Mao Pao Tofu

This is one of Ken's favorite dishes at Szechuan Gourmet in Framingham, MA. I found this recipe in CookingLight and thought I'd give it a shot. It came out really well, and I'd make it again for sure. Oddly, though it's called "Mao Pao Tofu" it also has ground pork in it!

Ingredients
1 3.5 ounce bag boil-in-bag rice (or 2 cups cooked rice of your liking)
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 Tbsp dry sherry, divided
1/2 Lb lean ground pork
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
3 Tbsp chopped green onions
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp chile paste with garlic (I could not find this but did find Chile Sauce with Garlic and used about 2 Tbsps of this instead)
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch, whisked with 1 Tbsp water

Directions
Make rice, set aside/keep warm.
Combine 1 Tbsp soy sauce with 1 Tbsp sherry and ground pork, set aside.
Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add tofu and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add pork, and stir fry another 3 minutes or so.
Add onions, ginger, chile paste, garlic, and salt and stir fry for about a minute.
Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sherry and chicken broth and cook for about two minutes.
Add cornstarch mixture and cook for 30 seconds or until slightly thickned, stirring constantly.
Serve over rice.
Makes 4 portions (1/2 cup of rice and 1.25 cups Mao Pao Tofu): 342 calories, 14.3 grams of fat, 23 grams of protein

I served this with some steam-in-the-bag snap peas, tossed with some spray butter and toasted sesame seeds!

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd see a WeightWatchers recipe that called for heavy cream. But, this is really good. I love penne alla vodka, so figured we'd give this one a shot...the trick to keeping it healthy (7 points for about 1 cup...so not SO great) is to keep the portions in check.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, minced (about 1/2 a cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp parsley, fresh, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt, or other coarse salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp canned tomato paste
2 oz vodka
12 oz uncooked penne (I used Barilla plus, it's higher in fiber, and really good)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (for real!)
20 basil leaves cut into ribbons

Heat a large skillet over a med-low heat.
Add butter, shallots, and garlic and saute until shallots start to caramelize, about five minutes.
Add parsley, sea salt and pepper, stirring once or twice.
Add tomato paste and mix to form a paste.
Cook for about five minutes, moving paste around pan occasionally
Add vodka and scrape bottom of pan with wooden spoon; cook for about five more minutes.

Meanwhile, make pasta according to directions, and drain.

Add cream to tomato sauce; reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes.

Add pasta to sauce and mix to coat. Top with basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. I served this with some chicken (dredged in a mix of seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese then baked) and a nice green salad.

Creamy Orzo Risotto with Butternut Squash

I got this recipe from WeightWatchers...it was pretty good, all in all, but I kind of felt like it was missing something. Also, I think it calls for a bit more liquid - I'd reduce it by 1/2 cup next time. It should come out to 5 points for 3/4 of a cup.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups butternut squash, cut into small cubes
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp table salt
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup uncooked orzo
1.5 cups water (I'd use just one cup next time, I feel like by the time the liquid absorbed the orzo was overcooked)
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1 tsp thyme , fresh or 8 whole sprigs (sprigs preferred, OR, you can use sage, which I did - fresh leaves)
2 Tbsp fat-free half-and-half (I used heavy cream, because I had it, and could not see buying a whole container of FF h-and-h for 3 Tbsps)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Coat a small rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
Toss squash with oil and salt in a bowl, then spread in a single layer on the baking sheet, leaving space between cubes.
Roast, stirring halfway through, until squash is tender and lightly browned, about 20-25 min.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a med saucepan over medium heat; add orzo. Stir constantly until orzo begins to smell "toasty", about five minutes.
Add water, broth, and thyme sprigs (or sage leaves). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is nearly absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Remove thyme/sage, stir in half-and-half, cheese and squash.

Season well with salt and pepper, serve.

I served this with some chicken that I dredged in a mixture of seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese then baked.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

I adapted this recipe from one in Good Housekeeping.
It came out ok, but a bit bland for my taste, so I started with the recipe but started dumping other spices in - extra coriander, tumeric, ginger, etc, until it tasted right.
The recipe included rice, to serve the stew over, but I opted to use baked sweet potatoes instead. Much better tasting and more nutritional value!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium carrots, chopped (I used shredded since I had them on-hand)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder (this right here makes the dish...the better your curry powder, the better this will be)
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups broth (use whatever you like here, but I recommend chicken or veggie)
1 medium head of cauliflower cut into small florets
2 15oz cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) rinsed and drained
1/2 cup loosly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt - I used fat free Fage Greek yogurt

Directions
In a 6qt dutch oven, heat oil over med-high heat until hot. Add carrots and onion, and cook 10-12 min or until veggies are lightly browned and tender, stir frequently.
Stir ginger, curry, and 3/4 tsp salt into carrot mixture and cook 3 min, stirring constantly.
Add broth, cover and heat to boiling on high.
Add cauliflower and beans, cover and cook on medium 15-20 min longer, stirring gently every 5 min or so, until cauliflower is tender.
Remove from heat and stir in yogurt and cilantro.

You can serve with additional cilantro and/or yogurt on top. I served mine over some baked sweet potato.

Turkey Enchilada Skillet Pie

This is a recipe that I adapted from a WeightWatchers recipe. It was SO good, and really easy.

Ingredients
cooking spray
3/4 lbs lean ground turkey
1 medium chopped onion
1 tsp chili powder
3 TBSP flour
1 cup skim milk
4 oz canned jalapeno peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup canned corn, drained (I added this)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 large burrito-size wheat flour tortillas (I could not find these so just used regular flour tortillas)
3 cups tomatoes, chopped (I used fresh salsa from the supermarket instead to add flavor and because tomatoes are not really good in the produce aisle right now)
10 Tbsp low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Use non-stick spray or oil spray in a large skillet, heat over medium heat.
Place turkey, onion and chili powder in skillet and cook until turkey is browned, stirring occasionally to break up meat (about 8 minutes).
Remove turkey from skillet and set aside.
Place skillet over med-high heat and add flour. Gradually add the milk, using a wisk to stir til blended.
Bring mix ture to a boil, then reduce heat to med and simmer until thickened 1-2 min.
Remove skillet from heat, stir in turkey, jalapenos and corn, and cumin.
Soften tortillas in microwave, wrapped in damp paper towels (about 15 sec).
Place one tortilla on the bottom of a 10-inch oven-safe skillet (or you can use a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate if you have one).
Spread 1/3 of the turkey on top of the tortilla, then 1 cup of salsa, then four tablespoons of cheese.
Top with another tortilla and repeat layers - end with two tablespoons of cheese.

Cover with tin foil and cook until cheese melts and everything is warmed through - about 15-20 min.

Let stand covered, for 2 min before cutting.

I served these topped with fresh cilantro and scallions, with a side salad of romaine, red peppers, and cucumbers in a balsamic vinaigrette.


Yummy!

Makes four good-sized portions, or 6 smaller portions.

Turkey Burgers with Spinach and Feta

Happy New Year! I am proud to say that this is my very first blog post with a recipe that I made up!

I made my own pseudo-Tzatziki sauce (secretly, I hoped to find some premade at the store, but no such luck).

Tzatziki

Scallions (I think red onion would be good here too, but I didn't have any on hand)
Fresh Dill
Cucumber
Plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% Fage yogurt - LOVE this stuff)
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice

Chop up the scallions and dill, cube the cucumber.
Mix everything together (I just used a good generous squeeze of half the lemon) and throw it in the fridge while you prep the burgers.

Turkey Burgers
1 lb of ground super lean turkey (mine was 97% fat free)
one egg, lightly beaten
about 1/2 cup of minced onion
4-5 minced garlic cloves
about 1/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
a splash of milk
dash of oregano and parsley (dried is fine, wish I'd had fresh)
about 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 cup reduced-fat Feta crumbles
flour
cooking oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
Add milk and egg to breadcrumbs and let sit for a minute or two while you prep onions and garlic.
Add everything but flour and cooking oil to milk/egg/breadcrumb mix and stir thoroughly
Form into patties - I made 7, but I wanted them smaller.

Heat about 1 tbsp of cooking oil (higher-heat oil is better, like canola) in an oven-safe non-stick skillet over med/high heat
Once skillet is good and hot, dredge the burgers in a bit of flour and drop in the pan. Don't move them for a bit - let them get nice and brown.
After about 5 min, flip the burgers and give them another five min.
Throw the skillet in the oven for about 5-10 min, checking for the burgers to be done (I used a thermometer and waited for them to be 180, the setting my thermometer says is good for poultry).

I served these burgers with some sliced pita bread, a nice green salad with peppers, carrots, and cucumbers, and topped with the tzatziki. They are a bit fragile, so I'm not sure they're "bun worthy" but so delicious!!

Enjoy!

Cookie Dough Brownies

You read that one right.
This is another recipe I got from MrsD's cooking blog.

Basically, I used a brownie mix and the break-and-bake chocolate chip cookie dough.
Make the brownie mix, spread in pan. Drop the cookies in and bake. Top with ganache.
I made the ganache according to MrsD's recipe above. It took a few hours for these to set - I put them in the sunroom (my 2nd fridge this winter) and waited for them to be set and chilled to cut.
These are so easy and amazing.