Baked Fries with Garlic Cheese Sauce

Garlic and Cheese...they were good.  D made them. I wish there had been more cheese sauce, but when don't I lament that.  The calories were higher than what Laaloosh reported, but such is life.

We would have again.  We had with Reubens.

Baked Fries with Garlic Cheese Sauce

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 40 minute(s)
4 servings
Serving size is about 1 ½ cup fries, and 3 tbsp cheese sauce

Photo by ALB

From Laaloosh

Ingredients
5 medium sized gold potatoes, washed and dried
2 egg whites
1/4 cup reduced fat milk
3 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup Mexican style cheese, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice potatoes into french fry-shape strips. Place in a bowl and toss with the egg whites.

Season with salt.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray with nonfat cooking spray.

Remove fries from bowl, gently shaking off any excess dripping egg white, and place onto prepared baking sheet.

Place in oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven, and carefully remove the parchment paper, sliding the fries directly onto the baking sheet.

Place back into the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the fries are golden brown and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. Make sure to toss the fries around about every 8 minutes to ensure even crisping.

To make cheese sauce, place milk, cream cheese, garlic and shredded cheese into a small sauce pan and set over medium heat. Stir constantly until all cheese is melted and combined. If sauce is too thick, you can thin in out using some additional milk, adding tablespoon by tablespoon as necessary to achieve desired consistency.

Serve fries with cheese sauce drizzled over them or on the side for dipping.

Nutritional Information (from MyFitnessPal)
Calories: 223; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat 4 g ; Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 18 mg; Sodium: 217 mg; Potassium: 831 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 35 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 4 g; Protein: 8 g

Chicken Florentine Flatbread

So D thinks it is funny, but I refer to anything that is pizza-like but does not have red sauce as shit-on-bread (white pizza would be in this category).  You can have good shit-on-bread, but regardless it is shit-on-bread.

So he was a little surprised when I told him I had pinned this recipe. He asked if it should have red sauce.  We looked at it and decided it needed garlic.

It was really good, although really high in calories.  It reminded me of Phyllo Pizza with Feta, Basil, and Tomatoes but without the PITA of using Phyllo.

We would have again, but we would make the following changes.
1. Make it 3 servings
2. Use 1.25 C of Italian Blend Cheese or use 1 Cup of it and 1/4C of Parm or Feta
3. Use 2 TBSP of butter and add some garlic powder to it (still keep the garlic cloves).

Chicken Florentine Flatbread

Serves 2
Adapted from Rachel Schultz

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
2 flatbread or naan (homemade or store bought) (used garlic naan)
2 tablespoons butter (used 3 TBSP)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and sliced (used 8 oz)
Added oregano, salt, and pepper to chicken
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (used grape tomatoes)
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup parmesan, shredded (didn't use because ours was bad...it's why 3 TBSP of butter was used)
1 and 1/2 cups mozzarella, shredded (used Italian Blend)
Basil (2 TBSP)
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
D put red onion on his (not in the nutritional information

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread butter over naan. Sprinkle half of 3/4 of mozzarella onto bread. Layer spinach on top of mozzarella. Add cherry tomatoes, chicken, remaining mozzarella, parmesan, and basil.

Nutritional Information (using My Fitness Pal, with my ingredients, still 2 servings)
Calories: 1002; Total Fat: 53 g; Saturated Fat: 25 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g; Trans Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 212 mg; Sodium: 2102 mg; Potassium: 435 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 65 g; Dietary Fiber: 5 g; Sugars: 7 g; Protein: 66 g

Scallion-and-Brie-Stuffed Burgers

These were very good. I would have them again.

Scallion-and-Brie-Stuffed Burgers

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Food and Wine

Total Time: 30 Min
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds ground beef (used 85/15)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces Brie, rind removed, cheese cut into 4 slices
1/4 cup Spicy Scallion Paste (see below)
Vegetable oil, for brushing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 hamburger buns, split (used large whole wheat)
Tomatoes (and Lettuce if you want)

Preparation
Light a grill. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper and form into eight 4-inch patties that are slightly thicker in the center. Top 4 of the patties with a slice of Brie and a scant tablespoon of the scallion paste. Top with the 4 remaining patties, pinching the edges to seal.

Brush the burgers with oil and grill over high heat, turning once or twice, about 8 minutes for medium-rare meat.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the remaining scallion paste. Grill the buns until toasted. Spread the mayonnaise on the bottoms of the buns and top with the burgers, tomatoes (and lettuce). Close the burgers and serve.

Spicy Scallion Paste

Total Time: 15 Minutes
Servings: Makes 1/4 Cup

Ingredients
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh hot chile, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation
In a small bowl, combine the scallions with the garlic, chile, lemon zest and cayenne, mashing slightly with the back of a spoon. Stir in the olive oil and salt.

Food and Wine, June 2006

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 672; Total Fat: 38 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Monounsaturated: Fat 6 g; Polyunsaturated: Fat 3 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 85 mg; Sodium 1129: mg; Potassium: 57 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 43 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 7 g; Protein: 40 g

Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Honey Lime Vinaigrette

My friend Amy was looking for lunch recipes and one of her friends posted this recipe.  It looked good, but it needed some additions (like meat) if D and I were going to have it for dinner.  I ran it through My Fitness Pal and was able to come up with this.

4 servings in huge and it had a lot of flavor.  I would have again. And I'm looking forward to it for lunch tomorrow.

You can lower the calories by reducing/omitting the avocado, omitting the chicken, etc.

Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Honey Lime Vinaigrette

YIELD: 4 servings
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Veggie and the Beast Feast

Ingredients
1 lb cooked chicken breast, cut in 1-inch pieces (D sauteed with Southwest Seasoning)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 red onion, cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 avocados
4 TBSP Cojita Cheese (optional)
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette,

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 lime, juiced (about 1 1/2 tbsp) and zested
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Directions
Heat 2 tsp of canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped red onion and cook until starting to soften, 2-3 minutes. Pour in the dry quinoa and toast, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and salt, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Set aside. Toss together the cooked quinoa with the chicken, black beans, thinly-sliced red onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, and avocado in a bowl.

To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust salt to your liking.

Pour the vinaigrette over the quinoa and toss well. Serve with corn tortilla chips, if you like. Can be eaten hot or cold.

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 562; Total Fat: 19 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 84 mg; Sodium: 961 mg; Potassium: 608 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 63 g; Dietary Fiber: 11 g; Sugars: 15 g; Protein: 42 g

Stir-Fried Chicken with Chinese Cabbage

I was expecting this one to be higher in calories, although I'm not really sure why.  D made this one.  He was sick and looked miserable (he doesn't complain on getting sick, and when I came home, I could just look at him and tell he was).  So I was quite happy that it didn't take him a lot of time to make this come together.

Overall I wish it had a little more sauce but it was very good and the portions were huge.  We both added Sambal Oelek (the red stuff) to make it spicier.

We would have again.  We had with rice.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Chinese Cabbage

From Food & Wine 

Active Time: 10 Min
Total Time: 30 Min
Servings: 4

A simple sauce of garlic, hot pepper, sherry, wine vinegar, and tomato, adds intense flavor to this quick stir-fry and it practically makes itself while the chicken and cabbage cook. Steamed rice is an ideal accompaniment.

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons soy sauce (used less sodium)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/2 head Chinese cabbage (about 1 pound), sliced (used Napa Cabbage)
3/4 cup drained sliced water chestnuts (from one 8-ounce can)
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or scallion tops
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sherry, and the cayenne. Let marinate for 10 minutes.

In a wok or large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until almost done, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the onion, garlic, and coriander. Cook, stirring, until the onions are golden, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sherry and the vinegar. Cook, stirring, 1 minute longer.

Add the cabbage, water chestnuts, the remaining 4 teaspoons soy sauce, the tomato paste, red-pepper flakes, and water and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes longer. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices, the cilantro, and the salt and cook, stirring, until the chicken is just done, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 375; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 80 mg; Sodium: 582 mg; Potassium: 408 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 10 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 4 g; Protein: 51 g

Grilled Chicken with Brie and Baby Spinach Salad

I had a coupon for Brie so D and I decided we should find a new recipe to make for it.  Lo and behold this is what I found.

Now if you ever watched Robin Miller's show on Food Network, back when they actually showed cooking shows (kind of like MTV and music), you know she was an eyeballer/abouter.  So this recipe kind of fell into that category which makes it a little hard for NI.  Luckily D knew how much stuff he used and I was able to calculate the NI.

The result...fabulous.  I love the "sour" of the Brie with the sweet of the dressing.  I definitely would have again.

Grilled Chicken with Brie and Baby Spinach Salad

Recipe courtesy Robin Miller 2007

Total Time: 30 min
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Yield:4 servings

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 5 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salt-free garlic and herb seasoning (D used garlic powder and Italian Seasoning)
4 to 8 slices Brie cheese, about 1/2-inch thick (D ended up using 1.5 oz total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons vinegar (D used cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
4 slices bacon, cooked (D used center cut)

Directions
Heat a stove-top grill pan or griddle with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat to preheat.

Season both sides of chicken with salt, black pepper, and garlic and herb seasoning. Add chicken to hot pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat. Place 1 to 2 slices of Brie on top of chicken, cover with foil and place back on grill pan for another 1 minute, until cheese melts.

Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and chopped shallots to the pan and saute. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, honey and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the mixture to the skillet and stir to combine. Pour the warm vinaigrette over the spinach and toss to coat. Crumble the bacon strips over the dressed salad.

Transfer chicken to a serving plate or plate with spinach salad.

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 371; Total Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 80 mg; Sodium: 350 mg; Potassium: 225 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 12 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 9 g; Protein: 50 g

Dragon Noodles

This recipe came up on Facebook from the Sriracha people.  It looked like it would be a really good breakfast.  D had to work, and I was slightly hungover. I decided I would make this.  One problem...we had no eggs.  So I went to McDonald's, sorted my coupons, and then went grocery shopping.  I decided I would have this for lunch.

It comes from a Budget website, so I decided to just go with that and use egg noodles we already had in the pantry.  And I was really hungry, so I already knew I was eating both portions.

It was SIMPLE to make.  I will definitely make again.

Dragon Noodles

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 2

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients
4 oz. egg noodles or whatever noodles you have in the pantry
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large egg
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sriracha (rooster sauce)
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp sliced green onion

Instructions
Begin to boil water for the noodles. Once the water reaches a full boil, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil for 5-7 minutes).

While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha.

In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper to the butter as it melts. Whisk an egg in a bowl and then add to the melted butter. Stir gently and cook through. Once the egg is done cooking, turn off the heat.

When the noodles are tender, drain the water and then add them to the skillet with the cooked egg. Also add the prepared sauce. Turn the heat on to low to evaporate excess moisture, and stir until everything is coated well with the sauce. Sprinkle the sliced green onions and cilantro leaves (whole) on top and serve!

Nutrtional Information (From MyFitnessPal)
Calories: 348; Total Fat: 11 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 173 mg; Sodium: 532 mg; Potassium: 82 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 49 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Sugars: 10 g; Protein: 12 g

10 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 2 servings)

Baked Chiles Rellenos

So I got an email about Mexican Recipes since Cinqo de Mayo was coming up.  I showed D and he said ok.  We looked at the recipe on Tuesday night and decided to do some prepping (Through Step 4).

Wednesday, D made the rest of it.  We both liked it.  Think we need to add salsa.  We will have again. We had with Southwest Salad.

Baked Chiles Rellenos

This casserole version of the Mexican specialty is perfect for a spicy Easter brunch. This dish can be prepared through step 5 up to a day ahead and chilled (bake an extra 5 to 10 minutes).

Photo by ALB

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
8 poblano chiles
3/4 pound fresh high-quality Mexican chorizo
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
12 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup freshly shredded jack cheese

Preparation
1. Preheat broiler. Lay chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook about 4 in. from broiler until chiles are blistering and black, about 5 minutes. Turn chiles over and broil until blistering and black all over, about 5 minutes. Put chiles in a large metal bowl and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Let sit 15 minutes.

2. Peel chiles and discard skins. Cut off stem ends and discard; remove seeds. Set chiles aside on layers of paper towels to dry.

Photo by ALB

3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook chorizo, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Photo by ALB

4. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix chorizo, cotija, and oregano. (After he did this, D separated the mixture into 8 even portions, using a scale and refrigerated for about 10 minutes). Stuff chiles with mixture and lay them in an 8- by 12-in. baking dish.

Photo by ALB

5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs until they are thoroughly broken up and uniform in color and texture. Whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle chiles with 1/2 the jack cheese. Pour egg mixture over chiles and sprinkle with remaining jack.

6. Bake until top starts to brown and the eggs are set but still soft, about 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 444; Protein: 28 g; Fat: 31 g; Sat fat: 13 g; Carbohydrate: 14 g; Fiber: 1.4 g; Sodium: 1093 mg; Cholesterol: 378 mg

Sunset, March 2008

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest somewhere, and decided to make it.  We have been trying to have one crockpot dish a week, where the cooking is done when we get home from work, so this fell into that category.

I actually made this.  It was very easy.  Basically, a lot of opening cans and dumping.  I did have to chop an onion and use the garlic mincer to mince the garlic. But other than that, open and dump.  Oh, I weighed some chicken too.

D diced the chicken when it was cooked, and cut up some cilantro.  So it was a collaborative dish.  Overall we both liked it, but thought it could use a little more heat.  Maybe some chili powder or add a can of jalapenos.  Also D thought to remove the fire roasted tomatoes and add in Rotel.

We would have again, since we already talked about how to make it even better.  We used cilantro, sour cream and cojita cheese as our garnishes.  They are not included in the Nutritional Information.

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Photo by ALB

Servings: 4
Prep: 10 Min
Cook: 8 Hours

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven.

Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 cups chicken broth
1 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juice (next time use Rotel)
1 (15-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
Add 1 (4-ounce) can diced jalapenos
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 white onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, or more/less to taste
(Add Chili Powder or SW Seasoning)

Optional Garnishes (not in NI)
chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado, diced red onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips/chips

Directions
Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 6-8 hours on low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. Use two forks to shred the chicken.

Serve warm, with optional garnishes.

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal
Calories: 463; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 95 mg; Sodium: 2632 mg; Potassium: 261 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 60 g; Dietary Fiber 16 g; Sugars: 12 g; Protein: 41 g

Chinese Chicken Salad

A friend pinned this one, and I went, "MMM."  I saw "Lighter" in the original title.  I read the blurb and didn't really see how it was lighter. I read the ingredients and didn't see how it was really lighter.  I ran the numbers and really didn't see how it was lighter, so I took the word Lighter out of the recipe and went from there.  Perhaps the original blogger based it off of a Cheesecake Factory Recipe or something. I don't know.  I tend not to eat salad in restaurants.

It was very good salad and big.  But D wasn't in the mood for salad for lunch the next day so we made it 3 servings.  Not a big deal.  We didn't toss the salad with the dressing...rather each used 3 TBSP per serving.  The Nutritional Information reflects the amount we used, not the amount we made.

Overall, I'll have again.  But just know, there was nothing light about this salad.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (12 oz)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
pinch of salt and pepper
Cooking Spray
1 head Romaine lettuce, shredded
4 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup edamame
2/3 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chow mein noodles
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
9 TBSP Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette (see ingredients below)

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. sriracha chile sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
pinch of salt and pepper

Directions
Salad
Heat oven to 350.

Combine chicken breasts, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar in a large bowl or ziplock bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper.

Put chicken on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Remove and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Then cut into thin strips.

In a large bowl, toss together Romaine, red cabbage, edamame, carrots, chicken, chow mein noodles and almonds until combined. Toss with your desired amount of vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Vinaigrette
Whisk together all ingredients until combined. You can add more sriracha for an extra kick.

Nutritional Information (from MyFitnessPal)
Calories: 592; Total Fat: 28 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 12 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 7 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 70 mg; Sodium: 1521 mg; Potassium: 875 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 47 g; Dietary Fiber: 12 g; Sugars: 23 g; Protein: 39 g