Lot's of Cooking but Not Much Blogging This Past Week

We made many yummy things this week that were all figure friendly ......

Chicken with Lemon Basil Sauce
This sauce does not look pretty but tastes great.
adapted from Epicurious.com
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon (packed) grated lemon peel
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried

Coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter; tent with foil to keep warm.
Add lemon juice, garlic and lemon peel to same skillet. Stir over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken broth; boil until reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. Mix basil into sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.


Cauliflower Puree
The original recipe called for heavy cream but I wanted to lighten it up. It was still very yummy.
adapted from Gourmet January 2002

1/2 lb cauliflower florets, chopped (2 2/3 cups)
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/3 cup vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Simmer cauliflower, garlic, broth, and salt in a small saucepan, covered, until
cauliflower is very tender, about 10 minutes. Purée mixture with milk and
butter in a food processor until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids),
or mash with a potato masher or a fork. 

Buffalo Hummus
I did not get much of this because my husband ate most of it. On its own it was not that great but when combined with blue corn chips ..... Yum.
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 2 1/2 Tbsp liquid reserved
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp cayenne hot sauce
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
Kosher salt to taste
Puree the chickpeas, chickpea liquid, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, paprika, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth and creamy.
Serve with your dippers of choice.


Roasted Peppers Stuffed with Tomatoes, Onions and Basil
I had these for lunch a couple times this week. 
adapted from Gourmet July 1999
4 bell peppers
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3 garlic cloves
Preheat oven to 425°F and coat a large shallow baking pan with cooking spray.
Halve bell peppers lengthwise discarding seeds and ribs. Arrange peppers, cut
sides up, in baking pan and lightly coat the cut edges and stems with cooking spray. Halve tomatoes and chop onion and basil. Finely chop garlic and in a bowl toss with tomatoes, onion, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Divide mixture
among peppers and roast in upper third of oven until peppers are tender, about
20 minutes.


BBQ Sauce Marinade 
When I first read this recipe O thought it could be either really good or really bad. We ended up liking it. It provids the smoky BBQ taste without the heaviness or stickiness of the sauce. I marinaded skinless bone-in chicken legs and roasted them in the oven.

adapted from Real Simple, September 2006

1/3 cup barbecue sauce
3/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
Combine all ingredients. Can be used, add steaks, pork chops, or chicken to the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Beef Bolognese
I didn't get a picture of this one but we all know what meat sauce looks like. The boys loved it over pasta. I had it with roasted eggplant and zucchini. I calculated the Weight Watchers Plus Points to be 1 point per quarter cup of sauce. 
adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Beef-Bolognese-with-Linguine
1 lb lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
6 oz tomato paste, divided
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried basil1 tsp. dried marjoram1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 can (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 cups 2% milk
 
In a stockpot, cook the beef over for 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove beef with a slotted spoon; set aside. Pour off drippings. 
Coat the same pot with cooking spray. Add the onions, carrots and celery; cook and stir until tender. Stir in half of the tomato paste; cook and stir 3 minutes longer. Add the garlic, seasonings and beef. 
Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until almost evaporated. 
Add tomatoes, stock and bay leaves; return to a boil. Reduce heat;simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours or until desired consistency,stirring in milk and remaining tomato paste halfway through cooking. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Lemon Garlic Marinade

Another one without a picture but we used this as chicken for dinner and for Warren in sandwiches. Even topped a little with the bolognese above.

The longer the chicken marinates, the better! I actually let split chicken breasts sit for 2 days before cooking. 

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken in a resealable bag and top with marinade.