Thursday, March 10, 2011

Chicken Enchiladas


Submitted by: Shauna Ploeger

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cumin powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 16 corn tortillas
  • 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
  • Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Roasted Vegetables

Submitted by: Weight Watchers

Course: side dishes
PointsPlus™ Value: 1
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients



4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray, divided
2 medium sweet red pepper(s), cut into 8 thick strips
1 medium green pepper(s), cut into 8 thick strips
1 medium yellow summer squash, cut thickly on the diagonal
1 medium zucchini, cut thickly on the diagonal
1 medium red onion(s), cut into large wedges
12 oz canned artichoke hearts, without oil, drained and halved

1 Tbsp thyme, fresh, fresh, minced

1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450ºF. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.

  • Arrange peppers, squash, zucchini, onion and artichokes on prepared baking sheets and coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with thyme, salt and black pepper.

  • Roast until vegetables are tender and golden brown, shaking pan once or twice during cooking, about 25 to 30 minutes. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Potato Salad

Submitted by: Weight Watchers

Course: side dishes
PointsPlus™ Value: 5
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients


1 1/2 pound(s) uncooked red potatoes

3 slice(s) uncooked turkey bacon

1/4 cup(s) reduced-calorie mayonnaise

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped

1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup(s) scallion(s), chopped

Instructions

  • Place whole potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover them; set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 to 30 minutes; drain. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice each into eight pieces.

  • Meanwhile, cook bacon in a hot skillet or in the microwave until crisp; drain on paper towels. Break bacon into small pieces.

  • In a small cup, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper.

  • Tranfer cut potatoes to a large bowl; add bacon and scallions. Toss with dressing until coated. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce


Submitted by: Weight Watchers

Course: main meals
PointsPlus™ Value: 6
Servings: 2
Preparation Time: 8 min
Cooking Time: 18 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients



3 spray(s) cooking spray
8 oz Beef, filet mignon, trimmed, raw, washed and patted dry (use two 1/4 lb pieces)

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

6 Tbsp wine, red, such as Burgundy or Bordeaux

1 tsp unsalted butter

1/2 Tbsp chives, or parsley, fresh, chopped
1/2 pound(s) asparagus, trimmed, steamed or roasted

Instructions

  • Coat a grill pan (with sides) with cooking spray; set pan over medium-high heat.

  • Rub salt and pepper all over steak. When pan is hot, cook steak for about 4 minutes without flipping. Flip steak and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes more for medium doneness.

  • Remove steak to a cutting board and loosely cover with aluminum foil; let rest for at least 10 minutes (steak will continue to cook under foil).

  • While steak is resting, pour wine onto grill pan; increase heat to high. Reduce liquid by about 75%, scraping bottom and sides of pan while sauce is boiling (the thicker the sauce, the more the flavor it will have), about 2 to 4 minutes. If any juice has seeped out of steak while it’s resting, add it to grill pan. Once sauce is reduced, add butter to pan; cook until just melted.

  • Very thinly slice steak against grain and place on plates; drizzle with sauce. Garnish with chives or parsley and serve with asparagus. Yields about 3 1/2 ounces steak, 1 tablespoon sauce and 1/2 of asparagus per serving.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Sweet Party Mix


Ingredients

  • 1 (12 ounce) package crispy corn and rice cereal
  • 5 ounces slivered almonds
  • 6 ounces toasted, chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a large roasting pan.
  2. In a large bowl, mix crispy corn and rice cereal, slivered almonds and toasted, chopped pecans.
  3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and mix with dark corn syrup and light brown sugar. Pour the mixture over the crispy corn and rice cereal mixture. Stir and shake to coat all the nuts and cereal.
  4. Pour the coated mixture into the prepared roasting pan. Stirring approximately every 15 minutes, cook 1 hour in the preheated oven. Cool on wax paper, and store in airtight containers.

Smoky Maple-Rubbed Salmon


Submitted by Amy Smith (from Family Circle Magazine)

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 5 oz each) scrubbed and patted dry
4 pieces salmon fillet (about 6 oz each)
4 teaspoons McCormick Grill Mates Steakhouse Maple seasoning
1 large bundle kale (about 1 pound), rinsed, cut into 2 inch pieces and rough ends removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake at 450 for 45 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, place Salmon fillets, skin-side down, in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the seasoning evenly over each fillet. After sweet potatoes have baked 25 minutes, place Salmon in oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

While potatoes and salmon are baking, prepare kale. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, until golden. Add kale, salt, and red pepper and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.