Fifty-Two Dinners

One new recipe a week for a year. That was the original goal set as a New Year's resolution way back in 2009.

It didn't happen. Nor did it happen in the following years.

But I have continued posting and striving to try one new recipe a week. Some months it happens. Some months it doesn't.

And along the way I've picked up readers from across the country who occasionally pop in to see what's cooking.

Clearly there are better food blogs than mine.

But if you're looking for quick, easy, and healthy with a dash of humor... I'm glad to share what I can.


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Sesame Chicken Fingers

INGREDIENTS
  • 18 oz chicken tenderloins
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 6 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp course salt
  • 4 tbsp panko
  • olive oil spray (I used my Misto)
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick oil spray.

Combine the sesame oil and soy sauce in a bowl, and the sesame seeds, salt and panko in another.

Place chicken in the bowl with the oil and soy sauce, then into the sesame seed mixture to coat well.

Place on the baking sheet; lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray and bake 8 - 10 minutes.

Turn over and cook another 4 - 5 minutes longer or until cooked through.


VERDICT

Grown up chicken nuggets! Delicious!

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Servings: 4 1/2 • Serving Size: 2 chicken tenders
Calories: 196.9 • Fat: 9.1 g • Protein: 22.9 g • Carb: 5.7 g • Fiber: 1.5 g • Sugar: 0.3 g Sodium: 400 mg

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Tilapia in Lemon and Caper Sauce (Tilapia Piccata)

I realize that this is a very similar recipe to the Chicken Scallopini, which I just posted, but this is pretty darn good too. And since I already had the fresh lemons and capers, it made sense to try this one out too.

INGREDIENTS
  • 3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons drained brine-packed green peppercorns, lightly crushed
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 2 (6-ounce) tilapia or sole fillets
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons butter
  • Lemon wedges (optional)
DIRECTIONS
  • Combine first 3 ingredients.
  • Melt 1 teaspoon of butter with oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.
  • While butter melts, sprinkle fish fillets with salt and black pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; shake off excess flour.
  • Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until butter turns golden brown. Add fillets to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fillets from pan. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in two teaspoons of butter with a whisk. Serve sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired


VERDICT

I wouldn't cook this the same week as the chicken, but it's a simple, fast and tasty recipe for fish. My only complaint is how runny the sauce makes everything else on the plate. I'm a big sucker for each food having it's own little place on the plate and not touching- so this drove me nuts. But it was a good sauce, so it did make the vegetables and rice taste good too.

NUTRITION INFO


Calories: 282 Calories from fat: 26% Fat: 8.3g Saturated fat: 3.2g Monounsaturated fat: 2g Polyunsaturated fat: 2.1g Protein: 35g Carbohydrate: 15.3g Fiber: 0.8g Cholesterol: 92mg Iron: 1.5mg Sodium: 739mg Calcium: 43mg

Friday, October 21, 2011

Jerk Chicken (in the crockpot!)

It's crock pot season! I love making meals in the morning that make the house smell wonderful when I walk in the door after work. And best of all, by the time I get home all the hard work is done. All that's left to do is eat.

And to think- I never even owned a crock pot until I met my husband. "Our" crock pot was HIS!

INGREDIENTS

4-5 pound whole chicken

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon all spice (not a typo, I used a whole tablespoon!)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup)

DIRECTIONS

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Skin the bird as much as you can (or don't. it's your choice.) and place it into the slow cooker. I prefer to cook my chickens upside down, to keep the breast meat as juicy as possible. Make sure all the giblets, neck, etc. are out!

In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and dry spices. Rub this spice and sugar mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Pour on the lime juice.

Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4. Check doneness with a meat thermometer, or cut in to make sure the meat is no longer pink. Usually the bird falls completely apart--which is great. Moist, juicy, wondefully-flavored meat.

You can serve with lime wedges for a bit of extra citrus flavor, if you'd like.

VERDICT
This was incredibly easy. I love using the crockpot. Mix up the ingredients, turn it on, 6 hours later you have dinner. Oh, and the clean-up isn't bad either! One dish!

Mark loved this recipe, especially the leftovers. I actually thought the chicken was a bit dry, but it was very similar to those rotissery chickens you can buy at the store for $5 that have been spinning in an oven all day. For the $5 price for the 6 pound chicken I bought, we fed the family and had enough leftovers for 3 more individual meals.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Jerk Chicken in the Crock Pot

It's crock pot season! I love making meals in the morning that make the house smell wonderful when I walk in the door after work. And best of all, by the time I get home all the hard work is done. All that's left to do is eat.

And to think- I never even owned a crock pot until I met my husband. "Our" crock pot was HIS!

INGREDIENTS

4-5 pound whole chicken

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon all spice (not a typo, I used a whole tablespoon!)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup)

DIRECTIONS

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Skin the bird as much as you can (or don't. it's your choice.) and place it into the slow cooker. I prefer to cook my chickens upside down, to keep the breast meat as juicy as possible. Make sure all the giblets, neck, etc. are out!

In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and dry spices. Rub this spice and sugar mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Pour on the lime juice.

Cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4. Check doneness with a meat thermometer, or cut in to make sure the meat is no longer pink. Usually the bird falls completely apart--which is great. Moist, juicy, wondefully-flavored meat.

You can serve with lime wedges for a bit of extra citrus flavor, if you'd like.

VERDICT

I wasn't convinced that this whole bird would cook in just 6 hours. But it did. And it was fall-off-the-bone cooked, juicy and delicious!