Crispy Garlic Chicken

Well although my adventure with Tofu noodles was a disaster this chicken recipe was not. Very easy to make and the chicken comes out so tender and moist.

CRISPY GARLIC CHICKEN

1 envelope Lipton Garlic Mushroom Soup mix
1/3 cup light or fat free mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh finely grated Asiago cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
2 tbsp. plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400°.

In medium bowl, combine garlic mushroom soup mix and mayonnaise; set aside. On baking sheet, arrange chicken. Be sure to pat your chicken as dry as possible so that it is easier to spread the topping on. Evenly top chicken with soup mixture, then evenly sprinkle with bread crumbs and then the cheese. Bake 20 - 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. If using the chicken tenders then definitely no longer than 20 minutes.

If you want the topping to be a little crispier then bake it under the broil for a couple of minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Trying Out Tofu Shirataki Noodles

Tonight I decided to try those Tofu Shirataki Noodles that everyone has been raving about. I thought maybe this is the answer to my prayers, a pasta that is completely guilt-free! Could these be a Diabetic's pot of gold?

I got myself some Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Tofu Noodles and set about making the recipe I found on Hungry Girl, Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo!

First of all when she tells you to rinse these noodles well she means WELL. They smell very fishy and take a lot of rinsing to get rid of that odor.

The recipe is very easy to throw together and the cheese sauce it makes is very tasty but the noodles were not what I was hoping for. Believe me they look and feel just like noodles until you bite into them. The texture was very hard for me to get used to, tender but yet rubbery at the same time. Hard to describe but I just could not get past that feeling when you bite into them. Alas my hopes and dreams were dashed, they were not the answer to my prayers.

I have a package of the Angel Hair style also so I may get brave and try a traditional spaghetti recipe with them but as a rule I like my pasta a little al dente and these have the feel of overcooked pasta.

If anyone is feeling brave or does not mind the texture, here is the recipe.

Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo

1 package of Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Tofu Noodles
1/2 Wedge of Laughing Cow Light Cheese
1 t. fat free sour cream
2 t. low fat parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper if desired

Rinse fettuccine noodles VERY well. Microwave them for one minute, then drain them and pat dry. Add cheeses and sour cream. Mix thoroughly. Microwave to help melt cheese further, and mix some more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy. Serves 1.

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

I love pasta! All kinds of pasta cooked all kinds of ways. When I was a kid one of my favorite snacks was just a bowl of cold plain elbow macaroni sprinkled with just a bit of salt. Yummy! Of course now that I am Diabetic I have to limit my cravings but that still does not stop me from making pasta dishes and trying out new ones.

I got this recipe from one of my mailing lists that I belong to and of course I had to tweak it to see if I could make it healthier. Crock Pot recipes are great as I can just assemble the ingredients, turn it on and forget it for a few hours.

For the lasagna noodles I used whole wheat oven ready noodles. These are great lasagna noodles I found at Target. It's made by their own food brand, Archer Farms. You don't have to pre-cook them and they taste great. You can't even tell they are whole wheat. You don't have to use the oven ready type of noodles to make this so any kind of lasagna will be fine.

For the marinara sauce I use Trader Joe's Organic Marinara Sauce. It's low fat and no salt added so very low in sodium. Plus it tastes great!

SLOW-COOKER LASAGNA

1 lb. ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C water
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce - no salt added
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
8 oz. uncooked lasagna noodles; broken up
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 15 oz. containers low fat or fat free ricotta cheese
1/4 C egg substitute
1 26 oz jar marinara sauce

Brown the turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray until meat isn't pink any longer.

Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, marinara sauce, water, salt and oregano, mix well until heated through. Spread one-quarter of the meat sauce in an ungreased crock pot; arrange one third of the noodles over the meat. Combine the cheeses and the egg substitute and arrange one third of the cheese mixture over the noodles.

Repeat these layers two more times; top with the remaining meat sauce. Cover and cook 4 to 5 hours on low heat or until noodles are tender.

Potato Parsnip Hash, Pork Loin on the BBQ & More

Tonight was a night to try out new recipes. Everything the hubby and I made was a new recipe we had not tried before. I think overall everything was a complete success!

The main dish was Pork Loin Roast with a nice spice rub, wrapped in foil and cooked on the barbecue. Then I made a Potato and Parsnip Hash and the hubby cooked some sweet potato and butternut squash on the grill as well.

For the squash and sweet potato he just sliced them down the middle lengthwise scooping out the center of the squash. Then he coated all the slices with a brown sugar, salt and pepper mixture and wrapped them in foil. He cooked them on the barbecue for about 30 to 45 min or until tender. You need to turn them once or twice while they are cooking.

The pork loin roast was very easy to do. We used a small pork loin roast that was about 2 lbs and very lean. You can get whatever size you want, just be sure to test the center with a meat thermometer to make sure it’s cooked thoroughly.

We took the pork loin and rubbed it with a pork seasoning (you can use any seasoning you wish) and then wrapped it in foil and placed it on the barbecue. I believe it took about 45 minutes but be sure to use your meat thermometer. You want it to reach the temp for rare to medium. It comes out extremely tender! Great with applesauce!

The last thing we made was Potato Parsnip Hash. I saw this recipe on Rachel Ray’s show on the Food Network and wanted to try it. It was delicious! I had never tried parsnips before but with the potatoes and onions they tasted very good.

POTATO AND PARSNIP HASH

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed clean, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced into half moons
2 large parsnips, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced into half moons
5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely minced
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 3 turns of the pan of extra-virgin olive oil, about 3 tablespoons. Add the potatoes, parsnips, thyme and season with salt and pepper, stir frequently and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes and parsnips are nice and tender and lightly browned. Add the minced onion and continue to cook until they are tender and the potatoes are nice and brown. Once the hash is cooked add the chopped parsley. Stir to combine and transfer hash to a serving platter. Serve it up.

Fudge Brownie Pudding Cake

My Oh-So Wonderful hubby made this tonight and once again it was a big hit, especially with the in-laws. You pour boiling water over the batter just before putting it in the oven so it makes this thick chocolate syrup when it’s done.

I think this would be perfect served with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream. It would be like a brownie fudge sundae!

I was a good girl and resisted having more than just a taste as it would have put my blood sugar through the roof. It tasted soooo good! I may try making it another time and see what I can do to lighten it up.

FUDGE BROWNIE PUDDING CAKE
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powde; r
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup 1% lowfat milk
2 1/2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp black coffee
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 3/4 cups boiling water
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Heat oven to 375°F. Have ready an 8-in. square or other 2-qt, 2-in.-deep baking dish. Whisk flour, 1?2 cup cocoa powder and next 3-ingredients in a medium bowl until combined. In a 1-cup glass measure, combine milk, oil, liqueur and vanilla; stir into flour mixture until blended. Spread in ungreased baking dish.

Mix brown sugar and remaining 3 Tbsp cocoa; sprinkle evenly over batter. Slowly pour boiling water evenly over surface of batter—don’t stir. Carefully place in oven.

Bake 30 minutes, or until top is just set and a wooden pick inserted halfway into center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar. For a decorative design, place a paper doily on pudding cake before dusting with confectioners’ sugar. Carefully lift doily straight up. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped topping.

* Nutrition Facts * Yield 9 servings * Amount Per Serving * Calories 206 * Total Fat 5g * Saturated Fat 1g * Cholesterol NA * Sodium 184mg * Total Carbohydrates 41g * Dietary Fiber 2g * Protein 3g

Apple Walnut Cake

I found this in a magazine and my ever so wonderful hubby whipped it up last night. Needless to say it was a big hit!

Sorry these are not the best pictures in my blog but as we have been living with my in-laws until our house sells I am limited in my resources. The kitchen is very small and my photo box and all my lighting is packed away :( This will have to do!

We cut back a bit on the walnuts as we don't like a lot in our cakes and brownies but the recipe originally called for 1 1/2 cups so if you really like nuts then add as much as you wish. This was a really moist cake and would probably taste great with a dab of whip cream or maybe a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

APPLE WALNUT CAKE

2 cups sugar
1 cup + 2 T vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple cider or juice
3 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 cups flour
2 large granny Smith apple; any apple is ok
1/2 - 1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350°F

Peel, core and slice the apples.

Coat a 10 in. tube pan with cooking spray.

Whisk sugar, oil, apple cider (juice), eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until blended.

Stir in flour until blended. Stir in apples and walnuts.

Scrape mixture into the prepared tube pan.

Bake 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for about an hour before removing from pan.

Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar.

Nothing Like Warm Blueberry Muffins for Breakfast!

Today’s breakfast consisted of homemade blueberry muffins. YUM. I lightened them up a bit by using fat free sour cream and eggbeaters instead of the egg. Every little bit helps right?

BLUEBERRY SOURCREAM CORNMEAL MUFFINS
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup eggbeaters
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/3 cup thawed unsweetened apple juice
1-1/2 cups frozen unthawed blueberries

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Grease 12 medium-sized muffin cups or line with paper liners, you might want to spray the paper liners with cooking spray. The muffins tend to stick to the paper; set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Add combined egg, sour cream and apple juice concentrate; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in blueberries.

Spoon batter into prepared cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan on wire rack five minutes. Remove from pan; cool slightly.

Recipe makes one-dozen muffins. These are the only totals I have for these:

Calories: 166 Fat: 4g Protein: 4g Carbohydrate: 23g