Healthy "fried" chicken

I love chicken cutlets, but I do not like the calories.  So I found this recipe and changed it up a bit....I am NOT a mayo person, but you do not even taste it, it makes the chicken moist and the breadcrumbs crispy.

Healthy "fried" Chicken

4 boneless, skinless (thin sliced) chicken breasts
1 cup light (low fat) Mayo
1 tsp dijon mustard
garlic powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste (I did a few shakes of each)
1 cup italian seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 C grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix Mayo, mustard and spices in one bowl.  Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan in another shallow dish.  Coat chicken with mayo, and then coat in breadcrumb mixture, pressing into breadcrumbs to thoroughly coat.  Line 9x13 baking dish with nonstick foil.  Place chicken breasts on foil and bake 22-25 minutes, until no longer pink inside.

chocolate chip cookie in a cup

Have you ever craved a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, but did not feel like making a whole batch of cookies?!  Crave no more!!!  I bring you a single serving of chocolate chip cookie in a cup, made in the microwave....it is that easy!!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup (originally found on pinterest....this is not my recipe)

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. white sugar

1 Tbsp. of packed light brown sugar

3 drops vanilla

1 egg yolk

1/4 Cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. chocolate chips

2 tsp. chopped walnuts (optional)

Melt butter in cup in microwave (about 20-30 sec).  Add sugars and vanilla and mix well with wooden spoon, add egg yolk, mix until incorporated.  Add flour and mix gently until combined.  Add chips and walnuts, if desired.  Microwave for 40-60 seconds....and if you are really daring, top it off with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!!!!!

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

this I stumbled upon on pinterest:  http://www.mylifeasamrs.com/2012/03/kitchen-sink-chopped-salad-with-creamy-balsamic-dressing.html  from my life as a Mrs. blog....I made just a few changes...recipe as I did it posted below.  It was delicious...a great way to store it is in a mason jar, because you can shake it up before serving.  It makes almost a full mason jar and is absolutely delicious!!!  I served it over a very simple salad of baby greens, grape tomatoes, radicchio, crumbled blue cheese and toasted sliced almonds.  Try it!!!!

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, crushed (orig 4 cloves grated)
3 Tbsp low fat mayo (orig full fat...you won't miss it!)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
a few shakes Morton seasoned salt (I used this bc the original Morton's seasoning I could not find)
1 and 1/2 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 Cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 Cup Olive oil
1 Tbsp fat free half and half (I added)

combine all ingredients in a bowl and use immersion blender to emulsify or throw all ingredients in a blender/food processor to blend til smooth.

crustless broccoli and cheddar quiche

Crustless Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche this quiche is healthier because of the addition of cottage cheese (instead of heavy cream) for moisture and extra protein, and I used low fat cheddar cheese. The ingredients (before the broccoli and cheese) are blended completely so you do not even notice the cottage cheese. It was very delicious and you will not miss the crust, I promise!!!
 4 eggs
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/2 Cup low fat sour cream salt and pepper
tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup all purpose flour
few dashes hot sauce (optional)
few shakes garlic powder
2 Cups cooked broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups low fat cheddar, shredded

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix first 8 ingredients in a bowl with immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Add broccoli and 1 Cup cheddar cheese, Line pie plate with nonstick foil. Pour quiche ingredients into pie plate and top wit remaining cheddar and a little salt and pepper (and I put red pepper flakes too!) Bake for 15 min at 375, and then lower temp to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or until set.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

This might be the new veggie I am obsessed with! It is sooo versatile and healthy and EASY!!! I will prob be posting more recipes using it soon....I especially thought this would be well recieved by my niece (or any kids really). I tagged a few ppl I thought would like it. It is great for you gluten free folks, vegetarians, and vegans can easily modify it too!! This only makes about 2 servings, I think this could easily be doubled or more, just maybe need to bake a bit longer.

 Spaghetti Squash Gratin
 1 med. spaghetti squash
1 cup sour cream (can use low fat)
1 heaping Tbsp of fresh chives, chopped
1/4 C Pecorino Romano (plus a little more to dust on top)
salt to taste
LOTS of cracked black pepper (less for the kiddos, unless they like it)

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Microwave the whole squash for a minute, take it out and cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place cut side down in a dish with a half inch of water and microwave about 10 minutes on high, until fork tender and squash shreds easily into strands. Use a fork to pull out the strands (just scrape it on the squash...be careful, it's hot), once all of the squash is shredded and in a baking dish, mix in all other ingredients and spread evenly in dish, sprinkle a little more cheese on top and more cracked black pepper (optional). Bake covered for 25 min, take off the cover and cook another 5 minutes...You're Welcome!!!

Spaghetti Squash with tomatoes and basil

this is a great recipe that can be adapted to suit your tastes...if you are vegan, leave out the cheese, you can sub the goat cheese with fresh mozzerella, cubed, feta, or parmesan if you like. I just love me some goat cheese. The original recipe is here...I changed it : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spaghetti-squash-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=spaghetti%20squash&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page Spaghetti Squash with tomatoes and basil 1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded 1 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 1/2 C grape tomatoes, cut in half 2 Tbs white wine 1/4 C crumbled goat cheese (or parmesan, or feta) 1 T chopped fresh basil\ salt to taste Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash cut side down in a large pan (9X13) with about a half inch of water in the oven for about 45 min or until a knife goes right thru it. Let it cool til you can handle it and then use a fork to "string it" , scrape down the insides so it comes out in strings that look like angel hair pasta. Heat oil over med heat and saute garlic 1-2 min, add tomatoes and then wine...cook til tomatoes are heated and wine cooks down a bit. Toss in squash, basil,and goat cheese. Serve warm. Salt to taste.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

ok, so this soup is inspired by my cold....i love soup when I am sick and I am hoping the extra spice will clear me up. I looked at a bunch of recipes to come up with this one...and the best is if you are sick it can cook all day while you lay around on the couch. I am posting now bc people indicated interest, I have not made this yet and will add pictures later. ***USE CROCKPOT LINERS...U WILL THANK ME LATER...ALMOST NO CLEAN UP!*
 Karen's Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
 1 Tbsp olive oil
 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Jalepeno, chopped (optional, but highly recommended)
 1 (14.5 oz can) black beans, rinsed and drained
 1 (14.5 oz can) small white beans, rinsed and drained
1 C of frozen white corn kernels
 2 cans (14.5 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis
 1 packet mild taco seasoning mixabout a tsp of Adobo
2 cans low sodium chicken broth (there is a lot of sodium in the taco seasoning)
3 boneless, skinless thin cut chicken breasts
 juice of a lime
 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (optional)
 cornstarch slurry (1 tsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp dry sherry, chicken broth or white wine, mix and add at the end)
1/2 C sour cream (optional)
 Garnishes: Tortilla strips (can find in salad dressing aisle near croutons), shredded cheese, avocado

Saute garlic and jalepeno over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Place crockpot liner in crock, and put in beans, corn, jalepeno/garlic mixture, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, taco seasoning and adobo. Mix well and add chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours (6 hours if you use regular skinless, boneless chicken breasts instead of thin cut) or high for 3-4 hours. When chicken is cooked through, remove and shred with two forks. Put chicken back in soup, squeeze lime juice in and add cilantro and mix. **I thought the soup was a little thin so I mixed 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp dry sherry and put the crock on the keep warm setting for an hour to thicken...can use chicken broth or white wine instead of dry sherry, but the liquid has to be cold when you mix or it wont work). *****today I used a roux (equal parts flour and butter and then add some chicken broth and add and whisk into soup) Shut off crockpot and stir in sour cream. Serve with optional tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado.

Crustless Quiche with Fresh Baby Spinach and Colby Jack Cheese

Crustless Quiche with Fresh Baby Spinach and Colby Jack Cheese this was sooo good you will never miss the crust!!! You can sub reg or low fat for everything I used...used what I had on hand. For gluten free sub rice flour. 4 eggs 1C small curd cottage cheese 1/2 c low fat sour cream salt and pepper 1 t dijon mustard (i ended up using yellow bc it is what I had) 1/4 C all purpose flour pkg baby spinach, steamed and squeezed dry few dashes hot sauce few shakes garlic powder 1 1/2 c colby jack cheese (or whatever cheese you want...low fat, feta, etc) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl combine eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper, mustard and blend with immersion blender or food processor until smooth. Add flour, garlic powder, spinach, 1 C cheese, and stir. Pour into greased pie plate (I lined it with nonstick foil) and top with remaining cheddar. Bake at 375 for 15 min and 350 degrees for another 35 min until center is set and knife comes out clean. Will look a little puffy and will not be as firm as a regular quiche, much more fluffy....so good!