Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore
A Healthy Version of an Italian Favorite!
From the Biggest Loser/ Chef Curtis Stone

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
Four 4-ounce pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, cut into medium dice
2 cups button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
¼ cup red wine
2 cups Muir Glen diced fire roasted tomatoes (sodium free)
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
5 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 cup steamed brown rice to serve

Heat a large saucepot over medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan.
Season the chicken with pepper and sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Remove the chicken to a plate and add the remaining oil to the pan.
Saute the onions for 3 minutes stirring constantly, then add the garlic and bell peppers.
Cook the garlic and peppers for 2 minutes and add the mushrooms.
Cook the mushrooms for 4 minutes stirring often.
Add the red wine and allow to reduce until almost dry.
Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir well.
Add the thyme, bay leaf and oregano.
Bring to the simmer and reduce heat to low.
Add the chicken back to the sauce and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Stir in all but one pinch of the parsley.
To serve, spoon 1/4 cup of brown rice onto the center of a serving plate.
Place one portion of chicken on top of the rice and spoon some of the sauce and vegetables over the chicken, repeat with remaining plates.
Sprinkle a little of the chopped olives and remaining parsley over each plate of chicken and serve.


Nutrient Analysis – per serving
Calories 300; fat calories 60; total fat g 7; sat fat g 1.5; chol mg 65; sodium mg 470; total carb g 25; fiber g 4; sugars g 8; protein g 30

Tamale Casserole

Tamale Casserole
From the kitchen of Renee Hill

3 cups preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup milk
1 large. egg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles

1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
3-4 chicken breast cooked and shredded (I cook mine in the crockpot with a little salsa and a can of original rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies)

Optional: sour cream, guacamole, and cilantro (for toppings and garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/2 cup cheese and next 6 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a greased 13 x 9–inch baking dish,

3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining cheese (I recommend mixing the chicken with a 1/2 cup cheese first). Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Plate, garnish a desired... and ENJOY

Mixed Mushroom Soup

Mixed Mushroom Soup
From: wholeliving.com


"When it comes to healing foods, mushrooms receive high marks. Oyster and shiitake may lower cholesterol, stimulate the immune system, and prevent cancer, while cremini offer selenium and a host of B vitamins."

187 calories; 9 g protein; 8 g fat; 23 g carb; 4 g fiber

Ingredients

Serves 4 (makes 7 cups)
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, such as white button, cremini, oyster, and shiitake (stemmed), rinsed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup marsala wine (optional)
4 cups vegetable broth

Directions

Soak porcini in 1 cup warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Lift porcini from liquid and coarsely chop; strain liquid through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and reserve.
In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add leeks; season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
Add garlic, porcini, and chopped mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 7 minutes or until mushrooms just begin to brown. Add fennel seeds, bay leaves, tomato paste, and tomatoes, and cook for 3 minutes. Add marsala (if using), porcini liquid, and broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Baked Cornflake Chicken

Baked Cornflake Chicken
From Apex Fitness

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Cornflakes crumbs
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup skim milk

Combine Cornflakes crumbs and seasonings in shallow bowl. Soak chicken in milk then dredge chicken in crumb mixture. Place on baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and no longer pink.

Makes 4 Servings
Serving Size: 1 chicken breast

Nutrients per serving:
Calories 351
Total Fat 3 grams
Saturated Fat 1 grams
Protein 57 grams
Carbohydrate 21 grams
Cholesterol 137 milligrams
Sodium 537 milligrams
Fiber 1 grams
Calcium 0 milligrams
Iron 0 milligrams

Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Peppers
From the kitchen of Renee Hill

Ingredients
1 red bell pepper
6 poblano peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup fat-free milk, divided
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Chihuahua cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Preparation
1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place bell pepper halves, skin sides up, and whole poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened, turning poblanos to blacken all sides. Place peppers in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel. Finely chop bell peppers. Cut tops crosswise from poblanos; remove seeds.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until done. Remove from pan.

4. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with flour and ground red pepper; cook 1 minute. Slowly add half-and-half, stirring with a whisk. Stir in 1/2 cup milk; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes. Add cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring until smooth. Place 1/3 cup cheese mixture in a large bowl; reserve remaining cheese mixture. Add bell pepper, shrimp mixture, cilantro, and juice to 1/3 cup cheese mixture in bowl; toss to coat. Stir 1/4 cup fat-free milk into reserved cheese mixture. Spoon 3 tablespoons cheese sauce onto each of the plates. Spoon 6 tablespoons shrimp mixture into each poblano. Place 2 stuffed poblanos and two tops on each plate.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From the Kitchen of Renee Hill

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Makeover Toffee Crunch Dessert

Makeover Toffee Crunch Dessert
by: Taste of Home

15 ServingsPrep: 20 min. + chilling

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups cold fat-free milk
1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1 prepared angel food cake (8 to 10 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes
4 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), crushed
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in 2 cups whipped topping. Fold in the remaining whipped topping.
In a 13-in. x 9-in. dish coated with cooking spray, layer half of the cake cubes, pudding mixture and crushed candy bars. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 15 servings.

Chocolate Turtle Cake

Chocolate Turtle Cake
By: Betty Crocker

Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 1 hour 50 min
Makes: 20 servings

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 bag (14 oz) caramels
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

Ice cream or Whipped cream, if desired
Caramel and chocolate topping, if desired
Chopped pecans, if desired


1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour half of the batter into pan. Bake 22 minutes (25 minutes for dark or nonstick pan). Refrigerate remaining batter.
3. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat caramels and evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Stir in pecans. Pour caramel mixture over warm cake in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Spread with remaining batter. Bake 25 minutes (29 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, drizzle with topping and sprinkle with pecans. Store loosely covered at room temperature.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 3, bake 30 minutes (34 minutes for dark or nonstick pan).