Pantry Raid!

Last week, we had an unintended hiaitus - Suzanne's schedule was incredibly crazy with work events, travel and meetings and April's life was it's normal chaotic bliss.  April did make some turkey tacos, but she didn't take any pictures, so we won't mention it.

This week, in honor of the beginning of fall, we decided to go with some cooler-weather recipes, both of which can be made with things you'll usually find in your refrigerator and pantry.  We had Brunswick Stew, Dressed-Up Corn Muffins and a simple salad.  A tasty dinner that can be made ahead, especially in the crock pot.

 

Brunswick Stew

from WeightWatchers Comfort Classics: 150 Favorite Home-Style Dishes

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

4 (5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 4 pieces

2 slices center-cut bacon

2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 onion, halved and cut into 1-inch thick slices

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thick strips

1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup thawed frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas and green beans)

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Worcestshire sauce

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Gratuitous bacon shot.

Combine the flour and cayenne in a medium bowl.  Add the chicken and toss to coat.

Cook the bacon in a large saucepan until crisp.  Drain on paper towels and coarsely crumble.  Add the chicken to the saucepan and cook until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a plate.

Add the celery, onion and bell pepper to the saucepan; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 4-5 minutes.   Stir in the chicken, bacon, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, vinegar, Worcestshire sauce, and pepper sauce; bring to boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are very tender and the stew is thickened, 20-25 minutes.

Serves 4, points value of 5 each.

April: Oh my God it was good.  It was just really good.  I thought it would be more tomato-y, but it was still really really good.

Suzanne: Soooo delicious.  Spicy but not too spicy.  Went perfectly with the corn muffins!

Dressed-Up Corn Muffins

adapted from the Martha White Cornbread package

2 packages Martha White Sweet Yellow Cornbread Mix

1 cup fat-free skim milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup Del Monte Whole Kernel Golden Corn - No Salt Added, drained

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine mix, eggs and milk in a bowl; stir until just smooth. Fold in corn and cheese.  Fill cupcake cups 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 for 16-19 minutes or until golden brown.

April: Perfect with the stew.  Even though it's got pieces of corn in it, finnicky people be not afraid, it doesn't have a corny texture.

Suzanne: I went with the Martha White mix instead of Jiffy because it had a slightly lower calorie content.  Turns out, it had a slightly lower taste content too.  I will make these again, maybe next time with more cheese, and with the Jiffy mix instead.  Not bad, especially when slathered in butter. :)

Makes 18 muffins, points value of 3 each.

So STUFFED!!!!!

There are three recipes this evening. The Bryants had the chicken lastnight, but for tonight's recipe victim we had a lovely meal of Italian Stuffed Peppers and salad.  Most of the meal was pre-made: we just had to put together the peppers and pop them in the oven and make a quick salad when everything was ready.

For some reason, today really felt like a Monday, so it was nice to not have too much to clean up after our meal.

Italian Stuffed Peppers
adapted from Kitchen Trial and Error

2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup uncooked orzo
1 ½ cups pasta sauce
2 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup basil, minced
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup zucchini, grated
1 pound uncooked ground turkey breast
6 bell peppers


Preheat your oven to 400F. Place a strainer over a square baking dish.


Brown the ground turkey in a sauté pan over medium low heat. set aside.  Bring the chicken broth to a boil and cook the orzo, about 4 minutes. Drain the orzo with the strainer, so the chicken broth is in the baking dish.


In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, orzo, pasta sauce, zucchini, mozzarella, parmesan, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well.

Cut a small slice off the bottom of the peppers so they sit flat in the baking dish. be careful not to cut all the way through the bottom or the filling will fall out.  Cut the top off the pepper and remove the insides.


Fill each pepper and place in the chicken broth baking dish. Cover with foil and bake about 45 minutes. Remove foil, dust with parmesan cheese, and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Serving size is one stuffed pepper, with a points value of 6 each.

Suz: I made the stuffing last night when I got back into town from Raleigh.  This evening I simply cut the tops off the peppers, stuffed them and popped them in the oven.  Very easy and I like the orzo in place of the rice!

April~ Very good... subtle flavoring seems to melt into the peppers. Yummm...


Cayenne-Spiked Oven-Fried Chicken
from Hit the Spot: 140 Savory, Crispy, Spicy & Sweet Recipes You'll Love

Prep 5 min              Bake 25 min           Serves 4

1/4 cup whole-wheat panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3/4  cup low-fat buttermilk
8  3.5 oz chicken drumsticks skin removed

1. Preheat the oven at 450F. Line the broiler pan with foil.
2. Mix together the panko, flour, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a large shallow bowl. Dip the drumsticks, one at a time, into the buttermilk mixture, then roll in the panko mixture to goat evenly.
3. Spray the chicken with nonstick spray and place in the broiler pan. Bake until crispy and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

4 points for 2 drumsticks.

April~ I love the seasoning. I would not do the chicken legs again, not a fan a fan of dark meat. I will however purchase a meat thermometer.... going to try the panko mix on boneless/skinless chicken breasts next time. PS.. it took longer than 25 minutes and they were still moist. They do have a little kick to them... Alden was not a big fan. Panko is with other bread seasoning things like stuffing in the grocery store... just fyi.

Suz: I didn't try this dish, but since I think I have all of the necessary ingredients, I may be making some this week...


Frosted Carrot Cake Cupcakes
from Hit the Spot: 140 Savory, Crispy, Spicy & Sweet Recipes You'll Love
Prep 25 min             Bake 20 minutes              Makes 2 doken

1 (18.25 oz box spice cake mix
3/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
2 cups shredded carrots
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineappple in juice drained
1/4 cup dried currants

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

4  ounces light cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cake mix, egg substitute, applesauce, and buttermilk in a large bowl until blended, Increase the speed to medium an dbeat until smooth, about 2 mintues. With a rubber spatula, stir in carrots, pinapple, currants and 1/4 cup of pecans.

3. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Let cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool on the racks.

4. To make the frosting, with an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.  Add the confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth.  Spread about 2 teaspoons of the frosting on each cupcake and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining pecans.

April~ FYI Currants are in the dried fruit section of Kroger and you'll want to shred more than "shredded carrots" it's just not thin enough in my opinion. When you are filling the cupcake cups you'll think it's going to overflow they are so full, but they don't... promis. I love these... so much that I am giving them away. Which is the true sign that sweets are too good in my house... the must leave or I will eat them all !!!!

Suz: I really like these cupcakes!  I'm not usually a huge fan of carrot cake, but the cupcakes really hit the spot.  Perfect amount of frosting too!  My mom will love these :)

Blogger is being crazy, so we ask that you cock your head to the right to see our lovely plating of the peppers and salad.

Labor Day Tailgate Special

Today is Labor Day, which means no work for Suzanne and April!  We decided to take on a Tailgate theme and put together some items that work for a game or a backyard barbeque.  Some were great, some were okay, and there was one that left us both scratching our heads.

We started cooking early (about 2:30), figuring that we'd eat whenever we got everything ready.  It was nice to have the luxury of time - we had some cocktails and guacamole and made our dishes at a fairly leasurely pace.  And still we ended up eating dinner at 4:30.  It worked for me, since I didn't eat lunch today.  But I think I might need a snack later...

Pomegranate Vodka Cooler
adapted from the WeightWatchers Website

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp grenadine, syrup
4 cups seltzer, sugar-free, raspberry-flavor
4 oz vodka
1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice


Combine the pomegranate juice, lime juice, vodka and grenadine in a large pitcher. Gently stir in the raspberry seltzer. Serve over ice. Yields about six 1 cup servings.

Suzanne: I played with this recipe a little - added a little more pomegranate juice and maybe a little more vodka... It came out fantastic - a new favorite for me! :)

April: I drank too much.  Very tasty, and it makes a lot!


Kick-It-Up Guacamole
from WeightWatchers Hit the Spot: 140 Savory, Crispy, Spicy & Sweet Recipes You'll Love

2 Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/3 cup mild or medium chunky fat-free salsa

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons lime juice

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

 

Coarsely mash the avocados in a medium bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  If not serving right away, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent the guacamole from browning.  Refrigerate up to four hours.  1 Point per 1/4 cup serving

 

Suzanne: Delicious.  We had this with the Utz Baked Tortilla Chips.  Too good.  Definitely a keeper!

 

April: Guaca-guaca gone.  Seriously, John, Suzanne and I ate it all.

 

Ultimate Onion Rings
from WeightWatchers Hit the Spot: 140 Savory, Crispy, Spicy & Sweet Recipes You'll Love
 

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

2 large sweet onions, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch rounds and seperated into 32 rings

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Spray two large baking sheets with nonstick spray.

 

Put the flour in a large zip-close plastic bag.  Whisk together the buttermilk, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Combine the breadcrumbs and Old Bay Seasoning in a large shallow bowl.
 

Add the onion rings, a few at a time, to the flour and shake to coat.  Dip the rings, one at a time, in the buttermilk mixture, then coat with the breadcrumbs, transferring the rings as they are coated to the prepared baking sheets.  Bake until golden and crispy, about 20 minutes.  Makes 4 servings with a Points value of 2.

 

Suzanne: I had to cut the onions for April because she has sensitive eyes.  Mine, on the other hand, are eyes made of steel.  Some of the rings were better than others, I'm not sure why.  I think I'll save up my points for the next time I want onion rings instead.

 

April: Besides the fact that I cried without ever cutting the onions, I would probably put less breading on them and cut them thicker.  I wouldn't cook them at such a high temp because they seemed to dry out (and I turned the oven down 25 degrees.

 

 

Zucchini Fries

from the WeightWatchers Website

4 spray olive oil cooking spray

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp table salt

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

2 medium zucchini, about 7-inches each, cut into 16 “fries”

2 large egg whites, whipped until frothy (almost soft peaks)

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl.

Dredge a zucchini fry in flour mixture and then dip into egg whites; dredge in bread crumbs. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.

Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. Yields about 8 fries per serving.

Suzanne: I loved these.  They'd be great dipped in marinara.

April: It was good, I liked them just the way they were - not squishy, firm.  Seasoning was not too spicy but not too bland.

Grilled Buffalo-Style Chicken Bites
adapted from WeightWatchers Hit the Spot: 140 Savory, Crispy, Spicy & Sweet Recipes You'll Love

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken tenders
8 teaspoons (2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) Louisiana-style hot sauce

4 taspoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 celery stalks

1 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1/4 cup reduced-fat blue cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Toss the chicken, hot sauce, oil and salt in a medium bowl until coated.

Cut the celery in half, then crosswise to thirds.  Stir together the yogurt and blue cheese in a serving dish.

Saute the chicken strips in a large pan coated with Pam cooking spray; cook the chicken just until cooked though, about two minutes on each side.

Arrange the blue cheese dressing, celery sticks, and chicken strips on a platter.  Sprinkle the dressing with the parsley.  Serves 6 with a Points value of 4 each.

Suzanne: Chicken was very good.  The dressing tasted like exactly what it is: blue cheese in some plain yogurt.  We tried adding a little mayo and some salt and pepper.  It helped some, but it still tasted like yogurt.

April: Chicken was spicy but not too spicy.  I didn't like the blue cheese dressing at all.

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

adapted from Tyler's Ultimate

2 Tbsp sugar, for base
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

9 whole reduced-fat graham crackers

4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs

2 medium lemons, zested and juiced

1/2 cup sugar, for filling

1 1/2 cups raspberries

8 oz light cream cheese, 1 pkg, softened

8 oz fat-free cream cheese, 1 pkg, softened

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

For the base:

Grease the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with butter. Then place parchment paper over the top, pressing down at the corners. In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon and graham crackers until you have the texture of bread crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate. Pour into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with the base of a glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done set aside to cool.

For the filling:

Add cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar to the food processor and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth consistency. Pour onto the cooled base and then cover with blueberries. They will sink slightly but should still be half exposed -- as the cake bakes they will sink a little more and break down.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours. Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into 12 rectangular bars.

Suzanne: Nice and lemony.  I don't love whole raspberries like this.  According to the recipe, they were supposed to sink more into the cheesecake and break down.  Probably would have liked that a little better.  Also, next time I won't use any fat free cream cheese - I'll switch it out for all reduced fat cream cheese.  There was a thickness that I think came from the stabilizers used in the FF cream cheese.  Overall, still very good cheesecake, I'll make it for my mom next time I'm home.

April: Delicious.  I really really really liked it.  I got what Suzanne said about the texture, but the taste was great.

Tomorrow is Alden's first day of preschool!  April is running around trying to make sure everything is ready for the morning - his bus comes at 6:45am... I am preparing for a crazy next few weeks - between my events and other ones that I have to go to for work, I'm not going to have a free weekend until the end of October.  But it looks like we'll still be keeping up our Monday night dinners. 

Fall is coming, whether or not we're ready for it.  This weekend was a nice preview of the lovely weather we have to look forward to - it was actually coole enough to exercise outside!  Have a great week and we'll see you back here next Monday with some recipes that hopefully won't leave us all stuffed...