January 5, 2012: Low Fat Oriental Chicken Salad

I wanted to use a bit of leftover chicken I had in the freezer for dinner. My first thought was to make this chicken casserole that my husband so loves but, unfortunately, it’s filled with tons of calories. I decided, instead, to turn it into a lovely Oriental Chicken Salad. I used several different recipes to come up with this combination; the salad dressing is fat free and virtually calorie free so feel free to use as much as necessary to flavor your salad.

Low Fat Oriental Chicken Salad

Dressing

2 cups water

2 T. Truvia

3 t. dry pectin

1 T. rice wine vinegar

1 t. soy sauce

1 t. minced garlic

1 t. kosher salt

¼ t. black pepper

¼ t. paprika

1 package ramen noodles

1 cup water

½ t. chicken bouillon

3 cups torn green leaf lettuce

1 cup shredded Napa cabbage

2 green onions, white and green parts sliced on the diagonal

2 mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 rib celery, thinly sliced

½ cup cooked, shredded chicken

3 baby carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 T. roasted sunflower seeds

Combine dressing ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat to boiling, whisking frequently. Cook at a low boil for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate.

Bring cup of water to boiling in saucepot. Add ramen noodles and boillon. Boil for 3 minutes then turn off heat and allow to cool (noodles will absorb excess liquid).

Combine lettuce, cabbage, onions, mushrooms and celery. Toss with 1/3 to ½ cup of dressing. Place in serving bowl and top with chicken, ramen noodles, carrots and sunflower seeds.

Serves one with approximately 525 calories – but this is a BIG salad and has enough protein to satisfy.

September 14, 2011: Pear and Greens Salad Recipe

Most recipes for a green salad with pears calls for Bleu or Roquefort cheese and that is a good foil to the sweetness of the fruit. However, I didn’t have that kind of cheese so I took a look through my fridge to find alternative ingredients. Here’s what I came up with.

Pear and Greens Salad

1 cup Romaine lettuce

1 cup green leaf lettuce

1/3 cup Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette

1 ripe Bartlett pear, thinly sliced

¼ cup toasted pecan pieces

1 ounce shaved Parmesan cheese

Freshly grated black pepper

Toss lettuces with vinaigrette. Place half of it on a salad plate. Arrange half the pear slices over the top. Sprinkle with pecans and cheese; top with freshly grated black pepper to taste. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

To toast pecans: put in a dry skillet over medium low heat and cook for several minutes, until you can start to smell the fragrance of the nuts. Pressed for time? Microwave them on a small dish for about 2 minutes (check after 1 minute).

Serves two.

Tip: You can also use mixed baby greens or your choice of lettuce as the bed for the pears, nuts, and cheese.

July 21, 2011: California Cobb Wrap Recipe

Looking for a light lunchtime treat? Try this quick and easy wrap with beautiful colors and a great taste.

California Cobb Wrap

1 spinach sandwich wrap (tortilla)
1 T. ranch dressing (or use this chipotle garlic ranch recipe)
2 slices bacon, crisply cooked
½ avocado, thinly sliced
½ tomato, cut into thin slices
1 large leaf green lettuce

Spread dressing across one side of wrap. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, avocado slices and tomato slices. Top with lettuce. Roll up tightly, like a burrito.

Tip: Add shredded, leftover chicken for a heartier sandwich. Diced green chiles can also be added for a bit of a kick.

May 31, 2011: Mexican Pizza with Jalapeno Cornbread Crust Recipe

Here we are on the last day of the month… already! The summer season has officially begun and 22 years ago today I gave birth to my awesome, wonderful, handsome, intelligent, funny, responsible, hard-working, most precious son. Happy Birthday, Neal!

Now, for the last recipe of the month.

I made this one up the other day. I wanted something Mexican and I was craving pizza and this is what I came up with. Although I always make my refried beans from scratch (I actually don’t refry them but just mash them with the cooking liquid to save on calories) feel free to use a can of good quality beans instead.

Mexican Pizza

Jalapeno Cornbread Crust:
¾ cup warm water
1 ½ t. dry yeast
1 T. honey
1 T. finely chopped jalapenos
1 T. butter, softened
1 t. salt
¼ cup cornmeal
2 – 2 ½ cups flour

In the warmed bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water and yeast. Let sit for a few minutes, until it starts to froth. Add remaining ingredients, through cornmeal. Add one-and-a-half cups of the flour and process on Speed 2 for a couple minutes. Add remaining flour, half cup at a time, until mixture forms a smooth dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides, and cover. Let rise in a warm place 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough.

Grease a pizza stone with olive oil. Evenly spread the dough across the pan, using your fingers to bring it to the edges; crimp the edges slightly.

For the Pizza:
2 cups refried beans
1 cup sliced black olives
½ onion, thinly sliced
1/8 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese
1 lb. chorizo, cooked and drained of grease
4 slices pepper jack cheese
Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, optional
Taco sauce, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place oven rack in lowest position.

Spread the prepared dough with refried beans. Top with olives, onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, and chorizo. Place the four slices of pepper jack cheese around the pizza in a diamond pattern.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, cool slightly, and slice into eighths. Top with lettuce, tomato, and taco sauce, if desired.

Makes 8 slices.

May 16, 2011: A Manly Salad and Honey Mustard Dressing Recipe

My husband had to go to the doctor last week. He’s really been trying to get healthier by quitting smoking and drinking (he only drinks a beer every now and then) but one thing he hasn’t done is eat better. I try my best to force veggies down his throat when he’s home for dinner but there’s not much I can do about the fact that he stops at Circle K on the way to work and buys a pastry for breakfast or a greasy fast food hamburger for lunch.

Well, at this last doctor’s visit, he was horrified to find out he’d gained another five pounds in the last month or so when he’d already started out heavier than normal. I guess this was his wakeup call, at least for a day or two (we’ll see how long his healthy eating habit lasts)…

So the other night he insisted we just eat salad. Although I’d had a veggie wrap for lunch, which is basically salad in a tortilla, I acquiesced. Although this salad isn’t exactly real low in calories, it’s not too bad since I made the salad dressing. Here’s what we put in our salads (I’m not including measurements here because that’s really up to you and the size of your bowl):

Manly Salad

Romaine lettuce
Green leaf lettuce
Shredded carrot
Heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
Black olives
Deli ham slices, cubed
Broccoli sprouts
Hard boiled eggs
Sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

¼ cup honey
¼ cup olive oil
1 t. minced garlic
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup whole grain mustard

Mix all ingredients well. Makes enough for 2 large salads.