Sweet Corn and Bacon Saute

My friend Sara mad this dish for me and another friend a couple of weeks ago. I like corn. This made me LOVE corn. Such an easy recipe and oh so flavorful. I actually followed the recipe word for word and made no changes. It was so good that there's no need. 

The corn saute recipe on MyRecipe goes with salmon. Sara made this entire recipe and both the corn and salmon was fantastic.

Sweet Corn and Bacon Saute

Recipe from MyRecipes.com

Photo from MyRecipe.com

Serves: I doubled the recipe for 6 people and had about a serving left

2 center cut bacon slices, chopped

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

3 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated

2 T dry white wine

1 T apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 10oz package frozen corn

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Add shallot and white parts of onions; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in vinegar, corn, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in green parts of onions.

Grilled Salmon and Zucchini Salad

So this was an interesting use of zucchini. For all my friends who garden and have WAY too many zucchinis in the summer and you have no idea what to do with it...THIS recipe is it.

I'm so making this for Sunday dinner at some point...The key is to not over do the dill. I think dill is like rosemary in that sense...you can use too much.

I put the salmon in the oven instead of the grill, for no other reason other than I didn't read the recipe. Even though the title says GRILL.

Make this recipe. You won't regret it. 379 calories per serving and GOOD fats in the salmon.

Grilled Salmon and Zucchini Salad
Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves 4
379 calories per serving

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, divided
1 lemon
3 c thinly sliced zucchini
1/4 c chopped fresh dill
1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat grill (or oven in my case) to high heat.

Drizzle fillets with 1 T oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on the grill; grill 5 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.

Grate lemon rind to equal 1 1/2 tsp; squeeze juice to equal 2 T. Combine rind, juice, remaining 2 T oil, remaining salt and pepper, zucchini, and dill in a bowl, toss gently to coat.  Place 1 fillet on each 4 plates. Top each serving with about 2/3 c salad; sprinkle each serving with 1 T almonds.

Chicken Strawberry Salad

Interestingly enough I made this for a "Meatless Monday" and only when I was putting in the chicken did I do a face palm.

This is a delicious recipe. The sweet of the strawberry coupled with the tangy blue cheese and vinegar dressing really sets this recipe up for success.  I

Chicken Strawberry Salad

Recipe from Cooking Light
Serves 4

Dressing:
1 T sugar
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T water
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

Salad:
4 c torn romaine lettuce
4 c arugula (I can't stand arugula so I left this out)
2 c quartered strawberries
1/3 c vertically sliced red onion (Hint: If you cut your red onion in half and submerge the cut side in cold water for 15 minutes, the onion isn't as harsh).
12 oz skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, sliced
2 T cashews halved (the recipe says unsalted, but what fun is that?)
1/2 c crumbled blue cheese

To prepare the dressing, mix everything together except the oil. Gradually drizzle the oil in stirring constantly with a whisk.

For the salad, put everything in a bowl. Drizzle with dressing.

Steak Tacos With Lime Mayo

The Niece's Wife was over last night fixing my curtain rods...and since I was letting her do all the work, I cooked dinner.

My Cooking Light meal plan sent me Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo at 324 calories for 2 tacos. The recipe looked good and simple, my two favorite things.

Turned out they were delicious...and I ate the leftovers. Crazy.

The lime mayo was interesting. If I made this again, I'd swap the mayo for light sour cream and mix that with the lime. I had to add extra lime to counteract the "mayo" flavor.

I also don't do bell peppers, so instead I made a quick pica de gallo (and somehow completely forgot the jalapeno).

Steak Tacos with Lime May

Photo from Cooking Light, May 2011

Recipe from Cooking Light, May 2011
Calories 324 for 2 tacos

20 baby sweet peppers

Cooking spray

1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's)

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon water

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat broiler to high.

Arrange bell peppers in a single layer on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan; lightly coat peppers with cooking spray. Broil peppers 4 minutes on each side or until blackened. Cool slightly; discard stems. Cut peppers into strips.

Combine chipotle, paprika, and salt; rub spice mixture evenly over steak. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let steak stand 10 minutes; thinly slice steak across the grain. Combine mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients; stir well.

Working with 1 tortilla at a time, heat tortillas over medium-high heat, directly on the eye of a burner, for about 15 seconds on each side or until lightly charred. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates. Divide steak evenly among tortillas; top each taco with 1/4 cup sweet peppers, 1 tablespoon salsa, 1 tablespoon cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise mixture.

Curried Coconut Soup with Chicken

Let me first say, I didn't ready the directions before I started this, so I didn't actually make this recipe as it states below.

And I, for whatever reason, cannot cook rice noodles. They are among the easiest things to make and yet I can't get them done correctly.

This is a flavorful soup and filling. Of course, once I pee I'll be hungry.

Small note: Be sure to plan for 30-45 minutes for the noodles to soak. I did not and thus the bad consistency of my noodles. Most likely...

Curried Coconut Soup with Chicken

Photo from Cooking Light

Recipe from Cooking Light
Serves 4
Calories for 1.5 c = 330

2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
4 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup light coconut milk
2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
2/3 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 cup torn fresh basil
2 teaspoons sambal oelek
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 cups cooked rice noodles

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add curry paste and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add stock and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes.

Combine chicken, cucumber, basil, sambal oelek, and sesame oil in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1/2 cup noodles in each of 4 bowls. Pour about 1 1/4 cups stock mixture into each bowl. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Root Beer Baked Beans with Bacon

Oh hahaha. My first title read, "Toot Beer Baked Beans." Ain't that the truth?

I generally like baked beans. What makes me not like them is when people ruin them by putting green bell peppers in them. Blech. While this recipe has said onions, this girl did not include them.

I made this for May's Sunday dinner. And almost, almost didn't follow the recipe and added one more can of beans.

A couple things about this recipe:
1. I couldn't find root beer extract. So instead I tried to reduce rootbeer to get a stronger flavor. That didn't work at all. And so consequently I don't think you could taste the root beer at all in this recipe.

and

2. The recipe says it feeds 12. No way. I had 7 and had about a serving left. 

Root Beer Baked Beans with Bacon

Photo from Cuisine at Home

Recipe from Cuisine at Home - June 2015

4 strips thick sliced bacon
2 c diced onions
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 T minced fresh garlic
2 c root beer
2 cans pinto beans (15.5 oz each), drained and rinsed
1 can tomato puree (10.75 oz)
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c packed dark brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T cider vinegar
1 T prepared yellow mustard
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp root beer extract
Salt and pepper
3 slices white bread, buttered
2 T minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425F.

For the beans, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet until crisp; transfer to paper towel lined plate and discard all but 1 T fat.

Sweat onions, bell pepper and garlic in drippings over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes.

Deglaze skillet with root beer and bring to a boil; reduce until nearly evaporated, 10 minutes. Stir in beans, tomato puree, ketchup, brown sugar, W sauce, vinegar, mustard, Tabasco, root beer extract, salt and reserved bacon; bring to a simmer. Transfer beans to baking dish.

For topping: pulse bread in a food processor to crumbs. Add parsley; pulse to combine. Top beans with bread crumb mixture; bake until crumbs are toasted and beans are bubbly, 15 minutes.

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

This turned out a bit like phad thai.  And delicious...the problem with this recipe was portion control. The serving size is a cup and a third.  A cup? Seriously?

It's another recipe from the SkinnyTaste Cookbook. I swear I'm going to cook every recipe in this book.

This recipe requires a little bit of planning...a little bit. You need to make the peanut sauce and allow it time to reduce.

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Recipe from The Skinnytaste Cookbook

Serves 6

Photo of the photo in the Skinnytaste Cookbook

1 1/3 c = 359 calories

Peanut Sauce:
1 c fat free chicken broth
5 T Better n' Peanut Butter (found at Trader Joe's)
2 T honey
2 T soy sauce
1 T sriracha sauce
1 T grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Chicken and Vegetables
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper
1 T sriracha sauce
1 T soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T fresh ginger
1/2 T sesame oil
3/4 c chopped scallions
1 1/4 c shredded carrots
1 1/4 c broccoli slaw
8 oz rice noodles
2 T chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
6 lime wedges
6 sprigs of fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the peanut sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the chicken broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, Sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors blend and the sauce is slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes.

For the chicken: Season with salt and pepper, then transfer it to a large bowl and add the Sriracha, soy sauce, lime juice, 2 garlic cloves and the ginger.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the sesame oil, then add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 2 garlic cloves, the scallions, carrots, and broccoli slaw and season with a pinch of salt. Coo, stirring, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Cook the noodles in a large pot of water according to package directions. Drain and put them in the hot skillet or wok.  Add the chicken and peanut sauce and cook, tossing everything together for a minute.

Divide among 6 bowls. Top with 1/3 c vegetables and 1 tsp peanuts. Serve with lime wedges and a sprig of cilantro.

Chicken Marsala on the Lighter Side

I probably haven't mentioned it enough but my new favorite cookbook is The Skinnytaste Cookbook. I've read the SkinnyTaste blog for years and have loved every recipe I've made from the site.

I expected this recipe to be just as delicious for many reasons. 1. it's SkinnyTaste and 2. It's chicken marsala.  What's not to like?

This recipe is easy and scrumptious. If you are a fan of chicken marsala, you will not even notice this is "on the lighter side". In fact, I liked it better than many of my other chicken marsala recipes.

I will admit, however, I didn't use marsala. I have all this madeira wine so figured I might as well use it. It did not disappoint.

Chicken Marsala on the Lighter Side

Picture of the picture in the cookbook

Recipe from The Skinnytaste Cookbook (buy this book)

Serves 4
Serving size: 1 breast + mushrooms and sauce
Calories: 241

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt
ground pepper
1/4 c + 1 tsp flour
1 T unsalted butter
2 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c finely chopped shallots
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
3 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/3 c marsala wine
1/2 c fat free chicken broth
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200F.

Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 cutlets. Put each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap and lightly pound them until they are about 1/4" thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Put the flour in a shallow bowl and lightly dredge the chicken pieces in flour, shaking off the excess. Set aside. Reserve 1 tsp of the flour to use later.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil to the pan and swirl the pan until butter has melted.  Add the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to an oven safe place and put in the oven.

Add remaining 1/2 T butter and 1 tsp olive oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and shallot and cook until soft and golden, about 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in the reserved 1 tsp flour and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds.

Add the Marsala wine, chicken broth, and parsley. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet with the mushrooms, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer in the sauce to let the flavors blend, about 4 to 5 minutes.

To serve, put a piece of chicken on each of 4 serving plates. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce evenly over the top.

Tandoori-Style Chicken with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

So book club #2 girls are coming to dinner tonight. I wanted to make kebabs and I wanted some yogurt marinade.

Weight Watchers Ultimate Chicken cookbook came through with this recipe. Simple recipe, but you should allow for longer than an hour to marinade.

According to the cookbook a serving  is 1 chicken thigh and about 2 T sauce to be 213 calories. I didn't use thighs so with chicken breast maybe it's a bit less.

Tandoori-Style Chicken with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Photo borrowed from My Fiance likes it So it must be good blog. 

Recipe from Weight Watchers Ultimate Chicken Cookbook

1 1/2 c plain fat-free yogurt
2 T lemon juice
1 T paprika
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T pickled jalapeno pepper, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
1/2 tsp salt

Combine 1 c yogurt, lemon juice, paprika, ginger, jalapeno, garlic, curry, cumin and cinnamon in a bowl. Add chicken and sauce to a zip loc bag and refrigerate for an hour or more.

Meanwhile, mix the remaining yogurt and cucumber in a bowl with salt. (JW note: I added some lemon juice to this too).

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil. Place a wire rack in the pan; spray with nonstick spray. Cook chicken and discard marinade. Bake until chicken is cooked through 25-30 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.

JW note: I grilled the chicken on kebab skewers. With the yogurt marinade you need to do one of two things. Either wipe off a good portion of the yogurt marinade that clings to the chicken (not my favorite thing to do). Or be sure there's enough space between the pieces of chicken on the skewers so the heat can get to the yogurt marinade. If you don't, you get this weird pasty substance between the pieces of chicken. It not only looks weird, but has a weird texture.

Or it could just be me.

Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad

I've been making this salad for years...like almost 10 years.  It first shows up on my blog in 2009 but I am sure I made it for Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary in 2001. 

At any rate, I made it again today for some friends coming to dinner. It always makes me think of summer. It's a refreshing little salad that makes a light side on a hot summer day.

Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad

Picture from Taste of Home

Recipe from Taste of Home

1 c uncooked orzo pasta
2 c frozen corn, thawed
1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives (or greek olives work well here too)
1/4 c chopped sweet red onion
1/4 c basil chiffonade
2 T minced fresh parsley
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Toss it and everything else in a bowl and mix.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Side note: Red onions can often get over bearing in a salad like this. I cut my onion in half and submerge the cut side in cold water for 15 minutes. It really cuts down on the onion bite and leaves you with a great texture and a nice onion flavor.

Mom's Macaroni Salad

The Niece asked me for my macaroni salad recipe today...and I have to admit, it's actually my Mom's recipe.  Well, "recipe" is loosely what it is. I have never written it down and am sure mom probably hasn't either.

So here it is Niece, but it's a taste and fix type of recipe.

Mom's Macaroni Salad

1 box elbow macaroni
1 can chopped black olives
1 small jar chopped pimientos, drained
4 green onions, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
a couple of spoon fulls of mayo

Cook your macaroni, drain it and rinse with cool water. I've found letting the mac dry allows the mayonnaise to stick to it better.

In a bowl, mix cooled/dried mac, olives, pimientos, onions and eggs. Add a couple of spoons of mayo, mix. The end result should be creamy, but not overly creamy.

Salt and pepper to taste. Put in the fridge overnight.

Before you serve, mix it and add some more mayo if necessary.

Cashew Chicken Salad

I like salads with lots of little viddles in them. This salad is not only delicious, but has lots of little viddles. MMMM....

I mixed it up a bit with respect to the type of lettuces I used, but hey...that's how I role.

The dressing for this salad is the BOMB. I think I'd make it for more than just this salad. You'll want to double this recipe for sure

Cashew Chicken Salad with Creamy Cashew Dressing
Recipe from Cuisine at Home

Makes 4 servings
For the Dressing pulse in a blender or food processor
3 T roasted, salted cashews
1 T each chopped fresh ginger, cilantro and shallots
2 T each rice vinegar and fresh lime juice
1 T each low sodium soy sauce and toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp honey (I used a bit more)
2 T canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the chicken, whisk:
1 T each low sodium soy sauce, toasted sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper

For the salad, combine:
4 cups shredded Napa cabbage
2 heads baby bok choy, chopped
1 c snow peas, havled
1 c julienned carrots
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c diced daikon radish
chopped roasted, salted cashews

JW note: I used less Napa Cabbage and added in about 2 c of romaine and 1 c red leaf lettuce

Preheat grill to medium-high.

For the dressing, pulse the 3 T of cashews until they form a paste. Add ginger, 1 T cilantro, shallots, vinegar, lime juice, 1 T soy, 1 T sesame oil, garlic and honey; pulse until minced, scrape sides with a spatula. Add canola oil; process until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

For the chicken, whisk together 1 T soy and 1 T sesame oil; brush on chicken. Grill covered until chicken is done; about 4 minutes per side.Transfer to a plate and tent.

For the salad, combine cabbage, boy choy, snow peas, carrots, lettuces, scallions, 1/2 c cilantro and radish in large bowl. toss with dressing to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates. slice chicken and top each salad with sliced chicken. Sprinkle with cashews.

Cocoa Puff Rice Krispie doo hickies

These things were amazing. And I couldn't believe how easy they were to make. This recipe makes a good solid 9X13 without question. The treats turn out to be about an inch and half thick and Oh my are they good. 

I had a breakfast themed Sunday dinner and was thinking about what to make for dessert. Rice Krispie treats came to mind, but I wanted to something different. So I googled "cocoa puffs" and "dessert" and came up with this wonder. 

Cocoa Puff Rice Krispie Doo Hickies
Serves - a bunch

Bring  to a boil

1 c sugar

1 1/4 c Karo syrup
Add 1 1/4 c peanut butter, stir until smooth

Pour over 6-7 cups cocoa puffs cereal and 1 c peanuts, and mix together.

Press into sprayed 9X13 pan. Let set.

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

I really have to stop pretending I can eat pasta with any type of portion control.

This recipe was one of my favorites. But it's not so great for the waste line.

This new recipe is pretty close to the other Cajun meal I made. It's easy and flavorful. What isn't so great about it is the portion you're supposed to eat. 1 1/2 c of this yummy meal is 375 calories. Not too bad. I probably had 2 c worth...ugh.

This is a SkinnyTaste recipe from her new cookbook. I love everything about her cook book and her meals.

Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side

Photo by my iPhone.

Recipe from SkinnyTaste Cookbook

Serves 5

1/2 c fat free milk
1 T flour
3 T light cream cheese
8 oz linguine (I used whole wheat pasta)
Kosher salt
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
1 1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning (add more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (guess who didn't add this?)
1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced (guess who didn't add this one either?)
1/2 medium red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 c Swanson 33% less sodium chicken broth (I'm not a fan of Swanson chicken broth so I used Kitchen Basics)
2 medium scallions, chopped

In a blender, make a slurry by combining the milk, flour, and cream cheese. Set aside.

Start your pasta water and start cooking your pasta according to the package.  It'll be done about the same time the chicken sauce is.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Spray the pan with oil and add half of the chicken. cook until done, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add the olive oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add the peppers, onion and garlic. Cook stirring until almost tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender, 3-4 more minutes.

Add remaining 1/2 tsp garlic powder and season with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, add chicken broth and the slurry, and cook, stirring until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. DO NOT let it boil.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Adjust with salt and Cajun seasoning and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Add the linguine and toss well to coat.

To serve, divide the pasta and chicken among 5 serving plates and sprinkle with the scallions.

Jenn Note: I just realized I didn't add, or even purchase, the tomatoes for this meal. I'm sure it would have made it even better.