Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Chicken Pad Thai

Another really good Weight Watcher meal. This is 9 points per serving. You know it is good when your kids eat it without complaining. :) Ichanged the recipe a little but nothing that would effect the points.
I finsihed my first week on WW with a 8.6 pound weightloss, every night I made a WW meal.
I went over on my points one day and used all my extra weekly points. My goal this week is to not go over and to save all my extra points for the WW carrot cake I plan on making for Easter.

7 oz packaged rice noodles
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup(s) fish sauce, divided
4 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, florets
1 medium uncooked carrot(s), finely sliced
1/4 cup(s) fresh lime juice, divided
1Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp ginger root, fresh, finely minced (I used powder ginger because I was out of fresh, about 3/4 tsp.)
2 spray(s) cooking spray
4 tsp peanut oil, divided
1 tsp green hot chili peppers, or red chili pepper, Thai-variety, deveined, seeded, minced* (I used jalapeno)
4 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1 1/2 cup(s) uncooked bean sprouts
2 1/2 oz peanuts, dry-roasted, salted, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, minced

Soak noodles in cold water for 1 hour. Place chicken in a small bowl and cover with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce; set aside. Steam broccoli and carrot until crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately immerse in cold water; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in another small bowl, combine remaining 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of lime juice, sugar, water and ginger; mix well and set aside. Coat a large wok or skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat; add 2 teaspoons of oil. When hot, add chicken; cook, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm; set aside. Drain noodles thoroughly. Off heat, coat same wok or skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium-high heat; add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. When hot, sauté garlic and chili pepper until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add noodles and fish sauce mixture; cook, stirring, until sauce is mostly absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and peanuts; remove from heat. Add remaining tablespoon of lime juice, bean sprouts and cilantro; mix well. Serve immediately. Yields about 2 cups per serving.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Honey-Ginger Chicken Thighs





 
This is a really good Weight Watcher recipe it is only 6 points


















2 Tbsp. ginger root, freshly grated, or less to taste
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1/4 fl oz. orange juice
2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into 36 chunks
2 tsp. honey

In a medium glass bowl, combine ginger, garlic, hoisin sauce, orange juice, soy sauce and pepper; add chicken and turn to coat with marinade. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
When ready to cook, soak 12 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes (or use metal skewers).
I grilled mine on a cast iron grill to give the grill mark before cooking in the oven.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch drippings; place a wire rack over prepared pan.
Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade. Thread 3 pieces of chicken onto each skewer and place on wire rack; cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, spoon reserved marinade into a small saucepan; stir in honey. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat; boil for at least 1 minute to kill any bacteria.
After chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, remove from oven and generously brush with boiled marinade. Flip skewers and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Place on a serving platter and garnish with scallions. Yields 2 skewers per serving.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Ginger Lemon Cookies


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup diced (1/8 inch) crystallized ginger





Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In an electric mixer, use paddle to mix butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl twice. Add egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add zest; mix to combine.In a bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, and crystallized ginger; add to butter mixture; mix on medium-low speed to combine, about 20 seconds.Using two spoons, drop about 2 teaspoons of batter on baking sheet; repeat, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes. Sprinkle cookies with sugar, rotate sheets between oven shelves, and bake until just golden, about 7 minutes more. Slide parchment with cookies onto a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container







Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Fried Rice

2 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cups cooked white rice, cold
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup frozen vegetable
1 cup cooked, chopped chicken meat
green onions, sliced

In a small bowl, beat egg with water. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add egg and leave flat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and cut into shreds.
Heat oil in same skillet; add onion and saute until soft. Add frozen vegetables and cook for a few minutes. Then add rice, soy sauce, pepper and chicken. Stir fry together for about 5 minutes, then stir in egg and green onion. Serve hot.
 
 
 
 

Fudge

My grandmother use to make a Rocky Road fudge and would add mini marshmallow and walnuts to her fudge. I made this for someone so I did not add caramel or nuts like I wanted to because I was not sure if she likes them added to her fudge. Next time I will. :)

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm
 
 

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Pasta Salad
















2 cups rotini pasta,uncooked
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup celery, sliced
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup Kraft Light House Italian Dressing
1/4 cup Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese.
Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 2 min.; drain. Place in medium bowl and add remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Cover.REFRIGERATE several hours or until chilled.

Chicken Parmesan Spinach Bundles



















4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1-1/4 cups Kraft Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
6 Tbsp. Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness (I just cut deep slits in mine, I hate to pound chicken)
2 egg
2 Ritz Crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated
Preheat oven to 375
Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese until well blended; spread evenly onto chicken breasts. Starting at one of the short ends of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.BEAT egg in shallow bowl or pie plate. Mix remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese and the cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with the spaghetti sauce and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.