January 23, 2012: Slimmed Down Coq au Vin Recipe

Coq au Vin is one of my favorite recipes for comfort food during cold months. It has everything I love – bacon, chicken, root vegetables and a yummy sauce. But there’s no reason this French dish has to be so loaded with fat calories and sodium. Here’s a version I created that is great for the calorie conscious diner but just as delicious, hot and filling as the original.

Slimmed Down Coq au Vin

4 pieces bone-in chicken, skin removed (breasts, thighs, drumsticks)

Salt and pepper

1 T. olive oil

1 shallot, sliced horizontally

8 large cloves garlic, thickly sliced

1 cup baby carrots, halved lengthwise

1 rib celery, sliced

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into thirds

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups chicken stock

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried sage

½ t. dried parsley

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. water

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté on both sides for five minutes per side, until golden brown on the outside. Remove from Dutch oven and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lower heat and add vegetables to Dutch oven. Sauté for a few minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add wine, chicken stock and herbs; place reserved chicken pieces on top of vegetables. Cover Dutch oven and place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are soft.

Stir together cornstarch and water. Remove chicken pieces from Dutch oven and stir in cornstarch mixture. Place chicken back in Dutch oven and return to oven for five more minutes to thicken sauce.

Serves 4

Note: This is a complete meal that only needs biscuits or French bread as a side.

January 18, 2012: Healthy Meatloaf Recipe

Here’s another of my favorite meals that I’ve slimmed down for the calorie conscious diner (me!). Although my husband groaned with he saw me using ground turkey, he enjoyed the finished product. If you want fewer calories, omit the ground beef (I added it so this meatloaf would taste more like the traditional recipe I usually prepare).

Healthy Meatloaf

1 slice whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces

1 T. dehydrated onions

1 T. dried parsley

2 T. fat free half and half

2 T. beef broth

1 egg

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup ketchup

1 chile in adobo sauce, minced

1 t. each: oregano, sage, garlic salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. 4 ounces ground turkey

12 ounces 80% lean ground beef

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine bread pieces, onions and parsley. Stir in half and half and beef broth; let sit for five minutes. Add egg, Worcestershire, ketchup, chile and seasonings; mix well. Add in ground meat and mix with your hands. Pat mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes, or until completely cooked through the middle.

Serves 6 (per serving: 615 calories, 30 grams fat, 882 sodium)

January 17, 2012: Healthy Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

Last year I shared a Spicy Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe with you. This year, when I’m concerned with calories, I decided to redo that recipe and make it healthier. Here’s what I came up with which, by the way, my husband loved (and he’s not counting calories!).

Healthy Stuffed Bell Peppers

½ cup brown rice

4 medium-sized green bell peppers

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 T. red bell pepper, minced

1 clove garlic, minced (divided)

2 green onions, minced (divided)

1 ½ T. green chile, minced (divided)

1/3 cup canned corn, drained

½ t. each: oregano, garlic salt, paprika, dried parsley, black pepper, dried cilantro and cumin powder

1 can condensed cheese soup (divided)

¼ cup fat free half and half

In a saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups water to boil. Add half cup brown rice. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove the cap of the green peppers and clean out seeds and membranes inside. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each, if necessary, to make them stand up straight (good posture for peppers, ha!). Spray a baking pan with cooking spray and stand peppers within.

In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook ground chicken over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, half of the minced garlic, the white parts of the green onion, and half of the green chile. Sauté for another two minutes, until veggies are soft. Add corn, rice, seasonings and ¼ cup of the cheese soup. The rice should have a small amount of unabsorbed water in the bottom of the pan; if not add a tablespoon of water to mixture to chicken mixture to thin it a bit.

Stuff each pepper with one quarter of the chicken/rice mixture. Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour, until bell peppers are soft.

While the peppers are cooking, mix together remaining cheese soup, reserved vegetables and half and half. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through.

To serve, place one pepper on a plate and spoon a quarter of the warm cheese sauce over the top. Goes great with a hot bowl of soup or a crisp, fresh green salad.

Serves 4 with 349 calories, 11 grams of fat and 761.5 mg of sodium each serving.

December 24, 2011: New Mexican Chalupas Recipe

Here’s another perfect winter dish that feeds a lot of people and fills them up quickly. The best part about this recipe is that you can throw the ingredients together in the morning and let it cook all day long, until the meat and beans are melt-in-your-mouth tender. Served with a salad and flour tortillas, it’s a complete meal with little fuss and muss.

Chalupas

One 3-pound pork roast (any variety; even tough cuts become tender)

1 T. vegetable oil

1 small white or yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. oregano

1 T. ground cumin

1 t. salt

1 16-ounce can tomatoes

2 14-ounce cans chicken broth

2 small cans green chiles (or 1 cup fresh/frozen chiles, diced)

1 pound dry pinto beans, rinsed

¼ t. powdered red chile

6 quarts water

Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, black olives and salsa for garnish (any or all optional)

Trim and discard excess fat from pork. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven to medium; add pork and brown on all sides. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients (up to garnishes). Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 6 hours, stirring often (you can also placed the covered pot in a low oven for the same amount of time).

Before serving, remove pork roast and shred into bite-size pieces. Return to pot. Spoon pork mixture onto tostada shells and top with garnishes, or serve with flour tortillas or corn chips on the side.

Serves 12 – 16

December 6, 2011: Crispy Baked Cod Recipe

Although my husband’s favorite fish is battered and deep fried, every now and then I try to make a slightly healthier version. I wouldn’t call this recipe low fat by any means, but because it’s baked instead of fried, it’s marginally healthier – but oh so tastier! I served it with a spicy bottled remoulade dipping sauce, alfredo noodles, and peas with mushrooms for a complete dinner. By the way, if the ingredients look familiar, it’s because the breading is the same basic recipe I used to make Crunchy BakedParmesan Chicken.

Crispy Baked Cod

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 t. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ t. garlic salt

1 pound cod fillets

¾ cup panko bread crumbs

1 T. flour

1/2 teaspoon each: dried parsley, sage, garlic salt and oregano

1/4 teaspoon each: cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper

Combine mayonnaise, oil, garlic, pepper and salt. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably several hours to overnight, to allow flavors to meld.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a broiler pan by placing foil in the bottom pan and spraying the broiler rack with nonstick cooking spray.

Rinse the cod fillets and pat dry. Cut into fourths, if necessary, to make four even-sized pieces. Place the pieces on the broiler rack. Smear a fourth of the mayonnaise mixture on top of each fish piece. Combine bread crumbs, flour and spices; sprinkle a fourth of the mixture on top of each piece of fish. Gently pat the crumbs into place.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn heat to broiler and broil fish fillets for about 3 – 5 minutes, until the crumb topping is browned.

Serves 4

December 4, 2011: Crunchy Parmesan Chicken Recipe

Do you like Shake N Bake chicken? Then you’ll love this recipe that’s almost as easy to make – and way more tasty. It combines crunchy panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese to make baked chicken your family is sure to love.

Crunchy Parmesan Baked Chicken served with Alfredo Rice and Cauliflower and freshly steamed green beans.

Crunchy Baked Parmesan Chicken

4 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken (breasts, thighs, drumsticks – whatever you prefer)

6 ounces panko bread crumbs

2 T. flour

¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon each: dried parsley, sage, garlic salt and oregano

½ teaspoon each: cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

If you want fewer calories, take the skin off the chicken pieces. Rinse.

Combine bread crumbs, flour, cheese and spices in a large sealable bag. Place chicken pieces, one at a time, in bag and shake well so chicken is coated with bread crumb mixture. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle any remaining coating mixture on top of chicken.

Bake for one hour, until juices from chicken run clear. Do not turn over!

Serves 4