Monday, May 24, 2010

Pineapple Rice


Prep and cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

1 1/4 cups water
1 cup pineapple juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup basmati rice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped


[1] Bring water, pineapple juice, sugar, butter and salt to boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, then fluff rice with a fork.

[2] Stir in lime juice and cilantro.

We just used long grain white rice that we already had in the pantry instead of the basmati rice. 15 minutes is waaaaay too short of a cook time. I simmered the rice for about 35 minutes and it was STILL a little hard. I think next time I would cook it at a medium heat for awhile and then simmer. I also ran out of lime juice and cilantro, so we did without that step (not a big deal). The pineapple juice gave it a very sweet flavor. We all liked it, I just wish I had cooked it longer!

per serving: 209 calories; 4 grams protein; 1 gram total fat; 1 gram fiber; 1 gram saturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 3 mgs cholesterol; 7 mgs sodium
4 Weight Watcher points

Coconut-Marinated Chicken Kebabs


Marinate time: 15 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 fresh pineapple fresh pineapple
2 bell peppers (any color or variety)
1 1/2 cups light coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons lime juice

12-inch bamboo skewers, soaked
2 cups frozen corn


Preheat grill to medium heat

[1] Prepare the chicken, pineapple and peppers by cutting each into 2-inch chunks, place in a large resealable plastic bag.

[2] In a medium bowl, mix the coconut milk, sugar, cilantro, salt and lime juice. Add half of the marinade to the chicken mixture in the bag. Let stand for 15 minutes reserve the remaining marinade for basting. Heat the grill to medium-high heat.

[3] Thread chicken, pineapple and pepper onto bamboo skewers.

[4] Grill the kebabs for 10-12 minutes rotating and basting with the coconut mixture. Meanwhile, cook corn according to package instructions. Serve chicken with corn.

Note: Make sure that the chicken is spread out on the skewer to cook evenly.

We all loved this recipe - the marinade was very yummy, especially on the pineapple.
Mmmm... grilled pineapple...

per serving: 313 calories; 31 grams protein; 5 grams total fat; 4 grams fiber; 3 grams saturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 68 mgs cholesterol; 94 mgs sodium
6 Weight Watcher points

Artichoke Cheese Bread


Prep and cook time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

1 baguette
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 6.5-ounce jar artichoke hearts (oil packed), drained and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

[1] Halve baguette lengthwise; scoop out center with your fingers, and tear into small pieces. Set bread shells aside.

[2] Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add bread pieces and garlic; cook until bread is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

[3] In a large bowl, combine browned bread, sour cream, Monterey Jack, artichoke hearts, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper; stir together.

[4] Spoon mixture into reserved bread shells;. Bake until browned on top, 20 minutes. Cool before cutting into serving pieces.

This one was a hit! Only thing about the way I made mine is that our baguette was too hard to hollow out, so we sliced it up into thin pieces (like bruschetta) and topped the slices with the artichoke heart mixture (minus the browned bread pieces, of course) and baked them. Really yummy!

per serving: 277 calories; 18 grams protein; 22 grams total fat; 0 grams fiber; 13 grams saturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 64 mgs cholesterol; 638 mgs sodium
7 Weight Watchers points


Halibut Kabobs with Chile Lime Sauce



Preparation time:10 minutes
Marinade time 30 minutes
Cook time:10 minutes

Serves 4


SAUCE
3/4 cup lime juice, plus zest
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons sugar
1 serrano chile , seeded and minced

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

HALIBUT
1 1/4 pounds halibut fillets (can sub tilapia), cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 bell peppers (any color or a variety), cored, seeded and cut into chunks
1 white onion , cut into 2 inch pieces

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

12-inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water


[1] For the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk the lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, sugar, chile and a little lime zest until the sugar dissolves. Reserve 1/2 of the sauce for the marinade. Let other half stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

[2] For the halibut, arrange fish in a shallow dish. Pour the reserved sauce over the halibut and turn to coat. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Thread the halibut, bell peppers and onion onto skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil.

[3] Prepare the grill to medium high heat.

[4] Grill the kabobs for 6 minutes or until halibut turns opaque in the center, turning occasionally. Remove to individual plates and serve with the remaining sauce.


So, between all the chopping of vegetables and squeezing of limes, this was a very time consuming recipe. Next time I would FOR SURE use lime juice out of a bottle and probably halve the amount of marinade I made, because there was A LOT left-over and I was ticked about it because I squeezed 12 FRIGGIN' LIMES to get all that juice out. (Well, I squeezed 8 and then recruited Ryan's friend Natalie to do the last 4.) And frankly, the end result just wasn't worth all the work. The fish tasted really yummy marinaded in the sauce, but the extra at the end was unnecessary because it was plenty flavorful. Consensus: good, but I'm not sure I'd make this one again anytime soon.

per serving: 356 calories; 33 grams protein; 17 grams total fat; 2 grams fiber; 2 grams saturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 49 mgs cholesterol; 95 mgs sodium
8 Weight Watcher points

Apricot-Spinach Salad


Prep time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup dried apricots
4 cups fresh spinach

[1] In a salad bowl, mix vinegar, oil, lemon juice and a little zest. Add apricots and spinach leaves, and mix to coat fruit and greens with dressing.

This salad was simple and quick to prepare. I love dried apricots! I didn't put all the prepared dressing on the spinach - I just kept adding spoonfuls until the spinach appeared to be coated and then served the remaining dressing on the side for those who wanted more on theirs. This salad is very summery - the lemon flavor on the spinach and apricots was quite good.

per serving: 51 calories; 1 gram protein; 4 grams total fat; 1 gram fiber; 0 grams saturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 mgs cholesterol; 30 mgs sodium
1 Weight Watchers point

Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Cream



Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4


2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

olive oil cooking spray

SAUCE
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon milk

Prepare grill to medium high heat.

[1] For chicken, combine mustard, oil, rosemary and salt and pepper in a small bowl; brush evenly over chicken. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done.

[2] For sauce: While chicken grills, combine mustard, mayonnaise and milk. Serve mustard cream with grilled chicken.

This dish was fast and easy to prepare and cook - and it tasted delicious! The dijon cream sauce was light and complemented the rosemary chicken very nicely. The grocery stores around here don't have a huge selection of fresh herbs, so I used rosemary from a spice jar - only 1 and 1/2 tablespoons instead of two whole ones. A crowd pleaser!

per serving: 400 calories; 55 grams protein; 18 grams total fat; 0 grams fiber; 3 grams saturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 143 mgs cholesterol; 287 mgs sodium
10 Weight Watchers points

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Bubbly Cheese Bread



Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 15-20 minutes
YOU NEED TO FACTOR IN TIME FOR THE ROLLS TO THAW!


Serves 6 people

6 Rhodes Texas rolls, thawed
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons butter

[1] Sprinkle counter top or bread board with Parmesan cheese. Press rolls into a ball, place on top of cheese and begin rolling out into a 12 to 14-inch circle. Turn dough over a few times as you continue to roll the cheese into the dough. Place on a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray.

[2] Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise 30 minutes. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

[3] Slice bread with a pizza cutter and serve with butter.


My dough only took about 10 minutes to thaw sufficiently to be malleable.
I just used my fingers to work the dough into a rough circle in the pizza pan I baked it on.
Careful if you are using the coarse sea salt for section [2] - we bit down on a couple of large, crunchy salt pieces in our bread. I'd recommend skipping the salt and pepper altogether (I didn't think it really needed it) or using finer salt to season it with.

per serving: 281 calories; 16 grams protein; 12 grams total fat; 1 gram fiber; 7 gram saturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 33 mgs cholesterol; 716 mgs sodium
6 Weight Watchers Points

Salmon with Steamed Asparagus and Parsley Butter



Prep and cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 4 people

1 pound asparagus
1 cup water
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
4 salmon fillet(s) (6 ounces each), skin removed
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Italian parsley
1/2 tablespoon Wondra Gold Medal thickening flour
1 whole lemon(s), cut into wedges


[1] Lay the asparagus in a single layer in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the water and salt to the skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and lay across the asparagus spears.

[2] Bring water to a boil over medium heat. Continue to cook until the salmon is cooked through and asparagus is tender - about 8 minutes, careful not to overcook or your asparagus will get limp. Transfer the asparagus and salmon to a platter.

[3] Add wine to the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high and simmer mixture to reduce, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and whisk in the butter and parsley. Add Wondra flour a little at a time, if needed to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the salmon and serve with lemon wedges.


I don't mind using wine to cook with, but for $$ sake, I substituted the white wine with white grape juice. Didn't seem to affect the sauce adversely - it was still yummy!
Also, I couldn't find the specific 'thickening flour' mentioned, so I just used the regular flour I had on hand. The sauce seemed to thicken appropriately - it may have been a touch runnier than it should have been, but it still tasted good.

per serving: 323 calories; 30 grams protein; 18 grams total fat; 2 grams fiber; 7 grams saturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 100 mgs cholesterol; 69 mgs sodium
8 Weight Watchers Points

Introduction

I am starting this blog to keep track of what I cook for my family AND to keep myself accountable. I am promising to cook dinner four times a week. Also, I want to be able to remember our favorite recipes and to hopefully give any visitors to this blog new ideas for that ever-looming question:
"What's for dinner??"

“There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.” - Thomas Wolfe