Its okay to cheat sometimes - with Marinades that is...

Okay.. so marinades are easy to make, but sometimes I really don't see the point in reinventing the wheel.  Especially when I can buy Lawry's Bottled Marinades and they taste amazing every single time!   So here is a post to tell all you busy working cooks out there to go easy on yourself every once in a while and use some Lawry's marinade on your favorite meats or veggies before taking them out to the grill or cooking them on the stove.  They have 19 different varieties of marinades.  I have only tried three of them - but they have all been very good.  My favorite so far is the Baja Chipotle and I highly recommend it when making chicken tacos. I also often use their Tuscan Sun Dried tomato on veggies.  Here is the link to their website so you can check out all the great options!
http://www.lawrys.com/Product-Landing/Marinades.aspx?cmpid=ps-lw-rp55-yb-Lawrys_Specific%20Marinades-lawry's%20baja%20chipotle%20marinade-generalmarinadeslp

Sweet Italian Turkey Brats

Sometimes this blog is about fancy food, but sometimes it is just about getting supper on the table quickly with great flare and flavor in the smallest amount of time possible.  Tonight is one of those nights.  With all the summer fairs and festivals going on, I get hungry for great fair food - but my waistline can only take so many indulgences.  This is my low fat fix for fair food - and honestly it's almost as good as the original.  In some ways it is better- much less grease and no heartburn!   Next venture... lemon shakeups!

Ingredients

5 sweet Italian turkey brats

1 vidalia onion

1 orange pepper

1 T sugar

5 hot dog buns

1 T butter

spicy brown mustard

Directions

1.  Place brats in boiling water and boil for approximately 7 minutes.

2.  While brats are boiling, slice onion and pepper into topping size pieces. 

3.  Butter inside of hot dog buns (we will heat them up on a hot skillet later).

4.  When boiled and cooked through, transfer brats to grill and cook until nicely browned. 

5.  While brats are on grill, saute onions and peppers in about 1/4 cup of reserved liquid from the brat boiling pan or butter.  I used the brat water to save on calories..   Salt and pepper mixture to taste.

6.  Cook until onions start to caramelize.   Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to pan and stir.  Let cook for a few more minutes. 

7.  Take buns and place on hot skillet to brown the insides.  Only takes about 30 seconds.

8.  Place brats on buns and top with onions, peppers, and spicy brown mustard.


Points= one brat is 8 pts

Herby Burgers

I have a container garden on my deck and have oodles and oodles of fresh herbs!  I decided to jazz up some hamburgers with them tonight.  This is a great low fat burger with lots of flavor. It is also super easy and fast to make.  And if you are a lover of goat cheese- I suggest topping your burger with some.  I really think the herbs would meld well with it.   I wanted to tonight, but didn't have any on hand.  I will definitely have some next time though!

Ingredients

93% lean hamburger - 1 pound

1/3 cup fresh chopped basil

1/3 cup fresh chopped oregano

1/4 cup fresh chopped chives

1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

3 T grated Parmesan cheese

3 T dry red wine

Salt and pepper to taste

cheese of your choice for topping 

Mix all ingredients together in bowl with exception of the last.  Form into four patties.  For even cooking, make a small well in the center of the burger with thumbs so that outer part of burger is thicker than the inner.  Cook on grill to desired doneness.  Top with your favorite variety of cheese.  

points= plain hamburger is 5pts

Spicy Ginger Stir Fry Sauce

Hello faithful followers! I hope you are having a wonderful day and have cooked something yummy for yourself!  Last night I wanted to make something quick, easy, and tasty.  Beef stir-fry is a favorite at the Van Sloten house and this is my new favorite sauce.  Its sweet and spicy with a taste of ginger.    It is my adaptation of Argo Cornstarch's stir fry sauce recipe.  By the time I was done tweaking.. I believe it to now be my recipe as it is very different from the original.  But thanks so much to Argo for the inspiration!

Ingredients
1 T cornstarch
6 T brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce ( I use Kikkoman reduced sodium)
2 T dry red wine
1 T sesame oil
2 T white wine vinegar
3 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Stir together the first three ingredients in a saucepan.  Then add all the other ingredients.  Cook over medium heat until mixture boils or reaches a thick consistency.  Makes 1 and 1/4 cups sauce.  Store covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

WW points* - 2pts per 1/4 cup

Ingredients for Stir Fry
1 pound sirloin cut into thin short strips
1 pound favorite variety of veggies ( I buy a frozen bag of stir fry veggies from Aldis - works great!)
1 cup Spicy Ginger Stirfry Sauce
2 T of peanut oil

1.  Marinade sirloin in 1/4 cup of  spicy ginger stir fry sauce for at least 30 minutes in fridge.
2.  Heat 1 T of peanut oil in wok and 1 T of peanut oil in a second skillet.
3.  Cook veggies in wok until  almost crisp tender.
4.  Discard any excess marinade and cook sirloin in second skillet to desired doneness.
5.  Add sirloin and 3/4 cup spicy ginger stir fry sauce to veggies.  Stir together and simmer for 2 minutes.
6.  Serve over a bed of rice.

Serves four.

WW points*
1/4 of  stir fry with 1/2 cup of white rice = 11 pts
* not endorsed or figured by weight watchers -all points figured by blog author

Apologies - Font makes teaspoon and tablespoon look the same

After reading my blog post, I realized that it is very difficult to differentiate between teaspoon and tablespoon abbreviations with the font I have chosen.  I have gone back and edited each post and spelled out teaspoon and left tablespoon as a uppercase T.  I apologize if any of you tried my recipes and had wrong measurements due to the font!   My sincerest apologies!

Grandma's Cranberry Frosted Cookies

  

I love my grandma!  She makes these cookies every year at the holidays.  I think almost every family member loves them.  She always seems to run out of them before I can even get seconds.  I was hankering for one this week, so I just made them!  The recipe calls for fresh or frozen cranberries.. but I couldn't find any and used canned.  They still turned out yummy  - flatter than grandma's, but still yummy.    Also as a side note.. don't stack the finished cookies on top of each other.  Put a piece of wax paper between each layer for storage or they will stick together.  Here is the recipe.. courtesy of Virginia Marcellino. 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 T orange juice
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting (double if you like thick frosting on your cookies) 

1/3 c butter (no substitutes)

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-4 T hot water

In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add milk, egg and orange juice; mix well.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in cranberries and nuts.  Drop by the tablespoonful, 2 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.

For Frosting: Heat the butter in a sauce pan over low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Cool for 2 minutes; transfer to a small mixing bowl.  Add sugar and vanilla. Beat in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting reaches desired consistency.  Frost the cookies after they have completely cooled.  Yields about 5 dozen.

Grandma this Mother's day opening my gift to her.  She loves a good champagne!



A schooling in Red Harissa

I love Aldis for many reasons, but one is because I can get a jar of roasted red peppers for $1.00-$1.29.   When they go on sale, I really stock up.  So I have a pantry overflowing with roasted red peppers.  In doing a search for a use for them I came upon  recipes  for Red Harissa which has several variations.  My plan was to drizzle it over chicken and vegetable kebabs.. however the drizzle of rain outside was threatening to turn into a downpour.. so out went the grilling of kebabs.

Instead I cooked up the chicken and veggies inside and added the Red Harissa to the pan.  I served it over a bed of couscous. Which after doing more research on Harissa, learned that it is often used to flavor couscous!  I can see why.  This is a very strong sauce.  The recipes called from anywhere to 1 clove of garlic to 4 cloves.  I used four - that was a mistake.  It was still tasty... but man, once the garlic aftertaste sets in.. .well.. all you taste is garlic.  I suggest starting with one clove, or none... taste and see what you think.  Then add cloves to your garlic tolerance.  The same is true of the cayenne.  For myself,  a half teaspoon was perfect.  Others might want more or to use fresh jalapenos which is common in Harissa.  Also, traditional African Harissa isn't even made with red peppers... its made with straight up hot chili peppers... so this can be made to so many different heat levels.   I believe it can be a versatile sauce too.  You could use it with pasta, sandwiches, wraps, pizza.. anywhere you want a spicy red peppery kick.   This recipe makes about 3 cups.


Here is my version of a Harissa...

18 oz of roasted red peppers
2.5 T white wine vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 of a cup olive oil

Puree all ingredients except olive oil together in a blender or food processor.  After mixed, slowly add the oil while machine is still running.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.


For my chicken and veggies...

16 oz chicken breast
4 oz mushrooms sliced
1 T oil or butter
1/2 onion, minced
2 zucchini, chopped into large bite size pieces
balsamic vinaigrette dressing (optional)
salt and pepper
couscous (I just use a box mix - prepare as directed)


1.  Chop up  chicken breast into bite size pieces.  Salt and pepper them.  Toss with balsamic vinaigrette and cook in skillet.  Add mushrooms when nearly finished cooking.

2. While chicken is cooking, saute onions in butter for a few minutes in separate pan.
3.  Add zucchini to onions and cook until nicely browned.  Salt and pepper to taste.
4.  Add cooked chicken and mushrooms to zucchini.  Pour 1 cup of Harissa sauce over ingredients and simmer for one or two minutes.
5.  Spoon chicken and vegetables over prepared couscous. 
6.  Drizzle extra Harissa sauce over top or use on the side for dipping.


WW points*
1 cup of chicken/veggies with 1/2 cup of couscous =7pts  (may need to increase depending on what oil/butter substance you use to saute onions.  I use a butter which is only 1 pt per T.. so it basically adds nothing to the entire dish of 5 servings.)
Extra Harissa for dipping = 1 pt per 3.5 Tablespoons
*not endorsed or figured by WW - these are calculated by blog author

Modern Pot Roast

I hate pot roast.  I loathe pot roast.  But Dustin loves loves loves pot roast.  So I have committed to creating a pot roast recipe that both he and I can love.  After searching high and low for recipes, I didn't find anything that I wanted to eat - so I created my own today.  To me the roast still tastes like roast... but the vegetables taste heavenly and there are enough flavors going on that I can actually like it.  I warn you pot roast purist out there however, this ain't your grandma's pot roast.   The ingredient list is long and not for the feint of heart.. and I am by no means a master chef.  But I think it turned out tasty and Dustin ate two helpings so it must have been okay.  He named it "Modern Pot Roast".  Also, since there is only two of us, I usually cut a roast in half and only use 1.5# at a time.  I think I will still continue to experiment with different types of roast, but this is worthy of repeating.

For crock pot preparation...

Ingredients

For the broth bath the roast and veggies cook in while simmering in the crock pot

1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T ketchup
3 T brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 cups beef broth

1.  Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.

for the garnishing of the roast

1 vidalia onion, minced
4 sprigs fresh oregano, finely chopped
6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
6 stems fresh Italian flat parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs of celery (tops included), finely chopped
1 twelve ounce jar of roasted red peppers, chopped
6-8 small red potatoes (whatever your crock pot can hold with the roast)
1/2 small bag of baby carrots

1.  Set aside onion and garlic for later use.
2.  Combine herbs, celery, and peppers in a small bowl and set aside.
3.  Cut each potato in fourths and rinse carrots.


For the Roast - we are going to sear it before putting it in the crock pot

1.5# roast of choice
1 T Canola oil
salt
pepper

1.  Heat skillet (cast iron preferably) on high heat. 
2.  Once pan is very hot, add oil.
3.  Season roast with salt and pepper
4.  Add roast to pan and sear each side.  About 4-5 minutes a side.. depends on your pan.
5.  Remove roast from pan, and set aside.
6.  Add onions and garlic to pan.  Quickly saute and then add to the rest of the garnish.

Place broth bath in crock pot.  Add potatoes and carrots.  Then nestle roast in center of crock pot.  Take garnish and spread over top of roast, potatoes and carrots. Cook on low according to your crock pot's guide for pot roast.  I cooked mine for about 6 hours.  Could have gone for 8, but Dustin was hungry!  For my gravy, I didn't strain it - left all the garnish in it.  Tastes yummy that way - again.. not for purists!

For a gravy...
Make a basic rue. Add the broth.  Add some whipping cream or milk to make creamy.. 

For those of you asking.. what the heck is a rue? or I've never made gravy!!!!  Here you go.

Heat 2 T butter in saute pan.  Once melted.  Add one T of flour and mix together.  After mixed, add another tablespoon of flour.  It should be a thick substance by now.  If not, add a little more flour.   Then SLOWLY add two ladles full of beef broth bath from the roast at a time. Stir continuously.. it should thicken.  As it thickens, add two more ladles full.  Add broth 3-4 more times.  If you prefer a creamier gravy.. add a little heavy whipping cream, half and half, or just milk if its all you have.  Add it until it turns the color of gravy you like.. but do it slowly like you did the broth. 


 As far as WW points* .. depends on the cut of roast and amount amount of potatoes you eat.  It can be a pretty low point dish if you choose a leaner roast and use  low fat milk in your gravy instead of heavy whipping cream:)
*not endorsed or figured by WW - these are calculated by blog author

Spinach Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde

This is my adaptation of a simpler spinach enchilada recipe I came across.  For me, just spinach and cheese doesn't cut it.  So enter in more veggies and Mexican spices and you have something worth eating!  It was super tasty, healthy, and my husband who gave me "that look" when I said it was vegetarian even liked it.  It was birthed by a bagged spinach sale.  At only 50 cents a 10 ounce bag, I knew I had to make it into dinner.  

Ingredients

1 T canola oil
5 mini orange peppers thinly sliced
1/2 of a large vidalia onion finely minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 T sugar
2 T chicken broth or water
salt
pepper
8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
1 cup low fat sour cream
1 cup salsa verde (choose a heat of your preference)
1 ten ounce bag of fresh spinach finely chopped
1 and 1/4 cups of Monterrey jack cheese
6 flour tortillas

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees...

1.  Finely chop spinach and set aside in large mixing bowl.
2.  Heat a nonstick skillet on medium high heat.  Add oil when pan is hot.
3.  Add onions to pan and saute for about two minutes.
5.  Reduce heat to medium.
5.  Add peppers and cook for one minute.
6.  Add cumin, chili powder, sugar, broth, and salt and pepper to taste to onions and peppers.
7.  Stir spices and broth into vegetables until combined.
8.  Add mushrooms to mixture, stir to combine.
9.  Cook all until slightly tender - only a few minutes.
10. When tender, empty skillet contents into bowl with spinach and stir to combine.  Set aside.
11.  Spray non stick spray on a 9x13 pan.
12.  Mix sour cream and salsa together in mixing bowl.
13.  Spread a 1/2 cup of sour cream/salsa mixture on the bottom of the pan.
14.  Add 1 cup of  sour cream and salsa mixture to prepared spinach and vegetables.
15.  Add 1 cup of shredded cheese to spinach mixture.  Stir all ingredients together.
16.  Fill each tortilla with spinach filling, roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. 
17.  Use remaining 1/2 cup of sour cream/salsa mixture to spread over top of tortillas. 
18.  Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until tortillas are browned.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over the top in last  few minutes of baking.

Weight Watchers Points Value* = 9 points per enchilada
*not endorsed or figured by WW - these are calculated by blog author