Easy Chicken Florentine with Spaghetti (pg. 187)

Quick stats:

Prep time = 10 minutes
Cook time = 35 minutes
Serves 4
PointsPlus = 11 PointsPlus (12 PointsPlus if using part-skim mozzarella cheese)
Serving:  1/4 of casserole and 1/2 cup pasta

This recipe calls for chicken to be cooked on a bed of cooked spinach.  At first, I was skeptical, but this dish made it on my top 10 list of meals that I could eat every day.  Loved the cheese on top.  Quick confession... I cannot eat fat free cheese.  I used the part-skim variety.  My version is higher in points, but the cheese actually melts.

I also discovered the joy of Oscar Meyer pre-cooked bacon.  My family does not eat much bacon, so if I cook a lot of it, it often goes bad.  The pre-cooked bacon is heated in the microwave at however many slices you want, then 20-25 seconds later there is crisp, tasty bacon.

The blend of the flavors in this dish made my taste buds dance.

Recipe:
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 (10 oz) packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 (5 oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded fat-free (or part skim) mozzarella cheese
2T grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz whole-wheat spaghetti
2 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup fat-free marinara sauce, heated

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  
• Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the spinach, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and the pepper to the skillet.  
• Cook until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes longer. 
• Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
• Wipe out the skillet.  Add the remaining 1 tsp oil to the skillet and set over high heat.
• Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt.  
• Place the chicken in the skillet and cook just until browned, about 2 minutes on each side.
• Arrange the chicken over the spinach mixture in one layer; sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Bake until the cheeses are melted and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle with the bacon.
• Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, omitting the salt if desired.
• Drain.  Toss together the spaghetti and marinara sauce.
• Serve with the chicken.

Chicken Puttanesca with Pasta (pg. 191)

Quick stats:

Prep time = 10 minutes
Cook time = 20 minutes
Serves 4
PointsPlus = 9 PointsPlus
Serving Size = 1 chicken cutlet, 1/2 cup sauce and 1/2 cup pasta

When I started this experiment, I pledged to make each recipe as it was presented in the book.  However, I cannot bring myself to include anchovy fillets in my cooking repertoire.  Can't do it.  This recipe also calls for capers.  As I looked up what a caper was on the internet, it did not sound very appetizing (I don't care for olives, either).  I did not use capers in the recipe, thereby revealing the intolerant nature of my taste buds.  I am not proud of it.

However, that being said, I really enjoyed eating this dish.  Getting good plum tomatoes in the winter is a challenge - it made me yearn for summer.  This dish would be spectacular with fresh tomatoes from the garden.  The dish was good the first night, and it worked well as leftovers.

Recipe:
4 ounces whole-wheat penne
2/3 cup dried seasoned bread crumbs
1 large egg
2 tsp olive oil
4 (1/4 pound) chicken cutlets
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 anchovy fillets, minced (not in my recipe)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 T drained capers (not in my recipe)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions:

• Cook the penne according to the package directions, omitting the salt if desired.  Drain and keep warm. 
• Place the bread crumbs on a sheet of wax paper.
• Beat the egg lightly in a large shallow bowl or pie plate.
• Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg, then coat on both sides with the bread crumbs, pressing lightly so they adhere.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.
• Transfer to a platter and keep warm.
• Add the tomatoes, (anchovies), garlic, (capers), vinegar, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. 
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with the pasta.

Quick Chicken Satay with Asparagus (pg. 144)

Quick stats:

Prep time = 10 minutes
Cook time = 15 minutes
Serves 2
PointPlus = 6
Serving Size = 3 skewers and 8 asparagus spears

Through trying this recipe, I discovered that I really do not like asparagus.  I find its flavor quite strong, and not in a good way.  On the positive side, the chicken in this recipe is delicious and super fun to eat.  It didn't take long at all to thread the chicken onto the skewers.  In fact, I felt like quite the chef as I was doing it.  I made double the amount of chicken and used the extra in chicken salad the next day - scrumptious!

Recipe:


2 (5 oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts, each cut into 6 long strips
5 tsp reduced sodium teriyaki sauce
16 asparagus spears, trimmed
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp canola oil

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
• Soak 6 (12-inch) wooden skewers in water 30 minutes.
• Toss together the chicken and teriyaki sauce in a medium bowl.
• Thread 2 pieces of chicken on each skewer and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
• Place the asparagus next to the chicken in one layer.
• Brush the asparagus with the soy sauce and oil.
• Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.

(We served this recipe with brown rice.)

Chicken with Mushrooms and White Wine (pg. 129)

Quick stats:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

PointsPlus = 12 PointsPlus

Serving size = 1 chicken breast, 2/3 cup sauce with veggies and 1 cup pasta

This dinner could work for an everyday meal of for something a little fancier.  It was a decent meal, and the leftovers were pretty tasty as well.  Not much more to say on this one except that the place smelled great when it was cooking.

Recipe:

4 (5-oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1.5 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp herbs de Provence

1 tsp flour

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup dry white wine

2 T chopped fresh parsley (optional)

4 cup hot cooked whole-wheat fettuccine

Instructions

• Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 tsp oil and the mushrooms to the skillet.  
• Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and herbs and cook just until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes
• Sprinkle with the flour.
• Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer.
• Add the broth and wine and bring to a boil.
• Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet.
• Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  
• Sprinkle with the parsley, if using.
• Serve with the pasta.

*There is a note in the recipe that adding 1.5 cups of thawed frozen pearl onions to the stew when you return the chicken to the skillet you'll get portions that are about 1/3 cup larger for each person.

Deadline expiration

The first post of this blog was on February 9, 2010.  I had set a goal of cooking all of the recipes in the Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook in one year.  Life got in the way at times, but there were quite a few yummy highlights along the way.

I still have four recipes to blog about, bringing the total number of recipes completed to...  23.  That works out to about two recipes per month.  Not bad!

I hearby declare the challenge extended.  I will also go back and revise the posts to include the actual recipes.  I will also extend the recipe sources to include additional WW cookbooks and other cookbooks.

Who knows, I may even give myself permission to repeat some of the more delicious meals - those on Joe's list of meals-I-could-eat-every-day and those that received a thumbs-up from the girls.

Wahoooooooo.  Keep going!

Shepherd's Pie - Harry Potter cookbook visit

The stats:  

Prep time = 30 minutes

Cook time = 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves 8

Points Plus = 8 Points Plus

Okay, okay, so it is not from the Weight Watchers cookbook, but I really like this Shepherd's Pie recipe from the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook.  My version of the recipe is below.  I remember going to Ireland in 2003 with my family and stopping by a pub on the way to some destination or other.  I ordered a cottage pie, which is a shepherd's pie but with beef, and it was among the most delicious meals that I have eaten in my life.  Pure comfort food.  How can you go wrong with a dish that is topped with mashed potatoes?

Anna even got into the action by mashing the potatoes.  She didn't even need a step stool to reach the pot as it was in the sink -- she is getting so big!

I wasn't sure if I could make this work within the WW program, but I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the ingredients into the recipe builder.  It does fit!

These recipes would not be possible without the help of my loving husband, mother and sisters watching the girls while I cook.  Thank you!

Here is my version of the recipe:

1.5 pounds ground beef
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T flour
1 C chicken stock
16 oz bag frozen veggies
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper
3 large Idaho or red potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 stick (4 T) butter
1/2 C 1% milk
1.5 tsp salt

Instructions

• Place a baking sheet on the lowest oven rack to catch drips.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large skillet, brown the meat.  Drain the fat off the meat and transfer meat to a plate.
• Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.   Add the oil.
• Heat the oil and add the onions, and saute` over medium heat until they turn golden brown.
• Add the garlic and saute` a few seconds until fragrant.  Return the meat to the skillet and stir.
• Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir it in.  
• Slowly pour in the chicken stock while stirring. 
• Add frozen veggies, salt and pepper; raise the heat and bring to a simmer.
• Cook until filling is thick and bubbling and the veggies are cooked, about 15 minutes.
• For the potatoes:  Cover the potatoes with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes break apart when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. 
• Add the butter, milk and salt, and mash everything together with a potato masher.
• Assembly:  Pour the meat mixture into a deep 9-inch baking/pie dish.  
• Spoon the potatoes on top.
• Bake the pie until it is bubbling around the edges and the potato crust turns a deeper yellow about 45 minutes.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers (pg. 152) and Crab Salad Stuffed Tomatoes (pg. 167)

This is a catch-up post from this summer.  When my sister, Erin, came to visit for the weekend, we tried out a couple of recipes:  Mediterranean Turkey Burgers and Crab Salad Stuffed Tomatoes.  The reason that we chose these two recipes was because they both used feta cheese, and I didn't want to have extra feta when we were done.  One day, I will be able to whip up a dinner using this very tasty ingredient, but for now, my brain has confined feta cheese to a recipe food.

The turkey burgers used turkey, oregano, pepper, feta cheese, olive oil, pitas, red peppers and baby salad greens.  It is essentially a burger with feta cheese in the center in a pita with salad greens. 

The burgers are cooked in the oil, and then they are put in pita halves.  They are topped evenly with the roasted red peppers and salad greens.  Overall, they were quite tasty.  I have not had much luck with finding good pitas that stand up to stuffing.  We had to hold the pitas together when everything was assembled.  Still tasty, though.  Serving = 1 burger = 8 PointsPlus

The crab salad in the Crab Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes consisted of orzo, crabmeat, black olives, feta cheese, fresh dill, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Here is my little secret - I used imitation crab meat.  I know, I know, but I am not a fan of canned real crab meat, and I don't think that the recipe suffered any for the substitution.

We truly enjoyed these stuffed tomatoes.  They were a satisfying lunch.  It was surprising to see how full we were when we finished.  The sweet tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar with the feta cheese was a tasty combination.  We also put the crab salad into cherry tomatoes for an appetizer dish when my family came to visit.  Pretty yummy on a lovely day in Letchworth Park.

1 serving = 1 stuffed tomato = 7 PointsPlus  (not sure of the serving size for the cherry tomatoes)