Day 23 - Pollo y Cebollas Salteados

Tonight was Sauteed Chicken and Onion night. The recipe I found was in Spanglish, but here's the gist of it:

Garlic, 3 cloves Ground Oregano, 1 tsp a few dashes of black pepper a few dashes of salt 2 Tbsps olive oil 2 oz tap water 1/2 white onion, chopped 4 chicken breasts

1-Crush garlic, oregano, black pepper and salt.
2-Dice the chicken breast tenders and mix with the garlic paste until each piece is seasoned with it.
3-In a frypan, sauté chicken in oil. Add water and cook until water evaporates and chicken is cooked.
4-Add onion to chicken, cook until tender.
5-Makes 4 portions

The chicken tasted very light. The garlic gave it a sweet flavor and the oregano gave a slight Italian aftertaste. When I make this again (which I will), I would probably use a few more breasts and add cabbage or sweet peppers. This isn't a one-dish meal like what I prefer to make, so this alone as listed above would also work well over a bed of linguine. **NOTE** Original recipe only called for three chicken breasts, so note this in the nutritional value listed below:

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 3
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 111.1

• Total Fat: 7.1 g
• Cholesterol: 10.0 mg
• Sodium: 283.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 6.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g
• Protein: 4.4 g

Day 22 - Black Pepper Beef And Cabbage Stir Fry

Very simple dish, packed with veggies, light tasting but filling at the same time. One note: If you're not a big fan of "spicy" dishes, you might consider cutting the black pepper in half. This was a definite "top" meal for me. Very simple to make, very inexpensive ingredients, took about 20 minutes from prep to table. I'll definitely make this again!

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 small head cabbage, shredded

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, and add oil. Saute garlic for about 5 seconds, then add ground beef. Stir-fry until beef is evenly brown. Stir in cabbage and pepper, and cook until vegetables are tender, and beef is fully cooked. Stir in soy sauce. Mix together cornstarch and water, and stir in. Season with pepper. Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened.

Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 202.6

• Total Fat: 11.3 g
• Cholesterol: 32.8 mg
• Sodium: 361.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 12.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
• Protein: 14.8 g

Day 17 - Broiled Tilapia Parmesan AND guacamole!

Oh, that's right folks. I took it up a notch and made two recipes. I think my family is convinced I've been abducted and replaced with a less annoying version of Rachael Ray. The guac was more of a happy accident than something planned. We had bought avocados last weekend that I forgot about until this evening. So, since super-mushy avocados are pretty much guacamole in a shell anyway, I decided to save their integrity and just turn 'em into dip. First, let's get to this tilapia business.

3 Tilapia fillets
2 tsps olive oil
juice from two fresh limes
1 tsp dehydrated cilantro
2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
garlic powder

Brush fillets with some olive oil. I've seen that "Naked Chef" guy so I thought I'd be fancy. I just drizzled a dollop of oil on the fillet (in my hands) and rubbed it in on both sides. Saves cleaning a brush and it makes everyone watching you cook think you're just so totally cool. Squeeze juice from the limes over the fillets. I also don't own a lime juicer, so I crushed them (just like Ahnold) with my bare hands. I'm flexing right now. Trust me. Sprinkle garlic powder over fish. Don't encrust the little guy, but don't be afraid to use this spice liberally. Sprinkle fillets with cilantro. I just find it's easier to keep dehydrated cilantro on hand instead of the fresh, but that's up to you.

Broil 6 inches from heat in oven for 6 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. While the fish is under the heat, get your spinach rinsed off and pluck off all the stems. It might seem tedious to do so, but trust me, it's worth it. Place spinach in a microwave safe dish, cover loosely, nuke for 4 minutes. The natural juices of the spinach will steam it for you. Fancy, huh?

Spoon cooked spinach onto plate, place fish over spinach. Place chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese over the fish, and you're done! Best. Fish. Dish. Ever. True story. The bonus is being able to get through dinner, do the dishes, and still be able to brag to everyone how your hands smell limey fresh.

Holy Guacamole!

2 medium Hass avocados

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 Tbsp dehydrated cilantro

1/4 cup tomato chopped

juice from a fresh lime (or two!)

Directions

Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop pulp out into a bowl. Using a fork, mash avocado until smooth in consistency. Add the lime juice, onion, cilantro, and tomato. Poof. You're the life of the party. (The guac is in the lower right hand corner there.)

Day 16 - Gone in 60 Seconds Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 lb. 93% Lean Ground Turkey

1 large egg

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/3 cup ketchup

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. 1% Milk

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. oregano

5-6 "shakes" paprika

Directions

Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Spray Pyrex casserole dish with cooking spray. Mold the meatloaf mixture into a "loaf" in the dish. Sprinkle with additional pepper if desired. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes. After first 20 minutes cooking, add additional catsup to top of loaf. Remove from oven after 45 minutes, let "rest" an additional 10 minutes on counter/stove-top. 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 170.9

• Total Fat: 5.9 g
• Cholesterol: 63.6 mg
• Sodium: 646.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 11.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
• Protein: 16.6 g

Day 15 - Crunchy Chicken!

3 fresh chicken breasts

1/4 cup dried Italian bread crumbs

9 tsp Olive oil

Salt (to taste, optional) 

Directions

Heat oven to 375 F. 

 Wash chicken and pat dry. 

Dip chicken pieces into breadcrumbs and turn so as to coat all over.
Place in a lightly greased baking pan and drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over each chicken breast.
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes

Serves 3-4

The Italian crumbs take this dish's flavor to an entirely new level. Comes with all the flavor of a tasty fried chicken, with none of the grease.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 146.4

• Total Fat: 8.8 g
• Cholesterol: 38.0 mg
• Sodium: 121.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 5.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
• Protein: 11.1 g

Day 3 cooking challenge - fajitas

Ingredients

3 chicken breast fillets

1 yellow pepper (cut into strips)

1 orange pepper (cut into strips)

1 red pepper (cut into strips

1/2 large white onion

8 - 8" Flour Tortillas

Marinade: 

1 lime

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Toppings: (your choice) Sour Cream Salsa Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Mix together marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and marinate for minimum of 30 minutes to maximum of overnight).

Saute' peppers in 1 Tbl of canola oil. Add onion slices. Remove peppers and onions when soft and set aside. Add chicken to pan. Cook until almost done (3 minutes each side) add peppers and onions back to pan. Cook for a few minutes more and serve. While chicken is cooking, prepare the toppings in individual bowls for serving. Warm up tortillas in the microwave in between paper towels for 15 seconds each. Place fajita mixture in the tortilla. Serves 8

**as a side note** The peppers and marinated cooked chicken are so flavorful, additional toppings really aren't required. I didn't use any toppings on my 2nd fajita and it tasted better than the first. Sometimes less IS more.

Day 2 cooking challenge - Baked potatoes

I know what you're thinking. What's rocket science about making a baked potato? It looks simple enough. The thing is, it is a simple and fun meal to make. I make my baked potatoes by steaming them in the microwave. I prefer the taste of russet potatoes, and a medium potato plain will run you just 100 calories.

1 medium russet potato
1 Tbsp. Country Crock spread
1/4 cup chives (chopped)
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 dollop of Daisy Sour Cream
a pinch of crumbled bacon

Scrub the potato thoroughly. Leave wet, wrap in Saran Wrap. Get a fork, pop several holes through the wrapped potato (this will allow the steam to escape while baking). Place on plate, microwave for 12 minutes. I microwave the potato in 4 minute increments, so I can flip the potato over for even baking.

Take the potato out, unwrap, and I usually cut the potato length-wise, then cut it five more times in the opposite direction. It will look like 10 pieces of potato-dice. The potato will be so soft, I can sometimes just slice it up like I would a pancake. The toppings above are just things I had around the house. Other good toppings are: steamed broccoli and cheese, salsa, chili...just experiment and see what suits your taste the best. For those of us watching the caloric intake, keep a bottle of Molly McButter on hand. It tastes great and is better than the real McCoy. Of course, I also swear by Tony Chachere's creole seasoning and red pepper flakes if I'm looking to spice up my potato.

Day 1 cooking challenge - Tater Tot Casserole

This was a fun one to make. I searched http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/home.asp for a recipe that would let me pick and choose ingredients I already had in the house. I also love this site, because I can see comments other SparkPeople have made about making the recipes. Since I'm very new to cooking, the feedback gives good suggestions I wouldn't intuitively know just by seeing a recipe. I'm also a new fan of white onions. I like the crunchy texture it gives to food, and it's an easy way to sneak in some extra nutrition. :) Here's the recipe!

1 pound lean ground turkey (I use the 16 oz lean Jennie-O tubes) 1 10.75 ounce can of 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Approx. 45 Frozen Tater Tots (used a bag of Ore Ida) 1 cup 2% shredded cheese of your choice .25 cup chopped green onions About 1 Tbsp. Tony Chachere's creole seasoning

1/2 C. chopped white onion

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 11x7-inch glass baking dish.

Cook ground turkey until done; drain fat (if any).

In a medium bowl, mix Cream of Mushroom Soup together with the cooked ground turkey, 1/2 Tbsp of Tony's seasoning and chopped white onion. Spread ground turkey mixture into bottom of baking dish evenly.

Arrange frozen tater tots across top of ground turkey mixture until covered. Sprinkle remaining Tony's seasoning on top of tater tots. Sprinkle cheese evenly across top of tater tots. Sprinkle chopped green onions on top of cheese.

Bake casserole in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30-32 minutes or until tater tots are cooked and cheese is melted. 

Enjoy!

There's a first for everything! (First post)

I've given a lot of thought to change during various stages of my life. Some changes have been by choice, others by force. There's been a lot of talk amongst friends regarding making things different in our lives. Life isn't bad, but it can be better. It can always be different. I'm not a chef. I'm not an artist. I'm not a professional photographer, or an animal trainer, or a very athletic person. Despite the things I am not, there are several things that I am. For me to really get to know myself and know my authentic self, I'll need to step outside of my boundaries; my safe zones.

After some deliberation and some very insightful conversations with three very close friends of mine, I've decided to create a blog, where I can keep track of these changes. My "Firsts" if you will. Starting out, February's theme will be "food". Then I will try something else (and NEW) in subsequent months. 

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, I'm not a chef. I can't even make Jell-o set. At least, that's what I thought four days ago. Since then, I have made chili from scratch, potato salad from scratch, and a fancy 6-ingredient french toast. The feeling that came along with the entire process of cooking, cradle to grave, is inexplicable. I hear cooks on chef shows talk about the sensuality of using all senses in the kitchen. I finally get what they're talking about. So here's to many firsts. First recipes, first photographs, first time meeting a new friend, first time facing my fears, first time doing something just for me...with complete abandon.

Just breathe, feel the fear, do it anyway.