No-Peek-A-Noff

This was one of those times when I had an idea for a dinner and I started to cook it, and then I realized I was missing half of the essential ingredients. That is when dinner plans morph into something else. My intention tonight was to make No-Peek Stew. A childhood favorite of my husbands that my mother-in-law shared with me. When I realized I was missing the cream of mushroom soup, I knew I had to change plans. Somehow this No-Peek stew morphed into a sort of beef stroganoff (with the addtion of sour cream added at the end.)

No-Peek-a-noff

1 package egg noodles, prepared according to package.
1.5 lbs stew beef
1/2 cup flour
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 sprigs of fresh oregano (1/2 tbsp dried)
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 pint mushrooms
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

In crock pot, place chopped onion and garlic. Layer beef on top of the onions. In a small bowl, mix the flour, worcestershire sauce, beef stock and milk. Pour over beef. Add oregano, salt and pepper. Cook on low 6 hours, stirring occasionally. While waiting for pasta to cook, chop mushrooms and add to the beef. Stir in sour cream and red wine vinegar. Put crock pot on high while pasta finishes up. Drain pasta, serve beef over pasta.

Ground Turkey & Butternut Squash Ravioli

This is one of those dishes I created in my head by staring really hard at my pantry. I found a can of Organic Butternut Squash Puree left over from the days when my twins were eating purees. I made 99.9% of their purees from scratch, but I had a few cans on hand for if I got in a pinch. I was on a mission to use this puree in a yummy adult meal. I succeeded big time! The sauce, while almost fat free was so good, that my husband thought it had 1/2 a stick of butter in it! There was more stuffing than the 12 raviolis, so I made a couple for my toddlers and they loved them too!
Ground Turkey & Butternut Squash Ravioli

6oz ground turke
1/2 can pureed butternut squash
1/2 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp tarragon
1/8 tsp sage
pinch nutmeg
12 wontons
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp tarragon
salt

In a small skillet, sautè onion and garlic. Add ground turkey. Stir, breaking up the turkey until it is almost cooked through. Add all spices. Add squash puree. Check seasonings and adjust as necessary. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely!

To make sacue, pour chicken broth in a small pot. Add flour, tarragon and salt. Whisk until there are no lumps. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking occasionally until it thickens.

Lay out 12 wonton wrappers. Place 1 tablespoon of turkey mixture in the middle of each wrapper. Wet the edges and fold in half. Press carefully and make sure to remove all the air. In a large pot, bring water to boil. Salt the water. Working in batches to not crowd your pot, gently lower wontons in boiling water. Cook about 3-4 minutes or until wontons float to the surface and start to turn translucent. Plate the ravioli and spoon sauce on top.
-Amanda

Amanda's Easy Jambalaya

My easy Jambalaya. This is probably as authentic as Rolex bought from a New York street corner. But then again, what makes authentic cuisine? Good food, is good food and easy good food sometimes is even better. A real jambalaya might take all day to make. This took about 15 minutes to throw together. This recipe serves 2.

Amanda's Easy Jambalaya

1/2 cup raw rice, prepared per package directions
6 oz shrimp, cut in half
5 oz andouille sausage (I used a low-fat turkey sausage)
1/4 package frozen okra
1 small onion diced
1 small green bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning (or other Cajun seasoning blend)
1 tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)

Dice onion, bell pepper and garlic and sautè in skillet until translucent. Add sausage and cook until it starts to caramelize. In a small bowl whisk flour and chicken broth. Add tomato paste to skillet and cook it for a minute having chicken broth ready to pour in the skillet. When tomato paste has cooked through, add the broth before it burns. Add frozen okra and shrimp. Season with Cajun seasoning and oregano, salt and pepper. Serves over rice. Serves 2.

Weight Watchers (per serving)
3oz shrimp- 1 pt
2.5 oz sausage - 2.5 pts
tomato paste -1 pt
rice- 3 pts
flour- 0.5 pts
-Amanda

Apricot Glazed Chicken Kabobs

These turned out delicious! Even my 16 month toddlers gobbled up the chicken and mushrooms. Since they don't have any back teeth they couldn't eat the bell pepper or onion.

Apricot Glazed Chicken Kabobs

8 oz chicken breast, cubed
1 small bell pepper
1/2 small onion
12 small mushrooms
Glaze
2 tbsp apricot preserves
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 c chicken broth

Cube chicken into 1" pieces. Cut bell pepper into small squares. Quarter onion. Clean 12 mushrooms. In a small bowl mix the ingredients for the glaze. Layer vegetables and meat on skewers. With a pastry brush, brush glaze onto kabobs. Marinate 1 hr, brushing glaze and rotating kabobs every 15 minutes. Grill on outdoor grill for 15 minutes or broil in oven. Serves 2.

Weight Watchers:
Chicken 1 pt per oz.
1 pt for glaze

Weight Watchers Mexican Casserole

I honestly don't remember where I picked up this recipe for Weight Watchers Mexcian Casserole. I think it might have been on one of those cards you get when you attend meetings. I'm not sure, I just know that I've made it several times, it's always a big hit and it is only 5 pts for a serving. Somewhere along the line I added a can of tomatoes to the dish because it was too dry. Well tonight I forgot to *drain the tomatoes and it became too wet. Oh well, it still tasted good, but instead of eating it with a fork, a spoon was needed!

Weight Watchers Mexican Casserole

1.5 lb bag pre-cooked chicken, faijta style strips
2 15.5oz cans of black beans, drained
3 cups of fat free sour cream
2 cups low fat mexican cheese
2 4oz cans of diced chilies (not drained)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (*drained!)
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
12 small corn tortillas cut in thick strips

This is SUCH an easy dinner. I call it "dump" style. Defrost chicken. Add to a big bowl. Open all cans, drain as needed and pour in the bowl. Add seasonings, including salt and pepper if desired. Add almost all the cheese, reserving some for the top. Mix chicken and all ingredients very well. Layer 1/3 of tortillas in the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer 1/2 of chicken mixture. Layer 1/3 of tortillas, and the rest of the chicken mixture. Top with the last of the tortillas and sprinkle with set aside cheese. Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes. Serves 12.

Weight Watchers:
5 pts for 1/12 of casserole
-Amanda

Chicken (Wings) and 40 Cloves

Tonight for my monthly PAMOM (Plano Area Mom's of Multiples) meeting is a pot luck dinner. Everyone is encouraged to bring a favorite dish. I of course, have to be daring and bring something I've never cooked before. Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to do this. When cooking for company, I rarely go for tried and true. I go for bold and new. It adds a level of excitement and stress to any entertaining event I do. One dish I made for company a few years ago that got big raves was Chicken and 40 Cloves (of garlic.) This really wouldn't work in this potluck, since serving a whole chicken breast to the 80 or so women would be financially unrealistic. So, I decided to try it with chicken wings and drummettes.

Chicken (Wings) and 40 Cloves

8-10 lbs of chicken wings
2 large sprigs of rosemary (16 inches or so total)
1/4 cup olive oil
40 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

Trim each chicken wing. Chop off the wing tip (save to make stock or discard.) Cut between the wing and the drummette. Each wing yields two pieces of chicken. In a lasagna pan place all the chicken pieces. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix in peepled garlic cloves. Add salt and pepper. Toss to coat the wings with oil. Tuck pieces of rosemary in and about the chicken. Cover and bake at 350º for 40-45 minutes. With tongs, place each piece of chicken on a cookie sheet in a single layer with space around each wing. Turn your broiler on Hi and broil for 10 -12 minutes or until the skin gets crispy and golden. Take reserved garlic that is now roasted, about a tablespoon of the cooked rosemary and 1/2 cup of pan drippings. Blend in together in a blender. Place chicken in a big mixing bowl, pour garlic puree on top and coat the chicken. Serve warm.

-Amanda

Chicken Cheddar Hoagies

Fast and Easy was what I needed for tonight. This fit the bill with the plus side of being super yummy! I got this from a Weight Watchers Stir It Up! Super Skillet Cookbook. I made the recipe to serve 2 instead of four and figured out my own points.

Chicken Cheddar Hoagies

8 oz chicken, diced
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 roasted red bell pepper from jar, chopped
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp thyme
2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
2 small individual french loafs

In a cast iron skillet (or other heavy skillet) sautè onions and bell peppers. Remove from skillet. Add chicken, salt & pepper, thyme and worcestershire sauce. When chicken is almost cooked through, add back veggies and cook the chicken through. Spoon half onto each loaf that is cut down the middle. Add 2oz cheese to each sandwich. Broil in oven until cheese is melted.

Weight Watchers (per serving):
4oz chicken: 4 pts
1 oz cheese: 2 pts
small french loaf: 3 pts
-Amanda

Updated 3/14/11- I no longer believe in the low fat/ high fiber lifestyle. But this recipe will still be a great meal. I'll saute the veggies and chicken in bacon grease or coconut oil and add a bunch more raw-milk cheddar cheese on top. Ideally I'd serve on a sprouted grain bread to make this a Weston A. Price approved meal!