Italian Spiced Shrimp

Recipe Taken From:
Good Housekeeping Magazine
January 2011

Ingredients:

1 small (4- to 6-ounce) onion
1 tablespoon(s) fresh oregano leaves
1 cup(s) long-grain white rice
1 3/4 cup(s) hot water
1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper, to taste
2 clove(s) garlic, crushed with press
1 cup(s) dry white wine
1 can(s) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained well
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground black pepper
1 pound(s) 16- to 20-count shrimp, shelled and deveined, with tail part of shell left on if you like
8 leaves basil, very thinly sliced, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. While oven heats, finely chop onion and oregano. In 3-quart shallow baking dish, combine rice and water. Cover tightly with foil and bake 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 5- to 6-quart saucepot, heat oil on medium. Add onion, oregano, and red pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or until golden, stirring. Add wine and heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 6 minutes or until wine is reduced by half, stirring occa­sionally. Stir in tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat.

Arrange shrimp on top of rice in baking dish, in single layer. Pour tomato mixture evenly over shrimp; cover tightly with foil and bake 15 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque. Garnish with basil.

Notes & Tips:
I really enjoyed this recipe. It was very easy to make and I liked how tender the rice was when baked. I didn't have fresh oregano or basil, so I used dried oregano and Mrs. Dash Italian Blend as subs.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 245, Total Fat 4g, Sodium 300mg, Total Carbohydrate 35g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 16g

Orzo Pesto Salad

Recipe Adapted from:
Weight Watchers "Meals in Minutes" Cookbook

Ingredients:

4 cups water
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
3/4 cup basil leaves
2/3 cup arugula leaf
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon walnut pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
3/4 lb turkey breast cutlets
6 kalamata olives, pitted and slivered
1 head radicchio, quartered, cored, and sliced
16 cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper

Preparation:

1 Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo, reduce the hear, and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and put the orzo in a large bowl.
2 To make the pesto, combine the basil, arugula, garlic, walnuts, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a food processor or blender. Add the reserved hot cooking liquid and puree. Stir 2 Tablespoons of the pesto into the orzo.
3 Bring the wine and bay leaves to a boil in a medium skillet. Boil 1 minute, then reduce the heat to medium and add the turkey. Cover and poach until the turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain, discarding the bay leaves.
4 Chop the turkey and add it to the orzo. Stir in the olives and radicchio. Fold in the remaining pesto and then the cherry tomatoes. Add the Parmesan, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt; toss to combine.

Notes & Tips:
This was so fresh and summery tasting. I was impressed with how fresh it tasted. I couldn't find any radicchio, so I subbed raw spinach. Also, I didn't have enough fresh basil, since apparently there is a basil shortage going around, so I had about a half cup and I just used a little more arugula.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 216.3
Total Fat 2.3 g
Sodium 522.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 26.7 g
Dietary Fiber 1.9 g
Sugars 1.8 g
Protein 16.0 g

Tilapia with Cucumber Relish

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients:

2/3 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1/2 cup chopped radishes
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar
4 (4 ounce) tilapia fillets
1/8 teaspoon paprika powder
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

Combine chopped cucumber with chopped radishes in a small bowl. In another bowl or shallow dish, whisk together tarragon vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper and sugar. Pour the vinegar mixture over cucumber and radishes and toss to coat evenly.

Mix paprika powder with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle over the fish fillets. Melt the butter in a skillet. Place the tilapia fillets in the skillet and cook until the fish can be easily flaked with a fork. This will normally take around 3-4 minutes per side. Place the tilapia fillets on serving plates and add the cucumber relish.

Notes & Tips:
The relish for this was great. Nice and tangy. I didn't have tarragon vinegar, so I just mixed Apple Cider Vinegar with some dried tarragon. I forgot the paprika, oops... so I just sprinkled a little on the fish as it was cooking.

Nutrition Facts:
One serving (1 fish fillet with 3 tablespoons relish) equals 181 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 90 mg cholesterol, 388 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 32 protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 very lean meat, 1 fat.

Honey-Ginger Chicken with Orange Rice

Recipe Taken From:
Weight Watchers Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups Water
2/3 cup Fresh Orange Juice
1 cup Natural Long Grain
1 tbsp Parsley
1 tsp Orange Zest
1/2 cup Pecan Halves
1/4 cup Cornmeal, Whole-grain, White
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Honey
1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce Light
1/2 tsp Fresh Ginger Root
4 (4 oz) Chicken Breasts (boneless,skinless)

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and orange juice; bring to a boil. Stir in the rice; reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the parsley and orange zest.

Meanwhile, spray a broiler rack with nonstick spray; preheat the broiler.

In a food processor, combine the pecans, cornmeal, and pepper until the nuts are finely ground. Transfer to a plate. In a shallow bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, and ginger. Dip the chicken in the honey mixture, then roll it in the cornmeal mixture.

Broil the chicken 5 inches from the heat until crusty brown and cook through, about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with the rice.

Notes & Tips:

For a more even coating, after you've rolled the chicken breasts in the cornmeal mixture, spread the mixture with a knife. White cornmeal is a better choice than yellow when broiling; yellow is quicker to burn under direct heat, while white browns better. A small amount of nuts adds wonderful flavor and richness with only a little fat. If you prefer to avoid nuts, however, use wheat-and-barley cereal nuggets instead.

This was not my favorite recipe that I've ever made. Maybe it's just me but there wasn't enough salt (haha, which I'm sure weight watchers wouldn't appreciate) also, I added some spray butter to the rice, to me rice needs a fat when cooking (which again I'm sure weight watchers wouldn't appreciate). Meh, maybe if you try it it'll come out better.

Nutrition Facts:
Amount per Serving
Calories 363
Calories from Fat 111.0
Total Fat 12.33g
Saturated Fat 1.29g
Cholesterol 65mg
Sodium 183.41mg
Total Carbohydrate 38.75g
Dietary Fiber 2.1g
Sugars 8.14g
Protein 26.69g
7 points (if you're counting)

Mozzarella Eggplant Bake

Recipe Inspired From:
Taste of Home Cookbook, pg 383

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
5 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cans (14 1/2oz each) stewed tomatoes
1 package (6 ounces) sliced part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Cut eggplant into 1/4-in-thick slices. Place in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, beat eggs. Dip eggplant slices into eggs, then coat with crumb mixture.
In a large skillet, cook eggplant in 2 tablespoons oil for 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer to an ungreased 13-in x9-in x2-in baking dish.
In the same skillet, saute the green peppers, onion and mushrooms in remaining oil for 5 minutes or until pepper and onion are crisp-tender. Sprinkle over eggplant. Top with tomatoes.
Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover, place cheese slices over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Notes & Tips:
The original recipe called for about half less breading, it barely even covered half of the eggplant slices. I thought this was awesome! Mat and I have been doing one meatless meal a week for a while now. I really enjoy the challenge of finding hearty meatless meals that aren't totally carb. loaded. This one was a success!


Nutrition Facts:
1 serving (1 piece) equals 318 calories, 16 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 128 mg cholesterol, 1,609 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 14 g protein.

Pioneer Woman's Enchiladas

Recipe Taken From:
Pioneer Woman's Cookbook

Ingredients:

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
_____
FOR THE MEAT:
1-½ pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
½ teaspoons Salt
_____
FOR THE TORTILLAS:
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
½ cups Canola Oil
_____
TO ASSEMBLE:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions
½ cups Chopped Cilantro

Preparation:

Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Step #2 – The Meat
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over enchiladas before serving.

Notes & Tips:
This recipe is def. on the "moderate" end of the cooking scale. Lots of ingredients, lots of pots and pans used. BUT...def. worth it! They are delicious! Make sure you use the thicker tortilla's if you use the thinner ones you will end up with more of a enchilada casserole. I served this with Spanish rice.

Warm Fajita Salad

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home Cookbook, pg 171

Ingredients:

1 cup lime juice
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke, optional
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 pound boneless pork loin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, cut into strips
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 cups torn romaine
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Preparation:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the lime juice, broth, soy sauce, garlic, oil, sugar and seasonings. Set aside 2 tablespoons; cover and refrigerate. Add pork to remaining marinade; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 3 hours, turning occasionally.
Drain pork, discarding marinade. Heat reserved marinade in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, onion and peppers; stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until pork is no longer pink. Drizzle with lemon juice. Remove from the heat.
Arrange lettuce on four individual plates; top with meat mixture and tomatoes. Yield: 4 servings.

Notes & Tips:
I know this seems like alot of ingredients, but the marinade is so good! After the marinading time it's really easy to cook the meat, onions and peppers then make a salad. I suggest serving some cut up tortilla strips with it.

Nutrition Facts:
1 serving equals 280 calories, 11 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 67 mg cholesterol, 707 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 27 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 fat, 1/2 starch.