I'm trying to lose a significant amount of weight, and so am trying to cook more healthy food. (Not sure exactly how Crunken Chicken fits into that, but it is delicious, and I use organic ketchup with no HFCS, so hey, it's healthy, right???) I like creamed spinach, but the last time I made it there was quite a bit of cheese in it.
So I decided to try this WW recipe. As a whole, it wasn't bad. I think it could be improved, but we'll discuss that later.
Ingredients:
2 bags washed spinach, steamed, squeezed dry, and chopped
1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 small garlic clove, minced
Combine cottege cheese, milk, parmesan cheese, garlic, and 1/4 the cooked spinach in a food processor and process until creamy (or in a bowl and use an immersion blender, or you could do this in a regular blender). Place remaining spinach in a skillet over medium heat, add blended mixture, and stir. Cook until heated through.
That's it--pretty easy and not bad tasting.
I would change:
1. (not really a change, but) Make sure you press as much water out of the spinach as possible so that this is not watery.
2. Maybe up the cottage cheese a bit or just cut back on the amount of milk. I really think you could just leave the milk out altogether.
3. I probably used 1 1/2 tbsp of parmesan cheese (I just grabbed some I didn't get out a measuring spoon).
That's about it. Most of my changes focus on making this more creamy and less watery. The flavor was really good, though. Be aware that b/c you process some of the spinach with the cheese, this will be brighter green than normal creamed spinach.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Word of Mouth's Crunken Chicken
A college friend shared a link to Word of Mouth's blog, which included this recipe for Crunken Chicken. Mine is currently in the oven, but I can tell you the sauce is out of this world. I can't wait for dinner tonight! I particularly like that it is so versitile--it can be an appetizer, you can bake it, or you can grill it. I made mine on a broiler pan in the oven (10 minutes each side, brushing with sauce on both sides when flipping the chicken). I also think this sauce would be pretty kick-ass on appetizer meatballs (the kind you make in a crock pot) or on pretty much anything. Pour it over a pork tenderloin, use it with flank steak--you really can't go wrong.
Ingredients:
Marinade:
1/4 cup bourbon
1 12oz. bottle dark brown ale
1 tbl. cayenne powder (if making for little geeks, omit this or cut it down a bit)
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
Sauce:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup minced onion
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (included in original recipe but I left it out accidentally and didn't miss it)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup bourbon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (whole or cut into 1” nuggets)* (I made 6 breasts b/c that's what was in the package)
Marinade: Combine beer, bourbon, ¼ c. molasses, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken, cover and marinate for ½ hour or up to 4 hours.
Sauce: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ c. molasses, dry mustard, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and chili powder (unless you forget like me). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in ¼ c. bourbon; cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Cook:
In oven--Preheat oven to 425. Drain marinade from chicken. Add chicken to a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray or broiler pan. Brush generously on all sides with bbq sauce, reserving some sauce for the table. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, turning and basting after 10 minutes.
To Grill: Grill the boneless breasts or add the nuggets to a skewer. Grill over medium heat, turning to cook all sides, about 20 minutes. Brush with BBQ sauce and cook until glaze is formed – about 3 more minutes. Serve all with reserved sauce.
My kitchen smells amazing. I could eat this sauce with a spoon! Check out Word of Mouth and be prepared to spend some time looking at recipes. YUM!
I think that we may be eating Crunken Chicken Pizza tomorrow night here at Chez Silicon. I bet it's awesome!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Pan Bagnat
Have you ever made something and just KNOWN that it was going to be good? That describes this Pan Bagnat recipe, from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (1998). It's currently sitting in my fridge, because it's supposed to be left over night, and I can't WAIT to eat it tomorrow.
2 very ripe tomatoes, peeled
1 8-oz loaf day-old French or Italian bread--the crustier, the better
1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced (white AND green parts)
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp EVOO
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.
To peel the tomatoes, cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato skin. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and drop in the tomatoes for 10-15 seconds, just until the skin splits. With a slotted spoon, remove tomatoes to a bowl of cold water. Skins should peel off easily (this is just like blanching/peeling peaches).
Halve each peeled tomato horizontally (around the fattest part--if the part where the stem was is the north pole then you are cutting along the equator). With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp. Dice the tomato shells.
Pull out the soft insides of the bread and tear into pea-sized pieces.
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, bread, cheese, parsley, scallions, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.
Fill the bread loaf with the tomato mixture (you will have to mush it in). Close the bread and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, cut into 4 pieces.
Makes 4 servings, 4 WW pts per serving (222 calories, 6g fat, 3g fiber).
I can't wait for this to be finished! This summer, when tomatoes are ripe, this may become a staple lunch for me (I doubt The Big Geek would view this as a complete meal). As a child I used to get into trouble for using up all the tomatoes making tomato sandwiches--this is the grown-up version of that!
2 very ripe tomatoes, peeled
1 8-oz loaf day-old French or Italian bread--the crustier, the better
1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced (white AND green parts)
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp EVOO
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.
To peel the tomatoes, cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato skin. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and drop in the tomatoes for 10-15 seconds, just until the skin splits. With a slotted spoon, remove tomatoes to a bowl of cold water. Skins should peel off easily (this is just like blanching/peeling peaches).
Halve each peeled tomato horizontally (around the fattest part--if the part where the stem was is the north pole then you are cutting along the equator). With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp. Dice the tomato shells.
Pull out the soft insides of the bread and tear into pea-sized pieces.
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, bread, cheese, parsley, scallions, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.
Fill the bread loaf with the tomato mixture (you will have to mush it in). Close the bread and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, cut into 4 pieces.
Makes 4 servings, 4 WW pts per serving (222 calories, 6g fat, 3g fiber).
I can't wait for this to be finished! This summer, when tomatoes are ripe, this may become a staple lunch for me (I doubt The Big Geek would view this as a complete meal). As a child I used to get into trouble for using up all the tomatoes making tomato sandwiches--this is the grown-up version of that!
WW Parmesan Turkey Meatloaf
I'm trying to lose a lot of weight, a few lbs at a time, and so have gotten out my Jenny Craig and WW cookbooks to try some old favorites and some new things. This meatloaf was one of those things. I tossed it together yesterday, but had to leave before eating it. I assume The Big Geek liked it since half of it was gone when I got home. I had some, cold, for lunch today, and I have to say I thought it was really good. It's easy, you can put it together ahead of time, and the leftovers are yummy.
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
4 slices whole wheat bread, made into fine crumbs (a small food processor is great for this)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 egg white (recipe says lightly beaten, but I just tossed it in and it was fine)
3 Tbsp ketchup (I like Heinz Organic b/c it doesn't contain HFCS)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Heat the oil in a small nonstick skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, 4-5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 and spray an 8 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine all other ingredients. When onion is done, allow to cool slightly (so you don't burn yourself) and mix into turkey mixture.
Shape into a loaf and transfer to loaf pan.
Bake 50-60 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Yum!
Next time I may chop up some celery and add it in with the onions--but don't tell The Big Geek. :)
As written, the recipe is 4 pts per serving (makes 8 servings): 181 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g fiber.
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
4 slices whole wheat bread, made into fine crumbs (a small food processor is great for this)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 egg white (recipe says lightly beaten, but I just tossed it in and it was fine)
3 Tbsp ketchup (I like Heinz Organic b/c it doesn't contain HFCS)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Heat the oil in a small nonstick skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, 4-5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 and spray an 8 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine all other ingredients. When onion is done, allow to cool slightly (so you don't burn yourself) and mix into turkey mixture.
Shape into a loaf and transfer to loaf pan.
Bake 50-60 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Yum!
Next time I may chop up some celery and add it in with the onions--but don't tell The Big Geek. :)
As written, the recipe is 4 pts per serving (makes 8 servings): 181 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g fiber.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Treats: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake with Cognac Whipped Cream
A few years ago we hosted Christmas for the first time, and I served this cake.
It. was. A.MAZ.ING!!! It's best warm, so if possible, make it the day of, between dinner and dessert. I know that sounds like a pain, but I combined all the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag ahead of time, so all I had to do was mix it up and bake it, and it actually was not at all stressful.
And SOOOOO worth it!!
This only makes an 8-inch square cake, so if you're having large crowd, you may want to double it and make 2, or you could try making one in a 9 x 13 pan, but you'd probably have to adjust the cooking time.
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Cooking spray
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 large egg whites
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon cognac
It. was. A.MAZ.ING!!! It's best warm, so if possible, make it the day of, between dinner and dessert. I know that sounds like a pain, but I combined all the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag ahead of time, so all I had to do was mix it up and bake it, and it actually was not at all stressful.
And SOOOOO worth it!!
This only makes an 8-inch square cake, so if you're having large crowd, you may want to double it and make 2, or you could try making one in a 9 x 13 pan, but you'd probably have to adjust the cooking time.
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Cooking spray
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 large egg whites
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon cognac
Preheat oven to 350°.
Pour melted butter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 350° for 2 minutes. Remove from oven, and top with pecans and cranberries.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; stir with whisk.
Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Beat the egg whites with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form using clean, dry beaters; fold into batter. This part is important--if you don't beat the eggs enough the cake will be too dense.
Spread batter over cranberries. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen edges of cake with a sharp knife. Place a plate upside down on top of cake pan; invert onto plate.
Combine whipping cream and cognac in medium bowl and beat until whipped cream reaches the desired consistency. Serve with warm cake. Do NOT skip this part!!
The original recipe had people just combine cognac and frozen whipped topping, but I do not believe in this stuff. Real whipped cream is absolutely worth it, and pretty easy if you have a mixer.
I can't wait until Christmas so I can have this again!!
Christmas Treats: Pumpkin Cake Roll
I began making this delicious treat right after I got married. Both my grandmother and my husband's grandmother bought me subscriptions to Taste of Home magazine, and this was in one of them. It freezes really well, so it's easy to make ahead and just remove from the freezer whenever needed. (It will keep in the freezer up to 3 months!)
Cake:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional confectioners' sugar, optional
Preheat oven to 375.
Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin, beating on high until sugar is almost dissolved.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gently fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
Cool for 5 minutes.
Turn cake onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side (the towel will end up inside the cake--it's ok). Cool completely on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Unroll cake; spread filling evenly to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar (optional, but it looks pretty).
You can eat this right away, or chill it in the fridge to eat later that day. OR you can freeze it.
Freezing instructions: Cover and freeze until firm. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting.
Cake:
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional confectioners' sugar, optional
Preheat oven to 375.
Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and pumpkin, beating on high until sugar is almost dissolved.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gently fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
Cool for 5 minutes.
Turn cake onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side (the towel will end up inside the cake--it's ok). Cool completely on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Unroll cake; spread filling evenly to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up again. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar (optional, but it looks pretty).
You can eat this right away, or chill it in the fridge to eat later that day. OR you can freeze it.
Freezing instructions: Cover and freeze until firm. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before cutting.
Christmas Treats: Peppermint Snowball Cookies
I've been making these for several years, and they're always a big hit. I also like them because it's easy to have kids help with them. They can roll the cookies into balls and then help with the candy and peppermint once they've cooled. Rich and crumbly with a cool kick of peppermint, these cookies are delicious!
Ingredients:
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces white candy coating, coarsely chopped, or white chocolate chips
1/3 to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (I put mine in a little food processor) You could probably also just melt peppermint kisses and dip the cookies in those, but they wouldn't look as pretty.
In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until easy to handle.
Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a microwave, melt candy coating/white chocolate; stir.
Dip the top of each cookie into the candy coating; allow excess to drip off. Dip into peppermint candy. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.
This should make about 5 dozen cookies.
Ingredients:
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces white candy coating, coarsely chopped, or white chocolate chips
1/3 to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (I put mine in a little food processor) You could probably also just melt peppermint kisses and dip the cookies in those, but they wouldn't look as pretty.
In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until easy to handle.
Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a microwave, melt candy coating/white chocolate; stir.
Dip the top of each cookie into the candy coating; allow excess to drip off. Dip into peppermint candy. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.
This should make about 5 dozen cookies.
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