Penne with Chicken and Light Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

This was adapted from Capellini With Pine Nuts, Sun-Dried Tomatoes And Chicken from Prevention magazine. This is really growing on me for a great place for healthy recipes. I adapted the recipe a fair amount, but I love the way that this turned out. This is a keeper with a nice light sauce.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
1/2 cup Pine nuts
13 oz box Penne, whole wheat or whole grain
1 cup Broth (chicken, low-sodium chicken or vegetable)
5-6 oz Sun-dried tomatoes, dry-packed
1 tbsp Olive oil
3 Chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" slices (lengthwise)
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
4 tsp Garlic, minced (or 4 cloves)
1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
12 Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half.
1/4 cup Fresh basil, sliced into thin strips

Directions
1. In a saute pan over low heat, toast the pine nuts until they are lightly browned.
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions
3. Soak tomatoes in near boiling water for around 10 minutes. Drain the liquid (adding 1/2 cup to the broth and set aside). Then slice the tomatoes into strips.
4. Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with kosher salt and pepper. Add chicken, garlic, and red-pepper flakes to the skillet and cook for around 3 minutes. Drain any excess liquid in the pan. Then add tomatoes, broth/water mixture and the olives. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Add pasta to skillet and toss thoroughly. Then add the basil and pine nuts and toss again.

Enjoy!

Salmon with Hoisin Glaze

This was adapted from Salmon with Hoisin Glaze from Cooking Light (just about my favorite cooking magazine these days). This came out fantastic - we will definitely have it on a relatively short rotation.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
3 tsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Dark sesame oil
1 tsp Cooking sherry
2 tsp Garlic, chopped finely
4 (6 oz) Salmon fillets, skin removed
Cooking spray
2 tsp Sesame seeds
1 Green onion, finely chopped (optional for topping)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a shallow dish, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, cooking sherry and garlic in a bowl. Add fish to dish, turning to coat. Marinate at room temperature 8-15 minutes, turning occasionally.
3. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place fish on the sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 400° for 12-13 minutes. Garnish with green onions when done.

Enjoy with rice!

Chicken and Green Beans

This was adapted from Chinese Grandma's easy chicken and green bean stir fry. It seems to be a great addition to our healthy menu and it turned out to be a fantastic dinner with brown rice!

Ingredients (serves 4-5)
4 Chicken breasts, skinless and cut into thin strips
1 lbs Green Beans, cut in half if longer than 3" (you can increase if desired)
4 tsp Chopped Garlic (or 5 cloves), divided
8 tbsp Soy Sauce, divided
5 tbsp Cooking sherry, divided
2 tbsp Brown sugar
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp Peanut oil

Directions
1. Create marinade for the chicken with 4 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp cooking sherry and 2 tsp chopped garlic. Add chicken to the marinade, cover and place in the refrigerator for around 30 minutes.
2. Combine sauce ingredients in a separate bowl. These include 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp cooking sherry, and 2 tsp chopped garlic. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsp peanut oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the green beans and cook for 5-7 minutes. Then remove from the pan and place into a serving bowl.
4. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of peanut oil to the wok. Drain the marinade from the chicken and add to the wok. Cook for around 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously.
5. Add the sauce mixture to the chicken and cook for around 30 seconds. Then add the cooked green beans and mix thoroughly for around 1 minute.

Enjoy with rice!

Spiced Chicken with Rice & Broccoli

Another adaptation from a recipe in Prevention's quick and healthy low-fat cooking : featuring cuisines from the Mediterranean (1993) by Jean Rogers. The original recipe is on page 161. This was simply fantastic!

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut in half diagonally (so no piece is too thick)
1 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Cumin
Kosher salt and pepper (to taste)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Crowns of broccoli (cut all but short stems)
1 3/4 cups Quick-cooking brown rice (I used Minute Rice)
1 tbsp dried Parsley
2 cups Chicken broth
2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Capers (rinsed)

Directions

1. Season chicken with paprika, cumin, kosher salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook the chicken until lightly brown (around 3 minutes per side). Add broccoli and cook for an additional minute.
3. Add rice, parsley, broth, lemon juice and capers to the pan. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil.
4. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for around 10 minutes. Then remove from the heat and leave covered for an additional 5-7
minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Mushrooms with Cherry Sauce

Adapted from this Cooking Light recipe for Chicken in Cherry Marsala Sauce. We had cooking sherry and the Mrs. does not like Marsala. I have not done a great deal with sweet sauces for chicken. I loved it and think it is a great way to use dried Michigan cherries. This is a definite winner.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Dried cherries
1/2 cup Cooking sherry
4 tsp Olive oil
4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise (around 1 1/2 lbs total)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1/3 cup Shallots, finely chopped (one larger shallot)
3 Sprigs fresh thyme
8 oz Mushrooms (white or baby portobellos) Thinly sliced.
2/3 cup Chicken broth

Directions
1. Combine cherries and cooking sherry in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high for 45 seconds, and set aside.
2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook around 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Cover with foil and keep warm.
3. Add remaining olive oil to pan and then add shallots and thyme. Saute for around 1 minute. Then add the broth, cherry mixture, mushrooms, the remaining 1/4 tsp kosher salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper
4. Bring mixture to a boil, scraping the pan to loosen the browned bits. Leave the mixture at a boil for around a minute. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes or until sauce is slightly thick. Pour over the chicken and serve.

Matches very well with a green vegetable and brown rice.

Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Adapted from this Busch's Recipe - a local grocery story in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This came out so juicy and delicious. It will definitely be on on rotation for dinners from here on out.

Ingredients
2 Pork tenderloins, about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. each, trimmed
1/2 cup Orange marmalade
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Dried thyme leaves
1 tsp Ground thyme
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
2 tsp Ground cinnamon
3 tsp Garlic, minced
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Ground pepper
Cooking spray

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a bowl, thoroughly mix orange marmalade, cumin, thyme (leaves and ground), rosemary, cinnamon, garlic, kosher salt and pepper.
3. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with cooking spray & place the pork on the pan. Spread marmalade mixture on the tenderloins. Roast 23-26 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155-160 degrees (slightly pink). Cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Healthier Sweet Potato Fries

Adapted from this recipe from Dr. Oz's site: Rip Esselstyn's Portobello Mushroom Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
2 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small fries (use a mandolin for ease and uniformity)
Cooking spray
Olive oil, sprayed (if you put it in a bottle sprayer - that works great)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the sweet potatoes into a single layer.
3. Lightly spray olive oil ontop of the fries and sprinkle with kosher salt (adjust to taste).
4. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and put in oven for 15 minutes.
5. Then, remove the foil and flip the fries. Cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Peanut Noodles

Recipe was adapted from a recipe in Prevention Magazines' 400 Calorie Fix Cookbook (displayed until July 2012). Here is the recipe on the Prevention website.

Ingredients:
8 oz Whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti
5 tbsp Creamy peanut butter (low fat or low sugar should be fine)
3 tbsp Rice vinegar
2 tbsp Reduced-sodium or regular soy sauce
1/2 tsp Sesame seeds
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
3 Scallions, chopped into small pieces to the white part of the onion

Directions
1. Prepare pasta according to directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid for the sauce.
2. In a mixing bowl, add peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Whisk until well blended.
3. Add pasta and mix thoroughly. Then add the scallion ontop and serve.

Enjoy!