Pasta with Bacon and Peas

So easy and healthy for a weeknight. I use turkey bacon instead of real to bring down the fat and calories. I also used 1% instead of half & half as the original called for.

3/4 box whole wheat rotini (I used Barilla)
1/2 bag frozen peas
4 slices turkey bacon, cut into small pieces and cooked
1 shallot, halved and sliced
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. In a skillet, place the precut turkey bacon and cook over medium heat, keep a close eye so as not to burn it. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel. Add in the sliced shallot and cook approximately 2 minutes. Add in the peas and milk, as well as salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened. Add in bacon. Toss bacon and pea mixture with the pasta in a bowl. Top with some grated parmesean cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Tequila Lime Chicken

Last night DH and I had a great dinner and I felt like I needed to post about it. We made tequila lime chicken, with a side of cooked asparagus and jalapeno pasta (Ok, I didn't make this, it is Knorr Pasta side). My favorite part was how I made the chicken and the way it came out.

3, 3-4 oz. chicken breasts
1/8 cup tequila
1/8 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 shallot, halved and sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
Olive oil, two turns of the pan.

Marinate the chicken for 4-8 hours in the tequila and lime juice. Add the olive oil and garlic into a heated pan and cook about 3 mins. Add in the chicken and top with the onions and peppers. Cover with a lid and cook about 10 mins, turning every few minutes. When the chicken has cooked through, take the lid off and raise the temperature under the pan. Brown the chicken and vegetables at the higher heat, being careful not to burn. At the end, top with some low fat cheddar and melt. Served with asparagus drizzled with olive oil and garlic and cook in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Tofu with Peanut Sauce

This recipe came together by looking at what we had in our pantry. My wonderful husband is a pro at cooking tofu just right so I left that part up to him. The sauce I found in my recipe binder and went perfectly with the dish. We made enough for dinner for the two of us as well as a lunch portion. There's no picture but we loved it so I wanted to post it.

Extra firm tofu, about a half a block
5-6 oz. Healthy Harvest wide noodles (whole grain)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
olive oil, two turns of the pan
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 TBSP peanut butter (we used the low fat, natural Smuckers)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 TBSP honey
salt to taste

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Brown the tofu in the pan with the olive oil. Remove from the pan and add the vegetables and garlic to it. Cook with a lid to steam them. While the vegetables are cooking combine the last 6 ingredients into a bowl and whisk it together and set aside. When the vegetables are cooked, add the tofu back in and pour in the peanut sauce. Combine well and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over noodles and serve.

Shrimp Cakes and Sundried Tomato & Mushroom Risotto

For dinner tonight I knew I wanted to try both the shrimp cakes and make a risotto. I know they don't really go together but it actually worked out fine and we had two very different but very good recipes on our plates.

Shrimp Cakes
Cooking spray
Cooked shrimp (I used the prefrozen bagged kind), about 8-12 ounces, chopped
2.5 TBSP Light Mayo
1 egg, beaten
2 TBSP bread crumbs, flavored
2 TBSP chopped scallions
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together well with a spoon. Spoon cakes onto a griddle sprayed with cooking spray and form into small pancake shapes. Cook ~3 minutes on both sides or until cooked through. Serve with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce. Makes 3-4 cakes depending on how much shrimp you used.

Sundried Tomato and Mushroom Risotto
4 oz. sundried tomatoes, chopped (NOT from oil)
6-8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1-1/2 cups arborio rice
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Warm the chicken broth in a pot on the stove. Keep heat under it for the duration of cooking. Heat the oil in a pan, add in the onion and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes or until onion begins to become translucent. Add in the mushrooms and sundried tomates, and one ladle of the chicken broth. Cook until mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 mins. Add in the arborio rice, coating it with the oil and broth. Stir in the warm water and continue to ladle in the broth as it is absorbed until the rice is cooked through and tender. When done, remove from the heat and stir in the mozzarella and parm cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Strawberry bread

I got this from a fellow WC Nestie, Skinny Food that Feels Guilty. My husband needs to start having healthier breakfasts and I thought this would be a great alternative for him.

INGREDIENTS

* 2-1/2 cups fresh strawberries
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1-1/8 cup whole wheat flour
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup Splenda
* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 8 oz. unsweetened applesauce
* 1/4 cup light sour cream
* 4 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a loaf pan.
2. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.
3. Combine flours, sugar, splenda, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend applesauce and sour cream and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Spread batter into loaf pan.
4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out, and cool completely. Serve with cream cheese or a little I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I was in the food store today and wanted to buy hummus but my god is it expensive. So I decided to buy 2 cans of chick peas for 80 cents instead of a small tub of hummus for $4 and make my own. And I did! I already had a jar of roasted red peppers at home so it was easy (and healthy)!

2 cans chick peas (garbanzo beans)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic
2-3 large slices of roasted red peppers
1/3 cup EVOO
salt and pepper to taste














Drain the chick peas in a colander. Then place them in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. This will help to remove their outside skin. Once the 10 minutes is up rinse and drain them again. Then combine all the ingredients into a food processor until creamy. You can do it in 2 batches if your food processor is too small, which is what I did. It's that easy and I saved myself a decent amount of money. $4 once a week versus 80 cents adds up over time. And this makes a 16 oz. container, enough to last over a week.

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

I got this recipe from Cooking Light. I've had a bundt pan since my wedding and never used it, so now I can say, I have. My lovely stepdaughter helped me make the yummy icing and we're having this cake for dessert tonight. Here's the recipe and a few photos, courtesy of Emma and myself.

Cake:
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar (I used 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1/2 cup of splenda)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries (I only had a little more than 1 cup but it was plenty!)

Glaze: (I only used about half of the glaze this made. It was way too much.)
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, butter, and rind in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (about 4 minutes total). Beat in vanilla and sour cream. Add flour mixture; beat at medium speed just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Makes 16 servings. Nutrition ingredients based on the original recipe CALORIES 299(23% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 4g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 5g; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 68mg; SODIUM 172mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 53.2g

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I was a little afraid of the spice but it actually was perfect. Not too hot, not too mild. This one was a WINNER!

3 chicken breast halves, cubed
1/2 palmful Monterey chicken seasoning or 2 TBSP crushed red pepper
1 small can of tomato sauce
2-3 TBSP hot sauce
2 TBSP Worcester sauce
2 TBSP I can't believe it's not butter light
1 Boboli whole wheat pizza crust
1 cup light mozz or other italian cheese
1/4 cup parm cheese

Heat the oven to 425. Cook the cubed chicken in the seasoning in a pan. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, then add the sauces and combine. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken. Spread the chicken mixture over the pizza crust, then top with the cheeses and bake for 10 minutes.

It's so easy for a weeknight, enjoy!