Middle Eastern Lamb Stew – Slow Cooker

Here is a delicious, quick and easy recipe for you to enjoy, when you’re pressed for time.  Freshly grated Ginger Root and Ground Cinnamon give this stew a sweet and tangy bite.  Just toss everything into your slow cooker, turn it on low, and in about seven to eight hours it’s ready to serve.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew

1 pound Lean Leg of Lamb, Stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

15 oz. canned Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

14 ½ oz. canned diced tomatoes, undrained

½ cup Beef Broth

1 large Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 tsp Ginger Root, freshly grated

1 tsp Salt, or to taste

½ tsp ground Cinnamon

¼ tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice, fresh

Instructions

Place Lamb in a 5 quart slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients, except Lemon Juice, stir well.  Cover and cook on low for 7 – 8 hours.  Stir in Lemon Juice and let stand for about 5 minutes for the flavors to blend.  Fresh steamed asparagus finish this dish perfectly, without any added points.

Yields 4 servings, about 1 ½ cups per serving.  PointsPlus value per serving is 7. Prep time is 20 minutes.  Cooking time is about 480 minutes (8 hours).  Level of difficulty is Easy. 

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. 

Photo by Barry Baruh

Soy Poached Red Snapper with Ginger

Judy loves to prepare fish.  The vast majority of fish recipes we have presented at Cooking D’Lites have come from Judy.  This recipe infuses the savory and spicy tastes of both Soy and Ginger into the fish.  Although Judy utilized Red Snapper as the protein here, Black Bass or any other firm fish will do as well.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Soy Poached Red Snapper with Ginger

¼ cup low sodium Soy sauce

2 fl. Oz. Mirin, Japanese wine

¼ cup Brown Sugar, unpacked

4 pieces Ginger Root. 1 inch each, thinly sliced. Look for an unwrinkled, smooth-skinned piece for the best flavor

4 medium Scallions, chopped

1 pound Red Snapper fillets, cut into several pieces

2 cups cooked Rice, White or Brown

Instructions

In a large pot, stir together Soy sauce, Mirin, Sugar, Ginger and 3 Scallions.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Carefully place fish in pot and simmer for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to very low and cook for 5 minutes more.

Spoon Rice into each of 4 plates.  Lift Fish out of poaching liquid and divide among the 4 plates.  Spoon a little poaching liquid over each serving and sprinkle with remaining Scallions.

Yields about 3 ounces of fish and ½ cup of liquid per serving.  PointsPlus value per serving is 8.  Prep time is 15 minutes.  Cooking time is 15 minutes. Level of difficulty is Easy.

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. 

Photo by Barry Baruh

Sautéed Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Capers

This is our version of Chicken Piccata, an Italian favorite.  It’s fresh, lite, savory and easy to prepare.  The Thigh meat is so tender and juicy.  You’ll love this dish any time of the year.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Sauteed Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Capers

1 spray, Cooking Spray

¼ cup All Purpose Flour, we use Whole Wheat flour.

¼ tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

1 ¼ pounds Chicken Thighs, skinless

1 cup canned Chicken broth

2 Tbsp Lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 ½ Tbsp Capers

3 cups uncooked String Beans, steamed

Instructions

Coat a 12 inch nonstick skillet with Cooking Spray; set over medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, combine the Flour with Black Pepper, sprinkle over the Chicken Thighs. Brown the Chicken, in a single layer, in the prepared skillet until golden on the bottom, about 6 minutes; flip and brown the other side, about 4 minutes more. Remove Chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Pour the Broth into the skillet to deglaze. Scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.  Return the Chicken to the skillet, cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Stir in Lemon juice and Capers, heat for about 30 seconds, serve.

Yields 2 Chicken Thighs, ¾ cups String Beans and about 1 ½ Tablespoons of sauce per serving.  Makes 4 servings.  PointsPlus value per serving is 6. Prep time is 10 minutes. Cooking time is 20 minutes. Level of difficulty is Easy.

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. 

Photo by Barry Baruh

Beef Pho with Rice Noodles

“Pho” is a traditional Vietnamese Beef Stew that originated about 100 years ago.  It’s quite possible that Pho evolved from the French dish, Pot au Feu, which is a stew of boiled meats and vegetables introduce by French colonists when Viet Nam was under French rule.

Pho was brought to America during the post war migrations.  There are many Pho restaurants in cities throughout America catering to people of many ethnic backgrounds.

Our featured recipe is a lite, fresh, delicious blend of beef, vegetables and spices served over rice noodles, with broth.

From our kitchen to yours.  Enjoy the adventure.

Ingredients

Beef Pho with Rice Noodles

2 tsp Olive Oil

1 cup Onion, chopped

½ pound lean Sirloin Beef, sliced across the grain into thin strips about ¼ inches thick

2 cups canned Beef Broth, reduced sodium

1 Cinnamon stick

¼ tsp Black Peppercorns

½ tsp Salt

8 oz. packaged Rice Noodles, flat

2 medium Scallions, chopped

1 cup Bean Sprouts, fresh

¼ cup Cilantro, fresh, chopped

Instructions

Heat the Oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the Onion and sauté for 2 minutes, until the Onions are soft.  Add the Beef and cook 3 – 4 minutes, until browned on all sides.

Add Broth, Cinnamon stick, Peppercorns and Salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the Noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 6 – 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain and transfer to four individual shallow bowls.

Remove the Cinnamon stick and Peppercorns from the Beef mixture. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the Beef and Onion over the Noodles.  Top with Scallions, Sprouts and Cilantro.  Ladle the remaining broth over the top of each bowl and serve.

Yields 4 servings, ¾ cups each. PointsPlus value per serving is 8. Prep time is 20 minutes, Cooking time is 17 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. 

Photo by Barry Baruh