D-lish

Chayote Chicken Stew

2009-03-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Someone very very special asked me today to write a blog entry for something she could make in her Crockpot, because she had only tried to meals that were prepackaged to be cooked in it. Seeing as how tonight's dinner is simmering in the Crockpot at the moment, I decided to take this opportunity to write about it. It smells delicious, by the way. :)

This particular version of chicken stew (almost a tagine, I guess) is made with chayotes, which are Costa Rican squash. I am fully aware that everyone isn't lucky enough to have a Caribbean produce market down the street from their home, so you can easily substitute the chayote squashes (which are slightly larger than an apple or pear) with another kind of squash, or 2-3 potatoes.

What you need:
2/3 c. vegetable broth (can use chicken or beef broth as well, but this will add a few calories)
2 stalks celery
1/2 yellow onion
2 chayotes (or other squash)
3 large carrots
1-1.5 lbs chicken breast (the nutrition information below is calculated using 1.34 lbs because that's how much I had when I calculated it for my own)
1/2 c. raisins
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. tarragon
2 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. anise seed
1 Tbsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. basil
2 Tbsp. rosemary

What to do:
Chop celery and onion into fine pieces either by hand or using a chopper. I prefer mine chopped very fine, but if you're doing it by hand, it's okay if they're slightly larger chunks. Peel and chop carrots and squash into bite size pieces. Place vegetables in broth in the slow cooker.

Next, chop your chicken (defrosted) into bite size pieces as well. Combine them with the vegetables in the slow cooker. Add seasonings to the slow cooker, and mix everything together well.

Cook on high for 3 hours, and then low for 1-2 more hours, stirring occasionally.

Nutrition information:
(based on 8 servings of 200g using 1.34 lbs chicken breast)
Calories: 182
Fat: 3g
Saturated Fat: .8g
Cholesterol: 59mg
Sodium: 107mg
Carbs: 16g
Fiber: 3.4g
Sugars: 8.1g
Protein: 24g

Vitamin A: 99% (maybe I should have thrown another carrot in there ;))
Vitamin C: 15%
Calcium: 7%
Iron: 13%

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

2009-03-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

When I embarked on making homemade chicken nuggets, I thought I was taking loads of calories off the McDonald's version. Sure, they're a bit lower cal... but not much :(

The good news? These babies aren't fried and they actually taste like.... Wait for it...

Chicken.

What you need:
1-1.5 lbs Chicken breast
1/2 c. Fiber One cereal (use about 2/3 cup if you have 1.5 lbs of chicken, as I nearly ran out of breading with 1.35 lbs)
5 Tbsp. panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. egg whites or egg white substitute
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. basil
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

What to do:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the Fiber One cereal, some way, some how. If you have a food processor this will be easy. I tried using my blender, didn't work so much - so I did it the old fashioned way, put em in a plastic bag and used a rolling pin to squish em nice and good. Then pour your crushed cereal into a plastic container with a lid. Add bread crumbs and seasonings. Close the lid and shake it up real good.

Place that container to the side and cut up your chicken breasts into bite size pieces (like the size you would want a chicken nugget to be). Depending on the size of your chickens, you should get between 25 and 40 chunks. Dry any water off your chicken breasts.

Next, coat each piece (about 8 pieces at a time) with egg white and toss em in your crumby mixture... No, not crummy... Bad joke, proceeding... Close the lid, shake it up and then place each piece on a baking sheet or pan. Continue until all pieces have been coated.

Bake for about 20 minutes, stir the chickens around, and bake another 20 minutes.

Nutrition Info:
For 8 medium sized nuggets :)
Calories: 308
Fat: 6.2g
Saturated Fat: 1.7g
Cholesterol: 130mg
Sodium: 227mg
Carbs: 12.4g
Fiber: 3.9g
Protein: 50.8g

In comparison, a 6-piece at McDonalds has 280 cals, 17g of fat, insane amounts of sodium and only 14g of protein. Oh yeah, and they taste like fryer oil... these babies taste like... yes, chicken!

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Veggie Lovers Beef Stew

2009-03-10T23:01:00.001-07:00

Big chunks of delicious fresh vegetables. Chunks of beef. Rich flavors.

No you're not reading an advertisement for Campbell's chunky... They actually copied me. Vegetable and beef stew is just as hearty as it is delicious, and cooking it in a Crock pot makes getting dinner on the table almost hassle free!

What you need:
1/2 a sweet onion
2 stalks of celery
2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 c. vegetable (or beef) stock
4 carrots
2 yellow squash
2 small potatoes
1 lb. beef stew meat (or some beef that you cut into chunks)
3 Tbsp. basil
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. rosemary
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. tarragon
1/2 tsp. anise seed
1 Tbsp. thyme

What to do:
Chop onions and celery finely in chopper or by hand. Combine with garlic and spices in small frying pan and cook on low heat approximately 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Chop carrots, potatoes and squash into bite size pieces and place in slow cooker. Pour vegetable broth over the vegetables. Add in the beef. Cover with onion/celery mixture and stir. Cook on low heat for about 5 hours, or until beef is done inside, stirring around occasionally (every 45 minutes or so).

Serve alone, over rice, or with bread.

Nutrition info:
I've found that this recipe makes about seven 1-cup servings. The nutrition information below is for a 1-cup serving.
Calories: 215
Fat: 4.6g
Saturated fat: 1.7g
Cholesterol: 58mg
Sodium: 523mg
Carbs: 20g
Fiber: 4g
Sugars: 4.2g
Protein: 23.4g

Of course, you don't have to use the same vegetables if they're not available.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Low-Cal Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

2009-03-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Frozen chocolate covered bananas are one of my summer time favorites, but you don't have to wait for the county fair to enjoy that delicious flavor. This recipe is simple, inexpensive, and surprisingly low-cal. You'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

What you need:
1 package sugar free chocolate pudding mix
1 package sugar free banana pudding mix (I've only seen this flavor as Jell-o brand)
2 1/2 cups milk
Optional ingredients:
Sugar free Hershey's syrup (or the sugary one, whatever ;))
Cool Whip Lite
(and a pie crust if you prefer)

What to do:
Empty contents of both pudding mixes into a big round storage container bowl. Close the lid and shake them up so the chocolate and banana are evenly mixed. Pour in cold milk and stir to get the pudding from the bottom mixed in. Close the lid again and shake vigorously for 45 seconds - 1 minute. Drizzle a bit of chocolate syrup on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

If you prefer your pie to have a crust, pour the mixture into a pie crust before refrigerating. You could also enjoy it in scoops over graham crackers or Oreo crisps. The possibilities are endless. I prefer it alone on a plate with a little Cool Whip Lite on top.

Nutrition Info:
Prepared with skim milk and sugar free Hershey's syrup, and cut into 6 "pieces", each "piece" has about 80 calories.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Kefta Kebab

2009-03-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

Beef - it's what's for dinner! We've all heard that phrase a million times, but what to do, what to do. There are a million ground beef recipes on the net, but for some reason they all seem like a rehashing of hamburgers to me. I love lean ground beef because it's delicious and full of protein to give me energy! Kefta kebab is definitely a weekly meal here.

If you don't like onions or peppers, try it without. I've also experimented with adding in some chopped parsley with delicious results. Celery also substitutes very well for onion in this recipe (I've done the celery thing when I didn't have any onions and it worked out well; use about 2 stalks finely chopped instead of onions.)

What you need:
1 lb. lean ground beef (93/7)
1/2 sweet onion
1 red pepper (can use green or just completely nix this)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. rosemary
1 Tbsp. thyme
a pinch of safron if it's available

What to do:
Chop vegetables as fine as possible (I usually use my chopper.) In bowl (I think the one I use is 1 qt., but I'm not sure... Just use a bowl that will be big enough to add all the meat), anyway, in the bowl, mix together the chopped vegetables with seasonings until well mixed.

If your meat is bloody, drain as much of the blood out as possible. I've found that when I forget this step, it becomes way too wet and hard to stick together. Slowly begin adding meat to vegetable/seasoning mixture about 1/4 pound at a time until it is well mixed.

Coat a frying pan with cooking spray like Pam's Olive Oil cooking spray (I love this stuff!) and heat to a medium-low setting. When pan is hot, begin rolling small chunks (meatball size) of meat into sausage like shapes (or balls if that's what floats your boat) and place in pan. Cook covered for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked inside.

Usually I can't fit everything in the pan at once (maybe I need a bigger pan ;)), so it may take 2 times to get all the meat cooked. Depending on how big I roll, this makes 16-20 pieces.

Nutrition Info:
(based on a serving size of 4 pieces when I make 16, or 5 when I make 20)
Calories: 250
Fat: 7.3g
Saturated Fat: 2.8g
Cholesterol: 101mg
Sodium: 659mg
Carbs: 5.2g
Fiber: 1.7g
Sugars: 1.9g
Protein: 35.3g

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

White Hot Mint Mocha Cocoa

2009-03-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so winter is over... at least down here in Florida, but that doesn't mean we should throw out the hot cocoa mix or even stop drinking warm tasty beverages. I actually find this recipe on Hungry Girl, but it sounds so incredibly delicious that I had to share! This is a low-cal version so if you're not too worried about those, feel free to use what you have rather than the low-cal versions... And for all you non-coffee drinkers *cough*Mom*cough* I'm sure it tastes just as good sans instant coffee.

What you need:
2 packets Swiss Miss Diet hot cocoa mix
1 tsp. instant coffee
2 tsp. Coffee-mate Sugar Free French Vanilla powdered creamer
2 no-calorie sweetener packets (like Splenda)
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1/3 peppermint candy cane (standard size), crushed
2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip

What to do:
Empty contents of cocoa packets into a tall mug or glass. Add instant coffee and powdered creamer. Slowly pour in 12 ounces of hot water, stirring until cocoa and creamer have completely dissolved. Stir in the peppermint extract and sweetener.

If your drink is extra-hot, let it cool for a minute or so. Top your drink off with the Reddi-wip, and then sprinkle the crushed candy cane pieces over the whipped topping.

Nutrition Info:

Serving size: 12 oz.
Calories: 105
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 313mg
Carbs: 17g
Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 10g
Protein: 4g

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Contest Alert!

2009-02-22T19:15:00.000-08:00

Goya is running a family vacation sweepstakes. They are giving away 25$ Travelers Cheques as well as 40 Vacations! There are game pieces inside select Goya products. So, if you use Goya products, now might be the time to stock up (open all the packages and put them in containers) to get your game pieces!

More details at: http://www.goya.com/english/passport/howtoplay.html

Good luck!
-Mimi-

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-02-22T18:57:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I know I haven't posted in about 83290830 years, but you try managing partying and school simultaneously! Seriously. Well, since I managed to score 100% on my Statistics mid-term (dance dance) I decided to share my celebratory cookie recipe. Enjoy!

What you need:
1 c. margarine
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2-3 t. almond extract
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
3 c. milk chocolate chips (i.e. 1 1/2 bags... yes that extra half bag makes a difference in d-lish-ousness)

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease your cookie sheets too so that when they're all mixed up they can go right in the oven. I use Pam Olive Oil spray, but any spray or even margarine works.

In a big bowl, mix together your margarine and sugars (brown and white) until they're creamy, light, and FLUFFY! Then, add the eggs, one at a time. Next add the almond extract and beat some more.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together quickly with a fork. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar/butter creamed mixture (I've found that pouring it in approximately in fifths works out pretty well).

Once that is well mixed, gradually add the chocolate chips and mix well.

Drop cookies by rounded teaspoons onto your greased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes (8 1/2 makes them perfect in my oven). Let them cool for 5 minutes at least before pulling them off. In the mean time, pour yourself a glass of milk and prepare to be amazed.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Sweet Potato & Peach Casserolesque Bake

2008-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Two of my favorite seasonal items are fresh Georgia peaches in the summer and sweet potatoes in autumn. So what about that period of time in September and October when it's not quite either? Or any other time for that matter! Mix these two delicious seasonal favorites to make a dessert/breakfast/snack that satisfies both cravings.

What you need:
6-10 peaches, sliced. (I use Georgia peaches because they're available here, but use what is locally grown for you. I'm sure you could even use canned peaches, but I'm not sure how many cans you would need.)
1-2 cans of sweet potatoes (last time I used 1 can and wished I had used 2)
1/4 brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/4 sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 T. melted butter/margarine
a pinch of cinnamon or cinnamon sugar

What to do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line the bottom of the pan with peach slices. (I use a 9x9 Pyrex, but you could use a 13X9 or 8X8) Mix together brown sugar, egg, flour, sugar, vanilla, and butter. It should be a bit dense. This is where the "secret" ingredient comes in. That water/juice stuff in the sweet potato can, pour that into the mixture, making sure to keep the sweet potatoes themselves separate. If you are using 2 cans, I'm not sure that I would use all the liquid from both cans as it could get a bit runny. The mixture should be a thick liquid, so that it pours, but slowly.

Pour 1/3 of mixture over bottom layer of peaches. Add sweet potatoes on top of peaches. Pour 1/3 of mixture over sweet potatoes. Continue to layer the peaches and sweet potatoes (or even mix them together) until there are no more. Pour remainder of mixture over top. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake 20-30 minutes depending on your oven and how "well done" you want it to be. If the mixture looks slightly liquid still when you're done, bake another 2-3 minutes and then let it cool a bit and it will harden.

This "casserolesque" baked dish makes a great dessert, breakfast, or even side dish!

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Simple White Rice

2008-11-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

Rice is definitely a staple, but you need to change it up every once in awhile or it just tastes like... rice. This is a simple recipe to spice up your rice, but not too much. This is the rice recipe I serve with the Baked Mango Chicken.
The way it's written is what 2 of us eat for one meal, as rice doesn't keep well, but it can easily be doubled.

What you need:
1/2 c. white rice
1 t. olive oil (or vegetable, peanut, canola, etc. oil)
seasonings:
dill weed
basil
thyme
bay leaves
garlic powder
celery salt (could be substituted with any other salt)

What to do:
In small-medium sauce pan, combine 1 c. of water with olive oil and seasonings. I use 2 "shakes" of each, and 3 shakes of the garlic powder. (Yes, I know, this is HIGHLY scientific King Julian.)
Bring water mixture to a boil and add rice. Reduce heat and simmer COVERED for 15-20 minutes until all water is absorbed, stirring occasionally.

*For 1 c. of rice, use 2 c. of water and 3-4 shakes of each seasoning.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Pain Perdu a la Mimi (French Toast)

2008-11-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been craving French Toast only to realize that you didn't have any syrup in the fridge or pantry? Well I have plenty of syrup, but this French toast is so good that I don't want to ruin it with syrup.
According to mommie, my "secret" is that I use margarine to cook them rather than oil.

What you need:
Bread, any type will do. I personally prefer white wheat, and this makes about 5-6 slices.
1/4 c. milk
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla extract
1-2 T. butter/margarine for cooking

What to do:
Mix together milk, egg, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. I then pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish to make it easier to coat the bread, but this is not necessary. Heat a bit of the butter/margarine in a frying pan over medium heat. While the butter is heating, begin coating slices of bread in the mixture. Two minutes on the first side and a minute on the second side is good.

Once the first slice is coated, put it in the pan and let it cook, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes on the first side and another minute to 90 seconds on the second side. While one slice is cooking, put the next slice into the mixture to absorb the liquid.

Continue cooking slice by slice, adding more margarine/butter to the pan if needed.

I think these taste great with just a bit of margarine on them, but I have served them with syrup or a can of strawberries before and both were fabulous. The canned strawberries are particularly good because this French Toast is slightly sweet and the strawberries are a bit tart.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Baked Mango Chicken

2008-11-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

The combination of sweet and spicy never fails to amaze me. The trick is to make sure that neither of these flavors is too overwhelming.

What you need:
1 lb. chicken breast tenders (or any other kind of chicken. This is just what I usually buy)
1 can mango slices (or fresh mango, sliced, although the juice in the can is good for the marinade)
1 T. (or more) lemon juice
a bit of the following spices:
chili powder
black pepper
garlic powder
bay leaves
thyme
basil
(optional: a bit of Sprite, Sierra Mist, or 7up)

What to do:
In a gallon size plastic bag combine lemon juice, seasonings to taste (I tend to use twice as much garlic than anything else), a bit of mango juice syrup stuff from the can, and some Sprite. The liquids don't have to be a perfect amount, just make sure there's enough to cover and moisten the chicken.
You can add the mango slices at the marinade step or wait to add them later. I personally like to marinate the chicken with the mango slices because I think it adds more flavor. Add chicken and let marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and pour contents of bag into a baking dish (I use a 9x9 Pyrex). Bake 40-50 minutes, turning over chicken pieces in the marinade several times while baking (every 15 minutes or so).

I like to serve this dish on a bed of slightly seasoned rice.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Chunky Tomato Sauce

2008-10-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

What's better than good pasta? Good pasta with fabulous fresh sauce of course!

What you need:
Seasonings! I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic salt. Fresh garlic is also encouraged but I rarely have it as my garlic cruncher thing sucks.
6 Tomatos (I use Romas, but any tomatos will be fine)
1 green pepper
2-3 handfulls of baby carrots
1/4 c olive oil

What to do:
Heat olive oil in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Add seasonings (about 1 t of each, but more 2-3 t of garlic). Begin chopping the green pepper into small bits. Add chopped green pepper to oil. Chop tomatos and add to oil. Chop carrots (you can use regular size carrots too obviously. I just never have those) and add to oil. Mix everything in the pan. Cover and let saute 30-40 minutes.
Serve over pasta or with bread.

Variations:
If you have cloves of garlic, chop those and add them! Yum!
Also you could add onions, squash, other peppers, etc. The variations are endless.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Sugar Body Scrub

2008-10-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm not sure I would *eat* this kitchen creation (maybe before adding oil), but it's definitely great for the shower.

What you need:
1 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla extract
olive oil (I'm honestly not sure how much I used)
optional: add a bit of coffee grounds (really fine powder) as caffeine revitalizes your skin.

What to do:
Mix the sugars and vanilla (and coffee) in a bowl (or container that you want to store it in). Slowly add olive until it reaches the proper consistency.

Use in the shower (leave it on your skin for a few minutes for even better results).

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Focaccia Bread

2008-10-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

Cooking is a lot like fashion. I don't mean in the sense that you can redesign your outfit by getting flour all over yourself!
In fashion, the key to a great outfit is to mix those WOW designer pieces with other pieces. Being head to toe Louis or Coco just looks tacky. A meal is the same way. You don't have to spend HOURS on each part, just add a great staple to dress up any meal. And what kind of staple? How about a homemade bread? :)

What you need:
1 t sugar (you could also use honey)
1 package of active dry yeast
1/3 c warm water
2 cups flour
2 T or so olive oil
pinch of salt

What to do:
In a small bowl dissolve the yeast & sugar in the warm water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it gets creamy.

Pour the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast/sugar/water mixture and stir together. Begin adding water to the mixture. The original recipe that I modified called for you to do this tablespoon by tablespoon. I usually use a little less than 1/2 a cup. I suggest adding 1/4-1/3 cup and then doing it tablespoon by tablespoon until all the flour is absorbed.
Before kneading the dough, prepare another large bowl coated in oil (I use olive oil). Then begin kneading the dough (I do this in the bowl because I hate making a mess) for about a minute. Transfer the dough to the oil coated bowl. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise until it doubles in size (at least a half hour, but an hour works better).

After the dough rises, preheat your oven to 475 and grease a baking sheet (or bowl) with oil. Knead the dough briefly and flatten it down a bit. If you make some indents with your thumb on the surface of the dough, they will fill with olive oil and be extra juicy and delicious. Place on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil, sprinkle on salt, and any other seasonings that you like.

Bake the bread for 10-20 minutes depending on how crisp you like it. I find that 10 minutes is perfect, but I'm also burnt-a-phobic. Go nearer to 20 minutes if you like crispier browner breads.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-

Peanut Butter Cookies

2008-10-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

This might just be the EASIEST recipe on Earth (not to say that it can't be messed up, but it's pretty flippin' easy!).

What you need:
1 c Creamy Peanut Butter
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
some extra sugar for the end (just a little bit in a bowl)
a cookie sheet or two (this makes 30-36 cookies depending on the size and how much dough you eat, not that I condone eating dough, while making them)

What to do:
Preheat your oven to 350.
Mix it all together. I've found that the easiest way to do it is to mix the egg, vanilla, and sugar and then slowly add the Peanut Butter. It's pretty easy to mix it all together since there's no flour in this recipe.
Start by rolling out small balls of dough. Take a fork, and dip it in sugar and then make a criss-cross shape on top of the cookie. Place it on the cookie sheet and continue.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. If you like cookies a bit crispier, go to 12 minutes, but don't go more than 13 or the edges will start to burn.
Let cookies cool before storing.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-