Buffalo Inspired Chicken w/creamed spinach & roasted tomatoes

Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken w/Buffalo Sauce; Creamed Spinach; Roasted Tomatoes

For chicken:
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 T reduced-fat sour cream
1 t lemon juice
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1-1/2 T butter
6 T bottled roasted red peppers, finely chopped
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t -- 1/4 cup louisiana-style hot sauce (vary amount according to taste)
salt & pepper
water

Preheat oven to 350F. Cover a cookie sheet w/foil & spray w/nonstick cooking spray.
Combine cheese, sour cream, lemon juice in a small bowl, season w/pepper to taste. Cut a slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast to make space for the cheese filling. Stuff cheese mixture evently into each breast. Place each breast on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle each breast w/panko, pressing crumbs into the meat lightly. Spray w/nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes until chicken is done. Set oven to broil. Broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
While chicken bakes, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine butter, peppers, worcestershire, garlic & a tablespoon of water. Bring to boil, stir. Simmer covered until chicken is done. When ready to serve, mash peppers into the sauce with the back of a wooden spoon.
A serving = 1 breast + 1/4 of the sauce. (392 cal, 12.9g fat, 18.5g carbs, 1.1g fiber)

For spinach:
(this is for 2 servings only!)
1 pound washed (but not dried), trimmed spinach (I like baby spinach for this dish)
salt & pepper
2 T butter
1 shallot or 1/4 medium onion, tiny diced
1 T flour
3/4- 1 cup fat-free milk
pinch of nutmeg

Put spinach in a large saucepan over medium heat, sprinkle with salt; cover & cook, tossing occassionally until wilted. Drain in a colander. In the same pan, melt butter over medium-low heat, add shallot/onion, sprinkle w/salt & pepper. Cook until onion is soft but not browned, about 3-5 minutes. Add flour, stir. Cook about 1 minute. Add milk, stir to combine & dissolve lumps. Cook about 2 minutes. Stir spinach back in, sprinkle with nutmeg. Combine well, cover & turn off heat.

For tomatoes:
Toss a carton of grape tomatoes w/1T olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Cover, lower heat to medium-low, cook for an additonal 2-3 minutes until tomatoes start to burst. Remove from heat.

Seafood Chowder

Seafood/Fish Chowder (a general recipe)

This makes a light chowder, not a thick one!

Note -- you can make this with all clams (aka, clam chowder) or with any fish or seafood that you prefer. The version shown here has scallops, shrimp & crab.


1 t olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-1/2 T flour
1 large potato, diced small
2 strips of bacon, chopped
1 cups fat-free milk
2 cups chicken stock (or seafood stock)
1 bottle of clam juice
1/2 t dried thyme
1 T fresh parsley (or half that, dried)
red pepper flake (start w/a teaspoon & adjust to taste)
seafood/fish (about 12-16 ounces total)
salt & pepper

In a soup pot, cook bacon until it begins to crisp. Add onion, cook until bacon is crisp & onion is softened. Add pepper flakes, salt & pepper. Stir in flour & cook 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate roux of bacon/onion/flour/pepper flakes. Add potatoes & bring to boil. Reduce & cover until potatoes are tender. Add clam juice & seafood/fish. Cover & cook 5-7 minutes until seafood/fish is just cooked through. Add milk & thyme -- do not boil once you add the milk. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

4 servings @ 212 calories, 6g fat, 22g carbs (approximately).

Want it thicker? Add more flour.
Want it milkier? Change the proportions of broth/milk/clam juice.
You can add chopped carrots and/or frozen corn with the potatoes.
This is especially delicious if made with smoked fish, or if you add 2 drops of liquid smoke at the very end.

Cod w/ Olives & Tomatoes

Baked Cod with Olives & Tomatoes

4 cod fillets (can substitute tilapia)
2 small plum tomatoes, sliced OR 1 carton grape tomatoes, halved OR 1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted & roughly chopped
juice of 1 lemon (or small orange) + 1T zest
1/4 cup low fat mayo
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450F. Spray baking dish w/nonstick spray. Arrange tomatoes in botton of dish, sprinkle w/ olives & lemon zest. Place fish on top of tomato mixture. Season w/salt & pepper.
In small bowl, stir mayo, parmesan & lemon juice together. Spread mixture on top of fish. Bake until fish is opaque, about 15 minutes. Switch oven to broil; broil for 5 additional minutes (watch fish so it doesn't burn).

Makes 4 servings @ 423 calories, 20g fat, 8.8 g carbs, 1.8g fiber.

I serve this w/steamed broccolini & couscous.

Balsamic Chicken w/Grapes

Balsamic Chicken with Grapes

4- 4 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 t olive oil
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup chicken broth
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T brown sugar (or splenda brown)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
salt & pepper

Season chicken w/salt & pepper. Heal oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, saute briefly (about 3 minutes) until golden brown on each side. Remove chicken from pan. Turn heat down to medium. Add grapes, broth, vinegar & sugar to pan; bring to boil, then reduce for about 5 minutes. Return chicken to pan; cook until done, about 5 minutes, turn once to coat chicken in sauce. Sprinkle w/almonds before serving.

Makes 4 servings @ 229 cal, 7.1 g fat, 13 g carb, 1.1 g fiber each

I serve w/quinoa and a green salad.

Smothered Chicken

Smothered Chicken

4-4 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 T olive oil
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup onions, sliced
1 8-0z package of mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup whole wheat "white" flour
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 T chopped fresh basil or thyme

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated w/cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken (sprinkle w/salt & pepper). Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions & garlic; saute about 2 minutes, until onions begin to soften. Add mushrooms, cook until carrots are just tender (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle w/flour, stir to coat, cook about 2 minutes. Add broth & basil/thyme, bring to a boil. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, stirring almost constantly. Put chicken back in the pan, reduce heat, cover, simmer for 10-15 minutes until chicken is done.

Makes 4 servings (273 calories, 5.5g of fat, 23 g carb, 4.6 g fiber).

I serve this with smashed boiled new potatoes & a green salad w/low-cal dressing.

Roasted Lamb Shanks w/roasted rutabaga & broccolini

4 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of red wine, beer, or beef stock
2 lamb shanks
1 rutabaga (get a big one) & 1/2 pound of broccolini

Lamb:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large dutch oven, heat 1 T oil over medium high. Add onions, season w/salt & pepper, cook until just softened. Add garlic, cook about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cook 6-8 minutes until they start to break down a little. Add wine/beer/broth. Put shanks in the pot -- make sure they are submerged in liquid; if not, add more stock until just covered. Bake in oven for about 3 hours, until lamb is VERY tender & falls off the bones.

Veggies:
Line a cookie sheet w/foil. Peel & cube rutabaga -- you want chunks about the size of dice. Toss w/ 1T olive oil, salt & pepper. Spread rutabaga over foil-covered cookie sheet. Roast in the same oven as lamb for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
When lamb is done, remove it from the oven & keep warm on stove top. Raise oven temp to 475F. Toss broccolini w/ 1T olive oil, salt & pepper. Remove cookie sheet from oven; scoot rutabaga down to one end to make room for broccolini. Roast for 10-15 minutes -- broccolini is done when it's tender-crisp.

Serve 1 shank w/half of the rutabaga & broccolini. Spoon tomato-y sauce over the lamb.

Note -- you can add whatever herbs you like to the lamb and the veggies! Also, if the tomato-y sauce from the lamb seems too fatty for you, then use a bulb-baster to remove it, separate the fat w/a gravy separator, then return de-fatted broth to the pot.

Serves 2

Salmon with Feta & Tomatoes

1-2 pound salmon filet
1/2 cup low-fat feta
2 T olive oil
1 clove chopped garlic
salt/pepper/salt-free seasoning blend (like M. Dash)
cherry/grape tomatoes (whole carton)

Preheat broiler to "high." Cover a cookie sheet w/foil & spray w/nonstick spray or olive oil.
Place the filet on the foil, coat w/ 1T olive oil. Sprinkle w/ small amount of salt, several grinds of pepper, & seasoning blend. Sprinkle w/feta.

Toss tomatoes w/ 1T olive oil, salt, pepper, seasoning blend. Spread on foil next to salmon. Broil for 8-12 minutes, until salmon flakes (but isn't dry) and tomatoes split. Serve w/sauteed peppers, onions & mushrooms and quinoa.

Note -- if it's warm enough to grill, do this on your grill! Skip the cookie sheet & put foil directly on your grill grates. Or make a foil packet to keep the salmon moist.

This serves 4-6, depending on the amount of salmon (4 ounces is a serving).