Whether you’re preparing for a fiesta or simply a quite dinner for two, here’s a festive dish that is certain to be a big hit.And, the WW PointsPlus value is so low you won’t have to feel bad having an extra helping.
From our kitchen to yours.Enjoy the adventure.
Ingredients
Tex-Mex Chicken Casserole
12 oz Chicken Breast, cut into strips for stir frying
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 tsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Canola Oil
1 medium Onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium Red or Green Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
1 box (10 0z) Spinach, frozen and chopped, thawed and squeezed dry
1 ½ cups Salsa, mild
4 (6 inch) corn tortillas, coarsely torn
¾ cup Monterey Jack cheese, reduced fat, shredded
¼ tsp Red Pepper flakes, dried
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.Coat a large, unheated non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Preheat skillet over medium-high heat.In a medium bowl, combine Chicken, Garlic, and Chili Powder.Add to skillet. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, until Chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Remove Chicken from skillet and set aside.
Pour Oil into hot skillet.Add Onion and Bell Pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in Spinach.
Coat a 2 quart square baking dish with cooking spray.Spread about ½ cup of Salsa into the bottom of the dish.Top with half of the Tortilla pieces, half of the Chicken mixture, and half of the vegetable mixture.Pour half of the remaining Salsa over the vegetables and cover with half of the cheese.Repeat previous step without adding any of the remaining cheese.
Bake, covered, 30 – 35 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.
Yields 6 servings. PointsPlus value per serving is 5. Prep time is 20 minutes. Cooking time is 30 – 35 minutes. Level of difficulty is
Today’s featured recipe is Judy’s and my version of one of our favorite menu items at Ristorante Forli in Alamo, California.On the menu they call it Chicken Semplice. It is basically a Rosemary Chicken cooked on the Barbeque Grill while covered with a brick.The Cappelini Aglio Olio is my addition to the dish. The Swiss Chard, in this instance Red Chard, is Judy’s.
When we are looking for a simple, guilt free, dish loaded with flavor this is our “go to” meal.
From our kitchen to yours.Enjoy the adventure.
Ingredients
Chicken
1 pc Quartered Chicken, Drumstick and Thigh, with Skin and Bone
Brick Chicken with Cappelini and Red Swiss Chard
1 Tbsp Rosemary, dried
½ tsp Black Pepper
½ Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Garlic, minced
1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Red Clay Brick, cover with foil
Chard
½ pkg Swiss Chard, fresh with main stem removed
2 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
½ cup Chicken broth, Fat free, low sodium
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Pasta
1 cup Cappelini, whole wheat, cooked and drained
3 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
¼ cup Olive Oil
Instructions
Note; The Chicken will cook for about 14 - 16minutes, 7 - 8 minutes per side. The Cappelini will cook for about 5 minutes and the Chard will cook for about 3 minutes.So that everything finishes together stagger the starting times.
Preheat foil covered Brick on grill for about 10 minutes.
Season quartered Chicken, Drumstick and Thigh, with Rosemary, Pepper, Paprika and Garlic. Rub with Olive Oil. Set Aside while brick is heating.When ready, place Chicken on grill Skin Side down. Cover with a brick and cook for about 7 minutes on low heat. Turn Chicken and cook another 7 minutes covered with the brick. Check for doneness.
In a medium saucepan heat Chicken broth, Garlic, and Black Pepper
Coarsely chop Swiss Chard to 2” pieces.Add Swiss Chard to saucepan. Cook for 3 minutes on medium high. Remove from heat. Cover with foil. Serve when ready.
In a small saucepan heat garlic cloves, over low heat, in Olive Oil for 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with foil.
In a medium pot bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add Cappelini and cook for 5 minutes, check for doneness.Drain in a colander, place back in pot and add Garlic and Oil (Aglio Olio) sauce. Serve. When ready.
Yields 1 serving(s).PointsPlus value per serving, including Pasta and Swiss Chard is 13. Prep time is about 10 minutes. Cooking time is about 15 minutes. Level of difficulty is Moderate.
Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.
Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate.
In case you’re wondering where Judy and I have been since our last posting and why it’s been so long, let me bring you up to date.
In August, when we last posted to the blog, we were enjoying the first few months of our retirement. At that time we were at Lake Tahoe, in northern California.Our odyssey which had begun with our retirement in April of this year had taken us from our home in Danville to Palm Desert for a brief time and then to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we spent a about a month checking out our new home, which is actually the house in which Judy grew up.Judy’s Mom was in the process of moving to her new house, about a mile away, and she had wanted us to move into the “family home”.
In June we left Tulsa and traveled to Lake Tahoe for the summer.There is so much to do at the Lake including hiking biking, boating, kayaking, and our new favorite hobby, art glass fusion, that we barely had the time we needed to devote to Cooking D’Lites.
Following a fantastic summer we went back to Tulsa in early October and continued with some renovations to the house.Just prior to Thanksgiving we headed west to the San Francisco Bay Area to spend the holiday with my family.We’ve now been back in Palm Desert for a couple of days getting settled in for the winter.
With all of the commotion behind us we now find we will have the time to get back on track, researching and developing new and exciting recipes for you to try and to enjoy.
Our first offering and today’s featured recipe evokes a sense of adventure.We’ll travel to the Caribbean for this sweet and tangy dish.So kick off your shoes, put on your flip-flops, pour yourself a nice Rum concoction and come along for the ride.
From our kitchen to yours.Enjoy the adventure.
Caribbean Pork and Sweet Potato Pockets
Ingredients
In the "Pocket"
1 medium to large Sweet Potato, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium Apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
½ cup Apple Juice
1 tsp Ginger Root, fresh, peeled and grated
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Allspice
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
¾ pounds Pork Tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 12 half-inch inch slices
2 medium Scallions, sliced
1 medium Scallion, chopped, for garnish
¼ tsp dried Red Pepper flakes
Instructions
Plated and ready to enjoy
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Tear off four 12 inch pieces of Foil or Parchment paper. Fold in half and cut into the shape of a heart with the fold down the middle.Open each “heart” flat and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the Sweet Potato, Apple and Brown Sugar; spoon onto the center on one side of each “heart”.
In the same bowl combine Apple Juice, Ginger, Salt, Allspice and Cinnamon.Using the heel of your hand, press the Pork sliced to a ¼ inch thickness; add the Pork to the juice mixture and toss to coat.
Place the Pork slices over the Sweet Potato and Apple mixture. Sprinkle with sliced Scallions.
Fold the Foil or Parchment. Starting at the top of each “heart” make a series of overlapping folds to seal the “Pockets”.
Place the sealed Pockets on a baking sheet in the oven and cook until the Pork is no longer pink, roughly 20 minutes for Parchment, adding another 15 minutes for Foil.
Slice open the Pockets when done being careful of the escaping steam.
Serve after garnishing with chopped Scallions.
We served the dish over Brown rice, but you may choose to add a vegetable such as green beans.
This is so delicious that your dinner guests will think you spent all day in the kitchen.
Yields 4 servings, including ½ cup Rice per serving.PointsPlus value per serving, including Rice is 8.Prep time is about 25 minutes. Cooking time is about 20 - 40 minutes. Level of difficulty is Moderate.
Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.
Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate.
Here’s a recipe which we made into sort of an Italian/ Asian fusion dish. We utilized wonderful Fettuccini pasta, cooked perfectly to an "al dente" finish, and paired that with the Asian flavors of Soy and Hoisin sauces, Ginger Root and Sesame Oil.We then brought it all together with a delicious Filet Mignon Steak, and fresh, crisp Bell Peppers.
From our kitchen to yours.Enjoy the adventure.
Ingredients
Asian Steak and Noodles...Italian Style
2 ½ Tbsp Soy sauce, low sodium
1 Tbsp Dry Sherry
2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 tsp Dark Sesame Oil
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
1 Green Bell Pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 pound Filet Mignon, trimmed
8 oz Fettuccini, uncooked
1 ½ tsp Ginger Root, minced
3 cloves Garlic, fresh, minced
¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes, or to taste
Instructions
In a plastic zip lock bag, mix 1 Tablespoon of the Soy sauce, the Sherry, Ginger and Garlic.Add the Steak and marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to several hours.
Approximately 20 minutes prior to serving the meal boil water in a medium large pot.When the water comes to a boil add the Fettuccini noodles to the pot and cook for about 8 – 10 minutes for an “al dente” finish.
About 10 minutes prior to service place the Filet on a medium high grill, cooking for about 4 –5 minutes per side for Rare, longer if you like.
In a small bowl prepare a sauce using the 1 ½ Tablespoons of remaining Soy sauce, the Hoisin sauce, Sesame Oil and Crushed Red Pepper.
When the noodles are finished, drain and place in a large bowl.Add the Sauce and toss.Then add the sliced Bell Peppers and Scallion to the noodle mixture.
When the Filets are done, thinly slice them across the grain and toss the slices in with the Noodles and Veggies.
Yields 4 servings.PointsPlus value per serving is 11.Prep time is about 20 minutes. Cooking time is about 10 minutes.Level of difficulty is Moderate.
Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers Intl. Inc.
Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I tend to "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes and ideas. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate.
