Lemon Chicken with Capers

This is another story of a cooking experience gone bad/turned out good.

I started making this for dinner yesterday and when the chicken was just about halfway done......and the asparagus was already in the steamer cooking......the power went out. Yes, my stove is electric!!! And I 'freaked'!!! So I unplugged the steamer, put foil on the skillet and stuck it in the fridge, and we went out to eat. When we got home, the power was on so I continued cooking. We finally had it for dinner this afternoon......and it was really good!!!  Hope you like it as well!!!

LEMON CHICKEN WITH CAPERS

Makes 4 Servings

1 Serving = 6 PointsPlus™

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (4 oz. each)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP light butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP capers (drained)
2 tsp fresh minced garlic OR 1 tsp prepared minced garlic
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to @ 1/2” thickness.

Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken in the flour.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for @3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

Add wine, lemon juice, capers and garlic to pan, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for @3 minutes or until slightly thick.

Plate the chicken, pour sauce over chicken; sprinkle with pepper to taste.

Enjoy!!

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

Salisbury Steak

Soooo......what do you do with a pound of ground beef? Burgers? Meat loaf? Nah. Not this time! I really hate to admit this, but one of my favorite TV Dinners is Salisbury Steak. I just can't feed my husband a TV Dinner before going to work so after looking at a bunch of recipes, I came up with this one. Hope you like it. We did!

SALISBURY STEAK

Makes 4 Servings

1 Serving = 6 PointsPlus™

1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tsp minced onion
1 (.75 oz.) envelope mushroom or brown gravy mix
1 lb 93/7 lean ground beef

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg substitute and milk. Add bread crumbs, gravy mix and minced onion. Mix in the ground beef until well combined.

Shape into 4 patties @ 3/4” thick.

Broil 3 – 4” from heat for 6-7 minutes on each side.

That's it!

MY SPIN: We both love garlic, so the next time I make this I'm going to add some garlic......and perhaps even a little Worcestershire Sauce. I plated this with some brown gravy and fresh sauteed mushrooms which added 1 PointsPlus™.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!

Jan

Sorghum Cake

This is a story of what happens when you don't pay attention....and then thank your lucky stars that your mistake comes out good!

I've had a recipe for Molasses Cake that I've been wanting to try.....and yesterday was the day to make it. I always lay out all the ingredients and read the recipe at least twice before making something. Well, having a bunch of junk on my mind, I get it all mixed up and realize that the batter is REALLY watery. Why you (didn't) ask? Because I put in a FULL CUP of hot water instead of half cup!!! So I scramble to pull all the ingredients out of the cabinets (I put things away when I'm done with them.....makes the final clean up so much easier) and start dumping.....and worrying that it won't come out right since everything is now out of sequence. And......I only have one 9" square baking pan so I ended up making 6 cupcakes/muffins along with the cake. And guess what?!?!  They came out good! And so, here's the recipe. PLEASE NOTE: This recipe makes the cake ONLY!!!

SORGHUM CAKE

Makes 9 Servings

1 Serving = 3 PointsPlus™

2 TBSP light butter, softened
1/4 cup Splenda granulated
1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/2 cup sorghum
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a small bowl, beat butter and Splenda granulated until crumbly-ish. Beat in egg substitute. Beat in sorghum.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with the hot water, mixing well after each addition.

Pour into sprayed 9” square baking pan.

Bake at 350º for 25 – 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack.

Can be served with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping or as is.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

ChocoMallow Cake

Well, yesterday was truly a bad day for me! First I almost got run off the road/side swiped by a young 'lady' driving a mini-van chatting away on her cell phone. Then  I get home and Abe tells me my email account had been hacked. And a few other little things just piled up on top of each other......and I ranted and raved and did some Kitchen Therapy.....and this is what I came up with.

CHOCOMALLOW CAKE

Makes 12 Servings

1 Serving = 4 PointsPlus™



1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups Splenda granulated
1/2 cup light butter
1 cup diet root beer soda
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray 13x9x2 baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours and Splenda. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the light butter, diet root beer and cocoa powder. Cook & stir over medium heat until the butter melts. Pour over flour mixture. Add egg substitute, buttermilk, baking soda & vanilla. Mix well. Stir in marshmallows.

Pour into sprayed baking dish. Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

What a fun cake! The marshmallows that are inside the cake melt into it and leave little holes! It's so chocolatey and moist. Really needs no frosting or icing. I think this cake is better the second day. I had a piece of it last night, but the piece I had for breakfast today (see the pic above with the cup of coffee) was even better.

Enjoy!!!

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!

Jan

Food Blog South 2012.....continued!

Well, after 'crashing' Food Blog South 2012 in January, I decided to get a tad more involved in this blog stuff. Remember me telling you about meeting Matthew Kaplan of  http://www.recipelion.com/? Well, I joined their list for bloggers and there was a contest to win the 'goodie bag' from FBS 2012 so, of course, I HAD to enter the contest. I said I would love to have the goodie bag since I didn't get one due to the fact that I 'crashed' the event.

Guess what! I won! It came in the mail today. Here's a picture of all the awesome stuff.

The white thing in front with the cute logo is an apron......all I need now is the chef hat! 

And I can't wait to try that little cake pan set.

Thank you Recipe Lion! You rock!!!

Later!
Loving Life(time)!
Jan

Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. People will be going out to dinner with their sweethearts.....or getting flowers.......or getting candy. Personally, I would love a bouquet of broccoli!!!  But alas, I will be conducting a Weight Watchers meeting tomorrow evening.....and that's a good thing.  For those who come to the meeting, they'll get to sample these delectable little morsels:



These are the Minty Shortbread Bites with little hearts on them.....just for Valentine's Day. Cute, huh!

The recipe for these are on this blog.

Later!
Loving Life(time)!
Jan

Mushroom Chicken & Leeks

It's a cold, windy day......snow sprinkles on and off......so what should I do but have some Kitchen Therapy! This bit of yumminess is what we had for lunch/dinner today and it came out really good!

MUSHROOM CHICKEN & LEEKS

Makes 2 Servings

1 Serving = 5 PointsPlus™

2/3 cup fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced leeks
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken in the crumbs.

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute' for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet; keep warm.

Add the leeks and mushrooms to the skillet and saute' about 2 or 3 minutes or until the mushrooms are lightly browned.

Return the chicken to the skillet and stir in the broth mixture. Cover and simmer @10 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove cover and simmer a few more minutes until sauce is reduced.

Enjoy!!

MY SPIN: The next time I make this I will double the garlic.....personal preference.....we love garlic!

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court!! *** The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark. ***

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

SuperBowl Snacks

What a SuperBowl game! And what delicious, healthy AND easy snacks I made! Two of these are my own 'creations' and one is from SkinnyTaste with just a little 'tweaking'. Just goes to show you.....you CAN have fun snacks that are on the healthy side! I hope you make these and enjoy them. I know my husband and I did!

PINWHEELS

These are so easy to make! I figured this plate of little sammies to be @4 PointsPlus™.

Lavash Bread (one sheet, cut in half)

1 Weight Watchers White Cheddar flavored wedge
5 slices of turkey breast (for sandwiches)
Dijon mustard (to taste)
Fresh spinach leaves (to taste)
1 dill pickle (sliced and laid near the top)
Garlic powder (to taste)

Roll this up, slice it @ 1/2” wide.....and enjoy!!!

FAUX BUFFALO WINGS

and

MOZZARELLA CHEESE STIX

I'm 'guesstimating' the Wings to be @5 PointsPlus™ and the Cheese Stix to be @3 PointsPlus™ (for the amount shown in this picture).

FAUX BUFFALO WINGS:

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (@4 oz. each), pounded so the entire breast is the same thickness

Chicken coating mix (like Shake & Bake)
Olive oil spray (use your 'mister' or cooking spray)
Buffalo wing sauce (I used Texas Pete)

After pounding the chicken to the same thickness, cut into strips, dip into the coating mix, arrange on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 400º @20 minutes. When done, plate and drizzle with wing sauce.

Serve with celery and/or carrots and Fat Free ranch dressing.

MOZZARELLA CHEESE STIX:

This recipe is a modification of SkinnyTaste's recipe. This makes 24 pieces or 12 servings (I didn't make that many).

12 WeightWatchers™ smoked flavor string cheese

1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
2 TBSP all-purpose flour
5 TBSP Italian seasoned bread crumbs
5 TBSP Panko bread crumbs
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp parsley
Olive oil spray

Cut the string cheese stix in half and freeze (yes, I said freeze).

In a bowl, combine the 2 bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese & parsley.
Put the egg substitute in another bowl and the flour in yet another bowl.
Dip the frozen cheese stix in flour, then egg and then the bread crumb mixture.

NOTE: If you're not going to bake these immediately, place these on WAXED paper and stick them back in the freezer or they won't turn out right!!!

Preheat oven to 400º.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil. Place the breaded cheese stix on the sheet. spray the top of the cheese stix with olive oil.
Bake in the bottom third of your oven for 4 – 5 minutes; turn them over and bake for an additional 4 – 5 minutes.
Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court! *The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark.*

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan

Super Easy Cupcakes

Just a little reminder about a quick/easy dessert. I made these Strawberry Cupcakes from a Sugar Free box mix and a 12 ounce can of Sprite Zero. That's it! No other ingredients! Then bake according to the directions on the box. If you make 24 cupcakes, they're 2 P+ each; I made 18 to make bigger cupcakes which came to 3 P+ each. These are so moist and light that no frosting/icing is needed. The combinations can be endless!!!

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court! *The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark.*

Later!

Loving Life(time)!

Jan

Black Bean & Turkey Combo

Another rainy day which means more Kitchen Therapy!!! We had this for lunch/dinner today and what a great day for it! I started out searching for a recipe for turkey chili and couldn't find one that I liked, so I created this. Yup....for a change it's not a 'tweaked' recipe! It's a Chez Jan original! After I give you the recipe the way I made it, I'll give you My Spin which will explain the 'Combo' in the name.

BLACK BEAN & TURKEY COMBO

Makes 8 Servings

1 Serving = @ 1 Cup = 4 PointsPlus™

1 TBSP olive oil

1 onion, chopped (or 2 shallots, chopped)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 cups fat-free/reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can (11 oz.) Mexican-style corn, drained
2 cans (15 oz. Each) black beans, rinsed & drained, divided
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 can (15.4 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 cup cooked boneless/skinless turkey breast, cut up into small bite-sized pieces

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and carrots for @5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened. Add the chili powder and cumin; cook & stir for @2 minutes. Add the broth, 1 can of black beans, corn and black pepper. Bring to a boil.

In the meantime, in a blender or food processor or by hand, puree/mash together the diced tomatoes and the remaining can of black beans. Add to the pot along with the turkey.

Reduce heat and simmer @20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

MY SPIN: Made this way (and pictured above), this recipe is more like a stew. If you wanted it to make it more like a soup, add another cup of chicken broth. To make it more like a chili, add another tsp chili powder and use 1/2 cup LESS of the chicken broth. TaDa: Combo! I was going to call it 'Sotewli'....a combo of soup, stew & chili. The only thing I will do differently the next time I make this, and I will make it again, is to add more carrots and garlic, but that's just a personal preference.

Enjoy!

Now for the 'legal mumbo-jumbo' to keep me out of court! *The PointsPlus™ value for this recipe was calculated by me (Jan Gomes) and is not an endorsement or approval of this recipe by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus™ registered trademark.*

Later!

Loving Life(time)!
Jan