

1-1/2 c. sugar

5 Tbsp. cold water

1-1/2 tsp. light corn syrup (Karo)

1 tsp. vanilla

Put egg whites unbeaten, sugar, water, and corn syrup in upper part of double boiler. Place over rapidly boiling water, beat constantly with egg beater, and cook 7 minutes or until frosting will stand in peaks. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and beat until thick enough to spread.

Grandma Evelyn's Caramel Icing

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. milk

2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter with brown sugar, add milk. Cool to warm. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency.

Strawberry Cake

I wasn't planning on making a pink cake for my son's 2nd birthday, but when thinking about all the flavors he likes, strawberry was on the top of the list. I swear, he exists on berries and cheese these days! Nevermind that he didn't take a bite, it was delicious for the rest of us, so I thought I'd share the recipe. I did a homemade cream cheese frosting, figuring pink frosting was a bit much for a little boy. It was a great combination, but I do think the Strawberry Buttercream that is included with the cake recipe would be even better. The recipe is one I'd saved from an old issue of Southern Living.

Triple-Decker Strawberry Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry jello

4 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Garnish: whole strawberries

Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Scrape down sides, and beat at medium speed 2 more minutes, stopping to scrape down sides if needed. Do not over beat, but ensure strawberries are well blended in the batter.
Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Frost with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting (below).

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

2 (16 oz) packages powdered sugar, sifted

1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Beat butter at medium speed with mixer 20 seconds or until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and chopped strawberries, beating at a low speed until creamy. (Add more sugar of frstong is too thin, or add strawberries if too thick).

Here's a photo I found online that looks like the frosting shown in the recipe. I wish mine were this pretty!

Note: I only had 2 cake pans, so I did a two layer cake. It took about 35 minutes for those to bake, since there was more batter in each pan. As a result, the outside got a little more brown that I would have liked in order to get the inside cooked. Next time, I think I'd try and do 3 layers.

Ham & Bean Soup

I'm posting on the road from my new Netbook! So exciting, but I'll post more about that and our sudden trip to the midwest another time. Tonight, I want to share our yummy dinner! We had gotten a spiral ham for sandwiches last week, so we decided to make Ham and Bean Soup for dinner tonight, one of my long time favorites. Both my grandmothers made great ham and beans, so it's very appropriate that we had it here in Indiana. It's so easy, I don't know why I haven't made it more often. Oh yeah, we never buy a ham. Anyway, here's the recipe. It's basic, or should I say classic, but oh so delicious!

Ham and Bean Soup

1 pkg. 15 bean mix
2 qts. water
1 hambone + 1 cup chopped ham (or whatever you have leftover)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt (I skipped this because the ham was salty enough)
1- 16 oz. can tomatoes, undrained, chopped
1- 10 oz. can tomatoes w/chili peppers (like Rotel)

Wash and soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse beans. Add all ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender.

Enjoy!

White Chili

One of our winter favorites, it's quick and easy, super yummy, and healthy! The recipe is from my step-mom, and it's derived from Lewis & Clark's White Chili, which is apparently famous (the restaurant, not the explorers).

White Chili
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cooked (or use equivalent of canned chunk white chicken)
2 cans Great Northern Beans (or cannellini beans), rinsed
1 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 packets Williams Chicken Chili Seasoning mix**
2- 4 oz. cans chopped green chilis
4 c. chicken stock or canned broth
Shredded Monteray Jack cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Jalapeno peppers (optional)

**Do not use the McCormick brand, it is so different, and we don't like it at all. The Williams brand is great. I made Marty bring a bunch back from his last trip home because we can't find it in the Northeast. If you can't find Williams, use this seasoning combo:

2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. oregano

Dice chicken (or drain canned). Set aside. Saute onions in oil until translucent. Stir in garlic, chilis, spices, and saute 2 more minutes. Add chicken, beans, stock. Let simmer 20 minutes.
Ladle into bowls, and top with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of cheese, and a few jalepanos (optional).

We often don't add the dairy, to keep it healthier, and it is just as good in my opinion. This time we made it with the leftovers from last night's crock pot Rotisserie Chicken, and that is definitely the best. Canned isn't bad, it's great in a pinch, but the Rotisserie Chicken in there was just fabulous!

Apple Coffee Cake x 2

I have this incredibly delicious Apple Coffee Cake recipe that my extended family requests for every gathering. I take no credit for it; the recipe comes via Emeril and the Food Network. But I've been making it for years now and it is the yummiest, moist, buttery, brown sugary delight that is awesome with coffee and great with ice cream...completely decadent. I highly recommend it for those special holidays, Christmas breakfast, that kind of thing. Here's a photo (sorry it's so small, it's borrowed from the Food Network website):

 

I don't care that it's so decadent, since I only make it for special occassions. However, I was looking through a recent Cooking Light the other day, and came across a different, healthier Apple Coffee Cake recipe. Well actually, it's for Amaretto Apple Streusel Cupcakes, and since I'm a huge amaretto fan, it caught my attention. Since our corporate apartment came with no cupcake pan, I made it in an 8 x 11 inch baking dish. As a result, it came out very similar to the previous coffee cake, and actually, almost just as yummy! And bonus: it's relatively healthy! Made with a fraction of the butter and sugar that's in the other one, but with the addition of light cream cheese, very moist and delicious! I may even surprise my relatives one of these days and make this one instead and see what they think. Here's a pic of the cupcakes (from the Cooking Light website):

So my recommedation? Make them both. You won't be disappointed!

Best.Turkey.Ever!

That's what my husband told me last night during our Thanksgiving Dinner! Isn't he sweet? And I'm going to totally brag and agree with him. It was.The turkey was super moist and full of flavor. I thought we were crazy for making a whole turkey for just the three of us, but I am very glad we did. It was very nice, even if Oliver was in a mood and wouldn't eat a bite of it. We made just a few of our favorite sides (stuffing, corn pudding, green beans), and made room in the fridge for leftovers.

So I thought I'd share the recipe so you all can have yummy turkey next year too!

I've actually made this recipe before, and we've enjoyed it enough that it is my go-to Thanksgiving recipe. The original recipe is from Cooking Light, but over the years I've made a few adjustments here and there. I first brined it a few years ago, but this year did an apple cider brine, and that is what we think pushed this year's turkey over the edge to fabulousness. One other change from the original is that I do not make their gravy. Neither Marty nor I are gravy fans, so I just leave that step off. But if you are a gravy fan, that part is included in the original link above. So here's my version of the recipe, including the brining instructions. Enjoy!

Parmesan-Sage Roast Turkey

Brine:
1 gallon apple cider
1 cup kosher salt (yes, it must be kosher salt)
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 gallon cold water (or less)

Heat 2 cups of the apple cider with kosher salt until salt is dissolved. Cool completely.
Put a brining bag in roasting pan. Place turkey (giblets, etc. removed) in bag. Pour the cider/salt mixture, the rest of the cider, and all the seasonings over the turkey in the bag. Add up to 1 gallon water to ensure the turkey is completely submerged. Put in refrigerator for 8-18 hours (overnight).

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped apple
10 garlic cloves, smashed
1 cup apple cider
1 (13 pound) turkey
1/3 cup grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
5 tablespoons butter, softened (divided)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in bottom of a shallow roasting pan. Remove turkey from brining bag, pat dry, and place on top of vegetables. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey.

In small bowl, combine cheese, sage, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper; rub mixture under the loosened skin and over breast and drumsticks. Squeeze lemon juice over the whole turkey. Place lemon halves in turkey cavity. Place fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs in cavity. Tie legs together with kitchen string.

Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, watching to make sure top doesn’t get too dark. Pour broth over turkey. Tent turkey breast loosely with foil, if needed to prevent burnt skin. Bake an additional 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 325° (do not remove turkey from oven). Bake at 325° for 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 165°. Remove turkey from pan. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Carve. Remove whole breasts from the turkey, then slice across the grain. This makes a juicier slice of turkey!

I think I'll post some more of my favorite holiday recipes...keep watching for them!

Rotisserie-style Chicken in the Crockpot

Didn't I promise recipes??? Ok, ok...here's one! We had this on Sunday, super easy and good!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, approx. 4 pounds
2 tsp. salt (kosher if you have it)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning blend
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 aluminum foil balls, approx 1-2" diameter

Place aluminum foil balls in crock pot. Place chicken on balls. Mix together all seasonings, and rub chicken with them. Add no other liquid! Cook 6-8 hours.

I got this recipe from a friend on a message board I frequent. The idea is that the aluminum foil balls keep the chicken out of its juices so it doesn't get so waterlogged and the skin gets somewhat crispy. It doesn't get as crispy as real rotisserie chicken, but it was still very good, and very tender...I cooked ours for almost 8 hours and it collapsed on itself, it was so tender. I think 6 would have been fine, not that I'm complaining.

We had fresh corn on the cob on the side, along with some roasted potatoes. I mixed dry onion soup mix, 1/4 cup (probably less) canola oil, potato wedges, baked in 9 x 13 pan for 35 minutes, stirring once. Also great with dry ranch dressing mix or dry Italian dressing mix! Adjust the amount of oil for the quantity of potatoes, typically 4 average sized ones.

Yes, I realize that potatoes aren't the best on a low carb diet, but if you remember my earlier post, it's all about portion sizes. Since I had corn too, I had a small portion of the potatoes, but lots of chicken! Marty gave it a big thumbs up. Oliver wasn't as impressed, but I think it was more about him being a toddler that day than his true opinion of the meal.