As promised, I made loobia (or lubia) polo, a really easy Persian dish with ground beef, tomatoes, green beans and rice. On the side we enjoyed mastospinach, which is yogurt with cooked spinach mixed in, and my first ever homemade hummus! I even made the tahini... and killed my blender in the process. RIP Oster Blender. lol

Now, just as a warning, my mother-in-law taught me how to make her version of loobia polo, and she doesn't "do" recipes. She's very much like Rachael Ray-- everything is "just a touch" or "a couple of spoons"... So in the spirit of sharing this with everyone, I actually had to write down what I was doing. If there's any confusing part or something that doesn't sound quite right, please let me know. I'm not a recipe writer and I'm sure it'll be completely obvious when reading my directions. :-D

And not only do you get a loobia polo recipe, you get to learn how to make Persian-style rice with tadiq (said "TAH-deek")! Make sure you have a large enough pot, with a fairly tight fitting lid... if you can, use a non-stick pot. Stainless steel is a pain in the rump to do this in.


Loobia Polo c/o my mother-in-law

For the tomato meat layer:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef (you could use ground lamb too)
1 Tbsp. mild curry powder
2/3 can of tomato paste (or a whole can if you really like tomato flavor)
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes (fresh is always best, but canned is just as tasty)
1 c. green beans, cooked (either fresh, frozen or canned-all are ok)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper

For the rice:
3 c. basmati rice
TONS of water
3-4 tsp. salt

For the tadiq:
2 Tbsp. butter/margarine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 whole wheat pita bread round

To get the rice ready, place the 3 cups in a bowl. Rinse and drain twice with lukewarm warm. Soak in lukewarm water, add salt, stir and then let sit for at least two hours. (Yes, I hear the groaning now, but honestly, if you do this in the morning, when you get home from work or school, the rest of it is insanely easy and fast to do!)

1. In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil. Toss in the chopped onion and cook them until they're golden (this makes a HUGE difference- if the onions are just translucent, with no color, the flavor will NOT be the same. I've heard this so much from my mother-in-law, it is now my onion cooking mantra.)

This is usually when I put a HUGE wide pot on the stove, filled with water. Turn the heat on high, cover, and let it come to a crazy rolling boil.

2. Once onions are browned, add 1/2 Tbsp. of curry powder and let it toast slightly. Add the ground beef and brown thoroughly. If you want to make this slightly less fattening, you can pour of whatever extra fat is in the bottom of the pot.

3. Add the chopped tomatoes to the meat mixture, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the last 1/2 Tbsp. of curry powder.

Right about now is when the water starts to boil. So I drain and rinse the rice one more time, then add about 1 Tbsp. of salt and the rice to the boiling water. The rice takes about 8 or 9 minutes to cook to the point where you need it (not totally cooked through, but with the tiniest bite to it).

4. Add the green beans to the meat mixture, and cook for 6-8 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and curry powder. Cook for another 2 minutes or so.

Drain the rice in a colander over the sink. Put the pot back on the stove, turn the heat back on medium. Melt the butter/margarine with the olive oil in the bottom of the pot. While this is melting, pull apart the pita bread, and tear it into large chunks (one side will be smooth, and the other will be rough.)

When the fats are melted, swirl in the bottom of the pot to completely coat. Pour the extra fat into a cup (do not pour this down the drain- you will use it in a minute!). Place the chunks of pita bread, rough side down, in the bottom of the pot- it's ok if they overlap as long as the whole bottom is covered. Pour about 1 Tbsp. of the fat back over the bread (it should sizzle).

Scoop 1/2 of the rice in an even layer over the bread. Spread all of the tomato meat mixture over the rice, then top with the other 1/2 of the rice. Pour the remaining fat in swirly circles over the top.

This is absolutely integral- take a clean kitchen towel, and wrap it around the bottom of the lid of the pot. Place on top of the pot, and turn the heat to low. Let it cook for 20 minutes and DO NOT LIFT THE LID BEFORE THE 20 MINUTES IS UP. You will regret it. :-P

I like to mix the rice and meat together before plating, but you don't want to mess with the rice too much, so you can also put it on the plate still layered, without mixing.

And like I promised... one of my favorite ways to eat yogurt... with fresh cooked spinach! Talk about getting tons of vitamins and nutrients in one place. :-D

Mastospinach

1 c. fresh spinach, cooked & drained
4 c. low-fat Greek-style, thick yogurt

1. Mix.

2. Shove face in bowl and inhale. lol No, really, just put in a little bowl, and have a bite or 2 with each bite of loobia polo. NOM.

And for my first venture into making something ENTIRELY from scratch... I give you my simple little hummus...

I used this recipe but made my own tahini... toasted a ton of sesame seeds very lightly, and then pureed to heck with a bit of vegetable oil. It takes a bit of work, but it makes it worth it. :)

Please let me know if you try any of these... Especially the loobia polo, since I have no idea if those instructions make sense. lol

As a side note, classes start again on Tuesday, and I'm more excited than I probably should be. This will be my last fall semester as an undergrad, I have friends in every single class, even the online one, and I'll be volunteering with a speech pathologist every week! My degree will actually be done at the end of this semester, but I will still take a couple of classes in spring, just to improve my GPA, and to keep my brain fresh for applying to grad school! *gulp* If anyone has any tips on how to improve my grad school applications, they would be GREATLY appreciated! :-D

For my next trick... err... My next post will have some cupcakes and baked honey mustard chicken! YUM!

Click here if you're hungry!

So I decided to try the whole wheat blueberry muffin recipe again. Obviously, the outcome was MUCH better. Soft, slightly sweet with a hint of orange from the zest and tart from the blueberries... It helps when you don't follow recipes to a T. :-D

The recipe for these little beauties is here. You will NOT regret it.

And to stick with the baked goods theme, I made a chocolate zucchini loaf. I've wanted to try this for the longest time, so I bought two HUGE zucchini over the weekend, since I had no idea how many it would take to get 2 cups, grated. lol Poor Hubs thought the recipe was from one of the low-fat books I've been using, and he devoured quite a few pieces before actually asking if that's where it came from...

The look on his face was priceless, when I said there was zucchini in it. Didn't stop him from finishing off another piece though, so I guess it receives the stamp of approval. :-D

The recipe I used made 2 and we've almost completely polished off the second loaf, and it's still moist, and chocolatey, and soooo good. I highly recommend it to moms, dads, wives or husbands who want to sneak some more veggies into someone else's diet.

I used this recipe from All Recipes, and I highly recommend it. My only alteration was I used far less cinnamon. I don't like the combination of chocolate and cinnamon that much, so I used maybe 1/2 of what the recipe calls for.

In other life news, the job turned into a volunteer position, which is just fine with me... it's working with preschool aged children, provided aid to speech therapists and speech therapist assistants. Not only is this a fantastic opportunity for experience, exposure and networking, I will have the third reference letter I need to apply for speech pathology graduate Masters' programs in the coming spring. My fall semester is pretty light in comparison to previous semesters, so it'll be much easier to manage everything.

Next time I post, I'll share a Persian dish called Loobia (or Lubia) Polo- a tomato-based rice dish with meat and green beans, Mastospinach- thick yogurt with cooked fresh spinach and pepper, and homemade hummus. (When I say homemade, I mean homemade. I made the tahini and everything. It wasn't as difficult as I thought, but would have been MUCH easier if I had a normal-sized food processor instead of the Smurf-sized one we have now.)

Click here if you're hungry!

I cannot believe I actually forgot to post the dessert that went with the dinner from the last post! It is inherently low-fat (according to some guidelines, "fat free" although there is still 0.1 g. of Saturated fat, but when you consider the size of the piece you can eat to get that 0.1, I can live with it. lol)

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you angel food cake, with strawberries mascerated with sugar and vanilla extract, and then dusted with cocoa powder.

Ok, I admit I bought the angel food cake from the grocery store, because I'm too chicken to make one on my own (plus I was super busy). Roughly 1 1/2 c. of strawberries were cleaned and quartered before being tossed with about 2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar, plain white sugar and 2 tsp. vanilla extract. I imagine using vanilla bean would be just as nice, and would give the strawberry juice those neat little brown specks that make sweets look so nice. :-D

As you can tell, I'm a unable to suppress my choco-holic side, because I had to dust it with cocoa powder instead of powdered sugar. Besides, strawberries and chocolate are a heavenly combination... heck any berry with chocolate is delicious!

Dessert gods, please forgive me for forgetting to post this with the meal. I will make a great sacrifice to thee and eat my weight in sweets later this week. :-D

Click here if you're hungry!

Well, that's what I told Hubs after I saw this latest batch of pictures. lol Incidentally, I also hope to hear that from a potential employer-- I have a possible job interview on Monday. I won't divulge too many details so I don't jinx myself or get too hopeful, because it is such a longshot. Let's just say, it is the most perfect opportunity I've ever been presented with and I don't want to blow it. Every finger and toe in this house is crossed. :-D

But back to the foooood... I highly recommend each of the recipes I've tried in the last couple of days. Not only are they low-fat and low-cholesterol, they are wickedly delicious. (I've picked up the word "wicked" recently, and it's driving me nuts. lol I feel like Cartman on South Park when he adds "hella" to everything.)

While this would have obviously been even healthier with whole wheat or tri-color pasta, I'm hoping to use up all of our white carbs and starches before replacing all of them with whole wheat or less processed ones. Either way, this pasta sauce would probably work with most shapes of pasta-- spaghettini, rotini, penne... Dagnabit, now I'm hungry again. lol

Favorite Spaghetti (from Lighthearted Everyday Cooking by Anne Lindsay)

6 servings

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 onions, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced (or grated if you're super lazy like me)
1 can (5.5 oz./156 mL) tomato paste
1 can (28 oz./796 mL) tomatoes (I used diced because that's what we had)
1 c. water
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
**Side note: I was too lazy to pull out all of these spices, as my cabinet is overflowing with stuff right now, so I just used 2 1/2 tsp. of no-salt Italian Seasoning. In my humble opinion, I thought it turned out better.)
1 lb. spaghetti (obviously you can use any shape you want- and for the Metric among us, a 500 g. bag of dried pasta is just a tiny bit over 1 lb., so I just use the whole bag)
2 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan

1. In a large heavy skillet, brown the beef over medium heat. Pour off all fat (you'd be surprised at how much fat there still is in lean ground beef!).

2. Stir in onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally until softened.

3. Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes (I drained mine just a bit, because the water in the can is just a touch too sweet for the sauce- if you use whole tomatoes, break them up with the back of a spoon), water, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water if too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

4. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, i.e. tender but firm. Drain and arrange on plates. Spoon sauce over each serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional info per serving:
484 Calories
10 g. Total Fat
4 g. Saturated fat
5 g. Fibre
27 g. Protein
71 g. Carbohydrates
39 mg. Cholesterol
314 mg. Sodium
962 mg. Potassium

According to Ms. Lindsay, it's also a good source of Vitamin A, and an excellent source of Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin and Iron. Hmm... maybe I should start lifting weights then, because this pasta was really tasty, and I plan to make it several times.

Now, because we're trying to do the whole "balance" thing, I figured I actually need to start making breakfast instead of just letting Hubs and I live off of coffee for a couple of hours before having food. Hubs has never been a real breakfast-food person, so it's going to be a bit of a challenge to find things that he'll eat. We started this morning off with Gingerbread Pancakes with Apple-Berry topping. When reading the ingredient list, I heard the sound of squealing brakes in my head and thought "WHAT? How on earth can Apple pie filling possibly fit into something low-fat?" You'll see...

Regardless of how accurate the American Heart Association was in their assessment of this, it was sooooooooooooo tasty. The texture of the pancakes wasn't like normal fluffy pancakes- they were more dense, and had more flavor without being too sweet. Gingerbread Pancakes With Apple-Berry Topping (from Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, Second Edition by the American Heart Association)

4 servings

1 c. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 c. fat-free milk
Egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg, or 1 egg
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
8 oz. light apple pie filling
1/2 c. berry syrup (I used blueberry, but boysenberry or strawberry would be good too!)
4 Tbsp. dried cranberries (optional)

1. Preheat non-stick griddle over medium heat.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine milk, egg substitute, molasses and vegetable oil. **A little tip- If you use the same tablespoon measure for the oil and the molasses, pour the oil first. Measure the molasses immediately after- the oil has coated the spoon just enough to make the molasses slide out easily!)

4. Pour wet mixture into dry and stir until just combined. Do NOT overmix or the pancakes will be tough.

5. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If they evaporate quickly, the griddle is ready. Pour 1/4 c. of the batter onto the griddle. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles appear all over the surface. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Repeat until all of the batter is used up.

6. While the pancakes are cooking, heat the pie filling in a small saucepan over low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed through. Set aside. (Or do what I did, and forget to read ALL of the instructions first. I just mixed the blueberry syrup with the pie filling in the saucepan. D'oh. Tasted delicious regardless.)

7. To serve, place 2 pancakes on a plate. Spoon about 2 Tbsp. of syrup on pancakes. Spread 1/4 c. of pie filling on top and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. dried cranberries. Repeat with remaining pancakes.

Nutritional Info per serving:
394 Calories
6 g. Protein
87 g. Carbohydrates
4 g. Total Fat... YES, only 4!
1 g. Saturated fat
2 g. Polyunsaturated fat
1 g. Monounsaturated fat
1 mg. Cholesterol
342 mg. Sodium

Isn't that shocking?! I would have thought the fat content would be higher! lol

For dinner last night, I decided to venture back to Ms. Lindsay's book for my main course. The picture of this particular chicken dish caught my eye, because it was so simple and looked so easy to do. After reading the recipe, I realized it was something so easy and simple, anyone can do it and look like a star! :-D Of course, Hubs's taste buds still crave salt, so it wasn't his favorite but the potatoes were a HUGE hit, and the sabzi was inhaled.

I suppose I should explain what "sabzi" is for those who don't know. Sabzi is a Persian "side" that is usually eaten with hearty meat based stews. It is simply the combination of bright green herbs, green onion, and radishes. The typical herbs for it are curly parsley, cilantro, and mint. There is your world-cuisine lesson for the day. :-D

But back to the dinner! Aside from the grilled lemon rosemary chicken, I made home-fried potatoes and sesame broccoli. NOM NOM NOM. Of course, Hubs equates anything potato as being a french fry, so he ate them with ketchup. Odd ball. Grilled Lemon Chicken with Rosemary (from Lighthearted Everyday Cooking with Anne Lindsay)

4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken boooooooooooobs
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 1 Tbsp. dried
Pepper

1. In a shallow dish, arrange chicken in a single layer. Pour lemon juice over chicken and turn to coat both sides. Separate rosemary needles from stem, sprinkle over chicken. Season with pepper and set aside-- either leave at room temperature for 20 minutes or refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

2. Spray grill with nonstick vegetable spray. Grill chicken over hot coals or on medium-high for 4-5 minutes on each side, until meat is no longer pink in the middle. (I found that closing the BBQ gave the grill marks a bit more colour.)

Nutritional information per serving:
149 Calories
3 g. Total Fat
1 g. Saturated fat
0 g. fiber
27 g. Protein
2 g. Carbohydrates
73 mg. Cholesterol
64 mg. Sodium
247 mg. Potassium

Sesame Broccoli (from the same cookbook as the chicken recipe)

5 servings

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 bunch broccoli (1 lb./500 g.)
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1. In a small pan, cook sesame seeds until toasted, roughly 3 minutes, shaking pan constantly. Set aside.

2. Cut broccoli into florets; peel stalks and cut diagonally. Boil for 5-6 minutes, or steam until tender-crisp. Drain and place in serving dish.

3. Combine orange juice, sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger; toss with broccoli. Top with sesame seeds.

Nutritional information per serving:
56 Calories
3 g. Total Fat
trace Saturated fat
2 g. Fiber
3 g. Protein
6 g. Carbohydrates
0 mg. Cholesterol
74 mg. Sodium
171 mg. Potassium
**Also an excellent source of Vitamin C!

Home-Fried Potatoes (from the Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol cookbook)

6 servings

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil)
1 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, unpeeled, cooked and quartered
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
Pepper to taste

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute potatoes on one side for 2-3 minutes (recipe originally called for 3-4 minutes, but that almost burned them!).

2. Turn potatoes and add shallots. Saute for another 2-3 minutes.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook for another minute or so.

Nutritional information per serving:
122 Calories
2 g. Protein
24 g. Carbohydrates
2 g. Total Fat
0 g. Saturated fat
1 g. Polyunsaturated fat
1 g. Monounsaturated fat
0 mg. Cholesterol
8 mg. Sodium

Obviously I'm enamored with these cookbooks, so I highly recommend everyone check them out. :-D I'll have an Amazon widget on the side sometime soon, so all of the titles will be in one place for everyone to check out!

Click here if you're hungry!

So, like I said, we're starting to try low-fat, low-cholesterol recipes... Within an hour of our cholesterol class, I was in the library, studying American Heart Association cookbooks like I was cramming for a final. GAH An unintentional reference to the elevated hell that is my university. I came home with a few of them, and promptly realized that they were all more than 10 years old. YIKES! Oh well, I plan to actually buy the more recent versions of them very soon. :)

So we tried the first recipe on Saturday night! However, it wasn't anything spectacular to share (chicken fajitas). I wasn't thrilled with the outcome, so I chose not to ask Hubs to take pictures. It's all about trial and error, right?

However, after a quick trip to farmer's market, and $7 later, we were the proud owners of this ginormous container of local blueberries.
Of course, blueberry muffins were in order! Much to Hubs's surprise, baked goods ARE allowed in low-fat, low-cholesterol diets, but the recipes are widely different from the ones we're used to... Meaning, no shortening, using margarine instead of butter (I know I know, I have yet to try any of the ones that call for using this sacrilege that is margarine, if that eases any fears)...

Although, I adore whole grain and whole wheat breads, this recipe was my first trip in the world of whole wheat flour. And boy what an odd world it is. Part of the instructions is to "Sift the white and wheat flours..." Little did I know, whole wheat flour has flakes in it. Duh. That's the "whole wheat" part, goober. So I sifted. And then pondered why I had this mound of brown flakes in my sifter.

The moral of the story is: When it says to sift whole wheat flour, don't. Just add it. The texture of these muffins wasn't quite what I expected. Next time, I will definitely NOT sift. lol However, this won't be any time soon, as ALL of those blueberries have since been devoured by ravenous wild Amazon people. At least, that's what it feels like with all of the fruits and veggies in the house disappearing like crazy.

Blueberry Muffins (from 100% Pleasure by Nancy Baggett & Ruth Glick)

12 servings

1 1/4 c. all-purpose or unbleached white flour
3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. skim milk
1 large egg white (I used the egg whites from a carton, since I HATE wasting egg yolks)
3 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. canola or safflower oil (I used canola)
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. orange zest
1 c. fresh (or partially thawed frozen) blueberries **See note.**

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Either coat 12 standard muffin tin cups (i.e. one muffin pan) with nonstick spray. (Or do what I did and just use liners. So much easier...)

2. Sift together the white and wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar until evenly distributed.

3. In a small bowl, beat together the milk, egg white, honey, oil, vanilla, and orange zest with a fork until well mixed.

4. Gently stir blueberries into the flour mixture until evenly incorporated (as I've learned with making cupcakes, this helps to keep the blueberries suspended in the batter, rather than all sinking to the bottom!) Add the milk mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened; do NOT overmix.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake on the center oven rack for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly. (This is when my inner teenage boy wants to chuckle and say "That's what SHE said." Har.) Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand for 5 minutes. If you didn't use cupcake liners, run a knife around the muffins to loosen them before removing from the pan.

**Note: If using partially thawed frozen berries, rinse and drain them well, the pat away excess moisture with paper towels before adding to dry ingredients.

And here's a new bit: the nutritional information as provided by the cookbook!! YAY for knowledge! These values are obviously per single muffin:

152 Calories
3.7 g. Fat (Total)-- 22% of calories
0.3 g Saturated Fat
0 mg. Cholesterol

The next recipe is one that Hubs picked out-- chicken boooooobs stuffed with ricotta and goat cheese. Which brings me to a secret I have to share. Hubs HATES goat cheese. He will refuse to eat anything if goat cheese has even been in the same room. I, however, do not discriminate. I'm an equal opportunity cheese eater. (Come to think of it, I'll try almost everything once, as long as minimal pain and blood are involved.) But I digress...

My modification to this recipe was to replace the goat cheese with feta, which he loves. While I did add feta to the filling of the chicken, I subbed only half of the goat cheese it called for. Meaning, I used ricotta, feta, AND goat cheese. Hubs was none the wiser, and INHALED dinner. The dietician instructed us that 1/2 of your plate should always be veggies, 1/4 should be a protein, and 1/4 should be a grain. I think this looks like a pretty well-balanced plate...
Mine looked wildly better, only because of the asparagus resting on top of the wilted kale. I could eat asparagus until I turn into the Jolly Green Giant. Well, the Jolly Small Giant, but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

And because Hubs is the photographer and has a better "eye" for this, he felt compelled to provide a close up of the wilted kale and spinach salad (yay cheese!). No real "recipe" for kale, but I heated up some olive oil and tossed some red pepper flakes in to add some spice. Once that was heated up, the kale was tossed in , and then I stepped WAY back because it was still wet and sent oil flying through the air straight for my eye. Awesome. While it was still sizzling, I added some pepper and about 1/4 c. of low-sodium chicken stock (for you ratio whizzes, I only used one bunch of organic kale). Stuck a lid on the pan and let it cook over medium heat for about 5? minutes. It didn't take long and was so delicious despite the lack of salt!

As for the spinach salad, same idea- sliced red onion, organic local tomato cut into wedges, dressed with fresh lemon juice and then topped with low-fat sharp/old cheddar cheese. Parmesan would have worked really well, to complement the flavors of the chicken.

And the asparagus was done in my absolute favorite way... well, my 2nd favorite, next to grilling. Poured some olive oil over the cleaned and trimmed spears, ground some black pepper on top, tossed coat, and then put in the oven on a foil-covered baking sheet. After roasting at roughly 350F for about 10 minutes, I took the asparagus out and squirted some more fresh lemon juice on top. Holy moly, are lemon and asparagus a match made in foody heaven or what?

Gee, this is turning into quite a lengthy post! lol Hope someone tries this and likes it too. :)

Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Ricotta and Goat Cheese (from Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, Second Edition by the American Heart Association)

4 servings

Stuffing/Filling:
7 oz. non-fat or low-fat ricotta cheese (roughly 1 cup)
2 oz. goat cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, or 2 tsp. dried crumbled parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, or 1 tsp. dried

Sauce:
8 oz. can no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tsp. salt-free Italian Herb Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp. dried, crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced, or 1/2 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz. each), visible fat removed

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 1-qt. casserole dish lightly with vegetable oil spray. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients. Set aside.

3. In another small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. (Yes, this uses lots of small bowls you're forced to set aside. lol)

4. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Place boooobies smooth side up between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (or wax paper). Using the smooth side of a meat mallet (or a huge heavy cast iron skillet your grandmother used to chase you with, which is what I have), lightly flatten the boooobies, being careful not to tear the meat.

5. Spoon about one quarter of the stuffing lengthwise dow the middle of each breast. Starting with the short end, roll up the boooooobie jelly roll style. Place it in the prepared casserole dish, seam side down (no need to secure with toothpicks). Repeat with other boooobies.

6. Spoon sauce over booooobies. Bake, covered, for 40-45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Nutritional Info per serving:
235 Calories
35 g. Protein
9 g. Carbohydrates
6 g. Total Fat
3 g. Saturated
1 g. Polyunsaturated
2 g. Monounsaturated
75 mg. Cholesterol
382 mg. Sodium

Just a heads-up, the recipe either makes more stuffing than can fit into the chicken, or I just am inept at beating the crap out of my chicken. I thought I was going to make a hole in my kitchen counter with how hard I was hitting it.

Rice Pilaf (from American Heart Association Cookbook, Fifth Edition: New and Revised by the American Heart Association)

6 servings

2 Tbsp. acceptable margarine (I just used olive oil)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped bell pepper, red or green
1/4 c. chopped celery
2 c. low-sodium chicken stock
1 c. uncooked long-grain rice (as you can tell from the pictures, I used brown rice)
1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms (or you can use 1/4. chopped small- Hubs doesn't like mushrooms either but if they're small enough, he doesn't complain as much)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Pepper to taste

1. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt margarine (or warm oil). Add onion, celery and bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Set aside. (Starting the loathe that phrase as much as I do?)

2. Place broth and rice in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion mixture and mushrooms. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30-4o minutes (took mine closer to 50, since it was brown rice), or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Add parsley and black pepper. Fluff before serving.

Nutritional Info per serving:
153 Calories
3 g. Protein
25 g. Carbohydrate
0 mg. Cholesterol
68 mg. Sodium
4 g. Total Fat
1 g. Saturated fat
1 g. Polyunsaturated fat
2 g. Monounsaturated fat

And as a side note, my oven temp sensor is apparently on the fritz. The oven turned off several times while the chicken was cooking, and when I researched the error message, it said my oven is not sensing how hot it is, and therefore keeps on heating itself up. This may also be the culprit behind our completely ridiculous gas bill.

Like always, let me know if you try any of the recipes I post! I love feedback. :)

Click here if you're hungry!

So now that my summer classes are over, I hope to have a bit more time to spend updating my blog and really doing this the "right" way. :)

A little update on life that will be affecting posts in the upcoming weeks and months... Hubs had a blood test done last week that he got the results back on this week. Apparently, he has high cholesterol for his age, and will be changing his diet (which will obviously change my diet, even though I tend to eat healthier than him anyway- I love fruits & veggies, and he has a limited taste for anything not out of a box/package lol).

So Saturday morning, we have been enrolled in a "Cholesterol Class" at a local hospital, where we'll be learning what's good and bad and what to limit and what to cut out completely. So I plan to share all the information I can possibly find with anyone who stumbles upon my little internet cubbyhole. Keep your eyes peeled and please feel free to comment and share any links or information! :)

Click here if you're hungry!

I really dislike the end of summer and I really really dislike fall. Being hot during the day and then freezing like a nake polar bear at night drives me insane. Oh well... Hopefully this means I get to start layering clothes again soon. lol

After doing a heinous amount of grocery shopping today, I felt inspired to make something for dinner that was an "inspired-by" dish (I was aiming for a lemon chicken of some sort, and landed on chicken piccata recipes that inspired me), and has no real recipe. I don't do this often, as most things I make have a fairly small range of variations. However, anything that involves chicken is like an open invitation for me to do something off the wall.
(As a side note: I'm a complete goober- every time we shop at Costco, we get chicken breasts and a 2-dozen egg carton. When we put the eggs in the cart, on top of the chicken, I am ALWAYS compelled to say "Say hi to Mommy!". I'm certainly an oddball, I know.)

Along with the weird version of chicken piccata, the sauce included softened onion, white wine, lemon juice, cream and capers. I also made lemon asparagus asiago risotto and a mixed romaine and baby arugula salad. YAY! The risotto is made like a normal risotto (which takes forever), but at thebeginning, white wine is used as the first addition of liquid, and at the end, asiago, lemon zest, and 1/2 in. asparagus pieces are stirred in.

For the salad, romaine, baby arugula, red onion and tomato with some grated asiago cheese make the meal feel a bit "healthier". Ha. We have a bottle of honey dijon dressing (I know how to make some, I was just too lazy and sloshed to do so tonight), and it went really well with the rest of the flavors.
This is what the whole group looked like together!

Note the glass of wine in the background-- Hubs and I bought a brand-new bottle of local Reisling today, and when we got home, I noticed a HUGE crack running down the side of the bottle. I knew I wanted to use it for both dishes anyway, but I figured I could make the bottle last at least 2 days, with my mother-in-law and I both being lushes. Oh well. At least this makes for a more interesting Saturday evening. (You may also notice the picture of the chicken is slightly blurry... now you know why. lol)

Hopefully I'll have some more interesting stuff to talk about once my finals are done, because I'm completely consumed by studying and reading right now. But for now, I hope you enjoy my procrastination in food terms. :)

Click here if you're hungry!