Spaghetti with Bacon and Tomato Sauce

THIS was a delicious recipe. It's actually a combo of two recipes in the cookbook, one being the tomato sauce and the other being, well, the tomato sauce with bacon. And everything's better with bacon.

I'll make this tomato sauce again. It's very rich and full of tomato flavor. It really is a classic tomato sauce that can be used with anything.

Instead of posting two recipes, I'm going to combine the two. The second recipe doesn't have much to add really.

Spaghetti with Bacon and  Tomato Sauce

Photo courtesy of BBC Food Recipes.com

Recipe from The Pasta Cookbook
Serves 4

2T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 T tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
pinch of dried oregano
1 1/4 c dry red wine
large pinch of sugar
1 T olive oil
8 oz bacon, roughly chopped
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
spaghetti

Heat oil in frying pan and fry onion for 10 minutes until softened, but not brown. Add tomato paste and paprika and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, oregano, wine and sugar to pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

While that simmers, heat oil in large frying pan and fry bacon until crisp and golden.  Add the chili powder to bacon and cook for two minutes.

Once the tomato sauce is done, add tomato sauce to bacon and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. While that's simmering, cook your spaghetti.

Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and serve.

Optional: You can add a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to finish off the tomato sauce.

Chicken Scallopini (Light)

I've had several chicken scaloppini's in my time. I love the freshness of the lemon flavor and the capers.

Tonight's recipe was simple, fresh and delicious. Its definitely a keeper and definitely one to make again. I had made this one other time but managed to forget to buy a lemon AND capers. Which without them seems like it's not scaloppini. FYI - you can substitute white wine vinegar for the lemon juice and green onions for the capers. I'm just sayin'.


Chicken Scaloppini
Courtesy of MyRecipes.com
Servings: 4

Photo courtesy of MyRecipes.com

4 skinless, boneless chicken halves2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 c Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

Cooking spray

1/2 c fat-free, less sodium chicken broth

1/4 c dry white wine

4 tsp capers (I rinse  mine)

1 T butter

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Brush chicken with juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add broth and wine to pan, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in capers and butter.

Chicken with Rice

I blame my dad for my love of anything chicken with rice. Paella is one of my favorite dishes, followed very closely with Arroz con Pollo.  If a recipe has chicken in it and it has rice in it, I'm most likely going to like it.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe and it's quite tasty for the 8 points you'll spend with it. I will admit, however, I didn't put in the peas - I forgot to buy them. I never think to go down the frozen vegetable aisle and thus just forgot. I also left out the bell peppers because they're evil.

The key with the calories with this recipe is all about portion control. I used chicken breast instead of legs and thighs (not a dark meat fan) and cut the breast meat into chunks.  And while I measured out the a serving, I may have gone back and had a little bit more.

One more thing, I accidentally bought diced tomatoes that had green chilis in it. I'll make this again with normal diced tomatoes, but I don't think this made it bad at all.

Chicken with Rice
Recipe from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
Serves 4

Photo courtesy of WW Complete cookbook

1 1/2 lb bone in chicken parts (thighs, breasts and drumsticks), skinned
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 tsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 c reduce-sodium chicken broth
1/3 c white rice
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crushed
1 c frozen green peas
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantr0

Preheat oven to 350F.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

Add bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic to skillet; cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes with their juice and broth; bring to boil. Stir in rice, oregano, and saffron; add chicken.

Bake, covered, 25 minutes; sprinkle with peas. Bake, covered, until chicken is cooked through, rice is tender, and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

Beef and Tomato Stroganoff

I'm a big fan of stroganoff. I've had some good ones in my day and some horrific ones. I make a pretty darn good one - if I do say so myself. 

This one is decent. The tomatoes add an interesting direction to it. I think the only thing that makes this stroganoff is the sour cream you add at the end. Oh and the wide noodles.

I'll keep this one around, but am not sure it will ever rise to the top of the list again.

The original directions said to add 3 cups of reserved tomato sauce. Confusing since there was no mention of tomato sauce at all. So I swapped that out with a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, and a half can of water (in addition to the 1 cup chicken broth). Use your judgment. If it's too thick, add some more liquid.

Beef and Tomato Stroganoff
Courtesy of Everyday Food
Serves: 4

Photo courtesy of Everyday Food

coarse salt

ground pepper

3/4 lb pappardelle (or wide egg noodles)

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb sirloin steak (patted dry and thinly sliced)

1/2 lb button mushrooms (trimmed and thinly sliced)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup sour cream

grated parmesan cheese (for serving)

 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.

 

Add oil to pot and heat over high. Add steak and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

 

Add mushrooms to pot and cook until browned and just tender, about 3 minutes.

 

Add steak, tomatoes, and broth. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

 

Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer until steak is very tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

 

Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, then add pasta, tossing to coat with sauce.

 

Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving.

Zucchini Tots & BBQ Chicken Sabroso

Whenever I think about zucchini I think about my dad. He would let zucchinis sit on the vine until they were the size of a small Texas town.  I prefer my zucchinis smaller in size. Less flesh, if you will.

This time of year EVERYONE has zucchini coming out of their ears, it seems.  I'm a fan of the zuc, but admittedly get board with the BBQing of them or the sautéing of them in garlic, etc.  THIS recipe put me over the top with how delicious zucchini is and how versatile it can be.

Skinny Taste is one of my all time favorite food blogs because her recipes are low-cal and still taste fantastic.

I made this with her Broiled or BBQ Chicken Sabroso. Also a winner in my book. Super easy and every so flavorful. Together these were fantastic.

So make these recipes. I won't replicate them here...go to SkinnyTaste.com for these and MORE delicious recipes. (This is an unpaid commercial announcement.) :-)

Lemon-Garlic Roast Chicken

The smell when this meal was cooking was out of this world. The flavors of it were just as good.

Super easy recipe. Weight Watchers did this recipe right.

Lemon-Garlic Roast Chicken
Recipe from Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight Cookbook

Serves 4

1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
4 skinless bone-in chicken breast
1 lb small read potatoes, quartered
1/2 c water

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine the lemon juice, 1 T of the oil, the garlic, oregano, marjoram, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in large bowl. Add the chicken, tossing well to coat, and marinate 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/2 T oil 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Add the potatoes and toss well to coat. Place a wire rack in the center of a large roasting pan. Arrange the potatoes around the rack and roast 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the marinade; reserve marinade. Remove potatoes from the oven, and place the chicken on the wire rack. Add the water to the reserved marinade and pour over the chicken and potatoes. Roast chicken and potatoes 20 minutes, baste with the pan juices. Return the pan to the oven and roast until it reaches 170F - about 15-20 minutes.

Arroz con Pollo with Olives

Not sure when I decided I love arroz con pollo, but I'm quite sure it had something to do with my dad. He often ordered it when we went to dinner at a Mexican place.  And it reminds me a lot Paella - which is another favorite.

Its not the most healthy of dishes it seems. Especially when you order it out. It's usually covered in bubbling cheese.

This version is made by Cooking Light and thus should be, theoretically, good for you. I managed to leave the ham out because I didn't buy any at the grocery store. But it was fine without it.

Oh and one more thing - turmeric stains.

Arroz con Pollo with Olives
Recipe from Cooking Light

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

Serves 6

6 chicken drumsticks (about 1 1/2 pounds), skinned
6 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds), skinned

1/2 teaspoon salt           

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice                

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice

1/2 cup diced ham

2 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup frozen petite green peas, thawed

1/2 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives

 

Sprinkle chicken with salt, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon oregano. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; drizzle with lime juice. Cover; keep warm.

 

Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes or until tender.

 

Stir in 1/2 teaspoon oregano, turmeric, and cumin, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

 

Stir in rice and ham; cook 1 minute. Increase heat to medium.

 

Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Add chicken, nestling into the rice mixture.

 

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed. Stir in peas; cover and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.

 

Sprinkle with olives