Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Grilled Corn Pasta Salad

Grilled Corn Pasta Salad
By: Taste of Home

8 Servings Prep: 20 min. + soaking Grill: 25 min. + cooling

Ingredients
4 large ears sweet corn in husks
1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Carefully peel back corn husks to within 1 in. of bottom; remove silk. Rewrap corn in husks and secure with kitchen string. Place in a stockpot; cover with cold water. Soak for 20 minutes; drain.
Grill corn, covered, over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until tender, turning often.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. When corn is cool enough to handle, remove kernels from cobs and place in a large bowl. Add the pasta, tomatoes, zucchini and olives.
In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients. Pour over salad and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis:
One serving (1 cup) equals 164 calories, 6 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 382 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 5 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges:

Friday, June 24, 2011

Puff Pancakes


Puff Pancakes
From the Kitchen of Kristin Sumption

Preheat oven and 9inch cake pan at 450 degrees

Ingredients:
2 Eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Beat together all the ingredients, except the butter, all at once. The more air you beat into the pancake batter the puffier it will be. When the oven and pan have been preheated toss the 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan and return it to the oven. Once the butter is melted and bubbling pour the batter slowly into the center of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and deliciously puffy!

Serve with powdered sugar and lemon juice :)

This makes 1 pancake that could easily serve two people. I usually make three of them since my boys love them so much. If you make more than one, you must make the batters in separate bowls, it's the only way they will all turn out correctly. Bummer it makes more dishes but its so worth it!

Enjoy!

Another option is to leave out the vanilla and serve it as a savory dish with a french stew or something similar! Yum!

Grilled Chicken Nachos

Grilled Chicken Nachos
By: BiggestLoserClub.com
Fire up your weekend with this south of the border favorite!

Be sure you either wear plastic gloves or wash your hands immediately after working with jalapeños.

1 ounce baked tortilla chips
1/4 cup drained canned 50% less-sodium black beans, heated
4 ounces grilled extra-lean boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons salsa con queso, all-natural, heated
3 tablespoons finely chopped seeded tomato
2 tablespoons thinly sliced jalapeño chile pepper

Lay the chips on a dinner plate. Top them evenly with the beans, followed by the chicken. Drizzle the cheese evenly over the top. Top with the tomato and jalapeño slices and serve.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 321 calories, 32 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat (less than 1 g saturated), 65 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 498 mg sodium

Strawberry Summer Cake

My sweet friend Kristin had the most awesome post (with pictures) for an awesome Strawberry Summer Cake.


Click here for the recipe :)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Essential Grilled Chicken

Essential Grilled Chicken
From BiggestLoserClub.com
An essential item for controlling weight

Keep extra grilled chicken on hand at all times to toss into salads, layer into sandwiches, and sprinkle on pizzas and quesadillas for a healthy protein punch.

4 (4-ounce) trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil spray (propellant free)
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat a grill to high heat.

Lightly mist both sides of each chicken breast with spray and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 127 calories, 26 g protein, 0 g carbohydrates (0 g sugar), 2 g fat, trace saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 74 mg sodium

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Fried Rice

Fried Rice
Here is my recipe for Fried Rice (it's adapted from the Better Homes and Garden Version)




1 tsp sesame oil or cooking oil
2 beaten eggs
1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots
4-5 green onion chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil
3-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (plus more for seasoning)
2 tbsp water
dash ground red pepper
2 cups chilled cooked rice (I used 1-2 day old rice...I cook it in my rice cooker and spread in on a parchment lined cookie sheet and leave it in the fridge for a day or two before I plan to use it)
In a large skillet/wok add 1 tsp oil over medium heat....add beaten eggs, lifting and tilting skillet to
for a thin layer. Cook for 1 minute or until egg is set. Invert skillet over cutting board and cut egg
into short narrow strips; set aside for later




In the same skillet, add the sesame oil, green onion, garlic, peas/carrots and let cook for about 3-4 minutes (you can also add other veggies such as mushrooms,
asparagus, or broccoli if you want).



Stir soy sauce, water and red pepper.....add to veggies.

Stir in rice and saute for about two-3 minutes (I like to do it longer and in a thin layer so that the rice gets a little crispy).



I also add more soy sauce on top of the rice after I mix it, so that it's even coated :)

Finally, add the egg strips back in, cook a few more minutes, until egg is hot.

Enjoy!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad
From BiggestLoser.com

Dijon mustard lovers will like this twist on traditional chicken salad

This deceptively creamy dressing has about 1/3 of the calories and 1/4 of the fat usually found in a similar sized serving.

1 pound trimmed, boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons fat-free plain yogurt
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup seedless grapes, cut in half
1/3 cup chopped red apples

Preheat a grill to high heat.

Rub the chicken on all sides with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill it for 3-5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Allow the chicken to cool, then cut it into bite-sized cubes.

Meanwhile, in a large glass or plastic mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the yogurt, and mustard. Add the chicken, celery, grapes, and apples. Gently toss the mixture well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over a bed of lettuce leaves or on sprouted grain or multi-grain bread.

Makes 4 servings; 3 cups.

Per 3/4 cup serving: 173 calories, 27 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 233 mg sodium

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Frozen Banana Treats Recipe

Frozen Banana Treats Recipe
From Taste of Home

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups granola without raisins, crushed
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
8 Popsicle sticks
4 large firm bananas, halved widthwise
Directions
Sprinkle granola onto a large piece of waxed paper; set aside. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until blended.
Insert a Popsicle stick into each banana half. Spread with chocolate mixture; roll in granola. Wrap in foil and freeze for 24 hours. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 307 calories, 15 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 8 g protein.

Banana Basics
Look for plump bananas that are evenly yellow-colored. Green bananas are under-ripe, while a flecking of brown flecks indicates ripeness. If bananas are too green, place in a paper bag until ripe. Adding an apple to the bag will speed the process. Store ripe bananas at room temperature. To prevent bruises, a banana hook or hanger is a great inexpensive investment. For longer storage, you can place ripe bananas in a tightly sealed plastic bag and refrigerate. The peel will become brown but the flesh will remain unchanged. One pound of bananas equals about 3 medium or 1-1/3 cups mashed.